Spiritual Significance of Numbers – The Number 16

[Study Aired February 27, 2027]

If the number eight signifies new beginnings as in the putting off of the flesh on the eighth day (Lev 12:3), Christ being resurrected on the eighth day (Mat 28:1-7), and Christ calling all men to Himself on “the eighth day, that great day of the feast”, signifying the great white throne judgment (Joh 7:37, Rev 20:11-15), then sixteen, 2×8, amplifies the putting off of, and the destruction of, our old man,  the birth and the new beginning of the new man, and the great white throne judgment with the assurance of salvation for all men of all time through the faith of Jesus Christ. The number sixteen simply amplifies and extends that all of those messages.

1Co 15:22  For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
1Co 15:23  But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.
1Co 15:24  Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.
1Co 15:25  For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet.
1Co 15:26  The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.
1Co 15:27  For he hath put all things under his feet. But when he saith all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is excepted, which did put all things under him.
1Co 15:28  And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all.

1 Corinthians 13:4-8 list 16 qualities of love, demonstrating how this number amplifies the positive significance of the number 8:

1Co 13:4  1) Charity suffereth long, and 2) is kind; charity 3) envieth not; charity 4) vaunteth not itself, is 5) not puffed up,
1Co 13:5  6) Doth not behave itself unseemly, 7) seeketh not her own, 8) is not easily provoked, 9) thinketh no evil;
1Co 13:6  10) Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but 11) rejoiceth in the truth;
1Co 13:7  12) Beareth all things, 13) believeth all things, 14) hopeth all things, 15) endureth all things.
1Co 13:8  Charity 16) 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.

Charity (love) is what God is, and the number sixteen amplifies that love by the putting off of the flesh on the eighth day (Lev 12:3), Christ being resurrected on the eighth day (Mat 28:1-7), and Christ calling all men to Himself on “the eighth day, that great day of the feast”, signifies the great white throne judgment (Joh 7:37, Rev 20:11-15).

Joh 7:37  In the last day [the eighth day], that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.
Joh 7:38  He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. [By which all men will be dragged to Christ]

1Jn 4:7  Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.
1Jn 4:8  He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.

1Jn 4:16  And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.
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 [G2889: ‘kosmos’].

Mat 28:1  In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week [the eighth day], came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre.

Rev 20:11  And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
Rev 20:12  And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.

Sixteen is 4×4, which confirms and emphasizes the all-encompassing effect of circumcision on the eighth day, resurrection on the eighth day, and the salvation of all signified by the last great day, the eighth day of the feast of Tabernacles.

Sixteen is 15+1, fifteen signifying by its three fives the number of spiritual progression towards spiritual completion, the sixteen, being 15+1 is signifying the completion of that progression toward becoming a new spiritual body.

The Number Three

The Number Five

The completion of our progression from our rebellious, carnal-minded old man to the destruction of that old man and the birth of a repentant, submissive new man in the faith of Christ, requires sixteen days to cleanse the Lord’s temple, His house, which temple we are:

2Ch 29:17  Now they began on the first day of the first month to sanctify, and on the eighth day of the month came they to the porch of the LORD: so they sanctified the house of the LORD in eight days; and in the sixteenth day of the first month they made an end. [Finished cleansing the Lord’s temple]

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 [our filthy, defiled, old man]; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.

The sixteen souls that Zilpah, the handmaid of the despised wife, Leah, “bare unto Jacob”, signify the whole of the church which Christ has chosen from the weak and despised of this earth:

Gen 46:18  These are the sons of Zilpah, whom Laban gave to Leah his daughter, and these she bare unto Jacob, even sixteen souls.

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

The eight boards, which formed the west end of the tabernacle, were supported by sixteen silver sockets. Two silver sockets under each board to hold it upright.

Exo 26:25  And they shall be eight boards, and their sockets of silver, sixteen sockets; two sockets under one board, and two sockets under another board.

Exo 36:30  And there were eight boards; and their sockets were sixteen sockets of silver, under every board two sockets.

It is instructive for us to notice that the west end of the tabernacle is as far as one can go into the tabernacle. The west end of the tabernacle is where the ark of the covenant and the cherubim were located, signifying the Lord and His Christ. That is where the sixteen silver sockets were located. Those sixteen sockets supported the eight boards which held up the curtain on the west end of the tabernacle.

There were thirty-two thousand female survivors of the war with Midian. It was the Midianites who had seduced Israel at Peor when the Lord would not permit the prophet Balaam to curse Israel for the king of Moab. Half of the thirty-two thousand were given to the people who had not gone to war, and the other half were kept by the men who had gone to the war and of that half the Lord took His tribute.

All the males of Midian were slain, and there were sixteen thousand women who were spared of the slaughter of the Midianites who had “had not known men” and had not participated in the seduction of Israel at Peor.

Num 31:40  And the persons were sixteen thousand; of which the LORD’S tribute was thirty and two persons.

The half of the virgins of Midian that went to the people who had not gone to war was another sixteen thousand:

Num 31:43  (Now the half [of the spoils of the war with Midian] that pertained unto the congregation was three hundred thousand and thirty thousand and seven thousand and five hundred sheep,
Num 31:44  And thirty and six thousand beeves,
Num 31:45  And thirty thousand asses and five hundred,
Num 31:46  And sixteen thousand persons; )

Of course there is a negative use of the number sixteen. Both kings of the northern kingdom of Israel and kings of Judah who reigned sixteen years were both evil kings who did not fear the Lord

2Ki 13:10  In the thirty and seventh year of Joash king of Judah began Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz to reign over Israel in Samaria, and reigned sixteen years.
2Ki 13:11  And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD; he departed not from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel sin: but he walked therein.

Sixteen years returns to its positive application signifying one of the good kings of Judah who was sixteen when he began to reign:

2Ki 15:1  In the twenty and seventh year of Jeroboam king of Israel began Azariah son of Amaziah king of Judah to reign.
2Ki 15:2  Sixteen years old was he when he began to reign, and he reigned two and fifty years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Jecholiah of Jerusalem.
2Ki 15:3  And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father Amaziah had done;

Azariah is another name for Uzziah, king of Judah. Azariah was sixteen when he began to reign. He was a good king, and his son Jotham was also called a good king of Judah whose reign lasted sixteen years:

2Ki 15:32  In the second year of Pekah the son of Remaliah king of Israel began Jotham the son of Uzziah king of Judah to reign.
2Ki 15:33  Five and twenty years old was he when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Jerusha, the daughter of Zadok.
2Ki 15:34  And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD: he did according to all that his father Uzziah had done.

Ahaz was another evil king of Judah who reigned sixteen years:

2Ki 16:2  Twenty years old was Ahaz when he began to reign, and reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem, and did not that which was right in the sight of the LORD his God, like David his father.

Shimei, a descendant of Simeon, had sixteen sons and multiplied much more than his brothers:

1Ch 4:27  And Shimei had sixteen sons and six daughters; but his brethren had not many children, neither did all their family multiply, like to the children of Judah.

Sixteen signifies that there were more chief men of the sons of Eleazar than the sons of Ithamar of the families of the priests.

1Ch  24:4  And there were more chief men found of the sons of Eleazar than of the sons of Ithamar; and thus were they divided. Among the sons of Eleazar there were sixteen chief men of the house of their fathers, and eight among the sons of Ithamar according to the house of their fathers.

While Shimei, a descendant of Simeon, had sixteen sons, Abijah, king of Judah had fourteen sons and sixteen daughters:

2Ch 13:21  But Abijah waxed mighty, and married fourteen wives, and begat twenty and two sons, and sixteen daughters.

We have already mentioned Uzziah, who is also called Azariah, who began his reign at sixteen years of age. What I failed to note was that Azariah’s reign was one of the longest in the history of the kings of Judah:

2Ch 26:3  Sixteen years old was Uzziah [Azariah] when he began to reign, and he reigned fifty and two years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name also was Jecoliah of Jerusalem.

Sixteen is 10+6 which signifies in its negative sense the perfection of our flesh. The flipside of that coin is the perfection of our new man.

The Number Six, Part 1

The Number Six, Part 2

The Number Six, Part 3

Ten is the Zenith of the Flesh

Sixteen is 12+4 signifying the whole of the foundation of the family of God and the city of God:

Rev 7:4  And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the [12] tribes of the children of Israel [12x12x1000].

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

Isa 11:12 And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth [The whole world].

The Number Four

The Number Twelve

Sixteen is also 4×4. Any number multiplied by itself will always amplify the significance of that number. Just as the sixteen sockets supporting the eight boards at the farthest end of the tabernacle, so does this number sixteen, 4×4, signify the meaning of the whole work of the Lord’s whole creation.

Sixteen is 11+5 signifying the grace through faith (5) which brings a new man out of the destruction and dissolution of our old man:

Joh 12:23  And Jesus answered them, saying, The hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified.
Joh 12:24  Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.
Joh 12:25  He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.

A single seed buried in the earth will ‘die’ and decompose. In the process of decomposition, it gives up its life, and in doing do it spouts into a plant which will produce many more seeds. A caterpillar goes through this same 11+5 process of wrapping itself in a coffin-like cocoon, literally dissolving, the spiritual significance of the number 11, and coming out of that cocoon as a beautiful butterfly now capable of ascending into the heavens, the spiritual significance of the number 5. That is the spiritual significance of 11+5 which equals 16.

The Number 5

The Number Eleven

Sixteen is 13+3, signifying the process of the judgment (3) of the rebellion of our carnal-minded old man, signified by the number 13.

The Number Three

The Number Thirteen

I will close this study of the number sixteen with its sum of nine plus seven. Sixteen is 9+7 signifying the completion, 7, of our judgment, 9.

The Number Seven

The Number Nine: The Number of God’s Judgment

While the religions of this world dread ‘the day of judgment’, the Lord’s elect are aware of the fruits of all of the Lord’s judgments. Look at Isaiah’s mindset when considering the fruits of the Lord’s judgment. Isaiah and Paul and Peter all express their great gratitude for the Lord’s judgments, and they all meditate on the outcome of His judgments:

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

Isaiah 26:8-9 is the product of 9+7. These two verses are that which the number sixteen signifies spiritually.

Here is how Paul thinks of the judgments of God:

1Co 11:27  Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.
1Co 11:28  But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.
1Co 11:29  For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body.
1Co 11:30  For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.
1Co 11:31  For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.
1Co 11:32  But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.

I am that person who has eaten and drunk unworthily and have been weak and sickly among the Lord’s body. It is my desire to be judged in this present time and not be judged at a later time. It is the ‘desire of my soul’ to be found in the way of the Lord’s judgments and to learn righteousness… in this present time’ and not at a later judgment. It is much better to be chastened of the Lord in this life than to be chastened of the Lord at the great white throne judgment. Here are the advantages of judging ourselves in this present time, which in reality is the Lord’s chastening grace working in our lives:

Heb 12:6  For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth [G3811: ‘paidueo’], and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.
Heb 12:7  If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?

Not one Christian in a thousand or more realizes that the Lord’s chastening and scourging IS the display and the work of His grace in our lives spoken of in:

Tit 2:11  For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,
Tit 2:12  Teaching [G3811: ‘paideuo’, chastening and scourging] us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;
Tit 2:13  Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;

Knowing what ‘grace’, the Lord’s love, does in our lives, knowing that grace chastens us to forsake ungodliness and worldly lust and to live Godly lives in this present world’ adds a whole new meaning to this verse of scripture:

Rom 5:20  Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace [God’s ‘paideuo’ His chastening and scourging of Hebrews 12:6] did much more abound:

If the Lord chastens and scourges us in this present time then we are of all men most blessed as the apostle Paul reveals:

Rom 8:18  For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
Rom 8:19  For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.
Rom 8:20  For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope,
Rom 8:21  Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.
Rom 8:22  For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.
Rom 8:23  And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.
Rom 8:24  For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?
Rom 8:25  But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.

It is “ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the spirit, groaning within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our bodies”, living out the spiritual significance of the number 7 being completed, added to the spiritual significance of the number 9, being judged now, in this present time.

Peter was inspired by the same holy spirit of God and said the same thing about the number nine doing its spiritual work in our lives in this present time:

1Pe 4:17  For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?
1Pe 4:18  And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?
1Pe 4:19  Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator.

Paul tells us that all of our persecutions and all of our tribulations, are a token of our salvation:

2Th 1:4  So that we ourselves glory in you in the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that ye endure:
2Th 1:5  Which is a manifest token of the righteous judgment of God, that ye may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which ye also suffer:

It is through much tribulation that we must enter the kingdom of God, but the suffering is not worthy to be compared to the glory to be revealed in us if we are granted to have a part in the blessed and holy first resurrection and come out of our graves with a new spiritual body, which is the spiritual significance of 2×8 and 7+9… the number sixteen.

1 Samuel 4:1–22 The Glory had Departed From Israel

[Study Aired January 26, 2026]

Today’s study can be put under three sections. The first one is about the Philistines engaging the Israelites in a battle. The second one deals with the capturing of the ark by the Philistines. The last section has to do with the death of Eli and his two sons. 

The Philistines Engaged the Israelites in a Battle

1Sa 4:1  And the word of Samuel came to all Israel. Now Israel went out against the Philistines to battle, and pitched beside Ebenezer: and the Philistines pitched in Aphek. 
1Sa 4:2  And the Philistines put themselves in array against Israel: and when they joined battle, Israel was smitten before the Philistines: and they slew of the army in the field about four thousand men. 

Here in verse 1, the word of Samuel is the word of the Lord. The word of Samuel being heard by all Israel implies that we are without excuse of not knowing the word of the Lord regarding what He requires of us. The Lord always seeks for an occasion to come to us with His judgment so that we are without excuse of not knowing His word.

Rom 1:18  For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;
Rom 1:19  Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. 
Rom 1:20  For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:

For example, when the Lord wanted to judge the Philistines who had dominion over the Israelites, He sought for an occasion through Samson to engage the Philistines in a battle. Israel here represents the Lord’s people who are used to being dominated by the flesh, signified by the Philistines. At a certain stage of our walk with Christ, we have to come to know that we are no match as far as our flesh is concerned. In other words, the Lord wants us to know our spiritual depravity before He comes to us with the spirit of His mouth and His brightness to deliver us.

Jdg 14:1  And Samson went down to Timnath, and saw a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines. 
Jdg 14:2  And he came up, and told his father and his mother, and said, I have seen a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines: now therefore get her for me to wife. 
Jdg 14:3  Then his father and his mother said unto him, Is there never a woman among the daughters of thy brethren, or among all my people, that thou goest to take a wife of the uncircumcised Philistines? And Samson said unto his father, Get her for me; for she pleaseth me well. 
Jdg 14:4 But his father and his mother knew not that it was of the LORD, that he sought an occasion against the Philistines: for at that time the Philistines had dominion over Israel.

Verses 1 and 2 therefore show us how the Lord causes us to be overcome by the flesh (represented by the Philistines) to give Him the occasion that He is seeking to come into our lives to judge the flesh. Israel being smitten by the Philistines in verse 2 is to show us our inability to overcome the flesh before the Lord comes to us with the spirit of His mouth and His brightness to overcome the flesh on our behalf. 

Gal 5:17  For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. 

It is instructive to note that the number of the Israelites killed by the Philistines was 4,000 (4 x 10 x 10 x 10) men. The number four means the whole of the matter under discussion. The number 10 means the fullness of the flesh. The three tens means that our spiritual maturity through the process of judgment begins with us realizing that our flesh had dominated us to the fullest extent. In other words, the whole of the Lord’s elect must be overcome by the flesh before the Lord comes to us with His judgment to bring us to maturity. For example, Gideon, a symbol of the Lord’s elect, had to be overcome by the flesh (Midianites) before He was given victory over them.

Jdg 6:12  And the angel of the LORD appeared to him and said to him, “The LORD is with you, O mighty man of valor.” 
Jdg 6:13 And Gideon said to him, “Please, my lord, if the LORD is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all his wonderful deeds that our fathers recounted to us, saying, ‘Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the LORD has forsaken us and given us into the hand of Midian.” 

Jdg 8:4  And Gideon came to the Jordan and crossed over, he and the 300 men who were with him, exhausted yet pursuing. 

Jdg 8:7 So Gideon said, “Well then, when the LORD has given Zebah and Zalmunna into my hand, I will flail your flesh with the thorns of the wilderness and with briers.” (ESV)

1Sa 4:3  And when the people were come into the camp, the elders of Israel said, Wherefore hath the LORD smitten us to day before the Philistines? Let us fetch the ark of the covenant of the LORD out of Shiloh unto us, that, when it cometh among us, it may save us out of the hand of our enemies. 

In our spiritual poverty, we behave just like the elders of the people of Israel, who do not understand that the Lord has occasioned our defeat by the flesh. Our thinking at that time of our walk was that if only we have the tangible presence of the Lord, signified by the ark with us, we shall be saved from our flesh. The elders of Israel here are a symbol of the leaders of the church system of this world or Babylon who have no clue as to what it takes for the Lord to grant us victory over the flesh. This is what it takes to overcome the flesh:

Gal 5:16  This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. 

Rom 8:13  For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. 
Rom 8:14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. 

The spirit here is the word of the Lord and therefore walking in the spirit is living according to the word of the Lord. As we have been shown in the word, we have to understand the word of the Lord in the spirit and not the letter, which kills. 

2Co 3:6  Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.

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.

To be able to walk in the spirit implies that we are able to understand the Lord’s words in the spirit. This is achieved through the Lord’s judgment of our flesh which is the same as hearing the voice of the Lord in the fire.

Deu 5:24  And ye said, Behold, the LORD our God hath shewed us his glory and his greatness, and we have heard his voice out of the midst of the fire: we have seen this day that God doth talk with man, and he liveth. 

Walking in the spirit and not fulfilling the desires of the flesh therefore implies that as we are given to know the mysteries of the kingdom, our flesh is being judged, and it is through this that we learn righteousness or learn not to fulfill the desires of the flesh.

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

1Sa 4:4  So the people sent to Shiloh, that they might bring from thence the ark of the covenant of the LORD of hosts, which dwelleth between the cherubims: and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God. 
1Sa 4:5  And when the ark of the covenant of the LORD came into the camp, all Israel shouted with a great shout, so that the earth rang again. 

Shiloh represents the church system of this world or Babylon. As indicated, the ark symbolizes the presence of the Lord. The people sending to Shiloh to bring the ark means that it is the church system of this world which seeks to validate the presence of the Lord through signs and wonders. It is important to note the mention of Hophni and Phinehas with the ark of the covenant of God. This is what we know about Hophni and Phinehas from previous studies:

The mention of Hophni and Phinehas as priests of the Lord at that time in Shiloh is to make us aware of the deplorable state of the leaders of the church system of this world which we were ushered into at the beginning of our walk with Christ. This is what the word of the Lord says about Hophni and Phinehas, who were sons of Eli, the high priest:

1Sa 2:12  Now the sons of Eli were sons of Belial; they knew not the LORD. 

1Sa 2:17 Wherefore the sin of the young men was very great before the LORD: for men abhorred the offering of the LORD. 

According to Strong, the sons of Eli being referred to as sons of Belial is to show us their deplorable state as they epitomize wickedness. One of the principles of the word of the Lord is the is, was, and will be nature. If at the time of Hannah, the leaders of the church system of her day were sons of wickedness, then it means that the situation today is the same, that is, evil men are in leadership. 

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

Mic 3:11  Your leaders exchange justice for bribes. Your priests teach for a price. Your prophets tell the future for money. But they rely on the LORD when they say, “After all, the LORD is with us. Nothing bad will happen to us.” 
Mic 3:12 Because of you, Zion will be plowed like a field, Jerusalem will become a pile of rubble, and the temple mountain will become a worship site covered with trees. (GW)  

Jer 5:30  A wonderful and horrible thing is committed in the land; 
Jer 5:31 The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means; and my people love to have it so: and what will ye do in the end thereof? 

Our brothers and sisters in the church system of this world, represented by the physical Jews, require a sign, while the people of this world (Greeks) seek after wisdom. 

1Co 1:22  For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom: 
1Co 1:23 But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness; 

The Israelites requesting for the ark means requesting for signs and wonders. What this means is that our brothers and sisters in the church system validate the presence of the Lord through signs and wonders. This is what causes them to be deceived as we shall see in this study.

Mat 24:11  And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. 

2Th 2:9  Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, 
2Th 2:10  And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 
2Th 2:11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: 

The great shouting that greeted the presence of the ark in the midst of the Israelites is what we see today in the churches of this world as we see great excitement greet the performance of signs and wonders in the midst of the churches of this world.  They think the Lord has come in their midst just as the Israelites thought that the Lord was with them in their battle against the Philistines.

The Capturing of the Ark by the Philistines 

1Sa 4:6  And when the Philistines heard the noise of the shout, they said, What meaneth the noise of this great shout in the camp of the Hebrews? And they understood that the ark of the LORD was come into the camp. 
1Sa 4:7  And the Philistines were afraid, for they said, God is come into the camp. And they said, Woe unto us! for there hath not been such a thing heretofore. 
1Sa 4:8  Woe unto us! who shall deliver us out of the hand of these mighty Gods? these are the Gods that smote the Egyptians with all the plagues in the wilderness. 

To understand these verses, we need to know the relationship of the devil with our flesh which is represented by the Philistines. The devil is the one who influences our flesh. Our flesh is the beast which is empowered by the devil. 

Rev 13:2  And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.
Rev 13:3  And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast. 
Rev 13:4 And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him? 

Verses 6 to 8 show us that the Philistines were afraid and were wondering who shall deliver them from the hands of the mighty Gods, when they heard that the ark of the covenant has come in the midst of the Lord’s people. When Christ comes to us to begin our walk with Him, the power of our flesh is initially subdued. This is what it means for the beast (our flesh) to have a deadly wound. Verses 6 to 8 therefore show us the nervousness of our flesh when Christ comes to us to begin our journey. 

1Sa 4:9  Be strong, and quit yourselves like men, O ye Philistines, that ye be not servants unto the Hebrews, as they have been to you: quit yourselves like men, and fight. 
1Sa 4:10  And the Philistines fought, and Israel was smitten, and they fled every man into his tent: and there was a very great slaughter; for there fell of Israel thirty thousand footmen. 
1Sa 4:11 And the ark of God was taken; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were slain.

Over time, however, our flesh’s deadly wound is healed through the false doctrines propagated by false apostles, parading in the corridors of the churches of this world as the Lord’s elect.

2Co 11:13  For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. 
2Co 11:14  And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. 
2Co 11:15 So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds.

Therefore, we become worse off and are of no match to our flesh. As shown in verse 10, the great slaughter of the Israelites means that we were overwhelmed by our flesh. This scenario is what Apostle Peter described as follows:

2Pe 2:20  For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first. 
2Pe 2:21  For it would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than after knowing it to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them. 
2Pe 2:22 What the true proverb says has happened to them: “The dog returns to its own vomit, and the sow, after washing herself, returns to wallow in the mire.” 

It is important to note that the number of Israelites who fell that day amounted to thirty thousand footmen. The number thirty can be broken down as follows:

30,000 = 30x10x10x10. The number thirty on a positive note denotes reigning with Christ as shown in the following verses:

Gen 41:46  Joseph was thirty years old when he entered the service of Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh and went through all the land of Egypt. 

2Sa 5:4  David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years.

On a negative note, the number thirty means the spiritual death of the Lord’s elect. 

Jdg 20:39  the men of Israel should turn in battle. Now Benjamin had begun to strike and kill about thirty men of Israel. They said, “Surely they are defeated before us, as in the first battle.” 

Num 20:29  And when all the congregation saw that Aaron had perished, all the house of Israel wept for Aaron thirty days.

Deu 34:8  And the people of Israel wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days. Then the days of weeping and mourning for Moses were ended. 

The Philistines’ slaughter of 30,000 men of Israel therefore signifies the fact that as the Lord’ elect, we become spiritually dead in Babylon as our flesh reaches its fullness. 

The ark of the Lord being taken by the Philistines in verse 11 signifies the man of sin or our flesh sitting in our temple or our hearts and minds, claiming himself to be God. 

2Th 2:3  Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; 
2Th 2:4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. 

As a result, we profane the name of the Lord among the people of this world during our time in the churches of this world.

Eze 36:20  And when they entered unto the heathen, whither they went, they profaned my holy name, when they said to them, These are the people of the LORD, and are gone forth out of his land. 
Eze 36:21 But I had pity for mine holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the heathen, whither they went. 

The death of the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, who represent the leaders of the church system of this world, is to let us know the spiritual bankruptcy or death of the leaders of the church system of the world or Babylon who are overcome by the flesh. 

Isa 56:9  All ye beasts of the field, come to devour, yea, all ye beasts in the forest. 
Isa 56:10  His watchmen are blind: they are all ignorant, they are all dumb dogs, they cannot bark; sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber. 
Isa 56:11  Yea, they are greedy dogs which can never have enough, and they are shepherds that cannot understand: they all look to their own way, every one for his gain, from his quarter. 
Isa 56:12 Come ye, say they, I will fetch wine, and we will fill ourselves with strong drink; and tomorrow shall be as this day, and much more abundant.

As shown in Isaiah 56:9, the leaders or the watchmen of the church system of this world are all devoured by the beasts of the field. That is to say that they are all dominated by the flesh which, in our study, is represented by the Philistines’ slaughter of the sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas. 

The Death of Eli

1Sa 4:12  And there ran a man of Benjamin out of the army, and came to Shiloh the same day with his clothes rent, and with earth upon his head. 
1Sa 4:13  And when he came, lo, Eli sat upon a seat by the wayside watching: for his heart trembled for the ark of God. And when the man came into the city, and told it, all the city cried out. 
1Sa 4:14  And when Eli heard the noise of the crying, he said, What meaneth the noise of this tumult? And the man came in hastily, and told Eli. 
1Sa 4:15  Now Eli was ninety and eight years old; and his eyes were dim, that he could not see. 

The man of Benjamin of the army of Israel, who escaped from the battle, rent his clothes and put earth upon his head is a symbol of the Lord’s elect. Rending one’s clothes and putting earth upon one’s head is a symbol of deep mourning and grief. It was a traditional Hebrew custom to express overwhelming sorrow, particularly upon hearing news of death, tragic loss, or national catastrophe.

Gen 37:34  And Jacob rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his loins, and mourned for his son many days. 

As shown in the Book of Revelation, the Lord’s elect in this age, denoted by the two witnesses, are in a mourning mode as we carry the message of death of our old man or flesh through the Lord’s judgment.

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

The man of Benjamin informing the people of the city about what has happened shows us that in the fullness of time, the Lord’s elect will be given the opportunity to preach to our brothers and sisters in Babylon. As we know, a city in the Bible can represent Babylon or the church of the living God. In verse 13, we are shown that all the city was crying out after the message from the man of Benjamin. This means that as we preach to our brothers and sisters in Babylon in the fullness of time, they will also mourn just as we are mourning in this age.

In verse 15, we are shown that Eli could not see as his eyes were dim because of his age (ninety eight). Eli signifies the fading glory of the law of Moses which operates in the churches and in the world. When we are under the law of Moses, we cannot see the sons of God and their glorious liberty. 

Rom 8:19  For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. 
Rom 8:20  For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, 
Rom 8:21 Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.

1Sa 4:16  And the man said unto Eli, I am he that came out of the army, and I fled to day out of the army. And he said, What is there done, my son? 
1Sa 4:17  And the messenger answered and said, Israel is fled before the Philistines, and there hath been also a great slaughter among the people, and thy two sons also, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the ark of God is taken. 
1Sa 4:18  And it came to pass, when he made mention of the ark of God, that he fell from off the seat backward by the side of the gate, and his neck brake, and he died: for he was an old man, and heavy. And he had judged Israel forty years. 

What the man from Benjamin told Eli is that he fled from the Philistines and that Eli’s two sons have been killed. He also mentioned that the ark had been captured by the Philistines. As the Lord’s elect, we are overcome by our flesh (the Philistines) before we are given to win the victory over our flesh. As indicated earlier, the ark of God is the presence of the Lord and this presence is in our hearts and minds. The capturing of the ark therefore means that our old man or flesh is the one sitting on the throne of God in our hearts and minds, thinking that he is God. 

2Th 2:3  Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; 
2Th 2:4  Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. 

Immediately he mentioned that the ark had been captured, Eli fell from his seat and in the process, broke his neck and died. As indicated, Eli signifies the fading glory of the law of Moses. The death of Eli means that Samuel is the one to take over the mantle. The death of Eli therefore means that faith has come to us, His elect, and therefore, we are no longer under the law of sin and death, as the Lord comes to us with the spirit of His mouth and His brightness. 

Gal 3:23  But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed. 
Gal 3:24  Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. 
Gal 3:25  But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. 
Gal 3:26 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. 

1Sa 4:19  And his daughter in law, Phinehas’ wife, was with child, near to be delivered: and when she heard the tidings that the ark of God was taken, and that her father in law and her husband were dead, she bowed herself and travailed; for her pains came upon her. 
1Sa 4:20  And about the time of her death the women that stood by her said unto her, Fear not; for thou hast born a son. But she answered not, neither did she regard it. 
1Sa 4:21  And she named the child Ichabod, saying, The glory is departed from Israel: because the ark of God was taken, and because of her father in law and her husband. 
1Sa 4:22  And she said, The glory is departed from Israel: for the ark of God is taken. 

Phinehas’ wife denotes the church system of this world or Babylon which is in bondage with her children. Her death shows us that the church system of this world is spiritually bankrupt. 

Rev 3:17  Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: 
Rev 3:18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. 

To understand the meaning of the glory departed from Israel, we need to know what the glory of the Lord represents. The first time the word “glory” was used in the Bible, it referred to the wealth of Laban as follows:

Gen 31:1  And he heard the words of Laban’s sons, saying, Jacob hath taken away all that was our father’s; and of that which was our father’s hath he gotten all this glory.

The second time glory was used in the Bible, it shows the wealth, the power and authority of Joseph in Egypt.

Gen 45:13  And ye shall tell my father of all my glory in Egypt, and of all that ye have seen; and ye shall haste and bring down my father hither.

These examples of the use of glory show us that the glory of the Lord has to do with His spiritual wealth, power and authority. Therefore, Phinehas’ wife naming her son Ichabod, which means that the glory is departed from Israel, implies that the children of the harlot woman (the church system of this world or Babylon) shall not be given to know the spiritual riches, power and authority of Christ. In other words, they have not been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven. 

Mat 13:10  And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables? 
Mat 13:11  He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.
Mat 13:12 For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath. 

We thank the Lord for this opportunity to know Him in this age. Amen.

“It is the glory of God to conceal a thing:
but the honour of kings is to search out a matter”

Part 1 (Pro 25:1-4)

[Study Aired January 22, 2026]

Pro 25:1  These are also proverbs of Solomon, which the men of Hezekiah king of Judah copied out.
Pro 25:2  It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour of kings is to search out a matter.
Pro 25:3  The heaven for height, and the earth for depth, and the heart of kings is unsearchable.
Pro 25:4  Take away the dross from the silver, and there shall come forth a vessel for the finer.

Verse two of this section of proverbs is very thought-provoking as it reminds us that all glory and honour is our God’s, even the glory that we initially take unto ourselves when we are yet carnal Christians, as explained in (1Co 4:7).

1Co 4:7  For who maketh thee to differ from another? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it?

Mankind has been shapen in iniquity (Jer 18:4, Psa 51:5), and that iniquity which is self-righteousness (Eze 33:13) has a form of glory or light, likened unto the moon that represents the law of Moses (2Co 3:9-14, 1Ti 1:9, Exo 34:29-35), which follows us right into our relationship with our Father and Christ, who is intent on destroying that self-exalting man of perdition, within the elect, first (2Th 2:3-7).

Eze 33:13  When I shall say to the righteous, that he shall surely live; if he trust to his own righteousness, and commit iniquity, all his righteousnesses shall not be remembered; but for his iniquity that he hath committed, he shall die for it.

2Th 2:7  For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.
2Th 2:8  And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:

2Co 3:14  But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same vail untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which vail is done away in Christ.

If we continue in the truth, the truth will crush that iniquity within us, or rip that veil of self righteousness to the glory of God, and the life of Christ that is concealed, will be revealed by the man of perdition being “taken out of the way” (Joh 8:32, Mat 21:44).

Joh 8:31  Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;
Joh 8:32  And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

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

The honour for God’s people is in knowing that it is Christ doing the work, and that we are His workmanship (Luk 17:10), who are the first to trust in God in this life, to the praise of His glory (Eph 1:11-12). That trust is developed through much tribulation (Act 14:22), that comes with this blessed honour of knowing God the Father and Jesus Christ (Mat 13:16, Rev 20:6, Rom 8:18).

Luk 17:10  So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do.

Our great King is working in us both to will and to do of our Father’s good pleasure which is to give us the kingdom (Luk 12:32), resulting in our understanding the relationship that we have with them both, “At that day “ (Joh 14:20, Joh 17:3).

The things that God has concealed must be laboured for mightily in order to unearth them, and have them refined, by the fiery trials of this life (1Ti 6:12,  Joh 6:27, 1Pe 4:12).

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

Joh 6:27  Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.

This gift of God of being judged in this age (1Pe 4:17) is an ongoing process that is expressed in this proverb, “It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour of kings is to search out a matter”. Christ is leading the way within the body of Christ as our head in seeking the kingdom of God first and his righteousness (Mat 6:31-34). We are laboring together to unearth those things which He has concealed, and God is rewarding the body of Christ for this ongoing workmanship that we are, in the Creator’s hands (Heb 11:6, Php 2:12-13, Eph 2:10). It takes the whole body of Christ for this endeavor to be fulfilled, and this is the great cloud of witness that the world is going to one day understand that God is forming now, and was forming, and will be forming until our last breath (Eph 4:16, Eph 3:20-21).

Here are ‘the matters’ that matter, that God has hidden from the world (Eph 2:8-19), and that we are blessed to be given a hunger and thirst for (Mat 5:6) as we search out, through the life of Christ, “the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour of kings is to search out a matter”, resulting in the manifold wisdom of God being “known by the church the manifold wisdom of God”(Eph 3:10).

Eph 2:8  For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Eph 2:9  Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Eph 2:10  For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

Mat 5:6  Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.

Pro 25:1  These are also proverbs of Solomon, which the men of Hezekiah king of Judah copied out.

God has used the prophets and kings of this earth (Luk 10:24, 2Pe 1:21), and moved them to write words to be unearthed for their deeper spiritual meaning, when the holy spirit would be given to the body of Christ (1Pe 1:12, 1Co 10:11).

Luk 10:24  For I tell you, that many prophets and kings have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.

2Pe 1:21  For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.

1Pe 1:9  Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.
1Pe 1:10  Of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you:
1Pe 1:11  Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.
1Pe 1:12  Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into.

1Co 10:11  Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.
1Co 10:12  Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.
1Co 10:13  There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.
1Co 10:14  Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry [flee from the idol of our heart that thinks we can stand without Christ and His body].

Pro 25:2  It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour of kings is to search out a matter.

As we just read, God has concealed the truth from all who cannot see with spiritual eyes and hear with spiritual ears (Mat 13:16). They are sacrificed in their unbelief for God’s elect, so that He can show mercy to all, in time (Rom 11:32). The honour given in this age is for the body of Christ, the kings of our Lord, to “search out a matter” today, and that ‘matter’ is the gospel of Jesus Christ, which is “the power of God unto salvation” (Rom 1:16).

Mat 13:16  But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear.

Rom 11:32  For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all.

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

Pro 25:3  The heaven for height, and the earth for depth, and the heart of kings is unsearchable.

Pro 25:3 Who can fully understand the thoughts of a ruler? They reach beyond the sky and go deep in the earth. (CEV)

Jesus declared, “All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth” (Mat 28:18), “The heaven for height, and the earth for depth”, which represents our minds in the Lord that are sealed with the holy spirit, and being worked with in this life (Eph 1:13).

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,

God is working within the kings and priests He is preparing to rule and reign under Christ (Rom 11:33-36), and now we have the mind of Christ that makes it possible for us to continue to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and saviour (1Co 2:14-16, 2Pe 3:17-18), a mind that is declared to be “unsearchable”, “how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!”

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

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

Pro 25:4  Take away the dross from the silver, and there shall come forth a vessel for the finer.

Pro 25:4  Remove the dross from the silver, and a silversmith can produce a vessel. (NIV)

Dross is the scum that forms on the surface of molten metal; and consists of the impurities that only rise to the surface as a result of great heat (1Pe 4:12).

1Pe 4:12  Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:

One of many spiritual lesson in this physical process for God’s elect to observe, is to not despise that fiery process but rather rejoice that God is dealing with us as with sons who are being received through that very hot scourging and chastening process (1Pe 4:17, Rom 2:4, Heb 12:6, 1Pe 4:13).

1Pe 4:13  But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings;(Rom 8:18) that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy

Every sacrifice shall be salted with the salt of (Mar 9:49), and it is all for the purpose of turning us into vessels that are “meet for the master’s use [through our Father who is the Spiritual Silversmith, and a Consuming Fire Heb 12:29], and prepared unto every good work” (2Ti 2:21, Rev 19:7).

It’s instructive to note that in the physical realm sodium hydroxide, which has the element of salt in it, is used to accelerate that process of extracting the dross during the refining process. That salt, symbolizing the holy spirit, is the key component in the lives of God’s children that makes it possible for us to endure, and bear all things, and hope all things, and go through this refining process until the end (1Co 10:13, Rom 8:9, Php 4:13, 1Co 13:7).

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

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.

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

1Co 13:7  Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

Smelting and a refiner’s fire are related but not the same; smelting is the process of extracting metal from its ore by heating, while a refiner’s fire specifically refers to the purification of metals by removing impurities through intense heat. Both processes involve high temperatures, but smelting focuses on extraction, whereas refining emphasizes purification.

This refining process is analogous of the spiritual process God’s elect have been called unto (Rom 8:30-33).

Rom 8:30  Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.
Rom 8:31  What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?
Rom 8:32  He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?
Rom 8:33  Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth.

Rom 5:10  For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.

These two processes [smelting and the refiner’s fire] help us understand how we can see judgement unfolding in the world, but it is only the necessary first stage of what will lead to the refiner’s fire that purifies the metal in question (Mat 21:44). God permitting that is us in this age (Heb 6:1-3). Clearly, we go unto perfection by a process of judgement that takes our entire life if we are God’s first fruits in this life (Luk 13:32).

Heb 6:1  Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection;(Luk 13:32) not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God,
Heb 6:2  Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.
Heb 6:3  And this will we do, if God permit.

Luk 13:32  And he said unto them, Go ye, and tell that fox, Behold, I cast out devils, and I do cures to day and to morrow, and the third day I shall be perfected.

God is humbling His children in this age through the relationship that we have with the Pearl of great price, Jesus Christ (Mat 13:45-46). It is to God’s glory that we are hidden in Christ, and baptized into his death (Col 3:3-4, Rom 6:3-4), concealed from the world, and it is our honour to seek out this matter of the life of Christ within us, our hope of glory, who is revealed through the refining process of filling up what is behind of the afflictions of Christ for his body’s sake (Col 1:26-27, Col 1:22-24).

Col 3:3  For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.
Col 3:4  When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.

Col 1:26  Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints:
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:

In this first part of chapter 25 the main point I want to emphasize is that “It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour of kings is to search out a matter”.

Only Christ can open up the seals in the book of revelation within us (Rev 5:4-5), where the knowledge of the Kingdom of God has been concealed and hidden from the world. It is also to God’s glory that Satan can be used to blind all the nations (2Co 4:4), and at an appointed time for every man, Christ can enter into our life via the holy spirit so that “the honour of kings is [can be] to search out a matter” (Php 2:12-13).

Rev 5:4  And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon.
Rev 5:5  And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.

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.

Ezekiel Chapters 2 and 3 – Eat the Roll!!

[Study Aired February 5, 2023]

Introduction

Over the past two weeks we have looked closely at the vision Ezekiel had concerning the four living creatures, the wheels and our Lord Jesus Christ sitting on the throne above the expanse over the heads of the living creatures. Today’s study focuses on what was said by the Lord Jesus Christ sitting on the throne of Ezekiel’s heart and mind. Part of what was spoken to Ezekiel covers chapter 2 and 3 of the Book of Ezekiel, which is our study for today.

We need to understand that the greatest gift that the Lord bestows on His children here on earth is for us to hear and understand what the spirit of the Lord is saying to us. Hearing and understanding the voice of the Lord is what confirms to us that we are indeed called and chosen. Usually, we hear the voice of the Lord out of the fire of our affliction, and many reject His voice because of the affliction.

Deu 4:12  Then the LORD spoke to you out of the midst of the fire. You heard the sound of words, but saw no form; there was only a voice.

As we go through today’s study, may the Lord cause us to be sensitive to His voice and not become like the people of Israel or our brothers and sisters in Babylon, who love to hear from the Lord but do not want the fire, the thunders and the lightnings which accompany His words.

Exo 19:17  And Moses brought forth the people out of the camp to meet with God; and they stood at the nether part of the mount. 
Exo 19:18  And mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because the LORD descended upon it in fire: and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly.
Exo 19:19  And when the voice of the trumpet sounded long, and waxed louder and louder, Moses spake, and God answered him by a voice.

Exo 20:18  And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood afar off.
Exo 20:19  And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die.
Exo 20:20  And Moses said unto the people, Fear not: for God is come to prove you, and that his fear may be before your faces, that ye sin not.
Exo 20:21  And the people stood afar off, and Moses drew near unto the thick darkness where God was.

Our Mission as Witnesses of Christ

Eze 2:1  And he said to me, “Son of man, stand on your feet, and I will speak with you.” 
Eze 2:2  And as he spoke to me, the Spirit entered into me and set me on my feet, and I heard him speaking to me.

When the Lord came to visit Ezekiel in Babylon, the first thing He told him was to stand on his feet so that He could speak to him. Standing on his feet means Ezekiel getting himself ready to walk before the Lord. In verse 2 we are told that it was when the Spirit entered Ezekiel that he stood on his feet. This tells us that we do not have the capacity to get ourselves on our feet, ready to walk with God. Everything regarding our walk with Christ is initiated by the Lord and without Him, we can do nothing. 

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

Joh 15:4  Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.
Joh 15:5  I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

Verse 2 says that it was when the Lord spoke to Ezekiel that the spirit of the Lord entered into him, causing him to stand on his feet. This implies that the word of the Lord is spirit, and therefore when we cannot understand the spiritual significance of His words, we cannot be on our feet to walk with the Lord acceptably.

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.

Eze 2:3  And he said unto me, Son of man, I send thee to the children of Israel, to a rebellious nation that hath rebelled against me: they and their fathers have transgressed against me, even unto this very day.
Eze 2:4  For they are impudent children and stiffhearted. I do send thee unto them; and thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD.
Eze 2:5  And they, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear, (for they are a rebellious house,) yet shall know that there hath been a prophet among them.

In verse 3, Ezekiel was given his mandate as servant of the Lord to preach to the house of Israel. When the Lord was here on earth, He told us that His area of operation is to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. The lost sheep of the house of Israel is the same as the rebellious nation of Israel who are stiff-hearted. This rebellious nation is Babylon.

Mat 15:24  But he (Jesus) answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 

As He is, so are we. We are also called to minister to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. In the Book of Acts, the disciples including Paul and the others, ministered mainly to the Jews (the lost sheep of the house of Israel) wherever they went. At that time they did not understand that the Gentiles would become part of the commonwealth of Israel. Their ignorance was used by the Lord to minister to the lost sheep of the house of Israel as the Lord’s disciples ministered mainly to the Jews in Israel and the diaspora.

As indicated in verse 4 and 5, Ezekiel’s message would not be welcomed by the people of Israel. However, later, they would surely come to know that a prophet had been among them. This was exactly what happened to Jesus when the people of Israel did not accept his message, but through the witness of His disciples, the people of Israel came to see that indeed He was a Prophet!! The rejection of the message by the Lord’s disciples to the lost sheep of the house of Israel paved the way for the Gentiles to receive the message. At that time Ezekiel was not given to know this.

Rom 11:11  So I ask, did they stumble in order that they might fall? By no means! Rather, through their trespass salvation has come to the Gentiles, so as to make Israel jealous.
Rom 11:12  Now if their trespass means riches for the world, and if their failure means riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their full inclusion mean! 
Rom 11:13  Now I am speaking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch then as I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry 
Rom 11:14  in order somehow to make my fellow Jews jealous, and thus save some of them. (ESV)

The bringing in of the Gentiles means that now spiritually, the lost sheep of the house of Israel represent Jerusalem which is in bondage with her children and that is the physical churches of this world – Babylon. We, His elect, are therefore witnesses to the truth of the word of the Lord to Babylon even though they will not acknowledge this. However, at the right time, they shall recognize that indeed we, as the Lord’s prophets, have been among them.

Gal 4:25  For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children.
Gal 4:26  But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.
Gal 4:27  For it is written, Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not; break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: for the desolate hath many more children than she which hath an husband.

Eze 2:6  And thou, son of man, be not afraid of them, neither be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns be with thee, and thou dost dwell among scorpions: be not afraid of their words, nor be dismayed at their looks, though they be a rebellious house.
Eze 2:7  And thou shalt speak my words unto them, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear: for they are most rebellious.

Here Ezekiel is being warned against what may cause us to abandon our mission to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. The first thing mentioned is being afraid of them. What we need to know is that the Lord has prospered them physically, that is, they have the numbers and the resources, and therefore we may have the tendency to regard ourselves as grasshoppers in their sight just as the people of Israel looked to themselves as grasshoppers before the Canaanites’ giants.

Num 13:33  And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.

This grasshopper mentality mitigates against our faith, and therefore we are not able to use faith in our witness of the truth of the word of the Lord to our brothers and sisters in Babylon. We do not need to know the full counsel of the Lord before we can become witnesses of Christ. The little of the truth which the Lord has shown us is sufficient to testify effectively before our brothers and sisters in Babylon. This grasshopper mentality affected Elijah when he became afraid of Jezebel and went to hide from her.

1Ki 19:9  And he came thither unto a cave, and lodged there; and, behold, the word of the LORD came to him, and he said unto him, What doest thou here, Elijah? 
1Ki 19:10  And he said, I have been very jealous for the LORD God of hosts: for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.

The second thing Ezekiel was warned about by the Lord is that he should not be afraid of the words of our brothers and sisters in Babylon even though their words are like briers and thorns. The briars and thorns are false doctrines and therefore the lord is warning us not to become ensnared by their words as their words will make us worse off.

2Pe 2:18  For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness [the false doctrines of briers and thorns], those that were clean escaped from them who live in error. 
2Pe 2:19  While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage. 
2Pe 2:20  For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning.

The third warning by the Lord is that Ezekiel should not be intimidated by their looks. The negative application of the word “looks” signifies being proud as shown in the following verses:

Psa 18:27  For thou wilt save the afflicted people; but wilt bring down high looks.

Isa 2:11  The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, and the LORD alone shall be exalted in that day. 

One of the characteristics of our brothers and sisters in Babylon is their pride in their resources and numbers which to them signifies the Lord’s approval of them being the Lord’s chosen bride.

Isa 3:16  The LORD said: Because the daughters of Zion are haughty and walk with outstretched necks, glancing wantonly with their eyes, mincing along as they go, tinkling with their feet,

They think that it is their decisions and willpower through the false doctrine of freewill that has made them what they are. What we need to know is that in this world, we are the desolate woman and in the final analysis, we shall have more children than she who has a husband. As the Lord’s elect, our confidence should be in the fact that we know the Lord and He knows us!!

Gal 4:27  For it is written, Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not; break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: for the desolate hath many more children than she which hath an husband.

In verse 7, we are again warned that irrespective of their reaction to our words, whenever we have the opportunity, we should serve as witnesses of the truth of the word of the Lord to our brothers and sisters in Babylon.

Eze 2:8  But thou, son of man, hear what I say unto thee; Be not thou rebellious like that rebellious house: open thy mouth, and eat that I give thee.
Eze 2:9  And when I looked, behold, an hand was sent unto me; and, lo, a roll of a book was therein;
Eze 2:10  And he spread it before me; and it was written within and without: and there was written therein lamentations, and mourning, and woe.

In being given the mandate to serve as witness to the truth of the word of the Lord to our brothers and sisters in Babylon, we are warned not to become rebellious. From the word of the Lord, being rebellious has to do with not being prepared to listen to the truth of the word of the Lord. It also means not accepting the counsel of the Lord. In the body of Christ, the Lord’s counsel is sought through multitude of counsellors. Our inclination not to adhere or listen to the multitude of counsellors make us rebellious before the Lord.

Isa 30:1  Woe to the rebellious children, saith the LORD, that take counsel, but not of me; and that cover with a covering, but not of my spirit, that they may add sin to sin:

Isa 30:9  That this is a rebellious people, lying children, children that will not hear the law of the LORD:

Isa 50:5  The Lord GOD hath opened mine ear, and I was not rebellious, neither turned away back.

Pro 11:14  Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counsellors there is safety.

In verse 8, we are advised by the Lord to eat what He gives to us, and what He gives to us is His words which is represented in verse 9 as a roll of a book. This roll had writings within and without, and these writings concern lamentations, mourning and woe.  The lamentations, mourning and woe that are written in the word of the Lord pertains to the fiery trials we are to go through in this life as the Lord’s elect. Our lives here on earth are characterized by lamentations, mourning and woe because it is through the fiery trials which are marked out for us in the roll of the book that we learn righteousness. That is why in the Book of Revelation, the two witnesses who represent the Lord’s elect in every generation were clothed in sackcloth which is a symbol of mourning.

Gen 37:34  And Jacob rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his loins, and mourned for his son many days. 

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

The fact that the roll of the book was written within and without signifies that the word of the Lord has both an inward and an outward application. That is, the word of the Lord has both a spiritual and a physical application.

We have to eat the Roll

Eze 3:1  Moreover he said unto me, Son of man, eat that thou findest; eat this roll, and go speak unto the house of Israel. 
Eze 3:2  So I opened my mouth, and he caused me to eat that roll.
Eze 3:3  And he said unto me, Son of man, cause thy belly to eat, and fill thy bowels with this roll that I give thee. Then did I eat it; and it was in my mouth as honey for sweetness.

What these verses are showing us is that we should feed on the word of the Lord. That is another way of saying that we should study to show ourselves approved unto God. It is when we are feeding on the word of the Lord that we can serve as witnesses to the house of Israel, that is, Babylon. 

2Ti 2:15  Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

Our experience as we feed on the word of the Lord is the same as Ezekiel. As he began eating the roll, it was sweet in his mouth. That is to say that as the Lord unveils the truth of His words to us, we become excited about the revelation we are receiving.

Eze 3:6  Not to many people of a strange speech and of an hard language, whose words thou canst not understand. Surely, had I sent thee to them, they would have hearkened unto thee. 
Eze 3:7  But the house of Israel will not hearken unto thee; for they will not hearken unto me: for all the house of Israel are impudent and hardhearted. 
Eze 3:8  Behold, I have made thy face strong against their faces, and thy forehead strong against their foreheads.
Eze 3:9  As an adamant harder than flint have I made thy forehead: fear them not, neither be dismayed at their looks, though they be a rebellious house.

These verses show us that as the Lord’s elect, our sphere of influence is our own people. The issue is that just as the Lord ministered to His own people and was not accepted, we, as His elect, will not be accepted by our own people.

Mar 6:4  But Jesus said, “Prophets are honored by everyone, except the people of their hometown and their relatives and their own family.”
Mar 6:5  Jesus could not work any miracles there, except to heal a few sick people by placing his hands on them.
Mar 6:6  He was surprised that the people did not have any faith. Jesus taught in all the neighboring villages. (CEV)

As He is, so are we. It is our own people who reject us. Apostle Paul, Stephen and others were all rejected by the Jews – their own people. This reminds me of a hymn by Koda that we sang during our time in Babylon and is still relevant to how the Lord is dealing with us. 

Go labour on, spend and be spent
Thy joy to do the Father’s will
It is the way, the master went
And should not the servant tread it still?

Knowing that we shall be rejected by our own people, the Lord strengthens us daily to withstand the onslaught of our own people.

Psa 41:2  The LORD will preserve him, and keep him alive; and he shall be blessed upon the earth: and thou wilt not deliver him unto the will of his enemies.

Eze 3:10  Moreover he said unto me, Son of man, all my words that I shall speak unto thee receive in thine heart, and hear with thine ears.
Eze 3:11  And go, get thee to them of the captivity, unto the children of thy people, and speak unto them, and tell them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear.

In verse 10, Ezekiel was to receive in his heart all the Lord’s words that He speaks to him. All the Lord’s words constitute the full counsel of the Lord and therefore, we are required to understand the Lord’s full counsel which will help us to rightly divide the word. 

Act 20:27  For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God.

Again, Ezekiel, a type of the elect, is told to serve as a witness of the truth of the word of the Lord to the people of Israel in captivity who represent our brothers and sisters in Babylon. However, they will not accept our testimony just as the Pharisees and the scribes rejected the counsel of God. This is what the Lord said about this generation that we are dealing with:

Luk 7:29  And all the people that heard him, and the publicans, justified God, being baptized with the baptism of John.
Luk 7:30  But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the counsel of God against themselves, being not baptized of him.
Luk 7:31  And the Lord said, Whereunto then shall I liken the men of this generation? and to what are they like?
Luk 7:32  They are like unto children sitting in the marketplace, and calling one to another, and saying, We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced; we have mourned to you, and ye have not wept.

Eze 3:12  Then the spirit took me up, and I heard behind me a voice of a great rushing, saying, Blessed be the glory of the LORD from his place. 
Eze 3:13  I heard also the noise of the wings of the living creatures that touched one another, and the noise of the wheels over against them, and a noise

As indicated earlier, it is the spirit of the Lord within us that enables us to walk before the Lord and to hear the mysteries of the kingdom of Heaven. Hearing a voice of a great rushing is the same as hearing the voice of the Lord or His words. It is as we look back to see how the Lord has shown mercy to us by coming to live within us that we come to appreciate the blessedness of the glory of the Lord from His temple within us. Hearing the noise of the wings of the living creatures that touched one another and the noise of the wheels is the same as hearing the truth of the words of the Lord.

Eze 1:24  And when they went, I heard the noise of their wings, like the noise of great waters, as the voice of the Almighty, the voice of speech, as the noise of an host: when they stood, they let down their wings.

Eze 3:14  So the spirit lifted me up, and took me away, and I went in bitterness, in the heat of my spirit; but the hand of the LORD was strong upon me.
Eze 3:15  Then I came to them of the captivity at Telabib, that dwelt by the river of Chebar, and I sat where they sat, and remained there astonished among them seven days.

In the heat of my spirit in verse 14 means being angry. A more understandable version of this verse is as follows:

Eze 3:14  Then the Spirit lifted me and took me away. I went away feeling bitter and angry. The strong power of the LORD came over me. (GW)

In spite of all the revelations that Ezekiel received as he was carried by the spirit, he was bitter and angry. Why was Ezekiel bitter and angry? It was because he had been advised that the people will not accept His testimony of the truth. We have all gone through this experience of Ezekiel when we started hearing the truth of the word of the Lord. It was as sweet as honey in our mouth. However, in our zeal for the Lord, we went to our kindred to proclaim the truth of the word of the Lord but were met with fierce resistance to the truth. We became bitter and angry. However, the hand of the Lord was very strong on our behalf just like the case of Ezekiel, otherwise, we would have given up hope.  As stated by King David, the hand of the Lord will surely help His people.

Psa 37:23  The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way. 
Psa 37:24  Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with his hand.

Ezekiel came to his people in Telabib and over a period of seven days, he was overwhelmed by what he had seen. The seven days represent the complete period of our time in Babylon after the Lord had come to us to show us the truth, before we exit. We become astonished as we continue to live with our brothers and sisters in Babylon after we have started to know the truth. This is because we come to see the lies that are pervasive among our people which they consider as truth. This is what Jesus describes the situation in Babylon:

Mat 15:14  Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.

Being Called to Become a Watchman

Eze 3:16  And it came to pass at the end of seven days, that the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
Eze 3:17  Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me.
Eze 3:18  When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand. 
Eze 3:19  Yet if thou warn the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul. 
Eze 3:20  Again, When a righteous man doth turn from his righteousness, and commit iniquity, and I lay a stumblingblock before him, he shall die: because thou hast not given him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he hath done shall not be remembered; but his blood will I require at thine hand. 
Eze 3:21  Nevertheless if thou warn the righteous man, that the righteous sin not, and he doth not sin, he shall surely live, because he is warned; also thou hast delivered thy soul.

As the Lord’s elect, we are called as watchmen of the Lord’s flock. We are to warn our brothers and sisters of the dangers lying ahead as we walk with Christ. If we refuse to warn our brothers and sisters and they die in their sins, their blood would be required of us.

Isa 62:6  I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem, which shall never hold their peace day nor night: ye that make mention of the LORD, keep not silence, 
Isa 62:7  And give him no rest, till he establish, and till he make Jerusalem a praise in the earth.

Our role as watchmen means that we are to be ready at any point in time to share the Lord’s words when we are given the opportunity.

1Pe 3:15  But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear: 

In Ezekiel 33, we are also shown another role of a watchman. We are to blow the trumpet of an impending sword in our land. That is to say that we are to warn our brothers and sisters about the judgment of our old man.

Eze 33:2  Son of man, speak to the children of thy people, and say unto them, When I bring the sword upon a land, if the people of the land take a man of their coasts, and set him for their watchman:
Eze 33:3  If when he seeth the sword come upon the land, he blow the trumpet, and warn the people; 
Eze 33:4  Then whosoever heareth the sound of the trumpet, and taketh not warning; if the sword come, and take him away, his blood shall be upon his own head.
Eze 33:5  He heard the sound of the trumpet, and took not warning; his blood be upon him. But he that taketh warning shall deliver his soul.

Eze 3:22  And the hand of the LORD was there upon me; and he said unto me, Arise, go forth into the plain, and I will there talk with thee. 
Eze 3:23  Then I arose, and went forth into the plain: and, behold, the glory of the LORD stood there, as the glory which I saw by the river of Chebar: and I fell on my face. 
Eze 3:24  Then the spirit entered into me, and set me upon my feet, and spake with me, and said unto me, Go, shut thyself within thine house.
Eze 3:25  But thou, O son of man, behold, they shall put bands upon thee, and shall bind thee with them, and thou shalt not go out among them:
Eze 3:26  And I will make thy tongue cleave to the roof of thy mouth, that thou shalt be dumb, and shalt not be to them a reprover: for they are a rebellious house. 
Eze 3:27  But when I speak with thee, I will open thy mouth, and thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; He that heareth, let him hear; and he that forbeareth, let him forbear: for they are a rebellious house.

One of the phrases that runs through the Book of Ezekiel is “The Glory of the Lord”. Here in verse 23, Ezekiel saw the glory of the Lord and therefore fell on his face when he went to the plain to hear from the Lord. The glory of the Lord shows us His personality as one who is strong and mighty (Has all the resources), and the one who intervenes in our circumstance to lift up the gates that bar us from coming to know Him.

Psa 24:7  Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in.
Psa 24:8  Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle.
Psa 24:9  Lift up your heads, O ye gates; even lift them up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in.
Psa 24:10  Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, he is the King of glory. Selah.

As we are aware, our Lord Jesus Christ and His words are the same. This implies that the glory of the Lord is also His words which we hear out of the midst of the fire which is our fiery trials.

Deu 5:24  And ye said, Behold, the LORD our God hath shewed us his glory and his greatness, and we have heard his voice out of the midst of the fire: we have seen this day that God doth talk with man, and he liveth.

Verses 24 to 27 show us that there is a time to speak and a time to keep silent. Here the Lord told Ezekiel that he should shut himself in the house and that he would be restrained from going out among his people. The Lord also told Ezekiel that He would cause him to be mute and unable to reprove the people of their sins. There is a time that the Lord causes us to shut ourselves up from all that surrounds us so that we can focus on His words. Paul gave us his experience when the Lord appeared to him as follows:

Gal 1:15  But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb, and called me by his grace,
Gal 1:16  To reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the heathen; immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood: 
Gal 1:17  Neither went I up to Jerusalem to them which were apostles before me; but I went into Arabia [Shut himself up], and returned again unto Damascus.

There is also a time to bear witness to the truth of His words. That is the time that the Lord opens our mouth so that we can say “Thus saith the Lord.” Again, Paul’s experience can guide us to know when to speak and when to become mute.

Gal 2:1  Then fourteen years after I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, and took Titus with me also. 
Gal 2:2  And I went up by revelation, and communicated unto them that gospel which I preach among the Gentiles, but privately to them which were of reputation, lest by any means I should run, or had run, in vain.

May the Lord continue to guide us by His spirit to know when to speak and when to remain silent. Amen!!

Exodus 40:1-38  The Setting up of the Tabernacle

[Study Aired March 6, 2023]

Exo 40:1  And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 
Exo 40:2  On the first day of the first month shalt thou set up the tabernacle of the tent of the congregation.
Exo 40:3  And thou shalt put therein the ark of the testimony, and cover the ark with the vail. 
Exo 40:4  And thou shalt bring in the table, and set in order the things that are to be set in order upon it; and thou shalt bring in the candlestick, and light the lamps thereof. 
Exo 40:5  And thou shalt set the altar of gold for the incense before the ark of the testimony, and put the hanging of the door to the tabernacle. 
Exo 40:6  And thou shalt set the altar of the burnt offering before the door of the tabernacle of the tent of the congregation. 
Exo 40:7  And thou shalt set the laver between the tent of the congregation and the altar, and shalt put water therein. 
Exo 40:8  And thou shalt set up the court round about, and hang up the hanging at the court gate. 
Exo 40:9  And thou shalt take the anointing oil, and anoint the tabernacle, and all that is therein, and shalt hallow it, and all the vessels thereof: and it shall be holy. 
Exo 40:10  And thou shalt anoint the altar of the burnt offering, and all his vessels, and sanctify the altar: and it shall be an altar most holy. 
Exo 40:11  And thou shalt anoint the laver and his foot, and sanctify it. 
Exo 40:12  And thou shalt bring Aaron and his sons unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and wash them with water. 
Exo 40:13  And thou shalt put upon Aaron the holy garments, and anoint him, and sanctify him; that he may minister unto me in the priest’s office. 
Exo 40:14  And thou shalt bring his sons, and clothe them with coats: 
Exo 40:15  And thou shalt anoint them, as thou didst anoint their father, that they may minister unto me in the priest’s office: for their anointing shall surely be an everlasting priesthood throughout their generations.
Exo 40:16  Thus did Moses: according to all that the LORD commanded him, so did he. 
Exo 40:17  And it came to pass in the first month in the second year, on the first day of the month, that the tabernacle was reared up. 
Exo 40:18  And Moses reared up the tabernacle, and fastened his sockets, and set up the boards thereof, and put in the bars thereof, and reared up his pillars. 
Exo 40:19  And he spread abroad the tent over the tabernacle, and put the covering of the tent above upon it; as the LORD commanded Moses. 
Exo 40:20  And he took and put the testimony into the ark, and set the staves on the ark, and put the mercy seat above upon the ark: 
Exo 40:21  And he brought the ark into the tabernacle, and set up the vail of the covering, and covered the ark of the testimony; as the LORD commanded Moses.
Exo 40:22  And he put the table in the tent of the congregation, upon the side of the tabernacle northward, without the vail. 
Exo 40:23  And he set the bread in order upon it before the LORD; as the LORD had commanded Moses. 
Exo 40:24  And he put the candlestick in the tent of the congregation, over against the table, on the side of the tabernacle southward. 
Exo 40:25  And he lighted the lamps before the LORD; as the LORD commanded Moses. 
Exo 40:26  And he put the golden altar in the tent of the congregation before the vail: 
Exo 40:27  And he burnt sweet incense thereon; as the LORD commanded Moses. 
Exo 40:28  And he set up the hanging at the door of the tabernacle. 
Exo 40:29  And he put the altar of burnt offering by the door of the tabernacle of the tent of the congregation, and offered upon it the burnt offering and the meat offering; as the LORD commanded Moses. 
Exo 40:30  And he set the laver between the tent of the congregation and the altar, and put water there, to wash withal.
Exo 40:31  And Moses and Aaron and his sons washed their hands and their feet thereat: 
Exo 40:32  When they went into the tent of the congregation, and when they came near unto the altar, they washed; as the LORD commanded Moses. 
Exo 40:33  And he reared up the court round about the tabernacle and the altar, and set up the hanging of the court gate. So Moses finished the work. 
Exo 40:34  Then a cloud covered the tent of the congregation, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.
Exo 40:35  And Moses was not able to enter into the tent of the congregation, because the cloud abode thereon, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.
Exo 40:36  And when the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the children of Israel went onward in all their journeys: 
Exo 40:37  But if the cloud were not taken up, then they journeyed not till the day that it was taken up.
Exo 40:38  For the cloud of the LORD was upon the tabernacle by day, and fire was on it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel, throughout all their journeys.

This last chapter of Exodus concludes the preparation and setting up of the tabernacle of the Lord. The setting up of the temple of the Lord within us is a lifelong process. As we are aware, we understand spiritual things by the things that are made. 

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

When a house is being built, it is difficult to see the beauty of it until it is finished. For example, usually, when a huge office complex is being built in a city, it is draped in polythene materials, making it difficult for pedestrians to realize the beauty of it until it is finished. However, in the eyes of the architect who designed the office complex, everything is going according to plan, and he sees the beauty of the building before it is even started. Our architect is our Lord Jesus Christ who has designed us to reflect His beauty even before the foundations of the world. This is how He sees us, His elect – the perfection of beauty!! 

Psa 50:1  A Psalm of Asaph. The mighty God, even the LORD, hath spoken, and called the earth from the rising of the sun unto the going down thereof. 
Psa 50:2  Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God hath shined.

Our Lord Jesus Christ is building our temple as He takes away all that offends within us so that He can come and dwell in our hearts and mind – our temple. The devil is also aware of this, so he comes to wage a mental battle in our heavens, by questioning whether we are really obtaining Christ’s standard. However, just as Michael and his angels waged war against the devil and his angels in our heavens and defeated them, we are also assured of victory over the devil as we grow in His beauty. Indeed, what the Lord starts, He is able to finish!! 

Rev 12:7  And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,
Rev 12:8  And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.
Rev 12:9  And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

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

What the whole world is looking for is Christ coming to dwell in us, the elect, but unfortunately, it is hidden from them. Christ coming to dwell in our heavens is what the Bible describes as the joy of the whole world. 

Psa 48:1  A Song and Psalm for the sons of Korah. Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised in the city of our God, in the mountain of his holiness. 
Psa 48:2  Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth, is mount Zion, on the sides of the north, the city of the great King. 

Rom 8:19  For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. 
Rom 8:20  For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope,
Rom 8:21  Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.

With this in mind, let us take a look at how the Lord, our Chief Architect, prepares us to become a habitation of the Lord, perfect in beauty and the joy of the whole earth!!

Rev 21:2  And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
Rev 21:3  And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. 
Rev 21:4  And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
Rev 21:5  And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.

Exo 40:1  And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 
Exo 40:2  On the first day of the first month shalt thou set up the tabernacle of the tent of the congregation.

The first day of the first month spiritually signifies a new beginning in our walk with the Lord when we come to realize that we are sinners according to the law and that we need Christ to come into our lives to make our hearts and mind His dwelling place. That is the beginning of the setting up of the tabernacle within us when Christ comes with His judgment to deal with the beast within.

2Th 2:7  For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. 
2Th 2:8  And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:

Exo 40:3  And thou shalt put therein the ark of the testimony, and cover the ark with the vail. 
Exo 40:4  And thou shalt bring in the table, and set in order the things that are to be set in order upon it; and thou shalt bring in the candlestick, and light the lamps thereof. 
Exo 40:5  And thou shalt set the altar of gold for the incense before the ark of the testimony, and put the hanging of the door to the tabernacle. 

What is significant here is that the work of setting up the tabernacle started from the Holy of Holies before it ended up in the courtyard. The Lord starts His work of making us His temple for His habitation by focusing within us first before our outward righteousness becomes evident. The Holy of Holies and the Holy place and their items were all made first before the outer court with its items were made. This is in contrast to our life in Babylon or the churches of this world where we put emphasis on the outward to the detriment of inner cleansing. 

Mat 23:25  Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess.
Mat 23:26  Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also.

In verse 3, the first item to be placed within the veil was the ark of the testimony, which signifies Christ coming within us (the veil) with the spirit of His mouth to deal with all that offends. The next item was the table and then the candlestick, resulting in the lighting of the lamps. The primary purpose of the table was to hold the showbread which was set before the Lord. Every Sabbath, the priests would replace the loaves from the previous week with a new batch of bread. Twelve loaves of bread were arranged into two rows of six, and these loaves represented the twelve tribes of Israel. 

Lev 24:5  And thou shalt take fine flour, and bake twelve cakes thereof: two tenth deals shall be in one cake. 
Lev 24:6  And thou shalt set them in two rows, six on a row, upon the pure table before the LORD. 
Lev 24:7  And thou shalt put pure frankincense upon each row, that it may be on the bread for a memorial, even an offering made by fire unto the LORD. 
Lev 24:8  Every sabbath he shall set it in order before the LORD continually, being taken from the children of Israel by an everlasting covenant.
Lev 24:9  And it shall be Aaron’s and his sons’; and they shall eat it in the holy place: for it is most holy unto him of the offerings of the LORD made by fire by a perpetual statute.

The showbread represents our Lord Jesus Christ, who is the bread of heaven or the heavenly manna. 

Joh 6:32  Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven. 
Joh 6:33  For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world. 
Joh 6:34  Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread. 
Joh 6:35  And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. 

It is when Christ comes to us that we are given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven. The golden candlestick signifies the church of the firstborn or the elect. 

Rev 1:12  And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks;

Rev 1:20  The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches.

There was no natural light in the tabernacle, and therefore the light from the candlestick was what enabled the priest to perform his duties before God. This light is the word of the Lord which comes through what every joint supplies.

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

Eph 4:16  From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.

After the lighting of the lamps comes the altar of incense (verse 5). It is when we are given eyes to see and ears to hear through the light of the lamps that we can pray effectively in accordance to His will.

Rev 8:3  And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne.
Rev 8:4  And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel’s hand.

Exo 40:6  And thou shalt set the altar of the burnt offering before the door of the tabernacle of the tent of the congregation. 
Exo 40:7  And thou shalt set the laver between the tent of the congregation and the altar, and shalt put water therein. 
Exo 40:8  And thou shalt set up the court round about, and hang up the hanging at the court gate.

An essential part of building our temple for the Lord to dwell in is that we come to see where we came from – our Babylonian origin. We start our walk with Christ by recognizing the sacrifice He made for our sins as we encounter the altar of the burnt offering. That is the foundation upon which we can proceed to the laver, where we begin to be washed with the letter of the word before we enter the Holy place. That is when the Lord comes with His brightness to start the process of destroying the raging beast within us.

Isa 51:1  Hearken to me, ye that follow after righteousness, ye that seek the LORD: look unto the rock whence ye are hewn, and to the hole of the pit whence ye are digged.

Exo 40:9  And thou shalt take the anointing oil, and anoint the tabernacle, and all that is therein, and shalt hallow it, and all the vessels thereof: and it shall be holy. 
Exo 40:10  And thou shalt anoint the altar of the burnt offering, and all his vessels, and sanctify the altar: and it shall be an altar most holy. 
Exo 40:11  And thou shalt anoint the laver and his foot, and sanctify it.

The question that comes to mind is, “Why are all these items anointed?” As we are aware, the anointing with oil is a symbol of the Holy Spirit. It is through the Holy Spirit that we are endowed with power to become a habitation for the Lord to dwell. We, His elect, represent the tabernacle and also the vessels in the tabernacle. Anointing the tabernacle and the vessels is therefore sanctifying us as we offer our bodies as living sacrifices, holy and acceptable to the Lord.

Rom 12:1  I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
Rom 12:2  And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Anointing the altar of the burnt offering and its vessels is causing us to see the sacrifice the Lord made on our behalf. The anointing of the laver and its foot is to open our eyes to see and our ears to begin to hear the truth of the word of the Lord.

Joh 16:13  Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. 
Joh 16:14  He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.

Exo 40:12  And thou shalt bring Aaron and his sons unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and wash them with water. 
Exo 40:13  And thou shalt put upon Aaron the holy garments, and anoint him, and sanctify him; that he may minister unto me in the priest’s office. 
Exo 40:14  And thou shalt bring his sons, and clothe them with coats: 
Exo 40:15  And thou shalt anoint them, as thou didst anoint their father, that they may minister unto me in the priest’s office: for their anointing shall surely be an everlasting priesthood throughout their generations.

These verses show us the process we go through to put on the righteousness of Christ, which is symbolized by the holy garments worn by Aaron and His sons who represent the elect.  The process involves being washed with the water of the word. As our eyes are opened and our ears hear, we are cleansed by the truth of the word of the Lord.

Eph 5:26  That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, 
Eph 5:27  That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.

The process also involves being anointed with the Holy spirit to empower us as we are led into the truth of the word of the Lord. 

Act 1:8  But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. 

Joh 16:13  Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.
Joh 16:14  He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.

Exo 40:16  Thus did Moses: according to all that the LORD commanded him, so did he.

As we have indicated several times in the study of Exodus, Moses represents the elect. A key characteristic of the elect is to do all that which the Lord commands us through His words. That is, we are called to obey the Lord in everything and that is what shows that we really love Him. 

1Jn 5:2  By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments.
1Jn 5:3  For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.

Exo 40:17  And it came to pass in the first month in the second year, on the first day of the month, that the tabernacle was reared up. 
Exo 40:18  And Moses reared up the tabernacle, and fastened his sockets, and set up the boards thereof, and put in the bars thereof, and reared up his pillars. 
Exo 40:19  And he spread abroad the tent over the tabernacle, and put the covering of the tent above upon it; as the LORD commanded Moses. 

The tabernacle became a visible presence in the midst of the Israelites when the structures were set up and was covered with the tent. This is a foretaste of the New Jerusalem where God himself shall be with His people and be their God.

Rev 21:2  And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 
Rev 21:3  And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. 
Rev 21:4  And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

Exo 40:20  And he took and put the testimony into the ark, and set the staves on the ark, and put the mercy seat above upon the ark: 
Exo 40:21  And he brought the ark into the tabernacle, and set up the vail of the covering, and covered the ark of the testimony; as the LORD commanded Moses. 
Exo 40:22  And he put the table in the tent of the congregation, upon the side of the tabernacle northward, without the vail. 
Exo 40:23  And he set the bread in order upon it before the LORD; as the LORD had commanded Moses. 
Exo 40:24  And he put the candlestick in the tent of the congregation, over against the table, on the side of the tabernacle southward.
Exo 40:25  And he lighted the lamps before the LORD; as the LORD commanded Moses.
Exo 40:26  And he put the golden altar in the tent of the congregation before the vail:
Exo 40:27  And he burnt sweet incense thereon; as the LORD commanded Moses.

As we have indicated earlier, the Lord starts His work of building our temple by focusing on what happens within the veil (our hearts and mind) first. We are shown great mercy as the Lord comes to us with His brightness into our lives. This is represented by the ark of the testimony with the mercy seat. We are then given to eat in His presence as our eyes are opened and our ears hear the truth of the word of the Lord, which is symbolized by the table and the showbread. The church which is signified by the candlestick helps us in our walk to see the light of His words by what every joint supplies. It is at this point that our prayers become sweet incense to the Lord.

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.

Exo 40:28  And he set up the hanging at the door of the tabernacle. 
Exo 40:29  And he put the altar of burnt offering by the door of the tabernacle of the tent of the congregation, and offered upon it the burnt offering and the meat offering; as the LORD commanded Moses. 
Exo 40:30  And he set the laver between the tent of the congregation and the altar, and put water there, to wash withal.
Exo 40:31  And Moses and Aaron and his sons washed their hands and their feet thereat: 
Exo 40:32  When they went into the tent of the congregation, and when they came near unto the altar, they washed; as the LORD commanded Moses. 

As His elect, we are the hanging at the door of the tabernacle through which all humanity must pass to worship the Lord. As indicated earlier, the altar of burnt offering is to remind us of the price paid by our Lord Jesus Christ, as He was sacrificed for our sins so that we can become a royal priesthood. The laver at the court of the tabernacle is where we are washed with the letter of the word of the Lord, which causes us to realize our hopelessness in overcoming sin as we are dominated by the beast and the need to leave Babylon.

Rev 18:4  And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.

Exo 40:33  And he reared up the court round about the tabernacle and the altar, and set up the hanging of the court gate. So Moses finished the work.

It is in resurrection that the Lord will complete our tabernacle for His habitation.

Luk 13:32  And he said unto them, Go ye, and tell that fox, Behold, I cast out devils, and I do cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I shall be perfected.

We, His elect, are the first for the Lord to complete His tabernacle, as He dwells within us.

Rev 21:3  And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

Exo 40:34  Then a cloud covered the tent of the congregation, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.
Exo 40:35  And Moses was not able to enter into the tent of the congregation, because the cloud abode thereon, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.

Here we are told that the cloud and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle such that Moses was not able to enter the tent of the congregation. The cloud represents the elect who have overcome and are in the presence of the Lord.  In the Book of Isaiah, when Isaiah saw the Lord sitting on His throne in His temple, there were the Seraphims who represented the elect. The fact that there is always a cloud in the presence of the Lord is to remind us of the elect who are represented by the elect or the Seraphims.

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,

Isa 6:1  In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.
Isa 6:2  Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly.

We need to know what the glory of the Lord signifies in order to understand verses 34 and 35. The following verses show us what the glory of the Lord means:

Num 14:10  But all the congregation bade stone them with stones. And the glory of the LORD appeared in the tabernacle of the congregation before all the children of Israel.
Num 14:11  And the LORD said unto Moses, How long will this people provoke me? and how long will it be ere they believe me, for all the signs which I have shewed among them? 

Num 16:19  And Korah gathered all the congregation against them unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation: and the glory of the LORD appeared unto all the congregation. 
Num 16:20  And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying,

Deu 5:24  And ye said, Behold, the LORD our God hath shewed us his glory and his greatness, and we have heard his voice out of the midst of the fire: we have seen this day that God doth talk with man, and he liveth.

We can see from these verses that anytime the glory of the Lord appears, we see the Lord speaking. In Deuteronomy 5:24, additional information is given to qualify the glory of the Lord and that is fire. Seeing His glory therefore means hearing the Lord’s voice out of the midst of the fire. This conclusion is affirmed in Exodus 24:16-17, where the sight of the glory of the Lord was likened to a devouring fire on the top of the Mount. So, in this age, those who are privileged to see the glory of the Lord are those who are hearing His words in the midst of the furnace of their affliction. When we are going through suffering, it is hard to rejoice, but afterwards it will yield the benefit of seeing the glory of the Lord!!

Exo 24:16  And the glory of the LORD abode upon mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days: and the seventh day he called unto Moses out of the midst of the cloud. 
Exo 24:17  And the sight of the glory of the LORD was like devouring fire on the top of the mount in the eyes of the children of Israel.

What verse 35 means is that until we have gone through the complete fiery trials marked out for us, we cannot offer our bodies as living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to the Lord.  That is what it means to enter the temple to worship the Lord.

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

Exo 40:36  And when the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the children of Israel went onward in all their journeys: 
Exo 40:37  But if the cloud were not taken up, then they journeyed not till the day that it was taken up.
Exo 40:38  For the cloud of the LORD was upon the tabernacle by day, and fire was on it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel, throughout all their journeys. 

The movement of the people of Israel was dependent on whether the cloud had moved from the tabernacle or was stationary. Since the cloud represents the elect, it is therefore a symbol of the church of the firstborn. What these verses tell us is that it is through the counsel of the church (cloud of the Lord) together with our fiery trials (fire by night) which guide us through this wilderness of life.

Pro 11:14  Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counsellors there is safety. 

Gen 50:20  But as for you, ye thought evil against me (our fiery trials); but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.

May the Lord be merciful to us as He continues to work on our tabernacle until that day!! Amen!!

Jer 46:15-28 The Daughter of Egypt… Shall be Delivered into the Hand of the People of the North

[Study Aired July 24, 2022]

Jer 46:15  Why are thy valiant men swept away? they stood not, because the LORD did drive them.
Jer 46:16  He made many to fall, yea, one fell upon another: and they said, Arise, and let us go again to our own people, and to the land of our nativity, from the oppressing sword.
Jer 46:17  They did cry there, Pharaoh king of Egypt is but a noise; he hath passed the time appointed.
Jer 46:18  As I live, saith the King, whose name is the LORD of hosts, Surely as Tabor is among the mountains, and as Carmel by the sea, so shall he come.
Jer 46:19  O thou daughter dwelling in Egypt, furnish thyself to go into captivity: for Noph shall be waste and desolate without an inhabitant.
Jer 46:20  Egypt is like a very fair heifer, but destruction cometh; it cometh out of the north.
Jer 46:21  Also her hired men are in the midst of her like fatted bullocks; for they also are turned back, and are fled away together: they did not stand, because the day of their calamity was come upon them, and the time of their visitation.
Jer 46:22  The voice thereof shall go like a serpent; for they shall march with an army, and come against her with axes, as hewers of wood.
Jer 46:23  They shall cut down her forest, saith the LORD, though it cannot be searched; because they are more than the grasshoppers, and are innumerable.
Jer 46:24  The daughter of Egypt shall be confounded; she shall be delivered into the hand of the people of the north.
Jer 46:25  The LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, saith; Behold, I will punish the multitude of No, and Pharaoh, and Egypt, with their gods, and their kings; even Pharaoh, and all them that trust in him:
Jer 46:26  And I will deliver them into the hand of those that seek their lives, and into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, and into the hand of his servants: and afterward it shall be inhabited, as in the days of old, saith the LORD.
Jer 46:27  But fear not thou, O my servant Jacob, and be not dismayed, O Israel: for, behold, I will save thee from afar off, and thy seed from the land of their captivity; and Jacob shall return, and be in rest and at ease, and none shall make him afraid.
Jer 46:28  Fear thou not, O Jacob my servant, saith the LORD: for I am with thee; for I will make a full end of all the nations whither I have driven thee: but I will not make a full end of thee, but correct thee in measure; yet will I not leave thee wholly unpunished.

This part of the prophecy of Jeremiah concerns the Lord’s judgment against the Gentiles, beginning with Egypt and the destruction Nebuchadnezzar is prophesied to bring against Egypt.

I will repeat the last two verses of our last study to set the tone of this prophesy against Egypt as Egypt signifies this rebellious and evil world within every man:

Jer 46:13  The word that the LORD spake to Jeremiah the prophet, how Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon should come and smite the land of Egypt.
Jer 46:14  Declare ye in Egypt, and publish in Migdol, and publish in Noph and in Tahpanhes: say ye, Stand fast, and prepare thee; for the sword shall devour round about thee.

Physical Jerusalem “is in bondage with her children” and is not at all ‘Jerusalem above which is the mother of us all.’

Gal 4:24  Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar.
Gal 4:25  For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children.
Gal 4:26  But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.

‘Agar’ is Hagar, a bondservant whom Pharaoh gave to Sarah as a “bondwoman”. Sarah then gave Hagar to Abraham to help the Lord make aging Abraham “a father of many nations”. Paul is telling us that Hagar’s place in history signifies the time we spend while under the influence of the great harlot who is in bondage with her children.

The great harlot is called ‘Mystery Babylon’. The word translated as “Mystery” in Revelation 17 is the Greek word ‘musterion’, and it means “a secret’, something that is known by a very few:

Rev 17:1  And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters:
Rev 17:2  With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication.
Rev 17:3  So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.
Rev 17:4  And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:
Rev 17:5  And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.

G3466
μυστήριον
mustērion
moos-tay’-ree-on
From a derivative of μύω muō (to shut the mouth); a secret or “mystery” (through the idea of silence imposed by initiation into religious rites): – mystery.

Physical ‘Babylon’ is not spiritual “mystery, Babylon the great, the mother of harlots and abominations of the earth.” There is no mystery at all about who physical Babylon and physical Jerusalem are. Both are physical cities in physical countries. However, ‘Mystery Babylon the great, the mother of harlots and abominations of the earth’ is a ‘secret’ until this very day. The depth of this “secret” is revealed to those who have “eyes to see”, by the fact that until this very day not one historic ‘Christian’ minister realizes the Truth of what we just read in plain English, that Hagar signifies ‘Jerusalem which now is and is in bondage with her children’. The ‘mystery’ of ‘Mystery Babylon the Great’ is that this ‘Great harlot’ signifies those who say they know God and therefore appropriate His name, but want nothing to do with His doctrine or His works:

Isa 4:1  And in that day seven women shall take hold of one man, saying, We will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel: only let us be called by thy name, to take away our reproach.

This ‘mystery’ is a secret which is so little known that few indeed can even agree with the holy spirit who tells us that the son of the bondwoman, ‘Hagar… answers to Jerusalem which now is and is in bondage with her children’ (Gal 4:25).

Gal 4:22  For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman.
Gal 4:23  But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise.
Gal 4:24  Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar.
Gal 4:25  For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children.

Not one single orthodox Christian believes or even knows this great ‘musterion’, this great ‘secret’ that ‘Jerusalem which now is… is in bondage with her children.’ It is indeed a great mystery, a great “secret” that “Jerusalem which now is… answers to Hagar’s [son], the son of the bondwoman”.

No orthodox Christian believes the ‘secret’ Truth of this verse:

Gal 4:30  Nevertheless what saith the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman [“Jerusalem which now is”] shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman.

Isa 1:21  How is the faithful city become an harlot! it was full of judgment; righteousness lodged in it; but now murderers.

Why is it that so many so-called ‘Christians’ are so spiritually blind that they are “swept away” with the lie that physical Jerusalem is the Lord’s chosen people? Why can’t they see that this doctrine makes them the spiritual sons of the bondwoman who “shall not be made heir with the son of the freewoman”? The answer to that question is in our next verses:

Jer 46:15  Why are thy valiant men swept away? they stood not, because the LORD did drive them.
Jer 46:16  He made many to fall, yea, one fell upon another: and they said, Arise, and let us go again to our own people, and to the land of our nativity, from the oppressing sword.
Jer 46:17  They did cry there, Pharaoh king of Egypt is but a noise; he hath passed the time appointed.

When anyone is ‘swept away’ with the lies and false doctrines of men, they do so ‘because the Lord did drive them’. Of course, we are deceived under such circumstances, but the greatest deception and false doctrine is that we chose of our own will to believe a lie. Indeed, we do choose to believe lies and falsehoods. The scriptures do not deny that we choose to ‘receive not the Truth’:

2Th 2:10  And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.

The very next verse tells us why we ‘receive not the Truth’:

2Th 2:11  And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:

It is God who sends us “strong delusion, that we should believe a lie.” The only way we are deluded into believing a lie is because the Lord has blinded our eyes and given us ears that cannot hear His voice. Being given eyes that cannot see and ears that cannot hear the mysteries of the kingdom of God is just another way of telling us that God has hardened our hearts against the ‘voice’ of His Truth:

Heb 3:13  But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.

Before Pharaoh ever met Moses, the Lord told Moses that He would harden Pharaoh’s heart:

Exo 4:21  And the LORD said unto Moses, When thou goest to return into Egypt, see that thou do all those wonders before Pharaoh, which I have put in thine hand: but I will harden his heart, that he shall not let the people go.

So later when we read:

Exo 8:15  But when Pharaoh saw that there was respite, he hardened his heart, and hearkened not unto them; as the LORD had said.

Exo 8:32  And Pharaoh hardened his heart at this time also, neither would he let the people go.

Exo 9:34  And when Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the thunders were ceased, he sinned yet more, and hardened his heart, he and his servants.

We know that Pharaoh, “he and his servants”, hardened his heart only because;

Exo 8:15  But when Pharaoh saw that there was respite, he hardened his heart, and hearkened not unto them; as the LORD had said.

Exo 9:12  And the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh, and he hearkened not unto them; as the LORD had spoken unto Moses.

Exo 10:1  And the LORD said unto Moses, Go in unto Pharaoh: for I have hardened his heart, and the heart of his servants, that I might shew these my signs before him:

The Babylonian commentaries flatly deny and talk all around these Truths:

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

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

Pro 21:1  The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will [including Pharaoh].

The fact is that every hardened heart is a work of the Lord who is ‘working all things after the counsel of His own will’ (Eph 1:11).

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

Paul sums all these verses up in these few words;

Eph 1:9  Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:
Eph 1:10  That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:
Eph 1:11  In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:

There is a ‘dispensation’ which is called ‘the dispensation of the fullness of times’, and that is not exclusively an inward phrase. That phrase must also have an outward application before it can even mean anything that we can understand spiritually and inwardly. That outward application is the dispensation of the ‘great white throne/lake of fire/second death’ which must follow after the thousand-year reign of Christ and His Christ:

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

This ‘lake of fire… is the second death’ and those who are judged in the second judgment receive their judgment standing before the great white throne:

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

The Father is “working all things after the counsel of His own will… according to His good pleasure which He has purposed in Himself.” Egypt went up to Carchemish, an Assyrian city which Babylon had just conquered, and Pharaoh and his armies were ‘driven’ to go up to that battle by the Lord, who is working all things after the counsel of His own will.

The Lord has made known to us the secret of His will by telling us, “All these things happened to them, and they are written for our admonition.”

1Co 10:11 Now all this befalls them  typically. Yet it was written for our admonition, to whom the consummations of the eons have attained. (CLV)

Another section of scripture which demonstrates the “great… darkness” of the blindness of the great harlot and her daughters is:

1Pe 1:9  Receiving the end of your faith,  even the salvation of your souls.
1Pe 1:10  Of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you:
1Pe 1:11  Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow [“Follow” is a qualifying word].
1Pe 1:12  Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into.

If the Lord were to open the eyes of the daughters of Babylon to the Truth of these verses, the United States would have to change its foreign policy and acknowledge that ‘he is not a Jew which is one outwardly’ and our government would instead be obliged to defend and protect the Lord’s elect. That, of course, is not written in the Lord’s book for the kingdoms of this world.

The greatest lesson any of us who are being ministered to by “all these things” (1Co 10:11); the greatest lesson we can get out of all that was written for our admonition is that everything that happens, happens only because the Lord “worked it after the counsel of His own will” and He is working it all for our good if we are His chosen few.

The Lord Himself makes intercession for us “according to the will of God”:

Rom 8:27  And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.
Rom 8:28  And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
Rom 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.
Rom 8:30  Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.

The fact that the Lord’s elect are predestinated necessitates that all others are also predestined not to be His elect. That’s why the statement… ‘all things work together for good’ is qualified with the words… “to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.” ‘All things’ are not working together for the good of ‘Egypt’ in this prophesy because Egypt is conquered and destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon.

Jer 46:18  As I live, saith the King, whose name is the LORD of hosts, Surely as Tabor is among the mountains, and as Carmel by the sea, so shall he come.

“So shall he come” refers to Nebuchadnezzar and his armies. The certainty of the Lord’s words through the prophet Jeremiah are as ‘sure as Tabor is among the mountains, and as Carmel by the sea’, both being obvious to all and beyond question by any. The Lord wants us to be aware that He is sovereign and will not be ordered about by mere dust (Gen 2:7):

Isa 45:1  Thus saith the LORD to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have holden, to subdue nations before him; and I will loose the loins of kings, to open before him the two leaved gates; and the gates shall not be shut;
Isa 45:2  I will go before thee, and make the crooked places straight: I will break in pieces the gates of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of iron:
Isa 45:3  And I will give thee the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that thou mayest know that I, the LORD, which call thee by thy name, am the God of Israel.
Isa 45:4  For Jacob my servant’s sake, and Israel mine elect, I have even called thee by thy name: I have surnamed thee, though thou hast not known me.
Isa 45:5  I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no God beside me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known me:
Isa 45:6  That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside me. I am the LORD, and there is none else.
Isa 45:7  I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.

Isaiah prophesied about 70 years before Jeremiah, and here in Isaiah 45 He tells us of the fate of Babylon whom the Lord is using in Jeremiah’s prophecy to chasten His own people as well as the enemies of the Lord’s own people. Not only does the Lord reveal the nation which will conquer Babylon, He even names the king of that kingdom… “Thus saith the Lord to His anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have holden, to subdue nations before him… For Jacob My servant’s sake, and Israel mine elect, I have even called thee by name: I have surnamed thee, though you hast not known me.”

So, both Nebuchadnezzar and Cyrus are called respectively, “My servant” and “His anointed” by the Lord:

Jer 27:6  And now have I given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, my servant; and the beasts of the field have I given him also to serve him.
Jer 27:7  And all nations shall serve him, and his son, and his son’s son, until the very time of his land come: and then many nations and great kings shall serve themselves of him.

Isa 45:1  Thus saith the LORD to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have holden, to subdue nations before him; and I will loose the loins of kings, to open before him the two leaved gates; and the gates shall not be shut;

What the Lord opens cannot be shut, and what He shuts cannot be opened. This statement refers to what the Lord will open to Cyrus, who conquered all of the Babylonian empire. This Truth has both a positive and a negative application as Isaiah had already demonstrated:

Isa 22:20  And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will call my servant Eliakim the son of Hilkiah:
Isa 22:21  And I will clothe him with thy robe, and strengthen him with thy girdle, and I will commit thy government into his hand: and he shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to the house of Judah.
Isa 22:22  And the key of the house of David will I lay upon his shoulder; so he shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open.
Isa 22:23  And I will fasten him as a nail in a sure place; and he shall be for a glorious throne to his father’s house.
Isa 22:24  And they shall hang upon him all the glory of his father’s house, the offspring and the issue, all vessels of small quantity, from the vessels of cups, even to all the vessels of flagons.

Christ revealed that this is a promise made of Himself and His anointed:

Mat 16:18  And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter [‘Petros’, a mere pebble], and upon this rock [‘Petra’, a massive rock, Christ Himself] I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
Mat 16:19  And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

The fact is that every leader of every country on this earth is the Lord’s servant because the Lord wants us to know:

Dan 4:17  This matter is by the decree of the watchers, and the demand by the word of the holy ones: to the intent that the living may know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will,  and setteth up over it the basest of men.

When the trumpet sounds, it was common knowledge in the days of the prophet Amos, that people became afraid of some impending danger. It was equally obvious to Amos that if there were evil in the city that, too, was an obvious work of the Lord.

Amo 3:3  Can two walk together, except they be agreed? [The obvious answer is an emphatic, “No, of course not!”]
Amo 3:4  Will a lion roar in the forest, when he hath no prey? [Obviously not!] will a young lion cry out of his den, if he have taken nothing? [Obviously not!]
Amo 3:5  Can a bird fall in a snare upon the earth, where no gin is for him? [Obviously not!] shall one take up a snare from the earth, and have taken nothing at all? [Obviously not!]
Amo 3:6  Shall a trumpet be blown in the city, and the people not be afraid? [Obviously not!] shall there be evil in a city, and the LORD hath not done it? [Obviously not! It was done of Him who is working all things after the counsel of His own will.]

The evil and the good in this world are all being worked together for the sake of the Lord’s elect:

Isa 45:4  For Jacob my servant’s sake, and Israel mine elect, I have even called thee by thy name: I have surnamed thee, though thou hast not known me.

1Co 3:21  Therefore let no man glory in men. For all things are yours;

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

Paul is telling us that this prophecy of Jeremiah concerning the Gentiles (Jer 46:1) is for our sakes and our admonition:

1Co 10:11 Now all this befalls them typically. Yet it was written for our admonition, to whom the consummations of the eons have attained.

Jer 46:19  O thou daughter dwelling in Egypt, furnish thyself to go into captivity: for Noph shall be waste and desolate without an inhabitant.
Jer 46:20  Egypt is like a very fair heifer, but destruction cometh; it cometh out of the north.
Jer 46:21  Also her hired men are in the midst of her like fatted bullocks; for they also are turned back, and are fled away together: they did not stand, because the day of their calamity was come upon them, and the time of their visitation.

The use of the word ‘daughter’, as in “daughter dwelling in Egypt”, always alludes to a church or the religion of any nation, and spiritual ‘Egypt’ is full of the false doctrines of her religious leaders. When Israel apostatized at Mount Sinai, they reverted to what they had seen and done while in Egypt. They reverted to worshiping the same image the Egyptians worshiped – a golden calf.

Verse 20 is one more verse which demonstrates that the north signifies the impending judgments of God upon His own people first, and in this case even upon Egypt and the Gentiles.

The “hired men” of verse 21 refer to the hired soldiers of other countries mentioned in verse 9 of this same chapter:

Jer 46:9  Come up, ye horses; and rage, ye chariots; and let the mighty men come forth; the Ethiopians and the Libyans, that handle the shield; and the Lydians, that handle and bend the bow.

Inwardly and spiritually these “hired men” typify the spiritual “hirelings” referred to by our Lord in His parable of the good shepherd in:

Joh 10:11  I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.
Joh 10:12  But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep.
Joh 10:13  The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep.
Joh 10:14  I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.

“The wolf catches them and scatters the sheep” is what always happens, as Gamaliel warned the Sanhedrin:

Act 5:33  When they [The Sanhedrin] heard that [they had crucified the Son of God], they were cut to the heart, and took counsel to slay them.
Act 5:34  Then stood there up one in the council, a Pharisee, named Gamaliel, a doctor of the law, had in reputation among all the people, and commanded to put the apostles forth a little space;
Act 5:35  And said unto them, Ye men of Israel, take heed to yourselves what ye intend to do as touching these men.
Act 5:36  For before these days rose up Theudas, boasting himself to be somebody; to whom a number of men, about four hundred, joined themselves: who was slain; and all, as many as obeyed him, were scattered, and brought to nought.
Act 5:37  After this man rose up Judas of Galilee in the days of the taxing, and drew away much people after him: he also perished; and all, even as many as obeyed him, were dispersed.
Act 5:38  And now I say unto you, Refrain from these men, and let them alone: for if this counsel or this work be of men, it will come to nought:
Act 5:39  But if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it; lest haply ye be found even to fight against God.

The “good shepherd” is contrasted with “an hireling” who takes advantage of the Lord’s flock, but does not feed them with the Lord’s Words. Instead a hireling feeds the Lord’s flock the lies of the great red dragon, the double-tongued, lying serpent, the devil, who “was a murderer… and… a liar… from the beginning”:

Joh 8:43  Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word.
Joh 8:44  Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

‘The time of their visitation’ is defined as ‘the day of their calamity’. It is the day of our judgment under the wrath of the Lord.

This is what we are told of Egypt’s “hired men”:

Jer 46:22  The voice thereof shall go like a serpent; for they [Nebuchadnezzar’s army] shall march with an army, and come against her with axes, as hewers of wood.
Jer 46:23  They shall cut down her forest, saith the LORD, though it cannot be searched; because they are more than the grasshoppers, and are innumerable.

‘The voice thereof’ refers to the “hired men” of “the daughters of Egypt” and “they shall march with an army, and come with axes, as hewers of wood”, refers to the armies of Babylon… the Lord’s “servant”. The Egyptians’ numbers were massive, but the Lord has already determined they would be decimated by the ‘hewers of wood’ from Babylon.

Jer 46:24  The daughter of Egypt shall be confounded; she shall be delivered into the hand of the people of the north.
Jer 46:25  The LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, saith; Behold, I will punish the multitude of No, and Pharaoh, and Egypt, with their gods, and their kings; even Pharaoh, and all them that trust in him:

Just as the Lord begins His judgments at His own house (1Pe 4:17), He begins to judge the Gentiles with “the daughters of Egypt”:

Jer 46:26  And I will deliver them into the hand of those that seek their lives, and into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, and into the hand of his servants: and afterward it shall be inhabited, as in the days of old, saith the LORD.

“Afterward it [Egypt] shall be inhabited” is one more verse of scripture which teaches universal salvation for ‘all in Adam’ (1Co 15:22). We will see this repeated as we read of the Lord’s judgments against all the Gentile enemies of His people in the next several chapters of Jeremiah.

Once again, while these outward Gentile nations are types of our inward spiritual enemies, with whom we do war in our heavens, they also outwardly demonstrate that all outward nations will also be saved from death. “Afterward it shall be inhabited” means ‘after’ they are judged, and it means ‘after’ the judgment that begins at the house of God, ‘after’ those who are given a part in the “blessed and holy first resurrection… the resurrection of life”:

Joh 5:26  For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself;
Joh 5:27  And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man.
Joh 5:28  Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice,
Joh 5:29  And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life [At the beginning of ‘the thousand years’ (Rev 20:1-6)]; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation [“When the thousand years are finished’ (Rev 20:5, 7)].

Rev 20:6  Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.

The last two verses of Jeremiah 46 refer to the Lord’s elect as ‘a kind of firstfruits… unto God and the Lamb’ of:

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.

Rev 14:4  These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb.

Jer 46:27  But fear not thou, O my servant Jacob, and be not dismayed, O Israel: for, behold, I will save thee from afar off, and thy seed from the land of their captivity; and Jacob shall return, and be in rest and at ease, and none shall make him afraid.
Jer 46:28  Fear thou not, O Jacob my servant, saith the LORD: for I am with thee; for I will make a full end of all the nations whither I have driven thee: but I will not make a full end of thee, but correct thee in measure; yet will I not leave thee wholly unpunished.

“Yet will I not leave you wholly unpunished means that we, too, must reap what we have sown in these clay vessels. These words apply to the elect as much or more than anyone else:

Gal 6:7  Be not deceived; God is not mocked:: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
Gal 6:8  For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.

This is what the Lord told us earlier in this prophecy concerning His very elect:

Jer 21:11  And touching the house of the king of Judah, say, Hear ye the word of the LORD;
Jer 21:12  O house of David, thus saith the LORD; Execute judgment in the morning, and deliver him that is spoiled out of the hand of the oppressor, lest my fury go out like fire, and burn that none can quench it, because of the evil of your doings.
Jer 21:13  Behold, I am against thee, O inhabitant of the valley, and rock of the plain, saith the LORD; which say, Who shall come down against us? or who shall enter into our habitations?
Jer 21:14  But I will punish you according to the fruit of your doings, saith the LORD: and I will kindle a fire in the forest thereof, and it shall devour all things round about it [All the ‘wood, hay, and stubble’ within our lives (1Co 3:13-16)].

Christ’s sacrifice does not eliminate His judgments upon the kingdom of our old man. The blessing is in being judged first and in ‘this present time’ when ‘judgment must begin at the house of God’:

Rom 8:18  For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

“The sufferings of this present time” certainly includes our own judgment in “this present time’ which we are told must ‘first begin at us’:

1Pe 4:17  For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?
1Pe 4:18  And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear? [They will appear at ‘the resurrection of judgment (Joh 5:29), the great white throne… judgment’ (Rev 20;11).]

Look at the ‘glory to be revealed in us’ in the very next verses of Romans 8. I’ll repeat verse 18:

Rom 8:18  For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
Rom 8:19  For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.
Rom 8:20  For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope,
Rom 8:21  Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.
Rom 8:22  For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.
Rom 8:23  And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.

May the Lord give us all ‘respect unto the recompense of [our] reward’ as ‘the firstfruits of the spirit’ and not despise it as worth no more than a bowl of pottage as Esau did:

Heb 11:24  By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter;
Heb 11:25  Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season;
Heb 11:26  Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward.

Dan 3:1-30 They Serve not thy Gods nor Worship the Golden Image

[Study Aired November 22, 2021]

Dan 3:1  Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, whose height was threescore cubits, and the breadth thereof six cubits: he set it up in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon. 
Dan 3:2  Then Nebuchadnezzar the king sent to gather together the princes, the governors, and the captains, the judges, the treasurers, the counsellors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces, to come to the dedication of the image which Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up. 
Dan 3:3  Then the princes, the governors, and captains, the judges, the treasurers, the counsellors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces, were gathered together unto the dedication of the image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up; and they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up. 
Dan 3:4  Then an herald cried aloud, To you it is commanded, O people, nations, and languages, 
Dan 3:5  That at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, ye fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king hath set up: 
Dan 3:6  And whoso falleth not down and worshippeth shall the same hour be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. 
Dan 3:7  Therefore at that time, when all the people heard the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and all kinds of musick, all the people, the nations, and the languages, fell down and worshipped the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up. 
Dan 3:8  Wherefore at that time certain Chaldeans came near, and accused the Jews. 
Dan 3:9  They spake and said to the king Nebuchadnezzar, O king, live for ever. 
Dan 3:10  Thou, O king, hast made a decree, that every man that shall hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, shall fall down and worship the golden image: 
Dan 3:11  And whoso falleth not down and worshippeth, that he should be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. 
Dan 3:12  There are certain Jews whom thou hast set over the affairs of the province of Babylon, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego; these men, O king, have not regarded thee: they serve not thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up. 
Dan 3:13  Then Nebuchadnezzar in his rage and fury commanded to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Then they brought these men before the king. 
Dan 3:14  Nebuchadnezzar spake and said unto them, Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, do not ye serve my gods, nor worship the golden image which I have set up? 
Dan 3:15  Now if ye be ready that at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, ye fall down and worship the image which I have made; well: but if ye worship not, ye shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a burning fiery furnace; and who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands?
Dan 3:16  Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. 
Dan 3:17  If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. 
Dan 3:18  But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up. 
Dan 3:19  Then was Nebuchadnezzar full of fury, and the form of his visage was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego: therefore he spake, and commanded that they should heat the furnace one seven times more than it was wont to be heated. 
Dan 3:20  And he commanded the most mighty men that were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace. 
Dan 3:21  Then these men were bound in their coats, their hosen, and their hats, and their other garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. 
Dan 3:22  Therefore because the king’s commandment was urgent, and the furnace exceeding hot, the flame of the fire slew those men that took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. 
Dan 3:23  And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. 
Dan 3:24  Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonied, and rose up in haste, and spake, and said unto his counsellors, Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king. 
Dan 3:25  He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God. 
Dan 3:26  Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace, and spake, and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, ye servants of the most high God, come forth, and come hither. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, came forth of the midst of the fire. 
Dan 3:27  And the princes, governors, and captains, and the king’s counsellors, being gathered together, saw these men, upon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was an hair of their head singed, neither were their coats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them. 
Dan 3:28  Then Nebuchadnezzar spake, and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his servants that trusted in him, and have changed the king’s word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God. 
Dan 3:29  Therefore I make a decree, That every people, nation, and language, which speak any thing amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made a dunghill: because there is no other God that can deliver after this sort. 
Dan 3:30  Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, in the province of Babylon. 

Daniel Chapter 2 ended with Daniel being given great gifts and made a ruler by Nebuchadnezzar.  This is to let us know of the great gifts our Lord is giving to us.

Dan 2:48  Then the king made Daniel a great man, and gave him many great gifts, and made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon, and chief of the governors over all the wise men of Babylon. 

As we indicated in the previous review, becoming partakers of His divine nature through escaping from the corruption that is in the world through lust, is what these great gifts from the Lord are achieving in us. That is what will guarantee us the prize which is also the joy that is set before us. This joy entails reigning with Christ when the kingdoms of this world become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ.  Daniel, together with the three Hebrew men, were made rulers to assure us that we shall also possess the crown of rulership in the fullness of time.

1Co 10:11  Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come.

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

Rev 2:26  And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations: 
Rev 2:27  And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father. 

Today’s study of Daniel chapter 3 focuses on who we are and how through our fiery trials, represented here by the furnace, those called and chosen are not given to worship the image created by Nebuchadnezzar.

Dan 3:1  Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, whose height was threescore cubits, and the breadth thereof six cubits: he set it up in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon. 

This image of gold created by Nebuchadnezzar represents the beast or the old man in every human being.  This is confirmed by the measurements of the image. It has a height of 60 cubits and a breadth of 6 cubits. As we are aware, the number 6 signifies the number of man. The number 60 = 6×10. The number 10 means completeness of the flesh. It shows our complete rebellion against our Lord. So, the image represents the beast or the old man within who is the source of all our rebellion against God.

Num 14:22  Because all those men which have seen my glory, and my miracles, which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have tempted me now these ten times, and have not hearkened to my voice; 
Num 14:23  Surely they shall not see the land which I sware unto their fathers, neither shall any of them that provoked me see it:

The image set up by Nebuchadnezzar was made of gold, which signifies how the old man corrupts the truth of the word of God. In other words, we turn the precious word of the Lord into images of men or idols of the heart which is the same as false doctrines, which is the stumbling block of iniquity during our time in Babylon powered by the old man (the image of gold). This old man is also empowered by the devil.

Eze 16:17  Thou hast also taken thy fair jewels of my gold and of my silver, which I had given thee, and madest to thyself images of men, and didst commit whoredom with them,

It is significant to know that the image of gold was set up in Dura of Babylon. Dura means ‘dwelling’. So, what we are being told is that during our time or dwelling in Babylon, we were under the influence of this image or our old man.

Dan 3:2  Then Nebuchadnezzar the king sent to gather together the princes, the governors, and the captains, the judges, the treasurers, the counsellors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces, to come to the dedication of the image which Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up. 
Dan 3:3  Then the princes, the governors, and captains, the judges, the treasurers, the counsellors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces, were gathered together unto the dedication of the image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up; and they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up. 

The list of those invited to come for the dedication of the image of gold included all the prominent people of Babylon. In verse 4, those invited also included people, nations and languages. This means all the people of the world were present at the dedication.

Dan 3:4  Then an herald cried aloud, To you it is commanded, O people, nations, and languages,

The dedication of the image represents the observance of days, times and seasons which is part of the weak and beggarly elements of the world as spoken of by Paul as follows:

Gal 4:3  Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world: 

Gal 4:9  But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage? 

According to Strong, the element here means the rudiment or principle of this world. A “rudiment” is a basic, elementary principle or act of worship which became one of the subjects of Paul’s teaching. This rudiment or element does not involve God’s laws at all but rather worldly and pagan teachings.

Col 2:20  Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances, 
Col 2:21  (Touch not; taste not; handle not; 
Col 2:22  Which all are to perish with the using;) after the commandments and doctrines of men? 
Col 2:23  Which things have indeed a shew of wisdom in will worship, and humility, and neglecting of the body; not in any honour to the satisfying of the flesh.  

Examples Paul gave regarding this rudiment or principle or element of the world involved the observance of days, months, times and years.

Gal 4:10  Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years. 
Gal 4:11  I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain. 

So, what verses 2 and 3 are showing us is that all people of the world, who are all dominated by the beast or the old man, are sold out to the observance of days, times and seasons. We used to also follow the rudiments of the world until our Lord started opening our eyes to see and our ears to hear.

During the early part of this year, I was talking to a pastor who was trying to invite me to the mother’s birthday celebration. I responded that I cannot be part of the birthday celebration because of Galatians 4:10 which talks about us not taking part in weak and beggarly elements of the world. The response that came out of the pastor’s mouth was this: “But we are doing it for the Lord. We are thanking God and giving Him the glory for adding another year to our mother.”  I was going to say that Saul also spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen to offer sacrifice to the Lord but was rejected for not obeying the word of the Lord to destroy everything that breathed. However, I felt that I should not continue the discourse as the pastor is entrenched in the ways of this world. I, therefore, left the pastor to continue in ignorance.

1Sa 15:14  And Samuel said, What meaneth then this bleating of the sheep in mine ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear? 
1Sa 15:15  And Saul said, They have brought them from the Amalekites: for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen, to sacrifice unto the LORD thy God; and the rest we have utterly destroyed. 

Dan 3:5  That at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, ye fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king hath set up: 
Dan 3:6  And whoso falleth not down and worshippeth shall the same hour be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. 
Dan 3:7  Therefore at that time, when all the people heard the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and all kinds of musick, all the people, the nations, and the languages, fell down and worshipped the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up. 

As indicated earlier, the image signifies our old man or the beast within every human being. The verses here imply that all humanity bow down and worship the image or the beast. We all bow down and worship the beast during our time in Babylon.

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

Rev 13:8  And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. 

Dan 3:8  Wherefore at that time certain Chaldeans came near, and accused the Jews. 

As shown in the first review of the Book of Daniel, the term “chaldea” came to include practically all of Babylonia and was virtually synonymous with the neo-Babylonian empire. Chaldea means ‘clod breakers’. A clod refers to a lump of earth or clay. The Chaldeans therefore are those that the Lord used as an instrument of judgment to discipline God’s elect, signified by the Jews. Thus, the accusation raised by the Chaldeans against the Jews is all part of the process of perfecting the elect to conform to the image of Christ.

The woman who was caught in adultery and being brought before Jesus by her accusers was for the purpose of stoning her or putting her to death. However, this experience which was meant for evil turned out to benefit her in the sense that she came to know Jesus’ voice and also realized that she was sinful. This fiery trial that this woman went through was as if she had been resurrected from death to life. So, what our accusers meant for evil, actually ends up for our good.

Joh 8:10  When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee? 
Joh 8:11  She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more. 

We are this woman caught in adultery in the sense that we committed whoredom while in Babylon. We were destined to be put to death by stoning. In this case it is the old man that is being put to death. The stones here represent the word of God, which put to death the old man within us through stoning, and simultaneously bring to birth the new man after the image of Christ.

As we shall see later, this accusation resulted in the three Hebrew men undergoing judgment from the king, resulting finally in being exalted to higher positions. Yes, it is very troubling when we are being accused or undergoing judgment, but our Lord will not tempt us beyond what we can bear. May His name be praised!!

Dan 3:9  They spake and said to the king Nebuchadnezzar, O king, live for ever. 
Dan 3:10  Thou, O king, hast made a decree, that every man that shall hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, shall fall down and worship the golden image: 
Dan 3:11  And whoso falleth not down and worshippeth, that he should be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. 
Dan 3:12  There are certain Jews whom thou hast set over the affairs of the province of Babylon, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego; these men, O king, have not regarded thee: they serve not thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up. 

It is God’s elect, represented here by Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who do not bow down to the beast nor serve other gods (another Jesus).

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

Dan 3:13  Then Nebuchadnezzar in his rage and fury commanded to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Then they brought these men before the king.
Dan 3:14  Nebuchadnezzar spake and said unto them, Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, do not ye serve my gods, nor worship the golden image which I have set up? 

When the devil realizes that we have overthrown him from his hold on us through the daily dying of our old man, resulting in us refusing to worship the beast, the devil comes with great wrath knowing his time regarding his influence on our lives is very limited or short.

Rev 12:7  And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, 
Rev 12:8  And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. 
Rev 12:9  And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. 

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.

Dan 3:15  Now if ye be ready that at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, ye fall down and worship the image which I have made; well: but if ye worship not, ye shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a burning fiery furnace; and who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands?

It is those who are dying daily to the flesh or the old man who are the ones who are cast into a burning fiery furnace to speed up the destruction of the old man.

Isa 48:10  Behold, I have refined thee, but not with silver; I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction. 

When we are under the illusion that we control our will or destiny, then we behave like Nebuchadnezzar thinking that not even God will prevent us from getting what we want since He has given us our will. It is when we enter the house of God that we realize that without Him, we can do nothing and that there is no such thing as having our own will to do whatever we like!! Everything is of God!!

Joh 15:5  I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

Dan 3:16  Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. 
Dan 3:17  If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. 
Dan 3:18  But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up. 

These verses are to let us know that the three Hebrew men did not love their lives even unto death. They were prepared to lose this life to gain it. That is also what happened to Esther. She was prepared to come before the king uninvited and suffer the consequence of losing her life in the process. The word of God says that these things were written for our admonition.

Mat 16:24  Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. 
Mat 16:25  For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.

Est 4:15  Then Esther bade them return Mordecai this answer, 
Est 4:16  Go, gather together all the Jews that are present in Shushan, and fast ye for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day: I also and my maidens will fast likewise; and so will I go in unto the king, which is not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish. 

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. 

Dan 3:19  Then was Nebuchadnezzar full of fury, and the form of his visage was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego: therefore he spake, and commanded that they should heat the furnace one seven times more than it was wont to be heated. 

The furnace being heated seven times is to let us know that we are speaking here of the complete trials we face in this life which destroy the old man in us. This furnace represents our trials and the heat of the fire from the furnace signifies the word of God which is the fire that purifies us seven times.

Psa 12:6  The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.

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. 

Dan 3:20  And he commanded the most mighty men that were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace. 

Being bound before being thrown in the furnace is to let us know that we are all servants of corruption (slaves of sin) and therefore in bondage to our old man. That is why we have to go through the furnace to completely (seven times) set us free from our bondage to sin.

2Pe 2:19  While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage. 

2Ti 2:26  And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will. 

Joh 8:34  Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. 

Dan 3:21  Then these men were bound in their coats, their hosen, and their hats, and their other garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. 

Being bound in their coats and other garments means that we were entrenched in our self-righteousness which is iniquity. Casting their garments into the furnace symbolizes the destruction of our self-righteousness – a negative application of garment.

Gen 35:2  Then Jacob said unto his household, and to all that were with him, Put away the strange gods that are among you, and be clean, and change your garments:

2Ki 25:29  And changed his prison garments: and he did eat bread continually before him all the days of his life.

Eze 33:13  When I shall say to the righteous, that he shall surely live; if he trust to his own righteousness, and commit iniquity, all his righteousnesses shall not be remembered; but for his iniquity that he hath committed, he shall die for it. 

The positive application of garments represents the righteousness of Christ.

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.

Dan 3:22  Therefore because the king’s commandment was urgent, and the furnace exceeding hot, the flame of the fire slew those men that took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.

The flame of fire that slew the men that took the three Hebrew men into the furnace is the word of God. To us, this fire, or the word of God, is light to our path and liberates us from our shackles of sin. On the other hand, this word of God, or flame of fire, becomes darkness to those not given to know Christ in this life.  The flame of fire slaying them means that those who are not elected in this life become spiritually dead.

Exo 14:19  And the angel of God, which went before the camp of Israel, removed and went behind them; and the pillar of the cloud went from before their face, and stood behind them: 
Exo 14:20 And it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel; and it was a cloud and darkness to them, but it gave light by night to these: so that the one came not near the other all the night. 

Dan 3:23  And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. 
Dan 3:24  Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonied, and rose up in haste, and spake, and said unto his counsellors, Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king. 
Dan 3:25  He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God. 

We go into our trials (furnace) bound, but we end up being free from our bondage to sin (signified by the four men loose and walking) by the death of our old man. In other words, we learn righteousness from our fiery trials.

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

The fact that Nebuchadnezzar saw four men loose is to let us know that all of God’s called and chosen of every generation must experience fiery trials. That is what will set them free from all bondage.

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

Nebuchadnezzar said that the fourth man he saw was like the son of God. We know that this son of God is our Lord Jesus Christ who is with us in our tribulation.

Isa 43:1  But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine. 
Isa 43:2  When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. 

His coming to us in our fiery trials is for the purpose of providing a way of escape so that we can bear these trials.

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

Dan 3:26  Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace, and spake, and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, ye servants of the most high God, come forth, and come hither. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, came forth of the midst of the fire. 

In the fullness of time, we shall be called out of the furnace of affliction of this life into glory. The world we live in is like a furnace. To the elect, it is the furnace that destroys our old man and brings us into righteousness. To those who are not given to know Christ in this life, it is a cloud that darkens their understanding of the love of Christ and therefore does not produce righteousness.

Job 14:14  If a man die, shall he live again? all the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come. 
Job 14:15  Thou shalt call, and I will answer thee: thou wilt have a desire to the work of thine hands.  

Dan 3:27  And the princes, governors, and captains, and the king’s counsellors, being gathered together, saw these men, upon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was an hair of their head singed, neither were their coats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them. 

The statement “the fire had no power, nor an hair of their head singed, neither were their coats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them” is just another way of saying that nothing shall separate us from the love of Christ.

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.

The negative application of the fire having no power over them is that the suffering experienced by those who do not know Christ in this life does not result in righteousness. Rather, it darkens their understanding.

Gal 3:3  Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh? 
Gal 3:4  Have ye suffered so many things in vain? if it be yet in vain.

We, the elect, are those who are coming out of the great tribulation first. Later, the whole of humanity will also come out of this tribulation.

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. 
Rev 7:15  Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them.

Dan 3:28  Then Nebuchadnezzar spake, and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his servants that trusted in him, and have changed the king’s word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God. 

We are those who put our trust in the Lord to deliver us from all our afflictions in this life.

Psa 125:1  A Song of Ascents. Those who trust in the LORD are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved, but abides forever. 
Psa 125:2  As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the LORD surrounds his people, from this time forth and forevermore. 

We are also those who change the king’s word. To change the king’s word means we are those who put emphasis on the spiritual implication of the word of God and not the letter or the physical words of the Lord. In other words, we recognize that the word of Christ is spirit.

Joh 6:63  It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. 

To yield our bodies means we offer our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto God. We can offer our bodies as sacrifice because the tribulation we are going through is achieving for us the righteousness of Christ.

Rom 12:1  I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 

Another characteristic of those who have gone through or are going through tribulation unscathed is that they do not serve other gods except our God. This means that we are not in any adulterous relationship with another Jesus. We have come out of Babylon, the place where we serve other gods, to worship our Lord Jesus Christ.

Rev 17:4  And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication: 
Rev 17:5  And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. 

Rev 18:4  And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. 

Dan 3:29  Therefore I make a decree, That every people, nation, and language, which speak anything amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made a dunghill: because there is no other God that can deliver after this sort.

This verse is the same as saying that no weapon formed or fashioned against us shall prosper.

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

Dan 3:30  Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, in the province of Babylon. 

The promotion here is the reward or the joy that is set before us. This joy entails reigning with Christ when the kingdoms of this world become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ.

1Co 10:11  Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come.   

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

Rev 2:26  And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations: 
Rev 2:27  And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father. 

Conclusion

Here in Daniel chapter 3, we are being shown who we are. In other words, the image represents our old man or the beast within us who is worshiped by everyone except those who are marked as God’s elect. Our journey in Babylon is to bring us to this point of knowing who we are. This gives the Lord the occasion to come into our lives to judge us. This judgment is the furnace that the Hebrew men were thrown into.

The lesson we can learn from this chapter is that if we love our life, we will end up losing it, but if we lose our life, we shall gain it. Loving our lives means bowing down to the image created by Nebuchadnezzar or being under the influence of the flesh. If we love our lives, we do not go into any furnace in this life, but if we lose our lives, we are destined to be in the furnace of affliction of this life. The suffering we are all going through now attests of the reality of this furnace of affliction.

Joh 12:25  He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal. 

But that is not the end of the story!! The three Hebrew men came out of the furnace unscathed!! In other words, they ended up being overcomers. We are also predestined to come out of this furnace of life victorious. This present suffering is achieving for us incomparable glory which shall be revealed in the fullness of time!!

Rom 8:18  For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. 

Mat 26:1-2, 21:37-38, Joh 12:22-50

[Study Aired October 5, 2021]

Mat 26:1 And it came to pass, when Jesus had finished all these sayings, he said unto his disciples,
Mat 26:2 Ye know that after two days is the feast of the passover, and the Son of man is betrayed to be crucified.
Luk 21:37 And in the day time he was teaching in the temple; and at night he went out, and abode in the mount that is called the mount of Olives.
Luk 21:38 And all the people came early in the morning to him in the temple, for to hear him.
Joh 12:20 And there were certain Greeks among them that came up to worship at the feast:
Joh 12:21 The same came therefore to Philip, which was of Bethsaida of Galilee, and desired him, saying, Sir, we would see Jesus.
Joh 12:22 Philip cometh and telleth Andrew: and again Andrew and Philip tell Jesus.
Joh 12:23 And Jesus answered them, saying, The hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified.
Joh 12:24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.
Joh 12:25 He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.
Joh 12:26 If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour.
Joh 12:27 Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour.
Joh 12:28 Father, glorify thy name. Then came there a voice from heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.
Joh 12:29 The people therefore, that stood by, and heard it, said that it thundered: others said, An angel spake to him.
Joh 12:30 Jesus answered and said, This voice came not because of me, but for your sakes.
Joh 12:31 Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out.
Joh 12:32 And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.
Joh 12:33 This he said, signifying what death he should die.
Joh 12:34 The people answered him, We have heard out of the law that Christ abideth for ever: and how sayest thou, The Son of man must be lifted up? who is this Son of man?
Joh 12:35 Then Jesus said unto them, Yet a little while is the light with you. Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you: for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth.
Joh 12:36a While ye have light, believe in the light, that ye may be the children of light. 
Joh 12:37 But though he had done so many miracles before them, yet they believed not on him:
Joh 12:38 That the saying of Esaias the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spake, Lord, who hath believed our report? and to whom hath the arm of the Lord been revealed?
Joh 12:39 Therefore they could not believe, because that Esaias said again,
Joh 12:40 He hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart; that they should not see with their eyes, nor understand with their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them.
Joh 12:41 These things said Esaias, when he saw his glory, and spake of him.
Joh 12:42 Nevertheless among the chief rulers also many believed on him; but because of the Pharisees they did not confess him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue:
Joh 12:43 For they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.
Joh 12:44 Jesus cried and said, He that believeth on me, believeth not on me, but on him that sent me.
Joh 12:45 And he that seeth me seeth him that sent me.
Joh 12:46 I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness.
Joh 12:47 And if any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world.
Joh 12:48 He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.
Joh 12:49 For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak.
Joh 12:50 And I know that his commandment is life everlasting: whatsoever I speak therefore, even as the Father said unto me, so I speak.
Joh 12:36b These things spake Jesus, and departed, and did hide himself from them.

In Part 1 of this study we discussed how the carnal man denies Christ and His doctrines. The understanding of the parables is beyond the capabilities of our old man because the spirit of God does not dwell in him. Even with being carnal babes in Christ, it is not possible to understand. In order to gain this understanding, we must not only have knowledge, but we must also do and keep the sayings of Christ. Only the new man can understand the parables of Christ.

Mat 13:10-17 And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables? He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.

Joh 12:16 These things understood not his disciples at the first: but when Jesus was glorified, then remembered they that these things were written of him, and that they had done these things unto him.

Psa 31:23-24 O love the LORD, all ye his saints: for the LORD preserveth the faithful, and plentifully rewardeth the proud doer. Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the LORD.

Joh 14:15-18 If ye love me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.

The disciples thought Christ was there to conquer the world and begin the kingdom of God on earth.

Dan 7:27 And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him.

By dying to the carnal mind we are given the ability to serve Christ and receive honor from the Father, Christ’s God and our God.

We will pick up where we left our last study starting at John 12:35.

Joh 12:35 Then Jesus said unto them, Yet a little while is the light with you. Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you: for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth.
Joh 12:36a While ye have light, believe in the light, that ye may be the children of light.

“Than ye may be the children of light” is the symbol of those given understanding. With the “right light” you can see clearly and have complete understanding.

Psa 119:129-30 PE. Thy testimonies are wonderful: therefore doth my soul keep them. The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple.

There is also a “wrong light”.

2Co 11:12-15 But what I do, that I will go on doing, so that I may give no chance to those who are looking for one; so that, in the cause of their pride, they may be seen to be the same as we are. For such men are false Apostles, workers of deceit, making themselves seem like Apostles of Christ. And it is no wonder; for even Satan himself is able to take the form of an angel of light. So it is no great thing if his servants make themselves seem to be servants of righteousness; whose end will be the reward of their works. (BBE)

Christ tells us that this light, which is understanding of His doctrines, is a great treasure if our eye is single. This means that we only seek the true treasures of Christ, His righteousness.

Mat 6:19-24 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness! No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

Now here is where the people Christ has been sharing the gospel with were in their understanding.

Joh 12:37 But though he had done so many miracles before them, yet they believed not on him:
Joh 12:38 That the saying of Esaias the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spake, Lord, who hath believed our report? and to whom hath the arm of the Lord been revealed?
Joh 12:39 Therefore they could not believe, because that Esaias said again,
Joh 12:40 He hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart; that they should not see with their eyes, nor understand with their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them.
Joh 12:41 These things said Esaias, when he saw his glory, and spake of him.
Joh 12:42 Nevertheless among the chief rulers also many believed on him; but because of the Pharisees they did not confess him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue:
Joh 12:43 For they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.

This is where we all are in our time in Babylon. The churches of the world cannot hear or see the things of the spirit, because Christ has hardened the hearts of the people of Babylon. Even though this is happening to most Christians, there are a few who will continue on into the kingdom of God. This is Christ’s message to those that “come out of her my people”.

Joh 12:44 Jesus cried and said, He that believeth on me, believeth not on me, but on him that sent me.
Joh 12:45 And he that seeth me seeth him that sent me.
Joh 12:46 I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness.
Joh 12:47 And if any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world.
Joh 12:48 He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.
Joh 12:49 For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak.
Joh 12:50 And I know that his commandment is life everlasting: whatsoever I speak therefore, even as the Father said unto me, so I speak.

“If any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not” does not say judgment is not taking place. What “if any man hear my words, and believes” is that man judged?

Psa 119:153-60 RESH. Consider mine affliction, and deliver span style=”font-weight: 400;”>me: for I do not forget thy law. Plead my cause, and deliver me: quicken me according to thy word. Salvation is far from the wicked: for they seek not thy statutes. Great are thy tender mercies, O LORD: quicken me according to thy judgments. Many are my persecutors and mine enemies; yet do I not decline from thy testimonies. I beheld the transgressors, and was grieved; because they kept not thy word. Consider how I love thy precepts: quicken me, O LORD, according to thy lovingkindness. Thy word is true from the beginning: and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth for ever.

1Pe 4:12-19 Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified. But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men’s matters. Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf. 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? And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear? Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator.

Joh 12:36b These things spake Jesus, and departed, and did hide himself from them.

Christ departs and hides himself for now but He will return [in us, once we are drawn to Him!] to suffer the cross [Col 1:24] just as his elect are charged to do.

Mat 16:24-28 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works. Verily I say unto you, there be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom.

I will end our study with these encouraging words from Paul.

Php 2:1-18 If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies, Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. 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. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. Do all things without murmurings and disputings: That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world; Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain. Yea, and if I be offered upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I joy, and rejoice with you all. For the same cause also do ye joy, and rejoice with me.

1Ki 5:6-18 “I see men; I see that they walk as trees”

[Study Aired September 16, 2021]

1Ki 5:6  Now therefore command thou that they hew me cedar trees out of Lebanon; and my servants shall be with thy servants: and unto thee will I give hire for thy servants according to all that thou shalt appoint: for thou knowest that there is not among us any that can skill to hew timber like unto the Sidonians. 
1Ki 5:7  And it came to pass, when Hiram heard the words of Solomon, that he rejoiced greatly, and said, Blessed be the LORD this day, which hath given unto David a wise son over this great people. 
1Ki 5:8  And Hiram sent to Solomon, saying, I have considered the things which thou sentest to me for: and I will do all thy desire concerning timber of cedar, and concerning timber of fir. 
1Ki 5:9  My servants shall bring them down from Lebanon unto the sea: and I will convey them by sea in floats unto the place that thou shalt appoint me, and will cause them to be discharged there, and thou shalt receive them: and thou shalt accomplish my desire, in giving food for my household. 
1Ki 5:10  So Hiram gave Solomon cedar trees and fir trees according to all his desire. 
1Ki 5:11  And Solomon gave Hiram twenty thousand measures of wheat for food to his household, and twenty measures of pure oil: thus gave Solomon to Hiram year by year. 
1Ki 5:12  And the LORD gave Solomon wisdom, as he promised him: and there was peace between Hiram and Solomon; and they two made a league together. 
1Ki 5:13  And king Solomon raised a levy out of all Israel; and the levy was thirty thousand men. 
1Ki 5:14  And he sent them to Lebanon, ten thousand a month by courses: a month they were in Lebanon, and two months at home: and Adoniram was over the levy. 
1Ki 5:15  And Solomon had threescore and ten thousand that bare burdens, and fourscore thousand hewers in the mountains; 
1Ki 5:16  Beside the chief of Solomon’s officers which were over the work, three thousand and three hundred, which ruled over the people that wrought in the work. 
1Ki 5:17  And the king commanded, and they brought great stones, costly stones, and hewed stones, to lay the foundation of the house.
1Ki 5:18  And Solomon’s builders and Hiram’s builders did hew them, and the stonesquarers: so they prepared timber and stones to build the house.

In the eighth chapter of the gospel of Mark (Mar 8:1-10), we see Christ’s interaction with His disciples, which is a type and shadow of how God’s elect will interact with the disciples God will draw to his elect during the thousand year reign (Joh 6:44) to ultimately bring those disciples to see men clearly, as the elect who are represented by Solomon already do at this point (Rev 20:6, 1Jn 4:17).

There are many things to glean from this parable in the book of Mark that parallel what we will look at in Kings (1Ki 5:6-18) tonight, that will help us see how the government of God will utilize the resources of humanity, of which some will be as our disciples, just as Christ who had a time in the earth when he dealt with His unconverted disciples (1Jn 4:17).

In this story in Mark, these not yet converted disciples of Christ are being shown through Him the example of a blind man being healed. This is how all the world will be healed through Christ via the greater works His disciples will do once they have the spirit of God given to them. The words uttered by the recently blind man who was healed by Christ, “I see men as trees, walking”, were words that were uttered for His disciples’ sake and for ours today (1Ti 4:16, 2Co 4:15).

1Ti 4:16  Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.

The next event which transpired with Christ healing this blind man was typical of what will happen to the rest of the world in the great white throne judgment: “After that he put his hands again upon his eyes, and made him look up: and he was restored, and saw every man clearly” (Mar 8:24-25).

We cannot see God’s plan clearly at first, and it will take the feeding of the multitudes with the word of God to begin to shed light on His glorious purpose for all His creation, which is to have all men saved (1Co 15:22). During the thousand-year reign, the elect are like Christ was during His time on earth with His disciples. Without any expectation of bringing men to see clearly with spiritual eyes that see, we will nevertheless set the stage for that conversion in the lake of fire to happen by being given these exercises of rulership during that time with disciples who will be drawn to us for the express purpose of further bringing about the ultimate healing of men’s eyes that will transpire in the great white throne judgement when humanity will be restored, where every man will see clearly. God’s elect are tremendously blessed to experience that restoration in earnest now, awaiting the adoption, the redemption of our new bodies, having been given blessed eyes that see and ears that hear now (1Co 13:12, Rom 8:23, 2Co 5:17, Mat 13:16).

Mat 13:16 But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear.

With these things in mind, let’s read through this section of Mark and then go into the verses of Kings which will further confirm these typical events written for our sakes upon whom the end of the ages are come.

Mar 8:1  In those days the multitude being very great, and having nothing to eat, Jesus called his disciples unto him, and saith unto them,
Mar 8:2  I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now been with me three days, and have nothing to eat:
Mar 8:3  And if I send them away fasting to their own houses, they will faint by the way: for divers of them came from far.
Mar 8:4  And his disciples answered him, From whence can a man satisfy these men with bread here in the wilderness?
Mar 8:5  And he asked them, How many loaves have ye? And they said, Seven.
Mar 8:6  And he commanded the people to sit down on the ground: and he took the seven loaves, and gave thanks, and brake, and gave to his disciples to set before them; and they did set them before the people.
Mar 8:7  And they had a few small fishes: and he blessed, and commanded to set them also before them.
Mar 8:8  So they did eat, and were filled: and they took up of the broken meat that was left seven baskets.
Mar 8:9  And they that had eaten were about four thousand: and he sent them away.
Mar 8:10  And straightway he entered into a ship with his disciples, and came into the parts of Dalmanutha.

We’ve just read of how the Lord’s compassion was demonstrated in feeding the masses who had not physically eaten for three days. That time is significant as it reminds us that during the thousand-year reign (10X10X10=1o00) there is no stay of bread or water, until the third day when his disciples set before the multitude a few small fishes and seven loaves of bread. The fragments of fish after having been eaten produce “of the broken meat that was left seven baskets”, representing a complete feeding of God’s word that has taken place, along with seven loaves that miraculously fed “about four thousand”.

This event of feeding so many foreshadows how all the world, represented by “four thousand” – the whole (4), will be saved by the complete word of God (7), living upon every word that proceeds from the mouth of God which miraculously grows and matures in our heavens, symbolized by the miracle that happened to this physical food.

In our study of 1Kings 5:6-18, Solomon, who typifies the elect, will have many participate in the physical building of the temple and be made to witness to how “From whence can a man satisfy these men with bread here in the wilderness?” Such satisfaction in life comes from knowing God and His Son Jesus Christ, through the knowledge of God that is manifested through the church, the temple that we are, and that temple which Solomon built unto the Lord was typical of John 17:3 and Ephesians 3:10).

The world will see and participate in many wonderful works during the thousand years, of which works none will convert anyone but will be used to bring the whole world into remembrance of what those physical events reveal spiritually for those who have been given eyes to see and ears to hear. Christ’s rhetorical question will be our rhetorical question to all of humanity in the second resurrection: “Having eyes, see ye not? and having ears, hear ye not? and do ye not remember? When I brake the five loaves among five thousand, how many baskets full of fragments took ye up? They say unto him, Twelve. And when the seven among four thousand, how many baskets full of fragments took ye up? And they said, Seven.” (Mar 8:18-20).

Note that there are “five loaves among five thousand” and “the seven among four thousand“. That’s twelve loaves that were given to lay a foundation of truth that will produce all the fragments of humanity who will come up in the second resurrection to finally receive the spiritual nourishment these events of feeding typified. The “five loaves among five thousand” is a witness that typifies the grace by faith process that all humanity must be saved by (Eph 2:8).

The total amount of people who were fed is about 9000, and that is significant because there is only one way into the holy of holies, and that is to give an accounting through the body of Christ, the church, whose accounting or judgment is unfolding now (Col 1:24, 1Pe 4:17). The four thousand and the five thousand represent all the world which must be dragged to Christ’s pillars in order to come to worship God in spirit and in truth (Joh 4:23). Five is grace and faith, and four is the whole of humanity. Together they add up to nine; judgment that commences with the body of Christ, who are judged so they can become those nine pillars in God’s temple, five at the entrance (the door to the tabernacle) and four at the back (at the veil between the holy place and the holy of holies [1Pe 4:17, Rev 3:12]).

Excerpt from Study of Revelation 3:7-13, Part 2

“Here are the pillars we are discussing:

Exo 26:32 And thou shalt hang it upon four pillars of shittim wood overlaid with gold: their hooks shall be of gold, upon the four sockets of silver.

Exo 26:37 And thou shalt make for the hanging five pillars of shittim wood, and overlay them with gold, and their hooks shall be of gold: and thou shalt cast five sockets of brass for them.

The four pillars of verse 32, are the pillars which hold the veil between the holy place and the holy of holies. The five pillars of verse 37 are the pillars at the door of the tabernacle. It is through these pillars we must all go as we seek to come to God. There is no other way to get into the presence of God but through these pillars. “ **** [end quote – emphasis mine].

1Ki 5:6  Now therefore command thou that they hew me cedar trees out of Lebanon; and my servants shall be with thy servants: and unto thee will I give hire for thy servants according to all that thou shalt appoint: for thou knowest that there is not among us any that can skill to hew timber like unto the Sidonians.

In order to have that purpose in our heart to want to “build an house unto the name of the LORD my God” today, we must be given “rest on every side” within (1Ki 5:4); the rest Mike talked about in Sunday’s study this week.

[Jer 17:14-27 Bear no Burden on the Sabbath Day]

God’s elect are the first to obtain that rest which comes by overcoming the nations within us, through a lifetime of warring against powers and principalities that Christ tells us he is far higher than (Eph 1:21) and that we will overcome through God’s spirit. That overcoming process is only being typified for those people during Solomon’s reign, as it will be only typified by those under the rule and reign of God’s elect whose kingdoms are subject unto us (Rev 11:15) at least physically, and who will also be told, “Now therefore command thou that they hew me cedar trees out of Lebanon.” This is not literally of course, but more importantly to hew down the big cedars which are not fruit-bearing trees that represent the whitened [“Lebanon”] walls within us of our former subjection to the whitened sepulchres of which we were part in Babylon and that by the grace of God found ourselves coming out of first (Mat 23:27, Rev 18:4).

Eph 1:21  Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: 

Solomon represents the elect who have overcome and been resurrected to be found in that blessed and holy first resurrection and are now ruling and reigning under Christ for a symbolic thousand years (Rev 20:6). His command, “hew me cedar trees out of Lebanon; and my servants shall be with thy servants“, is prophesied in Ezekiel 34:14-15. “My servants” is in reference to the elect who are Christ’s servants and “shall be with thy servants” meaning the other fold of which Christ spoke in John 10:16 who would be dragged to Christ to “feed upon the mountains of Israel“, meaning the Israel of God who we are in Christ (Gal 6:16). 

Feeding on the word of God does not mean conversion is necessarily going to happen, however the disciples indeed (Joh 8:31) are granted to continue in the truth and the rest of humanity like those in the thousand-year reign, typified by Solomon’s reign, will have “tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, and have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come” but will not be able to continue in them (Heb 6:4-5, Joh 8:31-32, Heb 6:3).

Rev 20:6  Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years. 

Eze 34:14  I will feed them in a good pasture, and upon the high mountains of Israel shall their fold be: there shall they lie in a good fold, and in a fat pasture shall they feed upon the mountains of Israel. 
Eze 34:15  I will feed my flock, and I will cause them to lie down, saith the Lord GOD.

Joh 10:16  And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.

God’s elect will be as fishers of men whose catch will be orchestrated by God, who knows the hearts of men and gives gifts that will be used to build the temple of Solomon, just as the Lord provided artisans for Moses in his day (Exo 31:1-13). This statement typifies for us the relationship that grows between those who are being dragged to Christ during the thousand-year reign in order to appoint workers to do what God has determined from the foundation of the world “and unto thee will I give hire for thy servants according to all that thou shalt appoint: for thou knowest that there is not among us any that can skill to hew timber like unto the Sidonians^H6722“. Sidonians means “hunters”, and God uses the temple, which we are, to seek out or hunt those whom He will drag to that temple (us – Joh 4:23, 1Co 3:16).

1Ki 5:7  And it came to pass, when Hiram heard the words of Solomon, that he rejoiced greatly, and said, Blessed be the LORD this day, which hath given unto David a wise son over this great people. 
1Ki 5:8  And Hiram sent to Solomon, saying, I have considered the things which thou sentest to me for: and I will do all thy desire concerning timber of cedar, and concerning timber of fir. 
1Ki 5:9  My servants shall bring them down from Lebanon unto the sea: and I will convey them by sea in floats unto the place that thou shalt appoint me, and will cause them to be discharged there, and thou shalt receive them: and thou shalt accomplish my desire, in giving food for my household. 

When we recognize the day of the Lord is at hand in our own lives, we are doing what Hiram was doing in type and shadow who, like ourselves, should greatly rejoice to know that we are blessed this day to have our names written in heaven (Luk 10:20) to be called his sons (1Jn 3:1), typified by Solomon who was the son of David. Hiram’s joy however is more akin to receiving the word anon with joy, and it was sweet in his mouth to know that Solomon, who typifies the elect during the thousand-year reign, would be “giving food for my household” just as Joseph did for his household when he first revealed to his brothers who he was (Gen 50:21).

Luk 10:20  Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.

Gen 50:21  Now therefore fear ye not: I will nourish you, and your little ones. And he comforted them, and spake kindly unto them. 

Hiram counted the cost of the great endeavour of building Solomon’s temple, and he is a type of the positive use of the word “noble” in this instance (Hiram means  “noble”) as he was confident that what Solomon had started was going to be completed (Php 1:6). So he opened up his resources to this worthy endeavour accomplished through flesh, expressed in this regard: “My servants shall bring them down from Lebanon unto the sea“, that typifies the work God will do through the body of Christ while working working with the “sea” of humanity during the thousand-year reign, with this statement: “I have considered the things which thou sentest to me for: and I will do all thy desire concerning timber of cedar, and concerning timber of fir.

Solomon’s recognition of Hiram reminds us that God’s elect, at the direction of Christ, will understand the need to take great men, who are as trees, to be cut down and integrated into the building of the temple. None of these trees are fruit-bearing, but they do symbolize the great men, the noble men of this earth who will be humbled and hewed down and dragged to Christ for His purpose, which is to establish His kingdom on this earth so men can learn righteousness through judgment (Isa 26:9). The learning is always in stages, and so it is that trees begin the process to house a relationship with Christ. Nevertheless, only when the spirit is sent can we become fruit-bearing trees worshiping God in spirit and in truth (Act 2:1-4).

What Hiram says he will do with these trees is, “My servants shall bring them down from Lebanon unto the sea: and I will convey them by sea in floats unto the place that thou shalt appoint me, and will cause them to be discharged there, and thou shalt receive them: and thou shalt accomplish my desire, in giving food for my household.” This is the work that will produce “food for my household” as it typifies Hiram’s laboring in the word; and like the stones which were taken from the Jordan and brought up to Jerusalem, we’re given another parallel of that taking of resources of the earth and directing them exactly as God would have them be directed (Eph 1:11) so that “thou shalt accomplish my desire, in giving food for my household.“

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: 

These words of Hiram demonstrate what it means for God’s elect to rule with a rod of iron, as God’s purpose for mankind cannot be thwarted. He will use every part of humanity to accomplish what He has set out to do, which is to save all of the world, typified by Solomon’s desire to build this place of worship that would require God’s hand inspiring and leading the entire process to His glory and honour (1Jn 2:2, 1Ch 29:14).

1Ch 29:14  But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able to offer so willingly after this sort? for all things come of thee, and of thine own have we given thee. 

1Ki 5:10  So Hiram gave Solomon cedar trees and fir trees according to all his desire. 
1Ki 5:11  And Solomon gave Hiram twenty thousand measures of wheat for food to his household, and twenty measures of pure oil: thus gave Solomon to Hiram year by year. 
1Ki 5:12  And the LORD gave Solomon wisdom, as he promised him: and there was peace between Hiram and Solomon; and they two made a league together. 

Solomon’s wisdom continued to be manifested in his wise dealings with Hiram as the Lord had promised would occur for Solomon: “And the LORD gave Solomon wisdom, as he promised him“. His interactions with Hiram are akin to this verse in Luke 6:38 where we are told “Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, [Solomon gave Hiram twenty thousand measures of wheat for food to his household, and twenty measures of pure oil] shall men give into your bosom [Hiram gave Solomon cedar trees and fir trees according to all his desire]. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.”

During the reign of the saints (Rev 20:6), this principle will unfold of good measure being pressed down and shaken together, as God’s elect will provide the spiritual equivalent of “twenty thousand measures of wheat for food to his household and twenty measures of pure oil” which witnesses to the truth that we will feed this world the word of God, but it will be received in yet carnal hearts (witness 2 x flesh 10 = 20).

Because our ways will be pleasing to our Father who has made us more than conquerors through Jesus Christ in this now glorified state, there will be peace on earth between God’s elect and those with whom we are working, typified by this statement: “there was peace between Hiram and Solomon; and they two made a league together” (Pro 16:7, Mat 3:17).

Pro 16:7  When a man’s ways please the LORD, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him.

Mat 3:17  And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

That alliance between Solomon and Hiram is caused by God, so this working relationship can continue to unfold where “Hiram gave Solomon cedar trees and fir trees according to all his desire” like the Israelites spoiling the Egyptians (Exo 12:36). Solomon “year by year” continued to faithfully provide for Hiram’s household “twenty thousand measures of wheat” and “twenty measures of pure oil” just as God’s elect will, ‘year after year’, unfailingly not shun to declare the whole counsel of God, represented by the “measures of wheat” and the “pure oil” (Act 20:27). No one will be able to say they were not given a witness during this time, but that witness will not change the heart of mankind, and this mutually beneficial relationship Solomon has with Hiram will be for the express purpose of having Hiram and his household, who represent the world, to have opportunity to eat their fill of God’s word and to be prospered in their earthly experience, still not being able to trust God however, without conversion (Joh 6:26, Eph 1:12).

1Ki 5:13  And king Solomon raised a levy out of all Israel; and the levy was thirty thousand men.
1Ki 5:14  And he sent them to Lebanon, ten thousand a month by courses: a month they were in Lebanon, and two months at home: and Adoniram was over the levy.

This levy or work force being raised by Solomon “out of all Israel” was made up of  “thirty thousand men” telling us that a process of judgment is being talked about in this section of scripture which these men, symbolizing all the world, must experience in order to be able to worship God in spirit and in truth one day (Joh 4:23).

Solomon, who is a type of the elect, “sent them to Lebanon, ten thousand a month by courses: a month they were in Lebanon“. The ten thousand reminds us that we are dealing with carnal Christians who spend the first of three months in “Lebanon – white“, which is the whitened sepulchres stage of our walk when we wash the outside of the tomb but inside are full of dead men’s bones. (Mat 23:27).

Mat 23:27  Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness.

After that experience of “a month they were in Lebanon” these men, just as we did in our appointed time, will also spend “two months at home: and Adoniram was over the levy“. “Adoniram“,  the overseer, whose name means “my lord is exalted”, typifies Christ who is exalted throughout the entire process of judgment He oversees in our lives, as Adoniram oversaw the work force, telling us that we must decrease and Christ must increase  through that (3 months) process (Joh 3:30, Psa 57:5) toward spiritual maturity.

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

Psa 57:5  Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens; let thy glory be above all the earth.

1Ki 5:15  And Solomon had threescore and ten thousand that bare burdens, and fourscore thousand hewers in the mountains; 
1Ki 5:16  Beside the chief of Solomon’s officers which were over the work, three thousand and three hundred, which ruled over the people that wrought in the work. 

These men whom Solomon used to bear burdens and hew in the mountains, typify how the Lord will use the elect to motivate the world, first in the physical realm with yet unconverted hearts “ten thousand that bare burdens“. We will teach mankind to love your neighbour as yourself and bear each other’s burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ, knowing in advance that this love, which is obedience to God’s commands, was already prophesied to wax cold in time. The many who are called and not permitted to endure until the end demonstrate to all flesh that only Christ can gain this victory over the beast which we are (“make me as one of thy hired servants”  Mat 24:12, Gal 6:2, Rev 2:5, Rev 13:4).

Mat 24:12  And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.  [1Sa 3:2 And it came to pass at that time, when Eli was laid down in his place, and his eyes began to wax dim, that he could not see.]

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

Rev 2:5  Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.

The 80,000 hewers in the mountains represent those who will labor in the word, in the mountain from whence our help does come during the reign of the saints (Psa 121:1, Rev 20:6). In time, all men will be saved through the gospel message which “is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth” (Rom 1:16), but like these labours during Solomon’s kingdom, and during that time we reign with Christ, man’s heart will not be converted. Just like the parable of the two women grinding at the mill, while both labour, only one remains, and that is by God’s design as many are called but few are chosen (Mat 24:41, Mat 24:13).

Mat 24:41  Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.

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

So “Solomon had threescore and ten thousand that bare burdens, and fourscore thousand hewers in the mountains” and “Beside the chief of Solomon’s officers which were over the work, three thousand and three hundred, which ruled over the people that wrought in the work” showing us that there is order in how the elect will rule under Christ as kings and priests (Oba 1:21). The number 3,300 reminds us that a process of judgment is unfolding via God’s elect, and when God’s judgments are in the “earth, earth, earth”, men will learn of the righteousness of Christ. In God’s perfect time, faith that comes from hearing the word of God (Rom 10:17) will be tried in the lake of fire where all men’s hearts will be purified (Isa 26:9, Jer 22:29, Luk 13:32).

Luk 13:32  And he said unto them, Go ye, and tell that fox, Behold, I cast out devils, and I do cures to day and to morrow, and the third day I shall be perfected. [Weak carnal human flesh without God’s spirit worships the infant child Christ who can’t rule and we spit on the mature Lord who goes onto perfection on the third day and has been made ready to rule through his lifetime of suffering (Mat 26:67)]

1Ki 5:17  And the king commanded, and they brought great stones, costly stones, and hewed stones, to lay the foundation of the house. 
1Ki 5:18  And Solomon’s builders and Hiram’s builders did hew them, and the stonesquarers: so they prepared timber and stones to build the house. 

If the king commands something be built, it is going to get built, and this building of Solomon’s temple “the king commanded” typifies the promise that Christ would go and prepare a place for us “and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also” (Joh 14:1-4, Heb 12:6, Joh 14:20).

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. [Rev 19:7]
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. [Joh 14:20]
Joh 14:4  And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know.

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

It is a costly venture to follow Christ (Luk 14:28), and those who are granted to do so will be instrumental in laying “the foundation of the house” with “great stones, costly stones, and hewed stones“, actions that are typified by Solomon’s temple being built, just as Christ will work with the bride, typified by Solomon who will work with the noblemen [Hiram “noble“] of this world represented by “great stones, costly stones, and hewed stones“; stones that are all symbolically baptized in the Jordan, a water baptism that will conclude in fiery baptism that will take place in the great white throne judgment.

There will be a co-operative relationship that God’s elect will have with the world during this period (Rev 20:6), and everything that unfolds will absolutely unfold according to the counsel of His will (Eph 1:11), which is what this verse reminds us: “And Solomon’s builders and Hiram’s builders did hew them, and the stonesquarers: so they prepared timber and stones to build the house.“

We can only see men clearly as trees (“I see men; I see that they walk as trees”) when we are connected to the tree of life, Jesus Christ (Joh 15:5) who gives us eyes to see and ears to hear how God’s elect will work in conjunction with the world to build the house of God, typified by this statement: “And Solomon’s builders and Hiram’s builders did hew them, and the stonesquarers: so they prepared timber and stones to build the house.”

In every great house, as in this house that typifies the workmanship of God which we are, “there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour” (2Ti 2:20), reminding us of the severity and goodness of God and how so many are sacrificed for God’s elect in our life in order that we may become the bride of Christ who has been made ready: ready to be in the first resurrection, and ready to do the work set before us through the thousand-year reign with Christ, and ready to judge the world in the great white throne judgment (1Co 6:3).

The bride of Revelation 19:7 being made ready tells us that we are being judged now and that the spiritual temple we are is being prepared in this life via the Lord having cut down the idols in our hearts using all the resources of this life to accomplish His workmanship in us, as we will do with the rest of humanity (Psa 17:13, Eph 2:10).

Psa 17:13  Arise, O LORD, disappoint him, cast him down: deliver my soul from the wicked, which is thy sword: 

Eph 2:10  For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

The end result of this experience of evil is that we will see men clearly for the beasts we all are, and we in like manner will receive the world as we were received of God, extending the same mercy toward the rest of mankind as has been done for us (Rom 11:30-33). Joseph’s story best describes this, and he did not take credit for what God had accomplished in his life or for what God had accomplished in the lives of his brothers. Rather, he was filled with mercy and love for his brothers, who were received by Joseph as we are being received of God today (Gen 50:19-21).

Rom 11:30  For as ye in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief: 
Rom 11:31  Even so have these also now not believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy.
Rom 11:32  For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all.
Rom 11:33  O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! 

Gen 50:19  And Joseph said unto them, Fear not: for am I in the place of God?
Gen 50:20  But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive. 
Gen 50:21  Now therefore fear ye not: I will nourish you, and your little ones. And he comforted them, and spake kindly unto them. 

Jer 7:18-34 Truth Is Perished

[Study Aired April 25, 2021]

Jer 7:18  The children gather wood, and the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead their dough, to make cakes to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto other gods, that they may provoke me to anger.
Jer 7:19  Do they provoke me to anger? saith the LORD: do they not provoke themselves to the confusion of their own faces?
Jer 7:20  Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, mine anger and my fury shall be poured out upon this place, upon man, and upon beast, and upon the trees of the field, and upon the fruit of the ground; and it shall burn, and shall not be quenched.
Jer 7:21  Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Put your burnt offerings unto your sacrifices, and eat flesh.
Jer 7:22  For I spake not unto your fathers, nor commanded them in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning burnt offerings or sacrifices:
Jer 7:23  But this thing commanded I them, saying, Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be my people: and walk ye in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well unto you.
Jer 7:24  But they hearkened not, nor inclined their ear, but walked in the counsels and in the imagination of their evil heart, and went backward, and not forward.
Jer 7:25  Since the day that your fathers came forth out of the land of Egypt unto this day I have even sent unto you all my servants the prophets, daily rising up early and sending them:
Jer 7:26  Yet they hearkened not unto me, nor inclined their ear, but hardened their neck: they did worse than their fathers.
Jer 7:27  Therefore thou shalt speak all these words unto them; but they will not hearken to thee: thou shalt also call unto them; but they will not answer thee.
Jer 7:28  But thou shalt say unto them, This is a nation that obeyeth not the voice of the LORD their God, nor receiveth correction: truth is perished, and is cut off from their mouth.
Jer 7:29  Cut off thine hair, O Jerusalem, and cast it away, and take up a lamentation on high places; for the LORD hath rejected and forsaken the generation of his wrath.
Jer 7:30  For the children of Judah have done evil in my sight, saith the LORD: they have set their abominations in the house which is called by my name, to pollute it.
Jer 7:31  And they have built the high places of Tophet, which is in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to burn their sons and their daughters in the fire; which I commanded them not, neither came it into my heart.
Jer 7:32  Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that it shall no more be called Tophet, nor the valley of the son of Hinnom, but the valley of slaughter: for they shall bury in Tophet, till there be no place.
Jer 7:33  And the carcases of this people shall be meat for the fowls of the heaven, and for the beasts of the earth; and none shall fray them away.
Jer 7:34  Then will I cause to cease from the cities of Judah, and from the streets of Jerusalem, the voice of mirth, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride: for the land shall be desolate.

Many so-called ‘Christian’ churches are now in favor of same sex marriages, abortions, and trans-sexual operations or simply accepting you as a sex which you are not. It was officially announced that a transexual is running as a Republican for governor of California, the most populous state in the United States.

Truly “the truth is perished”, and Christ and His doctrines are now illegal in the entire world.

Old Testament ‘idols’ typify New Testament false doctrines and “idols of the heart” (Eze 14:1-9). It is these ‘idols of the heart’ which have brought this world to be as it is in total rebellion against its own Creator. As we read in our last study, when we have a false doctrine which we cling to at the expense of believing the Truth, we believe that lie only because “I the Lord have deceived that prophet” (Eze 14:9). That is the situation with which we begin our study today:

Jer 7:18  The children gather wood, and the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead their dough, to make cakes to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto other gods, that they may provoke me to anger.

This is what the vast majority of Christians do every year when they observe pagan holidays and attempt to ‘Christianize’ those pagan traditions, such as Christmas, Easter, and Halloween. No one denies that these holidays are of pagan origin, but they all claim they are keeping them in honor of the Lord’s birth, His death and resurrection or in honor of ‘All saint’s evening’, to which mindset the Lord answers:

Deu 12:29  When the LORD thy God shall cut off the nations from before thee, whither thou goest to possess them, and thou succeedest them, and dwellest in their land;
Deu 12:30  Take heed to thyself that thou be not snared by following them, after that they be destroyed from before thee; and that thou enquire not after their gods, saying, How did these nations serve their gods? even so will I do likewise.
Deu 12:31  Thou shalt not do so unto the LORD thy God: for every abomination to the LORD, which he hateth, have they done unto their gods; for even their sons and their daughters they have burnt in the fire to their gods.
Deu 12:32  What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it.

“You shall not do so unto the Lord your God” is telling us plainly, “Don’t keep pagan days and then tell me you are  doing it to Me. Don’t do that!”

Truly “This is a nation that obeyeth not the voice of the LORD their God, nor receiveth correction: truth is perished, and is cut off from their mouth.”

Jer 7:19  Do they provoke me to anger? saith the LORD: do they not provoke themselves to the confusion of their own faces?

“Do they not provoke themselves to the confusion of their own faces?” Just look around you and you will see that the government of the United States is so confused that it cannot state for certain that a boy is a boy and a girl is a girl. It doesn’t know that life begins at the beginning of life, and it certainly is not “one nation under God”, whose words are not to be tolerated in the halls of government.

This “experience of evil [and] confusion” is common to all men before we are “once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and [are] made partakers of the Holy Ghost, and have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come” (Heb 6:4-5). Our rejection of our Creator gives Him the “occasion [He is] seeking” against our rebellious flesh, which at the appointed time is given dominion over us:

Jdg 14:4  But his father and his mother knew not that it was of the LORD, that he sought an occasion against the Philistines: for at that time the Philistines had dominion over Israel.

The Lord gives us an experience of evil for the specific purpose of humbling us:

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

We are humbled when the Lord judges us:

Jer 7:20  Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, mine anger and my fury shall be poured out upon this place, upon man, and upon beast, and upon the trees of the field, and upon the fruit of the ground; and it shall burn, and shall not be quenched.
Jer 7:21  Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Put your burnt offerings unto your sacrifices, and eat flesh.
Jer 7:22  For I spake not unto your fathers, nor commanded them in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning burnt offerings or sacrifices:
Jer 7:23  But this thing commanded I them, saying, Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be my people: and walk ye in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well unto you.
Jer 7:24  But they hearkened not, nor inclined their ear, but walked in the counsels and in the imagination of their evil heart, and went backward, and not forward.

The fact that we all at first “listen not, nor incline our ear but walk in the counsels and imagination of [our own] evil heart” gives our Lord the occasion He is seeking to pour out on each of us the “fury [of His] great wrath”:

Jer 21:5  And I myself will fight against you with an outstretched hand and with a strong arm, even in anger, and in fury, and in great wrath.

Jer 7:25  Since the day that your fathers came forth out of the land of Egypt unto this day I have even sent unto you all my servants the prophets, daily rising up early and sending them:
Jer 7:26  Yet they hearkened not unto me, nor inclined their ear, but hardened their neck: they did worse than their fathers.

Every generation gets worse and worse:

2Ti 3:12  Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.
2Ti 3:13  But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.

This self-willed, self-righteous rebellion against the Lord’s words is the lament of all the prophets, including the prophet Hosea:

Hos 11:1  When Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt.
Hos 11:2  As they called them, so they went from them: they sacrificed unto Baalim, and burned incense to graven images.
Hos 11:3  I taught Ephraim also to go, taking them by their arms; but they knew not that I healed them.
Hos 11:4  I drew them with cords of a man, with bands of love: and I was to them as they that take off the yoke on their jaws, and I laid meat unto them.
Hos 11:5. He shall not return into the land of Egypt, but the Assyrian shall be his king, because they refused to return.
Hos 11:6  And the sword shall abide on his cities, and shall consume his branches, and devour them, because of their own counsels.
Hos 11:7  And my people are bent to backsliding from me: though they called them to the most High, none at all would exalt him.

“When Israel was a child” sets the tone for the words of this prophecy. It reminds us that as babies we aren’t even aware of what our parents do for our health and wellbeing… “but they knew not that I healed them”. Nevertheless, the Lord has ordained that once we have a relationship with Him we will never return to our ignorance of Him. The next step in our “experience of evil” (Ecc 1:13) is to continue to turn our backs on our Deliverer until we are carried away into Babylonian captivity… “He shall not return into the land of Egypt, but the Assyrian shall be his king, because they refused to return.”

These words apply to all men, but it is important that we notice the timing of these stiff-necked rebellions against our Lord. This is how we all act when we are first dragged out of Egypt. This is also how we act before and during our time as servants of “the Assyrian”, meaning our time in Babylon. These prophecies begin to be fulfilled in our lives while we are still saying:

Num 14:3  And wherefore hath the LORD brought us unto this land, to fall by the sword, that our wives and our children should be a prey? were it not better for us to return into Egypt?
Num 14:4  And they said one to another, Let us make a captain and let us return into Egypt.

Eventually the Lord drags us, as His children, past wanting to return to Egypt, and He even gives us the strength to overcome many of the giants that possess our land. Then the Lord has ordained that even if He destroys one hundred and eighty five thousand in the camp of the Assryians, we self-righteously take the glory to ourselves and do not give it to the Lord.

2Ch 32:22  Thus the LORD saved Hezekiah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem from the hand of Sennacherib the king of Assyria, and from the hand of all other, and guided them on every side.
2Ch 32:23  And many brought gifts unto the LORD to Jerusalem, and presents to Hezekiah king of Judah: so that he was magnified in the sight of all nations from thenceforth.
2Ch 32:25  But Hezekiah rendered not again according to the benefit done unto him; for his heart was lifted up: therefore there was wrath upon him, and upon Judah and Jerusalem.

The Lord works with every man only through “fiery trials” (1Pe 4:12). The initial moving of the spirit within our lives comes to us in the form of some trial in our lives. We simply are not made to seek the Lord when times are good. We grow spiritually, even at the very beginning of the work of the Lord in our lives, only through some type of trial which will trouble our spirit. It may be a business deal that has scammed us out of our hard-earned wages. It can be physical sickness and ailments of many sorts, or it can be a friendly or a romantic relationship which has let us down, and we feel rejected by the whole world. These trials are what the scriptures refer to as ‘Egyptian taskmasters’, and at the appointed time the Lord comes into our lives and gives us a mental glimpse of a much better land and the hope of a much better future in that land. However, even as the Lord is dragging us out of Egypt, we find ourselves wanting to return to Egypt. If we love the Lord and are “the called according to His purpose”, then we, as symbolized by Caleb and Joshua, are given to enter into His kingdom where our judgment begins:

1Pe 4:12  Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:
1Pe 4:13  But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.
1Pe 4:14  If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified.
1Pe 4:15  But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men’s matters.
1Pe 4:16  Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.
1Pe 4:17  For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?
1Pe 4:18  And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?
1Pe 4:19  Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator.

Notice our instructions. We are told to “rejoice” while we are enduring “fiery trials”, and we are told to “glorify God on this behalf… that judgment must begin at the house of God…”

Peter poses the rhetorical question, “Where shall the ungodly and sinner appear… if the righteous scarcely be saved?” Jeremiah answers Peter’s question:

Jer 7:27  Therefore thou shalt speak all these words unto them; but they will not hearken to thee: thou shalt also call unto them; but they will not answer thee.
Jer 7:28  But thou shalt say unto them, This is a nation that obeyeth not the voice of the LORD their God, nor receiveth correction: truth is perished, and is cut off from their mouth.
Jer 7:29  Cut off thine hair, O Jerusalem, and cast it away, and take up a lamentation on high places; for the LORD hath rejected and forsaken the generation of his wrath.
Jer 7:30  For the children of Judah have done evil in my sight, saith the LORD: they have set their abominations in the house which is called by my name, to pollute it.
Jer 7:31  And they have built the high places of Tophet, which is in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to burn their sons and their daughters in the fire; which I commanded them not, neither came it into my heart.

When we teach our children to disobey the Lord, we are burning them in the fire of the Lord’s words. When we teach our children to observe days, months, times and years, we are burning them to the false idols of our hearts.

The fires of Tophet which devour the children of the Lord’s children are the converse side of the fire of the Lord which burns out all the wood, hay and stubble in the lives of those who are groaning and travailing in pain together until now, suffering with our brothers who are in the world.

1Pe 5:8  Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
1Pe 5:9  Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.

Peter’s words here agree with the words of the apostle Paul in:

Rom 8:22  For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.
Rom 8:23  And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.
Rom 8:24  For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?
Rom 8:25  But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.

The difference between the suffering of “the whole creation” and “ourselves who have the firstfruits of the spirit” is that we have been granted to repent of burning our children in the fires of Tophet, whereas ‘[our] brothers that are in the world’ are not yet given that repentance. Satan is given to devour our brothers who are in the world (1Pe 5:9), but he is not allowed to devour us simply because Christ is interceding for us. Judas was told, “That which you doest, do quickly”, but knowing that Peter would deny him that very night, this is what the Lord told Peter:

Luk 22:31  And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat:
Luk 22:32  But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.
Luk 22:33  And he said unto him, Lord, I am ready to go with thee, both into prison, and to death.
Luk 22:34  And he said, I tell thee, Peter, the cock shall not crow this day, before that thou shalt thrice deny that thou knowest me.

We obviously have something “[our] brothers… in the world” just do not have:

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

We know this is true because Christ Himself said:

Joh 17:9  I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine.

Our brothers in the world suffer with us, and we suffer with them. The only difference is that our suffering in this present time is working judgment within us, which “judgment must begin at the house of God”, whereas their suffering in this present time is upon the “rejected and forsaken generation of His wrath”.

Jer 7:29  Cut off thine hair, O Jerusalem, and cast it away, and take up a lamentation on high places; for the LORD hath rejected and forsaken the generation of his wrath.

As Revelation 15 states, no man enters the heavenly temple until the seven vials of the Lord’s wrath have been fulfilled in that man’s life:

Rev 15:7  And one of the four beasts gave unto the seven angels seven golden vials full of the wrath of God, who liveth for ever and ever.
Rev 15:8  And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from his power; and no man was able to enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled.

All men will experience the Lord’s wrath against their iniquities and transgressions just as Christ experienced the Lord’s wrath against His flesh and blood which could not inherit the kingdom of God. However, it is a blessed and holy few who will experience His wrath now and enter through judgment into His temple now rather than being judged later at the great white throne judgment:

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

All the Lord requires of us is to acknowledge our iniquity, our self-righteousness, and our transgressions against Him. We should all be as the apostles and be wanting to ascertain that the Lord has prayed for us that our faith never fails us. The fact is that though Judas was only one out of twelve, he typifies “the son of perdition” in all men of all time. What a blessing it is to be granted to suffer with Christ in this present time while the whole world is groaning and travailing in pain, rather than having to groan and travail in pain again in the great white throne judgment/lake of fire/second death.

Christ Himself experienced the rejection of His flesh by His Father, “In a little wrath”:

Isa 54:7  For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee.
Isa 54:8  In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the LORD thy Redeemer.

There are those who claim these words are not speaking of Christ. Take that up with our Lord whose flesh cried out:

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

What these excruciatingly sorrowful words tell those who are given eyes that see and ears that hear the things of the spirit is that not even the flesh of the Son of God “who knew no sin” could inherit the kingdom of God.

2Co 5:21  Him who knew no sin he made to be sin on our behalf; that we might become the righteousness of God in him.

Christ was not “made to be sin” by being nailed to the cross, rather He was “made to be sin” by being “made of a woman, made under the law”:

Gal 4:3  Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements [Greek: G4747, stoicheion, the “carnal commandments” of Moses] of the world:
Gal 4:4  But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law [Greek: under, “stoicheion”],
Gal 4:5  To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.
Gal 4:6  And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.
Gal 4:7  Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.
Gal 4:8  Howbeit then, when ye knew not God, ye did service unto them which by nature are no gods.
Gal 4:9  But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements [Greek: G4747, stoicheion], whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage? [“Jerusalem which now is and is in bondage…” (vs 25)]

This revelation that flesh is itself sin, yes, even the flesh of Christ, is not peculiar to the New Testament. King David said this of his mother of whom we have no bad report at all:

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

1Co 15:50  Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.

For this very reason… for the fact that all flesh equates with corruption, we are now told this of Christ and of our fellow man:

2Co 5:16  Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more.
2Co 5:17  Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

What do we do first? Most Christians know Christ only in the flesh. They are even taught to know Him as a babe in a manger, a twelve-year-old in the temple speaking with the Pharisees and lawyers, as a teacher and healer who fed the multitudes and performed physical miracles, and they still see Him only as the physical, fleshly sacrifice for our sins by being nailed to the cross.

All of this is just as essential as the milk doctrines of Christ, and all of this is just as elementary as those milk doctrines which, if we do not go beyond them, will spiritually starve us to death just as surely as an adult would be malnourished if he remained on a diet of only milk:

Heb 5:12  For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.
Heb 5:13  For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.
Heb 5:14  But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

There are no chapter breaks in the Greek manuscripts, and the very next words are:

Heb 6:1  Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, [the basic fact that Moses did indeed foresee Christ and that “the law is our schoolmaster to lead us to Christ” (Gal 3:24)] let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God,
Heb 6:2  Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.
Heb 6:3  And this will we do, if God permit.

Remember these words are all being spoken to those who “ought to be teachers, [but] have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.” (Heb 5:12)

It is largely because we self-righteously refuse to stop knowing Christ after the flesh, and we refuse to know Him “in spirit and in Truth”, that Jeremiah, in type, continues his prophecy of the judgment of God upon the inward kingdom of our self-righteous old man and upon the Lord’s own stubborn and rebellious people:

Jer 7:32  Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that it shall no more be called Tophet, nor the valley of the son of Hinnom, but the valley of slaughter: for they shall bury in Tophet, till there be no place.
Jer 7:33  And the carcases of this people shall be meat for the fowls of the heaven, and for the beasts of the earth; and none shall fray them away.
Jer 7:34  Then will I cause to cease from the cities of Judah, and from the streets of Jerusalem, the voice of mirth, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride: for the land shall be desolate.

These verses of Jeremiah 7:34 and Jeremiah 1:21 reveal that “Babylon the Great, the Mother of Harlots, and of abominations of the world” is none other than “Jerusalem which now is and is in bondage with her children”.

Isa 1:21  How is the faithful city become an harlot! it was full of judgment; righteousness lodged in it; but now murderers.

Gal 3:24  Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
Gal 3:25  But after that faith [Christ] is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.
Gal 4:21  Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law [“the schoolmaster” (Gal 3:24-25)], do ye not hear the law?
Gal 4:22  For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman.
Gal 4:23  But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise.
Gal 4:24  Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar.
Gal 4:25  For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children.
Gal 4:26  But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.

Not one Christian minister in a thousand can see and hear the words, “Agar [Hagar]… answers to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children.” The entire historical Christian church identifies with “Jerusalem which now is”, and even speaks of our “common Judeo-Christian heritage” as if Judaism had somehow accepted Christ as their Messiah. Those are not anti-Semitic words. They are simply anti-false doctrine words. The fact is that it is the “Judeo-Christian” world which hates the doctrines of Christ to the extent that the scriptures declare this great harlot is “full of murderers” (Isa 1:21), and she is “drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus.”

Rev 17:4  And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:
Rev 17:5  And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
Rev 17:6  And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration.

‘The voice of mirth, gladness, bridegroom and bride, will all cease from Jerusalem’ (Jer 7:34) is exactly what we are told of the great harlot, Babylon:

Rev 18:21  And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all.
Rev 18:22  And the voice of harpers, and musicians, and of pipers, and trumpeters, shall be heard no more at all in thee; and no craftsman, of whatsoever craft he be, shall be found any more in thee; and the sound of a millstone shall be heard no more at all in thee;
Rev 18:23  And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived.

The Greek word for ‘sorceries’ is G5331 ‘pharmakeia’, from which we derive our English word ‘pharmacy”. It conveys the sense of being drugged by all the false doctrines of the religions of the entire earth. “By thy sorceries were all nations deceived” reveals that it is through the religions of mankind that “all the kings of the earth” are blinded from seeing the Truth of the gospel.

Jerusalem in the Old Testament was the capital city of the people of God, and in the New Testament, the name ‘Jerusalem’ is symbolic of all those who claim the name of Christ and think they are a part of His kingdom.

Compare these words of Revelation 18 concerning ‘Babylon the Great’ to these words of Jeremiah 25, which are addressed specifically to “Judah… and Jerusalem”:

Jer 25:2  The [word] which Jeremiah the prophet spake unto all the people of Judah, and to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying,

Jer 25:10  Moreover I will take from them the voice of mirth, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride, the sound of the millstones, and the light of the candle.
Jer 25:11  And this whole land shall be a desolation, and an astonishment; and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years.

What a revelation! The judgment of physical Old Testament Jerusalem is accomplished at the hand of physical Old Testament Babylon. That judgment of the Lord’s Old Testament people typifies the judgment of spiritual ‘Babylon the great, the mother of harlots”, which is a New Testament name for “Jerusalem which now is and is in bondage with her children” (Gal 4:25). That Old Testament judgment of the Lord’s people is now taking place at the hand of Jerusalem above, the mother of us all, as we witness the fulfilling of the Lord’s words in the mouths of His “two witnesses”. When we accomplish our testimony against the world of the Lord’s apostate people, within and outwardly, then we “lie dead in the streets of the great city where also our Lord was crucified… Babylon the Great the Mother of Harlots and of Abominations of the Earth… where also our Lord was crucified.”

2Co 2:15  For we are a sweet aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing —
2Co 2:16  to the latter an odor from death to death, but to the former a fragrance from life to life. And who is adequate for these things?
2Co 2:17  For we are not like so many others, hucksters who peddle the word of God for profit, but we are speaking in Christ before God as persons of sincerity, as persons sent from God. (NET)

Rev 11:3  And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.
Rev 11:4  These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth.
Rev 11:5  And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed.
Rev 11:6  These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will.

How do we go about shutting up heaven that it rains not in the days of our prophecy? We do so by simply pointing to these words which are the title of our study today:

Jer 7:28  But thou shalt say unto them, This is a nation that obeyeth not the voice of the LORD their God, nor receiveth correction: truth is perished, and is cut off from their mouth.

When we are given to simply be faithful to the Lord’s prophecies, we become the means by which He sets nations up and by which He destroys nations.

Jer 1:9  Then the LORD put forth his hand, and touched my mouth. And the LORD said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth.
Jer 1:10  See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant.

This is true inwardly first, but when it is fulfilled inwardly, then it will also be fulfilled outwardly as we witness the destruction that the Lord’s Words in our mouths reveal is the God-ordained result of our disobedience. Just look around about you at the moral and spiritual decay taking place in this dying world.

I just read an email to a conservative news site from a resident of Portland, Oregon. This person said (and I paraphrase from memory), “I am a resident of Portland, and anyone who thinks Portland is burning to the ground simply doesn’t live here.”

That is a perfect example of spiritual blindness, which typifies all men. The strength of the authorities who lead the city of Portland, Oregon (that being their police department) has been being burned to the ground for many months now, and any resident of Portland who cannot foresee where this is leading that city and this nation is beyond blind.

Such a mind, as the writer of that email has, is the spirit which led our Lord to make this statement:

Mat 24:37  But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
Mat 24:38  For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,
Mat 24:39  And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

We are not given to know either the day or hour of the Lord’s appearing and the exact date of “the redemption of the purchased possession… the blessed and holy… first resurrection”, but we are made to know that “the time is at hand”, and we are told that the Lord will do nothing without revealing His secret to His servants the prophets.

Amo 3:6  Shall a trumpet be blown in the city, and the people not be afraid? shall there be evil in a city, and the LORD hath not done it?
Amo 3:7  Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.
Amo 3:8  The lion hath roared, who will not fear? the Lord GOD hath spoken, who can but prophesy?

That concludes today’s study in Jeremiah 7. We will continue to learn about “His secret” judgments in the next chapter. Here are the verses we hope to cover next week:

Jer 8:1  At that time, saith the LORD, they shall bring out the bones of the kings of Judah, and the bones of his princes, and the bones of the priests, and the bones of the prophets, and the bones of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, out of their graves:
Jer 8:2  And they shall spread them before the sun, and the moon, and all the host of heaven, whom they have loved, and whom they have served, and after whom they have walked, and whom they have sought, and whom they have worshipped: they shall not be gathered, nor be buried; they shall be for dung upon the face of the earth.
Jer 8:3  And death shall be chosen rather than life by all the residue of them that remain of this evil family, which remain in all the places whither I have driven them, saith the LORD of hosts.
Jer 8:4  Moreover thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the LORD; Shall they fall, and not arise? shall he turn away, and not return?
Jer 8:5  Why then is this people of Jerusalem slidden back by a perpetual backsliding? they hold fast deceit, they refuse to return.
Jer 8:6  I hearkened and heard, but they spake not aright: no man repented him of his wickedness, saying, What have I done? every one turned to his course, as the horse rusheth into the battle.
Jer 8:7  Yea, the stork in the heaven knoweth her appointed times; and the turtle and the crane and the swallow observe the time of their coming; but my people know not the judgment of the LORD.
Jer 8:8  How do ye say, We are wise, and the law of the LORD is with us? Lo, certainly in vain made he it; the pen of the scribes is in vain.
Jer 8:9  The wise men are ashamed, they are dismayed and taken: lo, they have rejected the word of the LORD; and what wisdom is in them?
Jer 8:10  Therefore will I give their wives unto others, and their fields to them that shall inherit them: for every one from the least even unto the greatest is given to covetousness, from the prophet even unto the priest every one dealeth falsely.
Jer 8:11  For they have healed the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace.