Rev 19:11-16  The Meaning of an “Opened Heaven”

[Study Aired June 6, 2025]

Rev 19:11  And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him [was] called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.
Rev 19:12  His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself.
Rev 19:13  And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.
Rev 19:14  And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.
Rev 19:15  And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.
Rev 19:16  And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.

Introduction

Knowing what heaven is and where heaven is located is essential to understanding all prophecy. There is no way to know God or His Son if you do not know where these two dwell. How well would I know any of you if I didn’t even know where you lived? I know many hundreds of people by name through emails, but those I really know are those who feel comfortable telling me where they live, and these are those who want to get to know me by more than just a vocalized name. I’ve had literally dozens of people who have come to my house over the years, and I have been to many of their homes, simply because we wanted to get to know each other better.

We know where our Father dwells. We have gone to great lengths to demonstrate that God dwells in the heavens:

Psa 2:1  Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?
Psa 2:2  The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, [saying],
Psa 2:3  Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.
Psa 2:4  He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision.

Psa 103:19  The LORD hath prepared his throne in the heavens; and his kingdom ruleth over all.

Psa 115:3  But our God is in the heavens: he hath done whatsoever he hath pleased.

We have also demonstrated that the true heavens are within God’s own people and that He dwells on His throne within His people in what the scriptures call “the heavens themselves.”

Heb 9:12  Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption [for us].
Heb 9:22  And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.
Heb 9:23  It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.
Heb 9:24  For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us:

“… By His own blood He entered in once into the holy place…” Christ never once entered the physical holy place in the temple while He was on this earth, because He was not a physical priest. However, it was revealed to Christ that He was both a king and a priest and that His kingdom and His priesthood were not of this world, or this age, but these things are all “within you.”

Joh 18:33  Then Pilate entered into the judgment hall again, and called Jesus, and said unto him, Art thou the King of the Jews?
Joh 18:34  Jesus answered him, Sayest thou this thing of thyself, or did others tell it thee of me?
Joh 18:35  Pilate answered, Am I a Jew? Thine own nation and the chief priests have delivered thee unto me: what hast thou done?
Joh 18:36  Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence.
Joh 18:37  Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice.

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

Christ knew that He, just like you and I, was not just on this earth, but while He was on this earth, He was also, at the very same time, “in heaven.”

Joh 3:13  And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.

Now here is how our heavenly Father reveals such wonderful, heavenly Truths to us.

Luk 3:21  Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass, that Jesus also being baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened,
Luk 3:22  And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased.

“The heaven was opened” tells us that it was at this point that it was revealed to Christ that His ministry was to begin. This revelation, this ‘opened heavens’, this exponential increase in spiritual understanding, was given to Christ just before He was “driven of the spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the Devil.” Of course, His mother had told him about the circumstances of His birth, but an “opened heaven” was required before Christ could be tempted by the Devil and before He could begin His earthly ministry. We, too, require an opened heavens before we will be granted the exponential growth in the understanding of the mysteries of the kingdom of God (Mat 13:9-15).

An opened heaven was needed to convince Peter that the gospel was going to the Gentiles.

Act 10:11  And [Peter] saw heaven opened, and a certain vessel descending unto him, as it had been a great sheet knit at the four corners, and let down to the earth:
Act 10:12  Wherein were all manner of fourfooted beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowls of the air.
Act 10:13  And there came a voice to him, Rise, Peter; kill, and eat.

Only after Peter saw heaven opened was he then given to understand that the gospel was going to the hitherto unclean Gentiles.

The revelation of Jesus Christ also comes to any of us only through “a door being opened in heaven.”

Rev 4:1  After this I looked, and, behold, a door [was] opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard [was] as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.
Rev 4:2  And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne.
Rev 4:3  And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald.

So it is through “a door [being] opened in heaven” that we are given this entire “revelation of Jesus Christ”,  including “they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb.”

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.
Rev 19:9  And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.

It is through a “heaven [which is] opened, that we see come to be “in the spirit” and able to see beyond where we are in these vessels of clay and to see that first resurrection, the “marriage supper of the Lamb”, and we are permitted to see what takes place “in heaven” after that “blessed and holy” event. “These are the true sayings of God.”

Rev 19:11  And I saw heaven opene, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.

This is Christ sitting on a powerful “white horse”, coming to conquer all that is within His kingdom, which is within us. This was announced at the opening of the very first seal:

Rev 6:1  And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see.
Rev 6:2  And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.

He is “called Faithful and True”, but why is this so?

Joh 15:9  As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.
Joh 15:10  If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love [1Jn 5:2-3].

Christ was obedient to His Father to the end. That is how He “abode in His Father’s love” to the end. That is how He could Truthfully make this statement:

Joh 14:5  Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way?
Joh 14:6  Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
Joh 14:7  If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.
Joh 14:8  Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us.
Joh 14:9  Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou [then], Shew us the Father?

Those who “have known Christ, have known the Father also.” Here is Philip admitting that he does not yet know either Christ or His Father. It is so very typical of babies to tell the Truth and not even realize that they have done so.

When we state emphatically, “No one can know that what he believes is the Truth” what we are saying is that we do not believe it is possible to really be sure that we “know the Truth”, which is Christ. If that is true and from our heart, then we will be “judged out of our own mouths [as a] wicked and slothful servant” who says, “It is impossible to know that we know the Truth.” (Christ IS the Truth, Joh 14:6)

Mat 25:26  His lord answered and said unto him, [Thou] wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed:

Luk 19:22  And he saith unto him, Out of thine own mouth will I judge thee, [thou] wicked servant. Thou knewest that I was an austere man, taking up that I laid not down, and reaping that I did not sow:

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

Joh 8:32  And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

Christ is “faithful and true” and in righteousness He is judging us and making “war” against all these false and lying spirits within us.

2Co 10:3  For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh:
2Co 10:4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)
2Co 10:5  Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;
2Co 10:6  And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.

Just stand with Christ, and you will know what those words mean. It is considered complete fanaticism to teach that we should even strive to “bring every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ”, much less to teach that “every idle word that men shall speak they shall give an accounting thereof”, but Christ’s Words stand true:

Mat 12:35  A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.
Mat 12:36  But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.
Mat 12:37  For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.

There is a spirit which teaches that fighting and seeking revenge is an ungodly trait, and that certainly is true when we seek outward physical revenge against our physical enemies. It is true when vengeance is sought on our schedule for the satisfying of our flesh. Nevertheless, our God is a just God, and He Himself makes no bones about the fact that there is “a day of vengeance”, and that “vengeance is mine, I will repay, saith the Lord.”

Isa 61:2  To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn;
Isa 63:3  I have trodden the winepress alone; and of the people there was none with me: for I will tread them in mine anger, and trample them in my fury; and their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments, and I will stain all my raiment.
Isa 63:4 For the day of vengeance is in mine heart, and the year of my redeemed is come.
Isa 63:5  And I looked, and there was none to help; and I wondered that [there was] none to uphold: therefore mine own arm brought salvation unto me; and my fury, it upheld me.
Isa 63:6  And I will tread down the people in mine anger, and make them drunk in my fury, and I will bring down their strength to the earth.

Jer 46:10  For this is the day of the Lord GOD of hosts, a day of vengeance, that he may avenge him of his adversaries: and the sword shall devour, and it shall be satiate and made drunk with their blood: for the Lord GOD of hosts hath a sacrifice in the north country by the river Euphrates. [“Babylon the great the mother of harlots and abominations of the earth”]

These words are all a part of this revelation of Jesus Christ within you and within me. It is Christ who treads out the winepress of His wrath.

Rev 16:19  And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath.

Today is judgment day for those who are now being judged, and it is our words which will either justify or condemn us. If the words from our hearts are the words of Christ who has told us “man… shall live by every word that proceeds forth out of the mouth of God”, then we will be judged now, and He will tread the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God” now and in this life. If we say we will not do so, then we will be judged out of our own mouths, and we will endure those words at a later judgment. If we are given to agree with our Lord, then this is what will be done in our lives while yet in these vessels of clay:

Rev 19:12  His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself.

Christ’s eyes, His Words, His messengers, His ministers and His walk are all “as a flame of fire, because everything about our Lord is going to serve to purify our lives.

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.

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

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

Rev 1:14  His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire;
Rev 1:15  And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters.

Rev 19:13  And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.
Rev 19:14  And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.

Christ’s “vesture is dipped in blood” while “the armies which were in heaven” are “clothed in fine linen, white and clean”. What is the difference? What are we being told?

Once again “the dream is one” and the “vesture dipped in blood”, and the “fine linen, white and clean” are one and the same thing.

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

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.

Who shed “the blood of the Lamb”, and how do we come to “wash our robes in the blood of the Lamb”?

Rev 19:15  And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.

Until the words of Christ are in our mouths, and as long as the doctrines of the great whore are in our hearts and mouths, we abide under the wrath of God, and are subject to the work of the “sharp sword” with which Christ will “rule the nations with a rod of iron”.

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

It is in this position that Christ, in our lives, “treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.” These are the very words of the seventh vial of God’s wrath upon Babylon in our lives.

Rev 16:17  And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done.
Rev 16:18  And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great.
Rev 16:19  And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath.

So how does His vesture come to be “dipped in blood”? We were just informed how that was done.

Isa 63:3  I have trodden the winepress alone; and of the people there was none with me: for I will tread them in mine anger, and trample them in my fury; and their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments, and I will stain all my raiment.

“Their blood” means your blood and my blood. It is we who have shed “the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth” while we were the slaves of that great whore, Babylon the great. In shedding their blood we have all shed the blood of Christ Himself.

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

Rev 16:6  For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink; for they are worthy.

Rev 18:24  And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth.

We “have not yet resisted unto blood”, and yet all of God’s elect are said to be “lying dead in the streets of that great city where our Lord was crucified.” So what is “the blood of the saints and prophets” which “stains all the raiment” of our Lord?

Heb 12:4  Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin.

Rev 11:8  And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.

Is it not “the sharp sword that goes out of His mouth” which causes this blood to flow? Is it not with this sword that He “smites the nations and rules them with a rod of iron? Is it not with this same sharp sword that “he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God?” Let’s read it again:

Rev 19:15  And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.

What is this sharp sword?

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

Here is this same verse according to The Bible in Basic English.

Heb 4:12  For the word of God is living and full of power, and is sharper than any two-edged sword, cutting through and making a division even of the soul and the spirit, the bones and the muscles, and quick to see the thoughts and purposes of the heart. (BBE)

It is our sins and our rejection of this living and powerful word which causes us to be guilty of the blood of Christ and of all the saints and prophets. In the same manner, it is the rejection of our false doctrines, which gives the Word of God its sharpness and its ability to bring life to those whose blood it sheds, by ‘casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ’ and to His sharp two-edged sword Words.

2Co 10:3  For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh:
2Co 10:4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)
2Co 10:5  Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;
2Co 10:6 And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.

If “the weapons of our warfare are not carnal” and they “keep us in readiness to revenge all disobedience, when our obedience is fulfilled”, it follows that the blood that flows to the horses’ bridles is the result of the work of the weapons of our warfare, and is nothing less than the destruction of all the lies of Babylon. The length, depth and height of this blood, which is tread out by our Lord, is but a measure of the number of false doctrines with which this great whore rules over our lives.

Rev 14:19  And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God.
Rev 14:20  And the winepress was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs.

“The vine of the earth” is filled with the doctrines of Babylon. Remember it is Christ and His Christ who tread this winepress. Here is how He does this:

Rev 19:15  And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.
Rev 19:16  And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.

All the nations are “as the small dust of the balance” to our Lord and Christ, and His Words of Truth are far more powerful than all the lies of Babylon. That is why Christ is said to have come “on a white horse, conquering and to conquer”, and that is why His name is said to be “on His vesture and on His thigh” and that is why He is called “King of Kings, and Lord of Lords.”

Isa 40:15  Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the balance: behold, he taketh up the isles as a very little thing.

Rev 6:2  And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.

In our next study, if the Lord wills, we will learn what is “the supper of the great God”, and we will discover why ‘the fowls that fly in the midst of the heaven are called together unto that supper’.

Rev 19:17  And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God;
Rev 19:18  That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all [men, both] free and bond, both small and great.
Rev 19:19  And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army.
Rev 19:20  And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.
Rev 19:21  And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which [sword] proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.

The Book of Amos Chapter 9:1-15

[Aired February 1, 2025]

This is the final chapter in this study of Amos. 

Our Lord is merciful to not utterly consume His children after the sins He caused them to perform lest they become overly offended, discouraged, and taken.

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 [Hebrew: ra]: I the LORD do all these things.

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

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

1Sa 19:9  And the evil spirit from the LORD was upon Saul, as he sat in his house with his javelin in his hand: and David played with his hand. 

Lam 3:18  And I said, My strength and my hope is perished from the LORD: 

Mic 1:12  For the inhabitant of Maroth waited carefully for good: but evil came down from the LORD unto the gate of Jerusalem. 

Exo 23:29  I will not drive them out [the giants and evil spirits in our land within] from before thee in one year; lest the land become desolate, and the beast of the field multiply against thee.
Exo 23:30  By little and little I will drive them out from before thee, until thou be increased, and inherit the land. 

Such is our Lord’s mercy in giving us an experience of evil at the hands of his murderous servant, Satan, after which Christ saves us following our acknowledgment of our sins and, by his strength, brings us to our safe haven in him.

Psa 107:23  They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters; 
Psa 107:24  These see the works of the LORD, and his wonders in the deep. 
Psa 107:25  For he commandeth, and raiseth the stormy wind, which lifteth up the waves thereof. 
Psa 107:26  They mount up to the heaven, they go down again to the depths: their soul is melted because of trouble.
Psa 107:27  They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wits’ end. 
Psa 107:28  Then they cry unto the LORD in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses. 
Psa 107:29  He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still. 
Psa 107:30  Then are they glad because they be quiet; so he bringeth them unto their desired haven. 
Psa 107:31  Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men! 
Psa 107:32  Let them exalt him also in the congregation of the people, and praise him in the assembly of the elders.

In the first ten verses of this last chapter in Amos, to the unspiritual eye, it seems that the Lord is mercilessly negative; however, his Elect see the chastisements positively, which starkly contrasts them from their former Babylonian nature of hiding, accusing and excusing themselves then always pricked with a guilty conscience, while in that sickly state, never coming to the knowledge of the truth. Of course, the Elect of God knows that the destruction of Israel is the Old Man within, gloriously sacrificed, slaughtered upon Christ, his altar, and are thankful for the evil he exacted and the consequence of the sword never leaving his house.

2Sa 12:9  Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the LORD, to do evil in his sight? thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and hast taken his wife to be thy wife, and hast slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon. 
2Sa 12:10  Now therefore the sword shall never depart from thine house; because thou hast despised me, and hast taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife.

Col 1:19  For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell;
Col 1:20  And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.
Col 1:21  And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled 
Col 1:22  In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight: 
Col 1:23  If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister; 
Col 1:24  Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body’s sake, which is the church
Col 1:25  Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God; 
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: 

Significations:

The Destruction of Israel

Amo 9:1  I saw the Lord standing upon the altar: and he said, Smite the lintel [‘Bulb, knob, capital’ = one’s head, the centre of understanding] of the door, that the posts may shake: and cut them in the head, all of them; and I will slay the last of them with the sword: he that fleeth of them shall not flee away, and he that escapeth of them shall not be delivered. 
Amo 9:2  Though they dig into hell, thence shall mine hand take them; though they climb up to heaven, thence will I bring them down: 

A “lintel” in doorway construction is a major supporting beam of wood, steel or stone immediately above the door supported by its side posts the upper weight of the building. In scripture, it symbolises our head and Christ.

No greater heavenly smiting and earthquake shaking of the lintel is there than our Lord’s smiting of our spiritual lintel between our ears of understanding with his blood from the cross. That smiting inspires us to emulate our Husband, filling up behind similar afflictions though spiritually he physically endured, now in our bodies (Col 1:24). Though most impudently, we often don’t soberly shake in reverential fear of our Lord and husband wholly, like the emblematic whore we are escaping.

Exo 12:20  Ye shall eat nothing leavened [today, the Lord’s undefiled word]; in all your habitations shall ye eat unleavened bread. 
Exo 12:21  Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel, and said unto them, Draw out and take you a lamb according to your families, and kill the passover. 
Exo 12:22  And ye shall take a bunch of hyssop, and dip it in the blood that is in the bason, and strike the lintel and the two side posts [our eyes and ears of understanding] with the blood that is in the bason; and none of you shall go out at the door of his house until the morning [remain in the Lord for the rest of our lives into the First Resurrection]. 
Exo 12:23  For the LORD will pass through to smite the Egyptians [“slay the last of them with the sword of his word”, within]; and when he seeth the blood upon the lintel, and on the two side posts, the LORD will pass over the door, and will not suffer the destroyer to come in unto your houses to smite you. 
Exo 12:24  And ye shall observe this thing for an ordinance to thee and to thy sons for ever. 

If we are deemed the ‘very Elect’ (Mat 24:24), we will gladly see that we do not wish to ‘flee away’ from our Lord’s chastisements since, and if we, like Adam, continue to ‘hide’ and attempt to escape from acknowledging our sins, we will desiccate in his midday sun of truth, undelivered ⎯ represented at a later date in a perceived hotter furnace of truth, the Lake of Fire.

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. 

Thankfully, we cannot hide from Christ’s glorious wrath while we are concealed in a hole, clefts in the rocks, or caves in the mountains since he is mighty and powerful to draw out Leviathan on our behalf from within (Rev 6:15-17).

Psa 139:6  Your knowledge is beyond my comprehension; it is so far beyond me, I am unable to fathom it.
Psa 139:7  Where can I go to escape your Spirit? Where can I flee to escape your presence? 
Psa 139:8  If I were to ascend to heaven, you would be there. If I were to sprawl out in Sheol, there you would be. 
Psa 139:9  If I were to fly away on the wings of the dawn, and settle down on the other side of the sea, 
Psa 139:10  even there your hand would guide me, your right hand would grab hold of me. 
Psa 139:11  If I were to say, “Certainly the darkness will cover me, and the light will turn to night all around me,” 
Psa 139:12  even the darkness is not too dark for you to see, and the night is as bright as day; darkness and light are the same to you. 

Job 41:1  Can you draw out the Leviathan with a hook, or hold down his tongue with a cord? 
Job 41:2  Can you put a reed rope into his nose, or pierce his jaw with a thorn? 
Job 41:3  Will he multiply pleas for help to you? Will he speak soft words to you? 
Job 41:4  Will he make a covenant with you? Will you take him for a servant for ever? 
Job 41:5  Will you play with him as with a bird? Or will you bind him for your maidens? 
Job 41:6  Shall your companions bargain over him? Shall they divide him among the merchants? 
Job 41:7  Can you fill his skin with barbed irons, or his head with fishing spears? 
Job 41:8  Lay your hand on him, think of the battle; you will never do it again. 

Amo 9:3  And though they hide themselves in the top of Carmel [our ‘lintel], I will search and take them out thence; and though they be hid from my sight in the bottom of the sea, thence will I command the serpent, and he shall bite them: 

Leviathan’s God-controlled bites and our subsequent pleading for our Lord’s delivery are vital to humble us to grow in grace, knowledge and Christ’s faith.

Num 21:8  And Jehovah said to Moses, Make a fiery serpent and set it on a pole. And it shall be when everyone that is bitten, when he looks upon it, he shall live. 

Psa 44:2  You drove out the nations with Your hand, and planted them; You brought evil on peoples and cast them out.
Psa 44:3  For they did not get the land in possession by their own sword, neither did their own arm save them; but it was Your right hand, and Your arm, and the light of Your face, because You favored them. 

Paradoxically to the former Babylonian within, the evil given to chastise us is for our good.

Amo 9:4  And though they go into captivity before their enemies, thence will I command the sword, and it shall slay them: and I will set mine eyes upon them for evil, and not for good.
Amo 9:5  And the Lord GOD of hosts is he that toucheth the land [afflict our bodies], and it shall melt, and all that dwell therein shall mourn: and it shall rise up wholly like a flood; and shall be drowned, as by the flood of Egypt. 
Amo 9:6  It is he that buildeth his stories in the heaven [including Babylon within, a mighty tower, only to smash it down], and hath founded his troop in the earth; he that calleth for the waters of the sea, and poureth them out upon the face of the earth: The LORD is his name. 

In verse five, we begin our journey as the ‘land’ that will, for us, melt at his fiery word and in bewildering fearfulness for the entire World of our brothers and sisters; similarly, in the Lake of Fire, a type of baptism of fire in the Israelites crossing of the Red Sea; “the flood of Egypt”.

Jer 31:34  And they shall no more teach each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, Know Jehovah; for they shall all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says Jehovah. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sins no more. 
Jer 31:35  So says Jehovah, who gives the sun for a light by day and the laws of the moon and of the stars for a light by night, who divides the sea when its waves roar; Jehovah of Hosts is His name; 
Jer 31:36  if those ordinances depart from Me, says Jehovah, the seed of Israel also shall cease from being a nation before Me forever. 

Mat 3:11  I indeed baptise you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptise you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire: 
Mat 3:12  Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire. 

Amo 9:7  Are ye not as children of the Ethiopians unto me, O children of Israel? saith the LORD. Have not I brought up Israel out of the land of Egypt? and the Philistines from Caphtor [original home of the Philistines] and the Syrians from Kir? [a place in Mesopotamia = ‘wall’]

Israel and formerly, we being the children of the Ethiopians, Egyptians, Philistines, Babylonians and Old Israel, denotes our Gentile Christian origins, the Great Whore from whom we were conceived, confirmed in these next verses:

Hos 2:4  And I will not have mercy on her sons, for they are the sons of adulteries. 
Hos 2:5  For their mother has prostituted herself. She who conceived them has done shamefully. For she said, I will go after my lovers who give my bread and my water, my wool and my flax, my oil and my drink [her own clothing representing her self-righteousness]. 

Eze 18:20  The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him.
Eze 18:21  But if the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed, and keep all my statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die.
Eze 18:22  All his transgressions that he hath committed, they shall not be mentioned unto him: in his righteousness that he hath done he shall live. 
Eze 18:23  Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? saith the Lord GOD: and not that he should return from his ways, and live? 
Eze 18:24  But when the righteous turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and doeth according to all the abominations that the wicked man doeth, shall he live? All his righteousness that he hath done shall not be mentioned: in his trespass that he hath trespassed, and in his sin that he hath sinned, in them shall he die. 

In the Old Covenant, righteousness was attained by keeping the Law; what a person did in accordance with the Law caused him to be right with God; it was the person’s righteousness, self-righteousness, and imagined free will to do or not to keep the Law. 

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

Amo 9:8  Behold, the eyes of the Lord GOD are upon the sinful kingdom, and I will destroy it from off the face of the earth; saving that I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob, saith the LORD. 
Amo 9:9  For, lo, I will command, and I will sift the house of Israel among all nations, like as corn is sifted in a sieve, yet shall not the least grain fall upon the earth.
Amo 9:10  All the sinners of my people shall die by the sword, which say, The evil shall not overtake nor prevent us.

The negative of grain, a seeded Elect of God not falling to the earth, is him not dying in the earth of his body to bring forth increase and meat for his Lord’s table. Positively, our Lord guarantees that if indeed we are the ‘very Elect’, he will bring us from birth to the fullness of spiritual maturity. Hence, not the least grain will fall upon the earth and be lost. Since mankind are sinners and everyone, inclusive of the Elect, will die by the sword of God’s word, we harken back to the earlier statement that we do have a way of escaping our wretched corruption in and through Christ without being destroyed forever as most Christian harlot churches teach. Those statements are verified in the next verses:

The Restoration of Israel

Amo 9:11  In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen, and close up the breaches thereof; and I will raise up his ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old: 
Amo 9:12  That they may possess the remnant of Edom, and of all the heathen, which are called by my name, saith the LORD that doeth this. 

Increasingly today, as the Great Whore (out of which comes the Bride) half-sees the end of her reign, she, represented by Zionism and the artificial nation called Israel, becomes more strident, vocalising that they are God’s chosen people and the rest of the World are cattle for slaughter, goyim serving the Jew’s imaginary temple within themselves possibly soon to be reconstructed on the site of the old temple mount. While it is true that they, too, will ultimately be saved, as though fire, Amos 9:11-12 is speaking of the Lord’s very Elect, his spiritual Jews, the remnant that will rule the World, who is symbolised by Edom.

Rev 12:17  And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

Rev 3:8  I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name.
Rev 3:9  Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee. 
Rev 3:10  Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the World, to try them that dwell upon the earth.

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

That ‘open door that no man can shut’ spoken of in Rev 3:8, for the most part, is represented in the next verse, illustrating the mighty flood of our Lord’s fiery word baptising the Bride in his truth. The full richness of his words is represented by tender grapes, harvested grain and cup of our Lord’s wine melting our stubbornly remaining hills within.

Rev 16:19  And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath.
Rev 16:20  And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found. 

Amo 9:13  Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that the plowman shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him that soweth seed; and the mountains shall drop sweet wine, and all the hills shall melt. 

Jer 49:12  For thus saith the LORD; Behold, they whose judgment was not to drink [Gentile Christianity and the World] of the cup have [will] assuredly drunken; and art thou he that shall altogether go unpunished? thou shalt not go unpunished, but thou shalt surely drink of it. 

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.

As cryptically depicted in the next verses, led by the chosen spiritual Jews, the entirety of humanity conceived from Adam to the end of the One Thousand Year reign will represent the rich harvest of souls in the Lake of Fire.

Amo 9:14  And I will bring again the captivity of my people of Israel, and they shall build the waste cities, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and drink the wine thereof; they shall also make gardens, and eat the fruit of them. 
Amo 9:15  And I will plant them upon their land, and they shall no more be pulled up out of their land which I have given them, saith the LORD thy God. 

Jer 31:34  And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.

And, led by the Bride of Christ, notice that she is already seated with Christ, her husband in heaven since the First Resurrection,

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.

Rom 11:26  And so all Israel [representive of the entirety of mankind] shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: 

Lord God, hasten that day!

Amen.

Rev 4:6-7 – Part 7, 16 Characteristics

Posted March 8, 2024

This study will cover the last three characteristics which are common to chapters 1 and 10 of the book of Ezekiel concerning the description of the throne of God and the four beast in the middle of and around God’s throne.

Our first characteristic in today’s study is:

14)  A blue throne is common to both chapters.

A sapphire blue throne is seen above the sapphire blue firmament over the heads of the four living creatures, showing us that in the heavens the creatures are subject to him who first sits upon the blue throne in “the likeness as the appearance of a man”, the “son of man.”

Eze 1:26  And above the firmament that was over their heads was the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone: and upon the likeness of the throne was the likeness as the appearance of a man above upon it.

Eze 10:1  Then I looked, and, behold, in the firmament that was above the head of the cherubims there appeared over them as it were a sapphire stone, as the appearance of the likeness of a throne.

It is “in the middle of and round about” this blue throne that these figures of those who are redeemed out of every nation are seated with Christ and His Father.

Rev 4:1  After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.
Rev 4:2  And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne.
Rev 4:3  And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald.
Rev 4:4  And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold.
Rev 4:5  And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.
Rev 4:6  And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, [were] four beasts full of eyes before and behind.
Rev 4:7  And the first beast [was] like a lion, and the second beast like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast [was] like a flying eagle.
Rev 4:8  And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.
Rev 4:9  And when those beasts give glory and honour and thanks to him that sat on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever,
Rev 4:10  The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying,
Rev 4:11  Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.

As noted above concerning the color of the firmament, sapphires may come in other colors, but they are generally blue. The throne, we are told is blue. Everything pertaining to spiritual significance of the color of the firmament is also true for the spiritual significance of the color of the throne which is upon that firmament. In our study on the spiritual significance of colors in scripture, we saw that the color blue is associated with the things of the heavens themselves. That is especially true as it pertains to these patterns and figures of the true heavens, which we are now considering.

15)  The likeness of a man is common to both chapters 1 and chapter 10. In part 4 of this study of Revelation 4, we covered the four faces of the four living creatures, and we noted that one of those four faces was “the face of a man.” Another characteristic of these four living creatures is the fact that their overall appearance was “the lines of a man” which is mentioned in both chapters:

Eze 1:5  Also out of the midst thereof came the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance; they had the likeness of a man.

Eze 10:21  Every one had four faces apiece, and every one four wings; and the likeness of the hands of a man was under their wings.

It all serves to confirm who these four living creatures tell us they signify:

Rev 5:8  And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.
Rev 5:9  And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;
Rev 5:10  And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.

These are the same words used to describe the Lord’s firstfruits who will be “kings and priest with Christ for a thousand years and then judge angels with Christ in the lake of fire:

Rev 1:5  And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,
Rev 1:6  And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

Reigning on the earth with Christ takes place after the “blessed and holy… first resurrection, which Christ called “the resurrection of life”, and which He contrasted with “the resurrection of judgment” for those who are not judged in this present life:

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; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation [G2920: krisis, judgment, the great white throne judgment/ lake of fire/second death].

It will be those signified by these “four beasts in the midst of and round about the throne”, these “four living creatures of Daniel 1 and 10, who will live and reign with Christ over the kingdoms of this world” (Rev 11:15) for a thousand years:

Rev 20:1  And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.
Rev 20:2  And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,
Rev 20:3  And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.
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 [signified by “four beasts; four living creatures”]; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
Rev 20:5  But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.
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.

Rev 5:8  And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.
Rev 5:9  And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;
Rev 5:10  And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.

These are the exceeding great and precious promises given to us by our Lord for no reason other than “it pleased him” (1Co 12:18, 1Co 15:38, Col 1:19)

Gen 15:1  After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram [“if ye be Christ’s then are ye Abraham’s seed and heirs according to the promise” (Gal 3:29)] I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.

2Pe 1:3  According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:
2Pe 1:4  Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

Rom 9:18  Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth.

16) The glory of the Lord is common to both chapters 1 and 10.

Both chapters are a description of “the glory of the Lord”, and just as in the book of Revelation, ‘the glory of the Lord’ is described as being “the appearance of the brightness… of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain.”

Eze 1:28  As the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so [was] the appearance of the brightness round about. This [was] the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. And when I saw [it], I fell upon my face, and I heard a voice of one that spake.

Eze 10:4  Then the glory of the LORD went up from the cherub, [and stood] over the threshold of the house; and the house was filled with the cloud, and the court was full of the brightness of the LORD’S glory.

Rev 4:2  And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne.
Rev 4:3  And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald.

How does God display His glory? God’s glory and His sovereignty are revealed in His elect.  Our entire lives are to be in His service and to His glory “as the voice of Almighty God.”

Rom 15:7  Wherefore receive ye one another, as Christ also received us to the glory of God.

1Co 10:31  Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.

Rom 5:2  By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

Rom 8:17  And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.
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 8:30  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 9:23  And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory,
Rom 9:24  Even us, whom he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?

1Co 2:7  But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory.

Eph 1:5  Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,
Eph 1:6  To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.

Eph 1:11  In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:
Eph 1:12  That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.

Summary

These are sixteen characteristics of the patterns and figures of the heavenly things themselves. They are all concerning the “glory of the Lord that that is to be revealed in us.”

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.

They are:

1) The cloud in which this whole scene is revealed, which cloud we all are.
2) The four living creatures of Ezekiel 1, called cherubims in Ezekiel 10, and called four beasts throughout the book of Revelation.
3) Their four faces, said to be all four common to each creature in Ezekiel, and revealed to also be distinct creatures each one with one of these four faces, in the book of Revelation, and demonstrated as such in each of the four gospels.
4) The four wings of these four living creatures or four cherubims, represent the faith which the whole body of God’s elect have in the promised protection of our heavenly Father. We are “the apple of His eye”, and He will “never leave nor forsake us” (Heb 13:5).

Zec 2:8  For thus saith the LORD of hosts; After the glory hath he sent me unto the nations which spoiled you: for he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of his eye.

Heb 13:5  Be free from the love of money, content with such things as you have, for he has said, “ I will in no way leave you, neither will I in any way forsake you.” (WEB)

5) “The hands of a man under the wings of the four living creatures” demonstrate for us that God has placed His entire work in the hands of “the man Christ Jesus.”

1Ti 2:5  For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;

As His Father has placed His work in “the hands” of “the man Christ Jesus”, Christ has in turn, placed the work His Father gave Him into “the hands” of His Christ.

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

There is great peace in knowing that we are all in the hands of “the man, Christ Jesus” and that He has sent us as His Father sent Him. The “hands of a man” demonstrate who these four living creatures are. They four have “the hands of a man, the face of a man and the appearance of a man.” They are redeemed of mankind out of every nation on earth, and they will reign with Him over the kingdoms of this world for a thousand years.

6) “They turned not when they went” (Eze 1:17). Being sent by Christ as He is sent by His Father, these four living creatures “turn not as they go” simply because all things are being worked after the counsel of God’s own will, and there is “no shadow of turning with 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:

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

Every move made by these four living creatures was “written in His book, even the days ordained for them, before there were any of those days.”

Psa 139:16  Thine eyes did see mine unformed substance; And in thy book they were all written, Even the days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was none of them.

7)  “Whither the spirit was to go they went” is common to both chapters one and ten.

This singleness of mind demonstrates for us the unity that is in the body of the Christ. The Christ is not a schizophrenic, and there are no conflicting doctrines and denominations in the church which is His body.

Rom 15:5  Now the God of patience and of comfort grant you to be of the same mind one with another according to Christ Jesus:

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

1Co 12:25  that there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another.

8) The “one likeness” of the four wheels “upon the earth” is common to both chapters.

“One likeness” demonstrates the “one event” that is common to all men. “They four had one likeness.” ‘Four’ is spiritual language for the whole of any given subject, and the subject with which these four wheels are concerned is the whole of God’s elect, to whom “all things come alike.”  “That one likeness is the “one event” which “comes alike to all.”

“Each in his own order” will experience the revelation of Jesus Christ:

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

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

9) The work of the four wheels was as it were a wheel within a wheel, is common to both chapters.

“A wheel within a wheel” signifies and demonstrates the secret which has been hidden from the generations but is now revealed to us. It is the outgrowth of knowing that Christ is in His Father, and His Father is in Him. The spiritual significance of the wheel within a wheel is Christ in us and us in Him.

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

Col 1:26  even the mystery which hath been hid for ages and generations: but now hath it been manifested to his saints,
Col 1:27  to whom God was pleased to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:

The “wheel within a wheel” is “ye in me, and I in you.”

10) The color of the wheels is the color of a beryl stone, is common to both chapters.

Beryl is blue, and Christ’s body is also the color of a beryl stone. Blue is the color of the heavens. This tells us that if we are like Christ, then we, too, are the color of beryl and fire, because we are “as He is in this world.”

Eze 8:2  Then I beheld, and, lo, a likeness as the appearance of fire; from the appearance of his loins and downward, fire; and from his loins and upward, as the appearance of brightness, as it were glowing metal.

Dan 10:6  his body also was like the beryl, and his face as the appearance of lightning, and his eyes as flaming torches, and his arms and his feet like unto burnished brass, and the voice of his words like the voice of a multitude.

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.

Christ came to bring fire. If we are like Him, then our words will also be the fiery Words that He spoke.

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

Rev 11:5  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.

Beryl typifies the fire that is the word of God in all those who are His. A blue flame is what a welder wants because it is so hot.

11) The wheels being “full of eyes round about” is in both chapters.

These eyes signify the spiritual understanding and spiritually seeing the things of the spirit. Seeing and understanding that “all things are ours” is seeing everything by being “full of eyes round about.”

1Co 2:9  But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.
1Co 2:10  But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.

Eph 1:18  The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,
Eph 1:19  And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,

It requires being “full of eyes round about” to see and to understand that “man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.” Very few have eyes to see or ears to hear those words:

Mat 13:16  But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear.
Mat 13:17  For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men 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.

12) The firmament above the four creatures is under the throne in both chapters.

This ‘firmament’ signifies the time and work in which we are  hammered out and conformed by the Lord and His Word into the image of His Son. The root of the word firmament means to hammer out.

Gen 1:7  And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so.
Gen 1:8  And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.

The color of the firmament is blue, like the color of the throne above the firmament. Both signify the heavens of our hearts and minds but the one is below the other, as we are the progressive work of our Savior who is above us, as the head is above the body.

Col 1:18  And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.

13) The sound of the wings is as the sound of many waters and as the voice of the Almighty is common to both chapters.

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 10:5  And the sound of the cherubims’ wings was heard even to the outer court, as the voice of the Almighty God when he speaketh.

The sound of the wings of the four living creatures is the word of God in these cherubims who are the figures of the true heavens which ‘true heavens’ speak forth the truths of the king of the kingdom of the heavens.

14) The blue throne upon the blue firmament is found in both chapters.

This blue throne and blue firmament are the figure of the heavens themselves where in Christ is king and in whose hearts and minds He rules as sovereign in all things. Christ is said to sit upon both His throne, “clothed with a cloud” (Rev 10:1). This is the throne where we are to reign with Christ. It is the throne in the heavens where Christ and His Father dwell, and it is the throne on which we are seated with both Christ and His Father.

Eph 2:6  And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly [places] in Christ Jesus:
Eph 2:7  That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.

15) The likeness of a man is the overall description of these four living creatures:

Eze 1:5  Also out of the midst thereof came the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance; they had the likeness of a man.

Eze 10:21  Every one had four faces apiece, and every one four wings; and the likeness of the hands of a man was under their wings.

16) Our final figure of the things of the true heavens which is common to both chapter 1 and chapter 10 of Ezekiel is “the glory of the Lord.”

We are the true heavens and we are that glory.  It is in us that He is glorified, and we glory in Him:

1Co 1:31  That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.

2Co 10:17  But he that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.

2Th 1:10  When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day.

This concludes our study of the throne of God as described to us in Revelation 4. This is the glory of the place where the Lord and His Father dwell.

Rev 4:6-7 The Four Beasts – Part 2B

In our last study we covered the first two of five differences between the descriptions of the four beasts of Ezekiel one and Ezekiel 10. In this study we will cover the last three of those differences.

Third Difference:

The feet of the cherubims are described in chapter 1, but are not mentioned in chapter 10.

Eze 1:7 And their feet were straight feet; and the sole of their feet was like the sole of a calf’s foot: and they sparkled like the colour of burnished brass.

Doesn’t “feet like brass” sound familiar?

Rev 1:13 And in the midst of the seven candlesticks [one] like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle.
Rev 1:14 His head and [his] hairs [were] white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire;
Rev 1:15 And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters.

What the copper feet, both of these creatures and of Christ, reveal to us is that Christ and these “four living creatures” have one and the same experience walking in bodies of sinful flesh. It is a fiery experience, and it is experienced in sinful flesh, typified by copper as the best the flesh has to offer. That is the spiritual significance of the best of the base metals, copper. That is the spiritual significance of “feet of fine brass as if they burned in a furnace.”

For an in depth study of the spiritual significance of copper read this link:

Metals: Copper Part 1/

It is of utmost spiritual significance that the only copper in the tabernacle of Moses was the sockets which supported the pillars in the door of the sanctuary. The sanctuary is the first room of the tabernacle, which housed the golden candlestick, the table of showbread, and the golden altar.

Exo 26:36 And thou shalt make an hanging for the door of the tent, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen, wrought with needlework.
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.

We all must become familiar with the things of the sanctuary before we can be the cherubims which shadow the throne of God and do and perform the work of that throne. As we come into the holy place, called the sanctuary, we must first pass through the door to the first of the two rooms of the tabernacle called ‘the holy place.’ The copper sockets supporting the pillars of the door of the tabernacle signify the fact that we all come to God by coming out of the earth, where we were all dust to begin with. We have to be copper before we can become gold, just as we have to be the first Adam with “all that is in the world” before we can become Christ and “the things of the heavens themselves.” The only way to God is through the ‘five golden pillars, standing on sockets of brass in the house of God.’ Knowing this makes this promise much more meaningful:

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

Fourth Difference:

The fact that the wings are joined together is mentioned in chapter 1, but not in chapter 10.

Eze 1:9  Their wings were joined one to another; they turned not when they went; they went every one straight forward.

The very mention of wings reveals that the spirit is involved in this revelation. Wings are peculiar only to the fowls of the air, and Christ Himself tells us that the fowls of the air represent the spirit world – be it the dove which represents the holy spirit or the evil spirits which devour the seed planted in the soil of our souls. The wings being “joined on to another” is telling us that these ‘cherubims’ and the saints who they signify are “of one mind and one spirit” as we will see when we discuss the spiritual significance of the sound of the wings being as the voice of God.

Rom 12:16  Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits.

Rom 15:5  Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be likeminded one toward another according to Christ Jesus:
Rom 15:6  That ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

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

Mat 3:16 And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:

Mat 13:4 And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up:

Mat 13:19 When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side.

While these “wings… joined one to another” are not specifically mentioned in the tenth chapter, the spiritual significance of this phenomenon is mentioned in chapter 10 when we are told:

Eze 10:5 And the sound of the cherubims’ wings was heard even to the outer court, as the voice of the Almighty God when he speaketh.

“The sound of [their] wings… as the voice of the Almighty God when He speaks” is an incredible spiritual concept. For “their wings [to be] joined one to another,” as they are in flight, these “living creatures” must of necessity be “of one mind and of one judgment”; a concept completely foreign to the churches of Babylon and to the mind of the natural man. Yet that is what we are told of these four living creatures. Now, who in the New Testament are commanded to be “of one mind?”

Rom 15:5  Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be likeminded one toward another according to Christ Jesus:
Rom 15:6  That ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

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

2Co 13:11 Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you.

Php 1:27 Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel;

Php 2:2 Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.

1Pe 3:8 Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous:

Here we have eight verses of scripture commanding us to “be of one mind… one spirit… the same mind”. That is the spiritual significance of “Their wings were joined one to another… the sound of the cherubims’ wings was… as the voice of the Almighty God when he speaketh.” These “wings joined one to another” signify the spiritual mind which belongs to all those who are these cherubims:

Isa 40:31 But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

Fifth Difference:

The fifth thing mentioned in chapter 1 which is not mentioned in chapter 10 is the fact that there is a rainbow around the throne of God.

Eze 1:26 And above the firmament that was over their heads was the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone: and upon the likeness of the throne was the likeness as the appearance of a man above upon it.
Eze 1:27 And I saw as the colour of amber, as the appearance of fire round about within it, from the appearance of his loins even upward, and from the appearance of his loins even downward, I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and it had brightness round about.
Eze 1:28 As the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness round about. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. And when I saw it, I fell upon my face, and I heard a voice of one that spake.

The colors of the rainbow are first mentioned here and in Genesis 9, where we read:

Gen 9:8 And God spake unto Noah, and to his sons with him, saying,
Gen 9:9 And I, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your seed after you;
Gen 9:10 And with every living creature that [is] with you, of the fowl, of the cattle, and of every beast of the earth with you; from all that go out of the ark, to every beast of the earth.
Gen 9:11 And I will establish my covenant with you; neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood; neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth.
Gen 9:12 And God said, This [is] the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that [is] with you, for perpetual generations:
Gen 9:13 I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth.
Gen 9:14 And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud:
Gen 9:15 And I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh.
Gen 9:16 And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth.
Gen 9:17 And God said unto Noah, This [is] the token of the covenant, which I have established between me and all flesh that [is] upon the earth.

The not too subtle reminder in promising not to destroy all flesh with water, is that God has indeed destroyed all flesh in the past, and He is quite capable of doing so in the future. The fact that the promise is “the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh” is actually a warning that there are other means at God’s disposal with which he will destroy all flesh. The destruction of all flesh is essential to the destruction of death. If there were not two resurrections, we could conclude that the kingdom of God within us is the fullness of that kingdom. However, there are two resurrections. The first is “the resurrection of life” which is the ‘blessed and holy firstfruits’, and the second resurrection is the “resurrection to judgment” which will include all others who have ever lived and who were not given to have a part in the “blessed and holy… first resurrection” at the beginning of the thousand year reign of Christ and His Christ:

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 [first] resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the [second] resurrection of damnation. [G2920: krisis, judgment, “great white throne… judgment/ lake of fire/ second death]

This second resurrection will accomplish the destruction of both death itself and the destruction of Satan himself.

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.

Col 1:20  And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things [including Satan and his angels] unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.

The only way to destroy death is to destroy all flesh. If flesh is being perpetuated, death is being perpetuated, and Satan is still ruling over death. However, Satan will himself be destroyed, and then death will also be destroyed. It is through death that salvation comes to all of God’s creation:

Heb 2:14 Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;
Heb 2:15 And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.

The rainbow, whether it is “in the cloud” or “around the throne,” both are in the clouds.

Eze 1:4 And I looked, and, behold, a whirlwind came out of the north, a great cloud, and a fire infolding itself, and a brightness [was] about it, and out of the midst thereof as the colour of amber, out of the midst of the fire.

The clouds typify “so great a cloud of witnesses.”

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

The “great cloud” of Ezekiel 1 and the “great cloud” of Hebrews 12 are the same “cloud of witnesses” in whom God dwells and in whom is the “throne of God.” It is by the clouds the Lord rules this earth:

Job 36:29  Also can any understand the spreadings of the clouds, or the noise of his tabernacle?
Job 36:30  Behold, he spreadeth his light upon it, and covereth the bottom of the sea.
Job 36:31  For by them [the clouds] judgeth he the people; he giveth meat in abundance.
Job 36:32  With clouds he covereth the light; and commandeth it not to shine by the cloud that cometh betwixt.

1Co 6:2  Do ye not know that the saints [the clouds] shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters?

The rainbow in the cloud reminds us that God rules both on earth and is heaven. Both Joseph and the daughters of the king wore coats of many colors as a sign of the rulership they were given.

Gen 37:3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he [was] the son of his old age: and he made him a coat of many colours.

Gen 37:7 For, behold, we [were] binding sheaves in the field, and, lo, my sheaf arose, and also stood upright; and, behold, your sheaves stood round about, and made obeisance to my sheaf.

2Sa 13:18 And she had a garment of divers colours upon her: for with such robes were the king’s daughters that were virgins apparelled. Then his servant brought her out, and bolted the door after her.
2Sa 13:19  And Tamar put ashes on her head, and rent her garment of divers colours that was on her, and laid her hand on her head, and went on crying.

God’s elect are to be a nation of kings and priests, and are to be seated with Christ in His father’s throne in the heavens where that “bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain” is located:

Rev 3:21  To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.

The Lord’s throne appears as the brightness of that rainbow.

Eph 2:6 For he raised us from the dead along with Christ, and we are seated with him in the heavenly realms— all because we are one with Christ Jesus.(NLT)

Let’s now quickly review the five characteristics of chapter 1 which are not mentioned in chapter 10.

The fact that Ezekiel saw this vision of the Lord’s throne, which ‘throne’ is our hearts and minds, coming out of the north signifies the judgment which we endure now and will administer in the thousand years and the great white throne judgment/lake of fire/ second death:

2Th 2:4  Who [our old man] 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 [“which ye are” (1Co 3:16)] shewing himself that he is God [On God’s throne].

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.

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.
Rev 20:5  But the rest of the dead [who are not reigning with Christ during the thousand years] lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.
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.

2) The fact that these “four living creatures have the likeness of a man” tells us that these four living creatures are just who they tell us they are in Revelation 5.

Rev 5:9 And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;

3) Christ’s feet and the feet of His Christ are both of fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace. They are the same ‘feet of brass’ found on these four living creatures. Brass feet are the symbol of our walk in these ‘clay vessels which are marred in the hand of the Potter” (Jer 18:4). The fact that the only copper found in the tabernacle of Moses, is the sockets which support the five gold covered pillars through which all who enter the tabernacle must pass signifies that God’s elect, like Christ, become the door to salvation for all men of all time. The brass sockets of that door remind us of our earthy origins and the fact that God is calling light out of darkness, and this fact:

1Co 15:44  It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.
1Co 15:45  And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.
1Co 15:46  Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual.

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

The only copper found in the tabernacle of Moses is the sockets which support the five pillars through which all who enter the tabernacle must pass, reminding us of our earthy origins and the fact that God is calling light out of darkness, and the fact that “that is not first which is spiritual but that which is natural, and afterwards that which is spiritual” (1Co 15:44). The feet of these cherubims and Christ’s feet are both said to be copper. We walk upon our feet, and we saw that the walk of Christ and the walk of these four living creatures has both been in bodies of sinful flesh, “vessels of clay… marred in the hand of the Potter.” Copper being the best of the base metals, is not seen in the tabernacle of God except as the feet or “sockets” of the pillars which comprise the door to the tabernacle through which all must pass. No one comes to God except through this door, and Christ is that door. In Him we, too, are that door with five pillars standing on sockets of brass, or more correctly copper.

4) We saw that the spiritual significance of “their wings were joined one to another” is telling us that these creatures and those whom they typify, are of absolute necessity “of the same mind.” Having “wings” tells us that there is a spirit in these “four living creatures.” It tells us that the spirit in them is “one spirit.” Anything less is disastrous and will lead to spiritual death.

Rom 15:5  Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be likeminded one toward another according to Christ Jesus:
Rom 15:6  That ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Rom 15:7  Wherefore receive ye one another, as Christ also received us to the glory of God.

Php 1:27  Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel;

5) Finally, we saw that the rainbow in the clouds mentioned in chapter one is the sign of the power and rulership of God both in heaven and on earth.

Job 36:31  For by them [the clouds] judgeth he the people; he giveth meat in abundance.

Psa 76:8 Thou didst cause judgment to be heard from heaven; the earth feared, and was still,

Coats of “many colors” were worn both by Joseph and by the daughters of the king because they were rulers.

Gen 37:3  Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age: and he made him a coat of many colours.

Sa 13:18  And she had a garment of divers colours upon her: for with such robes were the king’s daughters that were virgins apparelled. Then his servant brought her out, and bolted the door after her.

In our next study we will see more of the spiritual significance of the wings of these four living creatures. We will see two examples which will demonstrate for us that when the wings of these creatures are “lifted up from the earth”, God’s elect are elevated into the heavens and proclaim heavenly words from the mouth of God. That will be but one of many of the similarities between these two chapters. That is what we will examine next week as we see the things which both chapters have in common.  This is all “a door opened in heaven,” to show us “the patterns of the heavenly things themselves.”

Rev 4:1  After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in [our] heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.

Exo 35:1-35  Whosoever is of Willing Heart, let him Bring an Offering to the Lord

[Study Aired January 30, 2023]

Exo 35:1  And Moses gathered all the congregation of the children of Israel together, and said unto them, These are the words which the LORD hath commanded, that ye should do them.
Exo 35:2  Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day there shall be to you an holy day, a sabbath of rest to the LORD: whosoever doeth work therein shall be put to death.
Exo 35:3  Ye shall kindle no fire throughout your habitations upon the sabbath day.
Exo 35:4  And Moses spake unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying, This is the thing which the LORD commanded, saying,
Exo 35:5  Take ye from among you an offering unto the LORD: whosoever is of a willing heart, let him bring it, an offering of the LORD; gold, and silver, and brass,
Exo 35:6  And blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen, and goats’ hair,
Exo 35:7  And rams’ skins dyed red, and badgers’ skins, and shittim wood,
Exo 35:8  And oil for the light, and spices for anointing oil, and for the sweet incense,
Exo 35:9  And onyx stones, and stones to be set for the ephod, and for the breastplate.
Exo 35:10  And every wise hearted among you shall come, and make all that the LORD hath commanded; 
Exo 35:11  The tabernacle, his tent, and his covering, his taches, and his boards, his bars, his pillars, and his sockets, 
Exo 35:12  The ark, and the staves thereof, with the mercy seat, and the vail of the covering, 
Exo 35:13  The table, and his staves, and all his vessels, and the shewbread, 
Exo 35:14  The candlestick also for the light, and his furniture, and his lamps, with the oil for the light,
Exo 35:15  And the incense altar, and his staves, and the anointing oil, and the sweet incense, and the hanging for the door at the entering in of the tabernacle,
Exo 35:16  The altar of burnt offering, with his brasen grate, his staves, and all his vessels, the laver and his foot, 
Exo 35:17  The hangings of the court, his pillars, and their sockets, and the hanging for the door of the court, 
Exo 35:18  The pins of the tabernacle, and the pins of the court, and their cords, 
Exo 35:19  The cloths of service, to do service in the holy place, the holy garments for Aaron the priest, and the garments of his sons, to minister in the priest’s office. 
Exo 35:20  And all the congregation of the children of Israel departed from the presence of Moses. 
Exo 35:21  And they came, every one whose heart stirred him up, and every one whom his spirit made willing, and they brought the LORD’S offering to the work of the tabernacle of the congregation, and for all his service, and for the holy garments. 
Exo 35:22  And they came, both men and women, as many as were willing hearted, and brought bracelets, and earrings, and rings, and tablets, all jewels of gold: and every man that offered offered an offering of gold unto the LORD.
Exo 35:23  And every man, with whom was found blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen, and goats’ hair, and red skins of rams, and badgers’ skins, brought them.
Exo 35:24  Every one that did offer an offering of silver and brass brought the LORD’S offering: and every man, with whom was found shittim wood for any work of the service, brought it.
Exo 35:25  And all the women that were wise hearted did spin with their hands, and brought that which they had spun, both of blue, and of purple, and of scarlet, and of fine linen.
Exo 35:26  And all the women whose heart stirred them up in wisdom spun goats’ hair.
Exo 35:27  And the rulers brought onyx stones, and stones to be set, for the ephod, and for the breastplate;
Exo 35:28  And spice, and oil for the light, and for the anointing oil, and for the sweet incense. 
Exo 35:29  The children of Israel brought a willing offering unto the LORD, every man and woman, whose heart made them willing to bring for all manner of work, which the LORD had commanded to be made by the hand of Moses.
Exo 35:30  And Moses said unto the children of Israel, See, the LORD hath called by name Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah; 
Exo 35:31  And he hath filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship; 
Exo 35:32  And to devise curious works, to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass, 
Exo 35:33  And in the cutting of stones, to set them, and in carving of wood, to make any manner of cunning work.
Exo 35:34  And he hath put in his heart that he may teach, both he, and Aholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan. 
Exo 35:35  Them hath he filled with wisdom of heart, to work all manner of work, of the engraver, and of the cunning workman, and of the embroiderer, in blue, and in purple, in scarlet, and in fine linen, and of the weaver, even of them that do any work, and of those that devise cunning work.

Chapter 35 is about the sabbath rest and Moses’ admonition for the people of Israel to give willingly for the building of the tabernacle of the Lord. It also touches on Bezaleel whom the Lord had prepared for the work of building the Tabernacle. Today’s study focuses on the spiritual significance of the sabbath rest and what it means to offer willingly for the building of the temple of the Lord, which is our bodies.

Exo 35:1  And Moses gathered all the congregation of the children of Israel together, and said unto them, These are the words which the LORD hath commanded, that ye should do them.
Exo 35:2  Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day there shall be to you an holy day, a sabbath of rest to the LORD: whosoever doeth work therein shall be put to death. 
Exo 35:3  Ye shall kindle no fire throughout your habitations upon the sabbath day. 

Keeping the sabbath means entering into the Lord’s rest and therefore ceasing from our own strivings. In other words, we come to realize that we can of ourselves do nothing and therefore depend on the Lord wholly to do everything on our behalf. Knowing this is what will cause us to recognize that it is the Lord who sanctifies us.

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

In Exodus 31:14, we are warned that if we do not keep the sabbath, we shall be put to death or cut off from among the Lord’s people.

Exo 31:14  Ye shall keep the sabbath therefore; for it is holy unto you: every one that defileth it shall surely be put to death: for whosoever doeth any work therein, that soul shall be cut off from among his people. 

In Hebrews 4:6, we are given a reason why many will not be able to keep the sabbath – because of unbelief. The reason that many do not believe is that their hearts have been hardened by the idols of the heart which say that we are responsible for our own actions as a result of having our own will. Believing in this false doctrine prevents us from surrendering everything to the Lord.

Heb 4:6  Seeing therefore it remaineth that some must enter therein, and they to whom it was first preached entered not in because of unbelief:

As we are aware, the number six is the number of mankind. The six days we must work spiritually refer to our works before the Lord here on earth.  The seventh day is when we become complete in Christ as we are caught up with the Lord and shall rest from our labor here on earth as the kingdoms of this world become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ. 

Col 1:29  Whereunto I also labour, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily. 

Rev 14:13  And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them.

In verse 3, kindling no fire during our observation of the sabbath day means that during the period that we are resting from our own striving, we are not to facilitate the serving of another Jesus through the idols of the heart symbolized by the queen of heaven in the verse below:

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.

Exo 35:4  And Moses spake unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying, This is the thing which the LORD commanded, saying, 
Exo 35:5  Take ye from among you an offering unto the LORD: whosoever is of a willing heart, let him bring it, an offering of the LORD; gold, and silver, and brass, 
Exo 35:6  And blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen, and goats’ hair, 
Exo 35:7  And rams’ skins dyed red, and badgers’ skins, and shittim wood, 
Exo 35:8  And oil for the light, and spices for anointing oil, and for the sweet incense, 
Exo 35:9  And onyx stones, and stones to be set for the ephod, and for the breastplate.

What we need to understand in these verses is that we can only offer what the Lord has given to us. In Genesis, when Isaac asked Abraham about the lamb for the burnt offering, Abraham told him that God will provide for Himself a lamb. This is to affirm that whatever we offer to the Lord is because He has already given it to us. 

Gen 22:7  And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering? 
Gen 22:8  And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.

1Co 4:7  For who sees anything different in you? What do you have that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it? 

Therefore, these verses show us what the Lord has given to us we are to offer back to Him willingly. The gold and silver we are to offer refer to the wisdom and understanding that we have received from the Lord through His words. 

Eze 28:4  With thy wisdom and with thine understanding thou hast gotten thee riches, and hast gotten gold and silver into thy treasures:

Giving back to the Lord for the building of the tabernacle is the same as giving to our brothers and sisters. We are to give back to our brothers and sisters the wisdom the Lord has given us through His words. This must be done freely and willingly, for freely we have received and freely we must give.  As our Lord said, when we give to our brothers and sisters, we have given it or offered it to the Lord.

Mat 25:37  Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 
Mat 25:38  And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? 
Mat 25:39  And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ 
Mat 25:40  And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’

The brass we give as a freewill offering to the Lord is to remind us of our frail bodies of corruptible flesh and blood through which we are to offer ourselves as living sacrifices to the Lord. It is through this corruptible flesh and blood that our Lord Jesus offered Himself as an atonement for our sins and appeared before God. As He is, so are we in this life. It is through our corruptible flesh and blood, as we offer ourselves to the Lord, that He will save the world from their sins. 

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.

In addition to wisdom and understanding, we are told in verses 6 and 7 to offer fine linen, goat’s hair, rams’ skin dyed red, and badgers’ skin.  Fine linen represents the righteousness of the saints. As we walk in the Lord’s righteousness, it is like offering ourselves to the Lord as holy and acceptable sacrifice to the Lord.

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.

In order to understand the meaning of the goat’s hair, rams’ skin dyed and badgers’ skin, we need to comprehend how they are used in the tabernacle. All these items are to be used in the outer covering of the tabernacle or the temple of God. These coverings are what outsiders see. It is our righteousness that people see. If we are to build the house of God, then we must possess the righteousness of Christ. These items therefore signify the righteousness of the saints in Christ.

The colors blue, purple and scarlet signify all those in whom the Lord’s spirit is working to transform them from the first Adam to the last Adam, who is Christ. In conclusion, what we are being told in verse 6 is that the offering of those whom the Lord’s spirit is transforming, from the first Adam to Christ, the last Adam, is our bodies which we must offer as living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God. As we are aware, this offering of our bodies as living sacrifices is the righteousness of the saints which comes through the Lord’s judgment of our old man.

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 oil for the light and the spices for anointing oil all refer to His spirit, which is His words. Our obedience to His words is our offering to the Lord which produces the sweet incense before Him.  All of these are required to build the house of God. We need to note that all of these items mentioned are available only to the priest who represents the elect. 

Num 4:16  And to the office of Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest pertaineth the oil for the light, and the sweet incense, and the daily meat offering, and the anointing oil, and the oversight of all the tabernacle, and of all that therein is, in the sanctuary, and in the vessels thereof.

2Ch 29:11  My sons, be not now negligent: for the LORD hath chosen you to stand before him, to serve him, and that ye should minister unto him, and burn incense.

The ephod mentioned in verse 9 is the sacred garment to be worn by the priests. Two onyx stones are to be mounted in gold and fastened on the ephod’s shoulder pieces. These stones are to be engraved with the names of the 12 tribes of Israel with six names on one and six on the other. These stones represent the elect and our works as we are fastened to the Lord’s shoulder. This means that we are carried on the shoulders of the Lord. Being carried on the shoulder means that it is the Lord who does the work – we are only resting on His shoulders as He does the walking (leads us).

Luk 15:4  What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it? 
Luk 15:5  And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing.

Exo 35:10  And every wise hearted among you shall come, and make all that the LORD hath commanded; 
Exo 35:11  The tabernacle, his tent, and his covering, his taches, and his boards, his bars, his pillars, and his sockets,

In verse 10, we are commanded by the Lord for us who are wise-hearted, that is, the elect, to make these items used in the temple of the Lord. The tabernacle with its covering and other related items represent our bodies which is the temple of God. To make our bodies the temple of God, is the work of Christ who comes to us with His words to destroy the old man or the beast within us, to make it habitable for Himself.  This old man has taken residence in our temple and is destroyed by the spirit of our Lord’s mouth (His words) when He comes to us with His brightness.

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 35:12  The ark, and the staves thereof, with the mercy seat, and the vail of the covering, 

The destruction of the old man paves the way for the ark and the mercy seat together with all the accessories related to the ark to be constructed and placed within the veil. The ark together with the mercy seat stands for the Lord coming to sit within our temple (hearts and mind) which is within the veil.

Exo 35:13  The table, and his staves, and all his vessels, and the shewbread,

The table and its accessories constitute where we eat. The showbread signifies the word of the Lord which is given to only the elect (the priest) to eat or to know.  It is within our hearts and mind that Christ comes with His brightness to cause our understanding to be enlightened to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven.

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.

Exo 35:14  The candlestick also for the light, and his furniture, and his lamps, with the oil for the light,

The candlestick signifies the church which is the source of the light in this world. The lamp is the word of the Lord which guides our walk. The oil is the Holy Spirit which comes to us to show us the truth of the Lord’s words. As indicated, the building of the church with all these items is the work of the Lord.

Mat 16:18  And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. 

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

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.

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.

Exo 35:15  And the incense altar, and his staves, and the anointing oil, and the sweet incense, and the hanging for the door at the entering in of the tabernacle,

Before the sweet incense is made, it must be crushed, broken or heated. We are the items that are used for the preparation of incense. As we are aware, incense represents the prayer of the saints. The making of the incense altar is through our fiery trials which causes our prayer to become a sweet aroma before the Lord. The anointing oil is made through a process which also speaks of our fiery trials and persecutions which causes us to bear a sweet odor of oil as we ready ourselves for our union with Christ. In other words, we become anointed of the Lord through a process which is alluded to in the following scriptures as beaten oil:

Exo 29:40  And with the one lamb a tenth deal of flour mingled with the fourth part of an hin of beaten oil; and the fourth part of an hin of wine for a drink offering.

Num 28:5  And a tenth part of an ephah of flour for a meat offering, mingled with the fourth part of an hin of beaten oil.

The anointing oil is the work of a perfumer who is our Lord Jesus Christ. It is through Him that we are judged to become anointed of the Lord.

Exo 35:16  The altar of burnt offering, with his brasen grate, his staves, and all his vessels, the laver and his foot, 
Exo 35:17  The hangings of the court, his pillars, and their sockets, and the hanging for the door of the court,
Exo 35:18  The pins of the tabernacle, and the pins of the court, and their cords, 

The building of the church is through the foundation laid by the Lord with His life as He was offered on the altar as a burnt offering for our sake. The altar of incense is a symbol of the realization of the redemptive work of Christ in dealing with sin in our lives. The hangings all represent us at various stages of our walk with the Lord. Being the hanging for the door of the court means it is through us that salvation will come to the world. 

Eph 1:7  In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;

Exo 35:19  The cloths of service, to do service in the holy place, the holy garments for Aaron the priest, and the garments of his sons, to minister in the priest’s office.

The priestly garments to cloth us refer to putting on the righteousness of Christ, which is the work of the Lord. This is achieved by the fiery trials that the Lord takes us through to learn righteousness.

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.

Exo 35:20  And all the congregation of the children of Israel departed from the presence of Moses. 
Exo 35:21  And they came, every one whose heart stirred him up, and every one whom his spirit made willing, and they brought the LORD’S offering to the work of the tabernacle of the congregation, and for all his service, and for the holy garments. 
Exo 35:22  And they came, both men and women, as many as were willing hearted, and brought bracelets, and earrings, and rings, and tablets, all jewels of gold: and every man that offered offered an offering of gold unto the LORD.

The Lord wants us to be willing and not obligated to serve Him. On our own, there is no way we can be willing to serve the Lord. However, the Lord strengthens us to be willing to serve Him. A sign that we are willing is our desire to present ourselves as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to the Lord.

Psa 110:3  Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power, in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning: thou hast the dew of thy youth.

The ornaments and gold that we are offering willingly are the joy we experience when we go through all kinds of trials as we serve the Lord, knowing that it is through these trials that we become mature in Him.

Jas 1:2  My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; 
Jas 1:3  Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. 
Jas 1:4  But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.

Exo 35:23  And every man, with whom was found blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen, and goats’ hair, and red skins of rams, and badgers’ skins, brought them.
Exo 35:24  Every one that did offer an offering of silver and brass brought the LORD’S offering: and every man, with whom was found shittim wood for any work of the service, brought it.
Exo 35:25  And all the women that were wise hearted did spin with their hands, and brought that which they had spun, both of blue, and of purple, and of scarlet, and of fine linen.
Exo 35:26  And all the women whose heart stirred them up in wisdom spun goats’ hair.
Exo 35:27  And the rulers brought onyx stones, and stones to be set, for the ephod, and for the breastplate;
Exo 35:28  And spice, and oil for the light, and for the anointing oil, and for the sweet incense.
Exo 35:29  The children of Israel brought a willing offering unto the LORD, every man and woman, whose heart made them willing to bring for all manner of work, which the LORD had commanded to be made by the hand of Moses.

The church of the firstborn is where we all supply what is needed for the building of the temple of the Lord within everyone. Each one of us has something to offer!!

Rom 12:3  For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.
Rom 12:4  For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office:
Rom 12:5  So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.
Rom 12:6  Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith;
Rom 12:7  Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching; 
Rom 12:8  Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness. 

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.

Exo 35:30  And Moses said unto the children of Israel, See, the LORD hath called by name Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah; 

According to Strong’s Dictionary, the name “Bezaleel” means “In the shadow of God.” As we indicated in a previous study, if we are called and chosen, then the Lord will prepare us under the shadow of His wings, which is the secret place of the Most High. In other words, the Lord prepares us in secret, away from the eyes of everyone. 

Psa 91:1  He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
Psa 91:2  I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust. 

Psa 17:8  Keep me as the apple of the eye, hide me under the shadow of thy wings,

Exo 35:31  And he hath filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship; 

The Lord equips us for the work of the ministry by filling us with the spirit of wisdom and understanding in the knowledge of Him. This verse is the same as saying the following:

2Pe 1:3  According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: 
2Pe 1:4  Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

As He is, so are we. Our Lord Jesus was equipped with the spirit of wisdom and understanding in the knowledge of God. We, too, are being filled with the spirit of wisdom and understanding in the knowledge of Him, just as the Lord did to Bezaleel.

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.

Isa 11:1  And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: 
Isa 11:2  And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD;
Isa 11:3  And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears: 
Isa 11:4  But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked. 
Isa 11:5  And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins.

Here in Isaiah, we are given to know what happens to us when the spirit of wisdom and understanding in the knowledge of the Lord comes to us. Firstly, this spirit of wisdom causes us to fear the Lord. This is affirmed by the fact that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.  The fear of the Lord causes us to walk in righteousness as the sun of righteousness rises upon us with healing in its wings. In addition, the fear of the Lord grants us the power to trample on the wicked. The wicked here is our flesh or our old man. In other words, we overcome the flesh.

Mal 4:2  But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.
Mal 4:3  And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the LORD of hosts.

Isa 11:5  And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins.

Secondly, the spirit of wisdom comes with the judgment of our old man as the Lord will judge us (the poor) as He smites our old man with the rod of His mouth which is the word of the Lord. We are the earth in Isaiah 11:4 which the Lord shall smite with His words.

Isa 11:4  But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.

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

Exo 35:32  And to devise curious works, to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass, 
Exo 35:33  And in the cutting of stones, to set them, and in carving of wood, to make any manner of cunning work.

The spirit of wisdom and understanding in the knowledge of the Lord will cause us to do curious works in gold and silver and in brass. It will also help us in the cutting of stones and the carving of timber. If we can remember, our works, which please the Lord, are classified as gold, silver and precious stones as opposed to the works of the flesh, which include wood, hay and stubble. The work in gold, silver and stones therefore entails the fiery trials we go through to build upon the foundation the Lord has laid in our lives by building the temple of God within us. This means that the giving of the spirit of wisdom in our lives comes with its tribulation and persecution in our lives to refine us as we learn righteousness. The carving of wood in verse 33 refers to our works in wood or the works of the flesh which provide the opportunity for the Lord to come and destroy the old man with His fire (His words) to build a habitation for the Lord to dwell.

1Co 3:11  For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 
1Co 3:12  Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; 
1Co 3:13  Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is.

Pro 26:20  Where no wood is, there the fire goeth out: so where there is no talebearer, the strife ceaseth.

The work to be carried out in our temple includes brass or copper, which is to remind us of our carnal state in Christ. The work in brass is therefore to show us that we were in our carnal state when the Lord came to us to give us the spirit of wisdom. The cunning work in brass therefore is the Lord’s work within our temple (our hearts and mind) to transform us from our carnal state to become a habitation for the Lord to dwell (become mature). Remember that this involves our being judged to learn righteousness.

Exo 35:34  And he hath put in his heart that he may teach, both he, and Aholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan. 
Exo 35:35  Them hath he filled with wisdom of heart, to work all manner of work, of the engraver, and of the cunning workman, and of the embroiderer, in blue, and in purple, in scarlet, and in fine linen, and of the weaver, even of them that do any work, and of those that devise cunning work. 

The Lord had given Aholiab and the hearts of all that were wise-hearted to Bezaleel to help him with the work of the tabernacle. Aholiab means “Tent of his father.” Our bodies are the earthly tent of our Father, Jesus. Aholiab, therefore, represents the body of Christ or the Lord’s elect as we are given to work with the Lord (Bezaleel) in the building of the New Jerusalem for our Lord to dwell. This is affirmed by the fact that God has given Aholiab and all those who are wise-hearted to work with Bezaleel. Both Aholiab and the wise-hearted are the elect. 

2Co 5:1  Our bodies are like tents that we live in here on earth. But when these tents are destroyed, we know that God will give each of us a place to live. These homes will not be buildings that someone has made, but they are in heaven and will last forever. (CEV)

We are therefore co-workers with the Lord as we work together as a unit to achieve what God desires. That is, by building the church of God, which is the Lord’s body.  God has really honored us to be enlisted as co-workers in His great work of salvation. 

1Co 3:9  For we are labourers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building.
1Co 3:10  According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon.

Being co-workers with Jesus, we are required to not receive the grace the Lord has given us in vain. As Paul indicated, the spirit of wisdom and understanding of the knowledge of the Lord which comes to us to qualify us as co-workers with Christ is accompanied with judgment of our old man to ensure that we do not receive the Lord’s grace in vain.

2Co 6:1  We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain.

May the Lord be merciful to us so that we do not receive the grace of the Lord in vain. Amen!!

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.

Hi T____,

You ask: “Doesn’t the bible say God doesn’t help angels (that would include the devil, yes?)

The answer is, “No, nowhere does the Bible say that God will not save angels, which are also called “principalities and powers” which are constantly accusing us and attempting to “separate us from the love of God”.

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 teaching of scripture is the exact opposite of what you have apparently been taught, and what I myself was taught while I was in Babylon for many years. The fact is that it will be “by the church” that these powers and principalities will be made to know the manifold wisdom of God, which includes His “mercy [which] endures forever”:

Psa 136:1  O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.
Psa 136:2  O give thanks unto the God of gods: for his mercy endureth for ever.
Psa 136:3  O give thanks to the Lord of lords: for his mercy endureth for ever.
Psa 136:4  To him who alone doeth great wonders: for his mercy endureth for ever.
Psa 136:5  To him that by wisdom made the heavens: for his mercy endureth for ever.
Psa 136:6  To him that stretched out the earth above the waters: for his mercy endureth for ever.
Psa 136:7  To him that made great lights: for his mercy endureth for ever:
Psa 136:8  The sun to rule by day: for his mercy endureth for ever:
Psa 136:9  The moon and stars to rule by night: for his mercy endureth for ever.
Psa 136:10  To him that smote Egypt in their firstborn: for his mercy endureth for ever:
Psa 136:11  And brought out Israel from among them: for his mercy endureth for ever:
Psa 136:12  With a strong hand, and with a stretched out arm: for his mercy endureth for ever.
Psa 136:13  To him which divided the Red sea into parts: for his mercy endureth for ever:
Psa 136:14  And made Israel to pass through the midst of it: for his mercy endureth for ever:
Psa 136:15  But overthrew Pharaoh and his host in the Red sea: for his mercy endureth for ever.
Psa 136:16  To him which led his people through the wilderness: for his mercy endureth for ever.
Psa 136:17  To him which smote great kings: for his mercy endureth for ever:
Psa 136:18  And slew famous kings: for his mercy endureth for ever:
Psa 136:19  Sihon king of the Amorites: for his mercy endureth for ever:
Psa 136:20  And Og the king of Bashan: for his mercy endureth for ever:
Psa 136:21  And gave their land for an heritage: for his mercy endureth for ever:
Psa 136:22  Even an heritage unto Israel his servant: for his mercy endureth for ever.
Psa 136:23  Who remembered us in our low estate: for his mercy endureth for ever:
Psa 136:24  And hath redeemed us from our enemies: for his mercy endureth for ever.
Psa 136:25  Who giveth food to all flesh: for his mercy endureth for ever.
Psa 136:26  O give thanks unto the God of heaven: for his mercy endureth for ever.

The Lord could repeat this Truth 26 times more and unless He gives us “eyes that see and ears that hear” we still would not perceive this Truth.

Now let’s look at what is the very purpose for our calling:

Eph 3:9  And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:
Eph 3:10  To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God,

Satan himself is “cast into the lake of fire/white throne judgment” to be judged and chastened of the Lord (Isa 26:8-9). Judgment is the very meaning of ‘purifying the heavens’:

Heb 9:21  Moreover he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle, and all the vessels of the ministry.
Heb 9:22  And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.
Heb 9:23  It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.
Heb 9:24  For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us:

The “heaven itself” and the temple of God according to the scriptures are “within you”, which is where Christ and His Father dwell:

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

Paul is simply repeating what Christ taught us:

Joh 14:23  Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. 

“The heavens”, like everything else, is not what Babylon teaches us. Heaven is the realm of the spirit of which all things are made. This link may clarify the matter for you:  What and Where is Heaven 2009

Heb 11:3  Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.

The “war in heaven” spoken of in scripture and Satan falling from heaven is what happens when Satan and his lies and his doctrines are cast out of our lives:

Luk 10:17  And the seventy returned with joy, saying, Lord, even the demons are subject to us through thy name.
Luk 10:18  And he said to them, I beheld Satan as lightning falling out of heaven. (Darby)

Rev 12:7  And there was war in the heaven: Michael and his angels went to war with the dragon. And the dragon fought, and his angels;
Rev 12:8  and he prevailed not, nor was their place found any more in the heaven.
Rev 12:9  And the great dragon was cast out, the ancient serpent, he who is called Devil and Satan, he who deceives the whole habitable world, he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. (Darby)

So the truth is that God created Satan as “the crooked serpent” so He would have an adversary, and through judgment and the destruction of the carnal mind of Satan, he and all of his angels will be reconciled through the destruction which is accomplished in the great white throne judgment/lake of fire/second death.

YbiC, Mike

Awesome Hands – part 142

“The descending river”

October 19, 2018

It’s no secret that we are sinning machines. What does often stay secret is just how much the Lord has planned for those He calls “His people” or “my people”, and how the start of those people are meant to bring in the rest of humanity verses the “nations of the world”. These groups are both internal spiritually and external to us physically.

This is a process that has been set in motion since the beginning of creation, and our study today is going to show an aspect of that truth by showing us ourselves in the Israelites by type and shadow.

Our verses for consideration today are found in two chapters of Deuteronomy. These are the next mentioning’s of the word “yad” or hand in Hebrew, and the timing of the Lord could not be more spot on for why these verses have come about right now.

Deu 8:17  And thou say in thine heart, My power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth.

Deu 9:26  I prayed therefore unto the LORD, and said, O Lord GOD, destroy not thy people and thine inheritance, which thou hast redeemed through thy greatness, which thou hast brought forth out of Egypt with a mighty hand.

There is a lot happening around these verses, so we are going to dive into the context of these verses and see what the Lord has prepared for us in these types and shadows of ourselves.

In our first verse example, we see an arrogant spirit dwelling in the hearts and minds of those who think they have power of themselves. Any wealth we gain, whether in the flesh or in the Spirit is all gifted to us by the Lord.

Here is the fuller story:

Deu 8:1  All the commandments which I command thee this day shall ye observe to do, that ye may live, and multiply, and go in and possess the land which the LORD sware unto your fathers.
Deu 8:2  And thou shalt remember all the way which the LORD thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no.
Deu 8:3  And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live.
Deu 8:4  Thy raiment waxed not old upon thee, neither did thy foot swell, these forty years.
Deu 8:5  Thou shalt also consider in thine heart, that, as a man chasteneth his son, so the LORD thy God chasteneth thee.
Deu 8:6  Therefore thou shalt keep the commandments of the LORD thy God, to walk in his ways, and to fear him.
Deu 8:7  For the LORD thy God bringeth thee into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and depths that spring out of valleys and hills;
Deu 8:8  A land of wheat, and barley, and vines, and fig trees, and pomegranates; a land of oil olive, and honey;
Deu 8:9  A land wherein thou shalt eat bread without scarceness, thou shalt not lack any thing in it; a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills thou mayest dig brass.
Deu 8:10  When thou hast eaten and art full, then thou shalt bless the LORD thy God for the good land which he hath given thee.

There is a lot being said here, but I thought it was all important enough to include so that we can set the stage for what we are being told will happen to us when we have the heart and mindset that we see in verse 8:17:

Deu 8:17  And thou say in thine heart, My power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth.

It was the Lord your God who led you “all the way” (Deut 8:2) including leading us to, into and through the wilderness.

This whole experience is for a purpose and we are told, as the children of God, that it is to “… humble thee, to prove thee and to know what was in your heart…. to see if we will keep the commandments of the Lord or not…. (Deut 8:2).

If we are paying attention here, then we will see a very profound statement being made, and it is later used to refute satan’s attempts to tempt Jesus by trying to use the Word of God against Jesus.

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

The “manna” in the wilderness experience, which we just read, was given and was caused by the Lord so that He can “humble, prove, chasten and show us what is in our heart”.

This manna is to show that we live by every word the proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord, but it is important to ask ourselves how this “manna from heaven” can achieve “showing that we live by every word”.

The manna itself was proof that we not ONLY need physical sustenance, but we MUST have the Lord intervening in our lives if we are to survive the wilderness experience.

Manna is given during the wilderness experience, but we know from the New Testament that the Lord tells us He is the “bread from heaven” and that the Israelites here did not partake of that bread at that time.

Joh 6:31  Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat.
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.

Now, why would the Pharisees tell Christ, by quoting scripture, that they were given bread from heaven to eat, if it weren’t true? Does scripture say this happened?

Well, it just so happens that the Pharisees WERE quoting scripture to Christ! This is very important to understand if we are going to get anything out of this study which applies to us. Quoting and knowing scripture is not enough, it is the application of it that matters.

Here is where and what the Pharisees quoted when they said boldly, “as it is written”:

Exo 16:4  Then said the LORD unto Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law, or no.

Neh 9:13  Thou camest down also upon mount Sinai, and spakest with them from heaven, and gavest them right judgments, and true laws, good statutes and commandments:
Neh 9:14  And madest known unto them thy holy sabbath, and commandedst them precepts, statutes, and laws, by the hand of Moses thy servant:
Neh 9:15  And gavest them bread from heaven for their hunger, and broughtest forth water for them out of the rock for their thirst, and promisedst them that they should go in to possess the land which thou hadst sworn to give them.

Listen closely to linkage that Jesus makes to “bread from heaven” and what He tells satan when satan tempts Jesus “in the wilderness”:

Luk 4:1  And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness,
Luk 4:2  Being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days he did eat nothing: and when they were ended, he afterward hungered.
Luk 4:3  And the devil said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread.
Luk 4:4  And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.

Is it possible that the religious leaders of the day, the Pharisees, simply were quoting scripture but had no idea, spiritually, what they were talking about? Well, that is abundantly apparent by Jesus Christ’s own admission.

Notice that it was when Moses was 40 days and nights, NOT eating or drinking, on the mount when the “stones” were crafted by God. “He humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna” is saying more than is at first realized, just is Jesus’ response to this situation.

Not eating for 40 days and nights is not only speaking physically.

Moses was on the mount, which is the story where our next mentioning of the word yad is at in chapter 9 of Deuteronomy. To set the foundation of connecting these two stories together, I will read the first part of Deut since the actual verse with the word “hand” in it, is found later in verse 26.

Deu 9:1  Hear, O Israel: Thou art to pass over Jordan this day, to go in to possess nations greater and mightier than thyself, cities great and fenced up to heaven,
Deu 9:2  A people great and tall, the children of the Anakims, whom thou knowest, and of whom thou hast heard say, Who can stand before the children of Anak!
Deu 9:3  Understand therefore this day, that the LORD thy God is he which goeth over before thee; as a consuming fire he shall destroy them, and he shall bring them down before thy face: so shalt thou drive them out, and destroy them quickly, as the LORD hath said unto thee.

As the people of God, we witness the fire of God, with Him BEING a consuming fire, bring down the “nations”, “cities” and “the great and tall Anakims.

“Understand therefore THIS DAY” what you are witnessing being attested to. When we see this happen, our heart and our understanding of these events had better be correct so that we have the proper remembrance of these events and the “day” in which they happen.

Deu 9:4  Speak not thou in thine heart, after that the LORD thy God hath cast them out from before thee, saying, For my righteousness the LORD hath brought me in to possess this land: but for the wickedness of these nations the LORD doth drive them out from before thee.
Deu 9:5  NOT FOR THY RIGHTEOUSNESS, or for the uprightness of thine heart, dost thou go to possess their land: but for the wickedness of these nations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee, and that he may perform the word which the LORD sware unto thy fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
Deu 9:6  Understand therefore, that the LORD thy God giveth thee not this good land to possess it for thy righteousness; for thou art a stiffnecked people.
Deu 9:7  Remember, and forget not, how thou provokedst the LORD thy God to wrath in the wilderness: from the day that thou didst depart out of the land of Egypt, until ye came unto this place, ye have been rebellious against the LORD.

So, we must take heed to remember and DO NOT FORGET that we have provoked the Lord to wrath while in the wilderness, but we were NOT destroyed at that time.

Here is where we will start to see the connection between stone, bread and “bread from heaven”.

Continuing in verse 9:8 we read:

Deu 9:8  Also in Horeb ye provoked the LORD to wrath, so that the LORD was angry with you to have destroyed you.
Deu 9:9  When I was gone up into the mount to receive the tables of stone, even the tables of the covenant which the LORD made with you, then I abode in the mount forty days and forty nights, I neither did eat bread nor drink water:
Deu 9:10  And the LORD delivered unto me two tables of stone written with the finger of God; and on them was written according to all the words, which the LORD spake with you in the mount out of the MIDST OF THE FIRE in the day of the assembly.
Deu 9:11  And it came to pass at the end of forty days and forty nights, that the LORD gave me the two tables of stone, even the tables of the covenant.
Deu 9:12  And the LORD said unto me, Arise, get thee down quickly from hence; for thy people which thou hast brought forth out of Egypt have corrupted themselves; they are quickly turned aside out of the way which I commanded them; they have made them a molten image.

A “molten image” implies fire was used. Indeed, the gold given to them while in Egypt, is what was melted and re-shaped to be something that became a god to them and they worshipped that god.

Even Aaron did so, and he was the provider of this image worship since he formed the golden calf. However, we know from all over scripture that the IMAGE of something is not THE something it is an image of. In other words, this golden calf was nothing even though it was being worshipped as a god.

If you bear with me a little while, I hope that something profound will happen with you. I hope that you will look at a mirror and see Christ looking back at you and not only your own reflection.

I want you all to examine yourselves against what I am about to present to you in the context of this study. I’d like you to hear and read what I am saying and writing, and then weigh yourselves against it, because it is vitally important that we understand what living by the Word of God means for us, and everyone else.

It is when talking about “manna from heaven”, bread which “your fathers DID NOT EAT”, that Jesus Christ gives us a foundational doctrine to LIVE BY.

Joh 6:48  I am that bread of life.
Joh 6:49  Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead.
Joh 6:50  This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die.
Joh 6:51  I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.
Joh 6:52  The Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat?
Joh 6:53  Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.
Joh 6:54  Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.
Joh 6:55  For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.
Joh 6:56  He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.
Joh 6:57  As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me.
Joh 6:58  This is that bread which CAME DOWN from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever.

It is after speaking these words, that we learn that FLESH PROFITS NOTHING, but it is the SPOKEN WORDS that are SPIRIT and LIFE.
Jesus just told us to EAT THE FLESH OF THE SON OF MAN and then we are told by Him that FLESH profits NOTHING!

Yet, we MUST eat HIS FLESH!

Joh 6:60  Many therefore of his disciples, when they had heard this, said, This is an hard saying; who can hear it?

I’ve been hearing a lot lately about “dark” sayings and “hard sayings”. Here is one of those hard sayings that once heard, is either believed or those that hear it “go back and walk no more with Christ”.

Joh 6:61  When Jesus knew in himself that HIS DISCIPLES murmured at it, he said unto them, Doth this offend you?
Joh 6:62  What and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before?
Joh 6:63  It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, THEY ARE SPIRIT, and THEY ARE LIFE.
Joh 6:64  But there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray him.
Joh 6:65  And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father.
Joh 6:66  From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.

Now ask yourself what could offend so many that they turned their back on Christ? Here is the Son of man and the Son of God walking and talking with them, but He tells them something so hard for them to believe and accept that they walk no longer with Him over it.

So that it is easily brought into remembrance, here is what I said earlier:

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

The “manna” in the wilderness experience, which we just read, was given and was caused by the Lord so that He can “humble, prove, chasten and show us what is in our heart”.

Is this any different for Jesus Christ?

Let us let Him answer that so that we are not wondering.

Luk 4:1  And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness,
Luk 4:2  Being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days he did eat nothing: and when they were ended, he afterward hungered.
Luk 4:3  And the devil said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread.
Luk 4:4  And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.

It is obvious that the devil tempted Jesus with bread, but it is always assumed that this was simply just PHYSICAL BREAD. After all, the devil tells Jesus to prove who He is by TURNING STONE INTO LIFE! The devil uses different words “stone into bread” but that is what those things represent … something dead and something alive.

Jesus’ answer is profound. Jesus does not say we don’t live by bread. He says we don’t live by bread alone or only.

When you take this and combine it with “every word of God”, then you can see what we LIVE BY.

We have to have both PHYSICAL and SPIRITUAL in order to live. It is true that that one leads to death, but it is THROUGH DEATH that LIFE and “much fruit” happens.

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.

It stands then, that we must follow Jesus on the Way that He is and the Way He showed us. Along that Way, He was LED into the WILDERNESS.

Now, do I need to be led by the Spirit into a PHYSICAL wilderness in order to be led into the wilderness to be tempted? Jesus was led into a physical wilderness, and He just said I need to follow Him.

So, do I need to do this physically or is there something else being said like was expounded upon in the example of Jesus Christ saying that the Pharisees didn’t eat manna from heaven?

Here it is again very briefly:

Joh 6:31  Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat.
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.

There is bread which is physical bread and then there is true bread.  Both feed the belly, and both are needed, but one is one which we will gain LIFE ETERNAL BY, and that is the “EVERY WORD bread”.

Joh 6:48  I am that bread of life.
Deu 8:3  And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live.

Jesus Christ is the bread of life which who is also called the Word of God. I do not have to live the same event for that event to be spiritually the same in my life. I do not need to be physically placed on a cross in order to follow Christ to the cross, just as I do not need to physically eat Jesus Christ’s flesh in order to eat His flesh.

Deu 8:17  And thou say in thine heart, My power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth.

Indeed, flesh profits nothing, but the FLESH OF CHRIST PROFITS us LIFE! There is no contradiction.

Here is what happens when Moses prays for his brother Aaron and for the nation of Israel:

Deu 9:13  Furthermore the LORD spake unto me, saying, I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiffnecked people:
Deu 9:14  Let me alone, that I may destroy them, and blot out their name from under heaven: and I will make of thee a nation mightier and greater than they.
Deu 9:15  So I turned and came down from the mount, and the mount burned with fire: and the two tables of the covenant were in my two hands.
Deu 9:16  And I looked, and, behold, ye had sinned against the LORD your God, and had made you a molten calf: ye had turned aside quickly out of the way which the LORD had commanded you.
Deu 9:17  And I took the two tables, and cast them out of my two hands, and brake them before your eyes.

First, Moses sees their sin and brings the laws and judgments of God and casts them out of his hands and brakes them so that all can see. This shows us that Moses is telling the Israelites what they have done.

They have turned the time that they were not being directed by Moses into a time of creating a golden calf, and then they worshipped it.

Deu 9:18  And I fell down before the LORD, as at the first, forty days and forty nights: I did neither eat bread, nor drink water, because of all your sins which ye sinned, in doing wickedly in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger.
Deu 9:19  For I was afraid of the anger and hot displeasure, wherewith the LORD was wroth against you to destroy you. But the LORD hearkened unto me at that time also.
Deu 9:20  And the LORD was very angry with Aaron to have destroyed him: and I prayed for Aaron also the same time.
Deu 9:21  And I took your sin, the calf which ye had made, and burnt it with fire, and stamped it, and ground it very small, even until it was as small as dust: and I cast the dust thereof into the brook that descended out of the mount.

I titled this talk “The descending river” based on this verse. The gold in the golden calf goes through the fire TWICE.

One time the fire is used to heat the gold so that it can be shapened into “a golden calf to be worshipped”, and the other time the fire is used so that it can take that same gold and BURN IT to be stamped, ground very small as dust and CAST into the RIVER that DESCENDS out of the mount.

When the gold of God is used improperly, it must be cast into the fire, stamped and ground very small as dust, and CAST into the WATERS which DESCEND from the mount of Fire.

As a result of these actions of the Israelites worshiping this golden calf, and having the first two tables of stone destroyed, a new set of stones is created and placed in the ark.

In other words, the judgments of God are now placed on the INSIDE of us, where the cup can be cleaned from the inside, since it is from OUT of our hearts that we are deceived.

I am going to end this study with asking everyone to always look inside and judge what you find there. It is not what is on the surface that matters, but what is on the inside.

The Israelites looked on the mount and saw the fire there and that Moses had not returned. They looked on the outside and FEARED, which led them to creating a false idol.

The things within us are what lead to sin, and we need to always be ready to judge everything we think and believe against the Word of God.

Isa 22:15-25 The Lord Will Carry You Away With A Mighty Captivity...There Shall You Die

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Isa 22:15-25 The Lord Will Carry You Away With A Mighty Captivity...There Shall You Die

Isa 22:15  Thus saith the Lord GOD of hosts, Go, get thee unto this treasurer, even unto Shebna, which is over the house, and say,
Isa 22:16  What hast thou here? and whom hast thou here, that thou hast hewed thee out a sepulchre here, as he that heweth him out a sepulchre on high, and that graveth an habitation for himself in a rock?
Isa 22:17  Behold, the LORD will carry thee away with a mighty captivity, and will surely cover thee.
Isa 22:18  He will surely violently turn and toss thee like a ball into a large country: there shalt thou die, and there the chariots of thy glory shall be the shame of thy lord's house.
Isa 22:19  And I will drive thee from thy station, and from thy state shall he pull thee down.
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.
Isa 22:25  In that day, saith the LORD of hosts, shall the nail that is fastened in the sure place be removed, and be cut down, and fall; and the burden that was upon it shall be cut off: for the LORD hath spoken it.

I hope we are beginning to see the truth of these words:

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.

If we are given to judge ourselves, then Shebna becomes more than a historical person who has been placed over the affairs of the king's house. If we can judge ourselves, we will see ourselves as the man who has been given the Lord's goods, and we can see that we are simply using our Lord's name to magnify and glorify ourselves. So we read:

Isa 22:15  Thus saith the Lord GOD of hosts, Go, get thee unto this treasurer, even unto Shebna, which is over the house, and say,
Isa 22:16  What hast thou here? and whom hast thou here, that thou hast hewed thee out a sepulchre here, as he that heweth him out a sepulchre on high, and that graveth an habitation for himself in a rock?

"The kingdom of God is within [us]", and we are all stewards of that kingdom (Luk 17:20-21). That kingdom is growing daily, both inwardly as our old man dies and the new man grows within us, and outwardly as the "144,000... firstfruits unto God and the Lamb" are being accrued in each and every generation since Christ. However, that kingdom within us does not come first in a perfected state.

The "kingdom of God" of Luke 17:20-21 is called "the kingdom of heaven" in:

Mat 5:20  For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.

If we have been given to "know the things that are freely given to us of God", then we will know that those things freely given us are not just the blessing of being a good steward and being seated with Christ in His Father's throne, but we also realize we must first be "the first man", Adam, hateful, envious and murderous, Cain, Nimrod, Pharaoh, Nebuchadnezzar, Goliath and the Philistines, and yes, even Judas,  before we will be granted the privilege of becoming the new man, the last man, Adam, and "through much tribulation [be] seated with Christ in the heavens" (Eph 2:6).

1Co 2:12  Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.
1Co 2:13  Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
1Co 2:14  But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

"Neither CAN he know them, because they are spiritually discerned" means that all the things of which we are speaking in these studies are unintelligible and "foolishness unto [the natural man]". Here in the very next chapter are those "things [which are] freely given to us of God". Paul makes us to know what the "things that are freely given to us of God" are in 1Corinthians 3.

Since "the things which are freely given to us of God... are foolishness unto [our natural man]", and the wisdom of our natural man is foolishness with God, therefore:

1Co 3:18  Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise.
1Co 3:19  For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness.
1Co 3:20  And again, The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain.
1Co 3:21  Therefore let no man glory in men. For all things are yours;
1Co 3:22  Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours;
1Co 3:23  And ye are Christ's; and Christ is God's.

If "Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world [and] death" are ours, then Shebna is also a type of our own old man who really wants to immortalize himself in any way possible, even if it is just with an expensive "sepulchre on high" - an extravagant and prominent grave site.

But "the spirit which is of God" has no interest in preserving the memory of the accomplishments of "the first man, Adam" because "the wisdom of this world is foolishness" to "the spirit which is of God", knowing that God will only call and choose the very people whom this world despises:

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:

It is so for one grand reason:

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

Because we are Shebna, and because we despise our own spiritual husband and prefer our own ways over His, we are promised:

Isa 22:17  Behold, the LORD will carry thee away with a mighty captivity, and will surely cover thee.

Have you ever been captive to a merciless taskmaster? Has God ever given you over to Satan for the destruction of your flesh because of your own physical or spiritual fornication? Few indeed are able to see their own slavery to their own merciless taskmaster even as they look him in the eyes every morning. This is our attitude until that sinful beast, our own merciless taskmaster, is revealed to us by the brightness of the coming of Christ with His mind within us:

Joh 8:33  They answered him, We be Abraham's seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free?

Those words express the spirit of all the 'Shebnas' in Jerusalem, meaning all of us, just before the King of Babylon breached the walls of Jerusalem and took the entire apostate royal family away as captives to Babylon, along with the entire apostate city of Jerusalem.

Isa 22:18  He will surely violently turn and toss thee like a ball into a large country: there shalt thou die, and there the chariots of thy glory shall be the shame of thy lord's house.
Isa 22:19  And I will drive thee from thy station, and from thy state shall he pull thee down.

These words are ours because we have one and all denied our Lord and rejected His ways in our own lives at our own time. Here is what the destruction of Shebna and the king's house typifies as part of "the things freely given to us of God":

2Th 2:1  Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,
2Th 2:2  That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.
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.
2Th 2:5  Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? ["Know ye not that you are the temple of God..." 1Co 3:16]
2Th 2:6  And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time.
2Th 2:7  For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.
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:
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:
2Th 2:12  That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

Claiming Abraham as our Father, or claiming to be a Christian, does not impress our Creator who demands obedience to everything He says:

Luk 6:46  And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?
Luk 6:47  Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will shew you to whom he is like:
Luk 6:48  He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock.
Luk 6:49  But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that without a foundation built an house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great.

Another way of speaking of a house which was built upon the sand is these words:

Isa 22:18  He will surely violently turn and toss thee like a ball into a large country: there shalt thou die, and there the chariots of thy glory shall be the shame of thy lord's house.
Isa 22:19  And I will drive thee from thy station, and from thy state shall he pull thee down.

The destruction of Shebna, the king's treasurer, in time includes the destruction of the king himself, and it is all a type of the destruction of the kingdom of our own old man of sin within every one of us and within every person who is dragged to Christ. It is only through that fiery destruction of the entire kingdom of our rebellious, stubborn, carnal-minded old man that the kingdom of "the new man... the last man Adam", begins to grow and bring forth fruit:

Joh 12:24  Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat [our old man] fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.

The house of Shebna, the apostate treasurer, and the apostate king are told: "[The Lord] will surely violently turn and toss thee like a ball into a large country: there shalt thou die..." Now notice the very next verse reveals to all with eyes that can see "the things freely given to us of God" the wonderful fruit of the corn of wheat falling into the ground and dying:

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.

"Your government" is the government of the apostate treasurer, Shebna, and the government of an apostate king, the son of King Hezekiah:

Isa 39:5  Then said Isaiah to Hezekiah, Hear the word of the LORD of hosts:
Isa 39:6  Behold, the days come, that all that is in thine house, and that which thy fathers have laid up in store until this day, shall be carried to Babylon: nothing shall be left, saith the LORD.
Isa 39:7  And of thy sons that shall issue from thee, which thou shalt beget, shall they take away; and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.
Isa 39:8  Then said Hezekiah to Isaiah, Good is the word of the LORD which thou hast spoken. He said moreover, For there shall be peace and truth in my days.

The Lord's words take time to bring about their fruit, but they never fail to do so at His appointed time. It may seem to us to take much too long, but the truth is that everything happens at the appointed time, and in the Lord's own time the government of both the kingdoms of this world and the government of the realm of the spirit will all be given over into the hands of Christ and His Christ.

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.

Eliakim is a picture of Christ, "a glorious throne to His father's [King David's] house", and He is being "fasten[ed]... as a nail in a sure place", just as Shebna thought he was (vs 25).

These verses referring to "the key of the house of David" are all speaking specifically of God's elect who are being prepared to judge this world and then to judge all men in Gehenna fire. We know this is true because Christ makes this same promise to the overcomers of the church in Philadelphia:

Rev 3:7  And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth;
Rev 3:8  I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name.
Rev 3:9  Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee.
Rev 3:10  Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.

It is Christ who is promised the throne of His father, David.

Luk 1:32  He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:

Therefore, "the key of the house of David" is actually "the keys of the kingdom of heaven":

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

The false doctrine of the Catholic Church is that these words apply only to Peter. I will only remind you that the Greek word translated 'Peter' is 'petros', meaning "a stone" or a piece of a rock, whereas the Greek word translated as 'rock' is 'petra' meaning a massive rock.

Joh 1:42  And he [Andrew, Peter's brother] brought him to Jesus. And when Jesus beheld him, he said, Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, A stone.

In other words, Christ was informing Peter that he and the other apostles were a part of Himself, and that He Himself would build His own church upon Himself, just as the sum of God's word demonstrates:

Mat 16:18  And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter [Greek:  petros], and upon this rock [Greek: petra] 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.

Eph 2:20  And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;

So upon whom will all vessels  hang, and upon whom exactly does the glory of the house of King David hang? Upon whose shoulder is the key to the house of David laid? To whom exactly is it given to open and none can shut and to shut and none can open as we just read?

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.

Here is the answer to all those questions. Here are all those who are pictured by Eliakim as the Christ of Christ:

Mat 18:15  Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.
Mat 18:16  But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.
Mat 18:17  And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican.
Mat 18:18  Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye [the church] shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
Mat 18:19  Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.
Mat 18:20  For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.

There we have it! It is "the church", or "two or three gathered together in my name", who make up "the house of David", and it is among them that Christ is in the midst. "The glory of... the house of David" is the glory of "the kingdom of God", and that "kingdom... is within [His disciples]":

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

It is Christ who opens and no man shuts and shuts and no man opens, and it is Christ upon whose shoulder the key to the house of David is laid. If we are His, then we are Him, and it is we, His church, His body, His flesh and His bones, who are given this key, and it is we who open and no man shuts and who shut and no man opens because we are plainly told "As He is, so are we in this world":

Mat 18:18  Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
Mat 18:19  Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.
Mat 18:20  For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.

Mat 25:40  And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

Mat 25:45  Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.

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

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

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.

There it is! It is none less than "Jesus of Nazareth" who tells us 'the least of these... whom you persecute [is] Jesus of Nazareth'. If the kingdom of God is within us and Christ the King is within us and His words are within us, what then, is "the key of the house of David", and what are "the keys to the kingdom of God"?

Because "the key of the house of David" and "the keys to the kingdom of God" both open and shut things in heaven and on earth, it is once again manifested that "the dream is one", and the key and the keys are one and the same.

Gen 41:26  The seven good kine are seven years; and the seven good ears are seven years: the dream is one.

That 'key' and those 'keys' are Christ, Who is the Word (Joh 1:1). Christ is the king of the kingdom, so like Eliakim and like Shebna before him, those who are given that 'key' and those who possess the 'keys' are those who have been given the power of Christ, the King of the kingdom. It is they, and they alone, who have His Words within their hearts and minds.  They will also have those Words, those "keys to the kingdom", in their hearts and in their mouths as the fire which will proceed from their mouths and will kill their enemies:

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 [Zec 4].
Rev 11:5  And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed.

"The keys to the kingdom of God" therefore simply verify what  has already been revealed to have been opened in heaven and what has already been revealed to have been loosed on earth, as the CLV properly translates both Matthew 16 and Matthew 18:

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

Mat 18:18 Verily, I am saying to you, Whatsoever you should be binding on the earth shall be those things having been bound in the heavens, and whatsoever you should be loosing on the earth shall be those loose in heaven.

Shebna pictures our old man, and he has already been pronounced as having been bound on the earth and unfit and incapable of inheriting the kingdom of heaven:

Isa 22:25 In that day, saith the LORD of hosts, shall the nail that is fastened in the sure place be removed, and be cut down, and fall;
and the burden that was upon it shall be cut off: for the LORD hath spoken it.

Shebna, like the "man of sin" within us who thinks he is God" and who thinks he is "fastened in a sure place", is a type of the kingdom of our carnal-minded rebellious flesh which cannot inherit the kingdom of God, [and] which will "be cut down and fall":

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

The phrase "in that day" appears four times in this twenty-second chapter of Isaiah. Here are those four times:

Isa 22:8  And he discovered the covering of Judah, and thou didst look in that day to the armour of the house of the forest.

Isa 22:12  And in that day did the Lord GOD of hosts call to weeping, and to mourning, and to baldness, and to girding with sackcloth:

Isa 22:20  And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will call my servant Eliakim the son of Hilkiah:

Isa 22:25  In that day, saith the LORD of hosts, shall the nail that is fastened in the sure place be removed, and be cut down, and fall; and the burden that was upon it shall be cut off: for the LORD hath spoken it.

In every case "that day" is the day of the judgment which is now upon the house of God and upon the kingdom of our old man, who sits in the house of God claiming to be God:

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.

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?

Both Shebna and Haman are Old Testament pictures of the house and kingdom of our old man which must be judged "in that day", in the day of judgment, which is even now upon the house of God. The nail that thought it was fastened in a sure place "in that day" is being removed and cut down and is falling, and all those who were hanging onto Shebna or Haman are being cut off because the "flesh and blood [of our old man] cannot inherit the kingdom of God":

Est 9:10  The ten sons of Haman the son of Hammedatha, the enemy of the Jews, slew they; but on the spoil laid they not their hand.
Est 9:11  On that day the number of those that were slain in Shushan the palace [who were hanging on Haman] was brought before the king.
Est 9:12  And the king said unto Esther the queen, The Jews have slain and destroyed five hundred men in Shushan the palace, and the ten sons of Haman; what have they done in the rest of the king's provinces? now what is thy petition? and it shall be granted thee: or what is thy request further? and it shall be done.

Isa 22:25  In that day, saith the LORD of hosts, shall the nail that is fastened in the sure place be removed, and be cut down, and fall; and the burden that was upon it shall be cut off: for the LORD hath spoken it.

That is our study for today, and next week, if the Lord wills, we will begin Isaiah 23 concerning the judgment of Tyre:

Isa 23:1  The burden of Tyre. Howl, ye ships of Tarshish; for it is laid waste, so that there is no house, no entering in: from the land of Chittim it is revealed to them.
Isa 23:2  Be still, ye inhabitants of the isle; thou whom the merchants of Zidon, that pass over the sea, have replenished.
Isa 23:3  And by great waters the seed of Sihor, the harvest of the river, is her revenue; and she is a mart of nations.
Isa 23:4  Be thou ashamed, O Zidon: for the sea hath spoken, even the strength of the sea, saying, I travail not, nor bring forth children, neither do I nourish up young men, nor bring up virgins.
Isa 23:5  As at the report concerning Egypt, so shall they be sorely pained at the report of Tyre.
Isa 23:6  Pass ye over to Tarshish; howl, ye inhabitants of the isle.

Audio Links

Awesome Hands – part 86

“The judgments” Part Q

September 2, 2015

The Lord is ever present in our lives causing good and evil to come about so that He can lead us to our ultimate goal of being with Him.

Obedience is very hard to hold on to when things are not going so well. Whether we are high on the mountain or low in the valley, obedience seems to be our mortal enemy. We tend to strain to keep His commandments at every turn of our lives, but I believe the Lord knows this is exactly how He has made us all to be.

In the study today, we are going to continue in Exodus 23 while focusing on the repeated admonitions of the Lord to “keep His commandments”.

An Angel before thee

In several of the last studies, we have focused on the Truth that we are God’s people but also that all of humanity is being brought in Him according to His timing.
All must go through the water of separation before they can be brought to the fire of God’s word to be purged with it.

Num 31:23  Every thing that may abide the fire, ye shall make it go through the fire, and it shall be clean: nevertheless it shall be purified with the water of separation: and all that abideth not the fire ye shall make go through the water.

More often than not, we see ourselves as the recipients of God’s mercy, love, grace, chastisement or insert whatever verb you would like to use.
However, what we should be focused on is how the Lord is using us for His purposes and not what He is doing to us.

Exo 23:20  Behold, I send an Angel before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared.
Exo 23:21  Beware of him, and obey his voice, provoke him not; for he will not pardon your transgressions: for my name is in him.
Exo 23:22  But if thou shalt indeed obey his voice, and do all that I speak; then I will be an enemy unto thine enemies, and an adversary unto thine adversaries.

We all know that the Angel being spoken about here is Jesus Christ. There is also a connection to these verses that we should directly link in our minds.

When we read these verses we tend to apply them to us individually and “obeying His voice, provoking Him not”. They certainly DO apply to us and the Angel is Jesus Christ, but the Angel is also anyone the Lord uses to bring another lost sheep into the fold.

I am going to list some verses that are probably familiar but that are also confirmations of what I just stated.

Exo 13:21  And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night:
Exo 13:22  He took not away the pillar of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people.

As I read the next verses, I ask you to consider if God’s people meet the qualifications of being sent as an Angel to those God is working with now and all of which He will eventually be working with.

Listen to and read these very important verses telling YOU who YOU are in Jesus Christ!

Clouds:

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

Dan 7:13  I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him.

Mat 24:30  And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
Mat 24:31  And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

Mat 26:63  But Jesus held his peace. And the high priest answered and said unto him, I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us whether thou be THE CHRIST, the Son of God.
Mat 26:64  Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.

Mar 14:62  And Jesus said, I am: and ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.

Rev 1:7  Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.
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.

Act 1:9  And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.
Act 1:10  And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel;
Act 1:11  Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.

Are you hearing the voice of your Lord in these verses today?

We are compassed by a great cloud of witnesses. We run with patience the race of looking toward Jesus Christ the author and finisher of our faith.

Notice that the high priest adjures and forces Jesus to answer if He is the Son of God. Jesus’ answer is YOU have said it and then He goes on to say, “you shall see the SON OF MAN sitting on the right hand of power and coming in the clouds”.

This is significant if you want to know the meaning of your Christian life! Jesus Christ is the Son of God and the Son of man. If you are given to see it, and hear the words being spoken to you via the Holy Spirit, it is YOU who are walking to and fro INTO HEAVEN via Jacob’s ladder.

Gen 28:10  And Jacob went out from Beersheba, and went toward Haran.
Gen 28:11  And he lighted upon a certain place, and tarried there all night, because the sun was set; and he took of the stones of that place, and put them for his pillows, and lay down in that place to sleep.
Gen 28:12  And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it.

Are these same angels the angels mentioned in John?

Joh 1:50  Jesus answered and said unto him, Because I said unto thee, I saw thee under the fig tree, believest thou? thou shalt see greater things than these.
Joh 1:51  And he saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.

Why is it Jesus mentioned “greater things than these” and then immediately mention heaven being opened and the angels of God ascending and descending?

If you read the entire story where Jacob has the dream of the ladder there are some key points that are often over looked.

Jacob was fleeing his brother who wanted to KILL him. The SUN was set and it was night. Jacob rests his head on STONE. He awakens out of his sleep and says something that still applies to us today.

Gen 28:16  And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely the LORD is in this place; and I knew it not.
Gen 28:17  And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place! this is none other but the HOUSE OF GOD, and this is the GATE OF HEAVEN.
Gen 28:18  And Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put for his pillows, and set it up for a pillar, and poured oil upon the top of it.
Gen 28:19  And he called the name of that place Bethel: but the name of that city was called Luz at the first.

If you want to know who you are in the Lord, then listen to what the Lord has prepared for you and has orchestrated over THOUSANDS of years. If you desire to know the purpose of your life, then know that you’ve been BASPTISED into His death and resurrection.

The night is representative of sleep and death and the day of being awakened and life.

Luz, are you listening? Bethel, do you hear? Son of man do you hear, Son of God do you know?

H3870
lûz
BDB Definition:
Luz = “almond tree”
1) the early name of Bethel and probably the name of the town in close proximity to the actual location of the altar and pillar of Jacob
2) the name of a town in the land of the Hittites; site unknown
Part of Speech: noun proper locative
A Related Word by BDB/Strong’s Number: probably from H3869 (as growing there)

Here is who you are thou prophet and prophetess:

Jer 1:1  The words of Jeremiah the son of Hilkiah, of the priests that were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin:
Jer 1:2  To whom the word of the LORD came in the days of Josiah the son of Amon king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign.
Jer 1:3  It came also in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, unto the end of the eleventh year of Zedekiah the son of Josiah king of Judah, unto the carrying away of Jerusalem captive in the fifth month.
Jer 1:4  Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
Jer 1:5  Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.
Jer 1:6  Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child.
Jer 1:7  But the LORD said unto me, Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak.
Jer 1:8  Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the LORD.
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.
Jer 1:11  Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Jeremiah, what seest thou? And I said, I see a rod of an almond(H3870) tree.
Jer 1:12  Then said the LORD unto me, Thou hast well seen: for I will hasten my word to perform it.

The Lord knows us before we were ever born and we were sanctified before we ever took our first breath. Our sanctification is to start off as Luz and be renamed Bethel, the house of God.

Being the house of God is being the angel the Lord says He will send to “keep the way” to the place He has prepared.

Exo 23:20  Behold, I send an Angel before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared.

Exo 13:21  And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night:

Being the light is not just speaking the “good” things and good news. It’s living it as the “pillar of fire” and having the “fire of the Word of God” upon your mouths.

Being the light of the world is much more than just applying the Word of God to ourselves. We must BE the example of Jesus Christ Himself as we interact with those around us and as the Lord gives us the victory to do so.

It is not easy nor are we alone. The Lord is with us and does the battle for us, both in us and around us in others. Our victories do NOT come overnight and we are given victory day by day so that we are not overthrown.

Fire burns until the work is complete.

Fire:

Exo 23:23  For mine Angel shall go before thee, and bring thee in unto the Amorites, and the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Canaanites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites: and I will cut them off.
Exo 23:24  Thou shalt not bow down to their gods, nor serve them, nor do after their works: but thou shalt utterly overthrow them, and quite break down their images.
Exo 23:25  And ye shall serve the LORD your God, and he shall bless thy bread, and thy water; and I will take sickness away from the midst of thee.
Exo 23:26  There shall nothing cast their young, nor be barren, in thy land: the number of thy days I will fulfil.
Exo 23:27  I will send my fear before thee, and will destroy all the people to whom thou shalt come, and I will make all thine enemies turn their backs unto thee.

Those the Lord sends us to, whom He has purposed to be worked with now for the purposes of His Kingdom of heaven, will be destroyed with the words that proceed out of mouth.

For those clouds who are without rain, they too will have their reward and we must be DILIGENT to pray that the Lord causes us to remain “faithful clouds”.

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.

2Pe 2:17  These are wells without water, clouds that are carried with a tempest; to whom the mist of darkness is reserved for ever.
2Pe 2:18  For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in error.

Jud 1:11  Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core.
Jud 1:12  These are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear: clouds they are without water, carried about of winds; trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots;

The Lord will send hornets before us to both slay the enemy of the Lord WITHIN us and also without us in OTHERS.

Exo 23:28  And I will send hornets before thee, which shall drive out the Hivite, the Canaanite, and the Hittite, from before thee.
Exo 23:29  I will not drive them out from before thee in one year; lest the land become desolate, and the beast of the field multiply against thee.
Exo 23:30  By little and little I will drive them out from before thee, until thou be increased, and inherit the land.
Exo 23:31  And I will set thy bounds from the Red sea even unto the sea of the Philistines, and from the desert unto the river: for I will deliver the inhabitants of the land into your hand; and thou shalt drive them out before thee.
Exo 23:32  Thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor with their gods.
Exo 23:33  They shall not dwell in thy land, lest they make thee sin against me: for if thou serve their gods, it will surely be a snare unto thee.

The hornets represent an act which is not of sword or bow but one of a direct act of the Lord Himself, just like the freeing of God’s people from Egypt.

The root word of hornet is leprosy. The warning to us is that we are to obey the commandments of the Lord and we are NOT to serve nor worship the gods of the people who God clears out of the land on our behalf. If we do worship other gods, then the Lord can just as easily send the plagues of Egypt upon us again.

Deu 7:18  Thou shalt not be afraid of them: but shalt well remember what the LORD thy God did unto Pharaoh, and unto all Egypt;
Deu 7:19  The great temptations which thine eyes saw, and the signs, and the wonders, and the mighty hand, and the stretched out arm, whereby the LORD thy God brought thee out: so shall the LORD thy God do unto all the people of whom thou art afraid.
Deu 7:20  Moreover the LORD thy God will send the hornet among them, until they that are left, and hide themselves from thee, be destroyed.

Jos 24:12  And I sent the hornet before you, which drave them out from before you, even the two kings of the Amorites; but not with thy sword, nor with thy bow.
Jos 24:13  And I have given you a land for which ye did not labour, and cities which ye built not, and ye dwell in them; of the vineyards and oliveyards which ye planted not do ye eat.
Jos 24:14  Now therefore fear the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the LORD.
Jos 24:15  And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.

It should be abundantly clear that before we are brought to the water of separation, representing baptism, we served others gods.

The gods we serve are always gods which come forth from our own hearts. Sure, there may be names given to them, they may represent the sun, moon or stars or they may represent fertility, death, life, the ground, the rain, etc.

What is abundantly clear is that those “gods” are formed from the worship that is not of Spirit and Truth, but is of self-worship in some way. We all want health, food in our bellies, a roof on our head and peace around us therefore we worship the means of gaining these things.

I am not saying that these “gods” do not have names, but they are names given to worship the “idol” instead of the one name above all names.

Php 2:8  And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
Php 2:9  Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:
Php 2:10  That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;

A good example of this is when Jesus cast out the unclean spirit, and asked for its name first.

Mar 5:7  And cried with a loud voice, and said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of the most high God? I adjure thee by God, that thou torment me not.
Mar 5:8  For he said unto him, Come out of the man, thou unclean spirit.
Mar 5:9  And he asked him, What is thy name? And he answered, saying, My name is Legion: for we are many.

Many are contrasted to One. The Father and Christ are One, we are One with Christ, therefore we are One with the Father. Unclean spirits can give themselves all sorts of names to worship, but that is for mankind to be able to “name” their god or idol and to NOT worship the One True Holy God.

Joh 17:11  And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are.

Eze 39:6  And I will send a fire on Magog, and among them that dwell carelessly in the isles: and they shall know that I am the LORD.
Eze 39:7  So will I make my holy name known in the midst of my people Israel; and I will not let them pollute my holy name any more: and the heathen shall know that I am the LORD, the Holy One in Israel.

The flood and the parting of the Red Sea both represent the baptism God’s people must go through. After that, we BECOME the clouds made of WATER by day leading to the Way, Truth and Life.

At night, we become FIRE to bring to naught anything that needs to be purified. It should be spiritually clear that we are the pillars of cloud and fire because we are also pillars in the temple of God.

Rev 3:10  Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.
Rev 3:11  Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.
Rev 3:12  Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.

Exo 23:20  Behold, I send an Angel before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared.
Exo 23:21  Beware of him, and obey his voice, provoke him not; for he will not pardon your transgressions: FOR MY NAME IS IN HIM.

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,

The patience of the race set before us is that we are in a marathon and not a sprint and the things the Lord is working in us and in others through us are happening each and every day of our lives.