Ezekiel 32:1–16 A Lament Over Pharoah and Egypt

[Study Aired September 16, 2024]

INTRODUCTION

Today’s study reflects the destruction of Pharoah and Egypt. As we have indicated in the previous studies, Pharoah represents our old man or flesh. Today’s study deals with the judgement of Pharoah and Egypt and the resulting benefit that shall follow after the judgement.

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 study concludes with the destruction of the beasts such that there shall be no foot of man or the hoofs of the beasts to trouble the waters. As a result, the waters shall flow like oil. These concluding statements show us the salvation of all men of every age which shall come about after the destruction of the beasts within man.

1Ti 4:9  This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation.
1Ti 4:10 For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe.

 

A lamentation for Pharoah, King of Egypt

Eze 32:1  And it came to pass in the twelfth year, in the twelfth month, in the first day of the month, that the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 
Eze 32:2 Son of man, take up a lamentation for Pharaoh king of Egypt, and say unto him, Thou art like a young lion of the nations, and thou art as a whale in the seas: and thou camest forth with thy rivers, and troubledst the waters with thy feet, and fouledst their rivers. 

The number twelve means foundation and it is also the number of Christ. In our walk in the churches of this world, our foundations in Christ were destroyed.

Psa 11:3  If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do? 

This means that the twelfth year in the twelfth month in the first day of the month when the word of the Lord came to Ezekiel implies that the Lord’s coming to us with the spirit of His mouth and His brightness is to build our foundation in Him as we go through the judgement of our old man.

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: 

Isa 44:28  That saith of Cyrus, He is my shepherd, and shall perform all my pleasure: even saying to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be built; and to the temple, Thy foundation shall be laid.

Zec 8:9  Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Let your hands be strong, ye that hear in these days these words by the mouth of the prophets, which were in the day that the foundation of the house of the LORD of hosts was laid, that the temple might be built.

As indicated in the previous studies, Pharoah, king of Egypt, represents our old man or flesh.  Here in verse 2, the Lord requesting Ezekiel to take up a lamentation for Pharoah, the king of Egypt, is to let us know the evil experience we must pass through for the destruction of our old man or flesh symbolized by Pharoah, the king of Egypt. In this verse, the Lord compared Pharoah with a young lion of the nations and also a whale in the seas. A key characteristic of a young lion is his persistent pursuit to capture a prey as shown in the following verses:

Psa 17:12  Like as a lion that is greedy of his prey, and as it were a young lion lurking in secret places.

Isa 5:29  Their roaring shall be like a lion, they shall roar like young lions: yea, they shall roar, and lay hold of the prey, and shall carry it away safe, and none shall deliver it.

Pharoah likened to a young lion of the nations therefore implies that our old man or flesh was made to dominate or capture mankind or people of the world as a prey. A whale represents the sea of our flesh or old man. Therefore, Pharoah being described as the whale in the seas is to show us that Pharoah represents our old man or flesh.

Job 7:12  Am I a sea, or a whale, that thou settest a watch over me?

One key role of the whale as described in verse 2 is churning up muddy waters with his feet. This implies that if we are dominated by the flesh, that is our walk in the flesh, we end up coming up with muddy waters which refer to the false doctrines of man’s wisdom and tradition. As a result, we make the word of the Lord of no effect in our lives.

Col 2:8  Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. 

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

Mar 7:13 Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye.

Eze 32:3  Thus saith the Lord GOD; I will therefore spread out my net over thee with a company of many people; and they shall bring thee up in my net. 
Eze 32:4 Then will I leave thee upon the land, I will cast thee forth upon the open field, and will cause all the fowls of the heaven to remain upon thee, and I will fill the beasts of the whole earth with thee.

The company of many people represent the physical churches of this world or Babylon. Our flesh is likened to fishes of the sea where the Lord cast His net over us, making the churches of this world drag us from the sea to the land. Being cast forth upon the open field in verse 4 means that our walk in the churches of this world is likened to an open field where we live like people of the world as our flesh is empowered by the devil and his cohorts, signified by the fowls of the heavens. It is at this point that the beasts of the whole earth dominate us to the fullest. We need to understand that our flesh or old man or the beast within us was made to be taken and destroyed. Thus, in our walk in the churches of this world, the Lord seeks an occasion to come and destroy our flesh as He allows us to be dominated by the beasts of the whole earth.

2Pe 2:12  But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not; and shall utterly perish in their own corruption;

Jud 1:10 But these speak evil of those things which they know not: but what they know naturally, as brute beasts, in those things they corrupt themselves.

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

Eze 32:5  And I will lay thy flesh upon the mountains, and fill the valleys with thy height. 
Eze 32:6 I will also water with thy blood the land wherein thou swimmest, even to the mountains; and the rivers shall be full of thee. 

As indicated in the previous study, the mountains and valleys on a positive note represent the assembly of the Lord’s elect, as shown in the following verse:

Eze 6:3 Say this, ‘You mountains of Israel, listen to the word of the Almighty LORD! This is what the Almighty LORD says to the mountains and hills and to the ravines and valleys: I am going to attack you with a sword and destroy your worship sites.

In verse 5, therefore, the laying of our flesh upon the mountains and the filling of the valleys therefore signify the unveiling of the dying of our old man or flesh through the Lord’s judgement in the assembly of the Lord’s elect.

Eph 4:15  But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:
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.

The life of the flesh is in the blood and therefore, the land being watered with the blood of our old man or flesh in verse 6 signifies the death of our flesh or old man within our bodies (land). The streams being full of the flesh in verse 6 implies that we shall come to see that the false doctrines (the rivers) in our heavens emanates from the flesh and is about man’s wisdom and tradition.

Lev 17:11  For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.

Eze 32:7  And when I shall put thee out, I will cover the heaven, and make the stars thereof dark; I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon shall not give her light. 
Eze 32:8 All the bright lights of heaven will I make dark over thee, and set darkness upon thy land, saith the Lord GOD. 

These verses describe the day of the Lord which is the time of His judgement of our old man or flesh. This is what Apostle Peter describes about the day of the Lord on the day of Pentecost:

Act 2:19  And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke:
Act 2:20  The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come:
Act 2:21 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Verses 7 and 8 show us that all the bright lights of heavens, together with the stars, shall be darkened as the sun is covered with the clouds and the moon is not giving her light. Comparing these verses with Apostle Paul’s description of the Lord’s day of judgement shows us that the sun being darkened is equivalent to the sun being covered with a cloud, and the moon not giving her light is the same as the moon not giving her light because it covered with blood. The sun being darkened means that when we are dominated by the flesh, we are not able to see Christ who represents the sun, because of the smoke that comes out of our bottomless pit. That is to say that out of our flesh (bottomless pit) comes false doctrines which prevent us from knowing Christ.

Rev 9:2  And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit. 

As part of the Lord’s judgement of our old man or flesh, we are given over to the desires of our hearts which include believing the false doctrines from our flesh. This is to give the Lord the occasion that He is seeking to come and judge us.

Rom 1:18  For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; 
Rom 1:19  Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.
Rom 1:20  For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:
Rom 1:21  Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
Rom 1:22  Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,
Rom 1:23  And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.
Rom 1:24  Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:
Rom 1:25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.

The moon turning into blood or not giving her light implies that we become guilty for the death of the Lord’s saints because we hate them. This is because the little knowledge of the Lord has been taken away from us. We know that hating our brothers or sisters is the same as being a murderer and therefore we are guilty of the death of the Lord and His saints. This is all to give the Lord the occasion that He is seeking to come into our lives to destroy our old man or flesh.

Mat 23:34  Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city:
Mat 23:35  That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar. 
Mat 23:36 Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation.

Eze 32:9  I will also vex the hearts of many people, when I shall bring thy destruction among the nations, into the countries which thou hast not known. 
Eze 32:10 Yea, I will make many people amazed at thee, and their kings shall be horribly afraid for thee, when I shall brandish my sword before them; and they shall tremble at every moment, every man for his own life, in the day of thy fall. 

When Joseph’s brothers came to realize that Joseph was alive, they were troubled, thinking that Joseph would seek revenge or judge them because of the trouble they took Joseph through, especially when Jacob, their father died.

Gen 50:15  And when Joseph’s brethren saw that their father was dead, they said, Joseph will peradventure hate us, and will certainly requite us all the evil which we did unto him. 
Gen 50:16  And they sent a messenger unto Joseph, saying, Thy father did command before he died, saying,
Gen 50:17  So shall ye say unto Joseph, Forgive, I pray thee now, the trespass of thy brethren, and their sin; for they did unto thee evil: and now, we pray thee, forgive the trespass of the servants of the God of thy father. And Joseph wept when they spake unto him.
Gen 50:18 And his brethren also went and fell down before his face; and they said, Behold, we be thy servants.

Our brothers and sisters in Babylon who represent the “many people” shall be troubled as they see that the judgement of their old man is at hand.

Isa 13:8  And they shall be afraid: pangs and sorrows shall take hold of them; they shall be in pain as a woman that travaileth: they shall be amazed one at another; their faces shall be as flames.

As indicated by Apostle Peter, if we, His elect are scarcely saved through the Lord’s judgement, what shall be the end of them (“many people”) who do not believe? Many people shall be stunned, especially, the leaders of Babylon, signified as the kings of the many people in verse 19, as they see the judgement of the Lord at hand.

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

 

The Judgement of the Lord

Eze 32:11  For thus saith the Lord GOD; The sword of the king of Babylon shall come upon thee. 
Eze 32:12 By the swords of the mighty will I cause thy multitude to fall, the terrible of the nations, all of them: and they shall spoil the pomp of Egypt, and all the multitude thereof shall be destroyed. 

When we are dominated by the flesh or our old man, the Lord gives us over to be ruled by the sword of the King of Babylon. As we have indicated in previous studies, the negative aspect of “sword” refers to words that are spoken which destroy us. The sword refers to the lying words and false doctrines of the adversary.

2Ti 2:17  And their word will eat as doth a canker: of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus;
2Ti 2:18  Who concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already; and overthrow the faith of some.

Psa 64:2  Hide me from the secret counsel of the wicked; from the insurrection of the workers of iniquity:
Psa 64:3  Who whet their tongue like a sword, and bend their bows to shoot their arrows, even bitter words:

These negative words spoken is one of the tools that the Lord uses to cause people to speak bitter words to us, His elect.

Eze 38:21 And I will call for a sword against him throughout all my mountains, saith the Lord GOD: every man’s sword shall be against his brother.

Jdg 7:22 And the three hundred [men with Gideon] blew the trumpets, and the LORD set every man’s sword against his fellow, even throughout all the host [of the Midianites]: and the host fled to Bethshittah in Zererath, and to the border of Abelmeholah, unto Tabbath.

In verse 12, we are made aware that the swords of the mighty is what causes the multitude to fall including the terrible of the nations. This implies that it is through false doctrines propagated in Babylon which caused many to become spiritually dead. These false doctrines is what gives Babylon control of the nations of this world.

Rev 17:1  And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters:
Rev 17:2  With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication.
Rev 17:3  So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.
Rev 17:4  And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:
Rev 17:5  And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
Rev 17:6 And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration. 

The woman sitting upon many waters means that Babylon or the physical churches of this world have control over people (multitude) and nations. As indicated in verse 12, this control is through the false doctrines or the sword of the king of Babylon which destroys the pomp of Egypt and all the multitude.

The pomp of Egypt refers to the attractiveness or the pride of the world which involves the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life. “The multitude” signifies the people of the world including our brothers and sisters in Babylon. Through the Lord’s judgement of our old man, the attraction of the world, the old man or flesh in the lives of the people of the world, shall be destroyed.

1Jn 2:15  Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
1Jn 2:16  For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. 
1Jn 2:17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever.

Eze 32:13  I will destroy also all the beasts thereof from beside the great waters; neither shall the foot of man trouble them anymore, nor the hoofs of beasts trouble them. 
Eze 32:14  Then will I make their waters deep, and cause their rivers to run like oil, saith the Lord GOD.

The “great waters” in verse 13 signify the false doctrines of man’s wisdom and tradition. These false doctrines comes from our flesh or our old man or beast. The destruction of all the beasts shall take place in the Lake of Fire as all mankind from Adam to date shall be judged. The fact that the feet of humans and the hoofs of beasts cannot stir up the water anymore implies that the beast within man, which is the source of the false doctrines in our heavens, shall be destroyed completely, such that there will not be any false doctrines.

As described in verse 14, the only river available shall run like oil. This river is the water of life which proceeds out of the throne of the God and of the Lamb. Oil represents the Spirit and it is the spirit that gives life. The Lord causing the rivers to run like oil therefore signifies that all humanity shall come to have the spiritual understanding of the word of the Lord which gives life.

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

Rev 22:1  And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. 
Rev 22:2  In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. 
Rev 22:3  And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him:
Rev 22:4  And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads.
Rev 22:5 And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.

Eze 32:15  When I shall make the land of Egypt desolate, and the country shall be destitute of that whereof it was full, when I shall smite all them that dwell therein, then shall they know that I am the LORD. 
Eze 32:16 This is the lamentation wherewith they shall lament her: the daughters of the nations shall lament her: they shall lament for her, even for Egypt, and for all her multitude, saith the Lord GOD. 

In verse 15, Egypt symbolizes the world. The making of the land of Egypt desolate therefore represents the Lord’s judgement of the world during the lake of fire age.  The result of this judgement is that all shall come to know who the Lord is.

2Sa 14:14  For we must needs die, and are as water spilt on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again; neither doth God respect any person: yet doth he devise means, that his banished be not expelled from him. 

1Ti 4:9  This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation. 
1Ti 4:10 For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe. 

1Ti 2:3  For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; 
1Ti 2:4 Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. 

The daughters of the nations in verse 16 signifies the physical churches of this world who shall lament the destruction of the old man in their lives, which is the source of all worldliness. This is the order in which these daughters of the nations shall be saved:

Eze 16:53  When I shall bring again their captivity, the captivity of Sodom and her daughters, and the captivity of Samaria and her daughters, then will I bring again the captivity of thy captives in the midst of them:

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

May the Lord continue to deliver us from our old man or flesh. Amen!!

Ezekiel 31:1–18 Pharoah Shall Be Slain

[Study Aired September 9, 2024]

Introduction

Today’s study continues with the prophecy against Egypt with focus on Pharoah, the King of Egypt. As we have indicated in previous studies, Pharoah represents our old man or flesh. Today’s study compares Pharoah to the Assyrian who is likened to a cedar of Lebanon.

As we are aware, the Bible is full of metaphors and sometimes it compares our walk with the Lord with the growth of trees. A metaphor is a figure of speech that implicitly compares two unrelated things, typically by stating that one thing is another. For example, we, His elect, are likened to palm trees and cedars of Lebanon.

Psa 92:12  The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. 
Psa 92:13  Those that be planted in the house of the LORD shall flourish in the courts of our God.
Psa 92:14 They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing;

The house of the Lord is the same as the courts of our God. These verses therefore show us that it is when we are given to come into the assembly of the Lord’s elect, that is the house of the Lord, that we grow spiritually like trees as a result of what every joints supplies, that is, the water of the word.

Heb 12:22  But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, 
Heb 12:23  To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, 
Heb 12:24  And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.
Heb 12:25 See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven:  

Eph 4:11  And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
Eph 4:12  For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
Eph 4:13  Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:
Eph 4:14  That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;
Eph 4:15  But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:
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.   

Our growth spiritually, is dependent on our fellowship with our brothers and sisters as we all grow together in the unity of the faith. This unity of the faith means that we all have the same mind of 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. 

This dependence of our spiritual growth based on the fellowship of our brothers and sisters is given a witness in Proverbs which says that He who finds a wife, finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord. The wife here signifies the bride of Christ who represents the fellowship of the Lord’s elect.

Pro 18:22  Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing, and obtaineth favour of the LORD. 

The favor of the Lord here is being given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God which comes through being part of the bride, that is, finding a wife.

In Today’s study, the focus is on the cedars of Lebanon. To understand our discussion for today, we need to know some basic characteristics of cedars of Lebanon. They grow up to 120 feet tall (about 10-12 story buildings) and their branches are wide-spreading (about 30-50 feet from its truck). They are known in Biblical times as the kings of trees. They cast down their roots as deeply as is their heights upward.

Hos 14:5  I will be as the dew unto Israel: he shall grow as the lily, and cast forth his roots as Lebanon.

According to Jamieson, Fausset and Brown Commentary, his roots as Lebanon means the roots of the trees of Lebanon especially cedars. A tree with deep roots is able to survive in all kinds of conditions. Apostle Paul used this to tell us to be rooted and grounded in God’s love. In other words, we must be rooted and grounded in the resources the Lord provides for us because He loves us.

Eph 3:17  That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, 
Eph 3:18  May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;
Eph 3:19 And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.

The Assyrian Compared to Cedars of Lebanon

Eze 31:1  And it came to pass in the eleventh year, in the third month, in the first day of the month, that the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 
Eze 31:2 Son of man, speak unto Pharaoh king of Egypt, and to his multitude; Whom art thou like in thy greatness? 

The number eleven signifies the ruin and disintegration of the perfection of the flesh and that of the number three is about the process of spiritual maturity through judgement. The number one shows us that everything is of God. With this in mind, the eleventh year in the third month of the first day of the month in which the word of the Lord came to Ezekiel in verse 1 signifies the coming of the Lord to His elect to start the process of spiritual maturity through His judgement of our old man or flesh.  This process entails the ruin and disintegration of our flesh. The time that our Lord comes to us with His judgement is when our sins have reached their fulness. In this case, the sins of Pharoah the King of Egypt, who represents our flesh or old man has become complete. In the Book of Revelation, it is when the sins of Babylon have reached their fulness or become complete is the time that the Lord shall come to judge her.

Rev 18:5  For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.
Rev 18:6  Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works: in the cup which she hath filled fill to her double.
Rev 18:7  How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow.
Rev 18:8 Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her.

In verse 2, Pharoah refers to our old man or our flesh and his multitude represent the people of this world who are dominated by the flesh including our brothers and sisters in the churches of this world. It is this multitude that do evil as they are dominated by the flesh. 

Exo 23:2  Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil; neither shalt thou speak in a cause to decline after many to wrest judgment:

Exo 12:38  And a mixed multitude went up also with them; and flocks, and herds, even very much cattle.

Here in verse 2, the Lord wants to show us the dominance and the destruction of our old man by seeking a comparison with one of the greatest empire in ancient times – the Assyrian empire. By comparing our old man or flesh (Pharoah) to the Assyrian empire, the Lord is showing us how He has resourced our flesh or old man to dominate us until the set time that He has appointed, to come and deal with him. In Second Thessalonians, Paul shows us how our old man or flesh has flourished as he dominates or is worshipped by every human being until the set time that the Lord has appointed, where He comes and deal with him with the spirit of His mouth and His brightness.

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?
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:

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

Eze 31:3  Behold, the Assyrian was a cedar in Lebanon with fair branches, and with a shadowing shroud, and of an high stature; and his top was among the thick boughs. 
Eze 31:4  The waters made him great, the deep set him up on high with her rivers running round about his plants, and sent out her little rivers unto all the trees of the field. 
Eze 31:5 Therefore his height was exalted above all the trees of the field, and his boughs were multiplied, and his branches became long because of the multitude of waters, when he shot forth. 

In verse 3, the Assyrian is compared with a cedar in Lebanon. In the Bible, those who are rich or kings use cedar to build houses to live in. In this case, cedars of Lebanon represent our tabernacle or our flesh or bodies since we, His elect, are spiritually rich in Christ. Since the Assyrian in verse 3 was likened to a cedar of Lebanon, it implies that the Assyrian represent our flesh or old man.

2Sa 7:2  That the king said unto Nathan the prophet, See now, I dwell in an house of cedar, but the ark of God dwelleth within curtains.

2Sa 7:7  In all the places wherein I have walked with all the children of Israel spake I a word with any of the tribes of Israel, whom I commanded to feed my people Israel, saying, Why build ye not me an house of cedar?

Son 1:17  The beams of our house are cedar, and our rafters of fir.

Here in verse 3, the Lord is showing us that our old man or flesh is like a cedar of Lebanon with a shadowing shroud, high stature and its top being among the thick bough. This implies that our flesh or old man is a formidable force to deal with and it is only in Christ that we can win the victory over him.

1Co 15:57  But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Being a formidable force within us is another way of saying that our flesh or the beast within us is such that no one can make war with Him.

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

Verse 4 focuses on the deep or the waters that makes our old man great as he sent out his little rivers unto all the trees of the field. The deep refers to the sea of mankind. The waters refers to the false doctrines of human wisdom and tradition which come from the sea of human flesh which nourish all mankind (except the Lord’s elect), signified here by the trees of the field. Our flesh from which comes the waters that nourish all mankind is another way of saying that our old man or flesh or beast is worshipped by all mankind.

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

Verse 5 is about how the height of the cedar tree is exalted above all the trees of the field and his branches are long because of the multitude of waters when it shoots up. As we are aware, it is Christ our Lord who is exalted above all humanity in the world. Verse 5 starts with “therefore”, meaning that it is the waters in verse 4 which causes our flesh or old man to be exalted, thinking that he is God. These waters refer to our false doctrines in our heavens which make us believe that we have our own freewill which is the prerogative of God alone. Thus, what is being said in verse 5 is that our flesh exalts himself to the status of God because he thinks he is the one in control of his own destiny.

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?

Isa 14:13  For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: 
Isa 14:14  I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.
Isa 14:15 Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.

Eze 31:6  All the fowls of heaven made their nests in his boughs, and under his branches did all the beasts of the field bring forth their young, and under his shadow dwelt all great nations. 
Eze 31:7  Thus was he fair in his greatness, in the length of his branches: for his root was by great waters. 

All the fowls of heaven making their nests in his boughs in verse 6 signify the devil being the empowering force behind our old man or flesh.

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

The beasts of the field signifies our flesh. All the beasts of the field bringing forth their young under his branches means within us or out of our flesh comes forth false doctrines of man’s wisdom and tradition.

Act 20:30  Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them. 

When we are dominated by the flesh or spiritually dead, then it means that we have been given over to the fowls of the air and the beasts of the field.

1Sa 17:44  And the Philistine said to David, Come to me, and I will give thy flesh unto the fowls of the air, and to the beasts of the field.

In verse 6, we are also told that it is under the shadow of our old man that all great nations dwell which means that everyone not born of God is under the sway of our flesh.

1Jn 5:4  For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.

1Jn 5:18 We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not.

Verse 7 continues the description of our flesh by indicating that our flesh or old man is like cedar which is big and beautiful with its many branches. This is because its roots reach down to many sources of water.  Just as all the good and evil things that were created by the Lord serve the very purpose for which they were created, our old man being beautiful means he serves the purpose for which it was created. Being big with many branches means our flesh has a dominant influence on people of the world except the Lord’s elect. This dominance over mankind is due to many waters or sea of flesh that he is in contact with. This many waters represent the false doctrines emanating from the sea of flesh. That means false doctrines of man’s wisdom and tradition.

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

Col 2:8  Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. 

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

Mar 7:13 Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye.

Eze 31:8  The cedars in the garden of God could not hide him: the fir trees were not like his boughs, and the chesnut trees were not like his branches; nor any tree in the garden of God was like unto him in his beauty. 
Eze 31:9  I have made him fair by the multitude of his branches: so that all the trees of Eden, that were in the garden of God, envied him. 
Eze 31:10 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thou hast lifted up thyself in height, and he hath shot up his top among the thick boughs, and his heart is lifted up in his height; 

The reference to the garden of Eden in verses 8 and 9, where the cedar is distinct in terms of its beauty among all the trees is to let us know that the flesh or our old man was the epitome of the Lord’s creation. That is to say that the Lord’s hands specifically formed our flesh or old man to be the excellence of His creation, just as the Lord’s hands formed the crooked serpent.

Job 26:13  By his spirit he hath garnished the heavens; his hand hath formed the crooked serpent. 

In Isaiah 14:12, our old man or flesh is referred to as Lucifer, the son of the morning. The accolade “Lucifer” which means the shining one and son of the morning all describes our old man’s status as the excellency of the Lord’s creation. However, being worshipped by the whole world resulted in pride and therefore had to be brought down through the Lord’s judgement. This is all part of the Lord’s work as our flesh or the beast within was made to be taken and destroyed.

Isa 14:12  How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! 
Isa 14:13  For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
Isa 14:14  I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.
Isa 14:15  Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.
Isa 14:16 They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms;

2Pe 2:12  But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not; and shall utterly perish in their own corruption;

Jud 1:10 But these speak evil of those things which they know not: but what they know naturally, as brute beasts, in those things they corrupt themselves.

The Lord’s Judgement

Eze 31:11  I have therefore delivered him into the hand of the mighty one of the heathen; he shall surely deal with him: I have driven him out for his wickedness. 
Eze 31:12  And strangers, the terrible of the nations, have cut him off, and have left him: upon the mountains and in all the valleys his branches are fallen, and his boughs are broken by all the rivers of the land; and all the people of the earth are gone down from his shadow, and have left him. 
Eze 31:13 Upon his ruin shall all the fowls of the heaven remain, and all the beasts of the field shall be upon his branches: 

As indicated in verse 11, as a result of the wickedness of our old man or flesh, the Lord has come to judge him by giving him over into the hands of the mighty one of the heathens. The mighty one of the heathen signifies the devil whom the Lord has given over the kingdoms of this world. Thus, delivering our old man or flesh to the devil implies being judged, resulting in the death of our flesh or old man.  We must remember that the man who slept with his father’s wife and was therefore handed over to Satan was for the purpose of the destruction of his flesh.

1Co 5:3  For I verily, as absent in body, but present in spirit, have judged already, as though I were present, concerning him that hath so done this deed,
1Co 5:4  In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ,
1Co 5:5 To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.

In verse 12, the Lord will use foreigners from the most ruthless nation to judge our flesh. The instrument of judgement here is the sword which the Lord shall cause every man’s sword to be against his brother.

Eze 38:21 And I will call for a sword against him throughout all my mountains, saith the Lord GOD: every man’s sword shall be against his brother.

Jdg 7:22 And the three hundred [men with Gideon] blew the trumpets, and the LORD set every man’s sword against his fellow, even throughout all the host [of the Midianites]: and the host fled to Bethshittah in Zererath, and to the border of Abelmeholah, unto Tabbath.

As a result of the Lord’s judgement, its branches fell on the mountains and every valley with his broken branches falling into all the rivers of the land. In the Bible mountains and valleys can signify worship sites or the assembly of believers. This implies that it is through the assembly of the Lord’s elect and the word of the Lord that we come to see the destruction of our old man or flesh which prepares us to be manifested as the sons of God. That is what will result in the salvation of all humanity as the people of the earth come out of the shade of the flesh or old man.

Eze 6:3 Say this, ‘You mountains of Israel, listen to the word of the Almighty LORD! This is what the Almighty LORD says to the mountains and hills and to the ravines and valleys: I am going to attack you with a sword and destroy your worship sites.

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

In verse 13, we are told that on its fallen trunk dwell all the birds of heaven and on its branches are all the beasts of the field. It is as we are judged that we come to see that our old man received his power from the devil. We also come to realize that we are indeed beast before our Lord.

Psa 73:22  So foolish was I, and ignorant: I was as a beast before thee. 

Ecc 3:18  I said in mine heart concerning the estate of the sons of men, that God might manifest them, and that they might see that they themselves are beasts. 

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

Eze 31:14  To the end that none of all the trees by the waters exalt themselves for their height, neither shoot up their top among the thick boughs, neither their trees stand up in their height, all that drink water: for they are all delivered unto death, to the nether parts of the earth, in the midst of the children of men, with them that go down to the pit. 

As we have indicated, trees represent people. The judgement of the Lord together with His elect during the lake of fire age shall result in the salvation of all people of every age. This judgement shall destroy the pride in man and everything that mitigate against the rule of Christ in the lives of all humanity. It shall also destroy all the false doctrines of man’s wisdom and tradition which is signified here in verse 14 by the stopping of the flow of the many water sources. The old man of every man or woman shall be destroyed completely as symbolized by the trees being given over to death.

1Ti 4:9  This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation.
1Ti 4:10 For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe.        

1Ti 2:3  For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour;
1Ti 2:4 Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.  

In this age however, it is only the Lord’s elect that are being judged to become saviors of all mankind as judgement shall be given to them to judge the human race from every generation.

1Pe 4:17  For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? 
1Pe 4:18 And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?

1Co 6:2  Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters? 
1Co 6:3 Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?

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.

Eze 31:15 Thus saith the Lord GOD; In the day when he went down to the grave I caused a mourning: I covered the deep for him, and I restrained the floods thereof, and the great waters were stayed: and I caused Lebanon to mourn for him, and all the trees of the field fainted for him.

Here in verse 15, we are being told that the judgement of our old man or flesh as the Lord’s elect is an evil experience as we mourn during this process of His judgement. That is why the two witnesses in the Book of Revelation were clothed in sackcloth to symbolize the mourning of the Lord’s elect as we go through the Lord’s judgement in this age.

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. 

Verse 15 emphasizes the benefits of the Lord’s judgement as the Lord destroys all the false doctrines in our heavens by covering the waters from the sea and holding back the rivers to stop the many water sources from flowing in our hearts and minds.

Verse 15 also indicates that all those in Lebanon shall mourn the destruction of our flesh. Lebanon means white. On a positive note, white refers to the light of the truth of the word of the Lord. In other words, it is those whose garments are being made white who are given to know the truth of the Lord’s words. Thus, Lebanon being caused to mourn our old man’s destruction means that the Lord’s elect shall mourn as we go through the Lord’s judgement of our old man.

Ecc 9:8  Let thy garments be always white; and let thy head lack no ointment.   

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 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 verse 15, we are made aware that all the trees of the field faint for the destruction of our old man. The word “faint” used in verse 15 means mourning according to Strong’s Dictionary. The trees of the field refers to all humanity who are not given to know Christ in this age. This implies that all humanity shall also mourn the death of their old man as they go through the Lord’s judgement during the lake of fire age.

Eze 31:16  I made the nations to shake at the sound of his fall, when I cast him down to hell with them that descend into the pit: and all the trees of Eden, the choice and best of Lebanon, all that drink water, shall be comforted in the nether parts of the earth. 
Eze 31:17  They also went down into hell with him unto them that be slain with the sword; and they that were his arm, that dwelt under his shadow in the midst of the heathen. 
Eze 31:18 To whom art thou thus like in glory and in greatness among the trees of Eden? yet shalt thou be brought down with the trees of Eden unto the nether parts of the earth: thou shalt lie in the midst of the uncircumcised with them that be slain by the sword. This is Pharaoh and all his multitude, saith the Lord GOD. 

It is instructive to note that in verse 16, the nations shall shake at the sound of the destruction of our old man. The nations mentioned here refers to non-Hebrew people. In other words, those who are not the Lord’s elect. The word “shake” is used most of the time in the Bible to indicate the Lord’s judgement as shown in the following verses:

Hag 2:7  And I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come: and I will fill this house with glory, saith the LORD of hosts. 

Joe 3:16  The LORD also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the LORD will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel.

The nations shaking at the noise of the destruction of the old man of the Lord’s elect therefore implies that the judgement of the Lord’s people or elect shall have repercussions on the rest of humanity as the Lord’s elect are being prepared to judge all humanity. In verse 16, the judgement of all humanity is what will result in the comforting of all trees of Eden, the choicest and the best of Lebanon as they all shall drink the water of life. All the trees of Eden, together with the choicest and the best of Lebanon refers to all humanity of God’s creation.

Rev 22:1  And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.
Rev 22:2 In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.

Verse 17 continues with the judgement of all humanity as it states that they (the nations) had gone down in the grave with the tree which represents our flesh or old man. All those who live in the tree’s shadow represent all those who are dominated by the flesh. They shall be judged by the Lord as indicated by their scattering among the nations.

In verse 18, we are made aware that Pharoah is the cedar of Lebanon who represents our flesh or old man and that the judgement of our flesh will surely be carried out by the Lord to lay waste our old man. This is to assure us that what the Lord has begun in us, He is able to bring to completion as He makes us His vessels of honor.

May His name be praised. Amen!!

Ezekiel 26:1-21  The City of Tyre and Her Judgement

[Study Aired August 5, 2024]

Introduction

Today’s study is about the coastal city of Tyre which was located in present-day Lebanon with historical and biblical significance. This Phoenician city became famous for its maritime trade and production of the luxurious Tyrian purple dye. It played a critical role during the construction of Solomon’s Temple and served as a symbol of arrogance and pride in Biblical history.

In the Book of Psalms, we see Tyre conspiring with other enemies of the Lord’s elect to destroy them. Our enemy in the Bible is Satan or the devil who exercises his power through our flesh. Spiritually, Tyre, therefore, represent our flesh or our old man who hates Christ within us.

Psa 83:1  A Song. A Psalm of Asaph. O God, do not keep silence; do not hold your peace or be still, O God!
Psa 83:2  For behold, your enemies make an uproar; those who hate you have raised their heads.
Psa 83:3  They lay crafty plans against your people; they consult together against your treasured ones. 
Psa 83:4  They say, “Come, let us wipe them out as a nation; let the name of Israel be remembered no more!” 
Psa 83:5  For they conspire with one accord; against you they make a covenant—
Psa 83:6  the tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites, Moab and the Hagrites,
Psa 83:7  Gebal and Ammon and Amalek, Philistia with the inhabitants of Tyre; 
Psa 83:8 Asshur also has joined them; they are the strong arm of the children of Lot. Selah (ESV)

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

Tyre also signifies Babylon. As indicated in the previous study, a city can represent a church as shown in the following verses:

Rev 21:10  And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, 
Rev 14:8  And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.

This assertion of Tyre being Babylon becomes clear in the following verses in Psalms as the church of the firstborn or heavenly Jerusalem or Zion is compared with Babylon and Tyre.

Psa 87:2  The LORD loveth the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob.
Psa 87:3  Glorious things are spoken of thee, O city of God. Selah.
Psa 87:4 I will make mention of Rahab and Babylon to them that know me: behold Philistia, and Tyre, with Ethiopia; this man was born there.

Despite its past glory, Tyre’s ultimate downfall was prophesied and fulfilled by invading forces, which serves as a testament to the transient nature of our flesh or old man. It also shows us that the destruction of Babylon within and without of us, the Lord’s elect, is imminent. Our study for Today is therefore based on the sins of Tyre and the Lord’s promise of her judgement.

The Need for Tyre to Be Judged

Eze 26:1  And it came to pass in the eleventh year, in the first day of the month, that the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 
Eze 26:2  Son of man, because that Tyrus hath said against Jerusalem, Aha, she is broken that was the gates of the people: she is turned unto me: I shall be replenished, now she is laid waste: 
Eze 26:3  Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Tyrus, and will cause many nations to come up against thee, as the sea causeth his waves to come up. 

The first day of the month of the eleventh year that the Lord came to speak to Ezekiel concerning Tyre is significant. The number eleven means the ruin and disintegration of the perfection of the flesh. This implies that we have come to a time in our walk with Christ that we have just encountered Him and as a result, we are becoming aware of the total darkness we found ourselves in because of our flesh, which the judgement of the Lord is about to deal with in our lives. The fact that it was the first day of the month suggests that all that has happened and will happen to Tyre, our old man is of the Lord (significance of the number one). At this point in our walk, the Lord is preparing us to leave Babylon.

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

As indicated in the introductory portion of this study, Tyre also represent Babylon or the physical churches of this world. In this case, Tyre represent the last stage of our sojourn as the Lord’s elect in Babylon. This becomes more clear when our Lord Jesus referred to Tyre together with Sidon as cities which would have repented if the Lord had performed His mighty works there, instead of Babylon (the cities of Israel) which are not repentant. One of the Lord’s mighty work to us is causing our eyes to see and our ears to be opened. At this stage of our walk, we are beginning to see the darkness we are in and the need for the ruin and disintegration of our flesh in order to worship the Lord acceptably. That is why we are ready to repent.

Mat 11:20  Then began he to upbraid the cities wherein most of his mighty works were done, because they repented not: 
Mat 11:21  Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works, which were done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. 
Mat 11:22 But I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment, than for you.   

In verse 2, the city of Tyre said that Jerusalem, which is the gateway for the nations is destroyed and its doors are wide opened to her. As a result, she shall be rich because of its ruins. The mindset that the Lord should destroy Babylon so that we can be enriched in Him is an earthly wisdom which comes from our old man.

Jas 3:13  Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom.
Jas 3:14  But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth.

Jas 3:15  This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. 
Jas 3:16 For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.

What we need to know is that it is the Lord’s mercy that we are being enriched in Him at the expense of Babylon.

Rom 11:30  For as ye in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief:
Rom 11:31  Even so have these also now not believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy. 
Rom 11:32 For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all. 

In verse 3, we are told that the Lord will cause many nations to come up against us, just as the sea causes its waves to come up.  This is another way of saying that we shall be hated by all men for His name’s sake.

Mat 10:22  And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved. 
Mat 10:23  But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another: for verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come.
Mat 10:24 The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord.

Eze 26:4  And they shall destroy the walls of Tyrus, and break down her towers: I will also scrape her dust from her, and make her like the top of a rock. 
Eze 26:5  It shall be a place for the spreading of nets in the midst of the sea: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord GOD: and it shall become a spoil to the nations. 
Eze 26:6 And her daughters which are in the field shall be slain by the sword; and they shall know that I am the LORD. 

The destruction of the walls of Tyre and the breakdown of her towers in verse 4 signifies the destruction of our old man or flesh as his defenses are taken away by the Lord. Just as the walls of Jericho were destroyed to pave way for the destruction of the city, the Lord has removed the defenses of our old man to ensure our victory over the flesh.

Jos 6:2  And the LORD said unto Joshua, See, I have given into thine hand Jericho, and the king thereof, and the mighty men of valour. 

Jos 6:20  So the people shouted when the priests blew with the trumpets: and it came to pass, when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city.

The scraping of the dust from her and making her like the top of a rock means that Tyre shall become a bare land without any plant growing, after her destruction.  In other words, the destruction of our old man is such that it shall not come alive again.

In verse 5, it is stated that Tyre shall be a place for the spreading of nets in the midst of the sea. That is to say that the death of our old man or flesh will give birth to the new man who will cause us to become fishers of men.

Eze 47:10  And it shall come to pass, that the fishers shall stand upon it from Engedi even unto Eneglaim; they shall be a place to spread forth nets; their fish shall be according to their kinds, as the fish of the great sea, exceeding many.

Mat 4:19  And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. 

In verse 5, we are also told that Tyre shall a spoil for the nations. A spoil refers to the booty or plunder or the precious possession of those who are defeated in battle. During the Biblical times, the spoil serves as the reward for victory won during a battle. This implies that Tyre, our old man, being delivered as a spoil for the nations means that as the Lord’s elect, we shall surely win the victory over our old man or flesh through the Lord’s judgement.

Gen 49:27  Benjamin (representing the Lord’s elect) shall ravin as a wolf: in the morning he shall devour the prey, and at night he shall divide the spoil.

Num 31:53  (For the men of war had taken spoil, every man for himself.)

Jer 30:16  Therefore all they that devour thee shall be devoured; and all thine adversaries, every one of them, shall go into captivity; and they that spoil thee shall be a spoil, and all that prey upon thee will I give for a prey.

Verse 6 indicates that the daughters of Tyre which are in the field shall be slain by the sword and that it is through this that the Lord shall be made known. The daughters of Tyre in the field refer to the physical churches in this world who are put to spiritual death or slain by the false doctrines propagated through false apostles. We were victims of this slaying by the sword but thanks be to God who came to us through His elect to make us know the truth of the word of the Lord. This truth of the word of the Lord is what destroys the false doctrines within our hearts and minds.  In verse 6, we are told that it is through this evil experience of being slain by the sword that we come to know Christ. This implies that to know Christ, we must pass through the evil experience of dying spiritually through false doctrines we imbibe in Babylon or Tyre. The destruction of the false doctrines by the truth of the Lord’s words will make us appreciate who the Lord is. The voice of the Lord or His words are the hail stones or the coals of fire which destroys our false doctrines.

Psa 18:13  The LORD also thundered in the heavens, and the Highest gave his voice; hail stones and coals of fire.

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

Eze 26:7  For thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will bring upon Tyrus Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, a king of kings, from the north, with horses, and with chariots, and with horsemen, and companies, and much people. 
Eze 26:8  He shall slay with the sword thy daughters in the field: and he shall make a fort against thee, and cast a mount against thee, and lift up the buckler against thee. 
Eze 26:9  And he shall set engines of war against thy walls, and with his axes he shall break down thy towers. 
Eze 26:10 By reason of the abundance of his horses their dust shall cover thee: thy walls shall shake at the noise of the horsemen, and of the wheels, and of the chariots, when he shall enter into thy gates, as men enter into a city wherein is made a breach. 

The Lord bringing king Nebuchadrezzar of Babylon to Tyre from the north with his army signifies the judgement of our old man by the Lord. The coming of Nebuchadrezzar with chariots and horses means that our time in Babylon is a period of conflict or war as horses and chariots signifies war.

Pro 21:31  The horse is prepared against the day of battle: but safety is of the LORD.   

This war or evil experience that we must go through is clearly defined by Apostle Paul as follows:

Gal 5:17  The Spirit and your desires are enemies of each other. They are always fighting each other and keeping you from doing what you feel you should. (CEV)

Our stay in Babylon is characterized by the conflict between what the spirit desires against our fleshly desires. As a result, we are unable to do what we want to do, that is, please the Lord. It is insightful to also note that the king of Babylon came to Tyre with horsemen, companies (multitude) and much people. These horsemen of Babylon represent the two hundred million false doctrines coming from the horsemen loosed by the four angels who were bound in the great river Euphrates in the Book of Revelation as follows:

Rev 9:14  Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates.
Rev 9:15  And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men.
Rev 9:16 And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand: and I heard the number of them. 

In verse 10, we are told that because of the abundance of Babylonian horses, their dust shall cover Tyre. This dust is the same as the smoke from the bottomless pit which darkened the sun and the air. That is to say that what these false apostles say darkened our understanding concerning Christ (Sun) and our spiritual understanding (air).

Rev 9:1  And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit.
Rev 9:2  And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit. 

Verse 8 states that our daughters in the field shall be slain by the sword of king of Babylon. That is to say that churches of this world (field) of which we were part of at a certain stage of our walk with Christ shall be put to spiritual death through false doctrines propagated by these horsemen or false apostles.

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

The making of a fort, the casting of a mount and the lifting up of a buckler against Tyre in verse 8 signifies that there is no escape of our old man concerning the judgement of the Lord.

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.

The setting up of engines of war against our walls and the breaking down of our towers with their axes in verse 9 signifies that we cannot resist the pull of the false doctrines that are propagated in Babylon. We were all swept away by this flood of false doctrine when we were in Babylon. This is reiterated in verse 10 when it says that the walls of Tyre shall be shaken by the noise of the horsemen and of the wheels of their chariots as they enter into the city. The noise of the horsemen and of the wheels of their chariots refers to the false doctrines that these false apostles propagate. What this means is that being overcome with false doctrines in Babylon is an inevitable experience that we must bear at a certain stage of our lives.

Eze 26:11  With the hoofs of his horses shall he tread down all thy streets: he shall slay thy people by the sword, and thy strong garrisons shall go down to the ground.
Eze 26:12  And they shall make a spoil of thy riches, and make a prey of thy merchandise: and they shall break down thy walls, and destroy thy pleasant houses: and they shall lay thy stones and thy timber and thy dust in the midst of the water. 

Treading down the streets of Tyre with the hoofs of the king of Babylon’s horses in verse 11 implies that these false doctrines interfere with our walk with the Lord. This interference is through the use of his sword which he uses to slay us. In other words, through false teachings (negative application of sword), we are put to spiritual death. The little truth of the word that we know which serves as our garrison is destroyed or brought down to the ground through the false doctrines of the enemy.

This situation is continued in verse 12 where our walls which represent the truth of the Lord’s words and serves as our defenses against the enemy are destroyed or broken down by the adversary and our pleasant houses demolished. Our pleasant houses refer to our temple or our hearts and minds which are desecrated by our old man who sits in our temple thinking of himself as God.

2Th 2:3  Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
2Th 2:4  Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. 
2Th 2:5 Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?

Laying stones, timber and dust in the midst of our water in verse 12 means polluting the truth of the word of the Lord with false doctrines. What is said here is the same as saying the following:

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

Eze 26:13  And I will cause the noise of thy songs to cease; and the sound of thy harps shall be no more heard. 
Eze 26:14 And I will make thee like the top of a rock: thou shalt be a place to spread nets upon; thou shalt be built no more: for I the LORD have spoken it, saith the Lord GOD.

Causing the noise of our songs and the sound of our harps to cease in verse 13 means being unable to worship the Lord in truth and in spirit in Babylon.

Psa 137:1  By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion.
Psa 137:2  We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof.
Psa 137:3  For there they that carried us away captive required of us a song; and they that wasted us required of us mirth, saying, Sing us one of the songs of Zion. 
Psa 137:4 How shall we sing the LORD’S song in a strange land? 

As indicated earlier, making Tyre like the top of a rock means that the destruction of our old man or flesh is such that it shall not grow again. Tyre being a place to spread nets upon means that the death of our old man shall result in the birth of the new man after the image of Christ who shall make us fishers of men.

Eze 47:10  And it shall come to pass, that the fishers shall stand upon it from Engedi even unto Eneglaim; they shall be a place to spread forth nets; their fish shall be according to their kinds, as the fish of the great sea, exceeding many.

Mat 4:19  And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. 

The Lord’s statement that Tyre shall not be built again affirms the assertion in that our old man or flesh shall not become active again after its destruction.

Rev 18:14  And the fruits that thy soul lusted after are departed from thee, and all things which were dainty and goodly are departed from thee, and thou shalt find them no more at all.

Eze 26:15  Thus saith the Lord GOD to Tyrus; Shall not the isles shake at the sound of thy fall, when the wounded cry, when the slaughter is made in the midst of thee? 
Eze 26:16  Then all the princes of the sea shall come down from their thrones, and lay away their robes, and put off their broidered garments: they shall clothe themselves with trembling; they shall sit upon the ground, and shall tremble at every moment, and be astonished at thee. 
Eze 26:17  And they shall take up a lamentation for thee, and say to thee, How art thou destroyed, that wast inhabited of seafaring men, the renowned city, which wast strong in the sea, she and her inhabitants, which cause their terror to be on all that haunt it! 
Eze 26:18 Now shall the isles tremble in the day of thy fall; yea, the isles that are in the sea shall be troubled at thy departure.

What these verses are saying is that as we see our old man begins its journey of death through the Lord’s judgement, he becomes filled with trembling, as he sees that his final death is near. The isles shaking at the sound of the fall of our old man, the princes of the sea clothing themselves with trembling and taking up a lamentation are all to assure us that when the Lord starts the death process of our old man through His judgement within us, our old man trembles knowing that his time is short. We must therefore be assured that whatever the Lord starts, He shall surely bring to completion.

Rev 12:12  Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.    

What verses 15 to 18 say is the same as the destruction of Babylon within us and outwardly in the Book of Revelation as follows:

Rev 18:7  How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow.
Rev 18:8  Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her.
Rev 18:9  And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning,
Rev 18:10  Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come. 
Rev 18:11  And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buyeth their merchandise any more:

Rev 18:14  And the fruits that thy soul lusted after are departed from thee, and all things which were dainty and goodly are departed from thee, and thou shalt find them no more at all.
Rev 18:15  The merchants of these things, which were made rich by her, shall stand afar off for the fear of her torment, weeping and wailing,
Rev 18:16  And saying, Alas, alas, that great city, that was clothed in fine linen, and purple, and scarlet, and decked with gold, and precious stones, and pearls!
Rev 18:17  For in one hour so great riches is come to nought. And every shipmaster, and all the company in ships, and sailors, and as many as trade by sea, stood afar off,
Rev 18:18  And cried when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, What city is like unto this great city!
Rev 18:19 And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas, that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness! for in one hour is she made desolate.

Eze 26:19  For thus saith the Lord GOD; When I shall make thee a desolate city, like the cities that are not inhabited; when I shall bring up the deep upon thee, and great waters shall cover thee; 
Eze 26:20  When I shall bring thee down with them that descend into the pit, with the people of old time, and shall set thee in the low parts of the earth, in places desolate of old, with them that go down to the pit, that thou be not inhabited; and I shall set glory in the land of the living; 
Eze 26:21 I will make thee a terror, and thou shalt be no more: though thou be sought for, yet shalt thou never be found again, saith the Lord GOD. 

In these verses, the Lord is telling us that Tyre which represents Babylon shall be ruined such that it shall be no more. It is instructive to note that in verse 19, we are told that the Lord shall bring up the deep upon her such that she shall be covered by great waters. That is to say that the deep sea shall cover Babylon. The deep sea or great waters signifies humanity. This implies that the Lord will cause Babylon to be destroyed by people whom the Lord has prepared for such a purpose. This destruction of Babylon is also foretold in Revelation chapter 17 where the ten horns shall make her desolate and naked, and eat her flesh. The ten horns represent the strength of the flesh to carry out what the Lord has put in their hearts, that is, the destruction of Babylon, in the fulness of time. This destruction refers to Babylon within us and without.

Rev 17:15  And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.
Rev 17:16  And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire. 
Rev 17:17 For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled.  

This destruction is detailed in Revelation chapter 18 as follows:

Rev 18:7  How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow.
Rev 18:8 Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her.
Rev 18:17  For in one hour so great riches is come to nought. And every shipmaster, and all the company in ships, and sailors, and as many as trade by sea, stood afar off,
Rev 18:18  And cried when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, What city is like unto this great city!
Rev 18:19  And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas, that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness! for in one hour is she made desolate.
Rev 18:20  Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on her.
Rev 18:21 And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all.

May the Lord grant us the grace to endure to the end as He destroys Tyre or Babylon within us. Amen!!

Ezekiel 25:1-17 The Judgment of Ammon, Moab, Edom and Philistia

[Study Aired July 29, 2024]

Introduction

Our study for today is based on the nations which surround the people of Israel in Canaan. These nations were sworn enemies of Israel, and the fact that four were mentioned signifies that these countries represent the whole of the enemies of Israel. In this study, we shall come to know what these nations represent spiritually and their judgment by the Lord.

The study also focuses on the Lord accusing each of these four nations of their hatred for the people of Israel and the end result of the Lord’s judgment of these nations. 

The Judgment of the Ammonites

Eze 25:1  The word of the LORD came again unto me, saying, 
Eze 25:2  Son of man, set thy face against the Ammonites, and prophesy against them; 
Eze 25:3  And say unto the Ammonites, Hear the word of the Lord GOD; Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thou saidst, Aha, against my sanctuary, when it was profaned; and against the land of Israel, when it was desolate; and against the house of Judah, when they went into captivity; 
Eze 25:4  Behold, therefore I will deliver thee to the men of the east for a possession, and they shall set their palaces in thee, and make their dwellings in thee: they shall eat thy fruit, and they shall drink thy milk.

The Ammonites were descendants of Lot through the incestuous relation of Lot and his daughter. Lot was the nephew of Abraham, and therefore the Ammonites are fleshly related to the people of Israel.

Gen 19:36  Thus were both the daughters of Lot with child by their father. 
Gen 19:37  And the firstborn bare a son, and called his name Moab: the same is the father of the Moabites unto this day. 
Gen 19:38 And the younger, she also bare a son, and called his name Benammi: the same is the father of the children of Ammon unto this day.

The Ammonites therefore represent our flesh or the old man of the Lord’s elect. The reason the Lord was judging the Ammonites is stated in verse 3. They were glad when the sanctuary of the Lord was dishonored, the land of Israel was ruined and when the nation of Judah went into exile. As we are aware, it is our enemy who rejoices in our misfortune. The Bible speaks of our enemy being the devil who gives his power to our flesh or old man or the beast within us. That is to say that it acts through our flesh or old man. 

Rev 13:4  And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him? 
Rev 13:5  And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months. 
Rev 13:6  And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven. 
Rev 13:7  And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations. 
Rev 13:8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

As described above, the beast within us or our old man or flesh is always blaspheming against our Lord. It is therefore at variance with our Lord Jesus Christ and His elect. That is why the mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God and things of the spirit.

Rom 8:5  For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. 
Rom 8:6  For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.
Rom 8:7  For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot.
Rom 8:8  Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. 
Rom 8:9 You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. (ESV) 

Gal 5:16  This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. 
Gal 5:17  For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.
Gal 5:18 But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.

Our victory over the flesh is through walking in the spirit. In order to transition from being a carnally-minded person to a spiritually-minded being, which is pleasing to the Lord, there is the need for us to be judged by the Lord. In verse 4, the Lord told Ezekiel that He will deliver the Ammonites to the men of the east for a possession. In the Book of Job, he is described as the greatest of the men of the east because of his riches. These physical riches signify spiritual riches of the men of the east. On a positive note therefore, the men of the east symbolize the Lord’s elect with our Lord Jesus Christ symbolized by Job as the greatest man of the east. This is also confirmed by the fact that the east is where the sun, which represents our Lord Jesus Christ, rises. We, the Lord’s elect, are the first to taste of the rising of the sun or our Lord Jesus Christ in our lives in this age. 

Job 1:1  There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil. 
Job 1:2  And there were born unto him seven sons and three daughters. 
Job 1:3 His substance also was seven thousand sheep, and three thousand camels, and five hundred yoke of oxen, and five hundred she asses, and a very great household; so that this man was the greatest of all the men of the east.

Mat 2:1  Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,

It is the Lord’s elect to whom the Lord has given possession of the old man or the flesh. This possession is described in verse 4 as setting their palaces in her and making their dwelling place in her. However, this possession is a process that takes a lifetime. It is through possessing our bodies or overcoming our flesh that we can offer a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God. 

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.

This possession or overcoming is actually accomplished by the birth and growth of the new man as the old man or the flesh dies daily through the Lord’s judgment. 

Eph 4:24  And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

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

In verse 4, we are also told that the men of the east shall eat the fruit of the Ammonites and shall drink her milk. The fruit and the milk of the Ammonites refer to the labors of our flesh. This implies that our labors shall not be in vain but shall assist us in achieving the purpose of Christ in our lives. This is the same as Terah, Abraham’s father, assisting Abraham in fulfilling the Lord’s purpose by taking him from Ur of the Chaldees to Haran, close to the promised land. 

Isa 60:1  Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee. 

Isa 60:5 Then thou shalt see, and flow together, and thine heart shall fear, and be enlarged; because the abundance of the sea shall be converted unto thee, the forces of the Gentiles shall come unto thee.

Gen 11:31  And Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran his son’s son, and Sarai his daughter in law, his son Abram’s wife; and they went forth with them from Ur of the Chaldees, to go into the land of Canaan; and they came unto Haran, and dwelt there. 
Gen 11:32 And the days of Terah were two hundred and five years: and Terah died in Haran. 

Eze 25:5  And I will make Rabbah a stable for camels, and the Ammonites a couching place for flocks: and ye shall know that I am the LORD. 

In verse 5, the Lord said that He shall make Rabbah, which was the capital city of the Ammonites, located east of the Jordan, a stable for camels. This is the same as making the Ammonites a couching place or a resting place for flocks. On a positive note, a city in the Bible can mean a church as shown in the following:

Rev 21:10  And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, 

Rev 14:8  And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.

According to Strong’s Dictionary, Rabbah means ‘great.’ A camel is a beast that is used to carry heavy burdens in the desert, and a stable is a habitation of flocks or pasture. This statement of Rabbah being a stable for camels is the same as the Ammonites being a couching place or rest for flocks. What the Lord is telling us in verse 5 is that He is gathering us together to give us rest from the burdens of this world and also to feed us His words (pastures). It is as we get to know His words that we come to know Him. 

Mat 11:28  Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 
Mat 11:29  Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 
Mat 11:30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. 

Eze 25:6  For thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thou hast clapped thine hands, and stamped with the feet, and rejoiced in heart with all thy despite against the land of Israel; 
Eze 25:7  Behold, therefore I will stretch out mine hand upon thee, and will deliver thee for a spoil to the heathen; and I will cut thee off from the people, and I will cause thee to perish out of the countries: I will destroy thee; and thou shalt know that I am the LORD. 

The Ammonites clapped their hands and stamped their feet as they rejoiced for the misfortune that had happened to the people of Israel. This shows us that they really hated the Israelites. As indicated, the Ammonites represent our flesh or the old man who is at enmity with the new man in the lives of the Lord’s elect. Verse 7 shows us the end result of the Lord’s judgment of our old man or flesh. The judgment of the Lord is symbolized in verse 7 as the stretching out of the hand of the Lord upon us.

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

As a result of the Lord’s judgment, our old man is delivered for a spoil to the heathen as shown in verse 7. A spoil refers to the booty or plunder or the precious possession of those who are defeated in battle. During the Biblical times, the spoil served as the reward for victory won during a battle. This implies that the old man being delivered as a spoil for the heathen means that as the Lord’s elect, we shall surely win the victory over our old man or flesh through the Lord’s judgment. 

Gen 49:27  Benjamin (representing the Lord’s elect) shall ravin as a wolf: in the morning he shall devour the prey, and at night he shall divide the spoil.

Num 31:53  (For the men of war had taken spoil, every man for himself.)

Jer 30:16  Therefore all they that devour thee shall be devoured; and all thine adversaries, every one of them, shall go into captivity; and they that spoil thee shall be a spoil, and all that prey upon thee will I give for a prey.

The Lord causing the Ammonites to perish and be destroyed out of the countries in verse 7 is to show us the defeat of the old man through the agency of the Lord’s judgment. It is through this victory over the flesh, which is a process, that we come to know the Lord.

Rev 12:11  And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death. 

Loving not our lives unto death means that as the Lord’s elect, He has caused us to be prepared to go through the fiery trials, or the evil experience given to us by Him, in order to inherit the promise. It is another way of saying that because of the joy that is set before us, we despise the sufferings that are marked for 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 Judgment of Moab and Seir

Eze 25:8  Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because that Moab and Seir do say, Behold, the house of Judah is like unto all the heathen; 
Eze 25:9  Therefore, behold, I will open the side of Moab from the cities, from his cities which are on his frontiers, the glory of the country, Bethjeshimoth, Baalmeon, and Kiriathaim, 

The Moabites were descendants of Lot, Abraham’s nephew, through an incestuous union with his elder daughter. They were therefore fleshly related to the people of Israel and therefore represent our flesh or our old man, just as the Ammonites also signify our flesh. Seir or Mount Seir are the alternative names of the mountainous tract in Palestine occupied by the descendants of Esau, who was the elder brother of Jacob. We can therefore also say that Seir is our flesh or our old man.

In verse 8, we are told that the Lord coming to judge the Moabites and the people from Seir was because they said that there is no difference between the house of Judah and the heathen. This accusation by the Moabites and people from Seir is justified as the house of Judah who represents us, the Lord’s elect, since we had not lived up to the standard of the Lord at a certain point of our walk with Christ when we were in Babylon. Thus, we were just like the heathen.

2Ki 17:13  Yet the LORD testified against Israel, and against Judah, by all the prophets, and by all the seers, saying, Turn ye from your evil ways, and keep my commandments and my statutes, according to all the law which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you by my servants the prophets. 
2Ki 17:14  Notwithstanding they would not hear, but hardened their necks, like to the neck of their fathers, that did not believe in the LORD their God. 
2Ki 17:15 And they rejected his statutes, and his covenant that he made with their fathers, and his testimonies which he testified against them; and they followed vanity, and became vain, and went after the heathen that were round about them, concerning whom the LORD had charged them, that they should not do like them.

Spiritually, the assertion by the Moabites and the people from Seir that we are just like the heathen implies that when we are under the control of the old man or the flesh, who is set in his ways, we cannot bring about the change that comes with knowing Christ. We are just like the heathen or our brothers and sisters in Babylon who think that no one can overcome the beast or the flesh within us.

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

In order to live a life worthy of the Lord, our old man, represented here by the Moabites and the people from Seir, must be destroyed through judgment to pave the way for our lives to be controlled by the new man after the image of Christ.

In verse 9, the Lord is saying that as a result of the Lord’s elect being no different from the people of the world, He is going to open up the cities that protect the borders of Moab. These cities were three, and they are Bethjeshimoth, Baalmeon and Kiriathaim. As we have said earlier in this study, cities represent churches. The names of these cities therefore give us insight into the fact that the role of the churches of this world or Babylon is to protect the old man or the flesh within us represented here by Moab. Bethjeshimoth means ‘house of desolation’ or ‘desert.’ This house of desolation is Babylon or the physical churches of this world whose false teachings preserve our old man instead of destroying it.  Baalmeon signifies the ‘lord of the habitation’ which means that Babylon is actually worshiping our old man, who is the lord of the habitation. Kiriathaim means ‘two cities’, and it signifies that the churches are witnesses against one another that they are not serving the interest of Christ, our Lord, but that of the flesh.

Rev 2:9  I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan. 

The Lord opening up these cities implies that the Lord will show us, His elect, what Babylon is all about. This revelation is given to the Lord’s elect who walk in the spirit and not according to the flesh. The fact that these cities are three implies that it is through the process of spiritual maturity through judgment that we come to see who Babylon really is.

Rev 17:3  So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. 
Rev 17:4  And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication: 
Rev 17:5 And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.

Eze 25:10  Unto the men of the east with the Ammonites, and will give them in possession, that the Ammonites may not be remembered among the nations. 
Eze 25:11 And I will execute judgments upon Moab; and they shall know that I am the LORD. 

Again, in verse 10 the Lord is saying that He will hand over the Moabites together with the Ammonites to the men from the east. As we have indicated earlier, the men from the east represent the Lord’s elect who are given to possess our old man or flesh. The Ammonites not being remembered among the nations implies that our old man shall be completely destroyed in our lives. In verse 11, we are made aware that it is through the judgment of the Lord upon our old man (Moab) that we come to know who the Lord is. 

Jer 24:7  And I will give them an heart to know me, that I am the LORD: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God: for they shall return unto me with their whole heart.

Eze 6:10 And they shall know that I am the LORD, and that I have not said in vain that I would do this evil unto them.

The Judgment of Edom

Eze 25:12  Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because that Edom hath dealt against the house of Judah by taking vengeance, and hath greatly offended, and revenged himself upon them; 
Eze 25:13  Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; I will also stretch out mine hand upon Edom, and will cut off man and beast from it; and I will make it desolate from Teman; and they of Dedan shall fall by the sword. 
Eze 25:14 And I will lay my vengeance upon Edom by the hand of my people Israel: and they shall do in Edom according to mine anger and according to my fury; and they shall know my vengeance, saith the Lord GOD.

The people from Edom were descendants of Esau, Jacob’s twin brother. The Edomites therefore represent our flesh or our old man. We know from the word of the Lord that vengeance belongs to the Lord. That is to say, as the Lord’s elect, we should not take vengeance on our enemies. 

Psa 94:1  O LORD God, to whom vengeance belongeth; O God, to whom vengeance belongeth, shew thyself. 
Psa 94:2 Lift up thyself, thou judge of the earth: render a reward to the proud. 

Heb 10:30  For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people.

As shown in verse 12, the sins of the Edomites were that they took vengeance on the Lord’s people, which was the prerogative of the Lord alone. In this sense, the Edomites were taking the place of the Lord to avenge His people. Any time we are meting out vengeance to someone, we are taking the place of our Lord. This is what the man of sin within us or our flesh does when we are under its control as he thinks of himself as God sitting in our temple or the throne of our hearts and mind. 

2Th 2:3  Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there comes 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? 

The Lord stretching out His hands on Edom in verse 13 means the Lord coming to judge the man of sin or our old man with the spirit of His mouth and His brightness. Cutting off the man and the beast from Edom signifies the destruction of the old man through the Lord’s judgment. In verse 13, we are also told that the Lord shall make desolate Edom, from Teman to Dedan. The Edomites settled in the mountainous region of Seir. The word Teman means ‘from’ and Dedan signifies ‘low country.’ Thus, making desolate Edom from Teman to Dedan means the Lord will destroy the Edomites from their mountainous region to the low country in South Arabia. In other words, the Lord will do a thorough work of destruction of our old man through His judgment.

Rom 9:28  The Lord will carry out his sentence on the land, completely and decisively.” (GW)

The instrument of the Lord’s judgment in this case is the sword. The negative application of the use of the sword refers to false doctrines or bitter words spoken against us. 

2Ti 2:17  And their word will eat as doth a canker: of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus; 
2Ti 2:18  Who concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already; and overthrow the faith of some.   

Psa 64:2  Hide me from the secret counsel of the wicked; from the insurrection of the workers of iniquity: 
Psa 64:3  Who whet their tongue like a sword, and bend their bows to shoot their arrows, even bitter words:

In verse 14, the Lord is saying that He will take vengeance upon Edom using the people of Israel as His instrument of judgment. In other words, the Lord will judge the old man of every elect in this age. This judgment is the evil experience we are going through in this life with the Lord coming with His brightness and spirit of His mouth.

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:

The Judgment of Philistia

Eze 25:15  Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because the Philistines have dealt by revenge, and have taken vengeance with a despiteful heart, to destroy it for the old hatred; 
Eze 25:16  Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will stretch out mine hand upon the Philistines, and I will cut off the Cherethims, and destroy the remnant of the sea coast. 
Eze 25:17 And I will execute great vengeance upon them with furious rebukes; and they shall know that I am the LORD, when I shall lay my vengeance upon them. 

The Philistines dwelt on the southern coast of Canaan and consisted of a confederation of city-states generally referred to as Philistia. They were sworn enemies of the people of Israel and had engaged Israel in battles, notably, Samson’s slaying of a thousand Philistines and David’s fight with the Philistine’s giant, Goliath. Initially, the Philistines had the upper hand over Israel, but over time, the Israelites became stronger and a dominant force in Canaan. Just like us, our flesh dominated us for a certain period of our lives until Christ came to us. Being the enemies of Israel, it is no wonder that in verse 15, the Philistines had taken revenge with a despiteful heart derived from hatred of the Lord’s people. The Philistines therefore represent our old man or our flesh that sits in our temple claiming himself 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. 

As indicated earlier, the Lord stretching forth His hands upon the Philistines (verse 15) means the Lord coming to judge our old man. As shown in verse 16, the Lord’s judgment shall result in the cutting off of the Cherethims and the destruction of the remnant of the sea coast. The word “Cherethims” means ‘executioners’ or ‘killers’. It therefore refers to our flesh or old man that gradually puts us to death. The remnant of the sea coast also refers to our flesh. This implies that the cutting off of the Cherethims and the destruction of the remnant of the sea coast signifies the destroying of our flesh or our old man. In verse 17, the Lord is assuring us that He shall execute vengeance upon the Philistines with furious rebukes. That means that the Lord shall judge our old man with the spirit of His mouth or His fiery words. It is through judgment that we come to know the Lord.

2Th 2:8 And then shall that Wicked (our old man) be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:

May the Lord continue the work He has started in us to bring it to completion in the fullness of time. Amen!!

Ezekiel 24:1-27  The Siege of Jerusalem and the Death of Ezekiel’s Wife

[Study Aired July 22, 2024]

Introduction

Today’s study focuses on the sins of the house of Israel which had necessitated the need for them to be judged by the Lord using the king of Babylon as His instrument of judgment by laying siege against Jerusalem. The house of Israel is Babylon or the physical churches of this world of which we were part of during a certain period of our journey with Christ. The study today therefore shows us our sins and the need for us to be judged in order to learn righteousness.

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

In addition, the study also highlights the death of Ezekiel’s wife and what it means to us today. These things were written for our admonition upon whom the “ends of the world are come.”

1Co 10:11  Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come. 
1Co 10:12 Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall. 

The Judgment of the Lord is Here with Us

Eze 24:1  Again in the ninth year, in the tenth month, in the tenth day of the month, the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 
Eze 24:2  Son of man, write thee the name of the day, even of this same day: the king of Babylon set himself against Jerusalem this same day. 

The number nine symbolizes the judgment of the Lord, and the number 10 shows us the fulness or completeness of the flesh. The tenth day of the tenth month in the ninth year therefore signifies that it is when the sins of our flesh have reached their fullness that we are given to experience the judgment of the Lord. In this case, the judgment of the inhabitants of Jerusalem was at hand because of their sins and the Lord was using the king of Babylon as His instrument of judgment. The completeness or the fullness of the flesh is another way of saying that our sins have reached the Heavens, and therefore judgment is at hand.

Rev 18:4  And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. 
Rev 18:5  For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities. 
Rev 18:6  Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works: in the cup which she hath filled fill to her double. 
Rev 18:7  How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow. 
Rev 18:8  Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her.

As we can see in the verses above, it is when the sins of the harlot woman, representing Babylon or the physical churches of this world, have reached their fullness that her judgment shall begin. This judgment is in another age. However, today’s study is speaking to us of the Lord’s elect, whose judgment is at hand.

As indicated in verse 2, the Lord was using the king of Babylon as His instrument of judgment of His people. The king of Babylon is the smith the Lord has created that blows the coals in the fire to bring forth an instrument of His work. The king of Babylon is therefore the waster that comes to destroy and therefore represents the devil whom the Lord uses to give us an evil experience with the objective of bringing forth as an instrument of His work as we learn righteousness.

Isa 54:16  Behold, I have created the smith that bloweth the coals in the fire, and that bringeth forth an instrument for his work; and I have created the waster to destroy. 
Isa 54:17 No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD.

These verses therefore highlight the role the devil plays in our salvation. As we know, during the thousand-year reign of the elect, the devil will literally be arrested by the Lord, and therefore he will not be available as a smith that blows in the fire. That is why no one shall be saved during the thousand-year reign.

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.

The Lord Speaks to His Rebellious House in Parables

Eze 24:3  And utter a parable unto the rebellious house, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Set on a pot, set it on, and also pour water into it: 
Eze 24:4  Gather the pieces thereof into it, even every good piece, the thigh, and the shoulder; fill it with the choice bones. 
Eze 24:5  Take the choice of the flock, and burn also the bones under it, and make it boil well, and let them seethe the bones of it therein.
Eze 24:6  Wherefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Woe to the bloody city, to the pot whose scum is therein, and whose scum is not gone out of it! bring it out piece by piece; let no lot fall upon it. 

It is instructive to note that the Lord directed Ezekiel to speak in a parable to the rebellious house of Israel. As we know from the word of the Lord, our Lord Jesus spoke in parables to the multitude, and when the disciples questioned Him about it, He said that He speaks in parables because it is not given to the multitude to understand the mysteries of the kingdom of Heaven. In a similar vein, Ezekiel speaking to the rebellious house of Israel was to make them not understand the mysteries of the Kingdom. As a matter of fact, Ezekiel, and all the old testament prophets, were not even given to understand the Lord’s words. Ezekiel speaking in parables implies that when we rebelled against the Lord during our time in Babylon, we were not given to know the mysteries of the kingdom. 

Mat 13:10  And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables? 
Mat 13:11  He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. 
Mat 13:12  For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath. 
Mat 13:13  Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. 
Mat 13:14  And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive:
Mat 13:15  For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them. 
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. 

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

In verses 3 to 5, the Lord told Ezekiel to put a pot on the fire and pour water in it. After that he should cut meat into pieces with all the best pieces of the thigh and shoulder and fill the pot with the meatiest bones selected from the best sheep. Finally, he should pile wood under the pot to boil the mixture to ensure that the bones are well cooked. The question is, “What is the Lord telling us with this parable?” In verse 6, we are given to know that the pot, or the rusted pot, represents the city of Jerusalem with blood on its hands.

Eze 24:6  These words mean that Jerusalem is doomed! The city is filled with murderers and is like an old, rusty pot. The meat is taken out piece by piece, and no one cares what happens to it. (CEV)

Remember that we were part of Jerusalem which is in bondage with her children, that is, Babylon, with blood on our hands for hating the Lord and those He sent to us.

Luk 11:49  Therefore also said the wisdom of God, I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they shall slay and persecute: 
Luk 11:50  That the blood of all the prophets, which was shed from the foundation of the world, may be required of this generation; 
Luk 11:51 From the blood of Abel unto the blood of Zacharias, which perished between the altar and the temple: verily I say unto you, It shall be required of this generation. 

Both the meat and the bones represent our flesh, and the fire at the bottom of the pot symbolizes the fire of the word of the Lord which is the judgment of our flesh or old man because of the word we have received.

Gen 2:23  And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.

2Sa 19:12  Ye are my brethren, ye are my bones and my flesh: wherefore then are ye the last to bring back the king?

Mat 13:21  Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended. 

The bones being well cooked means that the judgment of our flesh, or our old man, is a thorough work of the Lord. It is insightful to note that in verse 6 we are told that Ezekiel should empty the pot piece by piece without choosing any particular piece. That is to say that all in Babylon shall be judged. However, we, the Lord’s elect who are the first to come out of Babylon, shall be judged first in this life. Our brothers and sisters shall be judged later in another age.

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

In verse 6, we are also told that the rust or the scum shall not go out of it. That is to say that in this age, the sins of Babylon shall not go away. From the Lord’s words, we know that it will only go away in the lake of fire. 

Our Sins that Necessitated the Lord’s Judgment

Eze 24:7  For her blood is in the midst of her; she set it upon the top of a rock; she poured it not upon the ground, to cover it with dust; 
Eze 24:8  That it might cause fury to come up to take vengeance; I have set her blood upon the top of a rock, that it should not be covered. 
Eze 24:9  Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Woe to the bloody city! I will even make the pile for fire great. 
Eze 24:10  Heap on wood, kindle the fire, consume the flesh, and spice it well, and let the bones be burned. 
Eze 24:11 Then set it empty upon the coals thereof, that the brass of it may be hot, and may burn, and that the filthiness of it may be molten in it, that the scum of it may be consumed.  

Apart from the literal shedding of blood of righteous men sent to the churches, that is, the death of our Lord Jesus and many of His servants, the shedding of blood spiritually signifies making those who have started their journey with the Lord worse off or spiritually dead through false doctrines. In verses 7 and 8, the fact that the blood of the righteous is set upon the top of a rock and not poured on the ground to cover it implies that the putting to death of the Lord’s children through the great swelling words of man’s wisdom and tradition is obvious for everyone to see, even people of the world. We, as the Lord’s elect, are also guilty of shedding blood since we were part of the church system, that is Babylon at a certain stage of our walk with Christ. 

Rev 17:6  And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration.
Rev 17:7 And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns.  

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. 
2Pe 2:19  While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage. 
2Pe 2:20 For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. 

As a result of our hands stained with the blood of the saints, the Lord comes with His judgment to deliver us. Verses 9 to 11 show us the Lord’s judgment which is designed to purge us from the shedding of blood during our time in Jerusalem, or the churches of this world, as we learn righteousness. 

Isa 59:3  For your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, your tongue hath muttered perverseness. 
Isa 59:4  None calleth for justice, nor any pleadeth for truth: they trust in vanity, and speak lies; they conceive mischief, and bring forth iniquity. 

Isa 59:7  Their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed innocent blood: their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity; wasting and destruction are in their paths. 
Isa 59:8 The way of peace they know not; and there is no judgment in their goings: they have made them crooked paths: whosoever goeth therein shall not know peace.

Isa 4:4  When the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and shall have purged the blood of Jerusalem from the midst thereof by the spirit of judgment, and by the spirit of burning. 

We can see from these verses in Isaiah that the Lord shall surely intervene in our circumstances to cleanse us from the blood on our hands and from all kinds of evil through the judgment of our old man. In Ezekiel 24:11, the Lord is assuring us that His judgment shall result in our filthiness melted and the rust of it shall be consumed. That is to say that the judgment of the Lord shall destroy our old man or the man of sin in our lives.

Eze 24:12  She hath wearied herself with lies, and her great scum went not forth out of her: her scum shall be in the fire. 
Eze 24:13  In thy filthiness is lewdness: because I have purged thee, and thou wast not purged, thou shalt not be purged from thy filthiness any more, till I have caused my fury to rest upon thee. 
Eze 24:14  I the LORD have spoken it: it shall come to pass, and I will do it; I will not go back, neither will I spare, neither will I repent; according to thy ways, and according to thy doings, shall they judge thee, saith the Lord GOD.  

As indicated, it is through the lies or false doctrines that we become murderers and as a result become worse off. In verse 13, the Lord is telling us that on our own, we cannot purge ourselves of our lewdness. It is only through the Lord’s fury or His judgment that we can accomplish that. In other words, we cannot on our own walk in righteousness. The Lord has to come into our lives with the spirit of His mouth and His brightness to judge us in order to live righteously. In verse 14, the Lord is assuring us that He will surely make us righteous through His judgment. Isaiah 59:16-17 makes it clear to us that there is no man or intercessor to help us. That means that no man can help us or himself to become righteous. It is the Lord’s zeal for His Father’s house alone that assures us that He who has started a good work in us shall surely bring it to completion. 

Isa 59:16  And he saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor: therefore his arm brought salvation unto him; and his righteousness, it sustained him. 
Isa 59:17  For he put on righteousness as a breastplate, and an helmet of salvation upon his head; and he put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a cloke. 
Isa 59:18  According to their deeds, accordingly he will repay, fury to his adversaries, recompence to his enemies; to the islands he will repay recompence. 
Isa 59:19 So shall they fear the name of the LORD from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him. 

Psa 69:9  For the zeal of thine house hath eaten me up; and the reproaches of them that reproached thee are fallen upon me.

Are you worried that you may not attain the standards of the Lord in view of your apparent weaknesses or sins? This is not the time to gloat over what we cannot do by ourselves. Our Lord Jesus Christ’s zeal to bring to perfection the Christ in us is consuming Him. Let’s turn our attention from ourselves and look to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith!!

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

Zec 4:6  Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts. 
Zec 4:7 Who art thou, O great mountain? before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plain: and he shall bring forth the headstone thereof with shoutings, crying, Grace, grace unto it.

The Death of Ezekiel’s Wife

Eze 24:15  Also the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 
Eze 24:16  Son of man, behold, I take away from thee the desire of thine eyes with a stroke: yet neither shalt thou mourn nor weep, neither shall thy tears run down. 
Eze 24:17  Forbear to cry, make no mourning for the dead, bind the tire of thine head upon thee, and put on thy shoes upon thy feet, and cover not thy lips, and eat not the bread of men. 
Eze 24:18 So I spake unto the people in the morning: and at even my wife died; and I did in the morning as I was commanded. 

Following from the earlier verses where we saw that the Lord is ready to unleash His fury on our old man because of our sins, the verses here show us the benefits of the Lord’s judgment. These verses use the symbol of the death of Ezekiel’s wife to show us what the Lord is doing in our lives presently. We can look at Ezekiel’s wife as representing the bride of Christ or the church which has gone astray, as Ezekiel here signifies Christ. This bride of Christ is the physical churches of this world or Babylon. Although we have physically left Babylon, we still retain the doctrines of Babylon within our hearts and minds which prevent us from knowing Christ. Thus, there is the need for Babylon within us to be taken away, just as Ezekiel’s wife had to die. In Revelation 14, we are told that our judgment includes the destruction of Babylon within us. This Babylon is the harlot woman who in this case represents Ezekiel’s wife.

Rev 14:8  And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication. 

Babylon within us must be destroyed, and outwardly, we must leave Babylon.

Rev 18:4  And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. 
Rev 18:5 For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.

The wife of Ezekiel in this case can be likened to the prophet Hosea’s wife who was a harlot, whom Hosea was instructed by the Lord to marry. All these women signify Babylon within us and without. 

Hos 1:2  When the LORD first spoke to Hosea, the LORD told him, “Marry a prostitute and have children with that prostitute. The people in this land have acted like prostitutes and abandoned the LORD.” 
Hos 1:3 So Hosea married Gomer, daughter of Diblaim. She became pregnant and had a son.

It is instructive to note that in verse 16, the Lord told Ezekiel concerning his wife that He was going to take away the desire of his eyes with a stroke. In this perspective, the wife of Ezekiel therefore represents the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh and the pride of life which the Lord is gradually destroying in our lives. 

1Jn 2:15  Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 
1Jn 2:16  For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
1Jn 2:17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever.

Outwardly, the Lord will destroy Babylon in the fullness of time with a stroke just like what happened to Ezekiel’s wife in verse 18, who was alive in the morning, and by the evening, she was gone. 

Rev 18:7  How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow. 
Rev 18:8  Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her. 
Rev 18:9  And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning,
Rev 18:10 Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come. 

It is also informative to note that the Lord required Ezekiel not to mourn or cry for the death of his wife (verses 16 and 17). The death of a wife is one of the most painful experiences in life. However, the fact that the Lord asked Ezekiel not to mourn is to let us know that although the death of Babylon in our lives is a painful experience, we are not to mourn during this evil experience of our judgment because of the joy that is set before us. We are to look to Jesus, who despised the evil experience He was destined to go through, in view of the joy He was going to possess.

Ecc 1:13  And I gave my heart to seek and to investigate by wisdom concerning all which is done under the heavens. It is an evil task God has given to the sons of men, to be afflicted by it. (LITV)

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. 

Eze 24:19  And the people said unto me, Wilt thou not tell us what these things are to us, that thou doest so?

The people asking Ezekiel regarding the death of his wife and the fact that he was not allowed to mourn shows us that it is impossible for those who have not been given eyes to see and ears to hear to understand the mysteries concerning the Kingdom of Heaven. We were like these people at a certain stage of our walk until the Lord came to cause us to understand His words. 

Mat 13:10  And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables? 
Mat 13:11  He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. 
Mat 13:12  For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath. 
Mat 13:13  Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. 
Mat 13:14  And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive: 
Mat 13:15 For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.

Eze 24:20  Then I answered them, The word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 
Eze 24:21  Speak unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will profane my sanctuary, the excellency of your strength, the desire of your eyes, and that which your soul pitieth; and your sons and your daughters whom ye have left shall fall by the sword. 
Eze 24:22  And ye shall do as I have done: ye shall not cover your lips, nor eat the bread of men. 
Eze 24:23  And your tires [turban, bonnet] shall be upon your heads, and your shoes upon your feet: ye shall not mourn nor weep; but ye shall pine away for your iniquities, and mourn one toward another. 
Eze 24:24 Thus Ezekiel is unto you a sign: according to all that he hath done shall ye do: and when this cometh, ye shall know that I am the Lord GOD. 

Here in these verses, the Lord is showing us that our deplorable state in the churches of this world is all part of His agenda. In verse 21, He informed the house of Israel representing Babylon that He will profane His sanctuary or holy place which is our hearts and minds. This He does with the man of sin sitting in our temple claiming himself to be God. Our sons and daughters falling by the sword means we shall be polluted with false doctrines (the negative application of sword). 

2Ti 2:17  And their word will eat as doth a canker: of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus; 
2Ti 2:18  Who concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already; and overthrow the faith of some.

Psa 64:2  Hide me from the secret counsel of the wicked; from the insurrection of the workers of iniquity: 
Psa 64:3  Who whet their tongue like a sword, and bend their bows to shoot their arrows, even bitter words: 

The Lord also told the house of Israel in verses 22 to 24 that they should imitate Ezekiel in the sense that they should not mourn or weep when He destroys Jerusalem, their sanctuary which was the desire of their eyes and the excellency of their strength. As indicated earlier, this Jerusalem represents Babylon within us which shall be destroyed by the Lord through His judgment. Later, in an age to come, the Lord will deal with Babylon outwardly. These verses confirm to us that Ezekiel’s wife is Babylon within us. Just like Ezekiel, we are required not to mourn the destruction of Babylon within us since their destruction is our salvation.

This brings to mind our Lord Jesus Christ during His time here on earth when He was followed by many who were wailing and lamenting Him as He was led to the cross. He turned around and told them not to weep for Him. As He is, so are we. We are not to wail or pity ourselves for the evil experience we are enduring!! This is because it is a blessing to be judged in this life!! 

Luk 23:26  And as they led him away, they laid hold upon one Simon, a Cyrenian, coming out of the country, and on him they laid the cross, that he might bear it after Jesus. 
Luk 23:27  And there followed him a great company of people, and of women, which also bewailed and lamented him. 
Luk 23:28  But Jesus turning unto them said, Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for me, but weep for yourselves, and for your children. 
Luk 23:29 For, behold, the days are coming, in the which they shall say, Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bare, and the paps which never gave suck.

In Luke 23:29, the barren who are blessed are the Lord’s elect who are going through the Lord’s judgment in this life.

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

Eze 24:25  Also, thou son of man, shall it not be in the day when I take from them their strength, the joy of their glory, the desire of their eyes, and that whereupon they set their minds, their sons and their daughters, 
Eze 24:26  That he that escapeth in that day shall come unto thee, to cause thee to hear it with thine ears? 
Eze 24:27 In that day shall thy mouth be opened to him which is escaped, and thou shalt speak, and be no more dumb: and thou shalt be a sign unto them; and they shall know that I am the LORD. 

A simpler rendition of these verses are as follows:

Eze 24:25  “As for you, son of man, surely on the day when I take from them their stronghold, their joy and glory, the delight of their eyes and their soul’s desire, and also their sons and daughters, 
Eze 24:26  on that day a fugitive will come to you to report to you the news. 
Eze 24:27 On that day your mouth will be opened to the fugitive, and you shall speak and be no longer mute. So, you will be a sign to them, and they will know that I am the LORD.” (ESV)

These verses reveal the end result of the Lord’s judgment. As indicated in verse 25, our stronghold shall be destroyed. This stronghold is our old man, and his death destroys the lust of our flesh, the lust of our eyes and the pride of life. What we need to know is that the Lord’s judgment is not a one day event, but a process that takes a lifetime. In verse 26, we are shown that it is while we are going through the Lord’s judgment that a fugitive will come to us to report to us the good news about the kingdom of Heaven. The fugitive here who comes to us on that day refers to the Lord’s elect who comes to us in the name of the Lord. The Lord’s elect are fugitives because we have run away from our captivity in Babylon. It is the coming of this fugitive in our lives which signals the coming of Christ into our lives.

Luk 13:35  Behold, your house is left unto you desolate: and verily I say unto you, Ye shall not see me, until the time come when ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.

Psa 137:1  By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion. 
Psa 137:2  We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof. 
Psa 137:3 For there they that carried us away captive required of us a song; and they that wasted us required of us mirth, saying, Sing us one of the songs of Zion. 

The coming of the fugitive into our lives signals the beginning of the time that we are given to know and speak the mysteries of the kingdom and not remain silent (verse 27). 

In summary, this is what Paul said concerning what we are going through now as the Lord’s elect:

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

May the Lord’s Name be Praised for His wonderful work in us!! Amen!!

The Law of Moses Versus the Law of the Spirit – Part 20

[Posted May 3, 2009]

[Updated April 5, 2024]

A Harmony of James and Paul

Let’s continue Paul’s thought in Galatians 2: “For if I build again the things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor.” “If I build again the things which I destroyed” is a reference to the law. “For I through the law am dead to the law”, is the very next verse. If we “build again the things we destroyed” then we are establishing “[our] own righteousness, which is of the law” (Php 3:9). When we “return again to the weak and beggarly elements” from which Christ has freed us we are healing the deadly wound which the Truth had begun within us. Our old man was being destroyed and turning again to the weak and beggarly elements of the law was the healing of that deadly wound:

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

When we ignore what we have learned about Christ, and return to our old ways which are more acceptable to the society we live in then we are placing ourselves back under “the law [which] is not of faith” (Gal 3:12), and which is “[our] own righteousness” (Php 3:9), then we are “building again that which we had destroyed, “[and] making ourselves transgressors”. Christ is not “the minister of sin” even if “I make myself a transgressor” (vs 18).

Gal 2:16  Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.
Gal 2:17  But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is therefore Christ the minister of sin? God forbid.
Gal 2:18  For if I build again the things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor.
Gal 2:19  For I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God.

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:

Galatians 2:16-19 is consistent with Romans 3:5-7, where Paul poses the same question: “If our unrighteousness [rebuilding the “old man” whom we had destroyed] commend the righteousness of God [which of course it doesn’t, any more than our sins make Christ ‘the minister of sin’], what shall we say; is God unrighteous who taketh vengeance? I speak as a man. God forbid: for then how shall God judge the world? For if the truth of God hath more abounded through my lie unto his glory; why yet am I also judged as a sinner?” (vs 7).

Paul is asking if our calling does not make us “free from sin.” If we are to simply continue in sin, why would we be considered sinners at all? “And not rather as we be slanderously reported, and as some affirm that we say, let us do evil, that good may come? whose damnation is just” (vs 8). This “our unrighteousness commending the righteousness of God” and “the truth of God abounding through our lie” were both “slanderous reports” of Paul’s teachings.

What Paul did teach was the same thing James taught. While James says “faith without works [the working of Christ in us] is dead” (Jas 2:26), Paul puts the SAME TEACHING in other words: “know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners shall inherit the kingdom of God” (1Co 6:9). Again Paul instructs: “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth that shall he also reap”

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

It is true that Paul was given to emphasize that our good works which James acknowledges as the fruit of our faith is “[Christ’s] workmanship” and that our faith is also a gift of God and not of ourselves:

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

That sounds pretty close to ‘faith without works is dead’; certainly much closer than the slanderous reports being circulated that Paul taught that our unrighteousness commends the righteousness of God, or the truth of God abounds through our lie. Paul says of those who say he teaches such things “their damnation is just.”

Rom 3:5  But if our unrighteousness commend the righteousness of God, what shall we say? Is God unrighteous who taketh vengeance? (I speak as a man)
Rom 3:6  God forbid: for then how shall God judge the world?
Rom 3:7  For if the truth of God hath more abounded through my lie unto his glory; why yet am I also judged as a sinner?
Rom 3:8  And not rather, (as we be slanderously reported, and as some affirm that we say,) Let us do evil, that good may come? whose damnation is just.

It was all a lie. Paul had never once said, “Let us do evil that good may come.” He never once said, “Let us sin that grace may abound.” Like James Paul’s doctrine was [“We were] created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them” (Eph 2:10)

When James said:

Jas 2:15  If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food,
Jas 2:16  And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?

Jas 2:18  Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.

James is agreeing with Paul that our works are the result of the faith of Jesus Christ, and to claim “I have works” without faith is the same lie Paul was dealing with.

Phrase #8

We now come to the final phrase used in Hebrews in relation to this matter of the law and the covenants.

“…He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second” (Heb 10:9). The first part of this verse is “Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God.” It is followed by “By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all” (vs 10).

Heb 10:8  Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law;
Heb 10:9  Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second.
Heb 10:10  By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

This disclaimer of the law of the physical offerings is quoted from:

Psa 40:6  Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou opened: burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required.
Psa 40:7  Then said I, Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me,
Psa 40:8  I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart.

“By which will” refers to God’s will. The scriptures declare that we are sanctified by the will of God and not our own will, but our focus here is “he taketh away the first that he may establish the second.”

What exactly is taken away? The answer is universally understood to be the old covenant which is “taken away” and replaced by the new covenant.

The depth and scope of the differences in these covenants is not universally understood. On the contrary, it seems that few indeed are willing to believe the plain and straight forward scriptures detailing the meaning of this phrase “he taketh away the first, that he may establish the second.” Many of those differences are detailed in Matthew chapters 5-7.

The many other changes which are listed in those three chapters of Mattew demonstrate the truth of Paul’s statement “…we are the circumcision, which worship God in spirit… and have no confidence in the flesh” (Php 3:3).

The flesh has been taken completely out of the equation for salvation. In reality, it has never been anything more than a necessary evil to bring us to Christ in the spirit. “…Though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more [after the flesh]” (2Co 5:16).

In Romans 3:31 Paul asks the question, “Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid; yea, we establish the law.” This whole paper has established that only for those in Christ is the law of Moses “made void”, “done away” and “abolished”; three different translations in the King James Version of the same Greek word katargeo.

The law itself is established by this fact. The understanding of Romans 3:31 is to be found ten verses earlier in verse 21: “But now the righteousness of God without the law [of Moses, “for the lawless” (1Ti 1:9)] is manifested, being witnessed by the law [of Moses] and the prophets.”

This verse witnesses that Christ would come and reform the law of Moses:

Deu 18:18  I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee [A reformer], and will put my words [Not the law of Moses] in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him.
Deu 18:19  And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak [Not Moses] in my name, I will require it of him.

Had the law, the old covenant, “the ministration of death written and engraven in stones”, not been “done away” for those in Christ, the law would have proven itself a false prophet. Now, only for those in Christ, it is “abolished” (Eph 2:15) and replaced by a much higher, much more honorable and spiritual law. “The Lord is well pleased for HIS righteousness’ sake; he [Christ] will magnify the law and make it honorable” (Isa 42:21). If it were already honorable, He wouldn’t need to do that, would he? If, on the other hand, the law of Moses was a carnal commandment (Heb 7:16) used “lawfully” only for “the lawless and disobedient” (1Ti 1:8-9), then a new law along the lines of Matthew 5 would be in order.

1Ti 1:8  But we know that the law is good, if a man use it lawfully; [To bring us to Christ (Gal 3:24)]
1Ti 1:9  Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers,
1Ti 1:10  For whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for menstealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine;

You do not “magnify” a house during construction and expect the contractor to eat the difference in cost. A new contract must be drawn up to deal with the changes. Neither do you move from the “carnal”, “lawless” and “disobedient” to the spiritual without a completely new covenant with a “change also of the law.”

Heb 7:12  For the priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity a change also of the law.

It is through the new words ‘by the mouth of a prophet like Moses’, that the law is “established” and proven a true “witness”. Until ‘that Prophet and His words’ come into our lives, the law will be “established” for our “lawless and disobedient” flesh, to show our flesh its naked condition and make it aware of its decaying earthy composition. Generation by generation “the law is our schoolmaster to bring us to Christ” and generation by generation “after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster”. “Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that EVERY MOUTH may be stopped and ALL THE WORLD may become guilty before God” (Rom 3:19).

The law of Moses is equated by Paul to “the elements of the world” (Gal 4:3). Notice I said ‘equated.’ Not all ‘laws’ are the ‘law of Moses’, but all law is equated with the law of Moses as far as scripture is concerned:

Rom 2:14  For when the Gentiles, which have not the law [of Moses], do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves:
Rom 2:15  Which shew the work of the law [of Moses] written in their [stony] hearts [Eze 36:26-27], their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;)

Gal 3:22-23 – “But the scripture hath concluded all [all Jews and Gentiles] under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe. But before faith came, we were [all] kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed”,

Gal 4:1 – “Now I say, that the heir, as long as he is a child [G3516: nepios, an infant, “under the schoolmaster… tutors and governors, under the law], differeth nothing from a servant [slave to sin], though he be lord of all; But is under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the father.” What Paul is telling us is that “the ministration of death” is katargeo and we, in Christ only, are “free from the law of sin and death” (the ministration of death) (Rom 8:2):

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

2Co 3:6  Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.
2Co 3:7  But if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory was to be done away:
2Co 3:8  How shall not the ministration of the spirit be rather glorious?
2Co 3:9  For if the ministration of condemnation be glory, much more doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory.
2Co 3:10  For even that which was made glorious had no glory in this respect, by reason of the glory that excelleth.
2Co 3:11  For if that which is done away was glorious, much more that which remaineth is glorious.

It is hoped that this article will help someone, somewhere to take his eyes off the things of the flesh. Yes, Christ was born in the flesh, and yes, He died on the cross for our sins, and yes, God “made him sin for us, who (Christ) knew no sin” (2Co 5:21). These were but necessary evils. “Yet now henceforth know we him no more in the flesh.” We have all been born in the flesh, and we will all die in the flesh, but it is far more edifying and encouraging to know that “NOW are we the sons of God and… we know that when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is” (1Jn 3:2). As we see Him we “are changed into the same image from glory to glory… by the spirit of the Lord” (2Co 3:18). So while we have demonstrated the inadequacies of the law in this essay, we conclude with this reminder for any who might attempt to turn God’s disciplinary, chastening grace into lasciviousness: If we truly see him as he is, every man purifieth himself even as he is pure.”

1Jn 3:3  And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.

Summary

What we have pointed out, in effect, is the sovereignty of God in all things. “That they may know… that there is none beside me. I am the Lord and there is none else. I form the light and create darkness. I make peace and create evil: I the Lord do all these things” (Isa 45:6,7). Yes, it was God who created the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. It was God Himself who placed that tree right in the middle of the garden. While He had told Adam not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, this was done only because “the Lord… sought an occasion against” Adam (Jdg 14:1-4). God had already determined that Adam would eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and would come to see his naked, decaying, earthy condition and be brought by the law to see his need for a Savior. We know this is true because we are twice told that we were “called… in Christ, before the world began”:

2Ti 1:9  Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,

Tit 1:2  In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;

“All that dwell upon the earth shall worship… the lamb slain from the foundation of the world”:

Rom 14:11  For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.

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

Rev 13:8  And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, [every one] whose name hath not been written in the book of the life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

In God’s all-knowing mind, Christ was slain as the sacrifice for the sins of the world before Adam was ever created. This gives the lie to the teaching that ‘God could have known what choices you will make, but because He has given us free will, He chooses not to know.’ What utter nonsense! No, God chose to know all things because “all things are of God”. “To us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things…” (1Co 8:6). God knows our very thoughts because He gives us our thoughts:

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

Has God chosen to know the very number of the hairs of your head, but not to know what you are going to do with your life? Hardly! We are plainly informed that God reveals Himself to some and deliberately blinds others. “…the election hath obtained it and the rest were blinded… God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see and ears that they should not hear” (Rom 11:7, 8).

So what does understanding the total sovereignty of God have to do with a proper understanding of the function of the law? It has everything to do with it, because it is through the law, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, that God has decreed that all the world becomes guilty before Him. “What things soever the law saith, it saith to them that are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God” (Rom 3:19). “Wherefore then serveth the law?

“It was added [to the law of the spirit] because of transgressions [of the law of the spirit], till the seed should come to whom the promise was made… the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe. But before faith came, we (all of us) were kept under the law… Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us to Christ… But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster” (Gal 3:19-25).

God does not change (Mal 3:6). Christ came to reveal the Father (Mat 11:27 and Luk 10:22).

Mat 11:27  All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him.

This He accomplished through His sacrificial life which revealed for the first time in the history of mankind the “new covenant.” The new covenant “show[s] the work of the law [of God, not Moses] written in their hearts” (Rom 2:15). Under this new covenant Christ reveals to us the Father: “I delight in the LAW of GOD after the inward man” (Rom 7:22). “…The carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the LAW OF GOD neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God” (Rom 8:7, 8). The LAW OF GOD, the “least commandments”, which Christ revealed in Matthew 5 to 7 are the “LAW OF THE SPIRIT” (Rom 8:2). This is the true unchangeable character of God: “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but MY WORDS shall not pass away” (Mat 24:35).

The law of Moses, on the other hand, is only “good, if a man use it lawfully… [meaning that it “brings us to Christ”. Meaning that we know that this law of Moses, written and engraven in stones, this ministration of death] …is not made for a righteous man [the man who is not carnally minded and delights in the LAW OF GOD, the new covenant, after the inward man]. [The law of Moses is] for the lawless and disobedient” (1Ti 1:8, 9).

Rom 8:1  There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh [the “carnal commandments, Heb 7:16, of the law of Moses], but after the Spirit.
Rom 8:2  For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death [“The ministration of death” (2Co 3:7) the law of Moses].
Rom 8:3  For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:
Rom 8:4  That the righteousness of the law [of the spirit] might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the [law of the] Spirit.

1Ti 1:8  But we know that the law [of Moses] is good, if a man use it lawfully;
1Ti 1:9  Knowing this, that the law [of Moses] is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers,
1Ti 1:10  For whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for menstealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine [the law of the spirit];

That is the mind of the holy spirit on this subject of the function of the law of Moses versus the law of the spirit.

Book of Obadiah – Oba 1:6  How are the things of Esau searched out! how are his hidden things sought up!

[Study Aired January 10, 2024]

Oba 1:6  How^H349 are the things of Esau^H6215 searched out!^{H2664 (H8738 Niphal)} how are his hidden things^H4710 sought up!^{H1158 (H8738 Niphal)}

H349 – Ake, how, prolonged from H335, Ahee, where, whence, which, how, perhaps from H370, Ahyin, where, whence, probably identical with a primitive root H369, Ahyin, nothing, not, nought, have not, without, for lack of

H6215 – Esav, hairy, apparently a form of a primitive root H6213, Asah, to do, fashion, accomplish, make, work, produce, to deal with, act, act with effect, effect, prepare, attend to, put in order, observe, celebrate, acquire, appoint, ordain, institute, bring about, use, spend, pass, be done, be made, be produced, be offered, be observed, be used, be made, to press, squeeze

H2664 – Khaphas, (Niphal) A primitive root; to seek; causatively to conceal oneself (that is, let be sought), or mask: – change, (make) diligent (search), disguise self, hide, search (for, out).

H4710 – Mitspoon, hidden treasure, treasure, from a primitive root H6845, Tsaphan, to hide, treasure, treasure/store up, lie hidden, lurk, to be hidden, be stored up

H1158 – Ba`ah, (Niphal) to be searched out, be swelling, bulging, swelling out, a primitive root to boil

This verse has only five Hebrew words. The phrase in italics –  “the things”  – is added to the scripture, so including the original Hebrew and root words where possible, the verse reads:

Oba 1:6  How is Esau disguised! That which is hidden in secret (lurking) is to be searched out (boiled).

In this study we will look at the following Hebrew words:

[1] H6845 (Tsaw-fan) meaning to hide treasure, store up, lurk

[2] H5641 (saw-thar’) meaning to hide/conceal (by covering)

[3] H1158 (baw-aw) meaning to boil, swell out, inquire

[4] H2821 (khaw-shak’) meaning to be dark

If we have been given eyes to see, we are privileged to be given to understand the mysteries of the Kingdom of God in this age. His mysteries are revealed to us as we begin to see who Esau really is. The man of sin is not out there somewhere.  Instead, he is right under our noses sitting in the temple of God declaring he is God. The man of sin/ the man of lawlessness/ the son of perdition is the person in the mirror. He is Anthony Grace for Anthony Grace, and he is you for you. Esau is disguised, just as the man of sin is disguised. Because Christ has given us eyes to see, we begin to search out that which has been hidden in secret, like being able to see the creature in camouflage, the lion in the grasses of the savannah, the chameleon among the leaves of a tree, etc.

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.

1Co 3:17  If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.

Luk 17:21  Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.

In Revelation we read these words:

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

It is because of the gift of His faith within us, not of our own fabled ‘freewill’ faith, that He reveals the deep and secret things.

Dan 2:20  Daniel answered and said, Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever: for wisdom and might are his:
Dan 2:21  And he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding:
Dan 2:22  He revealeth the deep and secret things: he knoweth what is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with him

In Obadiah vs 6 the word for ‘hidden things’ is H4710 and only appears once in the Old Testament. It comes from the root word H6845 (Tsaw-fan) meaning to hide, protect, den oneself up, lay up, lurk. Here is the positive application of the word:

Psa 27:4  One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple.
Psa 27:5  For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock.

A similar word for hide, and the root word from the word ‘secret’ used in Daniel 2:22, is H5641 (saw-thar’) meaning to hide/conceal (by covering).

Jer 16:17  For mine eyes are upon all their ways: they are not hid^H5641 from my face, neither is their iniquity hid^H6845 from mine eyes.
Jer 16:18  And first I will recompense their iniquity and their sin double; because they have defiled my land, they have filled mine inheritance with the carcases of their detestable and abominable things.

Jer 23:23  Am I a God at hand, saith the LORD, and not a God afar off?
Jer 23:24  Can any hide [H5641] himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the LORD. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the LORD.

The hidden things of Esau are searched out. Nothing can hide from God. No secrets can be kept from God because he is a God “at hand”. The word for searched out is H1158 (baw-aw) meaning to boil, swell out, inquire. Here is how the word is used in Isaiah:

Isa 30:13  Therefore this iniquity shall be to you as a breach ready to fall, swelling out^H1158 in a high wall, whose breaking cometh suddenly at an instant.
Isa 30:14  And he shall break it as the breaking of the potters’ vessel that is broken in pieces; he shall not spare: so that there shall not be found in the bursting of it a sherd to take fire from the hearth, or to take water withal out of the pit.

…and…

Isa 64:2  As when the melting fire burneth, the fire causeth the waters to boil^H1158, to make thy name known to thine adversaries, that the nations may tremble at thy presence!
Isa 64:3  When thou didst terrible things which we looked not for, thou camest down, the mountains flowed down at thy presence.
Isa 64:4  For since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him.
Isa 64:5  Thou meetest him that rejoiceth and worketh righteousness, those that remember thee in thy ways: behold, thou art wroth; for we have sinned: in those is continuance, and we shall be saved.
Isa 64:6  But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.

Why is the fire used to cause the waters to boil? To make His name known that the nations may tremble at His presence! The fire is what uncovers the darkness in us. It is what uncovers the hidden truth of our filthy rags and exposes us for what we really are in the flesh; an unclean thing.

For many (because many are called and few are chosen) this truth remains hidden, concealed, in darkness. However, we have been given Christ’s light to expose the darkness. The word for ‘darkness’ appears as H2822 with the root word H2821 [khaw-shak’] meaning to be dark (as withholding light); transitively to darken: – be black, be (make) dark, darken, cause darkness, be dim, hide

Mic 7:8 Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the LORD shall be a light unto me.
Mic 7:9 I will bear the indignation of the LORD, because I have sinned against him, until he plead my cause, and execute judgment for me: he will bring me forth to the light, and I shall behold his righteousness.
Mic 7:10 Then she that is mine enemy shall see it, and shame shall cover her which said unto me, Where is the LORD thy God? mine eyes shall behold her: now shall she [Babylon within each of us] be trodden down as the mire of the streets.

Pro 4:19 The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble.

Jer 13:15  Hear ye, and give ear; be not proud: for the LORD hath spoken.
Jer 13:16  Give glory to the LORD your God, before he cause darkness, and before your feet stumble upon the dark mountains, and, while ye look for light, he turn it into the shadow of death, and make it gross darkness.
Jer 13:17  But if ye will not hear it, my soul shall weep in secret places for your pride; and mine eye shall weep sore, and run down with tears, because the LORD’S flock is carried away captive.

It is the pride of our old man that is being exposed. We have been given to be obedient to the commandment above: “be not proud.”

The reason we can “be not proud” is because our garments have been exposed as filthy rags. It is our heart that is being exposed by the light and changed:

Jol 2:12  Therefore also now, saith the LORD, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning:
Jol 2:13  And rend (revile, tear) your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil

The man of sin, the son of perdition is our old man (within). We are to rend our hearts as we die daily because the old cannot agree with the new:

Luk 5:36  And he spake also a parable unto them; No man putteth a piece of a new garment upon an old; if otherwise, then both the new maketh a rent (rend/tear), and the piece that was taken out of the new agreeth not with the old.

Just as Esau hated his brother, Jacob, the old man hates (is in opposition to) the new man.

Gen 27:41  And Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing wherewith his father blessed him: and Esau said in his heart, The days of mourning for my father are at hand; then will I slay my brother Jacob

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.

Psa 17:8  Keep me as the apple of the eye, hide me under the shadow of thy wings,
Psa 17:9  From the wicked that oppress me, from my deadly enemies, who compass me about.
Psa 17:10  They are inclosed in their own fat: with their mouth they speak proudly.
Psa 17:11  They have now compassed us in our steps: they have set their eyes bowing down to the earth;
Psa 17:12  Like as a lion that is greedy of his prey, and as it were a young lion lurking in secret places.
Psa 17:13  Arise, O LORD, disappoint him, cast him down: deliver my soul from the wicked, which is thy sword.

Our new man will be delivered, just as Jacob was able to escape from Esau’s wrath. As the elect of Christ, we are able ministers who keep His word. He does not hide His commandments from us. He commands that we delight in His word/ His testimonies. It is His word that strengthens us to remain true to it.

Psa 119:17  Deal bountifully with thy servant, that I may live, and keep thy word.
Psa 119:18  Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law.
Psa 119:19  I am a stranger in the earth: hide not thy commandments from me.
Psa 119:20  My soul breaketh for the longing that it hath unto thy judgments at all times.
Psa 119:21  Thou hast rebuked the proud that are cursed, which do err from thy commandments.
Psa 119:22  Remove from me reproach and contempt; for I have kept thy testimonies.
Psa 119:23  Princes also did sit and speak against me: but thy servant did meditate in thy statutes.
Psa 119:24  Thy testimonies also are my delight and my counsellors.
Psa 119:25  DALETH. My soul cleaveth unto the dust: quicken thou me according to thy word.
Psa 119:26  I have declared my ways, and thou heardest me: teach me thy statutes.
Psa 119:27  Make me to understand the way of thy precepts: so shall I talk of thy wondrous works.
Psa 119:28  My soul melteth for heaviness: strengthen thou me according unto thy word

The words of Christ are delivered/ revealed to His Bride:

Isa 29:12  And the book is delivered to him that is not learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I am not learned.
Isa 29:13  Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men:
Isa 29:14  Therefore, behold, I will proceed to do a marvellous work [H6381] among this people, even a marvellous work and a wonder: for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid.

The mysteries of the kingdom of heaven are revealed to us, and this indeed is a marvellous work. This marvellous work is very distinguishing. We cannot take any credit for dethroning the son of perdition/the old man/ the carnal mind in our heavens. All this marvellous work is being orchestrated by our creator.

H6381 
פָּלָא pâlâ'(paw-law’)
A primitive root; properly perhaps to separate, that is, distinguish.

There are a few different Greek words for separate, here is one example:

2Co 6:17  Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate [G873], saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you.

It is only when we are given to start distinguishing/separating ourselves from the old man (from the carnal mind and false doctrines of Babylon) that the son of perdition (Esau in disguise) begins to be revealed within us. 

It is important to keep in mind that Jacob and Esau were twin brothers, and it was difficult to distinguish them apart. Even Isaac had a tough time distinguishing Esau from Jacob, and discerned the difference not:

Gen 27:21  And Isaac said unto Jacob, Come near, I pray thee, that I may feel thee, my son, whether thou be my very son Esau or not.
Gen 27:22  And Jacob went near unto Isaac his father; and he felt him, and said, The voice is Jacob’s voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau.
Gen 27:23  And he discerned him not, because his hands were hairy, as his brother Esau’s hands: so he blessed him

Discerning truth from error is an important aspect of being an “able minister” of Christ:

Heb 5:11  Of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing.
Heb 5:12  For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.
Heb 5:13  For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.
Heb 5:14  But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

We are commanded to try the spirits.

1Jn 4:1  Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try (G1381) the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.

G1381 δοκιμάζω [dok-im-ad’-zo]

to test (literally or figuratively); by implication to approve: – allow, discern, examine.

This same word [tried: G1381] appears in 1 Peter 1:7.

1Pe 1:7  That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ.

We are being tried with fire as we die daily and as we come to see that Esau is disguised as the old man in us. Our old man is decreasing as Christ increases in us so we may become a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God.

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.

This process of being transformed by the renewing of our mind is Christ in us, disentangling us from the doctrines of Babylon. While at times it may be difficult to separate truth from falsehood, when we have Christ’s brightness, it becomes as clear as day just how distinct/separate the two are.

Luk 6:22  Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man’s sake.
Luk 6:23  Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy: for, behold, your reward is great in heaven: for in the like manner did their fathers unto the prophets.

Conclusion and Spiritual principle: We have been given to know/discern this mystery: The man of sin/the son of perdition is the “old man” disguised within.

We are encouraged to know we serve a God who is a “God at hand” interested in our lives and aware of all our hidden aspects. He is orchestrating the gradual process of rending our hearts so we may die daily as we, bit by bit, are separated from our old ways.

Numbers 25:1-18  Israel Worshiped Baal at Peor

[Study Aired October 23, 2023]

Num 25:1  And Israel abode in Shittim, and the people began to commit whoredom with the daughters of Moab. 
Num 25:2  And they called the people unto the sacrifices of their gods: and the people did eat, and bowed down to their gods. 
Num 25:3  And Israel joined himself unto Baalpeor: and the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel. 
Num 25:4  And the LORD said unto Moses, Take all the heads of the people, and hang them up before the LORD against the sun, that the fierce anger of the LORD may be turned away from Israel.
Num 25:5  And Moses said unto the judges of Israel, Slay ye everyone his men that were joined unto Baalpeor. 
Num 25:6  And, behold, one of the children of Israel came and brought unto his brethren a Midianitish woman in the sight of Moses, and in the sight of all the congregation of the children of Israel, who were weeping before the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. 
Num 25:7  And when Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he rose up from among the congregation, and took a javelin in his hand; 
Num 25:8  And he went after the man of Israel into the tent, and thrust both of them through, the man of Israel, and the woman through her belly. So the plague was stayed from the children of Israel. 
Num 25:9  And those that died in the plague were twenty and four thousand. 
Num 25:10  And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 
Num 25:11  Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, hath turned my wrath away from the children of Israel, while he was zealous for my sake among them, that I consumed not the children of Israel in my jealousy. 
Num 25:12  Wherefore say, Behold, I give unto him my covenant of peace: 
Num 25:13  And he shall have it, and his seed after him, even the covenant of an everlasting priesthood; because he was zealous for his God, and made an atonement for the children of Israel. 
Num 25:14  Now the name of the Israelite that was slain, even that was slain with the Midianitish woman, was Zimri, the son of Salu, a prince of a chief house among the Simeonites. 
Num 25:15  And the name of the Midianitish woman that was slain was Cozbi, the daughter of Zur; he was head over a people, and of a chief house in Midian. 
Num 25:16  And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 
Num 25:17  Vex the Midianites, and smite them: 
Num 25:18  For they vex you with their wiles, wherewith they have beguiled you in the matter of Peor, and in the matter of Cozbi, the daughter of a prince of Midian, their sister, which was slain in the day of the plague for Peor’s sake. 

Intruduction

Chapter 25 starts with how Israel committed sexual immorality with the daughters of Moab, and as a result, they ended up serving Baal at Peor.  This whoredom and idolatry was punished by the Lord with a plague. The chapter also describes the pious zeal of Phinehas and the Lord’s commendation of his zeal. This chapter ends with the enmity between the Israelites and the Midianites.

The preceding three chapters of Numbers 25 dealt with Balaam, who was invited by Balak, king of Moab, to come and curse the people of Israel with the intent that this would cause the people of Israel to be defeated by the Moabites. Balaam could not curse the people of Israel because the Lord told him that the people of Israel were a blessed people who could not be cursed. In Revelation 2:14 we are given further information that the whoredom of the people of Israel was the result of Balaam’s doctrine which taught Balak to entice the people of Israel to commit fornication, which would cause the Lord to go against them, thus making it easier for them to be defeated.

Rev 2:14  But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication.

The question is: what is this doctrine of Balaam which cast a stumbling block before the children of Israel, causing them to be involved in eating things sacrificed to idols and committing fornication? The fornication in this sense spiritually means to worship another Jesus. That is, leaving our husband Christ to play the harlot. Through the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ and the apostles, we are able to know the doctrine of Balaam. Let’s take a look at what John has to say about the doctrine of Balaam:

1Jn 4:1  Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.
1Jn 4:2  Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: 
1Jn 4:3  And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.

The doctrine of Balaam causes us to eat food offered to idols and to commit fornication. Eating food offered to idols means accepting what the idols of our hearts say and rejecting the truth of the word of the Lord. The doctrine of Balaam also causes us to forsake our husband Christ and go after another Jesus. In 1 John 4:3, anybody who does not confess that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh has the spirit of the antichrist. As we are aware, everybody knows that Jesus came in the flesh. However, it is only the elect who believe that Jesus Christ comes to us, His elect, in this life to destroy the works of the flesh within us with the breath of His mouth and His brightness. What this implies is that any teaching that does not acknowledge Christ as coming within us to overcome the flesh is tantamount to the doctrine of Balaam. In other words, any teaching causing us to rely on our strength through our perceived self-will (false doctrine) instead of Christ is the doctrine of Balaam. This is because, without Christ coming to us, we are like grasshoppers before the flesh and at the fullness of time, we shall succumb to its control as we end up playing the harlot.

With regard to the doctrine of Balaam, this is what Peter has to say: 

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

What this means is that any great swelling words of vanity constitute the doctrine of Balaam since it has the potential to arouse the lust of the flesh. An example of these great swelling words of vanity is as follows:

2Pe 2:3  And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.

The feigned words mean fictitious words. In other words, false doctrines is the doctrine of Balaam since it has the potential to allure the lust of the flesh which leads us to clinging to another Jesus.

Paul also said the following to say:

Act 20:30  Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.

Perverse things used here by Paul means misinterpreted or corrupt words. It can also mean to ‘turn away.’ In other words, these perverse things spoken are false doctrines which cause us to turn away from Christ to follow another Jesus and therefore constitute the doctrine of Balaam.

As we know, the people of Israel here were the new generation of believers with most of them less than 40 years old. They had left Egypt, but they ended up in Babylon as they committed whoredom and ate food offered to idols.

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

There are many lessons we can glean from this chapter to guide our path to Christ and be delivered from Babylon within and without.

Israel Joined Himself unto Baalpeor

Num 25:1  And Israel abode in Shittim, and the people began to commit whoredom with the daughters of Moab.
Num 25:2  And they called the people unto the sacrifices of their gods: and the people did eat, and bowed down to their gods.
Num 25:3  And Israel joined himself unto Baalpeor: and the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel.

The daughters of Moab in verse 1 signify the many different divisions of Babylon. The Israelites committing whoredom with the daughters of Moab therefore spiritually signify leaving our husband Christ to be joined to or worship another Jesus when we were in Babylon.

2Co 11:2  For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.
2Co 11:3  But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.
2Co 11:4  For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.

In verse 2, the people of Israel eating the sacrifices of their gods and bowing down to them means imbibing the false doctrines of Babylon, which causes us to leave the simplicity which is in Christ in favor of another Jesus. Over time, we end up joining ourselves completely to another Jesus such that we become twofold the child of hell, just as the people of Israel joined themselves to Baalpeor and became worse off as they incurred the anger of the Lord.

Mat 23:15  Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.

We must remember that the people of Israel in this case were a new generation with a maximum age being less than 40 years, as almost all the old generation had died in the wilderness. They therefore represent us as believers when we started our walk with Christ. Our attraction to Babylon to serve another Jesus is so strong, especially when we start our journey with Christ. This is clearly shown in the following verses:

Pro 7:1  My son, keep my words, and lay up my commandments with thee. 
Pro 7:2  Keep my commandments, and live; and my law as the apple of thine eye. 
Pro 7:3  Bind them upon thy fingers, write them upon the table of thine heart. 
Pro 7:4  Say unto wisdom, Thou art my sister; and call understanding thy kinswoman:
Pro 7:5  That they may keep thee from the strange woman, from the stranger which flattereth with her words. 
Pro 7:6  For at the window of my house I looked through my casement,
Pro 7:7  And beheld among the simple ones, I discerned among the youths, a young man void of understanding, 
Pro 7:8  Passing through the street near her corner; and he went the way to her house, 
Pro 7:9  In the twilight, in the evening, in the black and dark night: 
Pro 7:10  And, behold, there met him a woman with the attire of an harlot, and subtil of heart. 
Pro 7:11  (She is loud and stubborn; her feet abide not in her house:
Pro 7:12  Now is she without, now in the streets, and lieth in wait at every corner.) 
Pro 7:13  So she caught him, and kissed him, and with an impudent face said unto him, 
Pro 7:14  I have peace offerings with me; this day have I payed my vows. 
Pro 7:15  Therefore came I forth to meet thee, diligently to seek thy face, and I have found thee. 
Pro 7:16  I have decked my bed with coverings of tapestry, with carved works, with fine linen of Egypt. 
Pro 7:17  I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon. 
Pro 7:18  Come, let us take our fill of love until the morning: let us solace ourselves with loves. 
Pro 7:19  For the goodman is not at home, he is gone a long journey: 
Pro 7:20  He hath taken a bag of money with him, and will come home at the day appointed. 
Pro 7:21  With her much fair speech she caused him to yield, with the flattering of her lips she forced him. 
Pro 7:22  He goeth after her straightway, as an ox goeth to the slaughter, or as a fool to the correction of the stocks; 
Pro 7:23  Till a dart strike through his liver; as a bird hasteth to the snare, and knoweth not that it is for his life. 
Pro 7:24  Hearken unto me now therefore, O ye children, and attend to the words of my mouth. 
Pro 7:25  Let not thine heart decline to her ways, go not astray in her paths. 
Pro 7:26  For she hath cast down many wounded: yea, many strong men have been slain by her. 
Pro 7:27  Her house is the way to hell, going down to the chambers of death.

Our Judgment and That of the World

Num 25:4  And the LORD said unto Moses, Take all the heads of the people, and hang them up before the LORD against the sun, that the fierce anger of the LORD may be turned away from Israel.

In verse 4, although most of the people of Israel had sinned against the Lord by their whoredoms, it is the chiefs of the people who were held responsible by the Lord. The Lord told Moses to take the chiefs of the people of Israel and hang them in the sun before the Lord.  The chiefs of the people of Israel symbolize the elect who are being judged for their whoredom in this life. The fact that the chiefs must be hanged in the sun and before the Lord is to remind us that it is those who are in Christ, represented by the sun, who are being judged. Being hanged before the Lord means our judgment is all part of the plan of the Lord with the objective to cause us to learn righteousness. 

1Pe 4:17  For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?
1Pe 4:18  And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear? 

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.

Num 25:5  And Moses said unto the judges of Israel, Slay ye everyone his men that were joined unto Baalpeor. 

The judges of Israel in verse 5 refers to the elect. This verse is to show us that in the fullness of time, as judges we will administer judgment to the whole world. This will happen during the lake of fire age.

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.

Num 25:6  And, behold, one of the children of Israel came and brought unto his brethren a Midianitish woman in the sight of Moses, and in the sight of all the congregation of the children of Israel, who were weeping before the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. 

The Midianitish woman represents Babylon and the children of Israel who were weeping before the tabernacle in the presence of the Lord, symbolizing the assembly of the Lord’s elect. Therefore, verse 6 shows us that when we become part of the church of the firstborn, we clearly see the sins of the physical churches of this world, which is Babylon, as the weeping children of Israel saw the Israelite in the company of the Midianitish woman in plain sight. The psalm of David clearly shows us that it is when we enter the assembly of the church of the elect that we see Babylon clearly and her end.

Psa 73:1  A Psalm of Asaph. Truly God is good to Israel, even to such as are of a clean heart. 
Psa 73:2  But as for me, my feet were almost gone; my steps had well-nigh slipped. 
Psa 73:3  For I was envious at the foolish, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. 
Psa 73:4  For there are no bands in their death: but their strength is firm. 
Psa 73:5  They are not in trouble as other men; neither are they plagued like other men.
Psa 73:6  Therefore pride compasseth them about as a chain; violence covereth them as a garment. 
Psa 73:7  Their eyes stand out with fatness: they have more than heart could wish. 
Psa 73:8  They are corrupt, and speak wickedly concerning oppression: they speak loftily.

Psa 73:12  Behold, these are the ungodly, who prosper in the world; they increase in riches.
Psa 73:13  Verily I have cleansed my heart in vain, and washed my hands in innocency.
Psa 73:14  For all the day long have I been plagued, and chastened every morning. 
Psa 73:15  If I say, I will speak thus; behold, I should offend against the generation of thy children. 
Psa 73:16  When I thought to know this, it was too painful for me;
Psa 73:17  Until I went into the sanctuary of God; then understood I their end. 
Psa 73:18  Surely thou didst set them in slippery places: thou castedst them down into destruction. 
Psa 73:19  How are they brought into desolation, as in a moment! they are utterly consumed with terrors.

Num 25:7  And when Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he rose up from among the congregation, and took a javelin in his hand; 
Num 25:8  And he went after the man of Israel into the tent, and thrust both of them through, the man of Israel, and the woman through her belly. So the plague was stayed from the children of Israel. 
Num 25:9  And those that died in the plague were twenty and four thousand. 

Phinehas here symbolizes the elect who was among the congregation who were mourning or weeping for the sins of Israel.

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

A javelin is an instrument to kill or destroy. It comes from an unused word which means ‘to hurt.’ Spiritually, it represents the fire of the word of the Lord which destroy or hurts our old man.

1Sa 18:11  And Saul cast the javelin; for he said, I will smite David even to the wall with it. And David avoided out of his presence twice.

Phinehas thrusting the man and the Midianitish woman with the javelin means that the Lord’s elect shall judge the world and Babylon in the Lake of Fire Age. This judgment shall destroy the old man in all mankind since creation. That is when the plague of sin shall cease. In verse 9, those who died from the plague were 24,000 (24x10x10x10). The number 2 means ‘a witness’, the number four signifies the whole of whatever is under consideration, and the number 10 represents the completeness of the flesh.  In this case, we are looking at those who have died as a result of the plague. In other words, we are looking at the whole of humanity who were spiritually dead as a result of the plague of sin. What the number 24,000 therefore means is that all humanity who were spiritually dead will be saved through judgment and therefore become like the Lord’s elect (the two witnesses).

1Ti 2:4  Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. 

1Ti 4:9  This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation. 
1Ti 4:10  For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe.

It is instructive to note that the javelin entered the woman through the belly. Paul makes it clear that those whose God is their belly are mindful of things of the earth. So it is the fiery word of God (javelin) which put to death our “belly” which stands for our earthly mindset and desires that have become our God. This implies that the judgment of Babylon is to destroy the old man. 

Php 3:19  Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.)

Rom 16:17  Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. 
Rom 16:18  For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.

The Blessing of the Elect

Num 25:10  And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 
Num 25:11  Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, hath turned my wrath away from the children of Israel, while he was zealous for my sake among them, that I consumed not the children of Israel in my jealousy.
Num 25:12  Wherefore say, Behold, I give unto him my covenant of peace:
Num 25:13  And he shall have it, and his seed after him, even the covenant of an everlasting priesthood; because he was zealous for his God, and made an atonement for the children of Israel.

The zeal for the Lord by Phinehas resulted in the children of Israel not being consumed by the Lord. This means that our zeal for the Lord in this life is for the sake of our brothers and sisters in Christ and the people of the world, including those in Babylon. In other words, the mercy we have received from the Lord which has caused us to be zealous for the Lord is for the benefit of all humanity as they also shall receive mercy from us. May the Lord help us to be zealous for Him in this life!!

Psa 69:9  For the zeal of thine house hath eaten me up; and the reproaches of them that reproached thee are fallen upon me.

Rom 11:30  For as ye in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief: 
Rom 11:31  Even so have these also now not believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy.
Rom 11:32  For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all.

In verses 12 and 13 we are given to know some of the blessings the Lord has given to us, His elect. One of the promises given to Phinehas for his zeal for the Lord is the covenant of peace. As the Lord’s called and chosen, we are like Phinehas whom the Lord has given the peace of mind which passes all understanding. To the rest of humanity, the way of peace has eluded them.

Joh 14:27  Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. 

Isa 57:21  There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked.

Isa 59:8  The way of peace they know not; and there is no judgment in their goings: they have made them crooked paths: whosoever goeth therein shall not know peace. 
Isa 59:9  Therefore is judgment far from us, neither doth justice overtake us: we wait for light, but behold obscurity; for brightness, but we walk in darkness. 
Isa 59:10  We grope for the wall like the blind, and we grope as if we had no eyes: we stumble at noonday as in the night; we are in desolate places as dead men.

In addition to our covenant of peace, the Lord has also blessed us to be given the priesthood.

Isa 61:6  But ye shall be named the Priests of the LORD: men shall call you the Ministers of our God: ye shall eat the riches of the Gentiles, and in their glory shall ye boast yourselves.

1Pe 2:5  Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. 

1Pe 2:9  But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:

Num 25:14  Now the name of the Israelite that was slain, even that was slain with the Midianitish woman, was Zimri, the son of Salu, a prince of a chief house among the Simeonites. 
Num 25:15  And the name of the Midianitish woman that was slain was Cozbi, the daughter of Zur; he was head over a people, and of a chief house in Midian. 

It is insightful to note the names of the victims of Phinehas’ zeal. The name of the Israelite that was killed by Phinehas’ javelin was Zimri, which means that ‘God is my protection.’ That of the Midianitish woman was Cozbi which means ‘false.’ What we are being told here by these names is that the false doctrines that we imbibe take away the Lord’s protection, and therefore we become easy prey for the devil.

It is also important to note that the man (Zimri) was a prince of a chief house among the Simeonites, and the woman was the daughter of a chief house in Midian. As we indicated earlier, Cozbi, the Midianitish woman, represents Babylon. This implies that it is the leaders of Babylon who commit fornication with her and lead the people astray.

Isa 9:16  For the leaders of this people cause them to err; and they that are led of them are destroyed. 
Isa 9:17  Therefore the Lord shall have no joy in their young men, neither shall have mercy on their fatherless and widows: for everyone is an hypocrite and an evildoer, and every mouth speaketh folly. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still. 

Rev 17:2  With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication. 

Rev 18:9  And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning, 
Rev 18:10  Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come.

The Enmity Between Israel and Midian

Num 25:16  And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 
Num 25:17  Vex the Midianites, and smite them: 
Num 25:18  For they vex you with their wiles, wherewith they have beguiled you in the matter of Peor, and in the matter of Cozbi, the daughter of a prince of Midian, their sister, which was slain in the day of the plague for Peor’s sake.

The Midianites represent our flesh. If we do not see that the present danger regarding our walk with Christ is our flesh, then we shall surely be defeated by it, just as Zimri was overcome by a daughter of Midian. The Lord telling Moses to vex the Midianites is another way of saying that our flesh lusts against the spirit and are therefore contrary to each other. However, if we walk in the Spirit, that is, if we walk according to the word of the Lord, we shall smite the Midianites (the flesh).

Gal 5:16  This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. 
Gal 5:17  For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. 
Gal 5:18  But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.

May the Lord continue to help us to overcome the flesh in this life. Amen!!

[Study Aired November 3, 2022]

2Ki 9:1  And Elisha the prophet called one of the sons of the prophets, and said unto him, Gird up thy loins, and take this vial of oil in thy hand, and go to Ramoth-gilead. 
2Ki 9:2  And when thou comest thither, look out there Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat the son of Nimshi, and go in, and make him arise up from among his brethren, and carry him to an inner chamber.
2Ki 9:3  Then take the vial of oil, and pour it on his head, and say, Thus saith Jehovah, I have anointed thee king over Israel. Then open the door, and flee, and tarry not. 
2Ki 9:4  So the young man, even the young man the prophet, went to Ramoth-gilead. 
2Ki 9:5  And when he came, behold, the captains of the host were sitting; and he said, I have an errand to thee, O captain. And Jehu said, Unto which of us all? And he said, To thee, O captain. 
2Ki 9:6  And he arose, and went into the house; and he poured the oil on his head, and said unto him, Thus saith Jehovah, the God of Israel, I have anointed thee king over the people of Jehovah, even over Israel. 
2Ki 9:7  And thou shalt smite the house of Ahab thy master, that I may avenge the blood of my servants the prophets, and the blood of all the servants of Jehovah, at the hand of Jezebel. 
2Ki 9:8  For the whole house of Ahab shall perish; and I will cut off from Ahab every man-child, and him that is shut up and him that is left at large in Israel. 
2Ki 9:9  And I will make the house of Ahab like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah. 
2Ki 9:10  And the dogs shall eat Jezebel in the portion of Jezreel, and there shall be none to bury her. And he opened the door, and fled. 
2Ki 9:11  Then Jehu came forth to the servants of his lord: and one said unto him, Is all well? wherefore came this mad fellow to thee? And he said unto them, Ye know the man and what his talk was. 
2Ki 9:12  And they said, It is false; tell us now. And he said, Thus and thus spake he to me, saying, Thus saith Jehovah, I have anointed thee king over Israel. 
2Ki 9:13  Then they hasted, and took every man his garment, and put it under him on the top of the stairs, and blew the trumpet, saying, Jehu is king. 
2Ki 9:14  So Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat the son of Nimshi conspired against Joram. (Now Joram was keeping Ramoth-gilead, he and all Israel, because of Hazael king of Syria; 
2Ki 9:15  but king Joram was returned to be healed in Jezreel of the wounds which the Syrians had given him, when he fought with Hazael king of Syria.) And Jehu said, If this be your mind, then let none escape and go forth out of the city, to go to tell it in Jezreel. 
2Ki 9:16  So Jehu rode in a chariot, and went to Jezreel; for Joram lay there. And Ahaziah king of Judah was come down to see Joram. 
2Ki 9:17  Now the watchman was standing on the tower in Jezreel, and he spied the company of Jehu as he came, and said, I see a company. And Joram said, Take a horseman, and send to meet them, and let him say, Is it peace? 
2Ki 9:18  So there went one on horseback to meet him, and said, Thus saith the king, Is it peace? And Jehu said, What hast thou to do with peace? turn thee behind me. And the watchman told, saying, The messenger came to them, but he cometh not back. 
2Ki 9:19  Then he sent out a second on horseback, who came to them, and said, Thus saith the king, Is it peace? And Jehu answered, What hast thou to do with peace? turn thee behind me. 
2Ki 9:20  And the watchman told, saying, He came even unto them, and cometh not back: and the driving is like the driving of Jehu the son of Nimshi; for he driveth furiously. 
2Ki 9:21  And Joram said, Make ready. And they made ready his chariot. And Joram king of Israel and Ahaziah king of Judah went out, each in his chariot, and they went out to meet Jehu, and found him in the portion of Naboth the Jezreelite. 
2Ki 9:22  And it came to pass, when Joram saw Jehu, that he said, Is it peace, Jehu? And he answered, What peace, so long as the whoredoms of thy mother Jezebel and her witchcrafts are so many?
2Ki 9:23  And Joram turned his hands, and fled, and said to Ahaziah, There is treachery, O Ahaziah. 
2Ki 9:24  And Jehu drew his bow with his full strength, and smote Joram between his arms; and the arrow went out at his heart, and he sunk down in his chariot. 
2Ki 9:25  Then said Jehu to Bidkar his captain, Take up, and cast him in the portion of the field of Naboth the Jezreelite; for remember how that, when I and thou rode together after Ahab his father, Jehovah laid this burden upon him: 
2Ki 9:26  surely I have seen yesterday the blood of Naboth, and the blood of his sons, saith Jehovah; and I will requite thee in this plat, saith Jehovah. Now therefore take and cast him into the plat of ground, according to the word of Jehovah. 
2Ki 9:27  But when Ahaziah the king of Judah saw this, he fled by the way of the garden-house. And Jehu followed after him, and said, Smite him also in the chariot: and they smote him at the ascent of Gur, which is by Ibleam. And he fled to Megiddo, and died there. 
2Ki 9:28  And his servants carried him in a chariot to Jerusalem, and buried him in his sepulchre with his fathers in the city of David.
2Ki 9:29  And in the eleventh year of Joram the son of Ahab began Ahaziah to reign over Judah. 
2Ki 9:30  And when Jehu was come to Jezreel, Jezebel heard of it; and she painted her eyes, and attired her head, and looked out at the window. 
2Ki 9:31  And as Jehu entered in at the gate, she said, Is it peace, thou Zimri, thy master’s murderer? 
2Ki 9:32  And he lifted up his face to the window, and said, Who is on my side? who? And there looked out to him two or three eunuchs. 
2Ki 9:33  And he said, Throw her down. So they threw her down; and some of her blood was sprinkled on the wall, and on the horses: and he trod her under foot. 
2Ki 9:34  And when he was come in, he did eat and drink; and he said, See now to this cursed woman, and bury her; for she is a king’s daughter. 
2Ki 9:35  And they went to bury her; but they found no more of her than the skull, and the feet, and the palms of her hands. 
2Ki 9:36  Wherefore they came back, and told him. And he said, This is the word of Jehovah, which he spake by his servant Elijah the Tishbite, saying, In the portion of Jezreel shall the dogs eat the flesh of Jezebel; 
2Ki 9:37  and the body of Jezebel shall be as dung upon the face of the field in the portion of Jezreel, so that they shall not say, This is Jezebel.

This entire ninth chapter’s primary focus is on the destruction of spiritual Babylon, the churches and religions of this world represented by “the whole house of Ahab” (2Ki 9:8), which fittingly included Jezebel, King Jehoram, King Ahaziah, and many other characters. 

2Ki 9:8  For the whole house of Ahab shall perish; and I will cut off from Ahab every man-child, and him that is shut up and him that is left at large in Israel. 

The certainty of that destruction at the hand of Jehu, who was anointed of God to be used in that capacity, will be shown in the death of these characters at his hand. All these actions are analogous to what God must do to our old man of sin in order for us to ‘come out of her my people’ and be saved through Christ (2Co 5:17, Isa 37:32, Isa 9:7).

Isa 37:32  For out of Jerusalem shall go forth a remnant, and out of mount Zion they that shall escape. The zeal of Jehovah of hosts will perform this.

Isa 9:7  Of the increase of his government and of peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to establish it, and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of Jehovah of hosts will perform this.

How this order of events is going to be made possible to unfold, (“the whole house of Ahab shall perish“) is made clear for us, in the first three verses (2Ki 9:1-3) where there is an anointing that is needed in the life of Jehu in order to accomplish this ‘cleansing of the house of Ahab’ (2Ki 9:8) as it is referred to, and that is type and shadow language telling God’s elect that unless God’s spirit is within us there will be no inward cleansing of the temple of God which we are (1Co 3:16), but rather our lives will be representative of this verse in Jeremiah 6:14): “They have healed also the hurt of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace“, as opposed to: “Of the increase of his government and of peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David” (Rom 8:9, Rom 9:8). If we are being judged today, we can experience that lasting and very precious spirit of God’s peace that passes all understanding because of Christ being on the throne of our hearts, typified by “the throne of David” (Php 4:7).

Rom 9:8  That is, it is not the children of the flesh that are children of God; but the children of the promise are reckoned for a seed.

Php 4:7  And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

The clear message for those who have eyes to see and ears to hear, which is a gift from God (Eph 2:8, Mat 13:16), is that in order for us to have His peace that passes all understanding (Php 4:6-7), we must die daily and cry out to our Lord to help us do battle against all the powers and principalities, “the whole house of Ahab” that Christ in us is able to overcome and “shall perish” by the power of His brightness that destroys these strongholds within us (Heb 5:7, 2Th 2:8): “the whole house of Ahab shall perish“.

Php 4:6  In nothing be anxious; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. 
Php 4:7  And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus.

The anointing

2Ki 9:1  And Elisha the prophet called one of the children of the prophets, and said unto him, Gird up thy loins, and take this box of oil in thine hand, and go to Ramothgilead: 
2Ki 9:2  And when thou comest thither, look out there Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat the son of Nimshi, and go in, and make him arise up from among his brethren, and carry him to an inner chamber;
2Ki 9:3  Then take the box of oil, and pour it on his head, and say, Thus saith the LORD, I have anointed thee king over Israel. Then open the door, and flee, and tarry not.

Ramothgilead^H7433 which means “heights of Gilad” (Strong’s) or “high mounds of testimony” (PNB), and symbolizes the idolatry of the nation of Israel and the place that Elisha will send “one of the children of the prophets” to humble the nation through judgment. In like manner, Christ is sending His elect to come up or ascend on mount Zion. Zion represents that which has overcome through Christ and through His judgment, and the mount of Esau represents that which is yet to be judged by the saints who come up on mount Zion (Oba 1:21). Inwardly we overcome the mount of Esau by girding up our loins and taking a box of oil in our hand as we go to face the giants of our land in Ramothgilead where we will overcome through Christ (Num 14:9).

Oba 1:21  And saviours shall come up on mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau; and the kingdom shall be the LORD’S. 

Num 14:9  Only rebel not ye against the LORD, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us: their defence is departed from them, and the LORD is with us: fear them not.

It is “Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat the son of Nimshi” who God sends his power to, through one of the “children of the prophets” who represents the angels or messengers, that God sends to us in this age with the word of God that anoints us and makes it possible for us to be extricated or pulled out from Babylon [Nimshi ^H5250].

“Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat the son of Nimshi^H5250“

H5250 nimshı̂y BDB Definition: “rescued”

A Related Word by BDB/Strong’s Number: probably from H4871 [“to pull out”]

Strong’s: extricated  Total KJV occurrences: 5

Saying, “and make him arise up from among his brethren, and carry him to an inner chamber”, is symbolic language that tells us what happens to us when we are anointed by God giving us this increase through Christ (1Co 3:6). The “inner chamber” represents the Christ-centric life we can now have after we have been anointed of the Lord and are hidden in Him in the “inner chamber” (Eph 2:6, Col 3:3). 

Eph 2:6  And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:

After he pours the oil out on the head of Jehu, by his actions this servant of Elisha sets an example to Jehu of what to do with this gift that he is not to neglect (Heb 2:3). The zealousness of Christ is expressed in us by ‘opening the door’, which represents our communion with Christ in our heavens where we labour diligently and stedfastly in the Lord, knowing He is a rewarder of those who do this (Heb 11:6): “Then open the door, and flee, and tarry not“. Fleeing and not tarrying reminds us that we overcome sin by distancing ourselves from it and “make not provision for the flesh” (Rom 13:14, 2Ti 2:22)

Rom 13:14  But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.

Faith without works is dead

2Ki 9:4  So the young man, even the young man the prophet, went to Ramothgilead.
2Ki 9:5  And when he came, behold, the captains of the host were sitting; and he said, I have an errand to thee, O captain. And Jehu said, Unto which of all us? And he said, To thee, O captain. 
2Ki 9:6  And he arose, and went into the house; and he poured the oil on his head, and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I have anointed thee king over the people of the LORD, even over Israel. 
2Ki 9:7  And thou shalt smite the house of Ahab thy master, that I may avenge the blood of my servants the prophets, and the blood of all the servants of the LORD, at the hand of Jezebel.

The captain, who is Jehu at this point, represents us when we are by the way doing our own thing and Christ comes along by way of his servants and says, “I have an errand to thee, O captain“, which is what these words to Christ’s disciples mean: “And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men” (Mat 4:19). That is the errand to which God has called us; the work of feeding the lambs and sheep in this life. At first, we can’t understand that this anointing is specific to the peculiar people and royal priesthood we have become (1Pe 2:9), which is why Jehu asks “Unto which of all us“? And to which the young prophet answers, “To thee, O captain.“

1Pe 2:9  But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: 

Our labour in Christ is done with a two-edged sword at the ready as we are dead to sin and alive in Christ (Rom 6:11). The ‘dead to sin’ part requires our dying daily with that sword [his spirit, his word] which is what this verse symbolizes: “And thou shalt smite the house of Ahab thy master, that I may avenge the blood of my servants the prophets, and the blood of all the servants of the LORD, at the hand of Jezebel.” Without God’s anointing on us, we would not have the desire or zeal, both to will and to do of God’s good pleasure in this life, which desire is to be consumed for the zeal of His house by driving every unclean thing out of His temple, which we are (Php 2:12-13). It is stated this way: “the blood of all the servants of the LORD, at the hand of Jezebel”, to remind us that this is speaking primarily to God’s elect today who will later judge the rest of the world, if we are blessed to be judged in this life first (Luk 11:50-51, 1Co 6:3).

Luk 11:50  That the blood of all the prophets, which was shed from the foundation of the world, may be required of this generation;
Luk 11:51  From the blood of Abel unto the blood of Zacharias, which perished between the altar and the temple: verily I say unto you, It shall be required of this generation.

To further clarify the specificity of our calling, we read: “And thou shalt smite the house of Ahab thy master, that I may avenge the blood of my servants the prophets, and the blood of all the servants of the LORD, at the hand of Jezebel“, which symbolizes the power God has given to His saints to pour out the seven last vials of God’s wrath upon this world (Rev 15:1-2, Rev 21:8-9) that were first poured out on us (1Pe 4:17, 1Pe 4:12, Rev 15:8). This is how God’s servants, who have already been judged of God, are avenged (Rev 6:9-11). All of this wrath of God will work good in the end as it will do away with Babylon, and great shall be the fall of her, typified by Jezebel’s horrific demise from the height from which she fell (Rev 14:8, Rev 18:2).

He will thoroughly cleanse his threshing-floor

2Ki 9:8  For the whole house of Ahab shall perish: and I will cut off from Ahab him that pisseth against the wall, and him that is shut up and left in Israel:
2Ki 9:9  And I will make the house of Ahab like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah:
2Ki 9:10  And the dogs shall eat Jezebel in the portion of Jezreel, and there shall be none to bury her. And he opened the door, and fled.

These verses (2Ki 9:8-9) graphically demonstrate what God will do with all fleshly carnal thinking and how thoroughly He will cleanse His threshing-floor in the heart of every man in time (Mal 4:1). 

2Ki 9:8 Every man and boy in Ahab’s family must die, whether slave or free.
2Ki 9:9  His whole family must be destroyed, just like the families of Jeroboam son of Nebat and Baasha son of Ahijah. (CEV)

Mal 4:1  For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.

Leaving “neither root nor branch” happens as a result of “the whole house of Ahab” perishing. For God’s elect this message is happening now as we die daily and judge ourselves daily and keep under our body daily to be sure that there is no root of bitterness overtaking us, not missing seeing or understanding any opportunity of the Lord to prune away the branches that need to be taken out of our lives and burned (1Co 11:31, Heb 12:15, Joh 15:2, Heb 12:6, 1Co 9:25-27).

Heb 12:15  Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled; 

Joh 15:2  Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.

“And the dogs shall eat Jezebel in the portion of Jezreel, and there shall be none to bury her” represents our eating of false doctrines in the churches of Babylon, symbolized by the woman Jezebel. We don’t think this is us at first, but because we do not yet have “another spirit” as did Caleb and Joshua(Num 14:24), we go right along with the harlotries of this world from our own elevated position in our flesh just as Jezebel did. ‘And there was none to bury Jezebel’ tells us that there is no honour in her and no burial ceremony as such for this extremely wicked woman who represents Babylon which will be destroyed (Jer 51:8-9, 2Pe 2:12).

Jer 51:8  Babylon is suddenly fallen and destroyed: howl for her; take balm for her pain, if so be she may be healed.
Jer 51:9  We would have healed Babylon, but she is not healed: forsake her, and let us go every one into his own country: for her judgment reacheth unto heaven, and is lifted up even to the skies.

2Pe 2:12  But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not; and shall utterly perish in their own corruption;

The kingdom of the world is become the kingdom of our Lord, and of his Christ:

2Ki 9:11  Then Jehu came forth to the servants of his lord: and one said unto him, Is all well? wherefore came this mad fellow to thee? And he said unto them, Ye know the man, and his communication. 
2Ki 9:12  And they said, It is false; tell us now. And he said, Thus and thus spake he to me, saying, Thus saith the LORD, I have anointed thee king over Israel. 
2Ki 9:13  Then they hasted, and took every man his garment, and put it under him on the top of the stairs, and blew with trumpets, saying, Jehu is king. 

It took this conversation with Jehu, who was now anointed by the Lord, for the people to realize that this was really happening and that Jehu was the anointed king. The lesson for us is that the Lord will persuade the world one day through God’s anointed church that we are who we say we are, the body of Christ and the wife of our Lord who has made herself ready (Rev 19:7). 

It is God who does the dragging and the converting, and Jehu typifies those who are being dragged to Christ by the Father (Joh 6:44). When that day of acknowledgement comes in the earth of what God’s workmanship has manifested in the saints, the world will be zealous toward God’s purpose just as this group was toward the anointing of Jehu. Their compliance and agreement to these actions of the servant of Elisha are symbolized by taking off their garments and putting them under the top of the stairs where the king is exalted, “Then they hasted, and took every man his garment, and put it under him on the top of the stairs, and blew with trumpets, saying, Jehu is king.” Blowing the trumpets is another symbol that tells us this story typifies the time when the last trump will sound and we shall be changed (1Co 15:52).

1Co 15:52  In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

Fight the good fight of the faith, lay hold on the life eternal:

2Ki 9:14  So Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat the son of Nimshi conspired against Joram. (Now Joram had kept Ramothgilead, he and all Israel, because of Hazael king of Syria.

Jehu is conspiring against Joram, which actions of Jehu demonstrate that the spirit is against the flesh (Gal 5:17), and now that Jehu is anointed, he is ready to do battle against his enemies, typifying God’s elect, the bride of Christ, who will be made ready to do battle against all flesh that is in bondage. Our enemy is Satan, and we wrestle against “principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places” and not against flesh and blood (Eph 6:12), so the words “Now Joram had kept Ramothgilead, he and all Israel, because of Hazael king of Syria“, represent the bondage that the devil has us all in, in our appointed time, from which we can only be delivered through Christ (Joh 8:36) who is represented by Jehu who is a type of the elect in this particular parable (Oba 1:21).

Keep fighting:

2Ki 9:15 But king Joram was returned to be healed in Jezreel of the wounds which the Syrians had given him, when he fought with Hazael king of Syria.) And Jehu said, If it be your minds, then let none go forth nor escape out of the city to go to tell it in Jezreel.

Jehu’s anointing is already producing the fruit of wisdom that instructs the people to not let anyone go into the city Jezreel to give advance warning to Joram of Jehu’s intentions. If we are of the same mind, we will battle together as one body, one army like Gideon’s army who, although they were few in number, were promised victory because the battle is the Lord’s, and it is given to those who are obedient to the commands of the King (Act 5:32).

Act 5:32  And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him.

2Ki 9:16  So Jehu rode in a chariot, and went to Jezreel; for Joram lay there. And Ahaziah king of Judah was come down to see Joram. 
2Ki 9:17  And there stood a watchman on the tower in Jezreel, and he spied the company of Jehu as he came, and said, I see a company. And Joram said, Take an horseman, and send to meet them, and let him say, Is it peace? 
2Ki 9:18  So there went one on horseback to meet him, and said, Thus saith the king, Is it peace? And Jehu said, What hast thou to do with peace? turn thee behind me. And the watchman told, saying, The messenger came to them, but he cometh not again. 
2Ki 9:19  Then he sent out a second on horseback, which came to them, and said, Thus saith the king, Is it peace? And Jehu answered, What hast thou to do with peace? turn thee behind me. 

The watchman does not interact with Jehu and goes to the king straightway to tell him what he sees, which in turn has Joram send a horseman to ask him his intentions, trying the spirits, as it were, to find out if Jehu is come to make peace or come to do battle. This tells us a whole lot about the world who is looking for an alliance in the flesh, but there will be none found with God’s elect whose mantra is “I would rather be divided by the truth than united by a lie”.

Psa 127:1  A Song of degrees for Solomon. Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.

The question brought to Jehu from king Joram is, “Is it peace?“, and the shocking response was, “What hast thou to do with peace? turn thee behind me.” Yes, get behind me Satan for you savour not the things that be of God but that which is of your father the devil (Mat 16:23).

Again, a “second on horseback” comes out asking the same question, “Thus saith the king, Is it peace?” and getting the same response from Jehu. There’s the witness for us of the world saying peace, peace when there is no peace (Jer 6:14), and that theme will continue right until the end of the thousand years when the truth about mankind’s heart will be made crystal clear in their attempt to destroy the camp of the saints after “Satan shall be loosed out of his prison” (Rev 20:8).

Jer 6:14  They have healed also the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace. 

Rev 20:8  And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. 

And keep fighting:

2Ki 9:20  And the watchman told, saying, He came even unto them, and cometh not again: and the driving is like the driving of Jehu the son of Nimshi; for he driveth furiously. 
2Ki 9:21  And Joram said, Make ready. And his chariot was made ready. And Joram king of Israel and Ahaziah king of Judah went out, each in his chariot, and they went out against Jehu, and met him in the portion of Naboth^H5022 the Jezreelite.^H3158

The watchman is giving the play by play here to Joram which prompts Joram to say ‘make ready’ as Jehu was on the attack, typifying for us that we do not bear the sword of God in vain and that the Lord will increase our zealousness and deliver us from our enemies if we are granted to seek Him with all our hearts (Jer 29:13-14).

Jer 29:13  And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. 
Jer 29:14  And I will be found of you, saith the LORD: and I will turn away your captivity, and I will gather you from all the nations, and from all the places whither I have driven you, saith the LORD; and I will bring you again into the place whence I caused you to be carried away captive. 

Now Joram and Ahaziah, the kings of Israel and Judah are aligned, each in his chariot coming out against Jehu whom they meet “in the portion of Naboth the Jezreelit“. The word Naboth means “fruits” and the word ‘Jezreelit’ is similar to the word ‘Jezreel’, meaning “God sows”. 

H5022  nâbôth naw-both’  Feminine plural from the same as H5011; fruits; Naboth, an Israelite: – Naboth.  Total KJV occurrences: 22

H3158  yizre‛ê’lı̂y yiz-reh-ay-lee’  Patronymic from H3157; a Jizreelite or native of Jizreel: – Jezreelite.  Total KJV occurrences: 8

H3157  yizre‛ê’l yiz-reh-ale’  From H2232 and H410; God will sow; Jizreel, the name of two places in Palestine and of two Israelites: – Jezreel.  Total KJV occurrences: 36

So this is a moment of revealing what God has sown and created, the good and the evil, the light and darkness of these two groups, and it was not their fabled free will that put them in this situation (Isa 45:7).

Isa 45:7  I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.

Still keep fighting:

2Ki 9:22  And it came to pass, when Joram saw Jehu, that he said, Is it peace, Jehu? And he answered, What peace, so long as the whoredoms of thy mother Jezebel and her witchcrafts are so many? 
2Ki 9:23  And Joram turned his hands, and fled, and said to Ahaziah, There is treachery, O Ahaziah. 
2Ki 9:24  And Jehu drew a bow with his full strength, and smote Jehoram between his arms, and the arrow went out at his heart, and he sunk down in his chariot. 

Now Joram hears it from Jehu’s own lips after he hypocritically asks him, “Are you coming in peace?” “How can there be peace in this world” is what Jehu responds to Joram “so long as the whoredoms of thy mother Jezebel and her witchcrafts are so many?“ Joram has rightly identified the spirit of Jehu and “turned his hands, and fled, and said to Ahaziah, There is treachery, O Ahaziah“. Then “Jehu drew a bow with his full strength, and smote Jehoram between his arms” representing the word of God that will go forth in the strength of Christ to accomplish this destruction against mystery Babylon and all the corrupt fruit of that huge vine of Babylon that Christ will give us the power to destroy with the threshing tool, a sickle, that represents God’s power working in the body of Christ through the true vine, Jesus Christ (Joh 15:5). We will judge the world in time, and angels (Rev 14:15, 1Co 6:3): The vital organ of the heart being hit so precisely (Heb 4:12, Psa 129:4) tells us that God will deal with sinful rebellion immediately during the thousand-year reign, and that we consider ourselves dead to sin and alive in Christ now because of that ongoing righteous judgment of Christ upon our own lives: “the arrow went out at his heart, and he sunk down in his chariot” (1Ki 22:34).

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

Rev 14:15  And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle, and reap: for the time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe. 

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.

2Ki 9:25  Jehu said to his chariot driver Bidkar, “Take Joram’s body up and throw it into the field of Naboth from Jezreel. Remember when you and I rode together with Joram’s father Ahab, the Lord said this would happen to him.
2Ki 9:26  The Lord said, ‘Yesterday I saw the blood of Naboth and his sons. So I will punish Ahab in this field.’ The Lord said that. So take Joram’s body and throw it into the field, just like the Lord said!” (ERV)

Jehu is a man on a mission now, telling his captain Bidkar [H920 =by stabbing, that is, assassin (Mat 10:34)] to put Joram’s dead body in this plat, “Cast him in the portion of the field of Naboth the Jezreelite“, which words were a fulfilled prophecy found in 1 Kings 21:19-22 that “the blood of Naboth, and the blood of his sons, saith the LORD; and I will requite thee in this plat, saith the LORD.” We are reassured that what the Lord starts, He finishes (Php 1:6), including the revelations He gives us (Amo 3:7) that continue to assure us that we will be more than conquerors through Christ over our old man of sin within and without. We are buried into Christ’s death (Rom 6:3) even while our old man is cast “into the plat of ground, according to the word of the LORD.“

Amo 3:6  Shall a trumpet be blown in the city, and the people not be afraid? shall there be evil in a city, and the LORD hath not done it?
Amo 3:7  Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.

2Ki 9:27  But when Ahaziah the king of Judah saw this, he fled by the way of the garden house. And Jehu followed after him, and said, Smite him also in the chariot. And they did so at the going up to Gur^H1483, which is by Ibleam^H2991. And he fled to Megiddo^H4023, and died there. 
2Ki 9:28  And his servants carried him in a chariot to Jerusalem, and buried him in his sepulchre with his fathers in the city of David.

When Ahaziah [H274 = Jah has seized/taken by Jehovah] recognized what was happening and that death was potentially imminent, “he fled by the way of the garden house” like Adam and Eve, who when they realized they were naked, [a symbol of sinful flesh that God tells us is spiritually dead (Joh 6:63)], covered themselves with fig leaves, symbolizing their own works, and hid from our Lord among the trees in the garden. Jehu followed after Ahaziah and said, “Smite him also in the chariot. And they did so at the going up to Gur^H1483, which is by Ibleam^H2991“, the chariot being a symbol of ‘his own power’ that was going to be taken away from him. They followed him up to “Gur^H1483, which is by Ibleam^H2991“, two names which tell us that Ahaziah was an immature leader who was going to be destroyed (Mat 24:19).

Isa 43:15  I am the LORD, your Holy One, the creator of Israel, your King. 
Isa 43:16  Thus saith the LORD, which maketh a way in the sea, and a path in the mighty waters; 
Isa 43:17  Which bringeth forth the chariot and horse, the army and the power; they shall lie down together, they shall not rise: they are extinct, they are quenched as tow.

All these names mentioned prior to the death of Ahaziah are significant as they tell us something about the stages that we go through until our old man is cut down in “Megiddo^H4023” which is in northern Israel, in the north where judgment symbolically comes from (Jer 50:41). 

H1483 gûr goor  The same as H1482; Gur, a place in Palestine: – Gur.  Total KJV occurrences: 1

H1482 gûr    gûr goor, goor  Perhaps from H1481; a cub (as still abiding in the lair), especially of the lion: – whelp, young one.  Total KJV occurrences: 7

H1481 gûr goor A primitive root; properly to turn aside from the road (for a lodging or any other purpose), that is, sojourn (as a guest); also to shrink, fear [Heb_10:39 , 2Th_2:8](as in a strange place); also to gather for hostility (as afraid): – abide, assemble, be afraid, dwell, fear, gather (together), inhabitant, remain, sojourn, stand in awe, (be) stranger, X surely.  Total KJV occurrences: 98

H2991 yible‛âm yib-leh-awm’  From H1104 and H5971; devouring people; Jibleam, a place in Palestine: – Ibleam.  Total KJV occurrences: 3

H4023  megiddôn  megiddô meg-id-done’, meg-id-do’  From H1413; rendezvous; Megiddon or Megiddo, a place in Palestine: – Megiddo, Megiddon.  Total KJV occurrences: 12

H1413 gâdad gaw-dad’  A primitive root (compare H1461); to crowd; also to gash (as if by pressing into): – assemble (selves by troops), gather (selves together, self in troops), cut selves. Total KJV occurrences: 9

Isa 14:12  How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!

Ahaziah is the king of Judah but does not have the honour of dying in Jerusalem as a man of God would. God’s elect understand that to die in Jerusalem is a parable that Christ gave us (Mar 4:34) that tells us those who die daily (1Co 15:31) are doing so in the place where they have been raised (Eph 2:6), Jerusalem above the mother of us all (Luk 13:33, Gal 4:26). Ahaziah, in type and shadow, has not been raised and in fact when he is brought back to Jerusalem below in a chariot carried by his servants, he was not buried with the kings but they “buried him in his sepulchre with his fathers in the city of David.“

Luk 13:33  Nevertheless I must walk to day, and to morrow, and the day following: for it cannot be that a prophet perish out of Jerusalem.

Gal 4:26  But Jerusalem which is above is free [Eph 2:6-8], which is the mother of us all.

Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works:

2Ki 9:29  And in the eleventh year of Joram the son of Ahab began Ahaziah to reign over Judah.
2Ki 9:30 And when Jehu was come to Jezreel, Jezebel heard of it; and she painted her face, and tiredH3190 her head, and looked out at a window.
2Ki 9:31  And as Jehu entered in at the gate, she said, Had Zimri peace, who slew his master?

When Jezebel gets word that Jehu is coming, she paints her face, or puts makeup on, and tired^H3190 her head as she looked out a window at Jehu coming toward her.

Tired H3190 yâṭab  yaw-tab’   A primitive root; to be (causatively) make well, literally (sound, beautiful) or figuratively (happy, successful, right): – be accepted, amend, use aright, benefit, be (make) better, seem best, make cheerful, be comely, + be content, diligent (-ly), dress, earnestly, find favour, give, be glad, do (be, make) good ([-ness]), be (make) merry, please (+ well), shew more [kindness], skilfully, X very small, surely, make sweet, thoroughly, tire, trim, very, be (can, deal, entreat, go, have) well [said, seen ].  Total KJV occurrences: 115

1Ki 21:7  And Jezebel his [Ahab’s] wife said unto him, Dost thou now govern the kingdom of Israel? arise, and eat bread, and let thine heart be merry^H3190: I will give thee the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.

Luk 12:19  And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry.

That window and its position signifies her vantage point, which is one that is proud and haughty, very much like a harlot, which she typifies (Pro 5:1-6). The first part of these last few verses inform us of the spirit the we are looking at: “in the eleventh year of Joram the son of Ahab began Ahaziah to reign over Judah“. Jezebel is the number 11 in spades, “the ruin and disintegration of the perfection of the flesh”, and she demonstrates this dissolution of flesh that must happen within us if the new man is to be created.

It is as Jehu enters the gate that Jezebel asks him “Had Zimri peace, who slew his master?“, referring to Zimri who reigned only seven days before he died and “the treason that he wrought” (1Ki 16:15-20). 

2Ki 9:31  Jehu entered the city. Jezebel said, “Hello, you Zimri! Just like him, you killed your master!” (ERV)

1Ki 16:20  Now the rest of the acts of Zimri, and his treason that he wrought [killing king Elah], are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

Jehu is not hearing any of this nonsense. He knows who she is, and what she has done, and more importantly for God’s elect, this story tells us how we ought to deal with the harlotry of this world (Rev 18:6) that is found in mystery Babylon represented by Jezebel who was trying to lay a guilt trip on Jehu for doing the Lord’s work. This story reminds us of what a rod of iron rulership will be like in the thousand year reign where all rebellion will be put down by God’s elect.

Rev 18:6  Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works: in the cup which she hath filled fill to her double. 

2Ki 9:32  And he lifted up his face to the window, and said, Who is on my side? who? And there looked out to him two or three eunuchs.

This article of Aaron Lohman brings out the answer of whom is on Jehu’s side, and the only “one” that could be on his side are those going through a process of judgment, as witnessed and typified by the statement, “And there looked out to him two or three eunuchs“. We have the witness of two and, the process of judgment with three, and two and three totalling five, meaning salvation by grace through faith.

As this article explains,

“Eunuchs are officers of kings, and they carry out their king’s orders“

(Excerpt from https://www.iswasandwillbe.com/gospels-in-harmony-mat-191-12-and-mar-1012-part-3/)

How blessed are we to be spiritual eunuchs today for the kingdom of God!

2Ki 9:33  And he said, Throw her down. So they threw her down: and some of her blood was sprinkled on the wall, and on the horses: and he trode her under foot. 
2Ki 9:34  And when he was come in, he did eat and drink, and said, Go, see now this cursed woman, and bury her: for she is a king’s daughter.

Wow! Could you go and eat and drink right after seeing the grisly death of a woman who was thrown from a window and then trodden under foot by horses? Naturally we couldn’t, but this story is demonstrating for us how little regard God has for flesh and the false doctrines we harbor in it. It was so violent a death that blood was “sprinkled on the wall” and “on the horses“.

As gruesome as this story is, these events have a hope-filled message in them, and they were written for our sakes upon whom the end of the ages is come (1Co 10:11). It is our old man that must be trodden under foot by the powers of this world for 1260 days (Rev 11:2), and it is our old man whose blood must be spilled on our high walls of pride (Pro 18:11) and the horses represent our own strength in the earth within us (Psa 147:10). Jehu did go and eat and drink afterwards because it is after the death of our old man, which is an ongoing process, that we partake of the life of Christ (Joh 6:51). Our past must be buried no matter how ugly it is, and we must never forget that “she is a king’s daughter” meaning she is us in our appointed time, and God has devised a means to save her through Christ and His Christ (2Sa 14:14).

2Sa 14:14  For we must needs die, and are as water spilt on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again; neither doth God respect any person: yet doth he devise means, that his banished be not expelled from him. 

2Ki 9:35  And they went to bury her: but they found no more of her than the skull, and the feet, and the palms of her hands. 
2Ki 9:36  Wherefore they came again, and told him. And he said, This is the word of the LORD, which he spake by his servant Elijah the Tishbite, saying, In the portion of Jezreel shall dogs eat the flesh of Jezebel: 
2Ki 9:37  And the carcase of Jezebel shall be as dung upon the face of the field in the portion of Jezreel; so that they shall not say, This is Jezebel.

Jezebel represents Babylon that will fall, and not any part of her will remain, as a reminder that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God. The good news is that her death will bring about new life, and the scriptures go as far as to describe our experience along with Jezebels as nothing more than dung that is passing and being used as a means to an end in this life in this “field”, in this world (Php 3:8, 1Co 15:50, Mat 13:38).

Php 3:8  Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,

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

What use is your skull, your feet and the palms of your hands in life or death if they are not connected to your body, and these last remnants of Jezebel are a final testimony of what mystery Babylon leaves the world, a very disconnected and vile representation of a body that cannot even be properly buried.

The dogs that feed on Jezebel represent our carnal relationship with Mystery Babylon the Great as we, in our appointed time, partake of her false doctrines and eat her flesh and drink in her false ways. God calls His elect out of this unholy communion with Babylon showing us mercy by converting our hearts so that now we deeply appreciate our communion in Christ which is represented His body and blood which we eat (Joh 6:54-55).

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.

We will never have peace if we are partaking of the table of devils (1Co 10:21), but if we are blessed to ‘come out of her my people’ and share in the true communion of Christ, we will grow and overcome in this life through that proper spiritual communion or altar (Heb 13:10) that is found in Christ’s body (1Co 10:16).

1Co 10:21  Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord’s table, and of the table of devils.

Heb 13:10  We have an altar, whereof they have no right to eat which serve the tabernacle.

1Co 10:16  The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?

Exo 23:20-33 By Little and Little I will Drive them out from Before Thee

[Study Aired September 19, 2022]

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.
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.
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.

This section of Exodus chapter 23 deals with the Lord’s provision to make us His people overcomers of the flesh. The Lord’s resources available to us to become overcomers are spelled out clearly in His words as follows:

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.

The whole essence of our walk with Christ is that we end up being presented blameless before God. This takes a whole lifetime. Sometimes, when we focus on ourselves, we see how frail we are and our inability to live according to the standards of the Lord. The effect of this is that we become discouraged. We are therefore admonished to focus on the goal and not on the hiccups in-between. Our Lord also went through what we are going through and has become the best example of one who persevered in spite of all the odds against Him to win the prize.

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. 
Heb 12:3  For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.
Heb 12:4  Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin.

Heb 12:12  Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees;
Heb 12:13  And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed.

We are therefore admonished to encourage ourselves in the Lord, just like David did when his whole world had been turned upside down.

1Sa 30:6  And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the LORD his God.

Are you in distress, sickness, burdened with sin or facing any obstacle that you think is insurmountable? Then do as David did – encourage yourself in the Lord. To encourage ourselves in the Lord means that we do not know how things will end, but we are confident of this, that what He starts, He is able to bring to completion.

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

Today, if you hear His voice, harden not your heart and know that the Lord is here to let you know that He cares and has provided all you need to make it to the finish line!! May His name be praised!! Let’s now explore His available provision to make us His overcomers as we go through His words as follows:

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. 

The Angel here is our Lord Jesus Christ who led the people of Israel to the promised Land.

Amo 2:10  Also I brought you up from the land of Egypt, and led you forty years through the wilderness, to possess the land of the Amorite. 
Amo 2:11  And I raised up of your sons for prophets, and of your young men for Nazarites. Is it not even thus, O ye children of Israel? saith the LORD. 

Deu 1:30  The LORD your God which goeth before you, he shall fight for you, according to all that he did for you in Egypt before your eyes; 
Deu 1:31  And in the wilderness, where thou hast seen how that the LORD thy God bare thee, as a man doth bear his son, in all the way that ye went, until ye came into this place.

We know that Jesus Christ is the word of God. It is His words which keep us in the way and are able to bring us to the place He has prepared as stated in verse 20.

Act 20:32  And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified.

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

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.

This verse is another way of saying the following:

Heb 12:25  See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven:
Heb 12:26  Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven.
Heb 12:27  And this word, Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain. 
Heb 12:28  Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: 
Heb 12:29  For our God is a consuming fire.

In the Bible, there are several examples of those who provoked or refused to obey our Lord’s voice and therefore, suffered the consequences of their actions. These are all written for our admonition upon whom “the ends of the world are come”.

2Pe 2:1  But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.
2Pe 2:2  And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. 
2Pe 2:3  And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.
2Pe 2:4  For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment;
2Pe 2:5  And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly; 
2Pe 2:6  And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly; 

1Co 10:11  Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.

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.

This verse assures us that our protection lies in being obedient to the Lord. Our disobedience breaks the hedge the Lord has put around us giving way for the devil (serpent) to have us as a meal (bite us). We are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation.

Ecc 10:8  He that diggeth a pit shall fall into it; and whoso breaketh an hedge, a serpent shall bite him.

Isa 1:19  If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land:
Isa 1:20  But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it. 

1Pe 1:5  Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

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.

As we have indicated, the angel that shall go before the Israelites is Christ our Lord, who is the word. The Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites and the Canaanites represent the flesh or the beast within. It is the fire of His words which destroys or cuts off the enemy of our land which is our bodies. The fire of the word is the tribulation and the persecution which arises because of the word we have received, and it is these that destroy the flesh or the old man.

Mat 13:21  yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away.

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.

The gods that are being referred to are the gods of the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites and the Canaanites which represent the flesh. The gods of the flesh represent the deeds of the flesh to which we bow down. They are summed up as the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life. We are admonished to overcome these deeds of the flesh.

1Jn 2:15  Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
1Jn 2:16  For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world.
1Jn 2:17  And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.

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.

This verse is to show us that the Lord is not only interested in us serving Him. He is also interested in every aspect of our lives to ensure that we have all that it takes in this life to serve Him faithfully. Physically, the Lord will take care of what we eat and drink as we serve Him. There will always be bread on the table as we serve the Lord in truth and in spirit. This is all to ensure that we do not behave like people of the world whose focus in this life is what to eat and drink and being clothed.

Mat 6:25  “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 
Mat 6:26  Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 
Mat 6:27  And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? 
Mat 6:28  And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin,
Mat 6:29  yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
Mat 6:30  But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
Mat 6:31  Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 
Mat 6:32  For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 
Mat 6:33  But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. 
Mat 6:34  “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

Spiritually, what this verse is saying is that as we serve the Lord in truth and in spirit, He will enlighten our understanding regarding His word which is represented by bread and water.

Isa 1:19  If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land;
Isa 1:20  but if you refuse and rebel, you shall be eaten by the sword; for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”

Eating the good of the land is being given the privilege to understand the mysteries of the kingdom of God.

Another privilege we have been given by the Lord as we serve Him, as seen in verse 25, is that He will take sickness away from our midst. Spiritually, sickness refers to sin as shown in the following verses:

Isa 1:4  Ah, sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, offspring of evildoers, children who deal corruptly! They have forsaken the LORD, they have despised the Holy One of Israel, they are utterly estranged.
Isa 1:5  Why will you still be struck down? Why will you continue to rebel? The whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint. 

Jer 6:7  As a well keeps its water fresh, so she keeps fresh her evil; violence and destruction are heard within her; sickness and wounds are ever before me.
Jer 6:8  Be warned, O Jerusalem, lest I turn from you in disgust, lest I make you a desolation, an uninhabited land.”

So, the Lord taking away our sickness means He will cause us to have victory over sin. Physically, the Lord takes away our sickness by healing us from our diseases.

Exo 23:26  There shall nothing cast their young, nor be barren, in thy land: the number of thy days I will fulfil.

The Lord’s elect will not cast their young. This means that the birth of the new man after the image of Christ within us shall not be aborted. That is to say that the Lord will complete what He starts within us.

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

Being barren means being unfruitful. Again, the Lord assures us that we shall be fruitful, although in this life it may seem that we are being unfruitful, in the fullness of time, we shall not be barren.

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

In verse 26, we are also told that the Lord will fulfill the number of our days. This means that what has been written in His book concerning us shall be fulfilled. Again, we are being encouraged by the Lord that what He starts, He will finish!!

Psa 139:16  Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.

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.
Exo 23:28  And I will send hornets before thee, which shall drive out the Hivite, the Canaanite, and the Hittite, from before thee. 

The birth of the new man within us makes the old man within us afraid knowing that a time will come when he will be overcome completely. This is demonstrated clearly by the story of David (represents the new man) when he spared the life of Saul (representing the old man) when he saw Saul in a cave sleeping. Saul’s admission that David will surely be king is to let us know that the new man will surely usurp the old man.

1Sa 24:16  And it came to pass, when David had made an end of speaking these words unto Saul, that Saul said, Is this thy voice, my son David? And Saul lifted up his voice, and wept. 
1Sa 24:17  And he said to David, Thou art more righteous than I: for thou hast rewarded me good, whereas I have rewarded thee evil. 
1Sa 24:18  And thou hast shewed this day how that thou hast dealt well with me: forasmuch as when the LORD had delivered me into thine hand, thou killedst me not. 
1Sa 24:19  For if a man find his enemy, will he let him go well away? wherefore the LORD reward thee good for that thou hast done unto me this day. 
1Sa 24:20  And now, behold, I know well that thou shalt surely be king, and that the kingdom of Israel shall be established in thine hand. 
1Sa 24:21  Swear now therefore unto me by the LORD, that thou wilt not cut off my seed after me, and that thou wilt not destroy my name out of my father’s house. 
1Sa 24:22  And David sware unto Saul. And Saul went home; but David and his men gat them up unto the hold.

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.

Our victory over the flesh is not a one-time victory. It is a process that takes a lifetime. Here in verse 29, we are being given a reason why our defeat of the old man or the flesh is a process that takes time. This verse is another way of saying the following:

Mat 12:43  When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none.
Mat 12:44  Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished.
Mat 12:45  Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation.

In verse 30, we are told that the Lord wants us to increase as He drives out the old man. That is the only way that the beasts of the field will not multiply within us. The increase here refers to the growth of the new man who is after the image of Christ. As the old man continues to die, the new man also continues to grow within us.

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

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

Another reason why the death of our old man is a process is given in the Book of Judges as follows:

Jdg 3:1  Now these are the nations which the LORD left, to prove Israel by them, even as many of Israel as had not known all the wars of Canaan; 
Jdg 3:2  Only that the generations of the children of Israel might know, to teach them war, at the least such as before knew nothing thereof;
Jdg 3:3  Namely, five lords of the Philistines, and all the Canaanites, and the Sidonians, and the Hivites that dwelt in mount Lebanon, from mount Baalhermon unto the entering in of Hamath.

Here in the Book of Judges, we are told that the reason that the Lord did not drive away all the enemies in the land was to teach the children of Israel how to war. In God’s wisdom, He leaves some of the nations in our land to train us how to war against the flesh. This war against the flesh is about how to overcome our carnal nature.  In the early stages of our walk with Christ when we are carnal, we are easily overcome by the flesh, and God uses this to teach us that this war against the flesh is not our fight but His. He teaches us to war by causing us to fail so that we can learn to depend on Him to overcome on our behalf. This happens only after we have gone through several cycles of defeat so that we come to acknowledge that we are the worst of sinners and that He alone can defeat the enemies on our behalf. When we have learned this lesson of knowing that we are the worst sinners and that we cannot help ourselves, except the Lord does it for us, then we have learned how to war.

1Ti 1:15  This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.

Psa 18:31  For who is God save the LORD? or who is a rock save our God?
Psa 18:32  It is God that girdeth me with strength, and maketh my way perfect. 
Psa 18:33  He maketh my feet like hinds’ feet, and setteth me upon my high places. 
Psa 18:34  He teacheth my hands to war, so that a bow of steel is broken by mine arms.

Verse 34 says, “He teaches my hands to war, so that a bow of steel is broken by mine arms.” We all know that a bow of steel cannot be broken by our arms. That is to show us that this war against the flesh is like breaking a bow of steel.  Only God can accomplish it for us so that no flesh can glory in His presence!! That is why the righteous must fall seven times to know that the battle is the Lord’s and that is what this cycle of defeat by Israel is all about. Falling seven times means a complete domination by the flesh.

Pro 24:16  For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief.

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.

This verse tells us the thoroughness of the Lord’s work within us. Nothing of the enemy must remain within our members.

Rom 6:12  Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. 
Rom 6:13  Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. 
Rom 6:14  For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace. 
Rom 6:15  What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid. 
Rom 6:16  Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? 
Rom 6:17  But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you.
Rom 6:18  Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.

Any sin that is not dealt with can disqualify us from the reward. That is why we are admonished to purge out the old leaven of sin from our members.

1Co 5:6  Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump? 
1Co 5:7  Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us: 
1Co 5:8  Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

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.

These verses continue to admonish us to get rid of all that belongs to the flesh within us. If we fail to do that, we shall end up being dominated by the flesh as we serve the god of this world. As we have indicated, this is not the work of man. We have to depend on the Lord entirely to do this work for us. If we allow our old man to dominate us, we will be ensnared to serve another Jesus.

2Co 11:2  For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.
2Co 11:3  But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. 
2Co 11:4  For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.

May the Lord continue to do His work in us as we die daily to the old man!! Amen!!