1 Samuel 11:1–15 The Ammonites’ Covenant Condition

[Study Aired March 16, 2026]

Our study today is centered on the rescue of Jabesh-Gilead out of the hands of the Ammonites. It shows the extreme pressure that the city of Jabesh-Gilead was under as a result of the Ammonites. In their distress, the Lord touched the heart of Saul, their king, to come to their aid. The study also shows Saul’s tenderness toward those that oppose him. Saul leading the Israelites to overcome the Ammonites resulted in the public confirmation and recognition of his election as king of Israel.

The Ammonites Attacks Jabesh-Gilead

1Sa 11:1 Then Nahash the Ammonite came up and encamped against Jabesh-Gilead: and all the men of Jabesh said unto Nahash, Make a covenant with us, and we will serve thee. 

The Ammonites are descendants of Ben-Ammi, the son of Lot, Abraham’s nephew, and his younger daughter, making them kin to the Moabites. They are often in conflict with Israel, the Lord’s people and were located east of Jordan. The Ammonites therefore represent our flesh. It is important to also note that the name Nahash means serpent. Nahash was the king of the Ammonites when Saul was made king of Israel. Nahash, in this case, signifies the devil who empowers our 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?

Jabesh of Gilead is a town on the eastern side of the Jordan River which is close to where the Ammonites resided. To understand why the Ammonites attacked the town of Jabesh-Gilead, we need to know why some of the tribes of Israel decided to stay on the eastern side of the Jordan instead of crossing over the Jordan to live in the promised land of Canaan.

The tribes of Reuben, Gad, and half of Manasseh decided to stay on the eastern side of the Jordan because the land of Gilead and Jazer was ideal for their massive herds and livestock. They requested this fertile area instead of crossing into Canaan, promising Moses they would still help fight in the conquest. They eventually fought with the other tribes to secure the Promised Land before returning to their families and possessions on the eastern side.

Num 32:1 Now the children of Reuben and the children of Gad had a very great multitude of cattle: and when they saw the land of Jazer, and the land of Gilead, that, behold, the place was a place for cattle;

Num 32:5 Wherefore, said they, if we have found grace in thy sight, let this land be given unto thy servants for a possession, and bring us not over Jordan. 

Num 32:16 And they came near unto him, and said, We will build sheepfolds here for our cattle, and cities for our little ones:
Num 32:17 But we ourselves will go ready armed before the children of Israel, until we have brought them unto their place: and our little ones shall dwell in the fenced cities because of the inhabitants of the land. 
Num 32:18 We will not return unto our houses, until the children of Israel have inherited every man his inheritance.

When the cares of this world take preeminence in our walk with the Lord, as we see some of the tribes stayed on the east side of the Jordan demonstrate, it provides a foothold for our flesh, which is likened to the Ammonites, to constantly wrestle against us. Our flesh is always fighting against our walk with Christ. Because of the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches, the word of the Lord sown in our hearts and minds is choked, and therefore we become a prey for our flesh. 

This was the situation which the inhabitants of Jabesh-Gilead found themselves as Nahash, the Ammonite encamped against them.

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.

Mat 13:22  He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.

The men of Jabesh wanting to make a covenant with Nahash by serving him is the same as agreeing that no one can make war against the beast or our flesh and therefore deciding to submit to the whims and caprices of our 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?

1Sa 11:2 And Nahash the Ammonite answered them, On this condition will I make a covenant with you, that I may thrust out all your right eyes, and lay it for a reproach upon all Israel. 

Here in verse 2, we are shown what it means to have a covenant with the devil who is represented here as Nahash, who empowers our flesh. When we  accept that we cannot win the war against our flesh, and therefore we must submit to him, we are thrusting out our right eyes and therefore become a reproach upon the house of the Lord’s elect (Israel).

A one-eyed person is considered to have a physical “blemish” or “defect” according to specific Old Testament laws regarding priesthood. The law prohibits a one-eyed or impaired priest from performing rituals at the altar.

Lev 21:18  For no one who has a blemish shall draw near, a man blind or lame, or one who has a mutilated face or a limb too long, 
Lev 21:19  or a man who has an injured foot or an injured hand, 
Lev 21:20  or a hunchback or a dwarf or a man with a defect in his sight or an itching disease or scabs or crushed testicles. 
Lev 21:21 No man of the offspring of Aaron the priest who has a blemish shall come near to offer the LORD’s food offerings; since he has a blemish, he shall not come near to offer the bread of his God.

As shown in Leviticus 21:21, having one’s right eye removed means that one is not given to come near to offer the Lord’s offering or the bread of the Lord. This implies that spiritually, having one’s right eye removed indicates that we are not given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven. Without knowing the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, we cannot speak the Lord’s words, that is, offer the bread of the Lord. As a result, the word of the Lord becomes a parable to us.

Mat 13:10  Then the disciples came and said to him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” 
Mat 13:11  And he answered them, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. 
Mat 13:12 For the one who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.

In summary, verses 1 and 2 show us that if we succumb to the dictates of the flesh, we become unfit for the Lord’s service.

1Sa 11:3 And the elders of Jabesh said unto him, Give us seven days’ respite, that we may send messengers unto all the coasts of Israel: and then, if there be no man to save us, we will come out to thee.

The seven days’ respite spiritually implies the complete period of our walk with Christ, when we are going around the churches of this world trying to find solutions to our struggle with the deeds of the flesh.

Rom 7:14  For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin.
Rom 7:15  For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I. 
Rom 7:16  If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good.
Rom 7:17  Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. 
Rom 7:18  For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. 
Rom 7:19  For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. 
Rom 7:20  Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. 
Rom 7:21  I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. 
Rom 7:22  For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: 
Rom 7:23  But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. 
Rom 7:24 O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? 
Rom 7:25 I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.

1Sa 11:4  Then came the messengers to Gibeah of Saul, and told the tidings in the ears of the people: and all the people lifted up their voices, and wept. 
1Sa 11:5 And, behold, Saul came after the herd out of the field; and Saul said, What aileth the people that they weep? And they told him the tidings of the men of Jabesh. 
1Sa 11:6 And the Spirit of God came upon Saul when he heard those tidings, and his anger was kindled greatly.

It does not appear that the people of Jabesh-Gilead knew anything of Saul’s appointment as king to the people of Israel, for the message was not directed to him but to the people. It therefore confirms that the city of Jabesh-Gilead represents the church system of this world or Babylon where our brothers and sisters are not aware that the Lord has a special people called His elect which are to reign over the kingdoms of this world when the kingdoms of this world become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ.

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

The people of Gilead lifting up their voices to weep implies that they saw no hope of deliverance from the Ammonites or their flesh. This shows that the town in which Saul lived, Gibeah, also represents Babylon. It is in Babylon that we think the flesh cannot be overcome.

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?

Saul living in Gibeah means that we must first be in Babylon before the Lord comes to call us out of 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.

In verse 5, Saul looking after his father’s herd is to let us know that as the Lord’s elect, we start looking after our father’s business even while we are in the church system of this world or Babylon. The same thing happened to David. He was also looking after his father’s sheep before Samuel sent for him to be anointed king of Israel.

1Sa 16:11 And Samuel said unto Jesse, Are here all thy children? And he said, There remaineth yet the youngest, and, behold, he keepeth the sheep. And Samuel said unto Jesse, Send and fetch him: for we will not sit down till he come hither.

The tidings from the men of Jabesh is that they were looking for saviors to deliver them from the Ammonites. This implies that the church system and the people of this world are looking for the manifestation of the sons of God to come and deliver them from their bondage to corruption.

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.

As we are aware, we, His elect, are the saviors of this world that the whole of creation is looking out for. In this case, it is Saul, who represents the sons of God or saviors of this world. 

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.

As shown in verse 6, it is when Saul heard the tidings brought by the men of Jabesh that the spirit of the Lord came upon him resulting in his anger being kindled greatly. It is when the Lord comes to us with the spirit of His mouth and His brightness that we are given this righteous anger to fight against our flesh. 

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 Fight Against the Ammonites

1Sa 11:7  And he took a yoke of oxen, and hewed them in pieces, and sent them throughout all the coasts of Israel by the hands of messengers, saying, Whosoever cometh not forth after Saul and after Samuel, so shall it be done unto his oxen. And the fear of the LORD fell on the people, and they came out with one consent. 

In the Bible times, owning oxen or cattle signifies being physically rich, as shown in the following verse:

Gen 30:43  And the man increased exceedingly, and had much cattle, and maidservants, and menservants, and camels, and asses.

Job 42:12  So the LORD blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning: for he had fourteen thousand sheep, and six thousand camels, and a thousand yoke of oxen, and a thousand she asses.

Saul taking a yoke of oxen and cutting them in pieces and sending them throughout the coasts of Israel by messengers shows us that to be ready to engage our flesh in battle involves being spiritually rich. The fact that the oxen was cut into pieces, and sent throughout Israel means that it is through our knowledge of the meat of the Lord’s word that we rise up to engage our flesh.

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.

The respondent to Saul’s call signifies the Lord’s elect. As shown in verse 7, we are shown some of the key characteristics of the Lord’s overcomers. The fear of the Lord is upon them, and they are all of one mind or one consent. The fear of the Lord means reverent awe, respect, and submission to God, and it is the foundation of true understanding.

Pro 9:10  The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding. 

As the Lord’s elect, we must all have the same mind and the same judgment as admonished by the Lord.  

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.

All these characteristics (the fear of the Lord and having the same mind) are prerequisite to waging war successfully with our flesh.

1Sa 11:8 And when he numbered them in Bezek, the children of Israel were three hundred thousand, and the men of Judah thirty thousand.

It is instructive to note that all the men who responded to Saul’s call met Saul at Bezek. The name Bezek means ‘lightning’ which signifies the Lord’s judgment. It indicates that all those who are called and chosen to wage war with their flesh are undergoing the Lord’s judgment. It is through judgment that our flesh is destroyed.

2Sa 22:15  And he sent out arrows, and scattered them; lightning, and discomfited them.

Psa 144:6  Cast forth lightning, and scatter them: shoot out thine arrows, and destroy them.

The number of Israelites who responded was three hundred thousand. The number of men of Judah who also responded to the call was thirty thousand. The number three hundred thousand (300,000) denotes all those who are ready to wage war against the flesh. The number thirty thousand of the men of Judah represents the Lord’s elect. This implies that it is only the Lord’s elect who can wage war and successfully defeat the flesh.

2Ch 17:14 And these are the numbers of them according to the house of their fathers: Of Judah, the captains of thousands; Adnah the chief, and with him mighty men of valour three hundred thousand.

2Ch 25:5  Moreover Amaziah gathered Judah together, and made them captains over thousands, and captains over hundreds, according to the houses of their fathers, throughout all Judah and Benjamin: and he numbered them from twenty years old and above, and found them three hundred thousand choice men, able to go forth to war, that could handle spear and shield.

2Sa 6:1 Again, David gathered together all the chosen men of Israel, thirty thousand.

Jos 8:3 So Joshua arose, and all the people of war, to go up against Ai: and Joshua chose out thirty thousand mighty men of valour and sent them away by night.

According to 2 Chronicles 25:5, these men of war are those who are able to handle spear and shield. The shield signifies our faith by which we are able to quench the fiery darts of the wicked. The spear or the sword denotes the word of the Lord. What we are being told is that waging war successfully against our flesh is through knowing the word of the Lord and exercising our faith.

Eph 6:16  Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
Eph 6:17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:

1Sa 11:9 And they said unto the messengers that came, Thus shall ye say unto the men of Jabeshgilead, Tomorrow, by that time the sun be hot, ye shall have help. And the messengers came and shewed it to the men of Jabesh; and they were glad.
1Sa 11:10 Therefore the men of Jabesh said, Tomorrow we will come out unto you, and ye shall do with us all that seemeth good unto you. 

The message to the men of Jabesh-Gilead sent by the men of war was that when the sun is hot the next day (tomorrow), help will come. What this implies is that when the morning star rises in our hearts and minds, that is the time that we receive help from the Lord to deal with our flesh. The word “tomorrow” signifies the time that the Lord has set to deal with a matter. What this means is that it is the Lord’s timing that counts. It is not what we plan.

Exo 9:5  And the LORD appointed a set time, saying, Tomorrow the LORD shall do this thing in the land.

The messengers made the men of Jabesh glad because help was on the way. In the same vein, we must be glad knowing that the Lord will come to our aid and win this war against our flesh.

Psa 107:30  Then are they glad because they be quiet; so he bringeth them unto their desired haven.

What we have to realize is that it was not the men of Jabesh who were going to fight against the Ammonites. It was the men of war that the Lord has prepared who are going to liberate the men of Jabesh. It is therefore the Lord who fights our battles for us. All we have to do is to stand still and see the salvation of the Lord.

Exo 14:13  And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will shew to you today: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen today, ye shall see them again no more forever.

The men of Jabesh telling the Ammonites in verse 10 that the Ammonites should do to them whatever they like the next day is because of the promise of deliverance they have received. They were not fearful again because they know that the Israelites’ men of war will surely show up. It is the Lord’s word of deliverance which assures us that we are more than conquerors and takes fear out of our lives. The Lord will surely honor His promise of deliverance in our lives. He who has started a good work in us will see to its completion.

Psa 34:19  Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all. 
Psa 34:20 He keepeth all his bones: not one of them is broken. 

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: 

1Sa 11:11  And it was so on the morrow, that Saul put the people in three companies; and they came into the midst of the host in the morning watch, and slew the Ammonites until the heat of the day: and it came to pass, that they which remained were scattered, so that two of them were not left together.

On the set time of the Lord, Saul put the men of war in three companies. As we are aware, the number three means the process of spiritual maturity through the Lord’s judgment. Saul putting the men of war in three companies means that our victory is through the process of spiritual maturity through the Lord’s judgment.

It was in the morning watch that the Israelites came and slew the Ammonites, until the heat of the day. This is to show us that overcoming the flesh is a process. It starts from the morning watch and ends at the heat of the day. The morning watch is when the Lord starts to rise in our hearts and minds. The heat of the day is when the sun is shining at its fullest. That means the time in our lives that our hearts and minds are fully illuminated by Christ or when we attain spiritual maturity such that we are not tossed by every wind of doctrine.

2Pe 1:19  We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:  

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;

The victory of the Israelites was total, such that no two of the Ammonites could gather together. The Lord will ensure total victory for us such that our flesh is totally decimated.

1Sa 11:12  And the people said unto Samuel, Who is he that said, Shall Saul reign over us? bring the men, that we may put them to death. 
1Sa 11:13 And Saul said, There shall not a man be put to death this day: for today the LORD hath wrought salvation in Israel.

Our victory over the flesh is what establishes our rulership in an age to come, when the kingdoms of this world become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ. There are many who doubt our rulership as we see the people telling Samuel about putting to death all those who doubted Saul’s reign over them. As Saul said, we are not going to contribute to the spiritual death of anybody. Our focus is on how the Lord is working out our salvation. 

Php 2:12  Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.

1Sa 11:14  Then said Samuel to the people, Come, and let us go to Gilgal, and renew the kingdom there. 
1Sa 11:15 And all the people went to Gilgal; and there they made Saul king before the LORD in Gilgal; and there they sacrificed sacrifices of peace offerings before the LORD; and there Saul and all the men of Israel rejoiced greatly. 

It was at Gilgal that the Israelites were circumcised when they entered the promised land. As we are aware, circumcision is the cutting away of the flesh, and therefore what it means for Samuel to gather the people at Gilgal for the renewal of the kingdom is that it is as we do away with our flesh through the Lord’s judgment that the kingdom of heaven is established in our hearts and minds. It is this process of the Lord’s judgment of our flesh which establishes our rulership status in an age to come, when the kingdoms of this world become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ. There shall be great rejoicing in that day.

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

Indeed, when we all see Jesus in that day, we will sing and shout the victory. Amen!!

Matthew 21:23–46 The Parable of the Tenants

[Study Aired September 22, 2025]

Our discussion for today is centered on the authority of Jesus challenged by the chief priests and the elders. The study also highlights the parable of the two sons and that of the tenants. 

The Authority of Jesus Challenged

Mat 21:23  And when he was come into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came unto him as he was teaching, and said, By what authority doest thou these things? and who gave thee this authority? 
Mat 21:24  And Jesus answered and said unto them, I also will ask you one thing, which if ye tell me, I in likewise will tell you by what authority I do these things. 

It is when Christ comes into His temple or our hearts and minds that as His elect, we come to see the hypocrisy of the leaders of the church system of this world who are represented in verse 23 as the chief priests and the elders of the people. These leaders wrongly think that they are the ones that represent Christ here on earth and therefore think they have the mandate or authority from God. Prior to this question of who gave Jesus authority to do the things He does, they had seen Jesus speaking with authority and using His authority to cast out devils and heal the sick. They therefore became jealous of the way Jesus teaches and performs miracles.

Mat 7:28  And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine: 
Mat 7:29 For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. 

Luk 4:36  And they were all amazed, and spake among themselves, saying, What a word is this! for with authority and power he commandeth the unclean spirits, and they come out. 
Luk 4:37 And the fame of him went out into every place of the country round about. 

We know that Jesus’ authority was given to Him by God, and it is this same authority that Jesus has given to us as He sends us into this world.

Joh 5:26  For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself;
Joh 5:27 And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man.

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

Although these leaders asked Jesus about who gave Him authority to do the things He does, they were not prepared to hear the truth of the word of the Lord as they were filled with idols of the heart. Being filled with idols of the heart prevents us from knowing the truth. We are therefore deceived according to the idols in our hearts and minds. 

Eze 14:1  Then came certain of the elders of Israel unto me, and sat before me. 
Eze 14:2  And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 
Eze 14:3  Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their heart, and put the stumblingblock of their iniquity before their face: should I be enquired of at all by them? 
Eze 14:4  Therefore speak unto them, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Every man of the house of Israel that setteth up his idols in his heart, and putteth the stumblingblock of his iniquity before his face, and cometh to the prophet; I the LORD will answer him that cometh according to the multitude of his idols; 

Mat 21:25  The baptism of John, whence was it? from heaven, or of men? And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; he will say unto us, Why did ye not then believe him?
Mat 21:26  But if we shall say, Of men; we fear the people; for all hold John as a prophet. 
Mat 21:27  And they answered Jesus, and said, We cannot tell. And he said unto them, Neither tell I you by what authority I do these things. 

We can see from these verses that the chief priests and the elders of the people were not sincere in their response to Christ. Our Lord Jesus already knew these leaders were not willing to hear the truth as they were fixated on having something with which to accuse the Lord. What this implies is that the leaders of the church system of this world do not want the truth. Here in these verses, Jesus is showing us that when people are not willing to know the truth, we should not waste our time trying to tell them the truth. As the word of the Lord says, people who refuse the love of truth are sent a powerful delusion to believe lies, leading to their destruction. 

2Th 2:10  And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
2Th 2:11  And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: 
2Th 2:12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness. 

This was our situation when we were in the churches of this world or Babylon. We did not love the truth as we turned to fables. 

2Ti 4:3  For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;
2Ti 4:4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. 

The Lord not telling the chief scribes and the elders about His authority is therefore another way of saying that the leaders of the church system of this world are not given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of Heaven. If the leaders do not know the truth, then you can just imagine the level of ignorance of those who are serving under them! This is all to show us how blind we were, when we were in Babylon.

Isa 42:18  Hear, ye deaf; and look, ye blind, that ye may see.
Isa 42:19  Who is blind, but my servant? or deaf, as my messenger that I sent? who is blind as he that is perfect, and blind as the LORD’S servant? 
Isa 42:20  Seeing many things, but thou observest not; opening the ears, but he heareth not. 
Isa 42:21  The LORD is well pleased for his righteousness’ sake; he will magnify the law, and make it honourable. 
Isa 42:22 But this is a people robbed and spoiled; they are all of them snared in holes, and they are hid in prison houses: they are for a prey, and none delivereth; for a spoil, and none saith, Restore. 

The Parable of the Two Sons

Mat 21:28  But what think ye? A certain man had two sons; and he came to the first, and said, Son, go work today in my vineyard.
Mat 21:29  He answered and said, I will not: but afterward he repented, and went. 

Our understanding of any of the parables of our Lord Jesus Christ is what unlocks our understanding of all the parables of Jesus. Our Lord Jesus told us that if we are able to comprehend the parable of the Sower, then we can understand all parables. 

Mar 4:13  And he said unto them, Know ye not this parable? and how then will ye know all parables? 

To illustrate this principle of understanding the Lord’s parables, let’s use the parable of the prodigal son to help us understand this point. The man having two sons is the same as the man in the parable of the prodigal son who had two sons. The younger son left the father with his portion of the father’s inheritance and went to a far country where he wasted all the resources the father had given him with lawless living. In verse 28, we can see that the father wanted the son to work in the vineyard, but he refused. Working in the father’s vineyard is serving the Lord’s house or His people.

Isa 5:7  For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah his pleasant plant: and he looked for judgment, but behold oppression; for righteousness, but behold a cry.

The son’s refusal to work in the father’s vineyard is the same as the prodigal son going into a far country to spend His father’s inheritance on lawless living. We, His elect, were the prodigal son or the son who initially refused his father’s request to work in His vineyard. We ended up in riotous living in the churches of this world. As the prodigal son became worse off in a far country, we also became worse off in the churches of this world as we were like pigs that were washed but came wallowing in the mire. 

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. 
2Pe 2:21  For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them. 
2Pe 2:22 But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire. 

In the fullness of time, the Lord came to us and brought us to Himself. The coming of the Lord to us was when we repented and decided to come and work in His vineyard. It is the same as the prodigal son coming to Himself and deciding to go back to his father and work as a servant. 

Luk 15:17  And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! 
Luk 15:18  I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, 
Luk 15:19 And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants. 

Mat 21:30  And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered and said, I go, sir: and went not. 

The second son represents our brothers and sisters in the churches of this world who need no repentance because they think they are born again. They assume that they have put no foot wrong as they had said yes to the Lord to do His bidding. However, as the parable says, they had not followed through with their yes to work in the Lord’s vineyard. This second son is the same as the elder brother of the prodigal son who thought that he deserved a better treatment from his father.

Luk 15:25  Now his elder son was in the field: and as he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard musick and dancing. 
Luk 15:26  And he called one of the servants, and asked what these things meant. 
Luk 15:27  And he said unto him, Thy brother is come; and thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because he hath received him safe and sound. 
Luk 15:28  And he was angry, and would not go in: therefore came his father out, and intreated him.
Luk 15:29  And he answering said to his father, Lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment: and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends: 
Luk 15:30 But as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf. 

Mat 21:31  Whether of them twain did the will of his father? They say unto him, The first. Jesus saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you. 
Mat 21:32 For John came unto you in the way of righteousness, and ye believed him not: but the publicans and the harlots believed him: and ye, when ye had seen it, repented not afterward, that ye might believe him. 

As indicated in verse 31, it is the first son, who initially refused to serve in his father’s vineyard, who did the will of his father. By implication, Jesus is showing us that the first son was a publican and a harlot, who has been given the right to enter the kingdom of God.  In the Bible, a publican was a tax collector, a figure despised by their fellow Jews for working for the occupying Roman authorities and for their corrupt practices. As shown in the parable of the prodigal son, it was the son who wasted his father’s resources on lawless living and therefore signifies a publican and a harlot. We, His elect, were first like a publican and a harlot before Christ came to us with the spirit of His mouth and His brightness, to make us His beloved sons who are working in His vineyard. 

Eze 16:13  Thus wast thou decked with gold and silver; and thy raiment was of fine linen, and silk, and broidered work; thou didst eat fine flour, and honey, and oil: and thou wast exceeding beautiful, and thou didst prosper into a kingdom. 
Eze 16:14  And thy renown went forth among the heathen for thy beauty: for it was perfect through my comeliness, which I had put upon thee, saith the Lord GOD.
Eze 16:15  But thou didst trust in thine own beauty, and playedst the harlot because of thy renown, and pouredst out thy fornications on every one that passed by; his it was. 
Eze 16:16  And of thy garments thou didst take, and deckedst thy high places with divers colours, and playedst the harlot thereupon: the like things shall not come, neither shall it be so. 
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.

We can see from these verses that we were first harlot and publican; A publican in the sense that we took the Lord’s fair jewels of gold and silver and made ourselves images of men, just like the Jewish publicans who used the money (taxes of the Jews) belonging to the Roman emperor for their own corrupt practices.

As shown in verse 32, John came preaching the way of righteousness and the people did not repent. Here John symbolizes the Lord’s elect who come to preach the way of righteousness by faith. However, our brothers and sisters in the church system of this world do not repent. At a certain stage of our walk, we also did not repent when the Lord sent His elect to speak to us. In the Lord’s mercy, we were given a heart to repent and to believe in Him at a later time. The son who said yes to the Lord to work in His vineyard but did not follow up with action represent our brothers and sisters in the church system of this world. In the parable of the prodigal son, this son who did not follow his words with action signifies the elder brother who thought he was doing well and did not need to repent.  

The Parable of the Tenants

Mat 21:33 Hear another parable: There was a certain householder, which planted a vineyard, and hedged it round about, and digged a winepress in it, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country: 

The householder in this case represents God the Father who worked through His son, Jesus Christ to set up the vineyard, which as indicated earlier is the house of Israel. This house of Israel is the church system of this world. The Lord gave the church all the resources to prosper. 

Isa 5:1  Now will I sing to my wellbeloved a song of my beloved touching his vineyard. My wellbeloved hath a vineyard in a very fruitful hill: 
Isa 5:2  And he fenced it, and gathered out the stones thereof, and planted it with the choicest vine, and built a tower in the midst of it, and also made a winepress therein: and he looked that it should bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes.
Isa 5:3  And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem, and men of Judah, judge, I pray you, betwixt me and my vineyard.
Isa 5:4 What could have been done more to my vineyard, that I have not done in it? wherefore, when I looked that it should bring forth grapes, brought it forth wild grapes? 

Mat 21:34  And when the time of the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen, that they might receive the fruits of it.
Mat 21:35  And the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another. 
Mat 21:36 Again, he sent other servants more than the first: and they did unto them likewise. 

The husbandmen here are the vinedressers or gardeners or farmers who took care of the vineyard. The Lord’s people are the husbandmen who are required to work in His vineyard or assembly of His people. The Lord’s servants here represent His prophets who, as husbandmen, had their messages rejected and killed. It is important to note that the servants in these verses signify all the Lord’s messengers up until John the Baptist. 

Luk 11:47  Woe unto you! for ye build the sepulchres of the prophets, and your fathers killed them.
Luk 11:48  Truly ye bear witness that ye allow the deeds of your fathers: for they indeed killed them, and ye build their sepulchres. 
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. 

Mat 23:37  O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! 

As shown in these verses, as husbandmen, we represent this generation which is guilty of the blood of all the prophets including our Lord Jesus Christ.  

Mat 21:37  But last of all he sent unto them his son, saying, They will reverence my son. 
Mat 21:38  But when the husbandmen saw the son, they said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and let us seize on his inheritance. 
Mat 21:39 And they caught him, and cast him out of the vineyard, and slew him. 

The son in these verses signifies Christ and His Christ, that is, His elect. As we are aware, it is we, His elect, who are the sons of God and therefore represent Christ. We are therefore heirs with Christ. To persecute the Lord’s elect means to persecute Jesus Christ. 

Act 9:4  And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? 
Act 9:5 And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. 

Gal 3:29  And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise. 

As He is, so are we. Just as Christ’s message was rejected by the church system of His day, our message of the cross is rejected by the churches of this world or Babylon.

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

1Co 1:18  For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. 
1Co 1:19  For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. 
1Co 1:20  Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? 
1Co 1:21  For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. 
1Co 1:22  For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom: 
1Co 1:23  But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness; 
1Co 1:24 But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.  

Mat 21:40  When the lord therefore of the vineyard cometh, what will he do unto those husbandmen? 
Mat 21:41 They say unto him, He will miserably destroy those wicked men, and will let out his vineyard unto other husbandmen, which shall render him the fruits in their seasons. 

Verse 40 asks a question of what the Lord will do with the husbandmen who slew His son, that is, Jesus and His elect. We know from the word of the Lord that the husbandmen, who represent our brothers and sisters in the church system of this world, will be judged for shedding the blood of the Lord’s messengers during the lake of fire age by our Lord Jesus Christ and His elect. 

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; 

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. 

The Lord will miserably destroy those wicked men means that the old man with his fleshly desires will be destroyed through the Lord’s judgment in the lake of fire age. The Lord letting out His vineyard to other husbandmen is another way of letting us know that the mercy we have received from the Lord is at the expense of our brothers and sisters in Babylon. It is we, His elect, who shall render to the Lord the fruits in their season. 

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. 

It is the tree that is planted by the rivers of water that bears forth fruit in its season. The tree planted by the rivers of water is the Lord’s elect who are given to understand the mysteries of the kingdom of Heaven. Bringing forth fruit in its season means bearing the fruits of the spirit in this age through the Lord’s judgement of our old man or flesh. 

Psa 1:1  Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. 
Psa 1:2  But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.
Psa 1:3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.  

Gal 5:22  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 
Gal 5:23  Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
Gal 5:24 And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. 

Mat 21:42  Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes? 
Mat 21:43 Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof. 

The stone in verse 42 refers to Jesus Christ who is rejected by the church system of this world or Babylon. The stone becoming the cornerstone means that Jesus Christ is the foundation that holds together the building of every man. This building is our temple, which is our body. What this means is that without Jesus, we can do nothing. 

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. 

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

As He is, so are we. Rejecting our message as His elect is rejecting Jesus Christ as the chief cornerstone. We all at a certain stage of our lives, had rejected the Lord, the chief cornerstone and therefore were like the builder, who built his house on sand. When the storm came, our building crumbled. Later, the Lord came to us in His mercy to help us build our lives on the rock which is Christ. 

Mat 7:24  Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: 
Mat 7:25  And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. 
Mat 7:26  And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: 
Mat 7:27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.  

It is important to note in verse 42 that our rejection of the Lord is the Lord’s doing. In other words, it is Jesus who caused us to reject Him at a certain stage of our walk. If we are privileged to know this, then our eyes are being opened to understand the mysteries of the kingdom of Heaven, which is what is marvelous in our eyes. 

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

It is also insightful to observe in verse 43 that the rejection of the Lord Jesus Christ by the church system of this world, is our acceptance into the kingdom of God, to bring forth fruit that abides. 

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. 

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

Falling on this cornerstone is our attempt to worship Jesus Christ. We get broken in the process. What this means is that certain aspects of sins in our lives are dealt with, but the man of sin or our flesh still reigns in our body. This was what happened to Jacob when he wrestled with the Lord. He left limping. In other words, he could not walk properly. That is to say that our walk with Christ was not fully pleasing to Him. This explains our walk in the churches of this world. However, if Christ comes to us with the spirit of His mouth and His brightness, we shall be grounded as powder. That is to say that the man of sin or our old man shall completely be destroyed.  

Gen 32:24  So Jacob was left alone. Then a man wrestled with him until dawn. 
Gen 32:25  When the man saw that he could not win against Jacob, he touched the socket of Jacob’s hip so that it was dislocated as they wrestled. 

Gen 32:30  So Jacob named that place Peniel [Face of God], because he said, “I have seen God face to face, but my life was saved.” 
Gen 32:31 The sun rose as he passed Penuel. He was limping because of his hip. (GW)

Mat 21:45  And when the chief priests and Pharisees had heard his parables, they perceived that he spake of them. 
Mat 21:46  But when they sought to lay hands on him, they feared the multitude, because they took him for a prophet. 

As indicated earlier, the chief priests and the Pharisees represent our brothers and sisters in the church system of this world or Babylon. What verse 45 is suggesting is that the parable of the two sons and the tenants all focused on our lives as His elect, in Babylon, until the Lord came to us with the spirit of His mouth and His brightness. That was when we answered the Lord’s call to work in His vineyard and became welcomed in the kingdom of God at the expense of our brothers and sisters in Babylon. 

Our refusal to hear the voice of Jesus through His messengers at that stage of our walk in Babylon, is the same as trying to kill Jesus and His elect. However, the people fearing to lay hands on Jesus because of the multitude shows us that the Lord knows how to protect His own in this world. We therefore need not fear. This reminds me of this popular hymn: Oh God our help in ages past. The second stanza reminds us of the Lord’s divine protection as follows:

Under the shadow of your throne

Your saints have dwelt secure

Sufficient is your arm alone

And our defense is sure

May His name be praised. Amen!!

Ezekiel 46:1–24 The Prince and the Feasts

[Study Aired Feb 3, 2025]

Introduction

In today’s study, we see that this latter temple was shut for most days and was opened only on the Sabbaths and the New Moons. This differs from the initial temple which was opened on a daily basis. The Prince, as mentioned in this chapter and in other chapters of this vision of the latter temple, represents our Lord Jesus Christ. He also signifies His elect. When the temple is opened, the prince offered voluntary offerings of burnt offering, peace offering and grain offering. In order to understand today’s study, we need to look closely at what these offerings signify. 

A burnt offering is an offering of an animal to the Lord where this sacrificial animal is burnt completely on the altar. It is therefore a complete destruction of the animal in an effort to renew the relationship between God and sinful man. The Hebrew word for “burnt offering” actually means to “ascend” and it literally means “to go up in smoke”. The smoke from the sacrifice ascended as a soothing aroma to the Lord”.

Lev 1:1  And the LORD called unto Moses, and spake unto him out of the tabernacle of the congregation, saying, 
Lev 1:2  Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, If any man of you bring an offering unto the LORD, ye shall bring your offering of the cattle, even of the herd, and of the flock. 
Lev 1:3  If his offering be a burnt sacrifice of the herd, let him offer a male without blemish: he shall offer it of his own voluntary will at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the LORD. 
Lev 1:4  And he shall put his hand upon the head of the burnt offering; and it shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him. 
Lev 1:5  And he shall kill the bullock before the LORD: and the priests, Aaron’s sons, shall bring the blood, and sprinkle the blood round about upon the altar that is by the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. 
Lev 1:6  And he shall flay the burnt offering, and cut it into his pieces. 
Lev 1:7  And the sons of Aaron the priest shall put fire upon the altar, and lay the wood in order upon the fire:
Lev 1:8  And the priests, Aaron’s sons, shall lay the parts, the head, and the fat, in order upon the wood that is on the fire which is upon the altar: 
Lev 1:9  But his inwards and his legs shall he wash in water: and the priest shall burn all on the altar, to be a burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD.

Technically, any offering burned over an altar was a burnt offering, but in more specific terms, a burnt offering was the complete destruction of the animal (except for the hide) in an effort to renew the relationship between Holy God and sinful man. The burnt offering therefore signifies our admission as being sinful or having sinned and therefore giving the Lord the occasion to destroy our flesh through His fiery trial or judgment denoted by the fire. It is through this experience that we learn righteousness and become a sweet aroma of Christ.

2Co 2:15  For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish: 
2Co 2:16  To the one we are the savour of death unto death; and to the other the savour of life unto life. And who is sufficient for these things? 
2Co 2:17  For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ.  

This fire destroying our flesh is a life-time experience and not a one-time fire. The fire is the word of the Lord, and our evil deeds represent the wood which serves as fuel for the fire. The burnt offering is carried out in the morning which implies that it is not every time of our lives that we are being judged. The fact that the burning is in the morning means that the destruction of our flesh is what causes the sun, which is Christ, to rise in our lives. 

Lev 6:12  And the fire upon the altar shall be burning in it; it shall not be put out: and the priest shall burn wood on it every morning, and lay the burnt offering in order upon it; and he shall burn thereon the fat of the peace offerings.   

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

The peace offering was a sacrificial gift made to express gratitude and fellowship with the Lord. It was voluntary and included animal, grain and bread. Peace offering is also called fellowship offering. Most sacrifices in the Old Testament system were not eaten by worshipers. However, regarding the peace offering, it was meant to be eaten by the worshipers with only a portion of the animal or grain brought to the altar for burning. It signifies that fellowshiping with the Lord is through knowing Him through His words which is denoted by what is offered to the worshiper to eat. The fact that the whole of the sacrifice was not given to the offerer means that in this life, we don’t see the whole picture of the word of the Lord.

1Co 13:12  For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. 

Lev 7:11  And this is the law of the sacrifice of peace offerings, which he shall offer unto the LORD.
Lev 7:12  If he offer it for a thanksgiving, then he shall offer with the sacrifice of thanksgiving unleavened cakes mingled with oil, and unleavened wafers anointed with oil, and cakes mingled with oil, of fine flour, fried. 
Lev 7:13  Besides the cakes, he shall offer for his offering leavened bread with the sacrifice of thanksgiving of his peace offerings. 

Lev 7:15  And the flesh of the sacrifice of his peace offerings for thanksgiving shall be eaten the same day that it is offered; he shall not leave any of it until the morning. 

The grain offering or meat offering was also a voluntary sacrifice of grain to God as a way to express devotion and recognize God’s goodness. While other sacrifices had very specific instructions from God as to how they were to be offered, the rules governing grain offerings had some flexibility. The grains offered in the grain offering must be finely grounded and have oil and salt in it. The person bringing the offering to the priest can choose what amount of grain to present. When the priest receives the grain offering, only a small portion was burnt as a memorial to God. The rest of the grain offering is given to the priest to eat. 

Lev 2:1  The LORD continued, “Now, if any of you bring a grain offering to the LORD, your offering must be flour. Pour olive oil on it, and put incense on it. 
Lev 2:2  Then bring it to Aaron’s sons, the priests. Take from this a handful of flour with olive oil, and all the incense. The priest will burn it on the altar as a reminder. It is an offering by fire, a soothing aroma to the LORD. 
Lev 2:3  The rest of the grain offering will belong to Aaron and his sons. It is very holy, set apart from the LORD’S offering by fire. (GW) 

The grain offering being flour mixed with olive oil and given to the priests signifies that it is only the Lord’s elect who are given to know the spiritual significance of the Lord’s words as the oil represents the spirit. This is the portion of the Lord’s elect or priest. It is instructive to note that the grain must be finely grounded. That means we must rightly divide the word of truth.

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

The part that is burnt on the altar represents the false doctrines we have imbibed which must be burnt out of us. It is through understanding His words that we come to see the goodness of the Lord, and it causes us to offer ourselves to Him as a living sacrifice.

With this understanding of the burnt offering, peace offering and meat or grain offering, it becomes easier to understand today’s study where the priest is required to offer these offerings.

Worshiping on the sabbath and on the New Moon

Eze 46:1  Thus saith the Lord GOD; The gate of the inner court that looketh toward the east shall be shut the six working days; but on the sabbath it shall be opened, and in the day of the new moon it shall be opened. 

The east is where the sun rises in our lives. This implies the beginning of our walk with the Lord as the sun represents the Lord Jesus Christ. Our walk with the Lord starts with our lives in Babylon or the physical churches of this world before the Lord comes with the spirit of His mouth and His brightness to drag us to Himself. It is instructive to note that the first time the word “east” is used in the Bible, it has to do with the river that flows east towards Assyria (Babylon) with the river becoming the Euphrates. The next use of the word “east” has to do with the judgment we must go through because of our sins in order to access the tree of life which represents Christ.

Gen 2:14  And the name of the third river is Hiddekel: that is it which goeth toward the east of Assyria. And the fourth river is Euphrates.

Gen 3:24 So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life. 

The east gate of the inner court being shut for the six working days in verse 1 therefore shows us that we could not worship the Lord in truth and in spirit for six working days which symbolizes the period of our walk in the churches of this world or Babylon where we lived like the people of the world (significance of the number six) when we thought we could work out our own salvation. It is insightful to note that it is until the sabbath or the New Moon that the door of the east gate is opened for us to worship. The sabbath signifies rest. It is only when we come to rest in the Lord that we can worship the Lord in truth and in spirit. This period is herald by the Lord’s judgment of our old man or flesh which causes us to learn righteousness by knowing that we do not have our own righteousness but that our righteousness is of Christ. In other words, it is the Lord’s imputed righteousness that matters and not ours.

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

Gal 2:20  I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. 
Gal 2:21  I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.

The New Moon is the beginning of the month in Israel, and it is a time to sit with the king to eat and also to hear the voice of the Lord, as shown in the following verses:

1Sa 20:5  And David said unto Jonathan, Behold, tomorrow is the new moon, and I should not fail to sit with the king at meat: but let me go, that I may hide myself in the field unto the third day at even.

1Sa 20:24  So David hid himself in the field: and when the new moon was come, the king sat him down to eat meat. 

Psa 81:3  Blow up the trumpet in the new moon, in the time appointed, on our solemn feast day. 
Psa 81:4  For this was a statute for Israel, and a law of the God of Jacob.

The king here is Christ who comes to us with His brightness to cause us to hear His voice distinctively like a trumpet and to understand what He is saying. Hearing His voice means that our hearts and minds (the inner court) are open during our new beginning (New Moon) in Christ. 

The inner court which was closed during the six working days of the week also indicates our inability to receive Christ in our hearts and minds which is filled with the smoke of the burning of our flesh with the coming of the Lord into our lives with His judgment.  

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

Eze 46:2  And the prince shall enter by the way of the porch of that gate without, and shall stand by the post of the gate, and the priests shall prepare his burnt offering and his peace offerings, and he shall worship at the threshold of the gate: then he shall go forth; but the gate shall not be shut until the evening. 
Eze 46:3  Likewise the people of the land shall worship at the door of this gate before the LORD in the sabbaths and in the new moons. 

The prince here in verse 2 represents our Lord Jesus Christ who comes to us with the spirit of His mouth and His brightness into our hearts and minds. As we have learned in the introductory portion of this study, His coming is the time for the burning or destruction of our flesh signified here by the burnt offering that we, His priests prepare for the Lord. The peace offering or the fellowship offering that we, His priests, offer symbolizes the strengthening of our fellowship with the Lord through our understanding of His words as shown by the fact that most of the peace offering was to be eaten by the worshiper.

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. 

As priests, we are to worship at the entrance of the gateway and then leave. This is to remind us of our role as saviors in the sense that our brothers and sisters in Babylon must pass through us to enter the inner court, since we are at the entrance of the gateway. As shown in verse 3, our brothers and sisters in Babylon are currently worshiping at the door of the gate before the Lord. This implies that the gate has not yet been opened to them to enter the entrance of the gateway, where the Lord’s elect are worshiping. This gate in verse 3 represents the gulf between us as shown in the parable of the rich man and Lazarus.

Luk 16:24  And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. 
Luk 16:25  But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. 
Luk 16:26  And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence. 

In verse 3, the sabbaths and the new moon have negative application. These sabbaths and New moons represents the beggarly elements which has kept our brothers and sister in bondage in Babylon, such that they cannot go beyond the gate to worship the Lord. 

Gal 4:8  Howbeit then, when ye knew not God, ye did service unto them which by nature are no gods. 
Gal 4:9  But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage? 
Gal 4:10  Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years. 
Gal 4:11  I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain. 

Eze 46:4  And the burnt offering that the prince shall offer unto the LORD in the sabbath day shall be six lambs without blemish, and a ram without blemish. 

The six lambs represent the Lord’s elect who are living their lives without blame before the Lord. The ram represents the Lord who was without sin and offered Himself to God for our sake. The fact that these were offered as a burnt offering means that it is through the judgment of the Lord that we are offered without blame before God, just as Christ was judged to offer Himself blameless to God. 

Eze 46:5  And the meat offering shall be an ephah for a ram, and the meat offering for the lambs as he shall be able to give, and an hin of oil to an ephah.

The grain offering that we must present to the Lord with a ram must be an ephah, which was a Hebrew measure equivalent to about 9 gallons. In the case of the lambs, the grain offering is dependent on what we can offer. All these offering must go with a hin of oil to an ephah. The hin is a Hebrew unit of liquid measure equivalent to one gallon. All of these are offered on the sabbath day. The significance of this is that it is when we come to rest in Christ that we are given to understand the mysteries of the kingdom of the Lord.

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 13:16  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.

Eze 46:6  And in the day of the new moon it shall be a young bullock without blemish, and six lambs, and a ram: they shall be without blemish. 

The young bullock and the ram all represent our Lord Jesus Christ. As indicated, the six lambs represent us, His elect. It is in the day of the New Moon or the beginning of our lives in Christ as we are now part of the church of the first born (New Moon) that we can offer ourselves to God even as Christ offered Himself for God’s purpose.

Eze 46:7  And he shall prepare a meat offering, an ephah for a bullock, and an ephah for a ram, and for the lambs according as his hand shall attain unto, and an hin of oil to an ephah. 

Again, it is our new beginning in the assembly of the Lord’s elect (New Moon) that we are given to understand spiritually, the truth of the Lord’s words.

Eze 46:8  And when the prince shall enter, he shall go in by the way of the porch of that gate, and he shall go forth by the way thereof. 
Eze 46:9  But when the people of the land shall come before the LORD in the solemn feasts, he that entereth in by the way of the north gate to worship shall go out by the way of the south gate; and he that entereth by the way of the south gate shall go forth by the way of the north gate: he shall not return by the way of the gate whereby he came in, but shall go forth over against it. 
Eze 46:10  And the prince in the midst of them, when they go in, shall go in; and when they go forth, shall go forth. 

The prince enters the gate from the east (verse 1) and exits through the same gate. As indicated, the east represents the rising of the sun, which is Christ. Thus, what we are being told is that the Lord’s presence in our hearts and minds is a lasting experience. In other words, in our going out and coming in, we are assured of the Lord’s presence. On the other hand, in the case of our brothers and sisters in Babylon, represented by the people of the land, they shall encounter the north gate which symbolizes the Lord’s judgment either when they are coming into the temple or going out. This means that they shall be judged by the Lord to also experience Christ in them in the fullness of time.

Jer 1:13  And the word of the LORD came unto me the second time, saying, What seest thou? And I said, I see a seething pot; and the face thereof is toward the north.
Jer 1:14 Then the LORD said unto me, Out of the north an evil shall break forth upon all the inhabitants of the land.

Jer 4:6  Set up the standard toward Zion: retire, stay not: for I will bring evil from the north, and a great destruction.

In verse 10, we are told that the prince shall be in their midst in their going in and coming out of the sanctuary. This implies that we shall be in their midst during the lake of fire age throughout their going in and their coming out as Christ comes to live in them. 

Eze 46:11  And in the feasts and in the solemnities the meat offering shall be an ephah to a bullock, and an ephah to a ram, and to the lambs as he is able to give, and an hin of oil to an ephah. 
Eze 46:12  Now when the prince shall prepare a voluntary burnt offering or peace offerings voluntarily unto the LORD, one shall then open him the gate that looketh toward the east, and he shall prepare his burnt offering and his peace offerings, as he did on the sabbath day: then he shall go forth; and after his going forth one shall shut the gate. 
Eze 46:13  Thou shalt daily prepare a burnt offering unto the LORD of a lamb of the first year without blemish: thou shalt prepare it every morning. 

The grain or meat offering here in verse 11 that the prince shall prepare consists of an ephah of bullock, ram and lambs as well as a hin of oil. As indicated in the introductory section, the purpose of the meat offering is to express devotion to the Lord and recognize the Lord’s goodness. The fact that we are instructed to have an ephah of bullock, ram and lambs and an hin of oil suggests that the words of the Lord that we receive are measured out to us according to our capacity. 

The peace offering is also called fellowship offering, and it is a sacrificial gift made to express gratitude and fellowship with the Lord. The fact that the east gate is opened for the prince to offer his burnt and peace offering is to let us know that it is when Christ rises in our hearts that we can offer these offerings.

2Pe 1:19  We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: 

As shown in the introduction section of this study, the essence of the burnt offering is to destroy our flesh through the judgment of our flesh. The peace offering is to deepen our fellowship with the Lord through knowing Him through His words which is denoted by what is offered to the worshiper to eat. 

The gate that must be shut when the prince leaves signifies that without us, His elect, the way to Christ is shut to our brothers and sisters in Babylon and the people of the world.

Heb 11:40  God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.   

The requirement to offer a daily burnt offering unto the Lord means that we die daily.

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

The offering of a lamb of one year old without blemish for a burnt offering indicates that offering ourselves to the Lord as a living sacrifice entails being one with Christ or having the same mind of Christ. 

Php 2:5  Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: 

Eze 46:14  And thou shalt prepare a meat offering for it every morning, the sixth part of an ephah, and the third part of an hin of oil, to temper with the fine flour; a meat offering continually by a perpetual ordinance unto the LORD. 
Eze 46:15  Thus shall they prepare the lamb, and the meat offering, and the oil, every morning for a continual burnt offering. 

We are to prepare a meat offering to the Lord every morning. As shown earlier, the purpose of the meat or grain offering is to enlighten our understanding of the word of the Lord as we study daily. The grain being finely grounded indicates that we must rightly divide the word of truth. 

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

As indicated in the comments on the previous verses, the continual nature of the burnt offering (verse 15) reveals to us that we must die to the flesh daily.

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

The Inheritance of the Lord’s Elect

Eze 46:16  Thus saith the Lord GOD; If the prince give a gift unto any of his sons, the inheritance thereof shall be his sons’; it shall be their possession by inheritance. 
Eze 46:17  But if he give a gift of his inheritance to one of his servants, then it shall be his to the year of liberty; after it shall return to the prince: but his inheritance shall be his sons’ for them.
Eze 46:18  Moreover the prince shall not take of the people’s inheritance by oppression, to thrust them out of their possession; but he shall give his sons inheritance out of his own possession: that my people be not scattered every man from his possession. 

As the Lord’s elect, we are His sons, and as sons, we are heirs of the Lord’s promises. 

Rom 8:16  The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: 
Rom 8:17  And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. 

Gal 3:29  And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

Our status is therefore different from servants who are to return a gift of an inheritance on the year of liberty. The servants here signify our brothers and sisters in Babylon who work as servants in the Lord’s vineyard but are not qualified to become children or sons.

Gal 4:22  For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman. 
Gal 4:23  But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise. 
Gal 4:24  Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar. 
Gal 4:25  For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children. 
Gal 4:26  But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.     
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.
Gal 4:28  Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise. 
Gal 4:29  But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now. 
Gal 4:30  Nevertheless what saith the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman. 
Gal 4:31  So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free.

In verse 18, we are warned as the Lord princes, not to take by force the property of the people. In other words we are not to be envious of what people have. However, in Babylon, the prosperity messages that these false teachers carried are all based on covetousness. No wonder we could not worship the Lord in a strange land. 

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 2:14  Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin; beguiling unstable souls: an heart they have exercised with covetous practices; cursed children: 

Boiling Places for Offerings

Eze 46:19  After he brought me through the entry, which was at the side of the gate, into the holy chambers of the priests, which looked toward the north: and, behold, there was a place on the two sides westward. 
Eze 46:20  Then said he unto me, This is the place where the priests shall boil the trespass offering and the sin offering, where they shall bake the meat offering; that they bear them not out into the utter court, to sanctify the people. 

Being brought into the holy chambers of the priests which were towards the north is to let us know that it is through the judgment of our flesh that we are made holy or separated for the Lord’s purpose, since the north signifies judgment. 

Jer 1:13  And the word of the LORD came unto me the second time, saying, What seest thou? And I said, I see a seething pot; and the face thereof is toward the north.
Jer 1:14 Then the LORD said unto me, Out of the north an evil shall break forth upon all the inhabitants of the land.

Jer 4:6  Set up the standard toward Zion: retire, stay not: for I will bring evil from the north, and a great destruction.

There were places for the boiling of the offerings and the baking of the meat offering at the entry into the inner court. The boiling places is where the food and the meat for consumption are prepared. They therefore represent the preparation of the gospel of peace which means being ready and prepared to share the word of the Lord. 

Eph 6:15  And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 

Here we are cautioned not to bring the offerings into the outer courtyard so that we do not transfer holiness to the people. This is another way of saying to the Lord’s elect that we should not give what is holy to those who do not appreciate the truth of the word of the Lord.  

Mat 7:6  Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you. 

The holy and the pearls in the verse above all signify the truth of the word of the Lord. The prophet Haggai was also led by the Lord to say the same thing as follows:

Hag 2:12  If one bear holy flesh in the skirt of his garment, and with his skirt do touch bread, or pottage, or wine, or oil, or any meat, shall it be holy? And the priests answered and said, No. 
Hag 2:13  Then said Haggai, If one that is unclean by a dead body touch any of these, shall it be unclean? And the priests answered and said, It shall be unclean. 
Hag 2:14  Then answered Haggai, and said, So is this people, and so is this nation before me, saith the LORD; and so is every work of their hands; and that which they offer there is unclean. 

We cannot make anybody holy through the word of the Lord except those that the Lord drags to us. 

Eze 46:21  Then he brought me forth into the utter court, and caused me to pass by the four corners of the court; and, behold, in every corner of the court there was a court. 
Eze 46:22  In the four corners of the court there were courts joined of forty cubits long and thirty broad: these four corners were of one measure. 
Eze 46:23  And there was a row of building round about in them, round about them four, and it was made with boiling places under the rows round about. 
Eze 46:24  Then said he unto me, These are the places of them that boil, where the ministers of the house shall boil the sacrifice of the people. 

The outer court is the place for the people of Israel who are not priests to come and worship. It therefore represents the physical churches of this world where our brothers and sisters in Babylon worship. The fact that Ezekiel was caused to take note of the four corners of the court in verses 21 and 22, is to emphasize that it is the whole of the church system of this world that is not given to be holy. This implies that the worshipers in the church system of this world are not holy. The negative application of the measurement of the length and width of the court speaks volumes of the nature of the worshipers. The court was 40 cubits in length and thirty cubits in breadth. The number forty represents those who continue to err in their worship of the Lord and therefore are not given rest in the Lord. 

Psa 95:10  Forty years long was I grieved with this generation, and said, It is a people that do err in their heart, and they have not known my ways: 
Psa 95:11  Unto whom I sware in my wrath that they should not enter into my rest.   

The number thirty in the negative context signifies those who are being put to death through the sword, that is, false doctrines.

Jdg 20:31  And the children of Benjamin went out against the people, and were drawn away from the city; and they began to smite of the people, and kill, as at other times, in the highways, of which one goeth up to the house of God, and the other to Gibeah in the field, about thirty men of Israel. 

Jdg 20:39  And when the men of Israel retired in the battle, Benjamin began to smite and kill of the men of Israel about thirty persons: for they said, Surely they are smitten down before us, as in the first battle.

There were rows of boiling places in the outer court for the offerings of the people. However, these boiling places, which represent the preparation of the word of the Lord, do not make the worshipers and their ministers holy. 

We thank the Lord for showing us mercy at the expense of our brothers and sisters in 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. 

Amen !!!

The Book of Joel – Joe 1:13-20 Part 2

“And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. 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” – 2Co 11:14-15.

[Study Aired July 20, 2024]

The Book of Joel is a relatively broad summary primarily for the Bride, although inclusive of all mankind’s transition from the flesh to being recreated as God. In the first part of Joel 1, we learned that locusts symbolise the innumerable lies and inventions of the Christian churches in the wilderness, drinking in their smooth, ear-tickling, more agreeable doctrines, thus creating their own clothing of self-righteousness. Moreover, now, in this second part of Chapter 1, the Bride precedes her brothers and sisters in Babylon for her appeal to repentance. Here, in the verses in John and Thessalonians below, is a reference to the Bride’s calling. The following in Isaiah 4:1 signifies the harlot church, from which the Lord wrested his incipient Bride, similar to the Angel of the Lord forcibly removing (dragging) Lot’s wife and his daughters out of Sodom.

Joh 15:18  If the world hates you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you [The Romans of Christ’s time didn’t hate him; it was the haters of his very household, the Jews who are Christians].
Joh 15:19  If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.

2Th 2:13  But we are bound to give thanks always to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth: 
2Th 2:14  Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

Isa 4:1  And in that day [ever since the cross] seven women [seven equals all the churches of Asia and the Christian world, today] shall take hold of one man [Christ], saying, We will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel: only let us be called by thy name, to take away our reproach.

Crucially, concocting our own lying doctrines through our multitude of equally lying counsel of self-appointed elders in Babylon is what we have to repent. It is those inventive doctrines that clothe us in filthy, blood-soaked apparel. It is us, the ‘priests and ministers of the altar’, the embryonic Bride of Christ, at whom Joel 1:13-20 aims its indictments.

Job 9:30  If I wash myself with snow water, and make my hands never so clean;
Job 9:31  Yet [Christ] shalt thou plunge me in the ditch, and mine own clothes shall abhor me.

Pro 6:26  For by means of a whorish woman [Us as a harlot] a man is brought to a piece of bread: 

Being submerged in the ditch for our cleansing by our supposed pure doctrine will result in Jeremiah’s declaration:

Jer 2:19  Thine own wickedness shall correct thee, and thy backslidings shall reprove thee: know therefore and see that it is an evil thing and bitter, that thou hast forsaken the LORD thy God, and that my fear is not in thee, saith the Lord GOD of hosts. 

Pro 6:26  For by means of a whorish woman  [Babylonian Christianity as greater Israel] a man is brought to a piece of bread: and the adulteress will hunt for the precious life. 
Pro 6:27  Can a man take [God’s fiery word or “strange fire”] fire in his bosom, and his clothes not be burned?

Job 15:16  How much more abominable and filthy is man, which drinketh iniquity like water? 

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

Joshua was a faithful servant of God, masterfully dispatching the enemies of Israel with his bloody sword; his clothes were thus bloodied and filthy. Blood spiritually is Christ’s word, his very body! Blood, the physical essence of life, prefigures death to the Old Man and life to the New Man. If blood is spilt spiritually, it means the death of the truth or lies. Since the Elect metaphorically kill another person with the fiery sword of God’s word, that action results from them having killed us for our rejection of God’s word just as we killed Christ physically and spiritually – it all is figuratively spilling blood.

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.

Joe 2:30 And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. 
Joe 2:31 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come.

Rev 17:6 And I saw the woman [Babylon the Great] drunken with the blood [Her zealous killing of God’s word] of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration.

A Call to Repentance

Joe 1:13  Gird yourselves, and lament, ye priests: howl, ye ministers of the altar: come, lie all night in sackcloth, ye ministers of my God: for the meat offering and the drink offering is withholden from the house of your God. 
Joe 1:14  Sanctify ye a fast, call a solemn assembly, gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land into the house of the LORD your God, and cry unto the LORD, 
Joe 1:15  Alas for the day! for the day of the LORD is at hand, and as a destruction from the Almighty shall it come. 
Joe 1:16  Is not the meat cut off before our eyes, yea, joy and gladness from the house of our God? 
Joe 1:17  The seed is rotten under their clods, the garners are laid desolate, the barns are broken down; for the corn is withered. 
Joe 1:18  How do the beasts groan! the herds of cattle are perplexed, because they have no pasture; yea, the flocks of sheep are made desolate. 
Joe 1:19  O LORD, to thee will I cry: for the fire hath devoured the pastures of the wilderness, and the flame hath burned all the trees of the field. 
Joe 1:20  The beasts of the field cry also unto thee: for the rivers of waters are dried up, and the fire hath devoured the pastures of the wilderness.

Significations:

Joe 1:13  Gird yourselves, and lament, ye priests: howl, ye ministers of the altar: come, lie all night in sackcloth, ye ministers of my God: for the meat offering and the drink offering is withholden from the house of your God. 

As earlier stated, the Bride of Christ is the priest and minister of Christ the “altar“, under whom we spiritually die daily.

Heb 13:9  Be not carried about with divers and strange [bloody] doctrines. For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace; not with meats, which have not profited them that have been occupied therein. 
Heb 13:10  We have an altar [Christ, our husband that only we can touch], whereof they [Gentile Christianity, the world] have no right to eat which serve the tabernacle [The Bride, the Temple of God]. 
Heb 13:11  For the bodies of those beasts [animal sacrifices symbolising our death], whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin, are burned without the camp [Equal to the Temple we are being chiselled into shape outside of the construction site]. 
Heb 13:12  Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate. 
Heb 13:13  Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach. 

When we were entrenched in Babylon and early in our calling, we often howled prayers all night and every other night for our Lord to release us from severe chastisement when, primarily, all we had to do was acknowledge our sin (Jer 3:13) and get up and walk in His statutes and judgements as the Lord told Joshua following Achan’s sin! An unrepented sin is an “accursed thing” spoken of in Joshuah 7 that we think is a trifling thing and thus our “meat and drink offering”, our prayers are not answered as we think they should.

Jos 7:10  And the LORD said unto Joshua, Get thee up; wherefore liest thou thus upon thy face? 
Jos 7:11  Israel [you and I] hath sinned, and they have also transgressed my covenant which I commanded them: for they have even taken of the accursed thing, and have also stolen, and dissembled also, and they have put it even among their own stuff. 
Jos 7:12  Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies, but turned their backs before their enemies, because they were accursed: neither will I be with you any more, except ye destroy the accursed from among you. 

The day of the Lord is at hand when we obtain his favour by first acknowledging our sins from our heart, and then our ‘fast’ becomes a sweet savour and joy to him.

Joe 1:14  Sanctify ye a fast, call a solemn assembly, gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land into the house of the LORD your God, and cry unto the LORD, 
Joe 1:15  Alas for the day! For the day of the LORD is at hand, and as a destruction from the Almighty shall it come. 
Joe 1:16  Is not the meat cut off before our eyes, yea, joy and gladness from the house of our God? 

That destruction of our old man within can only be effectively accomplished by the acceptable fast our Lord has chosen that soundly results in forgiveness and brings joy to Christ and eventually to us as we grow in faith and knowledge and learn to walk comfortably in the fire of His word. Our “meat” is either our false doctrinal meal or the spiritual sacrifice Christ desires. Our ‘meat’ offering is our sacrifice of spiritually dying daily to our sins and not pointing our finger at our brother’s sins.

Mat 5:23  Therefore if thou bring thy gift [prayers for ‘gimme this, or gimme that’ of selfish needs while not acknowledging your sins] to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee;
Mat 5:24  Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift. 

Luk 18:10 Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. 
Luk 18:11  The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. 
Luk 18:12  I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. 
Luk 18:13  And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. 
Luk 18:14  I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted. 

Isa 58:6  Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke? [How? By acknowledging from our ‘publican-like heart our sin] 
Isa 58:7  Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry [soul within!], and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the [yourself] naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh? [FIRST inwardly and outwardly]
Isa 58:8  Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the LORD shall be thy rereward. 

Joe 1:17  The seed is rotten under their clods [shovel; sweep away], the garners [treasure, storehouse] are laid desolate, the barns are broken down; for the corn is withered [now shovelled out of the barn is dried up, mouldy and useless]. 

The seed being rotten directly corresponds to us being of our first father, the Devil and thus, his spiritually rotten seed. Wheat seed stored not completely dry in the garner or storehouse goes rotten and utterly stinks. It needs to be shovelled out of the silo by hand and comes out in big, stinking “clods”. Jesus, speaking to those Jews figurative ‘stinking clods’ who believed in him, meaning Christians, says,

Joh 8:44  Ye are of your father the devil [his rotten seed], and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. 

1Co 15:34  Awake to righteousness, and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of God: I speak this to your shame. 
1Co 15:35  But some man will say, How are the dead raised up? and with what body do they come? 
1Co 15:36  Thou fool, that [seed] which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die: 
1Co 15:37  And that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall be, but bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or of some other grain: 
1Co 15:38  But God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him, and to every seed his own body. 

1Pe 1:21  Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God. 
1Pe 1:22  Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently: 
1Pe 1:23  Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.

Needless to say, the result of not having good seeds to sow means there won’t be a harvest. As such, the beasts representing the people, groan because their priests have fed the laity Satan’s lies and are “perplexed” at the enigma the entirety of scripture is. Subsequently, the flock is made a desolate woman, even The Great Whore, who rules over the nations.

Joe 1:18  How do the beasts groan! the herds of cattle are perplexed, because they have no pasture; yea, the flocks of sheep are made desolate.

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 [the entire World]. 
Rev 17:16  And the ten horns [Is the Beast] 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 [being those Jews/Christians who believe in ‘another Jesus’  (2Co 11:3-4)] to fulfil his [God’s] will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast [Non-Christian world that includes themselves] until the words of God shall be fulfilled. 
Rev 17:18  And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, [The Great Whore of Ephraiam-like Christianity inclusive of all other religions] which reigneth over the kings of the earth.

Joe 1:19  O LORD, to thee will I cry: for the fire hath devoured the pastures of the wilderness, and the flame hath burned all the trees of the field. 
Joe 1:20  The beasts of the field cry also unto thee: for the rivers of waters are dried up, and the fire hath devoured the pastures of the wilderness. 

The beasts of the field, representing mankind, are bereft of the truth in Christ since God gave us all over to spiritual deafness and blindness except for the little flock He called out of Babylon, representing Gentile Christianity and the world.

Rom 11:25  For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles [Babylon, the world] be come in.

Isa 5:24  Therefore as the fire devoureth the stubble, and the flame consumeth the chaff, so their root shall be as rottenness, and their blossom shall go up as dust: because they have cast away the law of the LORD of hosts, and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel. 

Our former dismissal of our Lord’s ‘light bread’ doctrine emanating from his ‘good seed’, meaning the simplicity in Christ, didn’t sensually bond us to Him as it didn’t Old Israel in the wilderness to her Husband. The seed He planted in our hearts rotted in the earthy beast which we are.

Because of women’s intrinsic nature to be emotionally bonded to a husband that enigmatically enchants him and unwittingly curses us all because of her ‘inventive’ nature to capture men’s hearts (Ecc 7:23-29), she becomes the mother of harlots, the Lord’s former wife, Old Israel and us. Subsequently, ‘the beasts of the field perplexedly today cry also unto Christ: for unwittingly, the rivers of Christ’s commands are dried up, and his fiery word hath devoured the pastures of the wilderness’.

Babylonian Christianity found the Bible impossible to systematically piece together for understanding, as it did John regarding his visions in Revelations. Thus, it was much easier to default to the adage, ”Jesus loves you,” since that maxim soothed their consciences, paradoxically condemning them for the looming death in the equally inscrutable Lake of Fire.

Heb 10:26  For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, 
Heb 10:27  But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries. 

On that note, it leads us next week, Lord willing, to Chapter 2, “The Day of the Lord.” ‘A day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness, as the morning spread upon the mountains’ Joe 2:2.

The Book of Micah – Part 4, Micah 4:1-6

[Study Aired March 16, 2024]

Following the three leading chapters of Micah identifying us, the rulers and prophets, the very priests of Christ established as the greatest hypocrites, deaf and blind from birth, we originally were horrified that it is we who formerly touted our superior understanding of scripture only to pluck out the eyes and chop off the ears of any who dared confront our lordship over any who would suffer listening to us.

Isa 42:18  Hear, ye deaf; and look, ye blind, that ye may see [the Christs; (plural) budding Kings and Priests, not just blessed with marriage to Christ, but iron rulership in the One thousand Years and judgment under Christ in the Resurrection to Judgment]. 
Isa 42:19  Who is blind, but my servant? or deaf, as my messenger that I sent? who is blind as he that is perfect, and blind as the LORD’S servant? [We were!]
Isa 42:20  Seeing many things, but thou observest not; opening the ears, but he heareth not.
Isa 42:21  The LORD is well pleased for his righteousness’ sake; he will magnify the law, and make it honourable. [… first in his Elect, his espoused Wife]
Isa 42:22  But this is a people [Yes, his Bride before being dragged to Him] robbed and spoiled; they are all of them snared in holes, and they are hid in prison houses [unwittingly within]: they are for a prey, and none delivereth; for a spoil, and none saith, Restore.
Isa 42:23  Who among you will give ear to this? who will hearken and hear for the time to come? [… those few rag-tag ‘nobodies’ to the world; the ‘fear not little flock’ ones whom He chose (Luke 12:32, Joh 15:16].
Isa 42:24  Who gave Jacob for a spoil, and Israel to the robbers? [As seen in the first three chapters of Micah] did not the LORD, he against whom we have sinned? for they would not walk in his ways, neither were they obedient unto his law.
Isa 42:25  Therefore he hath poured upon him [First the priests, the rulers, Christs emerging Kings and Priests (Rev 1:6)] the fury of his anger, and the strength of battle: and it hath set him on fire round about, yet he [The incipient Kings and Priests] knew not; and it burned him, yet he laid it not to heart.

Now that we are severely humbled, we discover that our Lord had a cunning plan all along to make us Kings and Priests under Him!

Luk 12:32  Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom [Christ is their inheritance in marriage and rulership]. 

Eph 1:11  In whom also we [Not the world, but the Elect of God, even though they, too, gain eternal life as their inheritance only as by fire (1Co 3:15)] have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:
Eph 1:12  That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.

Rev 1:4-7  John to the seven churches which are in Asia [the number 7 meaning all inclusive as one Church]: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven spirits [One spirit, the holy spirit denoting seven qualities of those churches that is one Church] which are before his throne; [facetiously, not an imagined ‘uncle holy spirit’ but the ONE spirit of God, the Father and Son given in downpayment to his ‘little flock’… Eph 4:4  There is one body, and one spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; Eph 4:5  One Lord, one faith, one baptism, Eph 4:6  One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you (first chosen of…) all].

Rev 1:5  And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that [… first… ] loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,
Rev 1:6  And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. 
Rev 1:7  Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him [again, the rag-tag chosen who likewise were “first” to pierce Him]: and all kindreds of the earth [ultimately the entirety of humanity ever to be conceived!] shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.

Colloquially, as the saying goes, “Just WOW!” Whoever in the world is dragged into reading those incredible revelations, hopefully, is electrified to understand all of Christ’s apocalyptics.

So, let’s step into more of Christ’s glory revealed in his commandments.

The Mountain of the Lord

Mic 4:1  But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it.

At the moment a person is given by Christ who does the choosing of whom HE wills, that moment is that person’s initially unwitting “last days”!

Gen 49:1  And Jacob called unto his sons, and said, Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you that which shall befall you in the last days [The “last days” first come in the “natural” outward dispensation to the entire world, however, first spiritually they come to his few Elect]

Act 2:17  And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: [Yes, following the Lake of Fire, all flesh will have the full complement of the spirit of God, the Father and Son who are the spirit! However, for those whom the Lord has first given his downpayment of spirit before the First Resurrection, that timeframe is their “last days” of earth-shaking spiritual revelation].

2Ti 3:1  This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.

Those last days in every generation in each person’s own time and order will be dreadfully perilous to the old incipient dying man of flesh and mouldy beliefs since all that he ever learned about Christ was a shocking, dreadful, strong delusion. Most perilously, he learns that he is ‘the man’ of lawlessness!

2Th 2:1  Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ [maybe “today”, your “last days”?], and by our gathering together unto him, 
2Th 2:2  That ye be not soon shaken in mind [Initially we certainly will be shaken!], or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.
2Th 2:3  Let no man deceive you by any means [… and we all are from the beginning]: for that day [The Last Days, of course] shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; [That “falling away” is what Babylonian Christianity self-righteously in strong delusion believes is people leaving one of their (unwitting) harlot denominations… good-humouredly, can’t have that, the tithes and offerings will cease; and for some mega-harlots, the six-figure salaries and A1 jet fuel will dribble away.] 
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 [to know that he, you and I are the man of perdition, the man of sin] until he be taken out of the way [meaning that his lying beliefs he learned in bed with the Great Whore “fall away” then…]
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 [that day, the beginning of his personal “last days”!]:
2Th 2:9  Even him [you and me], whose coming is after the working of Satan [our first father (Joh 8:43-44)] with all power and signs and lying wonders,
2Th 2:10  And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them [you and I] that perish; because [now, formerly we] they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
2Th 2:11  And for this cause God shall send them [ALL] strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:
2Th 2:12  That they all might be damned who [at this point of their “last days” formally] believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.)

Continuing in verses containing the term “last days”.

Heb 1:2  Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir [First Christ and then His Christs – plural] of all things, by whom also he made the worlds [Col 1:15-17];

Jas 5:3  Your gold and silver [your strong and delusional self-righteousness formally unwittingly holding the Lord’s word unrighteously] is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire [not a literal fire, though, and at first, it will surely feel like molten lava, ‘rocks’, falling upon us all]. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days. 

2Pe 3:3  Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts,

These are the people to whom the Lord hasn’t, by His spirit, revealed His word spiritually (1Co 12:9.  To another faith by the same spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same spirit; 1Co 12:10  To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues: 1Co 12:11  But all these worketh that one and the selfsame spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will. 1Co 2:13 Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.)

2Pe 3:4  And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. 
2Pe 3:5  For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: [In other words, these Babylonian Christians remain deaf and blind by only understanding scripture physically as was the Old Covenant, Old Jerusalem; but those whom Christ reveals himself, they become the New Heavenly Jerusalem, above].

Isa 2:2  And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD’S house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.

That verse to the ‘natural physical mind’ will believe that they alone who believe the unwitting strong delusion that they are saved now applies to them at the resurrection. Many will delusionally believe the lying traditions of men that they will look upon the rest of the unbelieving world writhing in permanent agony in a literal fire; they don’t see that “all nations shall flow unto it”, the heavenly Jerusalem above.

Rom 5:10 For if, when we were enemies [all of humanity are enemies, but His first fruits of Him are first to be reconciled], we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. We are being reconciled by dying daily; it’s a process, and after drinking all of the same cup as Christ did, we “shall be saved by his life”.

Eph 2:5  Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)

Rev 3:14 And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; [Not only that, yet that scripture proves that God in humanity is still being created, and that process is happening in man, “the beginning of the creation of God”!

1Co 15:22  For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. 
1Co 15:23  But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming [at the First Resurrection, afterwards the rest of the world in the Resurrection to Judgment].

Joh 5:28  Marvel not at this: for the hour cometh, in which all that are in the tombs shall hear his voice, 
Joh 5:29  and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life [the First Resurrection and marriage to Christ]; and they that have done evil [ALL OF US, in our time and order of resurrection], unto the resurrection of judgment.

Mic 4:2  And many nations [ALL OF THEM, in their own time and order; a very few in the First Resurrection, and the remainder ever to be conceived in the Resurrection to Judgement] shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. 
Mic 4:3  And he shall judge among many people [before being given his full compliment of himself, the holy spirit and eternal life], and rebuke strong nations afar off [every last jot and titling lie within]; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares [to cut asunder to the bone and marrow of every lie againt Christ and plow the same lying weeds], and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.

The entirety of humanity in their own time and order will learn war no more once every child of doctrinal lies is dashed against Christ’s rocks, his Elect under his authority. War denotes daily warfare of removing those inward enemies of the cross and not an outward slaughter as the Old Covenant dictated! Sadly, contemporary Israel and most Zionist Christians believe “Israeli Rabbi Eliyahu Mali, who heads the Shirat Moshe religious school in Israel where students serve in the military, said, “There are no innocent people” in Gaza, and all babies in the tiny enclave must be slaughtered.” [End quote].

Mic 4:4  But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree; and none shall make them afraid: for the mouth of the LORD of hosts hath spoken it.

None will be afraid because all war and genocide WITHIN will be finished, and only the peace of Christ will reign and not by a ghostly relic of old Israel who is cut off from Christ.

Mic 4:5  For all people will walk every one in the name of his god, and we will walk in the name of the LORD our God for ever and ever.

Everyone other than the Elect of God does presently “walk everyone in the name of his god”; however, there is only one God. 

1Co 8:4  Concerning therefore the eating of things sacrificed to idols [other gods – “another Jesus”! 1Co 11:4], we know that no idol is anything in the world, and that there is no God but one.
1Co 8:5  For though there be that are called gods, whether in heaven or on earth; as there are gods many, and lords many; 
1Co 8:6  yet to us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we unto him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and we through him.
1Co 8:7  Howbeit there is not in all men that knowledge: but some, being used until now to the idol, eat as of a thing sacrificed to an idol; and their conscience being weak is defiled.

“Howbeit there is not in all men that knowledge” – that there is only one God; because the one and only God has blinded all humanity to believe many strong delusions as seen above in this study, therefore their consciences are weak in their God-given hazy light of understanding.

However, if the Lord gives understanding, there is incredible hope for all of humanity.

The Lord Shall Rescue Zion

Mic 4:6  In that day, saith the LORD, will I assemble her that halteth, and I will gather her that is driven out, and her that I have afflicted;
Mic 4:7  And I will make her that halted [to limp, be lame] a remnant, and her that was cast far off a strong nation: and the LORD shall reign over them in mount Zion from henceforth, even for ever.

Unless the Lord blesses us with the spiritual understanding of His word, we will remain firmly entrenched in Babylon, believing that salvation is of the fleshy Zionist Jews “’cause, gee, the Bible and the esteemed Rabbi say so!”

Joh 4:22  Ye [those Jews, meaning Christians] worship that which ye know not: we [the spiritual Jews as is Christ] worship that which we know; for salvation is from the [spiritual] Jews.

The militant orthodox Jews of today still hate Christ, the revisionist, and want to kill everyone who opposes the outwardly Jewish versions of the Old Covenant Law.

Mat 24:20  And pray ye that your flight [in your tribulation and earthquake of understanding in the hopeful current “last days”] be not in the winter, neither on a sabbath [when one’s spiritual growth is cold when the sun/Son is dim and Christ, our sabbath hasn’t shown himself]:
Mat 24:21  for then shall be great tribulation, such as hath not been from the beginning of the world until now [the “last days”], no, nor ever shall be.
Mat 24:22  And except those days had been shortened, no flesh would have been saved [since our personal tribulations both outwardly and inwardly will be too overwhelming for the timeframe left]: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened. 

Joh 4:23  But the hour cometh [today, if you hear his voice in these hopeful “last days”], and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and truth: for such doth the Father seek to be his worshippers.
Joh 4:24  God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship in spirit and truth.

Rev 3:9  Behold, I give of the synagogue of Satan [Promoting that salvation is of the Old Covenant], of them [Christians] that say they are Jews, and they are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy [Christ and His Christs – plural] feet, and to know that I have loved thee.

Christ’s Christs are the “halted” weak, lame and beggarly despised remnant, the little flock of no renown “cast far off” as having no distinction worth considering.

Isa 66:5  Hear the word of the LORD, ye that tremble at his word; Your brethren that hated you, that cast you out for my name’s sake, said, Let the LORD be glorified: but he shall appear to your joy, and they [all who don’t know ‘the Christ] shall be ashamed.

Upon the apostles being arrested and much debate about chastising them, the most honoured Pharisee, named Gamaliel, recommended the apostles be freed…

Act 5:40  And to him [Gamaliel] they agreed: and when they had called the apostles, and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go.
Act 5:41  And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name.

Luk 6:22  Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, 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. 

Luk 12:32  Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

Mic 4:8  And thou, O tower of the flock, the strong hold of the daughter of Zion, unto thee shall it come, even the first dominion; the kingdom shall come to the daughter of Jerusalem.

It is the Bride of Christ who is the ‘tower of the flock’, the daughter of Zion figuratively standing on her sisters, the Moon, representing the Babylonian world who was given first to rule and have dominion over her enemies within to subsequently rule with an iron rod in the One Thousand Year reign.

Mic 4:9  Now why dost thou cry out aloud? is there no king in thee? is thy counsellor perished? for pangs have taken thee as a woman in travail.
Mic 4:10  Be in pain, and labour to bring forth, O daughter of Zion, like a woman in travail: for now shalt thou go forth out of the city, and thou shalt dwell in the field, and thou shalt go even to Babylon; there shalt thou be delivered; there the LORD shall redeem thee from the hand of thine enemies. 

Jer 29:4  Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, unto all that are carried away captives, whom I have caused to be carried away from Jerusalem unto Babylon;
Jer 29:5  Build ye houses, and dwell in them; and plant gardens, and eat the fruit of them; 
Jer 29:6  Take ye wives, and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons, and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters; that ye may be increased there, and not diminished. 
Jer 29:7  And seek the peace of the city whither I have caused you to be carried away captives, and pray unto the LORD for it: for in the peace thereof shall ye have peace. 

Rev 12:1  And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman [the Lord’s Wife] clothed with the sun, and the moon [Babylonian Christianity] under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars: [rulership over the world]
Rev 12:2  And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered. 
Rev 12:3  And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads. 
Rev 12:4  And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born. [Christ was first to escape to Egypt from Herod, and now His Christs, the Bride from the great red Dragon, Satan]
Rev 12:5  And she brought forth a man child, [Christ] who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne. [… just as His Bride is today caught up to be with Him and literally at the First Resurrection]

In the meantime, the Bride is still a voice in the wilderness, dragged out to be chastised and become the sons of God for the figurative timeframe of three and a half years (10 x 10 x 10+5), similar to Jesus’s ministry on Earth.

Rev 12:6  And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.

Mic 4:11  Now also many nations are gathered against thee, that say, Let her be defiled, and let our eye look upon Zion.

Even though the entire world hates the Lord’s Elect, she knows her calling and is coming out of her defiled ways with a single-eyed focus on her Lord and God.

Son 4:9  Thou hast ravished my heart, my sister, my spouse; thou hast ravished my heart with one of thine eyes, with one chain of thy neck.

Mic 4:12  But they know not the thoughts of the LORD, neither understand they his counsel: for he shall gather them as the sheaves into the floor.

The Lord already considers His Bride married to him, having her harvest of evil seed within fall to the ground and daily die, and bring forth a bountiful harvest of the Lord’s good seed to be threshed out and stored in His barn. The world thinks her methodology is foolish having no understanding of Christ’s spiritual counsel. The bride is the little harvest of souls, the Lord’s Wife, first to be shown mercy following her chastisement to know the mind of her Lord so that she can lead the world to salvation under Christ. It is she who is given to arise to rule with her Lord’s rod of iron in the One Thousand Years and to thresh the main harvest of souls in the Resurrection to Judgment, the Lake of Fire.

Rom 11:30  For as ye in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief:
Rom 11:31  Even so have these also now not believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy. 
Rom 11:32  For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all. 
Rom 11:33  O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! 
Rom 11:34  For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor? 
Rom 11:35  Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again? 
Rom 11:36  For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.

Mic 4:13  Arise and thresh, O daughter of Zion: for I will make thine horn iron, and I will make thy hoofs brass: and thou shalt beat in pieces many people: and I will consecrate their gain unto the LORD, and their substance unto the Lord of the whole earth.

Jer 51:33  For thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; The daughter of Babylon is like a threshingfloor, it is time to thresh her: yet a little while, and the time of her harvest shall come.

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

The Bride, the “daughter of Zion”, is the little harvest of wheat following Christ, the barley harvest. She is the first to get threshed and brings forth much fruit that results in her being skilled in threshing her sisters in Babylon, the main harvest of souls in the Resurrection to Judgement of “the whole earth”.

Rev 14:14  And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle. 
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.
Rev 14:16  And he that sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth; and the earth was reaped. 
Rev 14:17  And another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle. 
Rev 14:18  And another angel came out from the altar, which had power over fire; and cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle, saying, Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe. 
Rev 14:19  And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God. 
Rev 14:20  And the winepress was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs.

Next week, Lord willing, we will continue to understand the incredible plan God has for the ‘creation of God’.

Numbers 8:1-26  The Lighting of the Seven Lamps

[Study Aired June 19, 2023]

Num 8:1  And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 
Num 8:2  Speak unto Aaron, and say unto him, When thou lightest the lamps, the seven lamps shall give light over against the candlestick. 
Num 8:3  And Aaron did so; he lighted the lamps thereof over against the candlestick, as the LORD commanded Moses. 
Num 8:4  And this work of the candlestick was of beaten gold, unto the shaft thereof, unto the flowers thereof, was beaten work: according unto the pattern which the LORD had shewed Moses, so he made the candlestick. 
Num 8:5  And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 
Num 8:6  Take the Levites from among the children of Israel, and cleanse them. 
Num 8:7  And thus shalt thou do unto them, to cleanse them: Sprinkle water of purifying upon them, and let them shave all their flesh, and let them wash their clothes, and so make themselves clean. 
Num 8:8  Then let them take a young bullock with his meat offering, even fine flour mingled with oil, and another young bullock shalt thou take for a sin offering.
Num 8:9  And thou shalt bring the Levites before the tabernacle of the congregation: and thou shalt gather the whole assembly of the children of Israel together: 
Num 8:10  And thou shalt bring the Levites before the LORD: and the children of Israel shall put their hands upon the Levites: 
Num 8:11  And Aaron shall offer the Levites before the LORD for an offering of the children of Israel, that they may execute the service of the LORD. 
Num 8:12  And the Levites shall lay their hands upon the heads of the bullocks: and thou shalt offer the one for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering, unto the LORD, to make an atonement for the Levites. 
Num 8:13  And thou shalt set the Levites before Aaron, and before his sons, and offer them for an offering unto the LORD. 
Num 8:14  Thus shalt thou separate the Levites from among the children of Israel: and the Levites shall be mine. 
Num 8:15  And after that shall the Levites go in to do the service of the tabernacle of the congregation: and thou shalt cleanse them, and offer them for an offering. 
Num 8:16  For they are wholly given unto me from among the children of Israel; instead of such as open every womb, even instead of the firstborn of all the children of Israel, have I taken them unto me. 
Num 8:17  For all the firstborn of the children of Israel are mine, both man and beast: on the day that I smote every firstborn in the land of Egypt I sanctified them for myself. 
Num 8:18  And I have taken the Levites for all the firstborn of the children of Israel.
Num 8:19  And I have given the Levites as a gift to Aaron and to his sons from among the children of Israel, to do the service of the children of Israel in the tabernacle of the congregation, and to make an atonement for the children of Israel: that there be no plague among the children of Israel, when the children of Israel come nigh unto the sanctuary. 
Num 8:20  And Moses, and Aaron, and all the congregation of the children of Israel, did to the Levites according unto all that the LORD commanded Moses concerning the Levites, so did the children of Israel unto them. 
Num 8:21  And the Levites were purified, and they washed their clothes; and Aaron offered them as an offering before the LORD; and Aaron made an atonement for them to cleanse them. 
Num 8:22  And after that went the Levites in to do their service in the tabernacle of the congregation before Aaron, and before his sons: as the LORD had commanded Moses concerning the Levites, so did they unto them. 
Num 8:23  And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 
Num 8:24  This is it that belongeth unto the Levites: from twenty and five years old and upward they shall go in to wait upon the service of the tabernacle of the congregation: 
Num 8:25  And from the age of fifty years they shall cease waiting upon the service thereof, and shall serve no more: 
Num 8:26  But shall minister with their brethren in the tabernacle of the congregation, to keep the charge, and shall do no service. Thus shalt thou do unto the Levites touching their charge. 

Chapter 8 concerns the lighting of the seven lamps to give light in front of the candlestick, the cleansing of the Levites, the age requirement for service in the tabernacle of the congregation and retirement age of the Levites. 

Num 8:1  And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 
Num 8:2  Speak unto Aaron, and say unto him, When thou lightest the lamps, the seven lamps shall give light over against the candlestick. 
Num 8:3  And Aaron did so; he lighted the lamps thereof over against the candlestick, as the LORD commanded Moses. 

The seven lamps represent the complete words of the Lord which give light in front of the lampstand or candlestick. According to the word of the Lord, the candlestick or lampstand represents the church.  This means that it is the complete words of the Lord which guide the path of the elect in this world.

Psa 119:105  Nun Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. 

Rev 1:20  As for the mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand, and the seven golden lampstands, the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.

As indicated, the candlestick is to give light to the space in front of it in the Holy place in the tabernacle. What is insightful to note is the fact that the light given by the candlestick is not seen outside the Holy place. It is to give light for the priest to perform his duty. In this dispensation, although we are the light of the world, we are not seen that way by many (the world). It is only the elect who see our light and use it to perform their duty – that is, live a life worthy of the Lord. 

In verse 2, it was Aaron the High Priest who lit the seven lamps. Here Aaron signifies the Lord Jesus Christ, our High Priest. Before a lamp is lit, it must be filled with oil. As we know, the oil is a symbol of the Holy Spirit, sent to us by the Lord Jesus Christ to guide us into the truth of His word.  

Exo 27:20  And thou shalt command the children of Israel, that they bring thee pure oil olive beaten for the light, to cause the lamp to burn always. 

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

Num 8:4  And this work of the candlestick was of beaten gold, unto the shaft thereof, unto the flowers thereof, was beaten work: according unto the pattern which the LORD had shewed Moses, so he made the candlestick. 

It is very insightful to note that the candlestick was made of beaten gold. This is to let us know that the church is formed by those who are being tried or going through the judgment of their old man. 

Job 23:10  But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.

Paul sums up our being beaten like the work of gold in order to give light as follows:

2Co 4:7  But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.
2Co 4:8  We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; 
2Co 4:9  persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; 
2Co 4:10  always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies [providing light for the priest to function]. 
2Co 4:11  For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh.

As indicated in verse 4, the candlestick is to be built according to the pattern which the Lord showed Moses.  The pattern shown to Moses is Christ. This implies that the church must reflect Christ in everything. 

Num 8:5  And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 
Num 8:6  Take the Levites from among the children of Israel, and cleanse them. 
Num 8:7  And thus shalt thou do unto them, to cleanse them: Sprinkle water of purifying upon them, and let them shave all their flesh, and let them wash their clothes, and so make themselves clean. 

If we are to serve in the house of the Lord, then we must be cleansed from all kinds of contamination such as false doctrines, worldly ways and traditions and deeds of the flesh. Verse 7 prescribes three ways of cleansing – sprinkling of the water of purification, the shaving of all their flesh, and the washing of clothes with water.  The water of purification is a symbol of the word of the Lord. It is the truth of the word of the Lord that washes our mind of all the false doctrines that have become idols of our hearts, worldly wisdom and the traditions of men.

Eph 5:25  Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, 
Eph 5:26  that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 
Eph 5:27  so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.

In the Bible, the hair on the body is a symbol of our natural strength. Thus, the shaving of all the flesh signifies the cutting off of all our natural strength. This implies that in our service to the Lord, we must not depend on our natural strengths and abilities. 

Jdg 16:17  And he told her all his heart, and said to her, “A razor has never come upon my head, for I have been a Nazirite to God from my mother’s womb. If my head is shaved, then my strength will leave me, and I shall become weak and be like any other man.” 

Clothes are a symbol of righteousness. Dirty or torn clothes therefore refer to unrighteousness, which could be the result of contamination or self-righteousness, which is iniquity.

Lev 15:6  And whoever sits on anything on which the one with the discharge has sat shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water and be unclean until the evening.

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

Clean clothes (white linen) are the righteousness of the saints which is imputed by the Lord. 

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

The washing of our dirty clothes therefore signifies the truth of the word of the Lord which cleanses us of all unrighteousness.

Num 8:8  Then let them take a young bullock with his meat offering, even fine flour mingled with oil, and another young bullock shalt thou take for a sin offering.
Num 8:9  And thou shalt bring the Levites before the tabernacle of the congregation: and thou shalt gather the whole assembly of the children of Israel together: 
Num 8:10  And thou shalt bring the Levites before the LORD: and the children of Israel shall put their hands upon the Levites: 
Num 8:11  And Aaron shall offer the Levites before the LORD for an offering of the children of Israel, that they may execute the service of the LORD. 
Num 8:12  And the Levites shall lay their hands upon the heads of the bullocks: and thou shalt offer the one for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering, unto the LORD, to make an atonement for the Levites. 

The foundation for our cleansing is the sacrificial offering of our Lord Jesus Christ, who gave Himself as a meat offering and a sin offering for us. Christ therefore represents the young bullocks and the fine flour mingled with oil. Remember that the fine flour mingled with oil represents His word, and His word is the same as Christ.

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

The putting of the hands of the children of Israel upon the Levites in verse 10 is to show that they are the same as the Levites and therefore are represented by the Levites in the presence of the Lord. In this regard, we, His elect, are representing the whole world in the presence of the Lord. Our victory will ultimately result in the victory of humanity in the fullness of time.

2Co 2:14  Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place.

Num 8:13  And thou shalt set the Levites before Aaron, and before his sons, and offer them for an offering unto the LORD. 
Num 8:14  Thus shalt thou separate the Levites from among the children of Israel: and the Levites shall be mine. 
Num 8:15  And after that shall the Levites go in to do the service of the tabernacle of the congregation: and thou shalt cleanse them, and offer them for an offering. 

In verse 13, the Levites were to be offered as an offering to the Lord. As the elect, we are to be offered wholly to Christ for humanity’s sake. Being offered to Christ is offering our bodies as living sacrifices, holy and acceptable to the Lord.

2Co 2:15  For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish: 

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. 

The Levites being separated from among the children of Israel is another way of saying that we should not be conformed to the standards of this world but be renewed in our minds.

Rom 12:2  Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. 

In another perspective, the Levites represent the elect, and the children of Israel stand for our brothers and sisters in Babylon. In that sense, the Levites being separated from the children of Israel is a type of the command by the Lord 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.

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

As we are offered to Christ and are separated wholly from the world, we can do the service of the tabernacle of the congregation as shown in verse 15 concerning the Levites.

Num 8:16  For they are wholly given unto me from among the children of Israel; instead of such as open every womb, even instead of the firstborn of all the children of Israel, have I taken them unto me. 
Num 8:17  For all the firstborn of the children of Israel are mine, both man and beast: on the day that I smote every firstborn in the land of Egypt I sanctified them for myself. 
Num 8:18  And I have taken the Levites for all the firstborn of the children of Israel.

As we saw earlier in the Book of Numbers, the Levites were to replace the firstborn of Israel. The reason why they were to replace the firstborn of Israel was that at the time of Passover in Egypt, all the firstborn were condemned. However, it was only the firstborn of Egypt who were slain. As a result of the Passover, all the firstborn of Israel were redeemed or saved or replaced by the Passover lamb, who is Christ our Lord who came to serve. The firstborn therefore lost their position and were to be replaced by the Levites who were called to serve. This means that we, who have been redeemed by the Lord, are called to serve.

Mar 10:42  And Jesus called them to him and said to them, “You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. 
Mar 10:43  But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, 
Mar 10:44  and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. 
Mar 10:45  For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” 

The Levites replacing the firstborn of the children of Israel is a foretaste of the fact that the Lord’s election is no longer dependent on a person’s pedigree or his or her birth. Paul made this clear when, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, he made the statement that it is not one who is born a Jew that counts, but a Jew is a person who worships the Lord in truth and in spirit. 

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

Num 8:19  And I have given the Levites as a gift to Aaron and to his sons from among the children of Israel, to do the service of the children of Israel in the tabernacle of the congregation, and to make an atonement for the children of Israel: that there be no plague among the children of Israel, when the children of Israel come nigh unto the sanctuary. 
Num 8:20  And Moses, and Aaron, and all the congregation of the children of Israel, did to the Levites according unto all that the LORD commanded Moses concerning the Levites, so did the children of Israel unto them. 

On a negative note, the Levites represent our brothers and sisters in Babylon who are also of Abraham’s seed. However, they are not counted as the seed of promise and therefore are not to be given any inheritance. This is not because we, the elect, deserve any inheritance. It is through the hardening of their hearts to believe that we are privileged to receive mercy to believe. In the final analysis, this mercy we have received will be extended to the whole of the human race. 

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.

The Levites are given to the elect as a gift to help them minister to the Lord. They do the initial leg work of using the law of Moses as our schoolmaster to lead us to Christ. After we get to know Christ through faith, we are no longer under their influence or the law of Moses. Today’s Levites represent the Christian religion. They are focused on building and taking care of physical churches (tabernacle of testimony). In other words, they are protecting the legacy of the Christian religion.

Gal 3:24  Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. 
Gal 3:25  But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. 

In verse 19, the Levites being given as a gift to Aaron and his sons positively signifies the elect being given wholly to Jesus, our High Priest, to assist Him to subdue all things so that God may be all in all. 

1Co 15:25  For he [Jesus] must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. 
1Co 15:26  The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. 
1Co 15:27  For he hath put all things under his feet. But when he saith all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is excepted, which did put all things under him. 
1Co 15:28  And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all.

On a positive note, the Levites symbolized the elect who are given the charge of serving in the tabernacle of the congregation as well as making atonement for the children of Israel so there will be no plagues among the children of Israel, as indicated in verse 19. Atonement is the process by which a person removes obstacles to his reconciliation with God. In the lake of fire age, the elect will help the whole of humanity, represented here as the children of Israel, by making atonement for them. This means that the elect will help the whole of humanity to see what the Lord has done for them and in so doing, remove every obstacle to their reconciliation with God. This is what will make every knee to bow and every tongue to confess that Jesus is Lord!!

Php 2:9  Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: 
Php 2:10  That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 
Php 2:11  And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

It is insightful to note that in verse 20, Moses, Aaron and the whole of the congregation of the children of Israel did to the Levites according to all that the Lord commanded Moses. Moses, Aaron and the whole of the congregation of Israel represent all humanity. It is at the end of the lake of fire age that all humanity will obey our Lord Jesus Christ, who is represented here by Moses. 

Num 8:21  And the Levites were purified, and they washed their clothes; and Aaron offered them as an offering before the LORD; and Aaron made an atonement for them to cleanse them. 
Num 8:22  And after that went the Levites in to do their service in the tabernacle of the congregation before Aaron, and before his sons: as the LORD had commanded Moses concerning the Levites, so did they unto them. 

It is when we are purified that we can offer a service pleasing to the Lord in the temple of the Lord. We know that the process of purification involves being judged. Verses 21 and 22 therefore means that we cannot offer pleasing service to the Lord with our bodies as a temple of the Lord unless we have been purified through the seven plagues. The verse below is therefore a rendition of verses 21 and 22.

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

Num 8:23  And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 
Num 8:24  This is it that belongeth unto the Levites: from twenty and five years old and upward they shall go in to wait upon the service of the tabernacle of the congregation: 

To be enrolled in the army of the Lord, it is required that one is twenty years old or above. Being part of the army of the Lord does not mean that one has obtained maturity. In the physical, those who have gone through the ranks of the military are well-versed in the strategies of enemies. In a similar vein, it takes some time after being part of the Lord’s army to know the strategies of the enemy. It took a lot of experience for Paul to say the following:

2Co 2:10  To whom ye forgive anything, I forgive also: for if I forgave anything, to whom I forgave it, for your sakes forgave I it in the person of Christ;
2Co 2:11  Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices. 

In verse 24, the required age to wait upon the tabernacle of the congregation is twenty-five. Although we are enrolled into the Lord’s army at the symbolic age of twenty years, it takes a while for us to be effective in performing the services pertaining to the house of God. The symbolic age of twenty-five, which is required for us to work in the house of the Lord, signifies the period when we have come out from tutors and governors at the appointed time of the Lord.

Gal 4:1  Now I say, That the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all; 
Gal 4:2  But is under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the father. 
Gal 4:3  Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world: 
Gal 4:4  But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, 
Gal 4:5  To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. 

In the Bible, the number twenty-five signifies the time that we start to reign as kings over our flesh.

2Ch 25:1  Amaziah was twenty and five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty and nine years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Jehoaddan of Jerusalem.

2Ch 27:6  So Jotham became mighty, because he prepared his ways before the LORD his God. 
2Ch 27:7  Now the rest of the acts of Jotham, and all his wars, and his ways, lo, they are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah.
2Ch 27:8  He was five and twenty years old when he began to reign, and reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem.

2Ch 29:1  Hezekiah began to reign when he was five and twenty years old, and he reigned nine and twenty years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Abijah, the daughter of Zechariah. 
2Ch 29:2  And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that David his father had done. 

Num 8:25  And from the age of fifty years they shall cease waiting upon the service thereof, and shall serve no more: 
Num 8:26  But shall minister with their brethren in the tabernacle of the congregation, to keep the charge, and shall do no service. Thus shalt thou do unto the Levites touching their charge. 

According to verse 25, at the age of fifty years, the Levites are required to retire from active service in the tabernacle of the Lord. The number fifty symbolizes the liberty we have in Christ when we are set free from sin. Retiring at the age of fifty spiritually implies the period of our lives where we do not depend on our own strength to do the work of the Lord, but rather depend on Christ to do the work for us. In other words, we come to rest completely in Him. 

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

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

May the Lord continue to help us retire from our own works so we can come to rest wholly in Him. Amen!! 

[Study Aired May 15, 2023]

Num 4:1  And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying,
Num 4:2  Take the sum of the sons of Kohath from among the sons of Levi, after their families, by the house of their fathers, 
Num 4:3  From thirty years old and upward even until fifty years old, all that enter into the host, to do the work in the tabernacle of the congregation. 
Num 4:4  This shall be the service of the sons of Kohath in the tabernacle of the congregation, about the most holy things:
Num 4:5  And when the camp setteth forward, Aaron shall come, and his sons, and they shall take down the covering vail, and cover the ark of testimony with it: 
Num 4:6  And shall put thereon the covering of badgers’ skins, and shall spread over it a cloth wholly of blue, and shall put in the staves thereof.
Num 4:7  And upon the table of shewbread they shall spread a cloth of blue, and put thereon the dishes, and the spoons, and the bowls, and covers to cover withal: and the continual bread shall be thereon: 
Num 4:8  And they shall spread upon them a cloth of scarlet, and cover the same with a covering of badgers’ skins, and shall put in the staves thereof. 
Num 4:9  And they shall take a cloth of blue, and cover the candlestick of the light, and his lamps, and his tongs, and his snuff dishes, and all the oil vessels thereof, wherewith they minister unto it: 
Num 4:10  And they shall put it and all the vessels thereof within a covering of badgers’ skins, and shall put it upon a bar. 
Num 4:11  And upon the golden altar they shall spread a cloth of blue, and cover it with a covering of badgers’ skins, and shall put to the staves thereof: 
Num 4:12  And they shall take all the instruments of ministry, wherewith they minister in the sanctuary, and put them in a cloth of blue, and cover them with a covering of badgers’ skins, and shall put them on a bar: 
Num 4:13  And they shall take away the ashes from the altar, and spread a purple cloth thereon: 
Num 4:14  And they shall put upon it all the vessels thereof, wherewith they minister about it, even the censers, the fleshhooks, and the shovels, and the basons, all the vessels of the altar; and they shall spread upon it a covering of badgers’ skins, and put to the staves of it. 
Num 4:15  And when Aaron and his sons have made an end of covering the sanctuary, and all the vessels of the sanctuary, as the camp is to set forward; after that, the sons of Kohath shall come to bear it: but they shall not touch any holy thing, lest they die. These things are the burden of the sons of Kohath in the tabernacle of the congregation. 
Num 4:16  And to the office of Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest pertaineth the oil for the light, and the sweet incense, and the daily meat offering, and the anointing oil, and the oversight of all the tabernacle, and of all that therein is, in the sanctuary, and in the vessels thereof. 
Num 4:17  And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying,
Num 4:18  Cut ye not off the tribe of the families of the Kohathites from among the Levites: 
Num 4:19  But thus do unto them, that they may live, and not die, when they approach unto the most holy things: Aaron and his sons shall go in, and appoint them every one to his service and to his burden: 
Num 4:20  But they shall not go in to see when the holy things are covered, lest they die. 

This session covers the work of Moses, Aaron and his sons as priests, when they were to set out from one place to another in the wilderness. The priests had the privilege of packing the vessels within the tabernacle of the congregation. In everyday life, it is those who are very close to you who can pack your belongings. He who packs another person’s belongings sees all his mysteries and secrets. We are therefore privileged to become part of the Lord’s royal priesthood to be able to know the mysteries of His 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 13:16  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.

Num 4:1  And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, 
Num 4:2  Take the sum of the sons of Kohath from among the sons of Levi, after their families, by the house of their fathers, 
Num 4:3  From thirty years old and upward even until fifty years old, all that enter into the host, to do the work in the tabernacle of the congregation.
Num 4:4  This shall be the service of the sons of Kohath in the tabernacle of the congregation, about the most holy things:

We can see from these verses that there is an age requirement for one to do the work of the Lord regarding the tabernacle of the Congregation. To serve as a Kohath or a Levite, one has to be between the ages of thirty and fifty. In other words, one has to be spiritually mature to do the work of the Lord as the ages specified refer to the “golden years” of our lives where we are mature and have the necessary strength to do all kinds of work. The number 30 signifies the time we are spiritually mature, as we have our senses exercised to discern both good and evil. Our spiritual maturity involves going through fiery trials as we see Joseph go through trials to become Prime Minister of Egypt at the age 30. The number fifty refers to the liberty we have in Christ as we become spiritually mature. This liberty is about our freedom from bondage to sin.

Gen 41:46  And Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh, and went throughout all the land of Egypt.

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. 

Gal 5:1  Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.

Gal 5:13  For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.

As we recall from the Bible, our Lord Jesus Christ waited until He was thirty years old before He began His ministry or work of service to God. Although He was a son, He learned obedience by the things He suffered and became the author of salvation, to the elect first and then to the rest of the world.

Luk 3:23  And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, which was the son of Heli, 

Heb 5:8  Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered;
Heb 5:9  And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him; 
Heb 5:10  Called of God an high priest after the order of Melchisedec.

What we need to understand is that becoming a servant of Christ is not a job for babies or children in Christ. We need to be spiritually thirty years old and above to serve the Lord. The Bible has a lot to warn us about children who try to serve as they assume leadership of the Lord’s people. This is what happens:

Isa 3:4  And I will give children to be their princes, and babes shall rule over them. 
Isa 3:5  And the people shall be oppressed, every one by another, and every one by his neighbour: the child shall behave himself proudly against the ancient, and the base against the honourable.

Isa 3:12  As for my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them. O my people, they which lead thee cause thee to err, and destroy the way of thy paths.

In Isaiah 3:12, it is insightful to note that children ruling is equivalent to women ruling. In the physical churches of this world, or Babylon, it is children who are ruling, and it is the same as the church (the harlot woman) dominating the lives of the Lord’s people instead of Christ.

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.

Num 4:5  And when the camp setteth forward, Aaron shall come, and his sons, and they shall take down the covering vail, and cover the ark of testimony with it: 
Num 4:6  And shall put thereon the covering of badgers’ skins, and shall spread over it a cloth wholly of blue, and shall put in the staves thereof.

The services slated for Aaron and his sons relate to when the camp is setting out, that is, when the Israelites were moving from one place to another. The first item to be moved was the ark of the testimony. As we indicated in the studies in Exodus, the ark represents Christ or the word of the Lord.

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

Numbers 4:5-6 spiritually refer to the duties of the elect (represented by Aaron and his sons) as it relates to the spreading or the movement of the gospel of Christ. What we need to realize is that the ark, or the word of the Lord, must be covered with a veil, a badgers’ skin and a cloth of blue color when Israel was on the move. The veil that is taken from the tabernacle to cover the ark signifies the flesh of Christ as shown in the following: 

Heb 10:20  By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh;

The badger skin refers to the skin of an animal, probably a goat or sheep or dolphin, etc. It symbolizes the sacrificial death of Christ while the cloth with the color blue refers to the resurrected Lord in our hearts and mind or heavens.

In summary, all the coverings represent Christ, and as long as we see Christ in the flesh in terms of His life and death, the word of the Lord (the ark) is veiled. It is when we begin to see Christ in the spirit that the veil is taken away. That is when we begin to know Christ or His words (the ark). This is what Paul said about knowing Christ after the spirit:

2Co 5:16  Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more.

2Co 3:16  Nevertheless when it shall turn to the Lord, the vail shall be taken away.
2Co 3:17  Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.
2Co 3:18  But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.

Verses 5 and 6 refer to the duties of the elect as they relate to the way the gospel of Christ must be sent. The gospel we are carrying is veiled or shrouded in a mystery. It is only those who know Christ in the spirit who can understand the Christ whom we present.

1Co 2:7  But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory:
1Co 2:8  Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 
1Co 2:9  But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. 
1Co 2:10  But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. 
1Co 2:11  For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. 
1Co 2:12  Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. 
1Co 2:13  Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. 
1Co 2:14  But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

The staves, or the poles, in verse 6 are the elect who carry the veiled message of the gospel. It is the Levites (Babylonians) who carry us on their shoulders as we propagate our veiled message. In other words, our brothers and sisters in Babylon are the ones who do the heavy work of using the law as our schoolmaster to lead people to Christ. It is when they come to Christ that we take over by unwrapping the word of the Lord for them to see the ark clearly as priests.

Joh 4:37  And herein is that saying true, One soweth, and another reapeth. 
Joh 4:38  I sent you to reap that whereon ye bestowed no labour: other men laboured, and ye are entered into their labours.

Num 4:7  And upon the table of shewbread they shall spread a cloth of blue, and put thereon the dishes, and the spoons, and the bowls, and covers to cover withal: and the continual bread shall be thereon:
Num 4:8  And they shall spread upon them a cloth of scarlet, and cover the same with a covering of badgers’ skins, and shall put in the staves thereof.

The table of showbread together with the bread and its accessories symbolize the altar where the elect share the word of the Lord. The covering of the table of the showbread and its accessories means that our brothers and sisters in Babylon, representing the Levites, are not allowed to partake with us the word of truth, which is Christ. The reason they cannot partake with us the truth of the word of the Lord is that they have been swept away by divers and strange doctrines.

Heb 13:9  Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines. For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace; not with meats, which have not profited them that have been occupied therein.
Heb 13:10  We have an altar, whereof they have no right to eat which serve the tabernacle.

It is very instructive to note that the cloth used to initially cover the table of the showbread was scarlet, which is red and refers to Adam whose name means red, that is earthy. What we are being told therefore is that we, the Lord’s elect, are the treasure in earthen vessels. After the table and its accessories were covered with the scarlet cloth, they are again wrapped in badgers’ skin. This signifies that being given to eat in the presence of the Lord is associated with the process of dying to the old man through suffering as our Lord Jesus Christ took the lead to offer His life for our sake. This is what the word of the Lord has to say about this:

2Co 4:7  But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. 
2Co 4:8  We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; 
2Co 4:9  Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; 
2Co 4:10  Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.
2Co 4:11  For we which live are always delivered unto death for Jesus’ sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh.
2Co 4:12  So then death worketh in us, but life in you.

Num 4:9  And they shall take a cloth of blue, and cover the candlestick of the light, and his lamps, and his tongs, and his snuff dishes, and all the oil vessels thereof, wherewith they minister unto it: 
Num 4:10  And they shall put it and all the vessels thereof within a covering of badgers’ skins, and shall put it upon a bar.

The candlesticks symbolize the church of the firstborn or the elect. The lamps refer to the word of the Lord and the oil stands for the Holy Spirit. The church of the elect is not visible to the world. It is hidden from the sight of Babylon and the people of the world. It is only when the veil is taken away that the church becomes visible. In this age, it is only those whose names have been written before the foundations of the world who become part of the elect who are those from whom the Lord is removing the veil to see the church of the elect. The rest of the world, including our brothers and sisters in Babylon, will see this glorious church when the kingdoms of this world become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ. The veil being removed means we are given to understand or know Christ in the spirit and not in the flesh. It is when we understand His words in the spirit that we can know the church of the elect or Jerusalem which is above. 

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

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.

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:

Num 4:11  And upon the golden altar they shall spread a cloth of blue, and cover it with a covering of badgers’ skins, and shall put to the staves thereof:

The golden altar is a symbol of the sacrificial death of Christ for the sake of all humanity. The elect represent the staves which are used to carry the golden altar. We are therefore always carrying in our body the dying of the Lord Jesus so that the life of Christ might be made manifest in our lives. The fact that the world, or our brothers and sisters in Babylon, do not see us bearing in our body the dying of Christ means that the golden altar is hidden from the Levites (Babylonians) as it is covered by a cloth of blue and the badgers’ skin. 

2Co 4:10  Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.
2Co 4:11  For we which live are always delivered unto death for Jesus’ sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh.
2Co 4:12  So then death worketh in us, but life in you.

As indicated earlier, the blue cloth represents Christ in our heavens, and the badger skin represents the dying of Christ. What this means is that it is when we begin to know or worship Christ in the spirit and in truth that the veil is taken away to see the dying of Christ in our bodies. This dying of Christ in our bodies symbolizes the suffering we must endure to manifest Christ in our lives.

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

Num 4:12  And they shall take all the instruments of ministry, wherewith they minister in the sanctuary, and put them in a cloth of blue, and cover them with a covering of badgers’ skins, and shall put them on a bar: 
Num 4:13  And they shall take away the ashes from the altar, and spread a purple cloth thereon: 
Num 4:14  And they shall put upon it all the vessels thereof, wherewith they minister about it, even the censers, the fleshhooks, and the shovels, and the basons, all the vessels of the altar; and they shall spread upon it a covering of badgers’ skins, and put to the staves of it. 

All the instruments of ministry are covered with cloth of blue and the badger skin. We, the Lord’s elect, are the instruments of ministry. In other words, we are used for honorable purposes. 

2Ti 2:20  Now in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver but also of wood and clay, some for honorable use, some for dishonorable. 
2Ti 2:21  Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work.

What verses 12 to 14 imply is that as vessels of ministry, we the elect, are not visible to the world. including our brothers and sisters in Babylon. We are covered with a cloth of blue and a badger skin. We are only visible when the Lord removes the veil covering us. That is why our Lord Jesus, when He was getting to the end of His life, told the Pharisees that all those in Jerusalem (Babylon) will not see Him again until the time comes they acknowledge the elect by saying that blessed is he (the elect) who comes in the name of the Lord. 

Luk 13:34  O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! 
Luk 13:35  Behold, your house is forsaken. And I tell you, you will not see me until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!’ 

It is when the veil is taken away that we see who the Lord’s children really are. Since the Lord’s children represent Jesus of Nazareth, being given the power to see the Lord’s elect means seeing our Lord Jesus Christ!! As the Lord said, it is a blessing to see those who come in the name of the Lord!!

Act 9:4  And falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” 
Act 9:5  And he said, “Who are you, Lord?” And he said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.

Num 4:15  And when Aaron and his sons have made an end of covering the sanctuary, and all the vessels of the sanctuary, as the camp is to set forward; after that, the sons of Kohath shall come to bear it: but they shall not touch any holy thing, lest they die. These things are the burden of the sons of Kohath in the tabernacle of the congregation.

The sons of Kohath who were part of the Levites were required to bear all the vessels of the sanctuary as the people of Israel journeyed through the desert. It must have been a very difficult task to carry all the vessels in the heat of the desert. That is what is happening today as we see our brothers and sisters from Babylon do all the taxing duties to make it easier for the Lord’s elect to reap the harvest. The parable of the hired laborers illustrates this point clearly.

Mat 20:1  “For the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard.
Mat 20:2  After agreeing with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard.
Mat 20:3  And going out about the third hour he saw others standing idle in the marketplace, 
Mat 20:4  and to them he said, ‘You go into the vineyard too, and whatever is right I will give you.’ 
Mat 20:5  So they went. Going out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour, he did the same. 
Mat 20:6  And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing. And he said to them, ‘Why do you stand here idle all day?’
Mat 20:7  They said to him, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You go into the vineyard too.’ 
Mat 20:8  And when evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last, up to the first.’ 
Mat 20:9  And when those hired about the eleventh hour came, each of them received a denarius. 
Mat 20:10  Now when those hired first came, they thought they would receive more, but each of them also received a denarius. 
Mat 20:11  And on receiving it they grumbled at the master of the house,
Mat 20:12  saying, ‘These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.’
Mat 20:13  But he replied to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? 
Mat 20:14  Take what belongs to you and go. I choose to give to this last worker as I give to you.
Mat 20:15  Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?’
Mat 20:16  So the last will be first, and the first last.”

All the earlier laborers had worked more hours than the laborers who came in last, and these laborers who came in last were the first to receive the prize. It is indeed a privilege to be called and chosen in this age!!

Joh 4:37  For here the saying holds true, ‘One sows and another reaps.’
Joh 4:38  I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor.

It is also important to note that the sons of Kohath were forbidden to touch any holy thing lest they die. As we are aware, you can only give what you have. If you are not required to touch holy things, there is no way that you can make someone holy, since you are not holy. Being forbidden to touch holy things is another way of saying that in spite of the hard work of our brothers and sisters in Babylon, the fruits of their labors do not result in people becoming holy. As a matter of fact, they become worse off or twice the children of hell. That is where we all came from. Before we exited Babylon, we were all twice the children of hell before we received the mercies of the Lord. 

Mat 23:13  “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. For you neither enter yourselves nor allow those who would enter to go in. 

Mat 23:15  Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel across sea and land to make a single proselyte, and when he becomes a proselyte, you make him twice as much a child of hell as yourselves.” 

The Kohathites, or the Babylonians, being forbidden to touch any holy thing is the same as what our Lord Jesus said about the multitude who came to listen to Him.

Mat 13:13  Therefore speak I to them (the multitude) 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. 

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

As priests of the Lord, the elect are the only ones who are anointed by the Lord to offer sweet incense (prayers), meat offering (offering their bodies as living sacrifices, holy and acceptable to the Lord) and oil for the light (are given to understand the mysteries of the kingdom of God).

Mat 13:11  He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you (the priests) to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them (the Levites or Babylonians) it is not given.

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.

Num 4:17  And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying,
Num 4:18  Cut ye not off the tribe of the families of the Kohathites from among the Levites:
Num 4:19  But thus do unto them, that they may live, and not die, when they approach unto the most holy things: Aaron and his sons shall go in, and appoint them every one to his service and to his burden:
Num 4:20  But they shall not go in to see when the holy things are covered, lest they die.

The Lord’s admonition to Moses and Aaron was very appropriate. Because the Kohathites’ work in carrying the important vessels of the temple was extremely significant compared with the other Levites, who were to carry superficial things like boards, sockets, pillars, etc., there was the tendency on the part of Moses and Aaron to regard them as more important than the other Levites and therefore cut them off from the Levites. However, since the Kohathites were restricted from touching the holy things, they were not different from the other Levites. In other words, they represent Babylon.

As we are aware, there are many brothers and sisters whose work is so important and sometimes what they say borders on the truth of the Lord’s words. There is therefore this tendency to regard them as different from Babylon. However, since they have not left Babylon, they are still part of Babylon and share in their sins. What we are to do is not to disregard the role our brothers and sisters in Babylon (Kohathites) play in the grand scheme of the Lord in bringing people to Christ. Inasmuch as we are to appreciate the work our brothers and sisters do in Babylon, we are not to cast our pearls before them.

Mat 7:6  Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.

Luk 9:49  And John answered and said, Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name; and we forbad him, because he followeth not with us.
Luk 9:50  And Jesus said unto him, Forbid him not: for he that is not against us is for us.

We thank God for His mercies towards us by calling and choosing us to be part of His priesthood in this life. What a blessing our Lord has bestowed on us!! May His name be praised forever, Amen!!!

Numbers 3:1-26  The Duties of the Levites – Part 1

[Study Aired May 1, 2023]

Num 3:1  These also are the generations of Aaron and Moses in the day that the LORD spake with Moses in mount Sinai.
Num 3:2  And these are the names of the sons of Aaron; Nadab the firstborn, and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. 
Num 3:3  These are the names of the sons of Aaron, the priests which were anointed, whom he consecrated to minister in the priest’s office. 
Num 3:4  And Nadab and Abihu died before the LORD, when they offered strange fire before the LORD, in the wilderness of Sinai, and they had no children: and Eleazar and Ithamar ministered in the priest’s office in the sight of Aaron their father. 
Num 3:5  And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 
Num 3:6  Bring the tribe of Levi near, and present them before Aaron the priest, that they may minister unto him.
Num 3:7  And they shall keep his charge, and the charge of the whole congregation before the tabernacle of the congregation, to do the service of the tabernacle.
Num 3:8  And they shall keep all the instruments of the tabernacle of the congregation, and the charge of the children of Israel, to do the service of the tabernacle.
Num 3:9  And thou shalt give the Levites unto Aaron and to his sons: they are wholly given unto him out of the children of Israel. 
Num 3:10  And thou shalt appoint Aaron and his sons, and they shall wait on their priest’s office: and the stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death. 
Num 3:11  And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 
Num 3:12  And I, behold, I have taken the Levites from among the children of Israel instead of all the firstborn that openeth the matrix among the children of Israel: therefore the Levites shall be mine; 
Num 3:13  Because all the firstborn are mine; for on the day that I smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt I hallowed unto me all the firstborn in Israel, both man and beast: mine shall they be: I am the LORD.
Num 3:14  And the LORD spake unto Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, saying,
Num 3:15  Number the children of Levi after the house of their fathers, by their families: every male from a month old and upward shalt thou number them. 
Num 3:16  And Moses numbered them according to the word of the LORD, as he was commanded. 
Num 3:17  And these were the sons of Levi by their names; Gershon, and Kohath, and Merari. 
Num 3:18  And these are the names of the sons of Gershon by their families; Libni, and Shimei. 
Num 3:19  And the sons of Kohath by their families; Amram, and Izehar, Hebron, and Uzziel. 
Num 3:20  And the sons of Merari by their families; Mahli, and Mushi. These are the families of the Levites according to the house of their fathers. 
Num 3:21  Of Gershon was the family of the Libnites, and the family of the Shimites: these are the families of the Gershonites. 
Num 3:22  Those that were numbered of them, according to the number of all the males, from a month old and upward, even those that were numbered of them were seven thousand and five hundred.
Num 3:23  The families of the Gershonites shall pitch behind the tabernacle westward. 
Num 3:24  And the chief of the house of the father of the Gershonites shall be Eliasaph the son of Lael.
Num 3:25  And the charge of the sons of Gershon in the tabernacle of the congregation shall be the tabernacle, and the tent, the covering thereof, and the hanging for the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, 
Num 3:26  And the hangings of the court, and the curtain for the door of the court, which is by the tabernacle, and by the altar round about, and the cords of it for all the service thereof.

Introduction

In the first and second chapters of the Book of Numbers, we are told about the army the Lord is raising in every generation and how they are to dwell in this life. As we indicated in the previous study, the various tribes of Israel represent the world from which the Lord enlists His army.

We know that we learn more about spiritual matters from physical realities. In any military campaign, there are losses. Not all military personnel who go to war come back alive. The fact that we are blessed to be enrolled in the army of the Lord does not mean that we all will become overcomers. There are always casualties. That is why we are warned by the Lord as follows:

1Co 9:24  Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain.
1Co 9:25  And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.
1Co 9:26  I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: 
1Co 9:27  But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.

There are several examples in the Bible of those who were found missing in action from the Lord’s army when it counted. The ten lepers that Jesus healed represent those who were shown mercy by the Lord to be part of His army, but only one returned from the battle of the flesh to give God the glory.

Luk 17:11  And it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem, that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. 
Luk 17:12  And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off: 
Luk 17:13  And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.
Luk 17:14  And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed. 
Luk 17:15  And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, 
Luk 17:16  And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan. 
Luk 17:17  And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine? 
Luk 17:18  There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger.
Luk 17:19  And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.

Today’s study focuses on the generation of Aaron and Moses who were from the tribe of Levi. It is from this particular tribe the Lord chooses His priests. The study today therefore focuses on the Levites.

Num 3:1  These also are the generations of Aaron and Moses in the day that the LORD spake with Moses in mount Sinai.
Num 3:2  And these are the names of the sons of Aaron; Nadab the firstborn, and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.
Num 3:3  These are the names of the sons of Aaron, the priests which were anointed, whom he consecrated to minister in the priest’s office. 

It is from Aaron and Moses that we have the priesthood. This first group mentioned therefore represents those who are called to minister in the priest’s office. It is the greatest privilege to be called by the Lord and to be chosen to become a priest of the Lord. The names of the sons of Aaron reveal what is expected of the elect. ‘Nadab’ means liberal. The word liberal means willing to respect or accept behavior or opinion different from one’s own. In other words, open to new ideas. On a positive note, the elect being liberal means our willingness to accept the new revolutionary teachings of Christ, the reformer. In accepting Christ’s teachings, we have rejected our own opinion and that of others which constitute man’s wisdom and tradition.

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.

‘Abihu’ means God is father. Nadab was the first born of Aaron followed by Abihu. This implies that it is when we become liberal, that is, accept the teachings of Christ, that God becomes our father. That is another way of saying the following:

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

‘Eleazer’, who came third, means God is helper. It is when the Lord becomes our father that we realize that He is indeed our helper! The Lord being our helper means that He will keep and uphold us until that day!!

Psa 121:1  A Song of degrees. I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. 
Psa 121:2  My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth. 
Psa 121:3  He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber. 
Psa 121:4  Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.

The name of the last of Aaron’s sons is ‘Ithamar’ which signifies palm coast. It is very instrumental to note that where there are palm trees, there is water. 

Exo 15:27  And they came to Elim, where were twelve wells of water, and threescore and ten palm trees: and they encamped there by the waters.

Num 33:9  And they removed from Marah, and came unto Elim: and in Elim were twelve fountains of water, and threescore and ten palm trees; and they pitched there.

As the Lord becomes our helper, we become like palm trees which are planted by the rivers of water that bring forth fruit at the right time ordained by the Lord. 

Psa 1:3  And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

Num 3:4  And Nadab and Abihu died before the LORD, when they offered strange fire before the LORD, in the wilderness of Sinai, and they had no children: and Eleazar and Ithamar ministered in the priest’s office in the sight of Aaron their father. 

Being called and chosen does not mean that we have won the prize or have become overcomers. As we can see from verse 4, Nadab and Abihu died before the Lord because they offered strange fires. These strange fires symbolize false doctrines.  

Lev 10:1  And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took either of them his censer, and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the LORD, which he commanded them not. 
Lev 10:2  And there went out fire from the LORD, and devoured them, and they died before the LORD. 

As we are aware, Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Jesus, was called and chosen. However, he missed the mark just like Nadab and Abihu. In Paul’s letters, we see Demas, called and chosen, being very helpful in the ministry. However, He fell in love with the world and therefore missed the cut. This is the word of the Lord which warns us not to be slothful but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

Heb 6:4  For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost,
Heb 6:5  And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come,
Heb 6:6  If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.
Heb 6:7  For the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God: 
Heb 6:8  But that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned. 
Heb 6:9  But, beloved, we are persuaded better things of you, and things that accompany salvation, though we thus speak.
Heb 6:10  For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister. 
Heb 6:11  And we desire that every one of you do shew the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end: 
Heb 6:12  That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

Col 4:14  Luke, the beloved physician, and Demas, greet you.

2Ti 4:10  For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed unto Thessalonica; Crescens to Galatia, Titus unto Dalmatia.

Num 3:5  And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 
Num 3:6  Bring the tribe of Levi near, and present them before Aaron the priest, that they may minister unto him. 
Num 3:7  And they shall keep his charge, and the charge of the whole congregation before the tabernacle of the congregation, to do the service of the tabernacle. 
Num 3:8  And they shall keep all the instruments of the tabernacle of the congregation, and the charge of the children of Israel, to do the service of the tabernacle. 
Num 3:9  And thou shalt give the Levites unto Aaron and to his sons: they are wholly given unto him out of the children of Israel.

On a negative note, the Levites represent our brothers and sisters in Babylon who are also of Abraham’s seed. However, they are not counted as the seed of promise and therefore are not to be given any inheritance. This is not because we, the elect, deserve any inheritance. It is through the hardening of their hearts against belief that we are privileged to receive mercy to believe. In the final analysis, this mercy we have received will be extended to the whole of the human race. 

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.

The Levites are given to the elect to help them minister to the Lord. They do the initial leg work of using the law of Moses as our schoolmaster to lead us to Christ. After we get to know Christ through faith, we are no longer under their influence or the law of Moses. Today’s Levites represent the Christian religion. They are focused on building and taking care of physical churches (tabernacle of testimony). In other words, they are protecting the legacy of the Christian religion.

Gal 3:24  Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. 
Gal 3:25  But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.

On a positive note, the Levites symbolized the elect who are given the charge of protecting the testimony which is the word of God. This role of the elect started immediately after Adam and Eve sinned and were expelled from the garden of Eden. The Cherubims signify the elect who are protecting the truth of the word of the Lord in every generation. It is only through the judgment of our old man (fiery trials) that one can access the way of the tree of life!! 

Gen 3:24  So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.

In verse 9, the Levites being given to Aaron and his sons positively signifies the elect being given wholly to Jesus, our High Priest, to assist Him to subdue all things so that God may be all in all. 

1Co 15:25  For he (Jesus) must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. 
1Co 15:26  The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. 
1Co 15:27  For he hath put all things under his feet. But when he saith all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is excepted, which did put all things under him. 
1Co 15:28  And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all.

Num 3:10  And thou shalt appoint Aaron and his sons, and they shall wait on their priest’s office: and the stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death. 

In verse 10, Aaron and his sons were to be appointed to wait in the priestly office. Here Aaron and his sons represent the elect who are appointed to the priestly office to minister to the Lord. As indicated in verse 10, this privilege is given by the Lord even before the foundation of the world. In other words, it is not of him that wills or of him that runs, but of God that shows mercy.  

Rom 9:16  So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.

Eph 1:3  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: 
Eph 1:4  According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:
Eph 1:5  Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,
Eph 1:6  To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.

Num 3:11  And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 
Num 3:12  And I, behold, I have taken the Levites from among the children of Israel instead of all the firstborn that openeth the matrix among the children of Israel: therefore the Levites shall be mine; 
Num 3:13  Because all the firstborn are mine; for on the day that I smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt I hallowed unto me all the firstborn in Israel, both man and beast: mine shall they be: I am the LORD.

As indicated in these verses, the Levites were to replace the firstborn of Israel. The reason why they were to replace the firstborn of Israel was that at the time of Passover in Egypt, all the firstborn were condemned. However, it was only the firstborn of Egypt who were slain. As a result of the Passover, all the firstborn of Israel were redeemed or saved or replaced by the Passover lamb who is Christ, our Lord, who came to serve. The firstborn therefore lost their position and were to be replaced by the Levites who were called to serve. This means that we, who have been redeemed by the Lord, are called to serve.

Mar 10:42  And Jesus called them to him and said to them, “You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. 
Mar 10:43  But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, 
Mar 10:44  and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all.
Mar 10:45  For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

The Levites replacing the firstborn of the children of Israel is a foretaste of the fact that the Lord’s election is no longer dependent on a person’s pedigree or his or her birth. Paul made this clear when, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, he made the statement that it is not one who is born a Jew that counts, but a Jew is a person who worships the Lord in truth and in spirit. 

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

Num 3:14  And the LORD spake unto Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, saying, 
Num 3:15  Number the children of Levi after the house of their fathers, by their families: every male from a month old and upward shalt thou number them. 
Num 3:16  And Moses numbered them according to the word of the LORD, as he was commanded.

As we saw in Numbers chapter 2, the Levites were not counted as part of the army of the Lord. The question is, why was Moses required to count the Levites later? The reason the Levites need to be counted is that since they are required to replace the firstborns, it was necessary that the number of Levites had to be equal to the number of the firstborn of Israel and that any shortage would then be redeemed. As we can see in the latter part of this chapter, the counting resulted in a difference of 273, the firstborn being more than the Levites.

Num 3:44  And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 
Num 3:45  “Take the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the people of Israel, and the cattle of the Levites instead of their cattle. The Levites shall be mine: I am the LORD.
Num 3:46  And as the redemption price for the 273 of the firstborn of the people of Israel, over and above the number of the male Levites,
Num 3:47  you shall take five shekels per head; you shall take them according to the shekel of the sanctuary (the shekel of twenty gerahs),
Num 3:48  and give the money to Aaron and his sons as the redemption price for those who are over.” (ESV)

What we need to understand is that the laborers of the Lord’s vineyard (the elect) are always fewer than those who parade themselves as apostles of the gospel but are actually the firstborn who are being replaced. Such apostles think they have the legitimate right to lead the Lord’s people but are false apostles, deceitful workers who have transformed themselves into the apostles of Christ.

Mat 9:37  Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; 
Mat 9:38  Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.

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.

Num 3:17  And these were the sons of Levi by their names; Gershon, and Kohath, and Merari.
Num 3:18  And these are the names of the sons of Gershon by their families; Libni, and Shimei.
Num 3:19  And the sons of Kohath by their families; Amram, and Izehar, Hebron, and Uzziel. 
Num 3:20  And the sons of Merari by their families; Mahli, and Mushi. These are the families of the Levites according to the house of their fathers.
Num 3:21  Of Gershon was the family of the Libnites, and the family of the Shimites: these are the families of the Gershonites.
Num 3:22  Those that were numbered of them, according to the number of all the males, from a month old and upward, even those that were numbered of them were seven thousand and five hundred.
Num 3:23  The families of the Gershonites shall pitch behind the tabernacle westward.

‘Levi’ means joined. The Levites are to be joined to the elect. In other words, they are to assist us to minister to the Lord. Jacob’s son Levi had three sons – Gershon, Kohath and Merari. ‘Gershon’ means expulsion; ‘Kohath’ signifies an assembly, and ‘Merari’ means bitter. The Levites therefore consist of the Gershonites, the Kohathites and the sons of Merari. Today’s study focuses on the Gershonites. As indicated, the name Gershon means expulsion. The meaning of the word ‘expulsion’ is the act of forcing someone or something out. Thus, the Gershonites are those who have been forced out of the commonwealth of the priesthood by the Lord. This is even made clear by their designated position of dwelling in relation to the tabernacle of the congregation. They were to dwell on the west side of the tabernacle. The west is where the sun (Christ) sets. What this means is that they will be visited by the Lord at the end of the ages through the lake of fire. They will be part of the multitude who are finally given the opportunity to know Christ. 

Rev 7:9  After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;
Rev 7:10  And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.

The number of Gershonites counted was 7,500. This suggests that at the completion of the ages, these Gershonites will receive grace through faith.

Num 3:24  And the chief of the house of the father of the Gershonites shall be Eliasaph the son of Lael. 
Num 3:25  And the charge of the sons of Gershon in the tabernacle of the congregation shall be the tabernacle, and the tent, the covering thereof, and the hanging for the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, 
Num 3:26  And the hangings of the court, and the curtain for the door of the court, which is by the tabernacle, and by the altar round about, and the cords of it for all the service thereof.

The name of the chief of the house of the father of the Gershonites was ‘Eliasaph’ which means God has added. This implies that the Gershonites will be added to the Lord’s people in the fullness of time. The service the Gershonites were to render was to take care of the tabernacle, the tent with its covering, the hangings for the entrance of the tent of meeting, the hangings of the courts, the hangings for the door of the court and its cords. As we can see, the hangings to the door of the tabernacle are where people enter. What this means is that their role in the plan of God is to bring in people to start their journey to know the Lord in Babylon. The Gershonites represent our brothers and sisters in Babylon and are therefore those who use every means or effort to make a single proselyte. The Gershonites are also to take care of the covering of the tent. In other words, their focus is only on the superficial way of worshiping the Lord as they focus on cleaning the outside of the cup. No wonder they make a converted soul twice a child of hell. This is what our Lord Jesus has to say about the Gershonites or our brothers and sisters in Babylon:

Mat 23:15  Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel across sea and land to make a single proselyte, and when he becomes a proselyte, you make him twice as much a child of hell as yourselves. 

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

We thank the Lord for His mercy towards us to be counted part of His royal priesthood in this life!! Amen!!

Exo 37:1-29  The Making of the Ark, the Table, the Lampstand and the Altar of Incense

[Study Aired February 13, 2023]

Exo 37:1  And Bezaleel made the ark of shittim wood: two cubits and a half was the length of it, and a cubit and a half the breadth of it, and a cubit and a half the height of it:
Exo 37:2  And he overlaid it with pure gold within and without, and made a crown of gold to it round about.
Exo 37:3  And he cast for it four rings of gold, to be set by the four corners of it; even two rings upon the one side of it, and two rings upon the other side of it. 
Exo 37:4  And he made staves of shittim wood, and overlaid them with gold. 
Exo 37:5  And he put the staves into the rings by the sides of the ark, to bear the ark. 
Exo 37:6  And he made the mercy seat of pure gold: two cubits and a half was the length thereof, and one cubit and a half the breadth thereof. 
Exo 37:7  And he made two cherubims of gold, beaten out of one piece made he them, on the two ends of the mercy seat; 
Exo 37:8  One cherub on the end on this side, and another cherub on the other end on that side: out of the mercy seat made he the cherubims on the two ends thereof. 
Exo 37:9  And the cherubims spread out their wings on high, and covered with their wings over the mercy seat, with their faces one to another; even to the mercy seatward were the faces of the cherubims. 
Exo 37:10  And he made the table of shittim wood: two cubits was the length thereof, and a cubit the breadth thereof, and a cubit and a half the height thereof: 
Exo 37:11  And he overlaid it with pure gold, and made thereunto a crown of gold round about. 
Exo 37:12  Also he made thereunto a border of an handbreadth round about; and made a crown of gold for the border thereof round about. 
Exo 37:13  And he cast for it four rings of gold, and put the rings upon the four corners that were in the four feet thereof. 
Exo 37:14  Over against the border were the rings, the places for the staves to bear the table. 
Exo 37:15  And he made the staves of shittim wood, and overlaid them with gold, to bear the table. 
Exo 37:16  And he made the vessels which were upon the table, his dishes, and his spoons, and his bowls, and his covers to cover withal, of pure gold. 
Exo 37:17  And he made the candlestick of pure gold: of beaten work made he the candlestick; his shaft, and his branch, his bowls, his knops, and his flowers, were of the same: 
Exo 37:18  And six branches going out of the sides thereof; three branches of the candlestick out of the one side thereof, and three branches of the candlestick out of the other side thereof: 
Exo 37:19  Three bowls made after the fashion of almonds in one branch, a knop and a flower; and three bowls made like almonds in another branch, a knop and a flower: so throughout the six branches going out of the candlestick. 
Exo 37:20  And in the candlestick were four bowls made like almonds, his knops, and his flowers: 
Exo 37:21  And a knop under two branches of the same, and a knop under two branches of the same, and a knop under two branches of the same, according to the six branches going out of it. 
Exo 37:22  Their knops and their branches were of the same: all of it was one beaten work of pure gold. 
Exo 37:23  And he made his seven lamps, and his snuffers, and his snuffdishes, of pure gold. 
Exo 37:24  Of a talent of pure gold made he it, and all the vessels thereof. 
Exo 37:25  And he made the incense altar of shittim wood: the length of it was a cubit, and the breadth of it a cubit; it was foursquare; and two cubits was the height of it; the horns thereof were of the same. 
Exo 37:26  And he overlaid it with pure gold, both the top of it, and the sides thereof round about, and the horns of it: also he made unto it a crown of gold round about. 
Exo 37:27  And he made two rings of gold for it under the crown thereof, by the two corners of it, upon the two sides thereof, to be places for the staves to bear it withal.
Exo 37:28  And he made the staves of shittim wood, and overlaid them with gold. 
Exo 37:29  And he made the holy anointing oil, and the pure incense of sweet spices, according to the work of the apothecary.

Today’s study focuses on the construction of the Ark, the Table, the Candlestick and the Altar of incense.  A closer look of the making of these items will give us insight into how to become like our Lord Jesus Christ who is our standard of measurement. As indicated in previous studies, Bezaleel represents our Lord Jesus Christ. It is through Him that all the items to be constructed within us are made.  

Exo 37:1  And Bezaleel made the ark of shittim wood: two cubits and a half was the length of it, and a cubit and a half the breadth of it, and a cubit and a half the height of it: 

The ark represents our Lord Jesus Christ. When we are in Him, we are delivered from the flood waters of false doctrines, carnality, traditions, human wisdom, etc. The ark was to be made of shittim wood from shittah tree, probably from acacia. They were found growing wild in the Sinai desert and the Jordan River valley. Growing wild means that it is not planted and taken care of by man. In other words, it is not the work of man. If we are to become like Christ, then we need to know that from the beginning to our maturity is all the work of Jesus Christ – not man. Even our sins are all part of the work of God. All we do to become like Christ is to believe in Him.

Joh 6:28  Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? 
Joh 6:29  Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.

The ark had the following dimensions: Two and half cubits in length and a cubit and half in breadth and height. What is significant about the measurements is that they are all in halves. This means that we cannot obtain the stature of Christ in this life. It is in resurrection that we become perfected like Jesus Christ.

1Co 13:9  For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. 
1Co 13:10  But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. 
1Co 13:11  When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. 
1Co 13:12  For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.

Another significant point to note in verse 1 is that to become like Christ means we are constantly being measured to see if we have obtained the standards of Christ. This means that we are constantly being judged to conform to the standard of Christ. All those who are not measured are not part of the commonwealth of Israel or His elect. They belong to the Gentiles!!

Rev 11:1  And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein.
Rev 11:2  But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.

Exo 37:2  And he overlaid it with pure gold within and without, and made a crown of gold to it round about.

Overlaying the ark with gold means that to become like Christ, we must be refined just like gold refined in the fire. This is the judgment of our old man which brings us to learn righteousness.

Job 23:10  But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.

Rev 3:18  I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.

Exo 37:3  And he cast for it four rings of gold, to be set by the four corners of it; even two rings upon the one side of it, and two rings upon the other side of it. 
Exo 37:4  And he made staves of shittim wood, and overlaid them with gold. 
Exo 37:5  And he put the staves into the rings by the sides of the ark, to bear the ark.

In Ezekiel chapter 1, the living creatures who represent the elect have wheels, which are rings full of eyes. These living creatures represent the elect. The four cast rings of gold are therefore the elect who are placed in every corner of the earth even as the Lord fills the earth. The number four means the whole of all the elect scattered over the four corners of the earth. The fact that two are placed on one side and two on another is to let us know that we serve as witnesses of Christ on this earth.

Eze 1:15  Now as I beheld the living creatures, behold one wheel upon the earth by the living creatures, with his four faces.
Eze 1:16  The appearance of the wheels and their work was like unto the colour of a beryl: and they four had one likeness: and their appearance and their work was as it were a wheel in the middle of a wheel. 
Eze 1:17  When they went, they went upon their four sides: and they turned not when they went. 
Eze 1:18  As for their rings, they were so high that they were dreadful; and their rings were full of eyes round about them four.

Rev 7:1  And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree.

The staves are long rods of wood which pass through the rings to make it easier to carry the ark so that the ark is not touched. The function of the staves suggests that spiritually, they represent the spirit of the Lord which helps us bear Christ wherever we go. These staves are made from shittim wood and therefore are not of man’s origin, but by the Lord. In verse 5, the staves being in the rings means the promise of the comforter being within us to lead us into all truth so we can have the mind of Christ and therefore “carry” Christ wherever we go.

Joh 14:16  And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
Joh 14:17  Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.
Joh 14:18  I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.

Exo 37:6  And he made the mercy seat of pure gold: two cubits and a half was the length thereof, and one cubit and a half the breadth thereof.
Exo 37:7  And he made two cherubims of gold, beaten out of one piece made he them, on the two ends of the mercy seat;

One of the significant aspects of the ark is the mercy seat. This is to make us aware that the heart of our Lord Jesus Christ is to show mercy to humanity.

Psa 145:8  The LORD is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy.

Psa 147:11  The LORD taketh pleasure in them that fear him, in those that hope in his mercy.

Mat 9:13  But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

If we are to be like Christ (the ark), then the mercy we have received from the Lord should translate into us being merciful in all our dealings. This is what the Lord requires of us.

Rom 11:30  For as ye in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief: 
Rom 11:31  Even so have these also now not believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy. 
Rom 11:32  For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all. 
Rom 11:33  O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! 
Rom 11:34  For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor?

The scriptures above show us that we have a significant role to play in showing mercy to humanity during the lake of fire age. The measurement of the mercy seat is to let us know that as His elect, we are being measured regarding our mercy attribute. What this means is that as we fall short of this measure, we are being disciplined to conform to our Lord’s mercy attribute. The fact that the measurement of the length and breadth of the mercy seat are given as two and half cubits and a cubit and half are to remind us that we cannot grasp the fullness of our Lord’s mercy in this age until we are perfected.

1Co 13:12  For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.

We need to know what the Cherubims represent in order to understand what is being said here. The Cherubims are living creatures and it is in the midst of these Cherubims that the Lord dwells and speaks to His people.

Eze 10:20  This is the living creature that I saw under the God of Israel by the river of Chebar; and I knew that they were the cherubims.

1Sa 4:4  So the people sent to Shiloh, that they might bring from thence the ark of the covenant of the LORD of hosts, which dwelleth between the cherubims: and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God.

2Sa 6:2  And David arose, and went with all the people that were with him from Baale of Judah, to bring up from thence the ark of God, whose name is called by the name of the LORD of hosts that dwelleth between the cherubims.

This is what we know of where the dwelling place of God is – among His people. This means that the cherubims represent His people or His elect.

Exo 29:46  And they shall know that I am the LORD their God, that brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, that I may dwell among them: I am the LORD their God.

Rev 21:3  And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. 

2Co 6:16  And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

What verse 7 is therefore telling us is that in order to become like Christ, we  must be like the beaten work of gold. Gold can be beaten to assume any shape only when it is melted through heat. It is through our fiery trials (heat) that the Lord can make us become like Him.

Rev 3:18  I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.  

1Pe 4:12  Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: 
1Pe 4:13  But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.

The fact that Moses was required to make two Cherubims suggests that, through the beaten work of gold, we become witnesses of Christ.

Exo 37:8  One cherub on the end on this side, and another cherub on the other end on that side: out of the mercy seat made he the cherubims on the two ends thereof. 
Exo 37:9  And the cherubims spread out their wings on high, and covered with their wings over the mercy seat, with their faces one to another; even to the mercy seatward were the faces of the cherubims. 

What these verses tell us is that the mercy seat is between the two Cherubims who cover it with their wings as they behold each other. The mercy seat is where the Lord dwells. Wings in the scriptures serve as a hiding place and also a place of protection.  

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

Psa 57:1  To the chief Musician, Altaschith, Michtam of David, when he fled from Saul in the cave. Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth in thee: yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast.

The wings of the Cherubims hide the mercy seat where the Lord dwells. This means that the Lord is hidden in the elect in this age. As we are aware, Christ is the word of God. The mercy seat sandwiched between the two Cherubims means that the two Cherubims protect the mercy seat. This means that the role of the elect is to protect the truth of the word of the Lord in this age. This role was made clear to us when the Lord was laying the foundations of the earth. We are the ones who are keeping the way of the tree of life, which is Christ and His words, through a flaming sword which turns in every way.

Gen 3:24  So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.

Exo 37:10  And he made the table of shittim wood: two cubits was the length thereof, and a cubit the breadth thereof, and a cubit and a half the height thereof: 
Exo 37:11  And he overlaid it with pure gold, and made thereunto a crown of gold round about.
Exo 37:12  Also he made thereunto a border of an handbreadth round about; and made a crown of gold for the border thereof round about.

A Table is used often in the Bible to indicate where people gather to eat as shown by the following verses: 

2Sa 9:11  Then said Ziba unto the king, According to all that my lord the king hath commanded his servant, so shall thy servant do. As for Mephibosheth, said the king, he shall eat at my table, as one of the king’s sons.

1Ki 2:7  But shew kindness unto the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite, and let them be of those that eat at thy table: for so they came to me when I fled because of Absalom thy brother.

The Table of the Showbread is not different – it is where the priests eat the Showbread in the presence of the Lord. Aaron and his sons, representing the priesthood, were only those privileged to eat the bread in the presence of the Lord in a holy place every Sabbath day. Aaron and his sons symbolize the elect who are privileged to eat the bread of heaven, that is, the words of the Lord in the presence of the Lord. So, the making of the Table for Showbread is to show us how the Lord prepares us to be given eyes to see and ears to hear. 

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.

The Lord dining with His disciples (called the Lord’s supper) when He was about to die, is a foreshadow of our being fed with the word of the Lord in His presence. The measurement given of the Table is to make us aware that to be given eyes to see and ears to hear entails being constantly measured to see if we have obtained the standards of Christ. This means that we are constantly being judged to conform to the standard of Christ. All those who are not measured are not part of the commonwealth of Israel or His elect. They belong to the Gentiles!!

Rev 11:1  And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein.
Rev 11:2  But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.

Overlaying the Table with gold means that to be privileged to eat at the Lord’s Table requires us to be refined just like gold refined in the fire. This is the judgment of our old man which brings us to learn righteousness. 

Job 23:10  But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.

Rev 3:18  I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.

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 molding of gold together with the rim round about the table was to support it so that nothing that is placed on the table would fall down. What was placed on the Table were the showbread and the vessels for frankincense and offering, which spiritually represent the word of the Lord and the elect. As our understanding is being enlightened and our eyes are seeing, we are kept by the word of His power through our fiery trials which are represented here by the gold molding and the rim roundabout the table.

Heb 1:3  He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,

Exo 37:13  And he cast for it four rings of gold, and put the rings upon the four corners that were in the four feet thereof. 
Exo 37:14  Over against the border were the rings, the places for the staves to bear the table. 
Exo 37:15  And he made the staves of shittim wood, and overlaid them with gold, to bear the table. 
Exo 37:16  And he made the vessels which were upon the table, his dishes, and his spoons, and his bowls, and his covers to cover withal, of pure gold. 

The four cast rings of gold represent the elect which are placed in every corner of the earth even as the Lord fills the earth. The number four means the whole of all the elect scattered over the four corners of the earth. 

Eze 1:18 As for their rings, they were so high that they were dreadful; and their rings were full of eyes round about them four.

Rev 7:1  And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree.

The staves are long rods of wood which pass through the rings to make it easier to carry the table so that it is preserved. The function of the staves suggests that spiritually, they represent the spirit of the Lord which helps us bear Christ wherever we go. These staves are made from shittim wood and therefore are not of man’s origin but the Lord. The staves placed in the rings means the promise of the comforter being within us to lead us into all truth so that we, His elect, can have the mind of Christ (showbread) and therefore continue the feasting wherever we go.

As indicated earlier, the dishes, spoons, covers, and bowls all represent the elect.

2Ti 2:20  Now in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver but also of wood and clay, some for honorable use, some for dishonorable.
2Ti 2:21  Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work.

The utensils were to be made of gold which means that they have to be refined as gold through the fire. This is the judgment of our old man.

Rev 3:18  I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see.

Isa 48:10  Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tried you in the furnace of affliction.

These utensils are used for holding frankincense and for offering. As we are aware, we are to offer our bodies as living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to the Lord. The prayers of the elect are signified by the frankincense. 

Rev 8:3  And another angel came and stood at the altar with a golden censer, and he was given much incense to offer with the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar before the throne,
Rev 8:4  and the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, rose before God from the hand of the angel. 

Rom 12:1  I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.
Rom 12:2  Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. 

Exo 37:17  And he made the candlestick of pure gold: of beaten work made he the candlestick; his shaft, and his branch, his bowls, his knops, and his flowers, were of the same: 
Exo 37:18  And six branches going out of the sides thereof; three branches of the candlestick out of the one side thereof, and three branches of the candlestick out of the other side thereof: 
Exo 37:19  Three bowls made after the fashion of almonds in one branch, a knop and a flower; and three bowls made like almonds in another branch, a knop and a flower: so throughout the six branches going out of the candlestick.

The candlestick must be made of pure gold and of beaten work. What this is telling us is that the church of Christ consists of those who are like gold beaten to assume any shape through the process of melting through heat. This means that it is through our fiery trials (heat) that the Lord can make us become part of the church of the firstborn like Him.

Rev 3:18  I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.

1Pe 4:12  Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:
1Pe 4:13  But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.

The shaft represents Christ, and the branches symbolize the elect, and they are all beaten works of gold. There are three branches on each side of the shaft, and for each branch there are three decorative almond blossoms (bowls). Where each pair of branches come out from the shaft or stem, there must also be a decorative almond blossom. 

The fact that there must be three decorative almond blossoms on each branch is to make us aware that it is through judgment that we blossom or mature to produce fruits (almond). In other words, being given to partake of the Lord’s words (showbread) is through our fiery trials, which cause us to produce fruits (almond). That is when our light will shine before men so that they see our good works and therefore glorify our Father in Heaven.  

Num 17:8  And it came to pass, that on the morrow Moses went into the tabernacle of witness; and, behold, the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded, and brought forth buds, and bloomed blossoms, and yielded almonds. 

Mat 5:14  Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.
Mat 5:15  Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.
Mat 5:16  Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

Exo 37:20  And in the candlestick were four bowls made like almonds, his knops, and his flowers:
Exo 37:21  And a knop under two branches of the same, and a knop under two branches of the same, and a knop under two branches of the same, according to the six branches going out of it. 
Exo 37:22  Their knops and their branches were of the same: all of it was one beaten work of pure gold.

As we have indicated, the shaft or the stem is Christ who has four of the decorative almond blossoms. This is to demonstrate that it is through Christ that the whole (the meaning of the number four) of the elect becomes mature. The pairing of the branches together with a blossom on each pair is to show us that we become witnesses of Christ as we mature. The lampstand, its branches and the decorative flowers being all made from one beaten work of pure gold is to bring to our attention that even as our Jesus Christ matured through the things He suffered, we are also to mature through our fiery trials in order to become the light of the world.

Heb 5:5  So also Christ glorified not himself to be made an high priest; but he that said unto him, Thou art my Son, today have I begotten thee.
Heb 5:6  As he saith also in another place, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec. 
Heb 5:7  Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared; 
Heb 5:8  Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered; 
Heb 5:9  And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him; 
Heb 5:10  Called of God an high priest after the order of Melchisedec.

Exo 37:23  And he made his seven lamps, and his snuffers, and his snuffdishes, of pure gold. 
Exo 37:24  Of a talent of pure gold made he it, and all the vessels thereof.

The seven lamps refer to the complete number of the elect from every generation. The candlestick is to give light to the space in front of it in the Holy place. What is insightful to note is the fact that the light given by the candlestick is not seen outside the Holy place. It is to give light for the priest to perform his duty. In this dispensation, although we are the light of the world, we are not seen that way by many (the world). It is only the elect who see our light and use it to perform their duty – that is, live a life worthy of the Lord. This light is the word of the Lord, which is the light for our path. Paul sums up our being beaten like the work of gold in order to give light as follows:

2Co 4:7  But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. 
2Co 4:8  We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; 
2Co 4:9  persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; 
2Co 4:10  always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies (providing light for the priest to function).
2Co 4:11  For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh.

Exo 37:25  And he made the incense altar of shittim wood: the length of it was a cubit, and the breadth of it a cubit; it was foursquare; and two cubits was the height of it; the horns thereof were of the same. 

The altar of incense then, can be seen as a symbol of the prayers of God’s people. Our prayers ascend to God as the smoke of the incense ascends to God in the sanctuary.

Psa 141:2  Let my prayer be set forth before thee as incense; and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice. 

Rev 5:8  And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints. 

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

Luk 1:9  According to the custom of the priest’s office, his lot was to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord.
Luk 1:10  And the whole multitude of the people were praying without at the time of incense.

So, the making of an altar of incense is basically to show us how we can communicate with the Lord. The altar of incense is required to be made of shittim wood, which comes from acacia. What this means is that to be effective in communicating with the Lord, we must know that it is all the work of the Lord and that we do not contribute anything to this. Since we do not bring anything to the table, our prayers before the Lord must be accompanied with a heart that is humble and grateful for being counted worthy to come before His presence. That is what the story of the two gentlemen who went to pray teaches us.

Luk 18:9  And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:
Luk 18:10  Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. 
Luk 18:11  The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. 
Luk 18:12  I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.
Luk 18:13  And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.
Luk 18:14  I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbled himself shall be exalted.

The shape of the altar of incense is to be a square. This implies that from whatever situation we find ourselves as priests of the Lord, we must offer prayers to the Lord. That is another way of saying that men must always pray and not faint.

Luk 18:1  And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;

There is a horn at each of the four corners of the square-shaped altar of incense. Horns symbolize strength. This is to let us know that our strength to resist the devil is through prayers. As He is, so are we. Jesus was strengthened when He prayed. In the same way, we are also strengthened to overcome temptation when we pray.

Luk 22:40  And when he was at the place, he said unto them, Pray that ye enter not into temptation.
Luk 22:41  And he was withdrawn from them about a stone’s cast, and kneeled down, and prayed,
Luk 22:42  Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.
Luk 22:43  And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him.

Mat 26:41  Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.

Eph 3:14  For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
Eph 3:15  Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, 
Eph 3:16  That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;

Exo 37:26  And he overlaid it with pure gold, both the top of it, and the sides thereof round about, and the horns of it: also he made unto it a crown of gold round about. 
Exo 37:27  And he made two rings of gold for it under the crown thereof, by the two corners of it, upon the two sides thereof, to be places for the staves to bear it withal.
Exo 37:28  And he made the staves of shittim wood, and overlaid them with gold. 
Exo 37:29  And he made the holy anointing oil, and the pure incense of sweet spices, according to the work of the apothecary.

The fact that the altar of incense must be overlaid means that to become a house of prayer, we must be refined just like gold refined in the fire. As we are aware, if we are to become a house of prayer, then Jesus has to come into our temple to drive away all that offends with a scourge of small cords. The scourging signifies our fiery trials or the refining process of gold which cleanses us to become a house of prayer. 

Mat 21:12  And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves,
Mat 21:13  And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.

Job 23:10  But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.

Rings of gold were attached to the altar so that it could be carried about with acacia wood poles which were slipped through the rings. The altar of incense was placed before the veil that separated the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies. As indicated earlier, the two rings of gold are the elect who serve as witness of Christ. The staves being in the rings means the promise of the comforter being within us to lead us into all truth so that we can have the mind of Christ and therefore “carry” Christ wherever we go.  The anointing oil also represents the Holy Spirit. The work of the apothecary is the work of Christ in sending us the Holy Spirit and to make us become the sweet fragrance of Him. Amen!!

Exodus 29:1-21  Consecration of the Priest

[Study Aired December 5, 2022]

Exo 29:1  And this is the thing that thou shalt do unto them to hallow them, to minister unto me in the priest’s office: Take one young bullock, and two rams without blemish,
Exo 29:2  And unleavened bread, and cakes unleavened tempered with oil, and wafers unleavened anointed with oil: of wheaten flour shalt thou make them. 
Exo 29:3  And thou shalt put them into one basket, and bring them in the basket, with the bullock and the two rams. 
Exo 29:4  And Aaron and his sons thou shalt bring unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and shalt wash them with water. 
Exo 29:5  And thou shalt take the garments, and put upon Aaron the coat, and the robe of the ephod, and the ephod, and the breastplate, and gird him with the curious girdle of the ephod: 
Exo 29:6  And thou shalt put the mitre upon his head, and put the holy crown upon the mitre.
Exo 29:7  Then shalt thou take the anointing oil, and pour it upon his head, and anoint him.
Exo 29:8  And thou shalt bring his sons, and put coats upon them. 
Exo 29:9  And thou shalt gird them with girdles, Aaron and his sons, and put the bonnets on them: and the priest’s office shall be theirs for a perpetual statute: and thou shalt consecrate Aaron and his sons.
Exo 29:10  And thou shalt cause a bullock to be brought before the tabernacle of the congregation: and Aaron and his sons shall put their hands upon the head of the bullock. 
Exo 29:11  And thou shalt kill the bullock before the LORD, by the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. 
Exo 29:12  And thou shalt take of the blood of the bullock, and put it upon the horns of the altar with thy finger, and pour all the blood beside the bottom of the altar. 
Exo 29:13  And thou shalt take all the fat that covereth the inwards, and the caul that is above the liver, and the two kidneys, and the fat that is upon them, and burn them upon the altar. 
Exo 29:14  But the flesh of the bullock, and his skin, and his dung, shalt thou burn with fire without the camp: it is a sin offering. 
Exo 29:15  Thou shalt also take one ram; and Aaron and his sons shall put their hands upon the head of the ram.
Exo 29:16  And thou shalt slay the ram, and thou shalt take his blood, and sprinkle it round about upon the altar. 
Exo 29:17  And thou shalt cut the ram in pieces, and wash the inwards of him, and his legs, and put them unto his pieces, and unto his head. 
Exo 29:18  And thou shalt burn the whole ram upon the altar: it is a burnt offering unto the LORD: it is a sweet savour, an offering made by fire unto the LORD.
Exo 29:19  And thou shalt take the other ram; and Aaron and his sons shall put their hands upon the head of the ram.
Exo 29:20  Then shalt thou kill the ram, and take of his blood, and put it upon the tip of the right ear of Aaron, and upon the tip of the right ear of his sons, and upon the thumb of their right hand, and upon the great toe of their right foot, and sprinkle the blood upon the altar round about. 
Exo 29:21  And thou shalt take of the blood that is upon the altar, and of the anointing oil, and sprinkle it upon Aaron, and upon his garments, and upon his sons, and upon the garments of his sons with him: and he shall be hallowed, and his garments, and his sons, and his sons’ garments with him.

This chapter deals with the consecration of the priests. As we know, we are the royal priesthood and are therefore required to be consecrated. In biblical terms, the word “consecration” means to separate oneself from things that are unclean, especially anything that would contaminate one’s relationship with God. Consecration therefore carries the connotation of sanctification, holiness, or purity. 

Exo 30:29  And thou shalt sanctify them, that they may be most holy: whatsoever toucheth them shall be holy.

Lev 20:7  Consecrate yourselves, therefore, and be holy, for I am the LORD your God. 

Being consecrated is a critical component of our relationship with God. Our consecration marks the beginning of the Lord doing wonders in our lives. The wonders the Lord does in our lives involves the destruction of our old man within and the birth and growth of the new man. 

Jos 3:5  And Joshua said unto the people, Sanctify yourselves: for tomorrow the LORD will do wonders among you.

Jos 3:9  And Joshua said unto the children of Israel, Come hither, and hear the words of Jehovah your God. 
Jos 3:10  And Joshua said, Hereby ye shall know that the living God is among you, and that he will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanite, and the Hittite, and the Hivite, and the Perizzite, and the Girgashite, and the Amorite, and the Jebusite.

2Co 6:17  Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, 
2Co 6:18  And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

Consecration or sanctification is the work of the Lord. Man plays no part in it. 

Eze 20:12  Moreover also I gave them my sabbaths, to be a sign between me and them, that they might know that I am the LORD that sanctify them.

Eze 37:28  And the heathen shall know that I the LORD do sanctify Israel, when my sanctuary shall be in the midst of them for evermore.

The act of consecration involves our lives being offered as a living sacrifice to our Lord Jesus Christ as we are totally separated from the defilement of the world. It is therefore a process and not a one-time act. 

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

In today’s study, we shall learn about the process the Lord takes us through to become consecrated as a Priest.

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

Sanctification or consecration starts with Christ. The young bullock represents our Lord Jesus Christ whose life was without blame while he walked through the earth. His life was taken at a tender young age of 33. The two rams also represent Christ. As we shall see later, the bullock and the rams are to be offered as sacrifice to atone for the sins of a priest. This is to let us know that we must acknowledge our sins and request for a renewed relationship with Christ to start the process of consecration or sanctification. 

Heb 10:12  But this man (Jesus), after he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the right hand of God; 
Heb 10:13  From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool. 
Heb 10:14  For by one offering he hath perfected forever them that are sanctified. (ESV)

Exo 29:2  And unleavened bread, and cakes unleavened tempered with oil, and wafers unleavened anointed with oil: of wheaten flour shalt thou make them. 
Exo 29:3  And thou shalt put them into one basket, and bring them in the basket, with the bullock and the two rams. 

The fact that the unleavened bread, the unleavened loaf mixed with oil and the wafers with oil are to be put in one basket signify these items are the same. In other words, these items represent the truth of the word of the Lord which is spirit (oil). 

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

The process of becoming consecrated as a priest or set apart for the Lord’s work involves being given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God as the Lord opens our heavens to receive the spirit of the word. In verse 3, we are told that the basket of unleavened bread must go with the bullock and the two rams. What this means is that the unveiling of the truth of the mysteries of the kingdom (unleavened bread) is about the unveiling of Christ to us, who is represented by the bullock and the two rams.

Rev 1:1  The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John: 

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 13:16  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.

Exo 29:4  And Aaron and his sons thou shalt bring unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and shalt wash them with water. 

Aaron and his sons symbolize the elect of every generation. All the Lord’s elect are priests before the Lord, and before we perform the role of a priest, we must be brought before the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. 

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:

At this stage in our lives, we are not worthy to enter the temple to worship the Lord, and so we can only stand at the door of the tabernacle. It is at this point that our Lord starts to open our eyes to see as we are washed with water which is the word of God. This washing with water results in us going through fiery trials because of the word we have received. These fiery trials represent the seven plagues of the seven angels which we must go through before we can enter the temple to minister to the Lord as Priests.

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

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.

Exo 29:5  And thou shalt take the garments, and put upon Aaron the coat, and the robe of the ephod, and the ephod, and the breastplate, and gird him with the curious girdle of the ephod: 
Exo 29:6  And thou shalt put the mitre upon his head, and put the holy crown upon the mitre.

Through these fiery trials we endure, we learn righteousness. This righteousness represents the righteousness of Christ which is symbolized by the linen garments we put on as Priests in verses 5 and 6.

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. 

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

The garments the priest must put on are the coat, the robe of ephod, the ephod, the breastplate, the girdle (or belt) and the mitre which is a turban. As we indicated in previous studies, we mentioned that these garments are not different from putting on the whole armor of God so we can stand the evil wiles of the devil. The ephod was a garment of great importance and was a type of apron. It was an object to be revered in ancient Israelite culture. The ephod of the high priest was very special because it had a chest of 12 jewels on its front which represents the twelve tribes of Israel. The ephod is worn as a ceremonial dress by the high Priest. We know that the High priest is our Lord Jesus Christ. From the scriptures, our Lord Jesus Christ’s garment which He wore represents Him. That is why when the woman with the flow of blood touched Jesus’ garment, Jesus said that someone has touched Him. 

Luk 8:43  And a woman having an issue of blood twelve years, which had spent all her living upon physicians, neither could be healed of any, 
Luk 8:44  Came behind him, and touched the border of his garment: and immediately her issue of blood stanched.
Luk 8:45  And Jesus said, Who touched me? When all denied, Peter and they that were with him said, Master, the multitude throng thee and press thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me?

What this means is that the spiritual significance of putting on the ephod garment is to put on Christ.

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

The question is, “What does it mean to put on Christ?” The verse above shows us that to put on Christ means not to focus on gratifying the desires of the sinful nature. In the preceding verse of Romans 13:14, we are told that we have to wake up from our sleep by casting off the works of darkness and putting on the armor of light which is the same as putting on Christ. These verses suggest that the works of darkness are the same as gratifying the desires of the flesh which bring us to spiritual sleep. 

Rom 13:11  And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. 
Rom 13:12  The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light. 
Rom 13:13  Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying.

The coat is simply a tunic which is worn by the priest first after having washed in the laver at the outer court. 

Lev 8:6  And Moses brought Aaron and his sons, and washed them with water. 
Lev 8:7  And he put upon him the coat, and girded him with the girdle, and clothed him with the robe, and put the ephod upon him, and he girded him with the curious girdle of the ephod, and bound it unto him therewith.

The coat was the innermost garment worn by the high priest, and it seems to be derived from a verb meaning “to cover or hide.” The putting on of the broidered coat therefore signifies the birth of the hidden man in us, who is Christ, after we have left Babylon (outer court) to enter into the presence of the Lord (holy place). The coat, therefore, signifies our Lord Jesus Christ. 

1Pe 3:3  Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel; 
1Pe 3:4  But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.

The robe is one of the sacred articles of clothing for the High Priest. It was worn under the ephod. The significance of the robe was the bells attached to it. Their sounding as a result of Aaron’s movement was to alert those outside the Holy place that Aaron is alive and well. This robe is therefore a symbol of Christ. It is when we are in Him that we are spiritually alive.

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

The spiritual significance of the breastplate part of the priestly garment is not different from the breastplate of the armor of God. The breastplate therefore signifies our righteousness or the righteousness of Christ. The girdle represents the truth of the word of the Lord, and the mitre or the turban is the helmet of salvation. 

Eph 6:14  Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;

Eph 6:17  And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:

Putting on the priestly garments is therefore the same as putting on Christ. 

Exo 29:7  Then shalt thou take the anointing oil, and pour it upon his head, and anoint him. 

The anointing oil which was poured on Aaron’s head signifies the Holy Spirit which comes to our heavens to teach us all truth. 

Joh 16:13  Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.
Joh 16:14  He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.
Joh 16:15  All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto you.

The anointing oil on our heads is what brings us together in unity as we serve the Lord as priests. This is because the Holy spirit in each one of us speaks the same thing, and as a result, we all have the same mind. Having the same mind is what facilitate the blessings of the Lord as shown in the Psalm below: 

Psa 133:1  A Song of degrees of David. Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!
Psa 133:2  It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron’s beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments;
Psa 133:3  As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the LORD commanded the blessing, even life for evermore.

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.

Exo 29:8  And thou shalt bring his sons, and put coats upon them. 
Exo 29:9  And thou shalt gird them with girdles, Aaron and his sons, and put the bonnets on them: and the priest’s office shall be theirs for a perpetual statute: and thou shalt consecrate Aaron and his sons. 

These two verses show us that without putting on Christ or the righteousness of Christ (priestly garments), we cannot serve in the priestly office. As shown earlier, consecration means to separate oneself from things that are unclean, especially anything that would contaminate one’s relationship with God. Consecrating Aaron and his sons therefore means to put on Christ, our righteousness.

Exo 29:10  And thou shalt cause a bullock to be brought before the tabernacle of the congregation: and Aaron and his sons shall put their hands upon the head of the bullock. 
Exo 29:11  And thou shalt kill the bullock before the LORD, by the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. 
Exo 29:12  And thou shalt take of the blood of the bullock, and put it upon the horns of the altar with thy finger, and pour all the blood beside the bottom of the altar. 
Exo 29:13  And thou shalt take all the fat that covereth the inwards, and the caul that is above the liver, and the two kidneys, and the fat that is upon them, and burn them upon the altar. 
Exo 29:14  But the flesh of the bullock, and his skin, and his dung, shalt thou burn with fire without the camp: it is a sin offering. 

As we stated earlier, the bullock without blemish represents the Lord Jesus Christ who gave His life for us as a sin offering. Leviticus chapter 4 deals with the sin offering for four different categories of people: the high priest, the whole congregation of Israel, a leader, and a commoner. These categories include all humanity. We have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, and therefore Christ’s work covers all humanity. However, in this age, the redemptive work of Christ is available only to His elect. In the fullness of time, all humanity will be saved through the redemptive work of Christ.

Rom 3:23  for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
Rom 3:24  and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,
Rom 3:25  whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. (ESV)

2Co 5:21  For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

Lev 4:1  And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 
Lev 4:2  Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, If a soul shall sin through ignorance against any of the commandments of the LORD concerning things which ought not to be done, and shall do against any of them: 
Lev 4:3  If the priest that is anointed do sin according to the sin of the people; then let him bring for his sin, which he hath sinned, a young bullock without blemish unto the LORD for a sin offering. 
Lev 4:4  And he shall bring the bullock unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the LORD; and shall lay his hand upon the bullock’s head, and kill the bullock before the LORD. 
Lev 4:5  And the priest that is anointed shall take of the bullock’s blood, and bring it to the tabernacle of the congregation: 

Lev 4:13  And if the whole congregation of Israel sin through ignorance, and the thing be hid from the eyes of the assembly, and they have done somewhat against any of the commandments of the LORD concerning things which should not be done, and are guilty; 

Lev 4:22  When a ruler hath sinned, and done somewhat through ignorance against any of the commandments of the LORD his God concerning things which should not be done, and is guilty; 

Lev 4:27  And if any one of the common people sin through ignorance, while he doeth somewhat against any of the commandments of the LORD concerning things which ought not to be done, and be guilty;

The sin offering is not a sweet savor offering. It deals with confessed sins which must be dealt with before we can be consecrated as priests before God. Verse 14 shows us that the sin offering is not burnt on the altar like the sweet savor offerings – It is burnt on wood on the bare ground, outside the camp.

Lev 4:11  And the skin of the bullock, and all his flesh, with his head, and with his legs, and his inwards, and his dung, 
Lev 4:12  Even the whole bullock shall he carry forth without the camp unto a clean place, where the ashes are poured out, and burn him on the wood with fire: where the ashes are poured out shall he be burnt. 

Jesus, who represents the young bullock, went through the process of being killed outside the camp or the gate of Jerusalem to atone for our sins. Outside the camp signifies that our Lord Jesus Christ was rejected by the Lord’s people (Babylon). 

Heb 13:11  For the bodies of those beasts, whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin, are burned without the camp. 
Heb 13:12  Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate. 
Heb 13:13  Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach. 

As the Lord’s elect, we are also to go through the same experience of being rejected by the established church system of this world. We are therefore to go outside the camp to experience the fiery trials which burn out all that has to do with our flesh.

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

Exo 29:15  Thou shalt also take one ram; and Aaron and his sons shall put their hands upon the head of the ram.
Exo 29:16  And thou shalt slay the ram, and thou shalt take his blood, and sprinkle it round about upon the altar. 
Exo 29:17  And thou shalt cut the ram in pieces, and wash the inwards of him, and his legs, and put them unto his pieces, and unto his head. 
Exo 29:18  And thou shalt burn the whole ram upon the altar: it is a burnt offering unto the LORD: it is a sweet savour, an offering made by fire unto the LORD.

Verses 15 to 18 give details of how a burnt offering is carried out. The Hebrew word for “burnt offering” actually means to “ascend” which literally means to “go up in smoke”.  The smoke from the sacrifice ascended to God as a soothing aroma.

Lev 1:8  And the priests, Aaron’s sons, shall lay the parts, the head, and the fat, in order upon the wood that is on the fire which is upon the altar: 
Lev 1:9  But his inwards and his legs shall he wash in water: and the priest shall burn all on the altar, to be a burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD.

The burnt offering is a sweet savor with which man pleases God. In this case, the whole of the ram is burnt by fire on the altar. As we are aware, we can only please the Lord when we are in Him. The spiritual significance of the burnt offering is that it is when we come to know the Lord and die daily to sin through our fiery trials that we start pleasing the Lord. In other words, it is as we offer our bodies as living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to the Lord, that we please Him.

2Co 2:15  For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish:
2Co 2:16  To the one we are the savour of death unto death; and to the other the savour of life unto life. And who is sufficient for these things?

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.

Exo 29:19  And thou shalt take the other ram; and Aaron and his sons shall put their hands upon the head of the ram.
Exo 29:20  Then shalt thou kill the ram, and take of his blood, and put it upon the tip of the right ear of Aaron, and upon the tip of the right ear of his sons, and upon the thumb of their right hand, and upon the great toe of their right foot, and sprinkle the blood upon the altar round about.
Exo 29:21  And thou shalt take of the blood that is upon the altar, and of the anointing oil, and sprinkle it upon Aaron, and upon his garments, and upon his sons, and upon the garments of his sons with him: and he shall be hallowed, and his garments, and his sons, and his sons’ garments with him.

In verses 19 to 21, the blood of the other ram killed was to be used to touch the right ear, thumb and great toe of Aaron and his sons. This is all done to cleanse the priest.  The touching of the right ear with blood signifies the opening of the ears to hear the word of the Lord. 

Mat 13:16  But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear.
Mat 13:17  For truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.

The application of blood to the right thumb symbolizes the cleansing of the work of our hands. What this means is that as Priest, the work of our hands should be favorable to the Lord.

Psa 90:17  Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands upon us; yes, establish the work of our hands!

The touching of the great toe of Aaron with blood of the ram signifies the cleansing of our walk with the Lord in this life. This implies that as Priest before the Lord, our walk before Him should be blameless.

Deu 13:4  You shall walk after the LORD your God and fear him and keep his commandments and obey his voice, and you shall serve him and hold fast to him.

We must remember that it is through the blood of Jesus that all these roles of a Priest are possible. He, who has laid the foundation through the shedding of His blood will ensure that what He starts in us, He will be able to bring to completion. 

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:

The Lord Himself will cloth us with His garment of righteousness as He consecrates us for the priestly office. If He did that to Joshua the High Priest, will He not do that for us who are called and chosen before the foundation of this world to be holy and without blame in this life? He will surely do that shouting, grace, grace unto it.

Zec 3:3  Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and stood before the angel.
Zec 3:4  And he answered and spake unto those that stood before him, saying, Take away the filthy garments from him. And unto him he said, Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment. 
Zec 3:5  And I said, Let them set a fair mitre upon his head. So they set a fair mitre upon his head, and clothed him with garments. And the angel of the LORD stood by.

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.

May the Lord be merciful to us as He continues to consecrate us for the Priestly office!! Amen!!