The Spiritual Significance of the Holy Days, Part 2

The Sequence of Events:  The Passover

[Study Aired August 29, 2025]

The holy days the Lord gave Israel as well as every experience He gave Israel were given to them for our edification:

1Co 10:6 Now these things became types of us, for us not to be lusters after evil things,

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

Those festivals take place during three seasons of the year. They begin with the spring festival of the Passover and the days of unleavened bread in the first month of the year, and they end with the feast of Tabernacles and the last great day at “the end of the year”, which is actually the seventh month of the year. Between those four festivals and within the three seasons of the year there are three more festivals, the feast of Pentecost, the day of trumpets and the day of atonement.

Pentecost is 50 days after the sabbath which occurs during the seven days of unleavened bread. That places Pentecost in the summer season. The feast of trumpets and the day of atonement are both in the seventh month. Trumpets is on the first day  of the seventh month and atonement is on the tenth day of the seventh month.

To the natural man these seven festivals each celebrate an outward historical event. Passover celebrates Israel coming out of Egypt. The days of unleavened bread remind Israel that they had no time to leaven their bread as they left Egypt. Pentecost celebrates the giving of the law at Sinai, fifty days after leaving Egypt.

“Before chronos aionios” God the Father developed a plan to create “the… family of God.”

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

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

Eph 3:1 For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles,
Eph 3:2 If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward:
Eph 3:3 How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words,
Eph 3:4 Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ)
Eph 3:5 Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit;
Eph 3:6 That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel:
Eph 3:7 Whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of his power.
Eph 3:8 Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ;
Eph 3:9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:
Eph 3:10 To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God,
Eph 3:11 According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord:
Eph 3:12 In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him.
Eph 3:13 Wherefore I desire that ye faint not at my tribulations for you, which is your glory.
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,

The first thing God the Father created was a wife, through whom and “by whom” [He created] the rest of His creation. Then through His ‘wife’ He is now in the process of making all men of all time “in His image and after His likeness.” He refers to this part of the process of His creation as “the earth”:

Gen 1:1  In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

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

It would be through the ‘earth’ and all that is in the earth that He would reveal Himself to those who would become sons in His family.

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

Joh 1:3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

1Co 8:6 But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him.

Everything Christ does, He does because of what His Father has “shown Him” and has commissioned Him to do. Just as we are in our relationship to Christ, Christ can do nothing of Himself:

Joh 5:19 Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.
Joh 5:20 For the Father loveth the Son, and sheweth him all things that himself doeth: and he will shew him greater works than these, that ye may marvel.

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.

Exactly which “things that are made [make] the invisible things of Him… even His eternal power and Godhead… clearly seen [and] understood”? Anything other than “that which is written” is mere speculation. Here is what is written which makes the Godhead to be “clearly seen [and] understood”:

1Co 11:3 But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God.

There it is. Just as “the head of the woman is the man”, so also is the Godhead, “the head of Christ is God.” In other words, just as we are all called “sons of God” and at the same time Christ is called our “husband”, so also is Christ both the wife of God and the Son of God. “The head of the woman is the man, and the head of Christ is God.”

The scriptures also tell us all this:

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

To which is added:

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.

We are “as He is… in this world” [G2889: kosmos, not aion]. 1 John 4:17 is just reiterating the Truth of John 20:21 “… as My Father has sent me, even so send I you.” If indeed we are “as He is… in this world”, then we need to know what the Father sent Christ to do, and since we are ‘as He is in this world’, we need to know exactly how the Father intended to use Christ to accomplish the purpose for which He created Christ as His wife and His Son.

Christ said: “As My Father has sent me, even so send I you.” So what exactly did God send Christ to do? Here is Christ’s commission from His Father:

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

God sent… His Son into the world… that the world through Him might be saved. That is what Christ’s Head has commissioned Him to accomplish, and that is what Christ as our head has commissioned us to accomplish.

The function of God’s wife is to be the channel through whom He would create His entire family, just as we can “clearly see… by the things that are made” (Rom 1:20). Here is how Christ is using the church to bring forth His family just as His Father is using Him to bring for His family:

1Co 11:12 For as the woman is of the man, even so is the man also by the woman; but all things of God.

Again, we “understand… the invisible things of God… by the things that are made.” “The things that are made” is referring particularly to the marriage union, of which we are told that just as “the head of Christ is God” (1Co 11:3), so also “the head of the woman is the man”, and this spiritual ranking is given a second witness in 1 Corinthians 8 where we read:

1Co 8:6 But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and [besides the “one God” there is also] one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him.

And again in Colossians:

Col 1:15 Who [Christ] is the image of the invisible God [“the head of Christ”], the firstborn of every creature:
Col 1:16 For by him [Christ] were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:
Col 1:17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.
Col 1:18 And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.
Col 1:19 For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell;

So the woman is of the man, just as Christ is of the Father, and all things are by Christ, just as all men are by the woman.

This is when our heavenly Father first planned to create His family:

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

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

It was all preplanned to be accomplished through His wife, whom He heads, just as Christ is doing all His Father sent Him to do through His Christ whom He heads:

Eph 3:9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:
Eph 3:10 To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God,
Eph 3:11 According to the eternal purpose which he purposed [“Before the world began”] in Christ Jesus our Lord:

“The eternal purpose” is the eternal, or aionian, plan of God “which He purposed in Christ”, which plan included us “before the world began”, if we are really “as He is… Jesus of Nazareth”.

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

1Jn 4:17  Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world [G2889: ‘kosmos’].

God’s wife was the very “beginning of God’s creation.” Then God informed His wife of His entire plan and how it was to be carried out.

Col 1:16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:

Rev 3:13 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
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;

Christ knows who He is whether we do or not. He knows He is “the Son of God”, and He also knows that His Father is also His Husband. Just as Christ is also our Father and we are His sons, we are at the same time His wife:

Isa 9:6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

2Co 11:2 For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.

Eph 5:22 Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.
Eph 5:23 For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.
Eph 5:24 Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.

Eph 5:31 For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two [not ‘three’] shall be one flesh.
Eph 5:32 This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.

Christ wants us to “be one as [He and His Father] are one”:

Joh 17:11  And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are. [“The head of Christ is God”, (1Co 11:3) and the very “Godhead… is understood by the things that are made”, (Rom 1:20)]

Joh 17:22  And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:

It was through His wife that He would create the “aions”, and through those eons He would create a spiritual family of sons, lesser gods, to be with Him and to think and act in accord with Himself and to be a happy functional family where the entire family would have “the same mind” as their Creator God, “that there should be no schism” in His family.

Heb 1:1 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,
Heb 1:2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; [Greek: aions, ages, each life of each man]

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

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.

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

Php 4:2 I beseech Euodias, and beseech Syntyche, that they be of the same mind in the Lord.

1Pe 4:1 Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin;

This family of spiritual gods would first be created of the clay of this earth, and it would intentionally be “marred in The Potter’s hand”, totally unfit for the kingdom of heaven:

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

Then that vessel of clay would live a life of great trial and be put through spiritual flames of spiritual fire, which would judge and destroy that marred, carnal, rebellious mind. The sin and destruction of this clay vessel is all an integral part of the plan of God, that through the judgment of the flames of the destruction and death of that marred, carnal, rebellious mind, a new man would be born to “be of the same mind in the Lord.“ All of this is the “one event” and the “all things come alike to all men” spoken of in this verse:

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.

This fiery judgment is what produces the new birth of which Christ told Nicodemus:

Joh 3:5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
Joh 3:6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
Joh 3:7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.
Joh 3:8 The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.

This second birth was an integral part of the plan of God, “before the world began.”

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

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

Our ‘new man’ is new only in down payment form at this time. Our “inheritance of the purchased possession” bodies will indeed be like “the wind” which will be invisible to the natural eye.

But this is the plan that must be lived out by “every man” of all time to attain that new “as the wind” spiritual body:

1Co 3:13 Every man‘s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man‘s work of what sort it is.
1Co 3:14 If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.
1Co 3:15 If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.
1Co 3:16 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?

The “in the Lord” part of these family members, “the spirit of God dwell[ing] in you”, is the part that has been kept “hidden”, kept secret, through the spiritual meaning and signification of the spiritual Words of God. It is the spirit of God’s Words which has kept the masses of mankind from seeing or hearing these spiritual truths. In other words, the deception of the masses of mankind is a deliberate, integral, yet vital part of the plan of God:

Eze 14:9 And if the prophet be deceived when he hath spoken a thing, I the LORD have deceived that prophet, and I will stretch out my hand upon him, and will destroy him from the midst of my people Israel.
Eze 14:10 And they shall bear the punishment of their iniquity: the punishment of the prophet shall be even as the punishment of him that seeketh unto him;

Those who argue that Christ would not deceive us and then punish us for what He caused us to do, do not know the Christ of scripture who does just exactly that in the life of every one of us. We all experience “one event… all things come alike to all.” We all experience His deception, and then we all experience His punishment for that deception before we come to know Christ and His Father. That is the doctrine of God from Genesis to Revelation:

Gen 4:6 And the LORD said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen?
Gen 4:7 If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto [Hebrew: ‘el’, against] thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him [sin].

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

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.

Mat 13:9 Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.
Mat 13:10 And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables?
Mat 13:11 He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.
Mat 13:12 For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath.
Mat 13:13 Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.
Mat 13:14 And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive:

This is all by God’s design. It is all part of His predestined plan for the salvation of all men. The creature has nothing to contribute to its own salvation. The entire history of mankind in clay vessels is all a work of God to bring mankind from that marred condition to a perfected spiritual body, as a perfected son in the family of God with the mind of His spiritual heavenly Father. Nothing about the plan of God depends upon mankind. It is all “of Him, through Him and to Him”:

Rom 9:16 So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy. [So much for the false doctrine of God giving man a will that is free from any external influence from Him]
Rom 9:17 For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth.
Rom 9:18 Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth.
Rom 9:19 Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth he yet find fault? For who hath resisted his will?
Rom 9:20 Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus?
Rom 9:21 Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour [the new man], and another unto dishonour?

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.

Christ came to reveal the mind of His Father to us:

Luk 10:22  All things are delivered to me of my Father: and no man knoweth who the Son is, but the Father; and who the Father is, but the Son, and he to whom the Son will reveal him.

Joh 15:15  Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.

While we are not expected to keep the holy days of the law of Moses, those holy days are just as instructive of the mind of our heavenly Father as are the sacrifices which are also fulfilled in Christ and which are also instructive to us of the mind of our heavenly Father.

The first holy day signifies how our Father is in the process of redeeming His “marred… clay… vessel”:

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

The first step in “making it another vessel” is signified “for our edification” by the Passover festival as revealed to us in Leviticus 23:

Lev 23:4  These are the feasts of the LORD, even holy convocations, which ye shall proclaim in their seasons.
Lev 23:5  In the fourteenth day of the first month at even is the LORD’S passover.

The reason for this festival is given to us in Exodus 12:

Exo 12:1  And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying,
Exo 12:2  This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you.
Exo 12:3  Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for an house:
Exo 12:4  And if the household be too little for the lamb, let him and his neighbour next unto his house take it according to the number of the souls; every man according to his eating shall make your count for the lamb.
Exo 12:5  Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats:
Exo 12:6  And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening.
Exo 12:7  And they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses, wherein they shall eat it.
Exo 12:8  And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it.
Exo 12:9  Eat not of it raw, nor sodden at all with water, but roast with fire; his head with his legs, and with the purtenance thereof.
Exo 12:10  And ye shall let nothing of it remain until the morning; and that which remaineth of it until the morning ye shall burn with fire.
Exo 12:11  And thus shall ye eat it [The Passover lamb]; with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste: it is the LORD’S passover.
Exo 12:12  For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the LORD.
Exo 12:13  And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt.

Exo 12:21  Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel, and said unto them, Draw out and take you a lamb according to your families, and kill the passover.

Exo 12:27  That ye shall say, It is the sacrifice of the LORD’S passover, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt, when he smote the Egyptians, and delivered our houses. And the people bowed the head and worshipped.

Exo 12:43  And the LORD said unto Moses and Aaron, This is the ordinance of the passover: There shall no stranger eat thereof:

To an outward Jew this is all simply an account of an historical event in which the Lord treated them and their nation in a special way while killing all the firstborn of Egypt.

To the man who is an inward ‘Jew’ this happened to the outward nation of Israel, and it is written for our admonition (1Co 10:11), revealing that Christ is signified by that lamb which every man kills, and if we acknowledge that fact, the truth is it is our sins which killed Christ (Jer 3:13), in this present time (Rom 8:18), and if we are the first to be judged in this present time (1Pe 4:17), and if we are the first to die to our old man and be crucified with Christ in this present time (Gal 2:20), then the ‘second death’ which is the lake of fire, the second judgment, the white throne judgment, “when the thousand years are expired” (Rev 20:7) will not hurt us (Rev 2:11, Rev 20:6).

Here is why Israel was told that “there shall no stranger eat thereof”:

Heb 13:10  We have an altar, whereof they have no right to eat which serve the tabernacle.
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 [of Israel].
Heb 13:12  Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate [of spiritual Sodom].
Heb 13:13  Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach [Bearing the rejection of those who “say they are Jews but are not”, (Rev 2:9, Rev 3:9)].
Heb 13:14  For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come.

In our next study we will seek  to know what the next step in the plan of God is revealed to us for our admonition as we examine the spiritual significance of the days of unleavened bread which immediately follow and are attached to the Passover.

Exo 12:14  And this day [the Passover] shall be unto you for a memorial; and ye shall keep it a feast [the Passover] to the LORD throughout your generations; ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance for ever.

This 14^th verse is the last verse of Exodus 12 which concerns the Passover. The next six verses are all concerned with the days of unleavened bread, the spiritual significance of which we will examine in our next study:

Exo 12:15  Seven days shall ye eat unleavened bread; even the first day ye shall put away leaven out of your houses: for whosoever eateth leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that soul shall be cut off from Israel.
Exo 12:16  And in the first day there shall be an holy convocation, and in the seventh day there shall be an holy convocation to you; no manner of work shall be done in them, save that which every man must eat, that only may be done of you.
Exo 12:17  And ye shall observe the feast of unleavened bread; for in this selfsame day have I brought your armies out of the land of Egypt: therefore shall ye observe this day in your generations by an ordinance for ever.
Exo 12:18  In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at even, ye shall eat unleavened bread, until the one and twentieth day of the month at even.
Exo 12:19  Seven days shall there be no leaven found in your houses: for whosoever eateth that which is leavened, even that soul shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he be a stranger, or born in the land.
Exo 12:20  Ye shall eat nothing leavened; in all your habitations shall ye eat unleavened bread.

[The next section of this study series can be found here.

Rev 20:1-6 Those Who Have Part in the First Resurrection, Part 1

[Study Aired June 13, 2025]

Rev 20:1 And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.
Rev 20:2 And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,
Rev 20:3 And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.
Rev 20:4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and [I saw] the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received [his] mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
Rev 20:5 But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This [is] the first resurrection.
Rev 20:6 Blessed and holy [is] he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.

Introduction

Chapter 19 begins by informing us that the Lord’s judgments include the fall of Babylon (Rev 19:2). As the smoke of her destruction ascends, we are informed of an event called “the marriage supper of the Lamb” (Rev 19:7). Putting Revelation 12:5, where the Lord’s elect are called “a manchild who was to rule the nations with a rod of iron”, together with Revelation 19:12 it is very clear that “as My Father hath sent me, even so send I you” to rule the nations of this world with a rod of iron.

Just like the last parts of chapters 7 and 14, without any notice or explanation, the last part of chapter 19 skips past the thousand-year reign and brings us to an entirely different ‘supper’ called “the supper of the great God” which deals with “the flesh of all men.”

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

This “supper of the great God” does not occur when the ten horns which hate the whore also hate Christ and His Christ and make war with Him before the thousand years begin. There is no mention of “the flesh of all men” at that event:

Rev 17:12  And the ten horns which thou sawest [on the beast] are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.
Rev 17:13  These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.
Rev 17:14  These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him [“the armies in heaven”] are called, and chosen, and faithful.
Rev 17:15  And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.
Rev 17:16  And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire.
Rev 17:17  For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled.
Rev 17:18  And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.

The ten horns on the beast make war with Christ and His armies before the thousand years. The supper of the Great God is furnished by “the flesh of all men” at the great white throne judgment which is subsequent to the thousand-year kingdom of God on this physical earth.

This 20^th chapter provides us with the sequence of events leading up to “the supper of the great God”:

Rev 20:1 And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.

We are only covering the first six verses of chapter 20 in this study, but the next five verses, as well as verse 7, demonstrate how pivotal this thousand-year reign of the Lord and His Christ is to bringing a close to ‘times eonian’ and to the destruction of the last enemy which is death:

Rev 20:2 And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,

The next four verses are all concerned with this thousand-year kingdom:

Rev 20:3  And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.
Rev 20:4  And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
Rev 20:5  But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.
Rev 20:6  Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.

The Lord’s firstfruit elect rule with Him over the nations of this world for a thousand years. Those who teach that “the resurrection is past already” (2Ti 2:18) deny the doctrine of a thousand years of rule by the Lord’s elect over the kingdoms of this world. In doing so, they are also denying that ‘the heavens must receive Christ until the times of restitution of all things” (Act 3:21). A doctrine which denies that there will be a thousand-year kingdom also denies any need for Christ to appear again on this earth. All those qualifying words like ‘and after that he must be loosed a little season… the rest of the dead live not again until the thousand years are finished … until the restitution of all things… when the thousand years are expired…’ etc. are meaningless if that kingdom is inward only and if Christ’s appearing is inward only. The entire work of God is understood only “by the [outward] things that are made.”

Rom 1:18  For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;
Rom 1:19  Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.
Rom 1:20  For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world [His eonian plan and purpose] are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:
Rom 1:21  Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. [And they decided they did not need to wait to find out what the consensus of the elders, ‘the multitude of counselors’ was. The idol of our heart tells us we are right and “I don’t care what the consensus of the elders is. We are right!”]
Rom 1:22  Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,

In the first part of the previous chapter, the Lord’s elect are “blessed [to be] called to the marriage supper of the Lamb”. In this chapter we learn that the marriage supper of the Lamb is also called “the first resurrection”, and the same blessings are pronounced upon those who have a part in it:

Rev 19:6  And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.
Rev 19:7  Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.
Rev 19:8  And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.
Rev 19:9  And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.

The first six verses of this 20^th chapter emphasize the judgment of the nations of this world by the Lord’s elect who are being judged in “this present time” (Rom 8:18) and are “blessed to be called to the marriage supper of the Lamb” which is called the “blessed and holy… first resurrection” in verse 6 of this chapter. As Joseph told the Pharaoh, when the Lord tells us anything in two different ways, then truly “the dream is one” (Gen 41:25-26). The “fiery trials” of this present judgment, which is judgment now on the house of God, are preparing us to be capable of making the hard decisions which must be made and enforced during that thousand-year kingdom. Those hard decisions and their enforcement are signified by “a rod of iron” which characterizes this thousand-year reign of the Lord’s elect over the outward unconverted “nations of this world”.

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

1Pe 4:17  For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?

These verses are not to be taken inwardly. The phrases “fiery trials… tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb” are used to describe the tribulations and persecutions of this age, but the phrase “rod of iron” is never used in reference to our trials in this life. That phrase is reserved to refer to “our Lord and His Christ” as resurrected spirits who will be dealing with rebellious, outward, carnally-minded flesh for a thousand years:

Psa 2:9  Thou [Christ and His ‘manchild’ elect, (Rev 11:15)] shalt break them [“the kingdoms of this world”, (Rev 11:15)] with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.

Rev 2:27  And he shall rule them [the kingdoms of this world] with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father.

Rev 12:5  And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations [the kingdoms of this world]: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne.

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

All four of these verses concern the kingdom of God which precedes the white throne judgment which “great… white throne” follows the “short season” of rebellion which immediately follows the thousand-year reign of “the Lord and His Christ.” All of these qualifying details are meaningless to “the resurrection is past already” crowd of false prophets:

2Ti 2:16  But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness.
2Ti 2:17  And their word will eat as doth a canker: of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus;
2Ti 2:18  Who concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already; and overthrow the faith of some.

The Lord is showing us “what He is about to do” outwardly:

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.

It is not “the kingdom of God is within you” which “are become the kingdoms of our Lord and His Christ.” Rather, it is the outward “kingdoms of this world.”

If this thousand-year kingdom were spiritual and inward only, then it would indeed have no end. However, this kingdom is qualified as having a definite beginning and a definite end. The thousand-year kingdom begins at “the resurrection of life” which occurs only at the beginning of the thousand-year kingdom:

Joh 5:28  Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice,
Joh 5:29  And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life [at the first resurrection]; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation [Greek: ‘krisis’, judgment, the great white throne judgment/ lake of fire/ second death].

That ‘end’ of that outward kingdom age is signified by the release of devil from his ‘bottomless pit’ prison and giving the devil the power to organize all men to rebel against “the camp of the saints” (Rev 20:7-9).

Rev 20:3  And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.

Rev 20:7  And when [ and not until] the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,
Rev 20:8  And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.
Rev 20:9  And they [“the nations in the four quarters of the [physical, outward] earth”] went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them [all nations of mankind, the beginning of the death of death].
Rev 20:10  And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.

This angel of verse one of this 20^th chapter is simply a messenger of God, and the ‘key’ is the simple Word of God declaring that the devil will not be capable of ‘deceiving the nations’ (Rev 18:23, Rev 20:8), nor will he be able to exercise power as ‘the prince of the power of the air’ (Eph 2:2), neither will he be capable of being ‘a roaring lion roaming about seeking whom he may devour’ (1Pe 5:8). All this power will be stripped from the devil for “a thousand years… after which he must be loosed for a little season.”

Notice just how integral to the message of this chapter this ‘thousand years’ is. It is mentioned six times in six consecutive verses:

Rev 20:2  And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,
Rev 20:3  And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.
Rev 20:4  And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
Rev 20:5  But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.
Rev 20:6  Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.
Rev 20:7  And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,

Verses 7 through 15 of this 20^th chapter informs us of what takes place during the “short season” which follows the thousand-year reign of the Lord’s elect over “the kingdoms of this world.” We will discuss that in another study. This study is concerned with whether there is a literal kingdom of God ruling over the kingdoms of this world.

Christ referred to this thousand-year age as “the restitution of all things” during which King David, signifying Christ and His Christ would rule the kingdoms of this world, and this is what He tells us about His kingdom on this physical earth:

Act 3:21  Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.
Act 3:22  For Moses truly said unto the fathers, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you.
Act 3:23  And it shall come to pass, that every soul, which will not hear that prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people.
Act 3:24  Yea, and all the prophets from Samuel and those that follow after, as many as have spoken, have likewise foretold of these days.

This physical kingdom age is followed by another age which is called the “white throne judgment.” This age is a spiritual age because in the resurrection “it is raised a spiritual body:

1Co 15:44  It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body; there is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.

This great white throne judgment/lake of fire/second death is initiated by a second resurrection which will include all of mankind who were not given to have a part in the “blessed and holy… first resurrection.

Throughout this revelation of Jesus Christ the holy spirit is constantly contrasting the blessings of the spirit upon our inward new man with the curses of the carnal mind of the old man. In chapter seven the contrast is between the few numbered with “a multitude which no man could number.” In chapter 14 the same 144,000 numbered are called “the firstfruits unto God and the Lamb. In chapter 14 three angels are used by the holy spirit to signify the judgment of the 144,000. The first angel preaches the gospel to all nations proclaiming with a loud voice that the hour of God’s judgment is now, at this very moment, on His house [1Pe 4:17]. The second angel proclaims the fall of Babylon within those who are being judged in this age. The third angel demonstrates that we endure the same “fire and brimstone… torment in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb” which is experienced by all the rest of mankind after at the “great white throne… judgment. The “fire and brimstone judgment we endure in this age is called “the fiery trial, which is to try you”:

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.

Here is how the holy spirit describes this experience in Christ’s own life:

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.
Luk 22:44  And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.

Mark uses these words to express the same fiery trial endured by our Lord:

Mar 14:33  And he taketh with him Peter and James and John, and began to be sore amazed, and to be very heavy;
Mar 14:34  And saith unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful unto death: tarry ye here, and watch.
Mar 14:35  And he went forward a little, and fell on the ground, and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him.
Mar 14:36  And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt.

Christ’s sweat “as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground” and His being “exceeding sorrowful unto death”is the same as our being tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb spoken of in:

Rev 14:10  The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:
Rev 14:11  And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.

What do the scriptures call this excruciating judgment which both we and Christ must endure? Here is what this experience of the wrath of God upon our man of sin in this age is called in scripture:

Rev 14:12  Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.
Rev 14:13  And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them.

The “fire and brimstone… torment” endured by “the saints” refers to our every day “fiery trials” that Peter tells us all we must expect if we are serving Christ:

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.

Those who deny a literal thousand year reign of “our Lord and His Christ”, and there are many who do so teaching that the resurrection is spiritual and inward and “the resurrection is past already” (2Ti 2:18):

2Ti 2:15  Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
2Ti 2:16  But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness.
2Ti 2:17  And their word will eat as doth a canker: of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus;
2Ti 2:18  Who concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already; and overthrow the faith of some.

There are many who, until this very day, are teaching that “the resurrection is past already” because we do experience an inward resurrection. Demonstrating their inability to “rightly divide the word of Truth” they quote the apostle Paul’s own words:

Rom 6:2  God forbid. How shall we, that are dead [Aorist tense] to sin, live [Future tense] any longer therein?
Rom 6:3  Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized [Aorist tense] into Jesus Christ were baptized [Aorist tense] into his death?
Rom 6:4  Therefore we are buried with [Aorist tense] him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up [Aorist tense] from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk [Aorist tense] in newness of life.
Rom 6:5  For if we have been [perfect tense] planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be [future, not present tense] also in the likeness of his resurrection:
Rom 6:6  Knowing this [present tense], that our old man is crucified with [Aorist tense] him, that the body of sin might be destroyed [Aorist tense], that henceforth we should not serve [Present tense] sin.
Rom 6:7  For he that is dead [Aorist tense] is freed [Perfect tense] from sin.
Rom 6:8  Now if we be dead [Aorist tense] with Christ, we believe [Present tense] that we shall also live [Future tense, NOT present tense] with him:

The fact that the words “shall also live” are in the future tense, does not mean that we are not figuratively living “in Christ” at this time also.

Those who are still fostering the false doctrine of Hymenaeus and Philetus, that “the resurrection is past already” are denying the need for any literal resurrection of all those who have physically died both before and after Christ came down from heaven to die for our sins. Christ in the flesh was not Christ in us. It was essential that Christ had to physically die to become our spiritual Savior:

Joh 16:7  Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.

“Go away” means that it was expedient that Christ had to physically die or we would have no Savior.

The work Christ has given us to accomplish is very similar to the work which His Father has given Him to accomplish, and when we understand just how similar that work is we will have a much greater appreciation for these verses of scripture:

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

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

In like manner we, too, must physically die, or “be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye” (or there will be no “saviors… on Mount Zion judging the house of Esau (Oba 1:21):

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

1Co 15:51  Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
1Co 15:52  In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
1Co 15:53  For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.

Christ has not at this time made His appearing to put down all physical powers and authorities and place His own elect in the positions of power over the kingdoms of this world. He is yet to appear and when He does these changes will take place, whether Hymenaeus and Philetus or those who have been seduced by their false teaching believe it or not.

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.

In coming to understand what Christ has sent us to do we will continue to give the lie to the false doctrine of Hymenaeus and Philetus and all the modern day false prophets who feel so spiritual while teaching that “the resurrection is past already”:

1Ti 1:19  Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck:
1Ti 1:20  Of whom is Hymenaeus and Alexander; whom I have delivered unto Satan, that they may learn not to blaspheme.

Hymenaeus was in cahoots with both Alexander and Philetus in pushing his ‘the resurrection is past already’ self-righteous false doctrine. Notice what Paul has to say about this subversive disciple in his next epistle to Timothy:

2Ti 2:15  Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
2Ti 2:16  But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness.
2Ti 2:17  And their word will eat as doth a canker: of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus;
2Ti 2:18  Who concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already; and overthrow the faith of some.
2Ti 2:19  Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.

Paul characterizing the teaching that “the resurrection is past already” as proof that Hymenaeus and Philetus are incapable of “rightly dividing the Word of Truth. He also calls this doctrine ‘profane and vain babblings which increase unto more ungodliness.’ Those who deny a “resurrection to life”, preceding the thousand-year reign, deny the veracity of our fifth verse in today’s study and of our Lord’s own words:

Joh 5:28  Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice,
Joh 5:29  And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation [Greek: krisis, judgment, the great white throne judgment].

Rev 20:5  But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.

“The rest of the dead” clearly means any of the dead who were not in the blessed and holy first resurrection.

We will pause here and continue to expose the lie that the resurrection is past already  in our next study.

Book of Obadiah – Oba 1:2 Thou art Greatly Despised

[Study Aired December 13, 2023]

Oba 1:2  Behold, I have made thee small among the heathen: thou art greatly despised

Oba 1:2  Behold,^H2009 I have made^H5414 thee small^H6996 among the heathen:^H1471 thou^H859 art greatly^H3966 despised.^H959 

The seven Hebrew words used are:

H2009 – Hinneh, behold, lo, see, if, prolongation for a primitive particle H2005, Hen, behold, lo, if

H5414 – Nathan, (Qal) to give, put, set, bestow, grant, permit, ascribe, employ, devote, consecrate, dedicate, pay wages, sell, exchange, lend, commit, entrust, give over, deliver up, yield produce, occasion, produce, requite to, report, mention, utter, stretch out, extend, put on, put upon, appoint, assign, designate, make, constitute, a primitive root

H6996 – Qatan, young, small, insignificant, unimportant, from a primitive root 

H6962, Koot, to loathe, be grieved, feel a loathing, detest, loathe oneself

H1471 – Goy, nation, people, swarm of locusts, other animals, from the same root as 

H1465, Gevah, the back, behind, from H1460, Gev, the back, back, midst, from a primitive root H1342, Ga’ah, to rise up, grow up, be exalted in triumph, be lifted up, be raised up, be exalted

H859 – Attah, you (second pers. sing. masc.) a primitive pronoun of the second person

H3966 – Meod, Vehement, exceedingly, much, might, force, abundance, muchness, greatly, very, up to abundance, to a great degree, with muchness, from the same as H181, Ood, brand, fire brand, from an unused root meaning to rake together a poker (for turning or gathering embers) (Root word used three times in OT)

H959 – Bazah, (Qal) to despise, hold in contempt, a primitive root

Here is a literal translation of verse 2 including the root words:

Oba 1:2 Behold (you are) given to be small [to loathe yourself], [you will] be raised up, you, a firebrand, held in contempt.

The new man loathes the old man, because they are opposites (in opposition) and will hold it in contempt just as the new man is held in contempt by the flesh. In Paul’s letter to the Romans, he refers to this conflict:

Rom 8:1  There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
Rom 8:2  For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.
Rom 8:3  For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:
Rom 8:4  That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
Rom 8:5  For they that are after the flesh do mind [G5426] the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.
Rom 8:6  For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

It is the carnal mind (false doctrines) which make up the old man and it is the carnal mind that is enmity (hostility) against God.

Rom 8:7  Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.

As we mature in Christ we begin to place much more emphasis on understanding the things of the spirit, by spending time in the Word, because we know that focusing on the flesh does not please God. 

Rom 8:8  So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God

The Greek word used in Romans 8:5 for mind (for they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit) is:

G5426 
phroneō [fron-eh’-o]

From G5424; to exercise the mind, that is, entertain or have a sentiment or opinion; intensively to interest oneself in (with concern or obedience): – set the affection on. From a root word G5424 “the faculty of perceiving and judging”.

As the elect we are interested in understanding the Word of God, and we are very concerned with being obedient to His Words. This is what makes us “able ministers” as shown in 2 Corinthians.

2Co 3:6  Who also hath made us able ministers [G1249] of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life

The elect are “able ministers”:

G1249
diakonos

Thayer Definition:

1) one who executes the commands of another, especially of a master, a servant, attendant, minister

1a) the servant of a king

We are, and are to be, servants of Christ, our King. He is the true King of kings and Lord of lords. He chose us to be servants; we didn’t choose to be invited to be a servant in his Kingdom because it is He who appoints us to this role.

Joh 15:16  Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.

Rev 17:14  These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.

Isa 43:10  Ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me

Good servants, primarily are obedient to their King. This is how we can keep every word of Christ and at the same time apply the spiritual principle of not keeping every “letter” which has been written in the Bible, instead discerning truth from error as we start to put away the idols from out of all our land. As servants we are given the keys to the Kingdom so we may better understand the spirit behind the letter of what has been written:

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.

It is our reasonable service to present our bodies as a living sacrifice. This is achieved by renewing our mind (putting away the flesh/the idols and giants out of our land).

2Ch 15:6  And nation was destroyed of nation, and city of city: for God did vex them with all adversity.
2Ch 15:7  Be ye strong therefore, and let not your hands be weak: for your work shall be rewarded.
2Ch 15:8  And when Asa heard these words, and the prophecy of Oded the prophet, he took courage, and put away the abominable idols out of all the land of Judah and Benjamin.

Nations are destroyed within us (false doctrines) as Christ (true doctrines) increases in us. Christ is moulding us into a firebrand, a “new sharp threshing instrument having teeth” that is comfortable in fire, discerning truth from error:

Isa 41:13  For I the LORD thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee.
Isa 41:14  Fear not, thou worm Jacob, and ye men of Israel; I will help thee, saith the LORD, and thy redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.
Isa 41:15  Behold, I will make thee a new sharp threshing instrument having teeth: thou shalt thresh the mountains, and beat them small, and shalt make the hills as chaff.

Sharp denotes the Word and how we use it in conjunction with the Holy Spirit 

H2742 chârûts (khaw-roots’), incised or incisive; hence a trench (as dug), gold (as mined), a threshing sledge (having sharp teeth); (figuratively) determination; decision

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

God has three seasons in which he is harvesting all of mankind to himself so he may be all in all (1Co 15:28).

The first season of harvesting is the first of the firstfruits which is Christ.

1Co 15:20 But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.

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

The second season is the harvest where the firstfruits are brought to God. The elect are a type of firstfruits.

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

The third season is the “feast of ingathering” which occurs at the end of the year and is when all in Adam will be dragged to their Creator.

Here is how it appears in Exodus:

Exo 34:22  And thou shalt observe the feast of weeks, of the firstfruits of wheat harvest, and the feast of ingathering at the year’s end.

Ultimately this work of harvesting will bring both the sower and the reaper joy. We find our peace and joy in being a servant of the King of kings and Lord of lords.

Joh 4:34  Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.
Joh 4:35  Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest.
Joh 4:36  And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together.

It is also comforting to know that Christ also thinks of us as more than just servants. He calls us His friend.

Joh 15:11  These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.
Joh 15:12  This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.
Joh 15:13  Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
Joh 15:14  Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.
Joh 15:15  Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.

Conclusion

Spiritual principle: We are to keep every word of scripture, but also understand the letter kills, but it is the spirit that giveth life.

Because of Christ in us, he is making us “able ministers” of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.

Zec 14:1-8  “Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee”

[Study Aired August 31, 2023]

The “day of the LORD” is something that happens in stages, and this particular chapter of Zechariah makes that very clear. The terminology in verse one, “divided in the midst of you“, then the gathering process of the nations in the second verse, “For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle“, then the LORD going forth to “fight against those nations” is another process that takes time of verse three (Zec 14:1-3). These are stages that will unfold during the thousand-year reign of the saints and that God’s elect are experiencing themselves in this life as Christ did (Rev 20:6 another process Luk 13:32, Heb 5:8).

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

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

Heb 5:8  Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered;

After these first three verses, the moving of mountains is mentioned in verse four, which indicates a process of faith (Mat 17:20), followed by people reacting to the judgments of God that are in the earth in verse five as “ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains.“

Mat 17:20  And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.

Finally, in verse eight, we read of the process of judgment that is being executed in the earth by the elect with these words: “living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; half of them toward the former sea, and half of them toward the hinder sea: in summer and in winter shall it be.“

It takes all these above mentioned processes unfolding in the life of God’s people to accomplish the day of the Lord within so that the body of Christ can execute God’s judgments without “Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee.”

The day of the Lord, or the day of God’s visitation (Luk 19:44) is realized when God determines it for every man, and because the elect are judged first (1Pe 4:17) we are then commissioned to execute those judgements on all God’s creation who are being reserved for that event  (2Pe 3:7, Jud 1:6, 1Co 6:3).

2Pe 3:7  But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.

Jud 1:6  And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day. 

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

Here are the first eight verses for this study that will look at:

Zec 14:1  Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee.
Zec 14:2  For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city. 
Zec 14:3  Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle. 
Zec 14:4  And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south.
Zec 14:5  And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal: yea, ye shall flee, like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah: and the LORD my God shall come, and all the saints with thee. 
Zec 14:6  And it shall come to pass in that day, that the light shall not be clear, nor dark: 
Zec 14:7  But it shall be one day which shall be known to the LORD, not day, nor night: but it shall come to pass, that at evening time it shall be light.
Zec 14:8  And it shall be in that day, that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; half of them toward the former sea, and half of them toward the hinder sea: in summer and in winter shall it be.

————–

Zec 14:1  Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee.
Zec 14:2  For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city. 

Dispensationally these opening verses are talking about Jerusalem below (Isa 1:21, Rev 11:8, Psa 137:6, Jerusalem above Gal 4:26, Luk 13:32) and demonstrate the increased spiritual warfare that will be taking place in the world prior to Christ’s return (2Ti 3:13, 2Ti 3:1). Jerusalem below represents the harlot system that the beast (“all nations“) are against (Rev 17:16). The inward application of these first two verses applies to God’s people in this dispensation of grace as these words of Christ unfold within us.

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

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

Rev 17:16  And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire. 

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

What God will do against Jerusalem, that is likened unto a whore which connects her with Mystery Babylon and  the daughters of this harlot church (Rev 17:5),  is explained in these terms, “For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city.” These are the four verses in the book of Revelation that  talk about the “whore” being revealed for who she is and how God is going to punish her in stages “and half of the city shall go forth into captivity“: (Rev 17:1, Rev 17:15-16, Rev 19:2). 

Rev 17:1   And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters.

Rev 17:15   And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.
Rev 17:16 And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire.

Rev 19:2  For true and righteous are his judgments: for he hath judged the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of his servants at her hand [spiritual fornication within the 40,000 plus divided churches of Babylon (1Co 1:13)].

Again, this is to be understood inwardly for God’s elect today as we ‘come out of her my people’ and strive, with the faith of Christ, to be of one mind (1Pe 4:17, 2Co 6:17, Php 1:27). Outwardly, it is speaking of the time leading up to when the saints will judge the world with a rod of iron, having endured His complete judgment (Rev 15:8) until the end of our lives in order to be saved (Rev 2:27, Rev 12:5, Rev 19:15, Mat 24:13).

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

Rev 2:27  And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father.

Rev 12:5  And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne.

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

This judgment is coming forth from the elect who are going to give her double [meaning the true witness [2] of God’s word that is going to burn as with fire (Jer 5:14, Rev 17:16)] and these verses (Rev 16:19, Rev 18:7, Rev 2:23) correlate with this verse: Zec 14:2 “For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women [the churches of Babylon] ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city.”  The church of Thyatira really captures the thought that we can do many wonderful works in Babylon and still be given a spirit that despises God’s goodness which is leading us to repentance (Rom 2:4). Thyatira’s spirit will be alive and well during the thousand-year reign of the saints, all to demonstrate that we cannot come out of that Babylonian mindset unless the Lord builds that spiritual house within us with God’s spirit (Psa 127:1, Rom 8:9).

Rev 16:19   And the great city was divided into three parts [process of judgment], and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath. [Zechariah’s^H2148 name means “Jah has remembered“]

Rev 18:7  How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow.

Rev 2:18  And unto the angel of the church in Thyatira write; These things saith the Son of God, who hath his eyes like unto a flame of fire, and his feet are like fine brass;
Rev 2:19  I know thy works, and charity, and service, and faith, and thy patience, and thy works; and the last to be more than the first.
Rev 2:20  Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols.
Rev 2:21  And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not.
Rev 2:22  Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds.
Rev 2:23  And I will kill her children with death [her children represent false doctrines]; and all the churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works.

Zec 14:3  Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle. 
Zec 14:4  And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south. 

The mount of Olives is typical of mount Zion where the elect are raised after having fulfilled their symbolic three-and-a-half-year ministry of witnessing to all “peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues” where the whore sits (Rev 11:3-4). Verse three tells us the Lord will go forth and do spiritual battle “against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle.” Verse four reveals who He is going to use to engage in that battle (Oba 1:21). Christ’s feet standing on the mount of Olives is telling us Christ is our head and leader in the day of this great spiritual battle against all “peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues“, first within ourselves and then against all nations throughout the symbolic period of time called the thousand-year reign (Eph 6:12, Rev 20:6). We read the expression “as when he fought in the day of battle” that refers to when we were God’s witnesses of these things battling against the powers and principalities at that time in our lives and becoming more than conquerors through Christ and His Christ (Rom 8:37-39, Rev 12:6-8).

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. 
Rev 12:7  And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,
Rev 12:8  And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. 

The mount of Olives is “before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south.” We have all directions being given to us for a reason [north, south, east and west], demonstrating the elect, represented by the mount of Olives, are in perfect subjection to our sovereign God as spirit beings going where we are led by God’s spirit (Rom 8:14, Joh 3:8). The elect have experienced judgment in our heavens already, likened to lightning as from the east to the west, which is how the man of perdition is destroyed within us in this age by the brightness of His coming from the east to the west (Mat 24:27, 2Th 2:8). The mount of Olives, which represents the elect, has been blessed to cleave to Christ in this life – “the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west” from the east unto the west (Psa 19:4-6), The great valley between Jerusalem below and the mount of Olives represents the great gulf there is between mankind and the body of Christ (Luk 16:26). Our mission with Christ can now be accomplished having had His life formed in us through the things we have suffered in this life (Col 1:24, 2Ti 2:12). 

Psa 19:4  Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun, 
Psa 19:5  Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race. 
Psa 19:6  His going forth is from the end of the heaven, and his circuit unto the ends of it: and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof.

That mission is to be sent as Christ was sent (Joh 20:21, Joh 3:17) to fill the fleshly world, represented by the south, with His judgment which comes from the north (Isa 26:9). This dividing of the mountain (“half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south“) refers back to verse 1, “Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee” (Zec 14:1). The most mountainous power that controls flesh is the law of sin in our members (Rom 7:23, 1Jn 2:16), and the carnal law of Moses or the Gentiles, who are a law unto themselves (Heb 7:16, 1Ti 1:8-10) deludes us into thinking that we can be righteous before God by adhering to those laws in the letter or by being a law unto ourselves. It is that massive self-righteous mountain that has to be divided by Christ in every man’s life, each man in his own order (Rom 7:6, Rom 2:14, 1Co 15:23-25). It is in the day of the Lord that God puts an end to that strong delusion, and our overcoming through Christ brings forth the spiritual spoils of war in our midst – “and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee.” The spoils represent the nations at this time that are being ruled over with a rod of iron [inheritance of the saints], and the spoils of war are also experienced today as we become more than conquerors through Christ, being nourished by the giants in our land Christ slays in us (Num 14:9). In time the world will not just learn righteousness but adhere to the words of Christ and continue in them after they have become tried words in the lake of fire (1Pe 1:7).

Mat 24:27  For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

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:

Zec 14:5  And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal: yea, ye shall flee, like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah: and the LORD my God shall come, and all the saints with thee. 
Zec 14:6  And it shall come to pass in that day, that the light shall not be clear, nor dark: 
Zec 14:7  But it shall be one day which shall be known to the LORD, not day, nor night: but it shall come to pass, that at evening time it shall be light.

God’s judgments in the earth will initially produce a healthy fear of God to which these verses are alluding (Rev 6:14-17). “And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal (Azal = “proximity: he has reserved” – from H680: to lay aside, reserve, withdraw, withhold” – 2Pe 3:7, Psa 37:28). When God’s elect are resurrected, there is going to be a great fear that will come over the earth (Rev 11:11, Luk 21:26). What the world is fleeing from is Christ and the elect “and the LORD my God shall come, and all the saints with thee.” It is “like as ye fled from before the earthquake” to give another clue as to the condition of men’s hearts at this time when Babylon is about to fall, found in Revelation 11:13.

2Pe 3:7  But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.

Psa 37:28  For the LORD loveth judgment, and forsaketh not his saints; they are preserved for ever: but the seed of the wicked shall be cut off. 

Rev 6:14  And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.
Rev 6:15  And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains;
Rev 6:16  And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb:
Rev 6:17  For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?

Rev 11:13  And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven [Rev 14:8].

This transition period when the world sees Christ and His bride will produce a mindset in humanity that is described in these terms by God, “And it shall come to pass in that day, that the light shall not be clear, nor dark.” God’s glory can be seen and understood with a veil over our eyes like the day Moses came down from mount Sinai (Exo 34:29-30), but not have any effect on the heart as the Israelites typified for our sakes (1Pe 1:12, 1Co 10:11). The elect have had the veil removed through Christ and saw the sun of righteousness in His full strength as resurrected saints during their reign under Christ, however the world still have a veil over their eyes (2Co 3:14). It is written this way  “and the LORD my God shall come, and all the saints with thee.” It is “like as ye fled from before the earthquake” and “But it shall be one day which shall be known to the LORD, not day, nor night: but it shall come to pass, that at evening time it shall be light.” The “evening time” when there shall be light typifies the salvation of all mankind, when everyone will be enlightened (Eph 1:18-23) to know God and Jesus Christ in their hearts and minds (Joh 17:3).

Exo 34:30  And when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone; and they were afraid to come nigh him. 

Rev 11:11  And after three days and an half the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them. 

Luk 21:26  Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.

Rev 11:13  And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven.

Zec 14:8  And it shall be in that day, that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; half of them toward the former sea, and half of them toward the hinder sea: in summer and in winter shall it be.

The living waters going out from Jerusalem are going out from the church and represent the word of God which is going to fill the world as the oceans are filled with water (Hab 2:14). These living waters of (Hab 2:14) are contrasted with the wine of the harlot churches of this world who have caused spiritual drunkenness and nakedness in the next verse of Habakkuk (Hab 2:15). 

Hab 2:14  For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.
Hab 2:15  Woe unto him that giveth his neighbour drink, that puttest thy bottle to him, and makest him drunken also, that thou mayest look on their nakedness!

The former^{H6931 [former, ancient, eastern, old]} sea that needs to be washed is all the false doctrines that have been propagated throughout the history of mankind, and the hinder^{H314 [behind, following, subsequent, western, hinder; generally late or last}] sea represents the current state of all the “peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues” with their various belief systems. Those waters go forth “in summer and in winter shall it be” is speaking of the effectiveness of that preaching of the word. There will be seasons of overcoming for the world of the wood, hay and stubble that would happen in the summer^{H7019=summer, summer-fruit}, but there will also be a resistance to the word going forth that falls on unconverted hearts that are likened unto winter^{H2779=cold, winter, winterhouse, youth} mentioned in other scriptures as well. As we are blessed to know, God’s word will ultimately not return void in the great white throne judgment, the latter rain (Mat 24:20, Isa 55:11, Jas 5:7). 

Pro 20:4  The sluggard will not plow by reason of the cold^{H2779 winter}; therefore shall he beg in harvest, and have nothing.

Mat 24:20  But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day:

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

Jas 5:7  Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain.

Next week, Lord willing, we will look at the last part of this chapter [Zec 14:9-21]:

Zec 14:9  And the LORD shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one. 
Zec 14:10  All the land shall be turned as a plain from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem: and it shall be lifted up, and inhabited in her place, from Benjamin’s gate unto the place of the first gate, unto the corner gate, and from the tower of Hananeel unto the king’s winepresses. 
Zec 14:11  And men shall dwell in it, and there shall be no more utter destruction; but Jerusalem shall be safely inhabited.
Zec 14:12  And this shall be the plague wherewith the LORD will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their holes, and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth. 
Zec 14:13  And it shall come to pass in that day, that a great tumult from the LORD shall be among them; and they shall lay hold every one on the hand of his neighbour, and his hand shall rise up against the hand of his neighbour.
Zec 14:14  And Judah also shall fight at Jerusalem; and the wealth of all the heathen round about shall be gathered together, gold, and silver, and apparel, in great abundance. 
Zec 14:15  And so shall be the plague of the horse, of the mule, of the camel, and of the ass, and of all the beasts that shall be in these tents, as this plague. 
Zec 14:16  And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles.
Zec 14:17  And it shall be, that whoso will not come up of all the families of the earth unto Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, even upon them shall be no rain. 
Zec 14:18  And if the family of Egypt go not up, and come not, that have no rain; there shall be the plague, wherewith the LORD will smite the heathen that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles. 
Zec 14:19  This shall be the punishment of Egypt, and the punishment of all nations that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles. 
Zec 14:20  In that day shall there be upon the bells of the horses, HOLINESS UNTO THE LORD; and the pots in the LORD’S house shall be like the bowls before the altar.
Zec 14:21  Yea, every pot in Jerusalem and in Judah shall be holiness unto the LORD of hosts: and all they that sacrifice shall come and take of them, and seethe therein: and in that day there shall be no more the Canaanite in the house of the LORD of hosts.

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Awesome Hands - part 156: "Called by the name of the Lord" - Discussion

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Awesome Hands – Part 156

“Called by the name of the Lord”

October 19, 2019

Last study we covered the curses of the Lord, and for this study we will be blessed to cover the blessings of the Lord.

The verses for consideration today are found in Deuteronomy 28. There are two times that the word “hand” is mentioned here, though they are a few verses apart, so we will cover a few verses in-between as well.

Deu 28:8  The LORD shall command the blessing upon thee in thy storehouses, and in all that thou settest thine hand unto; and he shall bless thee in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.
Deu 28:9  The LORD shall establish thee an holy people unto himself, as he hath sworn unto thee, if thou shalt keep the commandments of the LORD thy God, and walk in his ways.
Deu 28:10  And all people of the earth shall see that thou art called by the name of the LORD; and they shall be afraid of thee.
Deu 28:11  And the LORD shall make thee plenteous in goods, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy ground, in the land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers to give thee.
Deu 28:12  The LORD shall open unto thee his good treasure, the heaven to give the rain unto thy land in his season, and to bless all the work of thine hand: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, and thou shalt not borrow.

Obviously, there is a lot being said here, and while going into depth would take several studies, I am going to focus on a few points of interest as I am led of the Lord to do so.

The first verse tells us the Lord’s blessing will be upon our storehouses, as well as all that we set our hand, i.e. work, to do. Likewise, He will bless us in the “land” which the LORD gives to us.

I looked up the word storehouse to make sure it was what I thought it was, and it is indeed a 'barn'. However, it is only mentioned one other time in Hebrews, so I thought I would read that as well to give us some context on what the Lord thinks about “storehouses”.

H618

'âsâm

Total KJV Occurrences: 2

barns, 1

Pro_3:10

storehouses, 1

Deu_28:8

Pro 3:10  So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.

I also read the entire section of Proverbs 3, but the verses that caught my attention during this study are Pro 3:3-10.

Pro 3:3  Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart:
Pro 3:4  So shalt thou find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man.
Pro 3:5  Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
Pro 3:6  In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
Pro 3:7  Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil.
Pro 3:8  It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones.
Pro 3:9  Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase:
Pro 3:10  So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.

I know there is a lot packed into this set of verses as well, but there are some profound things being said in these verses which lead up to “thy barns shall be filled with plenty”.

Writing mercy and truth upon the tables of your heart, thereby finding favor and good understanding in the sight of God and man, is something we don’t often talk about.

While we do talk about trusting the Lord with all of our heart, and not leaning to our own understanding, is this something we do all the time as is required?

Acknowledging the Lord 'in ALL WAYS' seems to be VERY important to our paths being directed by the Lord. When I emphasize our it seems to that there is a difference between our goals and the Lords from the perspective of us.

The Lord works all things after the counsel of His own will; yet, we live that will from our perspective and under the rule of living in the bounds of time. The Lord isn’t restricted by time.

Being not wise in our own eyes and fearing the Lord is HUGE when you clearly grasp the implications to your spiritual health. When you are not wise in your own eyes and you FEAR the LORD, you have HEALTH to your NAVEL/belly and to the very CORE of your bones.

Examine that statement for a second. Look at your life, and examine what it is YOU are WISE in your own eyes about.

Are you wealthy and have some savings? Are you wise in your own eyes for having built up that savings? Are you healthy as an ox, as the saying goes, and you somehow are wise in your own eyes that you alone accomplished that?

Do you have a healthy marriage which gives you wisdom in your own eyes?

Do you take pride in being “down to earth” because you are not so wealthy, but you are rich in spirit from the Lord?

Do you have a great story of how you are where you are now, but if circumstances would have been slightly different, you might be some where else in this point in your life?

Do you have children who love you, lots of friends, admiration from co-workers and peers, etc.?

I could go on and on, but what is it in your life that can cause you to be WISE in your OWN BLIND EYES?

The Truth is, without the Lord 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.

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

Isa 64:6  But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.

Rom 1:16  For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
Rom 1:17  For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.

Rom 3:23  For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

Rom 13:8  Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.

Joh 5:19  Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these  also doeth the Son likewise.

If Jesus Christ can do NOTHING of Himself, then what chance do we have of somehow being more powerful than Jesus in doing something of ourselves?

Likewise, Jesus told us in John 15:5 that without Him we can DO NOTHING. Therefore, we can do nothing without Jesus, and Jesus cannot do anything of Himself and tells us we can do NOTHING without God the Father.

Putting this all together, we see that we can do nothing of ourselves, but we obviously  ….. do stuff in life.

Notice the Lord tells us in Deuteronomy 28:15, “The LORD shall command the blessing upon thee in thy storehouses, and in all that thou settest thine hand unto”.

What are we setting our hands to do? The answer is: everything we do, we are setting our hands to do. However, what is the purpose of the thing we are doing? Are we “doing all that we do to the glory of God” or are we just getting by?

Deu 28:10  And all people of the earth shall see that thou art called by the name of the LORD; and they shall be afraid of thee

The name of the Lord is a specific thing to be named by; yet, how can all the people of the earth SEE if we are not among all the people of the earth? The answer is that we are in the presence of “all the earth” when we interact in any way with anyone we encounter in our lives, whether they be a stranger, foe or friend.

Proverbs 3:4 told us that we will find favor and good understanding in the sight of God and man, but how can that happen with the “in sight of man” part if we are not in the sight of man?

Pro 3:4  So shalt thou find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man

Mat 5:13  Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.
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.

Brothers and sisters, this world needs a lot of light to shine into it. We are the ambassadors of Christ to the WORLD and to the EARTH.

With all that I have just said, I am not saying that in this ambassadorship we can do anything on our own to be this ambassador. However, that is what and who we are. We cannot be hidden.

Whatever we are doing has an impact on a future son of God, and everyone will be a future son of God. We need to be presenting ourselves in the ways we have learned to be “the light of the world”.

If we be afraid, let it be FEAR of the Lord and not of men. Our ideas, thoughts, emotions, actions and reactions should all be a reflection of the Light that is in US.

I am in front of a lot of people all the time. I interact with customers and people I work with. I see strangers at the store. I interact with people online through texting, websites, web chats, webcams, etc.

In all of these interactions, I pray I am reflecting the light that is in me because I have been called and chosen to be faithful to being the VERY light of the WORLD.

Joh 17:6  I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word.

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

Joh 17:14  I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.
Joh 17:15  I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.
Joh 17:16  They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.
Joh 17:17  Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.

Sometimes, I see a lot of judgments of being “in the world”, and these things are not good. You may have all experienced these things yourselves while in the various denominations you were called out of.

Being in the World is our very calling. We are to be among darkness but not be OF that darkness.

Everyone knows what the Lord’s prayer is, but they often ignore one very important ACTUAL prayer which the Lord prayed for us Himself.

“I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.”

Jesus didn’t pray that we be taken out of the world, but that we be kept from evil. Isn’t that interesting? Jesus prayed this and tells us that we are the Light OF THE WORLD.

How then is all of this connected to our verses of study for today?

Look at the mindset we should have if we want:

1) Blessings upon our storehouse

2) Blessings upon all that we set our hands to do

3) Blessings in the land which the Lord gives us (YOU are the LAND)

4) Blessing to be the holy people of God

5) All the people of the earth shall SEE WE ARE CALLED BY HIS NAME and be afraid (fear of the Lord in us)

6) Blessed with plenteous in goods, fruit of the our body, fruit of the cattle, fruit of the ground, IN OUR LAND

7) Blessed in the GOOD TREASURE of the Lord, RAIN unto our LAND in it’s season, to BLESS all the work of OUR HANDS

8) We shall lend but not borrow

How is it we obtain these things?

1) Keep His commandments

2) Walk in His ways

I don’t know about you all, but that seems like a very FAIR list of blessings for LOVING the Lord with all our heart, soul strength and mind and loving our neighbors as ourselves. I simply just restated the verses of Deuteronomy 28:8-12 where we see two listings of the word “hand”.

How can we love our neighbors if we aren’t AMONG our neighbors?

The answer is that we are among our neighbors anytime we are “in the world” among those to whom the Lord desires that we be the Light of the world.

I will end this study by connecting a few thoughts that are often overlooked.

1Jn 2:16  For all that is IN THE WORLD, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
1Jn 2:17  And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.

We are not OF the WORLD, but we are IN THE WORLD. When you connect this with being the Light OF THE WORLD, it should be easy to see that you have to be IN the world in order to not be OF the world.

Why?

Light is called from darkness, but it must be IN DARKNESS to be called forth from it.

We must be in the world, while being the Light of this world, so that we can be examples to all of mankind (those to whom we are sent in our lives) in order to plant seeds that can be watered and increased by the Lord.

Who else can give examples to a dying and decayed EARTH and WORLD other than the sons of God following the example of the Son of God?

We are sent to the EARTH that everyone is. We are sent into “all that is IN THE WORLD” to be LIGHT where there is only darkness. We are the conduits being used to accomplish this.

Therefore, while we examine this aspect of it, let us keep reminding ourselves of the reward we are after in the age to come while also not denying that there ARE BLESSINGS we can and do receive NOW in this age.

Review my list above to see some of those blessings.

For now, I hope you were edified and blessed by this study.

Isa 22:1-8 Your Slain Men Are Not Slain With The Sword, Part 2 - Discussion

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Isa 22:1-8 Your Slain Men Are Not Slain With The Sword - Part 2

Isa 22:1  The burden of the valley of vision. What aileth thee now, that thou art wholly gone up to the housetops?
Isa 22:2  Thou that art full of stirs, a tumultuous city, a joyous city: thy slain men are not slain with the sword, nor dead in battle.
Isa 22:3  All thy rulers are fled together, they are bound by the archers: all that are found in thee are bound together, which have fled from far.
Isa 22:4  Therefore said I, Look away from me; I will weep bitterly, labour not to comfort me, because of the spoiling of the daughter of my people.
Isa 22:5  For it is a day of trouble, and of treading down, and of perplexity by the Lord GOD of hosts in the valley of vision, breaking down the walls, and of crying to the mountains.
Isa 22:6  And Elam bare the quiver with chariots of men and horsemen, and Kir uncovered the shield.
Isa 22:7  And it shall come to pass, that thy choicest valleys shall be full of chariots, and the horsemen shall set themselves in array at the gate.
Isa 22:8  And he discovered the covering of Judah, and thou didst look in that day to the armour of the house of the forest.

This is the second part of our study of the first 8 verses of this 22nd chapter of Isaiah. It is a burden against Jerusalem. It is one of the nine burdens against the nations. We have already seen that Judah, Jerusalem and Israel are included in these nine burdens because God's own special people apostatize and play the harlot against their own Husband and Savior. We are the Lord's own people, and it is we who have done all these things. Therefore, because we act no differently than the nations around us, we too, must suffer His wrath and be judged as the heathen are judged.

These words are and always have been true:

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.

Our last study was concerned with the fact that God has always warned us well in advance of the consequences of being disobedient to our spiritual husband. We all live unfaithful lives for years before we are judged for our infidelity. Time after time we are given space for repentance, but we refuse to do so, and instead we 'return to our own vomit and to our wallow in the mire' which is our life at that time.

Pro 26:11  As a dog returneth to his vomit, so a fool returneth to his folly.

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.

Having already been chastened severely, symbolized by our sister, northern Israel, being carried away captive, we still continue in our own unfaithful ways with total abandon, knowing that judgment is at the door. The Lord's judgments continue in our lives. This judgment is symbolized by the fall of our neighboring nations. Yet even as we experience the Lord's wrath being poured out upon our unfaithfulness, we are still "a joyous city", an adulterous harlot who tells herself:

Rev 18:7  How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow.

This all takes place inwardly first. But how is it possible for us to see the coming wrath of God and still say within ourselves, "I... shall see no sorrow"? The answer is that we actually think that because we are God's elect, He will not pour out His wrath upon us. We actually believe that all we need do is to proclaim our Husband's name and proclaim our special relationship with Him when we need to be delivered from the evil  fruit of our evil ways. But like Israel when "the elders of Israel" brought the ark of the Lord out on the field of battle, thinking they could force the Lord's hand, it did not work. In the New Testament this is called 'turning the grace of God into lasciviousness.'

Jud 1:4  For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.

It is we who are "ungoldly men turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness..."

Here is a story that shows us how we to can be "a city of joy" even as we look judgment in the face. This is a story about the corrupt nation of Israel who thought they could live as they wanted and still call on God to deliver them from His wrath. Good parents who know how to properly discipline their children do not allow  those children to use them and abuse them, and the Lord, as a loving heavenly Father, will not tolerate us treating Him as a hip-pocket God or a genie who we can call on when we get ourselves into trouble because of our disobedience, and still expect Him to do our bidding with no concern about having to reap the fruits of our evil ways. This is a story about you and me and how we have all thought we could continue in sin that grace may abound (Rom 6:1).

1Sa 4:1  And the word of Samuel came to all Israel. Now Israel went out against the Philistines to battle, and pitched beside Ebenezer: and the Philistines pitched in Aphek.
1Sa 4:2  And the Philistines put themselves in array against Israel: and when they joined battle, Israel was smitten before the Philistines: and they slew of the army in the field about four thousand men.
1Sa 4:3  And when the people were come into the camp, the elders of Israel said, Wherefore hath the LORD smitten us to day before the Philistines? Let us fetch the ark of the covenant of the LORD out of Shiloh unto us, that, when it cometh among us, it may save us out of the hand of our enemies.
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, [the adulterous priests of God; 1Sa 2:22] were there with the ark of the covenant of God.
1Sa 4:5  And when the ark of the covenant of the LORD came into the camp, all Israel shouted with a great shout, so that the earth rang again.
1Sa 4:6  And when the Philistines heard the noise of the shout, they said, What meaneth the noise of this great shout in the camp of the Hebrews? And they understood that the ark of the LORD was come into the camp.
1Sa 4:7  And the Philistines were afraid, for they said, God is come into the camp. And they said, Woe unto us! for there hath not been such a thing heretofore.
1Sa 4:8  Woe unto us! who shall deliver us out of the hand of these mighty Gods? these are the Gods that smote the Egyptians with all the plagues in the wilderness.
1Sa 4:9  Be strong, and quit yourselves like men, O ye Philistines, that ye be not servants unto the Hebrews, as they have been to you: quit yourselves like men, and fight.
1Sa 4:10  And the Philistines fought, and Israel was smitten, and they fled every man into his tent: and there was a very great slaughter; for there fell of Israel thirty thousand footmen.
1Sa 4:11  And the ark of God was taken; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were slain.

Why was the Lord not with Israel as He had been before?

1Sa 2:22  Now Eli was very old, and heard all that his sons did unto all Israel; and how they lay with the women that assembled at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.

You and I are Eli's sons, Hophni and Phinehas, who have played the harlot against our Lord. It is we who have attempted to force the Lord's hand. This is a story about how you and I have acted toward our Lord. If Israel had been a moral, obedient, God-fearing nation, the effect of bringing the ark into the camp and the shouting of the people would have been the same as the shouting at Jericho, when the walls of Jericho fell at the shout of the people of Israel.  When we are obedient in the face of persecution, we are like Gideon's three hundred men shouting "The sword of the Lord and of Gideon", and the battle would be the Lord's. But Israel here typifies the rebellious, immoral, disobedient and unfaithful kingdom of our old man. Israel here is 'Babylon the great, the mother of harlots.' Israel is not a God-fearing nation as the two unfaithful and immoral sons of Eli who are leading the charge show us, and as a result the kingdom of our old man is defenseless against his enemies:

Isa 22:2  Thou that art full of stirs, a tumultuous city, a joyous city: thy slain men are not slain with the sword, nor dead in battle.
Isa 22:3  All thy rulers are fled together, they are bound by the archers: all that are found in thee are bound together, which have fled from far.

These are spiritual words, and the reason "[our] men are not slain with the [physical] sword, is that they are spiritually dead to begin with. We have forgotten these Truths:

Deu 20:1  When thou goest out to battle against thine enemies, and seest horses, and chariots, and a people more than thou, be not afraid of them: for the LORD thy God is with thee, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.

As David told Goliath:

1Sa 17:47  And all this assembly shall know that the LORD saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the LORD'S, and he will give you into our hands.

And as the Lord tells us:

Eph 6:12  For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. [Greek: 'the heavens']

"The archers" are a Biblical symbol for those who either have the Word of God, or are those being used of God to fulfill the Lord's prophetical judgments upon us. When we are rebellious and disobedient, the Words of God are against us and will fight against us because of our own wickedness:

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.
Jer 2:20  For of old time I have broken thy yoke, and burst thy bands; and thou saidst, I will not transgress; when upon every high hill and under every green tree thou wanderest, playing the harlot [of Revelation 17-18].

We make a huge mistake thinking that because we are God's elect He will not pour out His wrath upon us. When we make that mistake and begin saying things like "we need not fear God", "all we need is to be in awe of God", and "we really ought not use the words like 'punish'; a much better word to use would be 'chasten',  the word 'punish' just sounds much too harsh", we are doing exactly what Israel did by thinking they need not fear the Lord's wrath, because the worst that could happen to God's elect would be the loss of a few thousand men in battle. However, even that would not happen if we just proclaim that we are his special people, never bother to repent from the heart for our sins against him, and just bring the Lord's ark along with us and expect him to honor us while we are wallowing in the mire of our own sins.

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.

This is a story about us, not someone else, and it is we who must endure the Lord's wrath upon all these Babylonian thoughts which exalt themselves against the true knowledge of God which tells us to fear God, who, after He has killed us, can then cast us into Gehenna fire to punish us for our sins:

Luk 12:5  But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell [Greek: Gehenna, type of the lake of fire]; yea, I say unto you, Fear him.

Lev 26:15  And if ye shall despise my statutes, or if your soul abhor my judgments, so that ye will not do all my commandments, but that ye break my covenant:
Lev 26:16  I also will do this unto you; I will even appoint over you terror, consumption, and the burning ague, that shall consume the eyes, and cause sorrow of heart: and ye shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it.
Lev 26:17  And I will set my face against you, and ye shall be slain before your enemies: they that hate you shall reign over you; and ye shall flee when none pursueth you.
Lev 26:18  And if ye will not yet for all this hearken unto me, then I will punish you seven times more for your sins.

This is the wrath of God upon our unrighteousness and ungodliness when we do not fear Him and decide to despise His statutes and His judgments. It behooves us to fear His punishments upon us and remain obedient to our marriage covenant. Only then can our new man proclaim that we "are not appointed to wrath, but to salvation" and that "God has from the beginning chosen [us] unto salvation/"

1Th 5:8 But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.
1Th 5:9 For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,

2Th 2:13 But we are bound to give thanks alway 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:

I have been asked many times, "How long does God's wrath work in our lives?" The Biblical answer is that it is always right here to be "revealed from heaven against all unrighteousness and ungodliness of men" (Rom 1:18). It is with us every day burning up our old man and simultaneously strengthening and renewing the new man within us. The wrath of God is as active in our lives only as it is needed. King David is a perfect example of how God's wrath operates in the lives of His elect.

2Sa 12:10  Now therefore the sword shall never depart from thine house; because thou hast despised me, and hast taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife.

We also experience this as a body. None of us is an island to himself, and we all need the trials and the tribulations of our own brothers and sisters placed upon us by their struggles to come to know the mind of Christ.

1Co 12:26  And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it.

What is the lesson for us in enduring the apostasy of Jerusalem within us, and within each other? This is our lesson if we can receive it:

2Co 4:15  For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God.
2Co 4:16  For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish [via the burning wrath of God], yet the inward man is renewed day by day.
2Co 4:17  For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;
2Co 4:18  While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.

In an exchange, I was blessed to learn where the apostle Paul got the idea of "our light affliction [being] but for a moment". This is where the apostle Paul got those very words:

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

It always seems like an eternity when we are enduring the Lord's wrath, but it is really "our light affliction... but for a moment", and it works for us... everlasting kindness... a far more exceeding weight of glory". What a wise and loving heavenly Father we have to bear with us for so long! This is the truth about how all of our sufferings compare to the blessings that await us if we are given to endure to the end.

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

Just how long does "a little wrath... the cup of the Lord" last? This is what we are told:

1Co 11:23  For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread:
1Co 11:24  And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me.
1Co 11:25  After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.
1Co 11:26  For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come.

That broken bread is the Christ's body, and that cup we are to drink is His blood in the New Testament, which "New Testament" includes these verses of Revelation 14.

Rev 14:8  And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.
Rev 14:9  And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand,
Rev 14:10  The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:
Rev 14:11  And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.

As we saw earlier in this study we are "blessed [to] read, hear and keep the things which are written in this book, including the things mentioned in these verses here in Revelation 14. God's wrath is poured out upon those who have drunk of "the wine of the wrath of [the] fornication" of the great harlot, Babylon, and her fornication is connected with those who worship the image of the beast and receive his mark. But what we did not mention above is how the holy spirit summarizes the preceding verses. What is the result of the worshiping of the beast and receiving of the mark of his name? What is the result of being tormented day and night by the fiery words of God? Revelation 14:8-11 is what all men must endure for this reason:

Rev 14:11  And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.
Rev 14:12  Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.

Which is just another way of saying:

Rev 1:3  Blessed is he that readeth [Including Rev 14:8-12], and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein [Including Rev 14:8-12]: for the time is at hand.

Remember the word of the Lord by Jeremiah concerning those who contend that the saints need not drink of the wine of the wrath of the great harlot at the Lord's hand:

Jer 25:28  And it shall be, if they refuse to take the cup at thine hand to drink, then shalt thou say unto them, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Ye shall certainly drink.
Jer 25:29  For, lo, I begin to bring evil on the city which is called by my name, and should ye be utterly unpunished? Ye shall not be unpunished: for I will call for a sword upon all the inhabitants of the earth, saith the LORD of hosts.

But as we saw earlier, we do not just live by the things written in the book of Revelation. Before there ever was a book of Revelation Christ told us:

Mat 4:4  But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

Which would certainly include our next verses here in Isaiah 22:

Isa 22:4  Therefore said I, Look away from me; I will weep bitterly, labour not to comfort me, because of the spoiling of the daughter of my people.
Isa 22:5  For it is a day of trouble, and of treading down, and of perplexity by the Lord GOD of hosts in the valley of vision, breaking down the walls, and of crying to the mountains.

These words are not all that different from:

Rev 14:10  The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:
Rev 14:11  And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.

There are many symbols signifying the means the Lord uses to torment the kingdom of our old man as we 'keep the things written in this book'. However, the reason for our fiery trials and the reason for the wrath of God, in both the Old and the New Testaments, is the same:

Rom 1:18  For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;

So the Lord uses that very "unrighteousness of men" as the occasion He is seeking (Jdg 14:4) for using the rod of His indignation against our unrighteousness and ungodliness, and He uses unrighteous men to punish His own people, as our last three verses demonstrate:

Isa 22:6  And Elam bare the quiver with chariots of men and horsemen, and Kir uncovered the shield.
Isa 22:7  And it shall come to pass, that thy choicest valleys shall be full of chariots, and the horsemen shall set themselves in array at the gate.
Isa 22:8  And he discovered the covering of Judah, and thou didst look in that day to the armour of the house of the forest.

These "chariots, and... horsemen [in our] choicest valleys" symbolize the wrath of God upon the apostate kingdom of our old man. The Lord used the king of Babylon as the rod of His anger and His indignation against His people:

Isa 10:5  O Assyrian, the rod of mine anger, and the staff in their hand is mine indignation.

All of this, and all of these nations which come up against the kingdom of God, do so "within [us]" (Luk 17:20-21). There is great conflict within our heavens when the Lord is judging the kingdom of our old man. Because of the Lord's love of the new man within us, He is intent upon the destruction of the kingdom of our still rebellious old man who, instead of looking to the invisible God for his protection, "looks in that day to the armour of the house of the forest".

Now what does "you did look in that day to the armour of the house of the forest" mean? One thing is certain, considering the fact that this is a burden against Jerusalem, it does not mean that we look to God for our protection against those He is sending to punish us.

The phrase "the house of the forest" appears six times in the Old Testament, and in every case it refers to the house King Solomon built for himself. Here are just three of those six entries which will help us to see that Jerusalem and Judah typify us in our apostate state. As an unfaithful harlot, when we are in trouble we always first look to our own ways instead of looking to the Lord and to His invisible strength for help.

1Ki 7:2  He built also the house of the forest of Lebanon; the length thereof was an hundred cubits [150 feet or 45.72 meters], and the breadth thereof fifty cubits [75 feet or 22.86 meters], and the height thereof thirty cubits [45 feet or 13.716 meters]. upon four rows of cedar pillars, with cedar beams upon the pillars.

1Ki 10:17  And he made three hundred shields of beaten gold; three pound of gold went to one shield: and the king put them in the house of the forest of Lebanon.

1Ki 10:21  And all king Solomon's drinking vessels were of gold, and all the vessels of the house of the forest of Lebanon were of pure gold; none were of silver: it was nothing accounted of in the days of Solomon.

Looking to "the armour of the house of the forest" is to lean on our own strength and on our own understanding. We are told not to lean to our own understanding, and we are also told that if we do depend on our own strength instead of Him, He will bring down our strength:

Pro 3:5  Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
Pro 3:6  In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

Amo 3:11  Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; An adversary there shall be even round about the land; and he shall bring down thy strength from thee, and thy palaces shall be spoiled.

To what end? Why is the Lord intent on destroying the kingdom of our old man and all his works of the flesh? The answer is that as He does that, He is simultaneously building up our new man.

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

As He pours out His wrath on our old man, He can at the same time say "this is my son in whom I am well pleased" about our new man, "His Christ". Our only qualification for our service to Christ is to acknowledge our worthlessness of ourselves, to see ourselves as 'chief of sinners' and as the corruption that is all flesh and blood.

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

Jas 2:5 Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor [in spirit] of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him?

We come to see all of this only through being crushed to powder by the Lord's wrath against all our unrighteousness and ungodliness. In time we are brought to see that, just as the Lord included his elect in the first three plagues of Egypt, He then made a difference between His elect and the rest of the world.

Exo 8:20  And the LORD said unto Moses, Rise up early in the morning, and stand before Pharaoh; lo, he cometh forth to the water; and say unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Let my people go, that they may serve me.
Exo 8:21  Else, if thou wilt not let my people go, behold, I will send swarms of flies upon thee, and upon thy servants, and upon thy people, and into thy houses: and the houses of the Egyptians shall be full of swarms of flies, and also the ground whereon they are.
Exo 8:22  And I will sever in that day the land of Goshen, in which my people dwell, that no swarms of flies shall be there; to the end thou mayest know that I am the LORD in the midst of the earth.
Exo 8:23  And I will put a division between my people and thy people: to morrow shall this sign be.

Paul puts this same message in these words:

1Th 5:7  For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night.
1Th 5:8  But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.
1Th 5:9  For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,

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.
2Th 2:13  But we are bound to give thanks alway 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:

The book of Revelation gives us this same message. After "he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads" (Rev 13:16), we are then "[given] the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, [and only then are we given to] stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God" (Rev 15:2). We receive this blessing through being the first to be judged and to endure the Lord's wrath upon our rebellious sinful ways and succumbing to that mark, name and number of the beast. At that point we are separated from those who are still not granted that repentance. Only those who go through the revelation of Jesus Christ first are granted to "stand on the sea of glass mingled with fire". That "fire" is the wrath of God upon all that can be consumed within us.

Rev 15:1  And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvellous, seven angels having the seven last plagues; for in them is filled up the wrath of God.
Rev 15:2  And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God.

This is a "sign in [our] heavens", and now we are no longer appointed to wrath, and we are standing on this "sea of glass mingled with fire". All of which is the keeping of this promise:

Rev 2:11  He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death.

We are not hurt of the second death because we were the first to be crucified with Christ, and we are not appointed to wrath but to salvation because we are the first to fulfill the seven last plagues of the Lord's wrath. No man enters the temple of God until he has fulfilled the seven plagues of the seven angels:

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

We will stop our study here for today with this encouraging reminder of what the Lord is doing for us:

2Co 4:15  For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God.

All we read about the destruction of the kingdom of our old man is simultaneously building up the kingdom of our new man, "Christ in you the hope of glory."

2Co 4:16  For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.

Next week, if the Lord wills, we will learn more of the blessing of witnessing the perishing of our outward, old man in these verses:

Isa 22:9  Ye have seen also the breaches of the city of David, that they are many: and ye gathered together the waters of the lower pool.
Isa 22:10  And ye have numbered the houses of Jerusalem, and the houses have ye broken down to fortify the wall.
Isa 22:11  Ye made also a ditch between the two walls for the water of the old pool: but ye have not looked unto the maker thereof, neither had respect unto him that fashioned it long ago.
Isa 22:12  And in that day did the Lord GOD of hosts call to weeping, and to mourning, and to baldness, and to girding with sackcloth:
Isa 22:13  And behold joy and gladness, slaying oxen, and killing sheep, eating flesh, and drinking wine: let us eat and drink; for to morrow we shall die.
Isa 22:14  And it was revealed in mine ears by the LORD of hosts, Surely this iniquity shall not be purged from you till ye die, saith the Lord GOD of hosts.

The Prophecy of Isaiah - Part 37 Discussion

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Isa 8:1​-4 Samaria [Israel] Shall Be Taken Away Before The King o​f Assyria

Isa 8:1  Moreover the LORD said unto me, Take thee a great roll, and write in it with a man's pen concerning Mahershalalhashbaz.
Isa 8:2  And I took unto me faithful witnesses to record, Uriah the priest, and Zechariah the son of Jeberechiah.
Isa 8:3  And I went unto the prophetess; and she conceived, and bare a son. Then said the LORD to me, Call his name Mahershalalhashbaz.
Isa 8:4  For before the child shall have knowledge to cry, My father, and my mother, the riches of Damascus and the spoil of Samaria shall be taken away before the king of Assyria.

Remembering that the king of Assyria is a Chaldean king, and is therefore the same as the king of Babylon, and understanding that Babylon symbolizes all religions sitting upon all the kingdoms of this world, in deception and in opposition to the Words of God (Rev 12: 9 and 17:15), we will continue our study of the long process of the fiery judgment which is now upon us as the Lord's house (Luk 20:9 and 1Pe 4:17).

Chapter seven closed with this thrice repeated warning concerning "that day", the day of the judgment of the kingdom of God within us,​ which is in need of being cleansed and is now being judged:

Isa 7:23  And it shall come to pass in that day, that every place where there were a thousand vines at a thousand silver coins, shall be for briers and thorns.
Isa 7:24  [Men] shall come there with arrows and with bow, because all the land shall be briers and thorns.
Isa 7:25  And all the hills that were dug with the mattock, thou shall not come there for fear of briers and thorns, but it shall be for the sending forth of oxen, and for the treading of sheep. (ACV)

Chapter 8 continues that same message of warning but with these words:

Isa 8:1  Moreover the LORD said unto me, Take thee a great roll, and write in it with a man's pen concerning Mahershalalhashbaz.
Isa 8:2  And I took unto me faithful witnesses to record, Uriah the priest, and Zechariah the son of Jeberechiah.

Here is how the LITV renders these two verses of scripture:

Isa 8:1  And Jehovah said to me, Take a big tablet and write in it with a man's pen: Make haste to plunder! Hurry to the spoil!
Isa 8:2  And I took faithful witnesses to record for me, Uriah the priest, and Zechariah the son of Jeberechiah.

In its outward, literal application this is a prophecy of the coming invasion of Judah and Jerusalem by the king of Babylon. In chapter 7 the prophecy tells us that a child will be born whose name is to be Immanuel, and the prophecy is that "before the child shall know to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land that thou abhorrest shall be forsaken of both her kings."

Isa 7:13  And he said, Hear ye now, O house of David; Is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will ye weary my God also?
Isa 7:14  Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
Isa 7:15  Butter and honey shall he eat, that he may know to refuse the evil, and choose the good.
Isa 7:16 For before the child shall know to refuse the evil, and choose the good, the land that thou abhorrest shall be forsaken of both her kings.

It is true that the prophecy of Immanuel in chapter 7 concerns Samaria in league with Damascus, but Samaria is the capital of the northern king​dom of Israel and is therefore still addressed to the Lord's own people. Lord willing, it is addressed to you and me.

In this chapter 8 is the prophecy of the fall of Judah and Jerusalem. It is still the prophecy of our own judgment, which is reiterated with a witnessed recording of a prophecy which says "Make hast to plunder! Hurry to the spoil!"​

But chapter 8 concerning Mahershalalhashbaz is not a separate prophecy from the prophecy of Immanuel in chapter seven. These two prophecies are actually one prophecy which uses two separate symbols, just as Pharaoh's two dreams used two separate symbols which we are told were actually one dream with one prophetic message.

In the same manner in this second prophecy of the Lord's judgment of His people​,​ Isaiah is instructed by the Lord to gather witnesses and record a second prophecy of the same impending judgment and destruction of Damascus and Samaria, followed by the judgment and destruction of Judah and Jerusalem.

Then we are told:

Isa 8:3  And I went unto the prophetess; and she conceived, and bare a son. Then said the LORD to me, Call his name Mahershalalhashbaz.
Isa 8:4  For before the child shall have knowledge to cry, My father, and my mother, the riches of Damascus and the spoil of Samaria shall be taken away before the king of Assyria.

Is not this the exact same message we were given in the prophecy of the birth of Immanuel and the judgment of Israel?​

Isa 7:14  Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
Isa 7:15  Butter and honey shall he eat, that he may know to refuse the evil, and choose the good.
Isa 7:16 For before the child shall know to refuse the evil, and choose the good, the land that thou abhorrest [Damascus and Samaria] shall be forsaken of both her kings.

Outwardly this 7th chapter is addressed to King Ahaz, the king of the southern kingdom of Judah and Jerusalem. Ahaz was not counted as a 'good king', and he therefore typifies our own God-condemning Job, and our own self-righteous, self-justifying King Saul.

Other than that, what is the difference between Isaiah 7:16 concerning the immaturity of Immanuel and this verse in Isaiah 8 concerning Mahershalalhashbaz?

Let's compare these two verses side by side:

Isa 7:16 For before the child shall know to refuse the evil, and choose the good, the land that thou abhorrest [Damascus and Samaria] shall be forsaken of both her kings.

Isa 8:4 For before the child shall have knowledge to cry, My father, and my mother, the riches of Damascus and the spoil of Samaria shall be taken away before the king of Assyria.

The answer is, there is no difference, because both prophecies are the same prophecy, just as Pharaoh's two dreams were one dream:

Gen 41:1  And it came to pass at the end of two full years, that Pharaoh dreamed: and, behold, he stood by the river.
Gen 41:2  And, behold, there came up out of the river seven well favoured kine and fatfleshed; and they fed in a meadow.
Gen 41:3  And, behold, seven other kine came up after them out of the river, ill favoured and leanfleshed; and stood by the other kine upon the brink of the river.
Gen 41:4  And the ill favoured and leanfleshed kine did eat up the seven well favoured and fat kine. So Pharaoh awoke.
Gen 41:5  And he slept and dreamed the second time: and, behold, seven ears of corn came up upon one stalk, rank and good.
Gen 41:6  And, behold, seven thin ears and blasted with the east wind sprung up after them.
Gen 41:7  And the seven thin ears devoured the seven rank and full ears. And Pharaoh awoke, and, behold, it was a dream.
Gen 41:8  And it came to pass in the morning that his spirit was troubled; and he sent and called for all the magicians of Egypt, and all the wise men thereof: and Pharaoh told them his dream; but there was none that could interpret them unto Pharaoh.

What do these two very different dreams mean?

Gen 41:25  And Joseph said unto Pharaoh, The dream of Pharaoh is one: God hath shewed Pharaoh what he is about to do.
Gen 41:26  The seven good kine are seven years; and the seven good ears are seven years: the dream is one.

Pharaoh's two dreams had just one message, and the two prophecies of Isaiah 7 and 8 are also just one message foretelling our own judgment.

Who does Isaiah symbolize? Who does Isaiah's wife, "the prophetess",​ symbolize? Why are we told that Isaiah "went in unto the prophetess; and she conceived and bare a son?" Why are we told the name of Isaiah's son?

We will jump ahead a few verses and get the answer to this last question here in this same chapter:

Isa 8:18  Behold, I and the children whom the LORD hath given me are for signs and for wonders in Israel from the LORD of hosts, which dwelleth in mount Zion.

That is the reason we are given for why we are told the names of Isaiah's sons names. So Mahershalalhashbaz is a sign of "Make haste to plunder! Hurry to the spoil!" Mahershalalhashbaz, along with all of Isaiah's children, "are for signs and wonders in Israel from the Lord of hosts, who dwells in mount Zion." Mount Zion, of course, is simply the highest, most prominent point in Jerusalem and was also known​ as "the city of David", ancient Israel's most prominent king. There is, as we will see, great spiritual significance in Isaiah's revelation of the function of his children in spiritual 'Israel' and in mount Zion.

Isaiah, as the Lord's prophet,​ is speaking for and represents Christ Himself, and Isaiah's wife therefore symbolizes Christ's wife. Therefore their children are the spiritual symbols of the children of Christ and His wife the church. Speaking plainly, Isaiah's children typify the witness of each of us as Christ's Christ, His elect,​ who speak for Him in this age.

2Co 11:2  For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.

Eph 5:22  Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.
Eph 5:23  For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.
Eph 5:24  Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.
Eph 5:25  Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;

Eph 5:31  For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.
Eph 5:32  This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church. 

Now let's go back to the meaning of the name 'Mahershalalhashbaz'.

Here is how Strong's renders the meaning of this name:

H4122
מַהֵר שָׁלָל חָשׁ בַּז
mahêr shâlâl châsh baz
mah-hare' shaw-lawl' khawsh baz
From H4118 and H7998 and H2363 and H957; hasting (as he (the enemy) to the) booty, swift (to the) prey; Maher-Shalal Chash-Baz; the symbolical name of the son of Isaiah: - Maher-shalal-hash-baz.
Total KJV occurrences: 2

We have seen that:

Isa 8:18  Behold, I and the children whom the LORD hath given me are for signs and for wonders in Israel from the LORD of hosts, which dwelleth in mount Zion.

What does this verse have to do with us? Notice for whom these prophecies are directed​. Isaiah's children "are for signs and wonders [only] in Israel from the Lord of hosts, which dwells in Mount Zion".

What does all of that mean? Where is spiritual 'Zion'? According to the scriptures, who do Isaiah's sons symbolize? What are the signs and wonders Isaiah's sons will declare in Israel? Here is the Biblical spiritual answer to all of these questions:

Heb 2:11  For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he [Christ] is not ashamed to call them [you and me] brethren,
Heb 2:12  Saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee.
Heb 2:13  And again, I will put my trust in him. And again, Behold I and the children which God hath given me.

Those symbolized by Isaiah's sons are to "declare thy name unto [their] brothers in the midst of the church, and... sing praise unto [Him]".

In Hebrews 12 we are given more details about these symbolic children which God has given Isaiah, as a type of Christ's children, His Christ:

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,

What do these verses have to do with Isaiah's sons? Notice these words: "Ye are come to mount Sion." Now remember what we were just told about Isaiah's sons:

Isa 8:18  Behold, I and the children whom the LORD hath given me are for signs and for wonders in Israel from the LORD of hosts, which dwelleth in mount Zion.

Now we know who Isaiah's sons symbolize. Now we understand that the signs and wonders they proclaim are only for those who dwell with the Lord in mount Zion. They are, in this age, only for "the general assembly and church of the firstborn which are written in heaven".

And​ where are we at this very moment?

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

Every prophet of the Old Testament speaks only the words they have been given to speak by Christ. They are all speaking for Christ who we are told is "the Word".

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

2Ti 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
2Ti 3:17  That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.

In the sense that Isaiah is speaking for Christ,​ he is a type of Christ. So Isaiah's children typify the children of Christ. Therefore it is Christ's children who are for signs and wonders in Israel,​ and it is only the Lord's Israel who will be given eyes that see and ears that hear those "signs and wonders" because we are told, "I will declare thy name unto my brothers in the midst of the church... the children which God has given me.​"

What are the signs and wonders to be declared to the Lord's Israel?

Psa 22:27  All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the LORD: and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee.
Psa 22:28  For the kingdom is the LORD'S: and he is the governor among the nations.

Who is given the charge of this proclamation?

Psa 22:30  A seed shall serve him; it shall be accounted to the Lord for a generation.
Psa 22:31  They shall come, and shall declare his righteousness unto a people that shall be born, that he hath done this.

This is confirmed by Peter:

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

Who are these who are "accounted to the Lord for a generation"?

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:

All these verses confirm what we just read about the children God gave to Isaiah, and who it is who "should show forth the praises of Him who has called [us]".

Heb 2:11  For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he [Christ] is not ashamed to call them [you and me] brethren,
Heb 2:12  Saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee.
Heb 2:13  And again, I will put my trust in him. And again, Behold I and the children which God hath given me.

The greatest sign or wonder or demonstration of the power of God that will ever be shown in any generation of mankind will be to know and to hear those who "show forth the praises of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvellous light​."

Joh 17:3 And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.

The apostle Paul explains this to us:

1Co 2:4  And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power:
1Co 2:5  That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.
1Co 2:6  Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought:
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:

How few are those who are given to realize that "the demonstration [of the "signs and wonders in Israel"] of the spirit and of power" is the word spoken by Isaiah's symbolic children of "the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory? Who knew that the Isaiah's children symbolize those who would "sing praise unto thee... [and] declare [His] name unto [their] brothers in the midst of the church"?

Heb 2:12  Saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee.
Heb 2:13  And again, I will put my trust in him. And again, Behold I and the children which God hath given me.

That is why we:

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, 

As "the general assembly and church of the firstborn" we are commissioned to proclaim both the judgment of Israel and Damascus, those more outward enemies of the Lord's people who are far easier to recognize than all the self-​righteous, inward sins and rebellions within the Lord'​s own people. The prophecy of Mahershalalhashbaz actually misleads us into thinking that our judgment has been postponed, when in reality it is at hand:

Isa 8:1  Moreover the LORD said unto me, Take thee a great roll, and write in it with a man's pen concerning Mahershalalhashbaz.
Isa 8:2  And I took unto me faithful witnesses to record, Uriah the priest, and Zechariah the son of Jeberechiah.
Isa 8:3  And I went unto the prophetess; and she conceived, and bare a son. Then said the LORD to me, Call his name Mahershalalhashbaz.
Isa 8:4  For before the child shall have knowledge to cry, My father, and my mother, the riches of Damascus and the spoil of Samaria shall be taken away before the king of Assyria.

"​The riches of Damascus and the spoil of Samaria shall be taken away before the king of Assyria", and we have been granted to hear the wonderful gospel of the death and resurrection of the Son of God for our sins, and yet we will still have to be made to see that we ourselves are but "carnal babes in Christ" who are yet only capable of receiving the milk of the word and not strong meat because we are "yet carnal" (1Co 3:1-4).

And that is exactly what we will see, Lord willing in our next study into the depth of the thorough purging process of our judgment:

Isa 8:5  The LORD spake also unto me again, saying,
Isa 8:6  Forasmuch as this people refuseth the waters of Shiloah that go softly, and rejoice in Rezin and Remaliah's son;
Isa 8:7  Now therefore, behold, the Lord bringeth up upon them the waters of the river, strong and many, even the king of Assyria, and all his glory: and he shall come up over all his channels, and go over all his banks:
Isa 8:8  And he shall pass through Judah; he shall overflow and go over, he shall reach even to the neck; and the stretching out of his wings shall fill the breadth of thy land, O Immanuel.
Isa 8:9  Associate yourselves, O ye people, and ye shall be broken in pieces; and give ear, all ye of far countries: gird yourselves, and ye shall be broken in pieces; gird yourselves, and ye shall be broken in pieces.
Isa 8:10  Take counsel together, and it shall come to nought; speak the word, and it shall not stand: for God is with us.

Ours is a long and thorough judgment​, but when it is accomplished we will rejoice in the wisdom of our Judge:

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.

Hi,

I am trying to come to grips with the location and stated finds of artifacts from the crossing of the Red Sea and Noah’s ark, which I have thought to be very understandable and a good candidate for the actual site. However after reading some assertions on some other claims, though there was no mention of the crossing, I am beginning to wonder a bit.

Can you throw any light on the subject?

Regards,
S____

Hi S____,

Thank you for your question concerning claims certain people have made to have discovered the ark of Noah and gold clad chariot wheels at the place where Israel crossed the Red Sea, etc.
It is not in the scope or purpose of this web site to prove or disprove any of the thousands of claims of discoveries which either bolster or refute the inspired words of God.
What this website does is point you to what the scriptures say. If God has given you faith in His Word, then I can be of some help to you. On the other hand, if your faith is based on what you see, I can be of no assistance to you whatsoever.

/ Here is why that is so:

Joh 20:29 Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.

Faith, contrary to what many teach, is not based upon provable, demonstrable science. It is based upon verifiable historic Truth, but faith cannot be demonstrated in a laboratory.
“Blessed are they that have not seen and yet believe”. If one’s faith is based upon being able to see Noah’s ark, gold clad chariot wheels, or the ark of the covenant, then one has no faith at all. The entire Christian religion is based upon a Truth which cannot be duplicated in a laboratory. No one yet has ever demonstrated how a virgin can get pregnant without knowing a man.

Mat 1:18 Now the birth of Jesus Crist was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.

It is true that many physical signs and wonders followed Christ and his apostles. Why were there physical signs and wonders? Here is why for all of us:

“… Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed:”

But the last part of that verse is just as true as the first part:

“… blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.”

You say,

“I am trying to come to grips with the location and stated finds of artifacts from the crossing of the Red Sea and Noah’s ark, which I have thought to be very understandable and a good candidate for the actual site.”

The only ‘grip’ you need is faith in the Word of God which tells us:

Gen 8:4 And the ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat.

Those words are far more reliable than any artifact that will ever be proffered by any man. As our Lord also told us:

Mat 12:39 But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas:

Those are Christ’s words, and they are solid as a rock. Those who stand on Christ’s Words need no artifacts to bolster their faith in those words.
I would like to suggest that you read the article “Will God’s Strong Delusion Deceive You” which is located at this URL, http:// iswasandwillbe. com/ strongdelusion. php
In light of these words of scripture, it is far more likely that those who are seeking either artifacts from the ark of Noah to the so- called ‘holy grail’ or the ‘shroud of Turin’ are all simply making merchandise of the gospel.

2Ti 3:13 Yet wicked men and swindlers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. (CLV)
2Co 2:17 For we are not as the majority, who are peddling the word of God, but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God in Christ, are we speaking. (CLV)

I hope this is all of some edification to you.
Your brother in Christ,
Mike

In Exodus chapter 3 what does the bush represent, and what does it represent when it says it doesn’t burn?
E____

Hi E____,

Thank you for your question about the spiritual significance of the burning bush mentioned in Exo 3.

Exo 3:1 Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb.
Exo 3:2 And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.

In order to give you the answer to your question I first must correct your statement “… when it says it doesn’t burn”. It actually says ” the bush burned with fire…” but it does go on to state “and the bush was not consumed.”
Now this is an easy question to answer for this one reason:

Mat 4:4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

The narrative there in Exodus goes on to tell us that:

Exo 3:3 And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt.
Exo 3:4 And when the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I.

So that bush that burns but is not consumed is our Lord, and since we must “live by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God” that bush that burns but is not consumed is also “Christ in us the hope of glory.”

Mat 4:4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
Col 1:26 Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints:
Col 1:27 To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:

Here is another verse which reveals that we are Jesus:

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

These words are our Lord speaking to the apostle Paul and to you and me. So it is He who says we are “Jesus of Nazareth” if we are being persecuted for His name’s sake.

Mat 24:9 Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake.

The ‘fire’ is the spiritual symbol of the Word of God, which burns up all the “wood, hay and stubble” in our lives, and cleanses and purifies us all.

Jer 5:14 Wherefore thus saith the LORD God of hosts, Because ye speak this word, behold, I will make my words in thy mouth fire, and this people wood, and it shall devour them.
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.
1Co 3:14 If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.
1Co 3:15 If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire. [ By “the Word of God”, which is Christ]

Since we all “live by every Word”, we all first build with “wood, hay and stubble” before we are brought to the point of wanting to build with “gold, silver and precious stones”.
Here is the spiritual significance of how this bush, as a type of you and me, does indeed burn, but it is not consumed:

2Co 4:7 But we have this treasure [“Christ in us”] 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; [‘Burn up but not consumed’]
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 alway delivered unto death for Jesus’ sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh

“We which live are always delivered unto death for Jesus sake…” so “the life of Jesus can be manifest in our mortal flesh”.
So our “dying” is really a daily process of giving up the things of this life, the “wood, hay and stubble” of this life, in order to please and obey our Lord, and thereby love our brothers and sisters in Christ.

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

So this bush is the perfect type of our lives when Christ is living His life in us. It is our life which is always burning up, and yet it is not consumed.
Our flesh does not want to “keep His commandments”, and that is what is always burning within us causing us to “die daily” even as we are living, just as the bush is burning but is not consumed.

1Co 15:31 I protest by your rejoicing which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily.
Gal 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

Being “crucified with Christ” is the things of this world within us being burned up as “the bush burned”, and “nevertheless I live” is “the bush was not consumed”.
I hope these verses of God’s Word have served to help you to see the spiritual significance of the burning bush, which burned but was not consumed”. If not please get back to me.
Yours in Christ,
Mike

Hey Mike,

I am listening to the color red audio. Did you know there is a difference in crimson and red?
Crimson is the color the woman on the beast uses. Why are there three different words in the Hebrew for the color red?

Thanks,
C____

Hi C____,

There are three different words for the color red in this verse of scripture:

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

Here are Strong’s numbers for those words:

Isa 1:18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet,H8144 they shall be as white as snow; though they be red H119 like crimson, H8438 they shall be as wool.

Here are Strong’s definitions of all three words:
H8144
sha ni y
shaw- nee’
Of uncertain derivation; crimson, properly the insect or its color, also stuff dyed with it: – crimson, scarlet (thread).
H119
‘a dam
aw- dam’
To show blood (in the face), that is, flush or turn rosy: – be (dyed, made) red (ruddy).
H8438
         
to la  to le a h  to la ath  to la ath
to- law’, to- lay- aw’, (3,4) to- lah’- ath
From H3216; a maggot (as voracious); specifically (often with ellipsis of H8144) the crimson grub, but used only (in this connection) of the color from it, and cloths dyed therewith: – crimson, scarlet, worm.
Notice that the middle word for red is Adam, that is our sinful flesh. They may indeed be different words, but in this verse, they all refer to the sin that is in our flesh, and that sin will be made white as snow in, of all things, the blood of the Lamb:

Rev 7:14  And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

It completely counter intuitive, but the scriptures teach that until we acknowledge our culpability, and our own part in shedding the blood of our Savior, we cannot be transformed from sinful red to righteous white.

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.

“This generation” is the generation reading these words. It is you and me. We have all, as Adam, been part of that woman sitting on that scarlet colored beast. because that woman is the fallen church in the first Adam [ red, scarlet or crimson]. Adam, our flesh, is all of these.

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.

If I am missing something about the color scarlet, please let me know.
Your brother in Christ,

Mike