[Study Aired September 8, 2020]

Luk 18:1-8 And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men  ought always to pray, and not to faint; Saying, There was in a city  a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man: And there  was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge  me of mine adversary. And he would not for a while: but afterward  he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man; Yet  because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her  continual coming she weary me. And the Lord said, Hear what the  unjust judge saith. And shall not God avenge his own elect, which  cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them? I tell  you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son  of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth? 

In our last series of studies, we saw the baptisms which begin our journey to the Kingdom of Heaven. Now we must endure until the end to be saved. Christ’s point in this parable is to never cease from being diligent in seeking the Kingdom of God until the fullness of our inheritance comes to be, patiently waiting on the Lord to work His vengeance. 

(BBE) Luk 18:1 And he made a story for them, the point of which was that men were to go on making prayer and not get tired; 

Mat 10:22 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but  he that endureth to the end shall be saved.

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

The saying “endure unto the end” is mentioned three times for the following reason.

Mar 13:5 -13 And Jesus answering them began to say, Take heed lest any man deceive you: For many shall come in my name,  saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. And when ye shall  hear of wars and rumours of wars, be ye not troubled: for such  things must needs be; but the end shall not be yet. For nation shall  rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and  troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows. But take heed to  yourselves: for they shall deliver you up to councils; and in the  synagogues ye shall be beaten: and ye shall be brought before  rulers and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them. And the  gospel must first be published among all nations. But when  they shall lead you, and deliver you up, take no thought beforehand  what ye shall speak, neither do ye premeditate: but whatsoever  shall be given you in that hour, that speak ye: for it is not ye that  speak, but the Holy Ghost. Now the brother shall betray the brother  to death, and the father the son; and children shall rise up against their parents, and shall cause them to be put to death. And ye shall  be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.

1Th 5:14-18 Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are  unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men. See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but  ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all  men. Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing  give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus  concerning you. 

1Pe 5:6-7 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of  God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon  him; for he careth for you. Be sober, be vigilant; because your  adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom  he may devour: Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the  same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the  world. 

Why are we to always pray? Here is Christ’s explanation via a parable. 

Luk 18:2-6 Saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not  God, neither regarded man: And there was a widow in that city; and  she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary. And he  would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though  I fear not God, nor regard man; Yet because this widow troubleth  me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary  me. And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith.

The widow would not give up until she was satisfied. She represents our new man.  Once we are truly born again by the baptism of water, fire and the spirit, our new man will not cease from praying to endure the trials of this life which produce vengeance on the old man. We are given our power to avenge from the Father through Christ.

Luk 18:7-8 And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day  and night unto him, though he bear long with them? I tell you that  he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man  cometh, shall he find faith on the earth? 

The Lord is our judge, and He only has the power to avenge us of our old ways.

Rom 12:16-21 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. Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide  things honest in the sight of all men. If it be possible, as much as  lieth in you, live peaceably with all men. Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written,  Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. Therefore if  thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so  doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of  evil, but overcome evil with good. 

Deu 32:35-43 To me belongeth vengeance, and recompence;  their foot shall slide in due time: for the day of their calamity is at  hand, and the things that shall come upon them make haste. For  the LORD shall judge his people, and repent himself for his  servants, when he seeth that their power is gone, and there is none  shut up, or left. And he shall say, Where are their gods, their rock  in whom they trusted, Which did eat the fat of their sacrifices, and drank the wine of their drink offerings? let them rise up and help  you, and be your protection. See now that I, even I, am he, and  there is no god with me: I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal:  neither is there any that can deliver out of my hand. For I lift up my  hand to heaven, and say, I live for ever. If I whet my glittering  sword, and mine hand take hold on judgment; I will render  vengeance to mine enemies, and will reward them that hate me. I  will make mine arrows drunk with blood, and my sword shall devour  flesh; and that with the blood of the slain and of the captives, from  the beginning of revenges upon the enemy. Rejoice, O ye nations,  with his people: for he will avenge the blood of his servants, and  will render vengeance to his adversaries, and will be merciful unto his land, and to his people.

The new man’s thoughts are given here in Psalms 94.

Psa 94:1-23 O LORD God, to whom vengeance belongeth; O God, to whom vengeance belongeth, shew thyself. Lift up  thyself, thou judge of the earth: render a reward to the  proud. LORD, how long shall the wicked, how long shall the wicked  triumph? How long shall they utter and speak hard things? and all  the workers of iniquity boast themselves? They break in pieces thy  people, O LORD, and afflict thine heritage. They slay the widow  and the stranger, and murder the fatherless. Yet they say, The  LORD shall not see, neither shall the God of Jacob regard  it. Understand, ye brutish among the people: and ye fools, when  will ye be wise? He that planted the ear, shall he not hear? he that  formed the eye, shall he not see? He that chastiseth the heathen,  shall not he correct? he that teacheth man knowledge, shall not he  know? The LORD knoweth the thoughts of man, that they are vanity. Blessed is the man whom thou chastenest, O LORD, and  teachest him out of thy law; That thou mayest give him rest from  the days of adversity, until the pit be digged for the wicked. For the  LORD will not cast off his people, neither will he forsake his  inheritance. But judgment shall return unto righteousness: and all  the upright in heart shall follow it. Who will rise up for me against  the evildoers? or who will stand up for me against the workers of  iniquity? Unless the LORD had been my help, my soul had almost  dwelt in silence. When I said, My foot slippeth; thy mercy, O LORD,  held me up. In the multitude of my thoughts within me thy comforts  delight my soul. Shall the throne of iniquity have fellowship with  thee, which frameth mischief by a law? They gather themselves  together against the soul of the righteous, and condemn the  innocent blood. But the LORD is my defence; and my God is the  rock of my refuge. And he shall bring upon them their own iniquity,  and shall cut them off in their own wickedness; yea, the LORD our  God shall cut them off. 

Here are our verses again and some final thoughts.

Luk 18:1-8 And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men  ought always to pray, and not to faint; Saying, There was in a city  a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man: And there  was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge  me of mine adversary. And he would not for a while: but afterward  he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man; Yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her  continual coming she weary me. And the Lord said, Hear what the  unjust judge saith. And shall not God avenge his own elect, which  cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them? I tell  you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son  of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?

We will find the answer to this question throughout the scriptures.

Heb 10:30-39 For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people. It is a fearful thing to fall  into the hands of the living God. But call to remembrance the former  days, in which, after ye were illuminated, ye endured a great fight of afflictions; Partly, whilst ye were made a gazingstock both  by reproaches and afflictions; and partly, whilst ye became  companions of them that were so used. For ye had compassion of  me in my bonds, and took joyfully the spoiling of your goods, knowing in yourselves that ye have in heaven a better and an enduring substance. Cast not away therefore your confidence,  which hath great recompence of reward. For ye have need of  patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise. For yet a little while, and he that shall come  will come, and will not tarry. Now the just shall live by faith: but if  any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.

Isa 59:14-17 And judgment is turned away backward, and justice  standeth afar off: for truth is fallen in the street, and equity cannot  enter. Yea, truth faileth; and he that departeth from evil maketh  himself a prey: and the LORD saw it, and it displeased him that  there was no judgment. And he saw that there was no man, and  wondered that there was no intercessor: therefore his arm brought  salvation unto him; and his righteousness, it sustained him. For he  put on righteousness as a breastplate, and an helmet of salvation  upon his head; and he put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a cloke. 

Eph 6:10-20 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the  power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 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. Wherefore take unto you the  whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the  evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having  your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of  righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all  perseverance and supplication for all saints; And for me, that  utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly,  to make known the mystery of the gospel, For which I am an  ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought  to speak. 

Will there be faith? Who is given faith?

Psa 31:21-24 Blessed be the LORD: for he hath shewed me his  marvellous kindness in a strong city. For I said in my haste, I am cut  off from before thine eyes: nevertheless thou heardest the voice of  my supplications when I cried unto thee. O love the LORD, all ye his saints: for the LORD preserveth the faithful, and plentifully rewardeth the proud doer. Be of good courage, and he shall  strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the LORD. 

I will conclude our study with James 2. 

Jas 2:1-26 My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ,  the Lord of glory, with respect of persons. For if there come unto  your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there  come in also a poor man in vile raiment; And ye have respect to  him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here  in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here  under my footstool: Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are  become judges of evil thoughts? Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and  heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love  him? But ye have despised the poor. Do not rich men oppress you, and draw you before the judgment seats? Do not they blaspheme that worthy name by the which ye are called? If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbouras thyself, ye do well: But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors. For  whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said  also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou  art become a transgressor of the law. So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty. For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy  rejoiceth against judgment. What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith  save him? If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit? Even so faith, if  it hath not works, is dead, being alone. Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy  works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works. Thou believest  that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and  tremble. But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? Seest thou how faith  wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect? And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God. Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only. Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way? For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

Here are the verses for the next study. 

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

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Isa 59:15-21 My Words Shall Not Depart Out of Your Mouth

[Study Aired May 24, 2020]

Isa 59:15  Yea, truth faileth; and he that departeth from evil maketh himself a prey: and the LORD saw it, and it displeased him that there was no judgment.
Isa 59:16  And he saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor: therefore his arm brought salvation unto him; and his righteousness, it sustained him.
Isa 59:17  For he put on righteousness as a breastplate, and an helmet of salvation upon his head; and he put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a cloke.
Isa 59:18  According to their deeds, accordingly he will repay, fury to his adversaries, recompence to his enemies; to the islands he will repay recompence.
Isa 59:19  So shall they fear the name of the LORD from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him.
Isa 59:20  And the Redeemer shall come to Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob, saith the LORD.
Isa 59:21  As for me, this is my covenant with them, saith the LORD; My spirit that is upon thee, and my words which I have put in thy mouth, shall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of the mouth of thy seed’s seed, saith the LORD, from henceforth and for ever.

As the Lord admonishes His elect, He is also revealing the disgust which is building up within the beast against the great whore who sits upon the beast wearing this name in her forehead: “Mystery Babylon The Great, The Mother of Harlots and Abominations of The Earth”:

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

This is not just any harlot. This whore has a special hatred for those who talk the words of Christ and are willing to walk in His footsteps wherever He leads them. She is the bondwoman of Galatian 4, whose children are under the curse of the law, and self-righteously wear those garments.

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

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

Abraham’s two wives typify the two covenants, but the “freewoman” is now a spiritual body, and the physical descent through Abraham has no significance to the Lord:

Gal 4:21  Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not hear the law?
Gal 4:22  For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman.
Gal 4:23  But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise.
Gal 4:24  Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar.
Gal 4:25  For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children.
Gal 4:26  But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.
Gal 4:27  For it is written, Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not; break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: for the desolate hath many more children than she which hath an husband.
Gal 4:28  Now we [Gentile Galatians], brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise.
Gal 4:29  But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now.
Gal 4:30  Nevertheless what saith the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman.
Gal 4:31  So then, brethren, we [Gentile Galatians] are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free.

The man who builds his house on the sand and on the earth, and will not dig deep to build upon the Rock, is all of us when we hear and know the Lord’s words and adamantly refuse to obey Him (Luk 6:46-49). That part of our walk is also symbolized by the “great whore [who] sits upon many waters”.  The ‘waters’ upon which she sits are explained as:

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.

This harlot “sits” upon and dominates “peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues” and “rules over the kings of the earth” as a “tutor and governor”:

Rev 17:18  And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.

Who is this “great whore”? We are never left to guess what the significance of any of the symbols of the revealing of Jesus Christ are within us. This is that great harlot:

Isa 1:2  Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth: for the LORD hath spoken, I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against me.
Isa 1:3  The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master’s crib: but Israel doth not know, my people doth not consider.
Isa 1:4  Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, children that are corrupters: they have forsaken the LORD, they have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger, they are gone away backward.

That’s right! It is the Lord’s own people who are “laden with iniquity” and “have forsaken the Lord” for the bed of “the kings of the earth”. Are not we “[His people… the Israel of God” to whom “circumcision avails nothing”?

Gal 6:15  Certainly, it doesn’t matter whether a person is circumcised or not. Rather, what matters is being a new creation.
Gal 6:16  Peace and mercy will come to rest on all those who conform to this principle. They are the Israel of God. (GWV)

All who have ever considered themselves to be “Christians” but refuse to wear Christ’s apparel or eat His bread… all who call Him ‘Lord, Lord’, while steadfastly refusing to “do the things [He] says (Luk 6:46) are within this great whore. Inwardly it is we who have all had our part in “Babylon the great, the mother of harlots and abominations of the earth”, and the whole world is at this very moment either  part of this system or is under her dominance because the Lord Himself takes from us “the whole stay of bread and the whole stay of water” of His Word:

Isa 3:1  For, behold, the Lord, the LORD of hosts, doth take away from Jerusalem and from Judah the stay and the staff, the whole stay of bread, and the whole stay of water,
Isa 3:2  The mighty man, and the man of war, the judge, and the prophet, and the prudent, and the ancient,
Isa 3:3  The captain of fifty, and the honourable man, and the counsellor, and the cunning artificer, and the eloquent orator.
Isa 3:4  And I will give children to be their princes, and babes shall rule over them.

When that happens, we all become partakers in the system of the great whore who will not eat the Lord’s bread or wear His clothes:

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

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 17:18  And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.

The first chapter of Isaiah goes on to tell us plainly that this “harlot” is the Lord’s own people who have appropriated His name but have forsaken Him and His ways… His bread and His apparel:

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

It was Christ’s own “harlot” people who murdered Him, forcing Pilate, the hand of Rome, to crucify Him “when [Pilate] was determined to let Him go”:

Act 3:13  The God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, the God of our fathers, hath glorified his Son Jesus; whom ye delivered up, and denied him in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let him go.

The only thing which has changed in the past 2,000 years is that those who now claim to be ‘the spiritual Israel of God’ are now the 40,000 plus conflicting so-called ‘Christian” denominations of men instead of being exclusively physical Jewish converts, as was the case before the apostle Peter’s visit to the house of the Gentile Roman Centurion Cornelius.

If Jesus Christ were again on the earth today in a body of “flesh and bone”, teaching the same doctrines He taught 2,000 years ago, it would again be ‘His own’ who would reject and crucify Him. Only this time “His own” would be the nominal Christian churches of this world:

Joh 1:10  He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.
Joh 1:11  He came unto his own, and his own received him not.

It is the same today. Those who claim to be “His own” do not receive Him. It is the Christian churches who are most adamant about their own doctrine which teaches us, “All that is needed for evil to succeed is for good men to do nothing when confronted with evil.” If by “do nothing” they mean that ‘doing none of the things Christ commanded us will lead evil to dominate our lives’, then they would be right. However, that is the last thing any activist Catholic or Protestant means when he says, “All that is needed for evil to succeed is for good men to do nothing when confronted with evil.”

Contrast those words of activist Christian ministers with these passivist words and actions of Christ:

Mat 5:38  Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth:
Mat 5:39  But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.

Isa 53:7  He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.

Some ‘Christian’ ministers brag that the American Revolutionary War and the American Civil War were both fought only because the Christian ministers of those days protested the evils of their time and inspired the resistance to those evils, which led to both those wars. It is claimed by many ministers that it was American ministers who convinced our government to enter both World Wars to resist the evil of that time. It is a rare Christian minister who does not encourage those in their charge to protect themselves and their families and their country with deadly force if need be. Being led “as a sheep to the slaughter” is not to be read in their Bibles, even though this is what we are plainly told:

Act 8:32  The place of the scripture which he [the Ethiopian eunuch] read was this, He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth:

Christian ministers, instead of following in the footsteps of Christ, almost universally encourage those in their charge to go out and fight for God and country when called upon to do so.

Does Christ encourage us to resist evil in any way other than inwardly against the sins of the flesh? There is no denying that we are commanded to “resist the devil” as our inward tempter who is always appealing to the lusts of our flesh:

Jas 4:7  Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

No! The Lord does not anywhere in scripture tell us to resist outward evil against ourselves, our families or our country. The exact opposite is what He taught, and that is also the example He set for us to follow”. “Hide [ourselves]”? Yes, indeed! “Flee to the next city”? Yes indeed:

Pro 22:3  A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself: but the simple pass on, and are punished.

Repeated in:

Pro 27:12  A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself; but the simple pass on, and are punished.

We are never told to make ourselves a doormat for the world:

Mat 10:23  But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another: for verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come.

Nevertheless, the doctrine of Christ is the exact opposite of ‘good men resisting evil’:

Mat 5:38  Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth:
Mat 5:39  But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.

The life of Christ, the Creator of all, is worth more than the lives of all men of all time. Yet when Peter drew his sword to defend the Lord, this is what the Lord Himself told Peter, and this is what He is telling all of this age who are given to receive it:

Mat 26:51  And, behold, one of them which were with Jesus stretched out his hand, and drew his sword, and struck a servant of the high priest’s, and smote off his ear.
Mat 26:52  Then said Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword.
Mat 26:53  Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels?
Mat 26:54  But how then shall the scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be?

“The scriptures [must] be fulfilled”, and Christ refused to fight against His Father’s will, which was that He go to the cross “as a lamb to the slaughter” and not resist the evil men of this world for whom He was sent to this earth to redeem.

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.

What is the Father’s will for us? What scriptures must be fulfilled in our lives? Just as with Christ, “the scriptures [must] be fulfilled” as they pertain to us as those who are sent by Christ as His Father sent Him:

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 Christ’s own words He is sending us for the very same purpose:

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

Did Christ’s Father send Him to keep us from having to die? Indeed, He certainly did die for us:

Luk 22:19  And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me.
Luk 22:20  Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you.

Does the fact that Christ died for our sins mean that we are not expected to die daily and be crucified with Him daily? Such is the false doctrine of a substitutionary atonement. Once again, the scriptures teach the exact opposite of the doctrines of the great whore. The scriptures actually teach that Christ wants us to also be led as sheep to the slaughter, and we are to “die daily… be crucified with Christ… [and] fill up in [our] flesh what is lacking of the afflictions of Christ”:

Psa 44:22  Yea, for thy sake are we killed all the day long; we are counted as sheep for the slaughter.

Does the New Testament agree with what King David says here?

Rom 8:35  Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
Rom 8:36  As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.

In chapter 12 Paul beseeches us all:

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.

And in Colossians we are told:

Col 1:24  Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body’s sake, which is the church:

The same commission is given to us all:

Php 1:29  For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake; [“His body’s sake, which is the church”, Col 1:24]

While it is another study for another time, the fact is that our “living sacrifice” of our bodies is symbolized by the scapegoat of Leviticus 16, and as such we really are ‘sent by Christ as His Father sent Him… that the world through Him might be saved’ (Joh 3:17 and Joh 20:21).

This brings us to the first verses of our study today:

Isa 59:15  Yea, truth faileth; and he that departeth from evil maketh himself a prey: and the LORD saw it, and it displeased him that there was no judgment.
Isa 59:16  And he saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor: therefore his arm brought salvation unto him; and his righteousness, it sustained him.

If Christ is within us, after we come to see that the truth failed within us first, then we become this man who departs from evil and “makes himself a prey” to be led to the slaughter by those who have not yet come to see that “truth failed” within themselves.

It is true that “there in none good, no not one”, and when “He saw there was no intercessor… His arm brought salvation unto Him, and His righteousness… sustained Him” because He is now living in those who are offering themselves as living sacrifices, just as His Father sent Him to die for our sins.

Contrary to the false doctrine of a substitutionary atonement, Christ did not die so we would not have to die. He died to His flesh so we, too, could be “crucified with Him” and yet He will live His life in us as we “present [our physical] bodies to Him as a living sacrifice”:

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.

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.

Rom 8:10  And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.

Gal 4:19  My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you,

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:

If “the mystery which has been hidden from the ages and from generations… is now made manifest [within] His saints” then it is we who, as the Lord Himself was sent by His Father, are also sent by Christ “that the world through Him might be saved”.

Let’s read it again”

Joh 3:16  For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
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.

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

We are Christ only through Christ and as an integral part of His “one body”:

1Co 12:12  For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.
1Co 12:13  For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.
1Co 12:14  For the body is not one member, but many.

Therefore, we are not Christ independent of His “many member[ed]… one body”, but as His “one body” we are indeed “Jesus of Nazareth” Who was sent by His Father, and as His Father sent Him “even so” are we sent by Him “that the world through Him might be saved”.

These are His own words making us to know that truth:

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

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

Who exactly are we? Let’s let the Lord Himself answer that question:

Act 22:6  And it came to pass, that, as I made my journey, and was come nigh unto Damascus about noon, suddenly there shone from heaven a great light round about me.
Act 22:7  And I fell unto the ground, and heard a voice saying unto me, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?
Act 22:8  And I answered, Who art thou, Lord? And he said unto me, I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom thou persecutest.

We are not the head of the body, but we are Christ’s body, and as such we must “die daily” as His “scapegoat… living sacrifice” and we are “crucified with [Him]… daily”. It is in that capacity that we each “fill up what is lacking of His afflictions” and we, too, are “saviors” through whom “all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins” are atoned:

Lev 16:21  And Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat, and shall send him away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness:
Lev 16:22  And the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities unto a land not inhabited: and he shall let go the goat in the wilderness.

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.

Col 1:24  Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church,

That is how “the world through Him might be saved” (Joh 3:17. That is how “He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but for the sins of the whole world”:

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.

1Jn 2:2  He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.

It is “in Christ” that we identify with these words which concern Him and Him in us:

Psa 45:7  you have loved righteousness and hated wickedness. Therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions;

This principle is repeated in the book of Hebrews:

Heb 1:9  Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.

Which brings us to our next verse addressed to us as the Christ of Christ:

Isa 59:17  For he put on righteousness as a breastplate, and an helmet of salvation upon his head; and he put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a cloke.

Notice how the holy spirit inspired the apostle Paul to incorporate part of this verse into his epistle to the church at Ephesus:

Eph 6:10  Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
Eph 6:11  Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
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 [G165: ‘aion’, age], against spiritual wickedness in high places. [G2032: ‘epouranios’, heavens]
Eph 6:13  Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
Eph 6:14  Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
Eph 6:15  And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
Eph 6:16  Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
Eph 6:17  And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:

Remember that in the Hebrew language many things are stated twice in a different form for emphasis. As ‘clothing’ and ‘cloak’ are one and the same, so, too, are ‘vengeance’ and ‘zeal’ one and the same in:

Isa 59:17  For he put on righteousness as a breastplate, and an helmet of salvation upon his head; and he put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a cloke.

Jehu was commissioned by the Lord to destroy all the house of Ahab as the Lord’s vengeance for all the evils King Ahab and his wife, Jezebel, had done against Him and against His people, Israel. Jehu was very zealous to accomplish that commission:

2Ki 10:11  So Jehu slew all that remained of the house of Ahab in Jezreel, and all his great men, and his kinsfolks, and his priests, until he left him none remaining.
2Ki 10:12  And he arose and departed, and came to Samaria. And as he was at the shearing house in the way,
2Ki 10:13  Jehu met with the brethren of Ahaziah king of Judah, and said, Who are ye? And they answered, We are the brethren of Ahaziah; and we go down to salute the children of the king and the children of the queen.
2Ki 10:14  And he said, Take them alive. And they took them alive, and slew them at the pit of the shearing house, even two and forty men; neither left he any of them.
2Ki 10:15  And when he was departed thence, he lighted on Jehonadab the son of Rechab coming to meet him: and he saluted him, and said to him, Is thine heart right, as my heart is with thy heart? And Jehonadab answered, It is. If it be, give me thine hand. And he gave him his hand; and he took him up to him into the chariot.
2Ki 10:16  And he said, Come with me, and see my zeal for the LORD. So they made him ride in his chariot.
2Ki 10:17  And when he came to Samaria, he slew all that remained unto Ahab in Samaria, till he had destroyed him, according to the saying of the LORD, which he spake to Elijah.

It is true that these are not the days of vengeance for the Lord’s people to take their revenge upon those who oppress them, and we are told:

Deu 32:35  To me belongeth vengeance, and recompence; their foot shall slide in due time: for the day of their calamity is at hand, and the things that shall come upon them make haste.
Deu 32:36  For the LORD shall judge his people, and repent himself for his servants, when he seeth that their power is gone, and there is none shut up, or left.

The Lord’s “judgment” and His ‘wrath’ and His ‘vengeance’ are all one and the same. It is all first to be accomplished within the kingdom of our own old man within us. It is first accomplished within the Lord’s own people:

Jer 25:4  And the LORD hath sent unto you [to all of us] all his servants the prophets, rising early and sending them; but ye have not hearkened, nor inclined your ear to hear.
Jer 25:5  They said, Turn ye again now every one from his evil way, and from the evil of your doings, and dwell in the land that the LORD hath given unto you and to your fathers for ever and ever:
Jer 25:6  And go not after other gods to serve them, and to worship them, and provoke me not to anger with the works of your hands; and I will do you no hurt.
Jer 25:7  Yet ye have not hearkened unto me, saith the LORD; that ye might provoke me to anger with the works of your hands to your own hurt.
Jer 25:8  Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts; Because ye have not heard my words,
Jer 25:9  Behold, I will send and take all the families of the north, saith the LORD, and Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon, my servant, and will bring them against this land, and against the inhabitants thereof, and against all these nations round about, and will utterly destroy them, and make them an astonishment, and an hissing, and perpetual desolations.
Jer 25:10  Moreover I will take from them [from us] the voice of mirth, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride, the sound of the millstones, and the light of the candle.
Jer 25:11  And this whole land shall be a desolation, and an astonishment; and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years.

Luk 21:21  Then let them which are in Judaea flee to the mountains; and let them which are in the midst of it depart out; and let not them that are in the countries enter thereinto.
Luk 21:22  For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled.

Then, after burning up the kingdom of our old man within each of us, the Lord will use us to accomplish His vengeance upon the kingdoms of the old man in the rest of mankind “in the day of His vengeance”:

Deu 32:43  Rejoice, O ye nations, with his people: for he will avenge the blood of his servants, and will render vengeance to his adversaries, and will be merciful unto his land, and to his people.

Eze 25:14  And I will lay my vengeance upon Edom by the hand of my people Israel: and they shall do in Edom according to mine anger and according to my fury; and they shall know my vengeance, saith the Lord GOD.

Psa 119:139  My zeal [His vengeance] hath consumed me, because mine enemies have forgotten thy words.

Eze 5:13  Thus shall mine anger be accomplished, and I will cause my fury to rest upon them, and I will be comforted: and they shall know that I the LORD have spoken it in my zeal, when I have accomplished my fury in them.

As Christ told Pilate:

Joh 18:36  Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world [kosmos]: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence.

The time is coming when the kingdoms of this world will be the kingdoms of our Lord and His Christ:

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

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

Then as Paul tells us:

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

So, let’s remember these words are first for us:

Isa 59:18  According to their deeds, accordingly he will repay, fury to his adversaries, recompence to his enemies; to the islands he will repay recompence.

The Lord’s vengeance is His wrath, and it is also His judgments. They are all one and the same. If He loves us as His elect in this age, then His wrath is poured out upon us in measure, and as we are given to endure it. His judgments, His wrath and His vengeance are all for the purpose of teaching us His righteousness:

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

Just two chapters later we are instructed of the “excellent… work” of the Lord in dealing mercifully with us according to our ability to receive His judgments:

Isa 28:27  For the fitches are not threshed with a threshing instrument, neither is a cart wheel turned about upon the cummin; but the fitches are beaten out with a staff, and the cummin with a rod.
Isa 28:28  Bread corn is bruised; because he will not ever be threshing it, nor break it with the wheel of his cart, nor bruise it with his horsemen.
Isa 28:29  This also cometh forth from the LORD of hosts, which is wonderful in counsel, and excellent in working.

If we “learn righteousness” that ‘learning’ is His work which He performs within us. We have nothing in which we can boast outside of Him:

Job 23:10  But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.
Job 23:11  My foot hath held his steps, his way have I kept, and not declined.
Job 23:12  Neither have I gone back from the commandment of his lips; I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food.
Job 23:13  But he is in one mind, and who can turn him? and what his soul desireth, even that he doeth.
Job 23:14  For he performeth the thing that is appointed for me: and many such things are with him.

In this age, it is not given us to take our own vengeance. It is rather given us on behalf of Christ to suffer with Him and never, in this age, seek to take vengeance upon our enemies:

Rom 12:17  Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men.
Rom 12:18  If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.
Rom 12:19  Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.

Php 1:28  And in nothing terrified by your adversaries: which is to them an evident token of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that of God.
Php 1:29  For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake;

Our suffering at the hand of our adversaries is really at the hand of the Lord, and it “is to [our enemies] an evident token of [our] perdition”. To us it is an “evident token… of [our] salvation” because we “are counted worthy” to suffer with Him:

Act 5:41  And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name.

Rom 8:17  And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him that we may be also glorified together.

When we have learned that His judgments, His vengeance and His wrath are all one and the same and they are for our good then we will have been given the beginning of the fear of the Lord:

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

Remember that in the Hebrew Old Testament everything is stated twice for emphasis. Therefore “the knowledge of the holy” is the same as “the fear of the Lord”.

“The fear of the Lord is [also] the beginning of knowledge”:

Pro 1:7  The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Notice how “the fear of the Lord” is contrasted with “despising wisdom and instruction”. When that hatred for the Lord’s ways is burned out of us, then the Lord begins to work His ways within us, preparing us to be His instruments of His judgments, His vengeance and His wrath:

Jer 51:19  The portion of Jacob is not like them; for he is the former of all things: and Israel is the rod of his inheritance: the LORD of hosts is his name.
Jer 51:20  Thou art my battle axe and weapons of war: for with thee will I break in pieces the nations, and with thee will I destroy kingdoms;
Jer 51:21  And with thee will I break in pieces the horse and his rider; and with thee will I break in pieces the chariot and his rider;
Jer 51:22  With thee also will I break in pieces man and woman; and with thee will I break in pieces old and young; and with thee will I break in pieces the young man and the maid;
Jer 51:23  I will also break in pieces with thee the shepherd and his flock; and with thee will I break in pieces the husbandman and his yoke of oxen; and with thee will I break in pieces captains and rulers.
Jer 51:24  And I will render unto Babylon and to all the inhabitants of Chaldea all their evil that they have done in Zion in your sight, saith the LORD.

Nothing will be permitted to come between Him and us:

Isa 59:19  So shall they fear the name of the LORD from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him.

It is with a flood of lies the great red dragon and His children come against us:

Rev 12:14  And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.

Rev 12:15  And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood.
Rev 12:16  And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth.
Rev 12:17  And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

The woman that brings forth the manchild is the same woman known as “Babylon the great, the mother of harlots, and of abominations of the earth” out of whom the Lord’s “remnant of her seed” must all come. The earth opening her mouth to help the woman is not an act of selfless charity, rather it is just a statement of fact that the world drinks in the lies of the great red dragon.

The Lord never forsakes His children whom He knew from “before the world began” as His elect of this age (2Ti 1:9 and Tit 1:2).

Isa 59:20  And the Redeemer shall come to Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob, saith the LORD.
Isa 59:21  As for me, this is my covenant with them, saith the LORD; My spirit that is upon thee, and my words which I have put in thy mouth, shall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of the mouth of thy seed’s seed, saith the LORD, from henceforth and for ever.

The Lord’s “covenant is with them [and His] spirit is upon thee” tells us that the ‘them’ and the ‘thee’ are both His elect “and [He has] put in [their] mouths [His] words”. The Lord’s words do not depart out of the mouths of His elect because “[His] spirit [which is His words (Joh 6:63)] is upon [us]”. Anyone who departs from His words does not have His spirit upon them, and they are lost on the sea without a rudder to guide them. They have no way to know Truth from error as do the Lord’s elect:

1Jn 4:5  They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them.
1Jn 4:6  We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.

“Thy mouth… the mouth of thy seed… the mouth of thy seed’s seed” conveys to us the fact that the Lord’s work and His words are within His elect and are indeed “from henceforth and for ever”.

“The Redeemer” who “comes to Zion” is of course, Christ coming to us in this age first, and then through us… “through [our]… mercy” He will also come to all the rest of mankind:

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

That is our study for today concluding chapter 59. This is a chapter dominated by the Lord’s admonitions that we are to remember the pit from which we are saved. As always, this chapter ends with the encouraging words of the Lord mercies which words are in our mouths “henceforth and forever”.

Isa 59:21  As for me, this is my covenant with them, saith the LORD; My spirit that is upon thee, and my words which I have put in thy mouth, shall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of the mouth of thy seed’s seed, saith the LORD, from henceforth and for ever.

Chapter 60 begins with the very encouraging words of just how special we are to our Lord, and how blessed we are as His firstfruits to whom “the sea shall be converted”:

Isa 60:1  Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee.
Isa 60:2  For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee.
Isa 60:3  And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.
Isa 60:4  Lift up thine eyes round about, and see: all they gather themselves together, they come to thee: thy sons shall come from far, and thy daughters shall be nursed at thy side.
Isa 60:5  Then thou shalt see, and flow together, and thine heart shall fear, and be enlarged; because the abundance of the sea shall be converted unto thee, the forces of the Gentiles shall come unto thee.
Isa 60:6  The multitude of camels shall cover thee, the dromedaries of Midian and Ephah; all they from Sheba shall come: they shall bring gold and incense; and they shall shew forth the praises of the LORD.
Isa 60:7  All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered together unto thee, the rams of Nebaioth shall minister unto thee: they shall come up with acceptance on mine altar, and I will glorify the house of my glory.
Isa 60:8  Who are these that fly as a cloud, and as the doves to their windows?

Psa 99:1 The LORD reigneth; let the people tremble: he sitteth between the cherubims; let the earth be moved.
Psa 99:2 The LORD is great in Zion; and he is high above all the people.
Psa 99:3 Let them praise thy great and terrible name; for it is holy.
Psa 99:4 The king’s strength also loveth judgment; thou dost establish equity, thou executest judgment and righteousness in Jacob.
Psa 99:5 Exalt ye the LORD our God, and worship at his footstool; for he is holy.
Psa 99:6 Moses and Aaron among his priests, and Samuel among them that call upon his name; they called upon the LORD, and he answered them.
Psa 99:7 He spake unto them in the cloudy pillar: they kept his testimonies, and the ordinance that he gave them.
Psa 99:8 Thou answeredst them, O LORD our God: thou wast a God that forgavest them, though thou tookest vengeance of their inventions.
Psa 99:9 Exalt the LORD our God, and worship at his holy hill; for the LORD our God is holy.

Last week we spent the major part of the study on the introduction where we looked at the word “gifts“, the word “conscience“, the verses in Ephesians 5:19-33, and the phrases “from the beginning” and “the beginning” to help bring to light the title verse in the study “Holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience”.

Without the “gifts” of the spirit which God gives us accompanied with His judgment upon us that are used to sanctify us or make us holy as He is, we would never be able to hold the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience. So we’re told that all things work together for those who love God and who are called according to His purpose, including His judgment upon us (Rom 8:28, 1Pe 4:17) that is likened unto pruning, or digging and dunging of the tree, in scripture (Joh 15:2, Luk 13:8). These are all needful and necessary to ultimately see these gifts which are given, mature and bring forth fruit in due season from a new heart that is able to hold the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience.

Mat 13:1 The same day went Jesus out of the house, and sat by the sea side.
Mat 13:2 And great multitudes were gathered together unto him, so that he went into a ship, and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore.
Mat 13:3 And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow;
Mat 13:4 And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up:
Mat 13:5 Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth:
Mat 13:6 And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away.
Mat 13:7 And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them:
Mat 13:8 But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold.
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 [Eze 36:26, 1Ti 3:9], but to them it is not given.
Mat 13:12 For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath.
Mat 13:13 Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.
Mat 13:14 And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive:
Mat 13:15 For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.
Mat 13:16 But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear.
Mat 13:17 For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.

God is laying a foundation through the life of His people, “the cherubims“(of verse 1), who are those lively stones (1Pe 2:5) which are being moved and assembled by our loving Father, who is the author and finisher of our faith through Christ (Heb 12:2). He is building the church on the Rock, Jesus Christ (Mat 16:18), who is working in us both to will and to do of our Father’s good pleasure, which is to give us revelation and understanding of the Kingdom of God within us through the purifying process of judgment which enables us to hold “the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience”.

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

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

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

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

1Ti 3:9 Holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience.

Psa 99:4 The king’s strength also loveth judgment; thou dost establish equity, thou executest judgment and righteousness in Jacob.

The sanctification process unto which we are called (Joh 17:17) is what is needed to be able to hold the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience. Sanctification, as we discussed last week, is a process of judgment on the flesh that the number ‘three’ reveals and scripture clearly shows over and over.

Isa 6:3 And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.

Rev 4:8 And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.

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

The “king’s strength” is Christ in us, the “hope of glory” (Col 1:27), who loves judgment and righteousness. God loves judgment because He knows that it will “establish equity” and “righteousness in Jacob”.

Psa 33:5 He loveth righteousness and judgment: the earth is full of the goodness of the LORD. [within]

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. [within Gal 3:16]

Pro 21:3 To do justice and judgment is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice. [within Heb 9:23, Heb 13:15]

Psa 99:5 Exalt^H7311 ye the LORD our God, and worship at his footstool^{H1916 H7272}; for he is holy.

When the man of sin is on the throne of our hearts, God cannot be exalted (2Th 2:3), however when we decrease He (Christ) increases in us (Joh 3:30). It is through judgment that the humbled and contrite heart is formed, or said another way, we decrease within the house of God as we learn to esteem others better and “sit down in the lowest room” as opposed to the first religious man who cannot see what true holiness is before God and can only boast in his many wonderful works (Mat 7:22), which boastful spirit only Christ can drive out of the temple if He is working with us in this age.

Isa 66:2 For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the LORD: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word.
Isa 66:3 He that killeth an ox is as if he slew a man; he that sacrificeth a lamb, as if he cut off a dog’s neck; he that offereth an oblation, as if he offered swine’s blood; he that burneth incense, as if he blessed an idol. Yea, they have chosen their own ways, and their soul delighteth in their abominations.

Php 2:3 Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.
Php 2:4 Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.

Luk 14:10 But when thou art bidden, go and sit down in the lowest room; that when he that bade thee cometh, he may say unto thee, Friend, go up higher: then shalt thou have worship in the presence of them that sit at meat with thee.
Luk 14:11 For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

Luk 14:8 When thou art bidden of any man to a wedding [called unto the marriage], sit not down in the highest room; lest a more honourable man than thou be bidden of him;

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.

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

Joh 2:15 And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers’ money, and overthrew the tables;
Joh 2:16 And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father’s house an house of merchandise.

When that temple is cleansed, then we can exalt the LORD our God and worship at His footstool, because now we are blessed to be enduring through the seven last plagues so that we can enter into this temple with humbled hearts which have been learning obedience from the things which we are suffering in our flesh. God’s grace is sufficient for us to have a proper relationship with him in the spirit.

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.

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

2Co 12:8 For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.
2Co 12:9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

Exalt^H7311 rûm room [we exalt God when we present our lives a living sacrifice to him]

A primitive root; to be high actively to rise or raise (in various applications, literally or figuratively): – bring up, exalt (self), extol, give, go up, haughty, heave (up) [Exo 29:28, Col 1:20-23, 1Jn 4:17], (be, lift up on, make on, set up on, too) high (-er, one), hold up, levy, lift (-er) up, (be) lofty, (X a-) loud, mount up, offer (up), + presumptuously, (be) promote (-ion), proud, set up, tall (-er), take (away, off, up), breed worms.

Exo 29:28 And it shall be Aaron’s and his sons’ by a statute for ever from the children of Israel: for it is an heave offering: and it shall be an heave offering from the children of Israel of the sacrifice of their peace offerings, even their heave offering unto the LORD.

Col 1:20 And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.
Col 1:21 And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled
Col 1:22 In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight:
Col 1:23 If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister;

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.

Footstool H1916 H7272 hădôm Total KJV Occurrences: 6

footstool, 6 1Ch 28:2, Psa 99:5, Psa 110:1, Psa 132:7, Lam 2:1

1Ch 28:2 Then David the king stood up upon his feet^H7272, and said, Hear me, my brethren, and my people: As for me, I had in mine heart to build an house of rest for the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and for the footstool^{H1916 H7272} of our God, and had made ready for the building: [David not building the temple or Moses not entering into the promise land both tell us that only Christ can accomplish this and we must be abased in our flesh to see Christ’s temple exalted (Mat 23:12).]

Psa 99:5 Exalt ye the LORD our God, and worship at his footstool^{H1916 H7272}; for he is holy.

Psa 110:1 A Psalm of David. The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool^{H1916 H7272}. [think within – we become God’s footstool when our enemies within are conquered through Christ, who builds the spiritual house within us which conquers our enemies]

Psa 132:7 We will go into his tabernacles: we will worship at his footstool^{H1916 H7272}.

Lam 2:1 How hath the Lord covered the daughter of Zion with a cloud in his anger, and cast down from heaven unto the earth the beauty of Israel, and remembered not his footstool^{H1916 H7272} in the day of his anger! [Isa 54:8, Mat 27:46, 2Co 4:17]

If we suffer with Christ today, we will be God’s humbled footstool who will be used by Him to judge righteous judgment tomorrow (2Ti 2:12).

Rev 3:9 Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee.

Rev 3:2 Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God.
Rev 3:3 Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.

1Pe 4:18 And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?

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.

Psa 99:6 Moses and Aaron among his priests, and Samuel among them that call upon his name; they called upon the LORD, and he answered them.

God answered Moses and Aaron who were among the priests and Samuel it says was among them who called upon his name.

Moses and Aaron are a type of Christ and the body of Christ, and we intervene for one another as we go boldly before the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

Heb 4:15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.
Heb 4:16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

Samuel’s name here reminds us that there is a process which we must go through in order to be sanctified through Christ in this age. If we are blessed to go through this process of judgment in this age, heard of God (the meaning of ‘Samuel’), we will have peace that passes all understanding through Christ.

Joh 17:17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.

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.

Gal 6:16 And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God.

Php 4:1 Therefore, my brethren dearly beloved and longed for, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, my dearly beloved.
Php 4:2 I beseech Euodias, and beseech Syntyche, that they be of the same mind in the Lord.
Php 4:3 And I intreat thee also, true yokefellow, help those women which laboured with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and with other my fellowlabourers, whose names are in the book of life.
Php 4:4 Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.
Php 4:5 Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.
Php 4:6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
Php 4:7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Samuel^H8050 shemû’êl shem-oo-ale From the passive participle of H8085 and H410; heard of God; Shemuel, the name of three Israelites: – Samuel, Shemuel.

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

Isa 66:5 Hear the word of the LORD, ye that tremble at his word; Your brethren that hated you, that cast you out for my name’s sake [Mat 10:22], said, Let the LORD be glorified: but he shall appear to your joy, and they shall be ashamed.

Luk 11:28 But he said, Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it.

Psa 99:7 He spake unto them in the cloudy pillar: they kept his testimonies, and the ordinance that he gave them.
Psa 99:8 Thou answeredst them, O LORD our God: thou wast a God that forgavest them, though thou tookest vengeance of their inventions.

These verses remind us that we must have a working ongoing relationship with God keeping “his testimonies^H5713” and “ordinances^H2706” as His appointed witnesses today (Rev 11:3) that will result in him hearing us and abiding in us and cleansing us because we are being granted to keep and abide in his words (Joh 14:23-26, Rev 1:3, Joh 15:7-8). We know that we see through a glass darkly so this cloudy pillar when applied inwardly is our current earnest perspective (Rom 8:19) of what God is doing in our lives, still veiled with flesh (1Co 13:12).

testimonies: H5713 ‛êdâh ay-daw’ Feminine of H5707 in its technical sense; testimony: – testimony, witness. Compare H5712.

ordinances: H2706 chôq khoke From H2710; an enactment; hence an appointment (of time, space, quantity, labor or usage): – appointed, bound, commandment, convenient, custom, decree (-d), due, law, measure, X necessary, ordinance (-nary), portion, set time, statute, task.

Joh 14:23 Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.
Joh 14:24 He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father’s which sent me.
Joh 14:25 These things have I spoken unto you, being yet present with you.
Joh 14:26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

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

Joh 15:7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.
Joh 15:8 Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.

Rom 8:19 For the earnest expectationG603 of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God [Psa 27:14].

earnest expectation: G603 apokaradokia ap-ok-ar-ad-ok-ee’-ah From a compound of G575 and a compound of kara (the head) and G1380 (in the sense of watching); intense anticipation: – earnest expectation.

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

God will not abide with our sin and is mercifully seeking occasion against our flesh as He examines us by pricking our conscience and leading us unto repentance today, which is His goodness being revealed in us and how He makes the kingdom of God and our relationship with Christ brighter within as we go from glory to glory.

Rom 2:4 Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?

2Co 3:18 But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.

Psa 99:9 Exalt the LORD our God, and worship at his holy hill; for the LORD our God is holy.

We are admonished many times in this Psalm to “worship at his holy hill; for [because] the LORD our God is holy.”

When our conscience is cleansed and we see ourselves for what we are at the foot of Christ worshipping Him as the weak of the world to whom He has shown mercy to in this age, we gain a whole new perspective of how we are to worship “the LORD our God” who is holy. When we are sanctified, or the temple is cleansed through Christ, then we can be properly abased and able to “exalt the LORD” who is holy by worshipping in this temple that we are in spirit and truth.

Joh 4:23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.

The time is coming and now is for those who God is sanctifying in this age to worship Him from a conscience that is pure and able to read hear and keep the sayings of the prophecy.

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

Pilate’s wife, who is a type of the church in the wilderness, “suffered many things this day in a dream because of him” and told Pilate “when he was set down on the judgment seat” to have nothing to do with that just man. In other words, don’t judge him for he is innocent, and more than that her conscience has been pricked, not enough that she is ready to be “Holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience” but enough that she has been convinced by this dream that he is innocent.

Mat 27:19 When he was set down on the judgment seat, his wife sent unto him, saying, Have thou nothing to do with that just man: for I have suffered many things this day in a dream because of him.

The judgment of which Pilate and all of us are guilty regarding Christ, is what God planned of which we would all be partakers (Act 4:26-27) to show us all that there is none righteous and that our judgment, like Pilate’s judgment which represents our old man, is not just and righteous judgment in the earth, earth, earth. It is only after we have been convicted that we are the man (2Sa 12:7) and start to judge our own desperately wicked hearts (Jer 17:9) by the sword that God does not allow to depart from our house (2Sa 12:10), that we can gain victory over the beast and start to be able to be “Holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience”, which is exalt[ing] and worship[ping] our holy, holy, holy LORD and God, as this last verse exclaims.

Rev 4:8 And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.

Hello Mike and all at iswasandwillbe​,

I am perplexed by some of the words used in this particular chapter,​ Mike, rather, ​I should say phrases; i​n particular “everlasting destruction” and the word “from”.​

My understanding so far in this chapter is that the saints are asked to endure their tribulations and suffering, which plainly stated says “for the manifest token of the righteous judgment of God” to be counted worthy of His kingdom. The phrases “to be counted worthy of His kingdom” verse 5 and “God would count you worthy of this calling” verse 11 seem that this is all part of God’​s work in their lives,​ meaning “through much tribulation we enter into the kingdom of God’.

In verse 3 the phrases their “faith grows exceedingly” “and their love toward one another abounds” grabbed my attention.​

Are these results in the saints meaning “faith grows exceedingly” and abounding love?​ Are these the fruit of God​’s manifest token of the righteous judgment? The righteous judgment is from God for them to endure and grow? For the purpose of “That the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you and you in him” verse 12?

Secondly: “it is a righteous thing to repay those troubling you”. ​I think I understand this but not sure. The same tribulation is given to the ones afflicting the saints by God. But what has me perplexed are the verses 7-10.  Could you help clarify these words for me? The phrases in question are “everlasting destruction” and “in flaming fire taking vengeance”. Once again THANK-YOU so much for your direction. I truly appreciate iswasandwillbe​.

In Christ, S____​

Hi S____,

Thank you for your questions. You ask about the wording of the first chapter of 1 Thessalonians, and you quote a part of these verses:

2Th 1:9  Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power;

What you say you do understand is right on target.​ You say:

My understanding so far in this chapter is that the saints are asked to endure their tribulations and suffering which plainly stated says “for the manifest token of the righteous judgment of God” to be counted worthy of His kingdom. The phrases “to be counted worthy of His kingdom” verse 5 and ” God would count you worthy of this calling” verse 11. It seems that this is all part of Gods work in their lives. meaning “through much tribulation we enter into the kingdom of God”.

That is exactly right as these verses below make clear:

Php 2:12  Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. 
Php 2:13  For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.

These words in Thessalonians and in Philippians are in accord with all the rest of the Words of God from Genesis to Revelation. They accord completely with what Joseph told his brothers concerning what they felt certain was a work they had ​imagined and executed to thwart the fulfilling of the message of Joseph’s dreams as a 17 year old youth:

Gen 37:2  These are the generations of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brethren; and the lad was with the sons of Bilhah, and with the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives: and Joseph brought unto his father their evil report.
Gen 37:3  Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age: and he made him a coat of many colours.
Gen 37:4  And when his brethren saw that their father loved him more than all his brethren, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably unto him. 
Gen 37:5  And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it his brethren: and they hated him yet the more.
Gen 37:6  And he said unto them, Hear, I pray you, this dream which I have dreamed:
Gen 37:7  For, behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and, lo, my sheaf arose, and also stood upright; and, behold, your sheaves stood round about, and made obeisance to my sheaf.
Gen 37:8  And his brethren said to him, Shalt thou indeed reign over us? or shalt thou indeed have dominion over us? And they hated him yet the more for his dreams, and for his words. 
Gen 37:9  And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it his brethren, and said, Behold, I have dreamed a dream more; and, behold, the sun and the moon and the eleven stars made obeisance to me.
Gen 37:10  And he told it to his father, and to his brethren: and his father rebuked him, and said unto him, What is this dream that thou hast dreamed? Shall I and thy mother and thy brethren indeed come to bow down ourselves to thee to the earth? 

You know the story of how his father later sent him to see how his brothers were doing, and they at first planned to kill Joseph before R​e​uben and Judah talked them out of doing that and instead sold him for twenty pieces of silver as a slave to some Midianites,​ who then sold him as a slave to Potiphar:

Gen 37:36  And the Midianites sold him into Egypt unto Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh’s, and captain of the guard.

What was really happening at that moment? It was the same as what has always been taking place in the kingdoms of men. The words in these next verses are even now true, just as they were then and will always be true:

Gen 45:4  And Joseph said unto his brethren, Come near to me, I pray you. And they came near. And he said, I am Joseph your brother, whom ye sold into Egypt. 
Gen 45:5  Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life.
Gen 45:6  For these two years hath the famine been in the land: and yet there are five years, in the which there shall neither be earing nor harvest.
Gen 45:7  And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance.
Gen 45:8  So now it was not you that sent me hither, but God: and he hath made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt.

Those words are true right down to the thoughts which begin to be formulated in our minds, as well as the expression of those thoughts that come from our hearts via our mouths:

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

The fourth verse makes this super clear in reinforcing that the evil of Joseph’s brothers against him was really a work the Lord was doing by sending an evil spirit to tempt his brothers to do their evil deed:

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

These words are true on the individual level and on the national level, as the story of the humiliation of King Nebuchadnezzar reveals:

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

When Christ said that all power in heaven and in earth had been given to Him…

Mat 28:18  And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.

That “all power” includes the “all power” which is wielded by the adversary and his minions on this earth, as Paul discusses in the very next chapter of 2 Thessalonians:

2Th 2:9  Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,

I am confident you already know everything I am saying. The “all power” of this verse is not to be understood as a power superior to the power given Christ. Rather, it is the same power exercised by Christ through sending evil spirits to prepare the hearts of Joseph’s brothers to do the evil they did to him, and the working of Satan with all power also to ​prepare the heart of King Nebuchadnezzar just prior to his humiliation.

This is true in all things, right down to the crucifixion of Christ:

Act 4:26  The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord, and against his Christ.
Act 4:27  For of a truth against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed, both Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel, were gathered together,
Act 4:28  For to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be done. 

And so it is also with your second question. You ask:

Secondly: “it is a righteous thing to repay those troubling you”. I think I understand this but not sure. The same tribulation is given to the ones afflicting the saints by God.

Rest assured that the “righteous thing to repay those troubling you” is the exact same “one event” which was used by God to drag you and me to His righteousness through His chastening judgments. That is the very thing through which we all “learn righteousness” as these verses all demonstrate:

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.

All “good” men are evil men first. Then God makes them good, but “it is God that works in us both to will and to do of His good pleasure.​

That “one event” is God’s judgment upon the kingdom of our old man who loathes giving up his illegitimate claim to the throne of our hearts and minds​, and to the hearts and minds of all men. But God’s chastening grace burns up the kingdom of our old man,​ and it is His grace which is the judgment of God in our lives and in the lives of all men of all time, as these verses demonstrate:

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

While the Lord has seen fit to hide this Truth in the New Testament through very poor translations, the message of Isa 26:9 is nonetheless right here for all who are given to see and to hear what the holy spirit inspired to be written:

Tit 2:11  For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,

Tit 2:12  Teaching [Greek:​ paideuo -​ chastening] us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world [Greek:​ aion -​ age];

Finally you ask:

But what has me perplexed are the verses 7-10.  Could you help clarify these words for me, Mike. They are “everlasting destruction” and “in flaming fire taking vengeance.​

Here are verses 7-10:

2Th 1:7 And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels,
2Th 1:8  In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:
2Th 1:9  Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power;
2Th 1:10  When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day.

Paul and his readers knew that he was speaking in a symbolic, spiritual sense when using the words “flaming fire”. They also knew that what Paul said here was age-​lasting punishment, and not “everlasting punishment”.

The Greek actually reads:

2Th 1:9 who shall incur the justice of eonian extermination from the face of the Lord, and from the glory of His strength. (CLV)

“Eonian extermination” is experienced by every man who has ever died or who ever will die. The kingdom of our old man is exterminated and is destroyed “by fire”.

So these verses here in 2 Thessalonians are simply saying the same thing Paul tells the Corinthians in these verses. Everyone knew,​ at that time, exactly what Paul meant by using the word ‘fire’ and ‘fiery’:

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 [by the fire of the Word of God”., he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire [“flaming fire, taking vengeance” on the kingdom of my old man].

I hope this helps you to see that the destruction of our old man is the fiery birth of our new man.

God does indeed take vengeance upon our old man, and he will take vengeance upon the kingdoms of this world. But through that fiery vengeance they will all “be saved, yet so as by [flaming] fire”.

Let me know if you still have questions.

Your brother who is honored to be able to help​,​

Mike

Isa 3:21-22 The Changeable Suits of Apparel

Isa 3:21  The rings, and nose jewels,
Isa 3:22  The changeable suits of apparel, and the mantles, and the wimples, and the crisping pins,

We are blessed to continue to see what the Lord is taking away from us as He is judging us. What we are learning about His judgment upon the kingdom of our old man is called “His wonderful works to the children of men”:

Psa 107:1  O give thanks unto the LORD, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.
Psa 107:2  Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy;
Psa 107:3  And gathered them out of the lands, from the east, and from the west, from the north, and from the south.
Psa 107:4  They wandered in the wilderness in a solitary way; they found no city to dwell in.
Psa 107:5  Hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted in them.
Psa 107:6  Then they cried unto the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them out of their distresses. 
Psa 107:7  And he led them forth by the right way, that they might go to a city of habitation.
Psa 107:8  Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men! 
Psa 107:9  For he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness. 
Psa 107:10  Such as sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, being bound in affliction and iron;
Psa 107:11  Because they rebelled against the words of God, and contemned the counsel of the most High: 
Psa 107:12  Therefore he brought down their heart with labour; they fell down, and there was none to help.
Psa 107:13  Then they cried unto the LORD in their trouble, and he saved them out of their distresses. 
Psa 107:14  He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and brake their bands in sunder.
Psa 107:15  Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!

We only “cry unto the Lord ” when we are in the troubles which He sends to us for our good, to cause us to cry out to and acknowledge Him.  Only then does “He save [us] out of [our] distresses”. Here is another more succinct way of saying the same thing:

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. 

Judgment is always very humbling, but it is followed by the rewards of the glory given to those who have been chastened of the Lord in this age, and it carries with it these rewards:

Psa 149:5  Let the saints be joyful in glory: let them sing aloud upon their beds.
Psa 149:6  Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a twoedged sword in their hand;
Psa 149:7  To execute vengeance upon the heathen, and punishments upon the people; 
Psa 149:8  To bind their kings with chains, and their nobles with fetters of iron;
Psa 149:9  To execute upon them the judgment written: this honour have all his saints. Praise ye the LORD.

It is “the saints [who will] execute vengeance upon the heathen, and punishments upon the people;” with the two-edged sword of the word of God. But we will do so only after we have all of our own possessions, and all of our own righteousnesses, taken from us.

As we saw in last week’s study:

Isa 3:18  In that day the Lord will take away the bravery of their tinkling ornaments about their feet, and their cauls, and their round tires like the moon,

Let’s continue from where we left off  and see what else must be taken from us before we can enter into the temple of God in heaven (Rev 15:8]:

Isa 3:21  The rings, and nose jewels, 

The rings

Here is the Hebrew word translated as “the rings”:

H2885
טַבַּעַת
ṭabba‛ath
tab-bah’-ath
From H2883; properly a seal (as sunk into the wax), that is, signet (for sealing); hence (generically) a ring of any kind: – ring.
Total KJV occurrences: 49

Here are the only two ways this word is translated.

H2885
טבּעת
ṭabba‛ath
Total KJV Occurrences: 49
rings, 40
Exo_25:12 (3), Exo_25:14-15 (2), Exo_25:26-27 (3), Exo_26:29, Exo_27:4, Exo_27:7, Exo_28:23-24 (3), Exo_28:26-28 (4), Exo_30:4, Exo_35:22, Exo_36:34, Exo_37:3 (3), Exo_37:5, Exo_37:13-14 (3), Exo_37:27, Exo_38:5, Exo_38:7, Exo_39:16-17 (3), Exo_39:19-21 (4), Num_31:50, Isa_3:21
ring, 9
Gen_41:42, Exo_26:24, Exo_36:29, Est_3:10, Est_3:12, Est_8:2, Est_8:8 (2), Est_8:10

As we can see, the only variation is the plural and the singular – rings and ring.

Here are two examples of what this word means and what must be taken from us:

Gen 41:41  And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, See, I have set thee over all the land of Egypt.
Gen 41:42  And Pharaoh took off his ring from his hand, and put it upon Joseph’s hand, and arrayed him in vestures of fine linen, and put a gold chain about his neck;
Gen 41:43  And he made him to ride in the second chariot which he had; and they cried before him, Bow the knee: and he made him ruler over all the land of Egypt.

Est 3:8  And Haman said unto king Ahasuerus, There is a certain people scattered abroad and dispersed among the people in all the provinces of thy kingdom; and their laws are diverse from all people; neither keep they the king’s laws: therefore it is not for the king’s profit to suffer them.
Est 3:9  If it please the king, let it be written that they may be destroyed: and I will pay ten thousand talents of silver to the hands of those that have the charge of the business, to bring it into the king’s treasuries.
Est 3:10  And the king took his ring from his hand, and gave it unto Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the Jews’ enemy.

After our old man has the ring taken away, it is then given to our new man:

Est 8:1  On that day did the king Ahasuerus give the house of Haman the Jews’ enemy unto Esther the queen. And Mordecai came before the king; for Esther had told what he was unto her.
Est 8:2  And the king took off his ring, which he had taken from Haman, and gave it unto Mordecai. And Esther set Mordecai over the house of Haman.

It is very interesting that it was “the king” who ordered both the destruction and the salvation of the Lord’s people.

It is almost as if:

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

The power of the king’s ring is taken from our old man, and it is given by the same king to the new man who is willing to die to the lies and deception of the old man’s kingdom.

The next thing the Lord takes from the kingdom of our old man is:

The nose jewels

This phrase consist of two Hebrew words. The Hebrew word for ‘nose’ is:

H639
אַף
‘aph
af
From H599; properly the nose or nostril; hence the face, and occasionally a person; also (from the rapid breathing in passion) ire: – anger (-gry), + before, countenance, face, + forbearing, forehead, + [long-] suffering, nose, nostril, snout, X worthy, wrath.
Total KJV occurrences: 276

Here is how the various translations of this Hebrew word in the King James break down:

H639
אף
‘aph
Total KJV Occurrences: 278
anger, 172
Gen_27:45, Gen_30:2, Gen_44:18, Gen_49:6-7 (2), Exo_4:14, Exo_11:8, Exo_32:19, Exo_32:22, Num_11:1, Num_11:10, Num_12:9, Num_22:22, Num_22:27, Num_24:10, Num_25:3-4 (2), Num_32:10, Deu_6:13-15 (3), Deu_7:4, Deu_9:19, Deu_13:17, Deu_29:20, Deu_29:23-24 (2), Deu_29:27-28 (2), Deu_31:17, Deu_32:22, Jos_7:1, Jos_7:26, Jos_23:16, Jdg_2:14, Jdg_2:20, Jdg_3:8, Jdg_6:39, Jdg_9:30, Jdg_10:7, Jdg_14:19, 1Sa_11:6, 1Sa_17:28, 1Sa_20:30, 1Sa_20:34, 2Sa_6:7, 2Sa_12:5, 2Sa_24:1, 2Ki_13:3, 2Ki_23:26, 2Ki_24:20, 1Ch_13:10, 2Ch_25:10 (2), 2Ch_25:15, Neh_9:17, Job_9:5, Job_9:13, Job_18:4, Job_21:17, Job_35:15, Psa_6:1, Psa_7:6, Psa_27:9, Psa_30:5, Psa_37:8, Psa_56:7, Psa_69:24, Psa_74:1, Psa_77:9, Psa_78:21, Psa_78:38, Psa_78:49-50 (2), Psa_85:3, Psa_85:5, Psa_90:7, Psa_90:11, Psa_145:8 (2), Pro_15:1, Pro_15:18, Pro_16:32, Pro_19:11, Pro_21:14, Pro_27:4, Isa_5:25 (2), Isa_7:4, Isa_9:12, Isa_9:17, Isa_9:21, Isa_10:4-5 (2), Isa_10:25, Isa_12:1, Isa_13:3, Isa_13:9, Isa_13:13, Isa_14:6, Isa_30:27, Isa_30:30, Isa_42:25, Isa_48:9, Isa_63:3, Isa_63:6, Isa_66:15, Jer_2:35, Jer_4:8, Jer_4:26, Jer_7:20, Jer_10:24, Jer_15:13-14 (2), Jer_17:4, Jer_18:23, Jer_21:5, Jer_23:20, Jer_25:37-38 (2), Jer_30:24, Jer_32:31, Jer_32:37, Jer_33:5, Jer_36:7, Jer_42:18, Jer_44:6, Jer_49:37, Jer_51:45, Jer_52:3, Lam_1:12, Lam_2:1 (2), Lam_2:3, Lam_2:6, Lam_2:21-22 (2), Lam_3:43, Lam_3:66, Lam_4:11, Eze_5:13, Eze_5:15, Eze_7:3, Eze_7:8, Eze_13:13, Eze_20:8, Eze_20:21, Eze_22:20, Eze_25:14, Eze_35:11, Eze_43:8, Dan_9:16, Dan_11:20, Hos_8:5, Hos_11:9, Hos_13:11, Hos_14:4, Joe_2:13, Amo_1:11, Jon_3:9, Jon_4:2, Mic_5:15, Mic_7:18, Nah_1:3, Nah_1:6, Hab_3:8, Hab_3:12, Zep_2:2-3 (3), Zep_3:8, Zec_10:3
wrath, 42
Gen_39:19, Exo_22:24, Exo_32:10-12 (3), Num_11:33, Deu_11:17, 1Sa_28:18, 2Ki_23:26, 2Ch_12:12, 2Ch_28:11, 2Ch_28:13, 2Ch_29:10, 2Ch_30:8, Ezr_8:22, Ezr_10:14, Job_14:13, Job_16:9, Job_19:11, Job_20:23, Job_20:28, Job_32:2-3 (3), Job_32:5, Job_36:13, Job_40:11, Job_42:7, Psa_2:5, Psa_2:12, Psa_21:9, Psa_55:3, Psa_78:31, Psa_95:11, Psa_106:40, Psa_110:5, Psa_124:3, Psa_138:7, Pro_14:29, Pro_24:18, Pro_29:8, Pro_30:33
face, 19
Gen_3:19, Gen_19:1, Gen_24:47, Gen_48:12, Num_22:31, 1Sa_20:41, 1Sa_24:8, 1Sa_25:41, 1Sa_28:14, 2Sa_14:4, 2Sa_14:33, 2Sa_18:28, 2Sa_24:20, 1Ki_1:23, 1Ki_1:31, 1Ch_21:21, 2Ch_20:18, Isa_49:23, Eze_38:18
nostrils, 13
Gen_2:7, Gen_7:22, Exo_15:8, Num_11:20, 2Sa_22:9, 2Sa_22:16, Job_4:9, Job_27:3, Psa_18:8, Psa_18:15, Isa_2:22, Lam_4:20, Amo_4:10
nose, 11
2Ki_19:28, Job_40:24, Job_41:2, Pro_30:33, Son_7:4, Son_7:8, Isa_3:21, Isa_37:29, Isa_65:5, Eze_8:17, Eze_23:25
angry, 4
Psa_76:7, Pro_14:17, Pro_22:24, Pro_29:22
longsuffering, 4
Exo_34:6, Num_14:18, Jer_15:15 (2)
faces, 3
Gen_42:6, 2Ch_7:3, Neh_8:6
before, 2
Deu_33:10, 1Sa_25:23
no, 2
Zec_10:2, Mal_1:10
countenance, 1
Psa_10:4
forbearing, 1
Pro_25:15
forehead, 1
Eze_16:12
noses, 1
Psa_115:6
snout, 1
Pro_11:22
worthy, 1
1Sa_1:5

Of the 278 times this word appears in the Old Testament, it is translated as ‘anger’ or ‘wrath’ 214 times. This Hebrew word ‘aph‘ means ‘nose’, but because our nostrils flare when we are angry, it is most commonly translated with a word which demonstrates our wrath against what God is doing with mankind. One thing which will certainly be taken from us all is “the wrath of man”:

Jas 1:20  For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.

When we look at the root of this word, it, too, is concerned only with anger.

H599
אָנַף
‘ânaph
aw-naf’
A primitive root; to breathe hard, that is, be enraged: – be angry (displeased).
Total KJV occurrences: 14

Of the 14 times this word appears it is translated in the King James as:

H599
אנף
‘ânaph
Total KJV Occurrences: 14
angry, 13
Deu_1:37, Deu_4:21, Deu_9:8, Deu_9:20, 1Ki_8:46, 1Ki_11:9, 2Ki_17:18, 2Ch_6:36, Ezr_9:14, Psa_2:12, Psa_85:5 (2), Isa_12:1
displeased, 1
Psa_60:1 (2)

It will be through God’s wrath that the wrath of man will be taken from us:

Isa 9:19  Through the wrath of the LORD of hosts is the land darkened, and the people shall be as the fuel of the fire: no man shall spare his brother. 

Lam 3:1  I am the man that hath seen affliction by the rod of his wrath.

We should always take these words first and primarily as applying to the kingdom of the beast within us, but we must never deny that the day is coming when these words will have an outward and dispensational application. We are admonished to always consider that time as our time:

2Pe 3:4  And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. 
2Pe 3:5  For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water:
2Pe 3:6  Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished:

That is not the mind we are to have. Christ Himself told us to maintain a spirit of vigilance:

Mat 16:2  He answered and said unto them, When it is evening, ye say, It will be fair weather: for the sky is red.
Mat 16:3  And in the morning, It will be foul weather to day: for the sky is red and lowring. O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times?

Mat 24:32  Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh:
Mat 24:33  So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. 

The jewels

These jewels are the next thing to be taken from us.

The Hebrew word translated as ‘jewels’ is:

H5141
נֶזֶם
nezem
neh’-zem
From an unused root of uncertain meaning; a nose ring: – earring, jewel.
Total KJV occurrences: 17

Here are those 17 entries, and we will just note that 14 of the seventeen entries for this word are translated as ‘earring’ in the singular and ‘earrings’ in the plural.

H5141
נזם
nezem
Total KJV Occurrences: 17
earrings, 9
Gen_35:4, Exo_32:2-3 (2), Exo_35:22, Jdg_8:24-26 (4), Hos_2:13
earring, 5
Gen_24:22, Gen_24:30, Gen_24:47, Pro_25:11-12 (2)
jewel, 2
Pro_11:22, Eze_16:12
jewels, 1
Isa_3:21

The only times this word is not translated as ‘earrings’ are:

Pro 11:22  As a jewel [H5141: nezem] of gold in a swine’s snout, so is a fair woman which is without discretion.

Isa 3:21  The rings, and nose [H639: aph] jewels [H5141: nezem],

Eze 16:12  And I put a jewel [H5141: nezem] on thy forehead [H639: aph – nose], and earrings in thine ears, and a beautiful crown upon thine head.

God is telling us, His ‘Israel’ here in Ezekiel 16:12, that He will put a ring in our nose, not “a jewel on [our] forehead”, as the King James reads.

The point being made is that when God covers us with His jewels, we are His delight, but when we take His jewels to ourselves and  use them to glorify ourselves and to prove our false doctrines, He will take all our jewels away from us and destroy them. That message is to be found right here in the same 16th chapter of Ezekiel:

Eze 16:10  I clothed thee also with broidered work, and shod thee with badgers’ skin, and I girded thee about with fine linen, and I covered thee with silk.
Eze 16:11  I decked thee also with ornaments, and I put bracelets upon thy hands, and a chain on thy neck.
Eze 16:12  And I put a jewel on thy forehead, and earrings in thine ears, and a beautiful crown upon thine head.
Eze 16:13  Thus wast thou decked with gold and silver; and thy raiment was of fine linen, and silk, and broidered work; thou didst eat fine flour, and honey, and oil: and thou wast exceeding beautiful, and thou didst prosper into a kingdom.
Eze 16:14  And thy renown went forth among the heathen for thy beauty: for it was perfect through my comeliness, which I had put upon thee, saith the Lord GOD.
Eze 16:15  But thou didst trust in thine own beauty, and playedst the harlot because of thy renown, and pouredst out thy fornications on every one that passed by; his it was.

Almost all Christians take great pride in “pouring out their fornication with everyone that passes by”. They call it ‘love and inclusiveness’, and anyone who is not ‘tolerant and inclusive’ is to be rejected and despised as a ‘cult’ by all those who are more ‘ecumenical’. This is just what we all first do:

Eze 16:16  And of thy garments thou didst take, and deckedst thy high places with divers colours, and playedst the harlot thereupon: the like things shall not come, neither shall it be so.
Eze 16:17  Thou hast also taken thy fair jewels of my gold and of my silver, which I had given thee, and madest to thyself images of men, and didst commit whoredom with them,
Eze 16:18  And tookest thy broidered garments, and coveredst them: and thou hast set mine oil and mine incense before them.
Eze 16:19  My meat also which I gave thee, fine flour, and oil, and honey, wherewith I fed thee, thou hast even set it before them for a sweet savour: and thus it was, saith the Lord GOD.
Eze 16:20  Moreover thou hast taken thy sons and thy daughters, whom thou hast borne unto me, and these hast thou sacrificed unto them to be devoured. Is this of thy whoredoms a small matter, 
Eze 16:21  That thou hast slain my children, and delivered them to cause them to pass through the fire for them?

When Christ tells us “Thou hast also taken thy fair jewels of my gold and of my silver, which I had given thee, and madest to thyself images of men, and didst commit whoredom with them”, what He is telling us is that He has given us His words, His wonderful truths of what He is doing to save all men, and we have taken His words of Truth, and we have fashioned those words of Truth, His “gold, silver, and precious stones”, into false doctrines which He calls “images of men”, false doctrines of men. He also calls these false doctrines “wood, hay and stubble” in this verse:

1Co 3:12  Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones [The Truth], wood, hay, stubble [lies and false doctrines];

But God is sovereign, and as such He has ordained that even our whoredoms and sins and our spiritual promiscuity are to be taken from us and burned up in His fiery judgments. It is He who has ordained it all to bring forth a new man in “every man” who has ever lived:

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 everyman’s work of what sort it is.
1Co 3:14  If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.
1Co 3:15  If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire. 

That “fire” is the trials by which all of our jewels and all of our broidered garments are taken from us, and we are brought to see that we are indeed “wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked” and in need of everything that only God can do for us:

Rev 3:17  Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: 
Rev 3:18  I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.
Rev 3:19  As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. 

As we just read in Ezekiel 16, it is because of our whoredoms that Christ will also take away:

The changeable suits of apparel

That entire phrase, “the changeable suits of apparel”, is translated from one Hebrew word”:

H4254
מַחֲלָצָה
machălâtsâh
makh-al-aw-tsaw’
From H2502; a mantle (as easily drawn off): – changeable suit of apparel, change of raiment.
Total KJV occurrences: 2

Here are the two entries for this Hebrew word:

H4254
מחלצה
machălâtsâh
Total KJV Occurrences: 2
changeable suits of apparel, 1
Isa_3:22
change of raiment, 1
Zec_3:4

The first entry is our verse (Isa 3:22) we are looking at where we are being told that God will take away our changeable suits of apparel, and the only other entry is:

Zec 3:1  And he shewed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him. 
Zec 3:2  And the LORD said unto Satan, The LORD rebuke thee, O Satan; even the LORD that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee: is not this a brand plucked out of the fire? 
Zec 3:3  Now Joshua [you and I] was clothed with filthy garments, and stood before the angel.
Zec 3:4  And he answered and spake unto those that stood before him, saying, Take away the filthy garments from him. And unto him he said, Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment.

Notice that we are told here “Take away the filthy garments from him”. That is exactly what we are being told God is doing to us here in Isa 3:22. Our ‘filthy garments’ and all of our misappropriated jewels are one and the same thing. Joshua’s filthy garments are all the false doctrines we have believed and taught others in our self-righteousness. God is taking it all away.

Isa 3:18  In that day the Lord will take away the bravery of their tinkling ornaments about their feet, and their cauls, and their round tires like the moon,

The next thing taken from us is:

The mantles

This Hebrew word is:

H4595
מַעֲטָפָה
ma‛ăṭâphâh
mah-at-aw-faw’
From H5848; a cloak: – mantle.
Total KJV occurrences: 1

This word appears but once in the Old Testament, right here in Isa 3:22.

But the root of this word is:

H5848
עָטַף
‛âṭaph
aw-taf’
A primitive root; to shroud, that is, clothe (whether transitively or reflexively); hence (from the idea of darkness) to languish: – cover (over), fail, faint, feebler, hide self, be overwhelmed, swoon.
Total KJV occurrences: 16

This word appears 16 times in the Hebrew scriptures, and this is how it is translated in the King James Version:

H5848
עטף
‛âṭaph
Total KJV Occurrences: 16
overwhelmed, 5
Psa_77:2-3 (2), Psa_102:1, Psa_143:3-4 (2)
fainted, 2
Psa_107:4-5 (2), Jon_2:7
covered over, 1
Psa_65:13
covereth, 1
Psa_73:6
fail, 1
Isa_57:16
faint, 1
Lam_2:19
feeble, 1
Gen_30:42
feebler, 1
Gen_30:42 (2)
hideth, 1
Job_23:9
swoon, 1
Lam_2:11
swooned, 1
Lam_2:11-12 (2)

It almost appears as though there is a different translation for every entry of this word, but as we can see, the most common translation is the English word ‘overwhelmed’, which is the preferred translation of 5 of the 16 entries we find in the Old Testament. Looking at the remaining 11 entries we see that the next most common translation is ‘fainted’ and ‘faint’, accounting for three more entries. Of  the remaining 8 entries the words ‘swoon’ and ‘swooned’, which means the same as ‘faint’, can be added to the concept of fainting or being overwhelmed. The remaining six entries are ‘cover over, cover, fail, feeble, feebler’, and ‘hideth’.

The definition of this Hebrew word is to shroud, clothe or cover. Like every word of scripture, it can apply to a covering that is positive, such as it is used in this verse of scripture:

Psa 65:13  The pastures are clothed with flocks; the valleys also are covered [H5848: ataph] over with corn; they shout for joy, they also sing.

In its negative application it has the meaning of being an overwhelming covering, as in this verse:

Psa 77:2  In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord: my sore ran in the night, and ceased not: my soul refused to be comforted.
Psa 77:3  I remembered God, and was troubled: I complained, and my spirit was overwhelmed [H584: ataph]. Selah.

So what does this ‘mantle’ do that it must be taken from us before we can enter into the Lord’s house? Here is why our mantle must be taken from us:

Psa 73:6  Therefore pride compasseth them about as a chain; violence covereth [H5848: ataph] them as a garment. 
Psa 73:7  Their eyes stand out with fatness: they have more than heart could wish.
Psa 73:8  They are corrupt, and speak wickedly concerning oppression: they speak loftily. 
Psa 73:9  They set their mouth against the heavens, and their tongue walketh through the earth.

That is the mantle that must be taken from us if we hope to be judged and learn the Lord’s righteousness in this age.

And it is by overwhelming our spirit this will all be accomplished:

Psa 107:25  For he commandeth, and raiseth the stormy wind, which lifteth up the waves thereof.
Psa 107:26  They mount up to the heaven, they go down again to the depths: their soul is melted because of trouble.
Psa 107:27  They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wits’ end. 
Psa 107:28  Then they cry unto the LORD in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses. 

Here is the next thing that must go:

The wimples

The Hebrew word translated as ‘the wimples’ is:

H4304
מִטְפַּחַת
miṭpachath
mit-pakh’-ath
From H2946; a wide cloak (for a woman): – vail, wimple.
Total KJV occurrences: 2

This word appears in the Old Testament but twice:

H4304
מטפּחת
miṭpachath
Total KJV Occurrences: 2
veil, 1
Rth_3:15
wimples, 1
Isa_3:22

Besides being ‘the wimples’ which must be taken from us here in Isaiah 3:22, it appears again in:

Rth 3:15  Also he [Boaz] said, Bring the vail [H4304: mitpachath] that thou hast upon thee, and hold it. And when she held it, he measured six measures of barley, and laid it on her: and she went into the city.

Six measures is two and a half gallons of barley, so we certainly are not talking of a woman’s face veil.

The Hebrew word ‘mitpachath‘ comes from the Hebrew word:

H2946
טָפַח
ṭâphach
taw-fakh’
A primitive root; to flatten out or extend (as a tent); figuratively to nurse a child (as promotive of growth); or perhaps a denominative from H2947, from dandling on the palms: – span, swaddle.
Total KJV occurrences: 2

Here are the two entries for this root word:

H2946
טפח
ṭâphach
Total KJV Occurrences: 2
spanned, 1
Isa_48:12-13 (2)
swaddled, 1
Lam_2:22

In Isaiah 48, this root word is translated as ‘spanned’:

Isa 48:12  Hearken unto me, O Jacob and Israel, my called; I am he; I am the first, I also am the last.
Isa 48:13  Mine hand also hath laid the foundation of the earth, and my right hand hath spanned [H2946: taphach] the heavens: when I call unto them, they stand up together.

This word is translated as ‘swaddled’ in Lamentations:

Lam 2:21  The young and the old lie on the ground in the streets: my virgins and my young men are fallen by the sword; thou hast slain them in the day of thine anger; thou hast killed, and not pitied. 
Lam 2:22  Thou hast called as in a solemn day my terrors round about, so that in the day of the LORD’S anger none escaped nor remained: those that I have swaddled [H2946: taphach] and brought up hath mine enemy consumed. 

The wide cloak for a woman is a raiment with which we cover ourselves or swaddle our children. It is the same as the embroidered clothes we read of earlier in:

Eze 16:10  I clothed thee also with broidered work, and shod thee with badgers’ skin, and I girded thee about with fine linen, and I covered thee with silk.

Eze 16:13  Thus wast thou decked with gold and silver; and thy raiment was of fine linen, and silk, and broidered work; thou didst eat fine flour, and honey, and oil: and thou wast exceeding beautiful, and thou didst prosper into a kingdom.

Eze 16:17  Thou hast also taken thy fair jewels of my gold and of my silver, which I had given thee, and madest to thyself images of men, and didst commit whoredom with them,
Eze 16:18  And tookest thy broidered garments, and coveredst them: and thou hast set mine oil and mine incense before them.

It is because we have taken everything God has given us and perverted it into our own false doctrines, described here as jewels and clothing, that Christ takes it all away from us, for the purpose of dragging us to Himself. We have taken the “broidered garments” He gave us, and we have covered our own false doctrines in those broidered garments, just as we have covered our idols with His silver and His gold, His words and His doctrines, and in doing so, we are saying “The Lord has spoken” when the Lord has not spoken:

Jer 23:21  I have not sent these prophets, yet they ran: I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied. 

Eze 13:7  Have ye not seen a vain vision, and have ye not spoken a lying divination, whereas ye say, The LORD saith it; albeit I have not spoken?

Beware when you hear the words, “The Lord told me such and such”. Try that spirit to see whether it is of the Lord (1Jo 4:1). It could be that someone is covering what is coming from their own heart with God’s Word, instead of dying to their own deceitful heart:

Jer 17:9  The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?
Jer 17:10  I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.

The next thing that must be taken from us is:

The crisping pins

H2754
חָרִט    חָרִיט
chârı̂yṭ    châriṭ
khaw-reet’, khaw-reet’
From the same as H2747; properly cut out (or hollow), that is, (by implication) a pocket: – bag, crisping pin.
Total KJV occurrences: 2

H2754
חרט  /  חריט
chârı̂yṭ  /  châriṭ
Total KJV Occurrences: 2
bags, 1
2Ki_5:23
crisping, 1
Isa_3:22

A ‘crisping pin’ does not sound like it would have anything in common with a ‘bag’. Nevertheless that is how this word ‘chariyt‘ is translated in this verse:

2Ki 5:22  And he [Gehazi, Elisha’s servant] said, All is well. My master hath sent me, saying, Behold, even now there be come to me from mount Ephraim two young men of the sons of the prophets: give them, I pray thee, a talent of silver, and two changes of garments.
2Ki 5:23  And Naaman said, Be content, take two talents. And he urged him, and bound two talents of silver in two bags [H2754: chariyt], with two changes of garments, and laid them upon two of his servants; and they bare them before him.

This Hebrew word ‘chariyt‘ means “to hollow out”, but it also came to mean a hollow bag.

Here is the root of this Hebrew word ‘chariyt‘:

H2747
חֶרֶט
chereṭ
kheh’-ret
From a primitive root meaning to engrave; a chisel or graver; also a style for writing: – graving tool, pen.
Total KJV occurrences: 2

Here are the two verses of scripture where this word appears:

H2747
חרט
chereṭ
Total KJV Occurrences: 2
graving tool, 1
Exo_32:4
pen, 1
Isa_8:1

Exo 32:4  And he received them [their golden earrings] at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool [H2747: cheret] after he had made it a molten calf: and they said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.

Isa 8:1  Moreover the LORD said unto me, Take thee a great roll, and write in it with a man’s pen [H2747: cheret] concerning Mahershalalhashbaz.

That is what Isaiah was told to write with a man’s pen, a ‘cheret‘. 

“Mahershalalhashbaz” means:

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.

This is a new-born son of Isaiah whose name means ‘hastening the enemy to the booty, swift to the prey’. That is what Isaiah is told to write with a pen, a ‘cheret’. And it is with our ‘pen’, given to us by our Lord, that we want to “fashion… a golden calf” and call it our God. It is with our ‘pen’, our ‘cheret‘, that we write the exact opposite of what God has written. Our old man does not want to hear that God is “hasting the enemy to the booty, swift to the pray”. The enemy of our old man is our new man. Our rebellious old man wants to keep living his life in direct rebellion against the commandments of God and be “hasting God’s rebellious people to the booty and the prey of their enemies”, our new man. We simply do not believe we will ever face the judgment of a just God. But what we believe does not change what has already been written in God’s book, which is what will be done (Psa 139:16 ASV). We all know this is so because we have all learned that our old man was “made to be taken and destroyed” (2Pe 2:12), not made to be blessed while openly rebelling against his Creator and God. We actually think we can continue to deny that God even exists, continue to live permissive, promiscuous, destructive lives, both physically in our society and spiritually in our churches and in our hearts, and we still think we will not reap what we are sowing.  But it will not be so. We will reap what we have sown spiritually and physically. We actually believe we can continue to declare that we have a will that is free from what God has planned for us, and that God will just have to learn to cope with our decisions.

This is who we are at that time in our walk:

Isa 14:14  I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.

But it is not so, and we will be brought down to the grave:

Isa 14:15  Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell [Hebrew: sheol – grave], to the sides of the pit.

We will close with the reminder that all of this is being worked by God after the counsel of His own will for our good:

Rom 8:28  And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
Rom 8:29  For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.

“The firstborn” are but the first “among many brethren”. The first resurrection is the harvest of those firstborn among many brothers, and a much greater harvest will be reaped after the thousand years and after the “little season” and during the great white throne judgment which is the lake of fire.

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.

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

Lord willing, we will finish chapter three in our next study.

Thank you for your prayers. They are deeply appreciated and needed.

I find myself in another peak of this fiery trial. I have completely succumbed to it. I can’t even have any hope for my life in this earth anymore. I feel empty and lost. I feel dead. It is so hard for me to see what my life has become.

It’s a pain that is impossible to describe. It’s the pain of rejection and abandonment. It’s something I am taking for my own learning, too, as I realize how awful it is to be selfish towards other people’s needs and feelings. As I suffer these things, I realize how many times I have been mindless of people and family around me as well. It’s indeed an awful thing.

May the Lord keeping teaching me and all of us, the One who suffered so much himself, yet, forgave and loved His enemies. I have prayed today for the men who made me suffer so much. I was able to do that because I don’t have any anger inside me as I had before. It’s gone. I want to receive from the Lord the assurance that all the failure in my life was planned by Him for His glory somehow if I don’t faint. Even if I do, I hope He will pick me up. I am feeling that this pain and despondency will never go away, though.

Thank you again for ‘listening’ to me and for the word you have shared. May the Lord keep you and teach you His love every day as well for God is Love.

In Christ Jesus,

F____

Hi F____,

Thank you for reaching out again. It pains me to know that you are so tormented. However, such an unsettled and anxious spirit is essential to being humbled and crushed and brought to your wits’ end by the Lord Himself who has raised up these stormy waves in your life:

Psa 107:24 These see the works of the LORD, and his wonders in the deep.
Psa 107:25 For he commandeth, and raiseth the stormy wind, which lifteth up the waves thereof.
Psa 107:26 They mount up to the heaven, they go down again to the depths: their soul is melted because of trouble.
Psa 107:27 They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wits’ end.
Psa 107:28 Then they cry unto the LORD in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses.

I hope what I have to say will be received and will give you the knowledge you need to have the peace of mind we are all seeking so desperately, and bring you out of your distress.

In our last correspondence you told me that Paul’s emphasis was upon keeping the marriage intact when he said “only in the Lord”, and that Paul was not telling us that if the unbelieving depart that a brother or sister is not under the bondage of that marriage.

The truth is that is exactly what Paul is telling us, and if you are not given to see that a brother or a sister, such as you, is not bound to your adulterous and lying ex-husband, then you are placing upon yourself and many other poor people who God Himself has made to “err from his ways and has hardened their hearts from His fear… after the counsel of His own will… for our sakes”, to never know the peace that comes with believing the truth of these verses of scripture:

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.

God causes us to reap what we have sown, but nowhere in scripture does He ever blame us for what we have sown. He always takes credit for all things, “yes, even the wicked”.

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

Amo 3:6 Shall a trumpet be blown in the city, and the people not be afraid? shall there be evil in a city, and the LORD hath not done it?

“Evil in the city” certainly includes any evil you or I have committed, be it any evil that takes place “in the city” from adultery to murder. What the men in your life have done to you will be dealt to them by God, just as my own sins and your sins against others and against God will be dealt with, and we will all reap what we have sown because we are told:

Gal 6:7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.

And:

Rom 12:19 Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.
Rom 12:20 Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head.
Rom 12:21 Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.

If we are not granted to see that it is we who live by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God, then “Why have you made us to err from your ways…” will appear to be speaking of some reprobate ‘over there somewhere’, but certainly not to me or you.

Nevertheless this is the truth:

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

So believe the Lord and do not place yourself or anyone else under the burden of being married to a man of whom the Lord has said “a brother or a sister is not under bondage” when the unbelieving departs:

1Co 7:15 But if the unbelieving depart, let him depart. A brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases: but God hath called us to peace.

The believing mate is never to leave the marriage “except for fornication”, “but and if the unbelieving depart, let him depart, a brother or a sister is not bound to that marriage in such cases, and is free to remarry “only in the Lord”, which he or she was not aware of when they married their unbelieving mate.

God does not “lead men to destruction” and then require them to continue in that state. Rather He then begins to burn out of us all the rebellious wood, hay and stubble within our hearts and minds. That is where you are at this time if indeed you are given to “tremble at… the sum of [His] word, and not at the interpretation of some man who is not even aware of the principle of “the sum of thy word” or “a multitude of counselors” (Psa 119:160 and Pro 11:4; 15:22; and 24:6).

I am praying that these few words will help you to see that your sins and disobedience really is a work of the Lord to demonstrate to you your utter helplessness against the beast within all of us:

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

You and I have demonstrated by our past lives that we cannot win any war against our beastly flesh. But Christ in us can do all things:

Php 4:13 I [you!] can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

I am praying with you and for you.

Your brother in fervent prayer,

Mike