Bringing Tongues Of Fire From The Sparks Of Faith…
LESSON 21
METAPHORS & ALLEGORIES
By Rev. G. Evan Newmyer
INTRODUCTION LESSON 21
Before we continue on with the New Testament Letters we must gain some knowledge regarding metaphors, allegories, and numbers. Paul used many allegories, as did Peter, John and of course Jude. It will be difficult to know what they are talking about, unless we can gain a foothold on these matters. If we think none of these writers used metaphors we have to ask, When is the last time you saw a “well without water” sitting in a pew? What does it mean? Both the word Well and Water remind us of how Jesus said we would be wells with Living water springing forth, so are we really wells? Jesus said we are sheep, so are we little lambs who have gone astray? We know these terms are metaphors, but are there other symbols not as obvious? One is of course the “Word of God”, which we could limit to the Bible alone, missing the concept of the “Word in us”, or the “spoken Word of God”. Peter tells us we need the “sincere milk of the Word” (I Pet 2:2), meaning to hear the basics, not simply read the Bible. The Pharisees read the Scriptures, but didn’t understand a thing about Jesus. We don’t want to make these mysteries “science fiction”, or twist them to fit our own thinking. If we have to take a number and divide it by itself, add the sum, slip in the last verse, scratch behind our ear, then bark at the moon, we have taken the concept too far. Paul never said, “well brothers we know Ishmael had three eyes, each one a different color, thus we must divide his nose by his ears, to find the mystery”. We know we can take any verse and stretch it, twist it, or make it fit our own thinking, ending taking it beyond the purpose in the verse. The same is true with allegories, metaphors and numbers; let’s keep them within the given meanings, rather than form a science fiction space adventure melting in the heat of the sun. We want to find the mysteries, not make them up; Amen?
Of course there are saying or verses which are not allegories, or metaphors. The Faith of Jesus is not a metaphor, it’s real. On the same note we can take our measure of faith, call it the “Faith of Jesus”, which is not an allegory, but a fable. The same is true with baptism, we can say we had a vision and John the Baptist came to us and baptized us, thus our baptism is the “true baptism”. Wrong, we know John’s baptism ended at the Cross, thus it would be error, heresy, and really weird, but not an allegory.
We will examine many areas in the realm of Metaphors and Allegories, more specifically, their benefits and dangers. Nearly all error can be attributed to an extended Metaphor or an Allegory taken literally, or taken beyond its intended purpose. Neither do we want to make the mistake of making everything a metaphor, Jesus casts out devils, not metaphors. The concept of Abraham’s Bosom is a metaphor, we know the actual bosom of Abraham wasn’t extended to become Paradise, rather it referred to a place of faith, rather than the reward for the doer of the Law.
However, we can’t ignore the metaphor either, or push it to one side by saying, “Oh it’s just a saying”. If Jesus said it, it had purpose and meaning. We will not attempt to cover each and every metaphor, but in the process we will see many as they tell a truth within the Truth, without changing the Truth. These metaphors and allegories are the fun part, the real opening of an adventure into the mysteries; however, as a word of caution, let’s keep them within the God given boundaries.
METAPHORS AND ALLEGORIES – BENEFITS & DANGERS
It’s apparent God uses metaphors and allegories, as does most of His prophets. Understanding the metaphors and allegories helps us discern what the Spirit is saying to the Church in these last days. These areas can be abused by the extremist, or ignored by the fundamentalist, but when we keep them in the confines God has laid out they become keys to opening mysteries. In Proverbs 25:2 we find the Glory of God is to conceal a thing: but the honor of kings is to search out a matter. God told Aaron and Miriam “I the Lord will make Myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream”. Paul said we prophesy in part (I Cor 13:9); thus many of the prophesies in the Bible contain metaphors. A metaphor is not a definition, the Logos is defined as To speak as a word of expression of intellect, but the metaphor shows the Logos is Jesus (Jn 1:1). The Rhema (or Rema) is defined as a series of words, or the operative, or substance of the words, but the metaphor points to Spirit and Life (Jn 6:63); Rhema ears seek to hear things concerning the Spirit or Life. Therefore, we don’t want to confuse the meaning of a metaphor with the definition of the word.
The argument against strict fundamentalist thinking is found in the mysteries defined in the allegories and metaphors. The fundamentalist sees the word “Rock”, to them it means Rock, or they define it as a stone (Greek Lithos rather than Petros). The extremist sees Rock, then attempts to make it the moon. Both produce error, each is countered through the check and balance of properly defining metaphors and allegories. Paul said the Rock was Christ, Jesus said He would build His Church on the Rock, so does it mean we have to find the Stony hill Jesus was talking about before we can go to Church? No, metaphors, the Rock is Christ the Body, or the Body of Christ. We know the Rock is not Peter, since Peter was not Born Again, was not Christian, or Christ like, yet Paul said the Rock was Christ. Jesus takes from the Rock to build His Church, He does not use the world, or other religious bodies, one must be in the Rock (Body) before they can consider being of the Church.
Nearly all Whacko theology can be traced to the misuse of a metaphor or allegory. This doesn’t mean we should ignore the metaphors and allegories, rather we must be able to define them. Once defined and kept in the proper order metaphors and allegories are more than tools, they open an entire wonderful area so we can know the things God has concealed. We as kings search out those things, adding to Proverbs 25:2 we find Proverbs 25:4-5 tells us how searching will separate the dross from the silver (redemption), as the vessel will be prepared for the Refiner (to purge by fire), securing the king in Righteousness. We don’t want to build strongholds by misusing metaphors, but like any gift from God we can use them in a Godly manner by separating the Precious from the vile, or twist them into the dross.
When Paul speaks of mysteries, he shows there are underlying adventures in the various words and concepts leading us into a spiritual awareness of Jesus. Paul used Hagar and Ishmael as allegories to prove how important allegories are. He also used the principles of marriage to show us the mystery pointing to Christ and the Church (Gal 4:22-26 & Eph 5:32). The argument against the extremist thinking is proper spiritual discipleship in the use of allegories and metaphors. The simple conclusion shows the heart of all allegories and metaphors point to Jesus.
Of course we know spiritual matters to the carnal mind appear as foolishness, or useless. Therefore, we must have the New Man to guide us into the mysteries, by defining the metaphors. Joseph had the gift of interpreting dreams, but his dreams were a mass of metaphors (Gen 37:7 & 37:9). If the dreams were not metaphoric in content how did Jacob see the “sun” as himself? (Gen 37:9-11). Dreams are generally warnings (Gen 20:3, Matt 1:20, 2:12 et al), visions are not. A vision comes when we are awake, or in those moments when we are not asleep, but not really awake either (Job 33:15 & Numb 24:4). A vision is a mental picture, which can be in the mind alone, or something we see, generally they point to a future happening (Gen 15:1, Dan 2:19, Matt 17:9, Acts 9:12 et al). However, we don’t want to confuse dreams or visions based on a bad meal, or a lustful desire. Neither do we want to miss what God is saying in dreams and visions (Acts 2:16-17).
We may point out one basis of an allegory, or metaphor, but the Spirit may lead you into a deeper meaning for the particular event you are facing, or for someone you are ministering to. Mankind spends years in natural intellectual endeavors, but one session with the Spirit out weighs them all. Discipline absent the Spirit of Truth, is not being disciplined at all. Training without the Spirit of Truth is not training at all; knowledge without the Spirit of Truth is absent knowledge. The carnal mind thinks its opinions are Truth, but if you reject Truth you are not disciplined. Metaphors and Allegories are one of the methods God uses to bring us into the light, for unto us it is granted to know the mysteries (Matt 13:11).
When we read the various New Testament letters, especially Jude’s we see various strange terms, then wonder what is a “wave of the sea”? Or “a tree”? Then we read some of Paul’s comments we wonder, “What has Hagar got to do with Israel?”. In this lesson we will explore Metaphors and Allegories, with their benefits, and dangers. Danger? Yes, but simply because a carnal mind misuses a spiritual principle, it doesn’t mean the principle is error, rather it shows the misuse is the error. However, on the other hand we find the knowledge of metaphors seems to sharpen our spiritual awareness.
Numbers are important as well, but when we have to make up mysteries, we have taken the context too far. If we have to stretch a metaphor, allegory or number to the breaking point in order to make it fit our thinking, we’re in big trouble. Whackos are bad enough, but even the most sincere person can fall into the trap of making a mystery, where there is none.
We know Jesus is the “Lamb of God” (Jn 1:29), we also know He is the “Shepherd and Bishop” of our souls (I Pet 2:25), so how can a lamb be a shepherd? Sounds like some type of weird evolution. Not so, merely metaphors giving us positions. David was a shepherd, but called himself one of the Lord’s sheep, so was David really a sheep? No, we are members of the “Body of Christ”, so does it mean there is a one fleshly body with millions of heads stuck to it? We read about “seals”, especially in the Book of Revelation, but are these real “seals” found in the ocean? Does the Gospel have closures called seals? Are “seals” locks keeping man out? What are they? We read about “doors” and “windows”, so does God live in a two story? Or an apartment building? All metaphors given to us by God so we can understand matters a little easier. It doesn’t take long in reading the Bible to know God uses metaphors, allegories, and parables.
When one reads the Book of Revelation they see many metaphors, if they don’t understand the metaphoric content they will think the “mark” of the Beast is some computer chip, or a mark made with a branding iron. The metaphor Mark means one is identified to a premise or object by their acts and ways. Clearly the Mark of the Beast has to do with money, based on the words “buy and sale”, but does it mean to buy and sale anything? Yikes, we’re all doomed!! Hold on, the metaphor to buy and sale means to do business as the world does, to engage in the barter mentality, or use the same “money is power” thinking the world uses. To the world money is power, and power is money, they use money to get their way, to force change, or manipulate businesses. If it’s legal, or appears it might be, the world will use it, regardless of whom it may hurt. Surely if the Mark was simply buying then Paul would never have stayed at the house of Lydia, the seller of purple. It’s the nature of greed, do we do business in the same cut-throat manner is the world? Are we in this for financial gain? Do we give, just so we can gain? Is our motive to be rich and famous? Or is our motive to please the Lord? Does money regulate our decisions? Does money impress us, or motivate us? Money is a tool, but when the tool rules over the builder, the builder is in trouble.
Not only do we find the Book of Revelation filled with metaphors, but what about Paul’s comments on “women”? Does he really mean the wife has to remain silent? Or is he using metaphors? If he means the wives, does it mean the widows and single women can run the pews? If a “wife” is to learn at home, what does it say about the teaching in the church? If a wife is to remain silent, how can she pray? If the wife’s head is her husband, and the face is attached to the head, and the mouth to the face, it would seem the husband has to remain silent. Metaphors, when we miss the metaphor our own carnal natural thinking will end putting our sisters in the Lord in bondage to carnal rules which have nothing to do with being Spiritual in nature. It’s best to learn these matters, and seek the Liberty of Christ, Amen?
Without knowing these many metaphors and allegories we cannot gain from many of the mysteries, yet we don’t want to make up mysteries either. Metaphors are a two-edged sword, on one side we find many great and marvelous things, on the other we can allow our wild imaginations to lead us into deep trouble. Simply, any of us can take a Bible related metaphor and run wild with it, or keep it as intended and hold another key to the Kingdom. The old man loves to be the only one who knows a mystery, so he makes up his own mysteries, often from metaphors. The old saying, “I have a revelation the Body isn’t ready for”, is a sign post showing the spirit of man has just moved into a theological position with another fable based stronghold. If the person is a member of the Body, they’re not ready either. They allowed the old man to counterfeit the voice of God, then formed a type of, “I know something you don’t know” thinking. This lust to be the special of the special, or better than all the other members of the Body is the source of legalist thinking and the mother of Whacko mentality, a road we want to avoid.
Metaphors and Allegories are defined in the Bible, we need not make up some unending formula to define them. Metaphors, Allegories and Numbers are all important, we don’t want to take from the premise, but neither do we want to scare someone half to death, we simply want to use caution. For example why did God tell us the creation was from evening to morning? Why did He rest on the Seventh Day? Was He subject to time? Was there a calendar back then? If God rests on the Seventh Day does the universe stop? All important issues, needing to be explored. God tells us things to expand our knowledge of Him, in the expansion we fall deeper in love. A fantasy love affair is based in not knowing the person, a firm love is based on knowing them, as we are known.
There are many books on the “hidden” things in the Bible, but every mystery is defined in the Bible. Forcing numbers to fit some mysterious code is not finding a mystery, it’s making one. We can take any number or metaphor and stretch it to fit our thinking, but it doesn’t mean we’ve discovered a mystery, it only means we made one up. For years the famed “666” was used to fit the names of people based on ones political hatred, or some fear of another religious body. The verse reads, “Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and the number is Six hundred threescore and six” (Rev 13:18). This is not Knowledge but Wisdom, thus the number has to do with the manner in which we deal with people or events. It’s the number of the Beast, but it’s also the number of A man, it doesn’t say the man is the Beast. However, two words in the text tend to draw on the lusts of man. Those two words? Wisdom, and Understanding; of course we know they refer to the Wisdom and Understanding of God, but when a lust sees those two words it tells us, “if I can figure out the number then I must be wise and of understanding, I will have a mystery no one else does”. In the Greek the word for the phrase “number of a man” is Anthropos meaning natural man, it’s a generic term, but nonetheless it’s still the number of a man, not the number of men; however, keep in mind the man is not the Beast, nor the Beast the man. It’s the number drawing our interest, so where do we find it in the Bible? Revelation 13:18, the only place, now what? How about relating it to man, but what man? Jacob took 66 into Egypt, so it could relate to Egypt; Nebuchadnezzar’s image was 6 by 60, or 6-6, it could relate as well since it was the “image of a man”. If we go to Adam the first man, we find he was created and formed on the sixth day, along with him we find the creation of the creeping things, and the beast of the earth (Gen 1:25). We know the Second Beast is the Beast of the Earth, so we have many connections to show this number leads to the “lust of the eye, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life”, the motivating power of the world. It has to make sense the beast of the earth is the son of perdition, what else would he promote? Allowing our imaginations to make this some whacko with computer chips running around the world implanting them in our minds, removes man from free moral choice. The context of the text shows Choice is granted to all, they can take the number, or reject it, no one can force people to worship the Beast, or use the ways of the Beast, they make a choice to do so, or not. The three Hebrew children had choice as well, not even Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon could force them to worship the image.
If we make the Beast a person, then we will run around adding letters, or pointing to a human, when the text shows it’s the number of a man, not the man. The point being we have seen over the years how many have taken the number “666”, then used the Greek numbering system naming all sorts of people as “The Antichrist”, yet their Antichrist dies, then they pick another “Antichrist”. First John says there are many antichrists run by the spirit of antichrist, yet we find they came from us, thus in order to be “antichrist” in nature, one must be privy to having the Christ nature. The enemies of man are of his own house. In the entire Bible the term “antichrist” is never attached to a single person, it’s to a group who are run by the “he in the world” (I Jn 4:1-4). What does the he in the world promote? The lust of the eye, the lust of the flesh and the pride of life.
Worldly thinking and wisdom makes its own rights and wrongs, if the world says it’s Legal, then it’s a right. Moral? Who cares, as long as they have a “right”, or can stretch the law of the land to fit their thinking, but the thinking is based in the pride of life, a “6” associated with man being run by the spirit of man. Paul tells us the spirit of man doesn’t know the things of the Spirit of God (I Cor 2:11), yet the spirit of the world is opposed to the Spirit which is of God (I Cor 2:12). James tells us of the spirit lusting to envy, with the word Envy meaning incapable of doing good (James 4:5), they are the self same spirit of man known as the spirit of disobedience, the natural force now working in the children of wrath (Eph 2:2-3). If natural worldly man wants something, he figures out a way to get it, then justifies the means, which is the lust of the eye, another “6”. Man seeks to preserve his flesh, which is the lust of the flesh, another “6”. When confronted with the Mark, anyone who is run by those “6’s” will take it, they want to preserve their flesh, they want what they want, since the powers of the world say it’s “legal”, they will say it’s “right”. It’s still related to the world, or to worldly methods. “Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not the friendship of the world is enmity with God?” (James 4:4), “love not the world, neither the things of the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him” (I Jn 2:15). Jesus said, “These things I have spoken unto you, that in Me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world” (Jn 16:33), and “when He, the Spirit of Truth (Greater He in us I Jn 4:1-4) is come, He will guide you into all truth: for He shall not speak of Himself; but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall He speak, and He will show you things to Come” (Jn 16:13). The division is between the Gift of the Holy Ghost, and the spirit of the world, if we use the spirit of the world we are bait for the Beast.
Is this famed “mark of the beast” only set for the far distant future? Not hardly, Revelation 20:4-6 shows those who enter the Rapture before the 1,000 years of the Night refused the mark in their “foreheads”. Why forehead? It’s were our thinking is, our motivation, our reasoning. The mark on the hand points to ability, we can talk about being Christian, yet hold to the old man, we are “marked” with the world. Does it mean if we slip we’re doomed? No, it means we mind the Spirit, or at least try to on a daily basis.
The world is the world, we are the Kingdom, two completely different areas, with completely different standards. They are overcome, we overcome by the Faith of Jesus. We call the called from the world, we don’t go and play with the un-regenerated in the world.
What is a metaphor? A Metaphor is defined as A phrase or series of words forming a Figure of Speech in which one object or an idea is compared or identified with another object or idea to suggest a similarity between the two. For example we know the phrase “he is a pillar of the church”, yet the word Pillar means An upright structure, usually of stone, wood or metal, serving as a support for a building, or stands alone as a monument. Does it mean this “he” is some stone monument? Could it be God turned him into stone? No, we know it means he is a support to the Body, thus by reading the suggestion we know the subject matter intended. The same is true with the metaphor “putting all your eggs in one basket”; does it mean we have to go about searching for eggs? Of course not, we know the metaphor means putting our wealth in one natural element is dangerous. How about “counting your chickens, before they hatch”? Does it mean we are in the chicken business? No, we know it means not to count on something before we have it, or not to count on something before it’s in hand. How about a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush? Do we go about with a bird in our hand? No, we know it means something in possession, is far better than twice not in possession. We have no trouble defining “the Lamb of God” as Jesus being a Sacrifice, but is Jesus really a little lamb? No, it’s a metaphor pointing to the Sacrifice. These are metaphors, things suggesting a subject, without really identifying the subject, yet making a correlation helping us identify what the subject is talking about.
How about “the Rock”? Jesus said a man who builds on the Rock has a firm foundation, but then He said He would build His Church on the Rock, so who does the building? Two different things, one metaphor. In the context of us building it was the difference between building on the Rock (Christ) or on the Sand (Law of Moses). We are the ones who build the Rock, Jesus builds the Church from the Rock. What about the sand? Does it mean we can never own a beach front home? No, we know the Rock is a metaphor for Christ, or the Body of Christ, the Sand a metaphor for Israel. Simply, we build on Christ Jesus, not the Law of Moses.
If we take and mix metaphors and get into trouble, for instance Jesus looked at Peter and said, “Upon this Rock I will build My Church”. The name Peter means “a piece of the rock”, so was Jesus saying the Church was to be built on Peter? Doesn’t sound right since we know the Kingdom is not flesh and blood, plus at the time Peter was not what one would call a “spiritual leader”. Did it mean the knowledge Peter received is the Rock? No, since Jesus didn’t say, “Blessed are you Simon for thou has received a piece of the Rock”. The name Peter meaning “a piece of the rock”, adding Jesus used Peter’s other name of Simon shows how Jesus was separating Simon Bar-Jona from the total of the Rock. Was Peter the only piece of the Rock? No, John, James, and yes even Judas were also pieces. Paul defined the metaphor Rock as Christ, then used the term in respect to the purpose of the children of God in the wilderness. They were not the Rock, but they saw water coming from it, which relates to us as Spirit filled saints with the Living Water flowing from us. Paul also equated us to the Bread, so are we really a loaf of bread turning into a Rock? No, we understand the Bread relates to Life, the Rock to the Body.
The metaphors used help define the process, displaying how Jesus said some will come to Him saying, “Lord, Lord haven’t we”, yet He tells them to depart. It makes more sense when we can see Judas was part of the Rock, but he was never a part of the Church. The Rock is the place between places, it’s not the Church, it’s not the world, it’s akin to the kingdom of heaven, a place, but not a personage. The Kingdom of God is different, it relates to personage, evidenced by the New Man. Jesus handed us the Bread and Cup, but said the New Testament was in His Blood, He didn’t say it was the Body, or the Cup. The kingdom of heaven is important, the Rock is important, since one cannot be formed into the Church without being of the Rock. Jesus never said He would build His Church from the world, from Hinduism, from Tao, from the Muslims, or Judaism, it was the Rock alone.
Tolerance in the world’s view is also seen as compromise by God, allowing someone to hold the illusion of their supposed good works are better than the efforts of Jesus is doing the person an injustice. Yet, informing them, and forcing them are different, we inform, they make their own decision.
An Extended Metaphor is defined as Taking the Metaphor beyond its intended use, or purpose, usually ending in heresy. If we took the prior Metaphor, “he is a pillar of the church”, then extended it to mean the “he” was the only pillar of the Church, or the Church is supported only by the person, we would form a heresy. It would be the same as making Peter the only person within the Rock, which would introduce another Law, only it would be the “Law of Peter”. Not very smart considering all God said about putting people between us and God.
A metaphor is not a Scenario, nor is it a Hypothetical; a scenario is a rough outline of a synopsis of a dramatic work; whereas a hypothetical is based on a hypothesis, or a supposed assumption. An example of a Hypothetical would be looking at something, determining what we think the something means, then setting out to prove it. Much, if not all of science is based on hypothetical thinking, they find a little piece of a bone, then set out to form what they think the creature looked like from the bone. Hypothetical thinking is dangerous in the Kingdom, we wonder “what if?”, then form a hypothetical. What if Adam had wings, then he could fly around like a bird. That’s it, Adam could fly. Not hardly, Adam named the birds, he didn’t become one. The same is true with Inferences, an inference is the act of drawing conclusions, but it can be based on an assumption, or an a conclusion based on known evidence. An unrelated, unsupported inference based on assumption would be Peter as the one and only Rock, a connected inference would be using the Greek words, plus other evidence to show Peter is a piece of the Rock, not the entire Rock.
An Allegory is much different, when Nathan the prophet came to David and talked about a man who took the lamb of another, we know the Allegory pointed to David taking Bathsheba from Uriah, but the prophet used symbols to make the correlation. An allegory compares one real thing to another; although they don’t seem to relate, they do by some element common between the two. Paul used Hagar as an allegory in reference to Mount Sinai, then as an allegory to Jerusalem of the earth, but it doesn’t mean Hagar was the Mount, or the city, rather Paul showed Hagar and her circumstances held a similarity to the Mount and Jerusalem of the earth. God didn’t build Jerusalem, He found it, cleaned it, then adopted it; however, God did create Mount Zion upon which the city sits. Wait, Rock? Church? Zion? Jerusalem? Would it point to a mystery? Could be, God created Zion, the Rock upon which the city of Jerusalem is built, but man built the city. The complete opposite is found in the Kingdom, we are brought into the Rock, then made fishers of men to build the Rock, but we don’t build the Church (New Jerusalem), Jesus does.
Any of us know Hagar was around long before the Law, yet neither the Law or Jerusalem is some human, but Hagar was. One could see how the Woman in the Book of Revelation is a “city”, but is the city really a woman? No, but it shows how God clearly points to human traits to identify things, just as the Holy Ghost uses allegories and metaphors to give us mysteries. One sign of someone who has the Spirit is how these areas cause an excitement within, they want to know the mysteries, not for self-importance, but because the Spirit in them wants to reveal the things the Holy Ghost had the men of Old write for us.
Jude says the Wicked are spots in our feasts of love, trees whose fruit has withered, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots, and many other things. Peter talks about “dogs”, as does John, so does it mean not all dogs go to heaven? Does it mean if someone does something evil, they turn into a dog? Yikes, now what? Easy, they are metaphors and allegories, not mystical magic.
Allegories and metaphors compare one thing to another to draw a likeness for simple identification. By comparing Hagar to the Law we find the product is Ishmael. Is it what God intended? No, but Paul shows the Law of Moses is designed for a people who lack a God centered inner conscience, but we who are Born again have the New Man (Spirit of Truth). The Law of Moses isn’t bad, but it was designed for a people who had the tendency to do bad things. Paul then shows how we must cast out the Ishmael with the Hagar, so what does it mean? We are under a completely different process, none of us can lawfully pick a deed or two from the Law of Moses and use them to gain by. We can’t deny Hagar, yet use Ishmael. Did you understand that? It was an allegory showing the tendency to toss out the Law of Moses, but grab a deed here or there to expand our self-righteousness. If we tossed out Hagar, yet adopted Ishmael, we’re still in bondage.
If we didn’t know Paul was using an allegory, we would think Paul was telling us Hagar was around when Moses obtained the Law, or Ishmael followed the Law, or Hagar was buried in Israel, then she grew into the city, like a carrot. Any of those would be “thoughts of a whacko”. The Holy Ghost gave Paul a picture to explain something, making a clear comparison to the reader. This clearly falls within Proverbs 25:2, it’s the Glory of God to use these matters, but the honor of a king to find their meaning.
Anyone who has read Genesis knows Ishmael mocked the son of promise, all Ishmaels mock the promise, yet they can be blessed, but they are not a blessing. Hagar was the bondwoman, yet she gave birth to the son of Abram, but the son was not subject to the Promise, yet he was blessed. Did Abram love Ishmael? Yes, but it didn’t make Ishmael subject to the promise. God talked to Hagar about Ishmael, He talked to Abraham about Ishmael, but God never talked to Ishmael. Ishmael’s are products of manipulation, and compromise, they are half Egypt and half blessed of God based on a relationship with another God is dealing with, but they are never blessed based on a personal connection with God. We can have an Ishmael and see what we suppose is a blessing, but it’s hanging on our back, causing us to compromise to get the blessing, it will soon hold us in bondage. Ishmaels will lie to get what they want, they will mock the Promised Son to exalt their self.
The Law of Moses was not “of Promise” it was a tool God used to bring the children into the Promised Land in order to teach them obedience. God never promised Abraham, “I shall grant you and your seed the Law after Moses”. The Law is then a type of Ishmael, as Hagar a type of the Mount from where the Law came. While Moses was gaining the Ten Commandments the children were making the golden calf, as well as violating each of the Commandments. Ishmaels will praise the Lord, but only for they can get. Ishmaels will tempt, or test the Lord as did the children in the wilderness, thus when we are Born Again those days of testing God, or using manipulating prayers to get our way are suppose to be gone. It’s the point isn’t it?
A Mixed Metaphor is defined as an Expression in which two or more metaphors are combined in an illogical and contradictory manner. For example the phrase “To take arms against the sea of troubles”, takes the metaphors Arms and Sea of Troubles mixing them to make a point. We know it doesn’t mean to take up physical arms against some storm at Sea, rather the metaphor points to two things. The first is the word Arms, which we know points to weapons, then the metaphor Sea refers to the world, adding the word Troubles shows the troubles of the world. When they come against us, we pick up Godly weapons. In this we find the Weapons of our warfare are not carnal, nor worldly, but we also see the area of battle in this case is based on the troubles of the Sea, not the Sand, or the Rock. Those troubles can follow us into the Wilderness; Jesus warned us about taking the cares (troubles) of the world. With this, we can take the metaphor then presume we must change the world, rather than be free of the troubles of the world. The Bible shows us the outcome of the world, Jesus said He has overcome the world, thus for us to make some attempt to make the world the Kingdom is really fighting God. We call the called from the world, we don’t become the world. Would it be easier to say “Take the weapons of your warfare and stand against the troubles of the world”? Perhaps, but God has filled the Bible with Metaphors, it’s far better to explore His Knowledge, than attempt to make Him carry out our agenda.
Parables are a type of metaphor, yet different. Parables are not illustrations, since an illustration need not be true to prove the point, whereas a Parable must be based in some truth to explain another truth. For instance, if we tossed a rock into the air saying, “there see, it’s the way planes fly”, it would be an illustration, since rocks don’t fly, but it would not be a Parable. However, if we pointed to a bird, then described the wing structure, or how the wind moves about the wing of the bird to produce flight, then used it to show the flight of a airplane, it would be a truthful illustration, but still not a parable, since it has no point in reference to the way of life. Ahh, a Parable must also give us some value to a way of life, plus it must be based on a truth. When Jesus told us about a “seed” being planted, He used a real truth to explain another. The seed doesn’t come out of the package as a plant, it takes Time, Patience, Ground and Water before it becomes a plant. If we take a seed and set it on the table, then watched it for weeks, what would it do? Nothing, but if we planted it in good soil, watered it, then cared for it, what would happen? It would grow. We are in a Covenant, a Covenant requires at least two parties, with duties for each. Not works of the flesh, but duties nonetheless. What do we think, “seek ye the Kingdom of God and His Righteousness” means? How about the other side, “and these things shall be added”? Covenant talk, duties based on a mutual good.
Studying parables we find all sorts of things, Jesus told us to “say unto the mountain”, so what mountain? Go find a mountain and say unto it, what happened? It just stood there. Jesus also told us to say “unto the tree”, so what tree? Go into the backyard and say to the tree, what happened? Nothing, hum must not work for you. Not so, a natural thinking person would walk out in the backyard say “go” to the family orange tree, if didn’t go they would assume they either had no faith, or Jesus was wrong, in most cases they would say the Bible was wrong since it didn’t work for them. We know better, we know the Tree is a symbol, in the case of saying Go to it, it was saying Go to the Fig Tree, but what does the Fig Tree represent? Back in the Garden we know Adam used fig leaves to cover his flesh, thus the religious order of Israel is metaphorically termed a “fig tree”; as a way to cover the flesh, not a way to be free of it. We can’t build our House on the Fig Tree expecting it to turn to Grace. God has Laws for various people in various realms or principalities, using a law for a group we are not part of makes us an outlaw.
The Olive Tree is much different, it refers to the Anointing of Mercy in the New Covenant. What would happen if we said Go to the Olive Tree? Wow, better know what Tree to say Go to, and what Tree we adhere to. Metaphors all over the place, we need to know what they represent, as they differ from Parables and Allegories. The Olive Tree produces Olives, the Olives are placed under pressure to produce the Oil. We find the New Testament saint used Olive Oil, not the famed Anointing Oil of the Law of Moses. The Anointing Oil under the Law of Moses was used once, it would be unlawful and a violation of God’s rules to make the oil Moses used again, much less use it. Figs do not produce oil, we can mash figs until they are nothing more than liquid, then put a match to them watching the match go out, thus figs were not designed by God to produce light, but Olives were.
Metaphors in the Bible are not always defined by their first usage. For example the metaphor Word isn’t defined until we get to John’s Account of the Gospel. Yet, the first place we find the metaphor Word is in Genesis 15:1 when “the Word of the Lord came to Abram”, but we also find the Voice of the Lord walked with Adam. How did He do that? Wow a walking voice, sounds strange doesn’t it? The Hebrew word is Kole, meaning a voice or sound, thus we find God Himself didn’t walk with Adam, but the Voice of the Lord did. No man has seen God at anytime, the evidence proved it. If we seek the Adam nature we may hear the voice of the Lord, but we won’t understand what the Voice is saying. If we seek the Christ nature we will hear, and understand. In this case there is no metaphor, only a understanding of the words used.
From John’s account we find In the beginning was the Word, the Word was with God, and the Word was God, then the Word became flesh. Therefore, the Word “was” before the Beginning, thus all creation is for the Word, not Adam. Does it mean Jesus made a personal appearance before Abram? No, it means when the Word of the Lord came to the people of Old it came verbally pointing to Jesus (Spirit of Christ) in some fashion. What about the angels? What about them? They did appear, but an angel of the Lord carries the Word of the Lord, just as you and I as angels of the Lord carry the Word of the Lord. We are not the Lord, but we do represent Him. We find angels don’t play with the Word they are entrusted to give, as they hear, so they give. So much so, it appears many times as if the Lord Himself is speaking, yet it says an angel was speaking. If someone told us, “I want you to go to them and say, ‘I have said you shall not”, and don’t you change one word”, we would go and say, “I have said you shall not”. If the person knows we are a representative, they have no problem in knowing from where the message came. Do we find something in our everyday life equating to the premise? Yes, the New Man tells us as He hears, thus we say, “the Lord has told me”, but did the Lord Himself tell us? Or was it the Spirit of Truth in us? John 16:13 explains it, showing the Spirit of Truth hears and speaks, thus it was the Lord who told us, but He told us via the Holy Ghost to the Spirit of Truth, to our souls.
We know God spoke before Genesis 15:1, but nonetheless the first time we find the “Word of the Lord” is in Genesis 15:1; therefore, we also find the first thing the Word of the Lord said was “Fear Not”. This shows us Jesus is the purpose of Faith, Through Him we gain perfect Love casting out Fear (I Jn 4:18). How about Love? We know God so loved the world, He gave His only begotten son, so was the world created by His Love as well? The first time we find the word “love” in the Bible it refers to the love Abraham had for Isaac (Gen 22:2). This shows the world was created based on Love, but not a Love for the world, but a Love the Father has for the Son. The next place we find the concept of Love is in Genesis 24:67, where it has to do with a husband’s love for his wife, thus we find the Love Jesus has for the Bride. The next time we see the concept of love it’s much different, it has do with a love of the flesh (Gen 27:4). Three areas of love, give us allegories. The Father loved the Son, the Son loves the Bride, but the love of the flesh attempts to disrupt the entire process.
The next thing the Word said, “I Am your shield and your exceeding great reward” (Gen 15:1). Doesn’t it sound like Jesus? Is the Faith of Jesus our Shield? Yes, He is the Great Reward for those who Diligently seek. These examples show us the importance of knowing Metaphors and Allegories and their use. However, Paul warned us about holding Imaginations, the word Imagination is first used in Genesis 6:5 in reference to the building of the Tower of Babel, pointing to Confusion, yet it’s not defined until Paul opens the concept, which happens to be the last place the word Imagination is used (II Cor 10:5).
A classic example of a metaphor is found in Matthew 10:37 when Jesus said, “He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me”. It makes sense until we get to Luke 14:26 where Jesus said, “If any man come to Me, and hate not his father, and mother…..”. What say thee? How can someone who represents the same Father who said, “honor thy mother and father” say hate them? Metaphors, with understanding the language. Some of us use Luke to continue to hate our parents, then say, “well Jesus said to”. Wrong, we find the Greek word Apotassetai in Matthew explaining Luke. Apotassetai is the middle voice of Apotasso, from Apo, with Tasso meaning To properly arrange. In Luke we find the Greek word Miseo which usually means to hate, but when used in contrast we find it points to arrangements, thus in Luke we find it as the 3rd person singular. Every member of our natural family is human, unless we bring in Matthew 10:37 we could make the horrid mistake of hating our family with a passion, thinking hate is Godly. Therefore Matthew 10:37 defines the word Hate in Luke 14:26 showing the word Hate is more of a metaphor. The legalist would take the word Hate thinking we are to hate our family, way wrong. It speaks of Priority, if we love family more than Jesus, we will compromise Jesus for the sake of the family order.
Proverbs 6:18 shows a heart can devise Wicked Imaginations, every place we find the metaphor Imaginations it means something against the knowledge of God. What does God know? All things, thus an Imagination is some natural reasoning regarding some information, event, or person. Natural reasoning is a source of the spirit of man, thus it lacks Godly insight and clarity to know the Truth. Natural reasoning always thinks it knows what is going on, but rarely has a clue. Natural reasoning makes a determination of an event, or what someone is doing, then forms an entire scenario. Natural intellect is still natural, the natural mind cannot understand the spiritual things of God (I Cor 2:14). We can have years of discipline, yet if it’s based on natural reasoning, or natural education, it’s still natural, meaning we still won’t understand the smallest spiritual truth. The Holy Ghost teaches by comparing spiritual to spiritual, yet spiritual matters are foolishness to the natural minded person.
Extended metaphors would be taking a proper metaphor, then adding a natural imagination to it, producing deception thinking the entire thing “came from the Spirit”. It would be half right, the metaphor was found in the Bible, so the basis did come from the Holy Ghost, but the imagination came from the spirit of man. As an example we could take the metaphor Sun, then assume any word connected to the word Sun in any manner relates to the metaphor, whether it’s the word Sun, or Light, or Bright, or Fire, some other word within the category. In Genesis 37:9-10 Jacob defined the metaphor “sun” pointing to him as the nation Israel, but we also have the Lights back in Genesis chapter one, so is Jacob a Light? Not hardly, we know The Light supplies Light to the Greater Light for the Day, the Lesser Light for the Night, showing they did not come into existence until the Light (Jn 1:6-10). The first time we find the words Sun and Moon linked together is in Genesis 37:9-10, so didn’t man know there was a sun and moon? Yes, but the Bible doesn’t link them together until the defining of the metaphors became necessary. This is a example of the metaphors being defined by the first usage when we find them in combination, but we can’t limit all definitions to the first usage. For instance “the Light” is defined in John’s Account as Jesus, but we first find it used in Genesis, thus we could assume the Light is the Sun, with the Sun being Jacob, yet we would end with “in the beginning was Jacob, and Jacob was light, and Jacob became Jesus”, hardly sound theology, or sound thinking in any regard.
Accordingly when we look at the Hebrew language we find the first place the Hebrew words for Sun, Moon and Stars are all joined together is in Genesis 37, where the Sun is described as a metaphor for the House of Jacob (nation Israel), the Moon the mother of Joseph, and the numbered Stars pointing to the twelve tribes of Israel. However, we also know the mother of Joseph was not the mother of all twelve sons, so is there a metaphor there as well? Yes, the “Woman” in the Book of Revelation has a crown with twelve stars, one star for each tribe, she has the Moon as her foundation, and she is clothed with the Sun. The Woman is not the Sun, she is not the twelve tribes, she is not the moon, since all these are see around her, thus they are her covering, or foundation, but they are not her. The same Woman is defined as a “city”, there is only one city on the earth fitting all those areas, Jerusalem of the earth, the one Paul called Hagar. Therefore, the Book of Revelation defines the Woman as the city of Jerusalem, at the same time we find the moon defined as Zion of the earth, the mount upon which the city sits. Would it make Zion or Jerusalem the mother of Joseph, how can it be? Wait, didn’t Paul say New Jerusalem is the mother of us all (Gal 4:26)? Yes, thus he saw the metaphor, then made an equation separating the two areas of Jerusalem and Zion, in bondage of the earth (Gal 4:25), the Free of heaven (Gal 4:26).
Taking the metaphors Sun, Moon and Stars and extending them all the way back to the Genesis account, leaves us in deep trouble. Why? There was more than two lights in the Genesis account. There was The Light, the Greater Light, and the Lesser Light, but the sun and moon are really one light of the sun, with the reflection on the moon. Yet, in the Genesis account the Greater Light and the Lesser Light were divided, each was a light unto itself, each obtained their light from The Light. It would appear God didn’t know the moon was merely reflecting the light of the sun, without understanding the metaphors the doubters would use Genesis to show the Bible was just a book written by man: “You see, Moses didn’t understand the moon reflecting the light of the sun, and his mistake proves the Bible is written by man”. Wrong, Moses had no idea of the Season of the Day for the Church, nor of the things of the Night, yet he wrote the words as he was told. God knew what lays ahead for man, we are given the mysteries, thus the true Author of the Bible is the Holy Ghost.
Abraham was told the children of Israel would number as the sand of the sea, but where is the “sand of the sea” in the Genesis account? There is no sand in the Genesis account, but there’s no mention of rain either. Did Moses know about rain? Yes, did he know about the sand of the sea? Yes, he was the scribe who wrote about it. If the Bible was written by man, surely man would have added those elements to the Genesis account. The evidence shows the Bible is the inspired document, yet it has mysteries written therein, many of those mysteries are found in the metaphors and allegories.
A classic use is found in three verses, all in the same chapter. In Daniel 7:9 we read: I beheld till the thrones were cast sown, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of His head like pure wool, His throne was like the fiery flame, His wheels as burning fire”. Taking it to Revelation chapter one where we find Jesus whose hair was white like wool, His eyes as a flame of fire, His feet as if they burned in a furnace (Rev 1:14-15). We would conclude the description is Jesus, until we get to Daniel 7:13 where we read: “one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heave, and came to the Ancient of days”. If the Ancient of days is Jesus, how is He comes to Himself? The word days is the Hebrew Yom the same word used in Genesis chapter 1. Then in Daniel 7:22 we read: “Until the Ancient of days came, and judgment” then the metaphor begins to take shape. In the beginning was the Word, but the Word was before there were “days”, yet the most Ancient of days is in Genesis chapter 1 when God finished the work for Judgment. We tend to look at the metaphor “Ancient of days” as a person, but it reflects to the Judgment being set in the most Ancient days. Then in Daniel 1:22 we find the saints will posses the Kingdom, meaning the end of time as man knows it. How does it define the Daniel 7:9? The same as John sees, the Judgment Jesus.
Look at Revelation 9:6-11, what is that? Shapes of Locusts, like unto horses, how many locusts do you see looking like a horse? Faces of men, hair as women, teeth of lions? What is that? Metaphors, not some monster out of the movies. Each one of those areas defines something, giving us the many facets of this group. We will learn how “hair” is a metaphor for the covering (anointing), in this context the covering is of women, or better of idols, it doesn’t mean all women are idols. Far from it, metaphors have little to do with gender classification, Paul has gained a bad reputation by some from just such a mistake. For some reason we claim “Liberty”, yet twist the words of Paul to put women in bondage. Paul used metaphors and allegories, when we understand them we can gain much, when we misuse them we put people in bondage.
These creatures in the Book of Revelation have tails like “scorpions”, but we have power over scorpions, apparently they don’t, rather we find their motivation is Scorpion influenced. Scorpions come at you with their claws, but their death is in their stinger, coming from behind, over the top. Deceptive? Yes, it’s the point, deception is always demonic, the first one to use deception was the devil. These creatures in the Book of Revelation are motivated by hate, greed and many other “rulers”, but it doesn’t mean they are some space creature from another galaxy.
Jesus told us to Work while it is yet Day, for the Night comes when no man can work. Was Jesus talking about a 24 hour day? Has it passed? Doesn’t the first chapter of Genesis show all Work complete? Didn’t God rest on the Seventh Day? Why then would Jesus tell us there is a time of Work? In Genesis 1:5, 1:8, 1:13, 1:19, 1:23 and 1:31 we have a specific time element for the creation in Genesis, all of which say, “evening and morning”; however, we know evening to morning points to the Night, not the Day. Does it mean God didn’t know the difference? Was God working swing-shift? I thought Light came, then creation, what happened? The answer is found in Genesis 2:1 where we find the wording, “were finished”, meaning Ready to be destroyed, connecting back to the Ancient of days. The first aspect of creation points to the result of rejecting either the Light of the Day, or the Light of the Night in their various Seasons and Times. God had Salvation in mind, but created and finished the elements of Judgment first: which is first will be last. Why? When the elements of Judgment were in place it proved above all things Salvation was coming. The Creation of the Day is the New Man, we are a New Creature based on a New Creation. If all creation was done in Genesis, we’re all living a dream. Not so, the New Birth is real, anyone who is Born Again knows it.
What promise did God make in the first creation? Let us make man in our Image, the prophecy is completed in the New Man (Rom 8:29), thus the work for Judgment began, but the prophecy for life was also given. If the creation was from evening to morning, then Adam and the Beast of the Field were both Night creations. Jesus as a Quickening Spirit is a Day Creator, not a Day creation.
In Genesis we also find the word Made (Formed), which is the Hebrew Asah meaning To fashion, or Predestined; whereas the Hebrew Bara holds an emphasis on the initiation of an object, not the altering or forming from one thing to another. We find the use of both Bara and Asah with the latter pointing to the altering or forming of the original, the former pointing to producing something from nothing. What importance would this hold for us? If we assume the New Birth is Asah, we error, it’s Bara, or a New Creature in Christ Jesus, not a recreation of man’s natural ability. We are not “re-birthed” by the Holy Ghost, we are Born Again (a second time) by having the Spirit, much different. This doesn’t mean a spirit in us is born again, it means we are. We were first born of the flesh, then we are Born Again of the Spirit. The Spirit is granted by the Holy Ghost, therein lays other matters. The Holy Ghost is part of the Record, the Spirit part of the Witness (I Jn 5:7-8). The purpose is for our souls to become Spirit by the Spirit. We were soul and flesh, the soul adopted the traits of the flesh, thus our souls were born into flesh, but after we receive the Spirit our souls are adopted by the Spirit into a Spiritual nature. The Holy Ghost brought the Seed, but the Seed is not the Birth. Jesus made a comparison, the flesh determines many things, no one in their right mind would equate conception the same as Birth. The product is there, but it doesn’t mean conception and birth are one in the same. There is a period of growth from the seed to the fetus, to birth. We are no different, Jesus said the Seed was planted, then came the Root, then came the Blade; it’s the Blade proving one is Born Again (Mark 4:13-20). Of course it’s metaphoric in nature, but we can see how Paul could say the Corinthians had the Spirit, but they were carnal, and not able to understand spiritual matters (I Cor 3:3 & 3:16). Having the Seed, or having the Root, doesn’t mean we are Born Again.
Unless we know which words are being used we won’t be able to discover the metaphor God is pointing to. Adding, we find Genesis 2:22 shows the woman was Taken from man, the word Taken is the Hebrew Banah meaning to Begin to build, it’s the prime root word for the word Build. This helps us understand what Jesus was saying about building the Church. Adam is akin to the Body, yet divided; there are some like the First Adam, some like the Second. Those like the Second Adam are heavenly in nature, they are taken from the Body then established as the Church by Jesus. Jesus is not going to use natural building material, He is looking for the potential Spiritual soul.
Both Tares and Wheat grow from the Rain and Sun, it depends on the seed used. If the Seed is good, the product is good, if the seed is bad the product is bad. Watering tares never gets rid of them, ignoring them won’t get rid of them either, pushing them deeper won’t make them go away. Pushing them deeper only allows the Root to become Stronger; showing there must be a creation for the Night, and a Creation for the Day. When Jesus entered the temple in Luke 4:18-19 the Day Spring came, our Age was opened; when our Age finishes then comes the Night.
Wheat? Tares? We know what they mean, they are another example of metaphoric use. How many of us spray weed killer in our ears to get rid of the tares? Not many, hopefully none, most of us would think the thought silly. Yet, a tare is like unto a “fox tail”, the Spray we use is the Living Water to rid us of tares.
This brings us to the metaphor Day which we found is the Hebrew Yom, not only does it mean the Day as we know it, but it also refers to Life. Jesus said He came to give us Life, so we may have it more abundantly, more abundant than what? Adam was a living soul, thus his life was soul based, really not bad, or evil, yet it’s the same life we gain at the Cross of Jesus, but we gain Life More Abundantly by the Spirit. The same Spirit who raised Jesus, will raise us, so did the Spirit put Jesus on the Cross? Did the Spirit lay Jesus in the grave? No, but Jesus was declared the Son of God by the Spirit of Holiness through the Resurrection. Process, we gain Life at the Cross, but the call is to enter the grave where we die to the self, then gain the Spirit by the Power of the Resurrection. From Genesis we find there was darkness, then Light, then Day then Night with the Light granting the Greater Light for the Day, and the Lesser Light for the Night. This gives us at least three elements, Day, Night and Darkness. The Darkness can exist in either the Day or Night, but it is neither Day or Night. It also stands one can see more during the Day, than they can at Night, and more during the Night, than they can in the Darkness. Both John and Paul defined these areas for us; Paul said we are Children of the Day, not the Night, nor the Darkness (I Thess 5:5). He also placed Children of Light in the same category as Children of the Day (I Thess 5:5). John talked about one location with two brothers, both say they are Light, one shows it, one says it but has acts prove he is yet in darkness (I Jn 1:5-10). Clarity comes in the Light, John shows those of the Light, Hear, See, Look upon and Touch Jesus (I Jn 1:1). John placed the Light and Love of God in the same category, thus we of the Day, have the Light and Love of God in the New Man, as the New Man is forming us into sons of God. However, knowing it, and walking in it are different, there must be a Key to open this area. There is, we will get to it.
Some Metaphors change from Good to Bad, or Bad to Good when they are mixed with other metaphors. Just as a blessing can become an Ishmael when we attempt to apply it to the wrong purpose, or continue to hold to it when God has told us to let it go. An Ishmael? Another metaphor, we have seen this metaphor prior, probably in our own lives. An Ishmael is not totally a “worldly” endeavor, although it’s mother is. Ishmaels are based on a Word from God, but they are the product of testing the word, rather than believing it. Ishmaels are the product of, “has God really said?”, they come about when we attempt to bring the promise to pass by our own efforts. Having a sign or prophecy come to pass is great, making it come to pass is an Ishmael. The Ishmael or Hagar are always forms of bondage, although they may seem to be rewarded, they are nonetheless void of the Promise. An Ishmael can be a “prince”, even appear as a “nation”, but void of the promise, it will always end mocking the promise, or riding on our backs.
We know the Metaphor Rock means Anointing, as in the Anointed Body of Christ, it was defined as such by Paul in I Corinthians 10:4-18, but we also know there are different meanings for the Greek words Rock and Stone. Peter was called a Piece of the Rock (Greek Petros), or a little Rock, but Jesus said He would build His Church on The Rock (Greek Petra). Therefore, it’s also important to know what Rock Jesus is talking about, or whether or not there are other words used in the Greek language for the English words used. We also know Zion is a Rock upon which the city is built, so is Jesus talking about Zion? If so which one? Could it be the Body of Christ is the Zion of the New Covenant? Yes, the Book of Hebrews gives us a reference showing it (Heb 12:22). If we miss it, we will run to the physical land of Israel presuming we’re on the Rock. Running around looking for the glory, or allowing the glory within to manifest are completely different. Just as running to a physical land to see where Jesus walked is much different than having His footprints on your heart. A nice vacation, but walking the land isn’t going to make us like Jesus.
Jesus said He was the cornerstone, or the stone of support, but Peter said the same stone can be a stone of stumbling, how can it be? If we walk with the Stone by belief it’s a support, if we fail to believe it becomes a stone of stumbling. Same stone, we have the keys.
This brings us two more metaphors, the kingdom of heaven, and the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom of God is within, but we are in the kingdom of heaven. Heaven is a place, God a personage, thus we find two areas. The field points to the Body, thus the Body is the same as the Rock, as the kingdom of heaven. Then the Church, which is the Kingdom of God. Another way to see it is the kingdom of heaven the place of Life, the Kingdom of God life more abundantly, or the kingdom of heaven the place where the Mercy as the will of the Father is carried out, the Kingdom of God where the Will of the Lord by the Spirit through Grace is carried out. They are joined, no can have the Kingdom of God without being in the kingdom of heaven, but one can be in the kingdom of heaven, yet not have the Spirit (Rom 8:1).
However, Paul will tell us there are two types in the Body, those who walk after the Spirit, and those who walk after the flesh (Rom 8:1). Paul called the Corinthians “brethren”, but he also said they were carnal, not spiritual. We can’t confuse the Body and Church into the very same element, the Church is build on the Rock, the Church houses only those who are spiritual in nature, but we are also of the Rock, thus we find spiritual people in the Rock, but we also find the carnal, as those who mind the flesh. Minding something means we put our mind on it considering it a point of holiness. Those who mind the flesh center on the flesh to determine what they consider holiness, or righteousness. They hold moral appearances before men, they have a taste not, touch not theology. The Carnal minded are different, they trust in natural intellect, or reasoning, yet they are unable to discern spiritual matters.
The New Covenant is where the Blood of Jesus is found, the Body is the Bread, both are great, and needed. Jesus didn’t put the bread in the wine and say, “here this is the New Covenant”, He separated the bread from the cup, then said the New Covenant was in His Blood (wine in the cup). This is not “against” putting the wafer in the wine, or “against” not breaking the wafer, simply saying what Jesus did.
Was Peter Born Again when Jesus told him “thou are Peter (Petros), and upon this Rock (Petra) I will build My Church” (Matt 16:18)? No, but he was part of the ministry as his sins were forgiven on earth (freely he received, freely he was to give). We find even the Petros can remain natural, as Peter proves when he made his self-determined statement rebuking Jesus in his attempt to force change (Matt 16:22-23). Even natural Peter had a position in the kingdom of heaven, but he lacked the Kingdom of God, which means he lacked discernment. Until Pentecost when the Holy Ghost came with the Gift, then Peter would be taken by another into places he was unable to venture into as natural Peter.
The Metaphor Petros was defined by Jesus as a piece of the Rock, nonetheless a piece is more concerned about the affairs of man, than they are about God (Matt 16:23). When we view the Greek words we not only find there is but One Rock upon which the Church is built, but we find Jesus is the builder of the Church. We can see other things as well, including a warning. We never build on a “piece of the rock”, nor do we build on those in the Rock. The very warning Jesus gives is “not to build on Peter, the seat of Peter, or any member of the Rock”. Peter had the knowledge, but Jesus called him a piece of the Rock, thus the warning was not to make Peter as Simon Bar-Jona the Rock.
If there is only One Church, what about all those churches in the Book of Revelation? There are churches (assemblies) within the Body, but only One Church on the Rock. The term “Church” became generic, its used to define the gatherings of those in the Rock, but just as there is only one storehouse for the Jew, there is only one Church for the Christian.
By adding the words dependent, or independent we change the meaning of the metaphor from Good to Bad, or Bad to Good. This goes right back to why the people run to the “rocks” after the Rapture, they don’t run to The Rock, but rocks. Why? the true Rock will be gone, but the remaining rocks retained their soulish independence as the “drunken” who go into the Night, becoming the Beast of the earth.
If the Greater Light is the Rock, and the Greater Light leaves in the Rapture, it means the Lesser Light is connected to “Zion” of the earth which becomes effective in the Night. There Rock is Zion of the earth, thus Jesus marks the 144,000 on Zion of the earth. Giving us another division, Zion and Jerusalem of heaven are unto Salvation, Zion and Jerusalem of the earth unto Judgment.
In order to lawfully proclaim Jesus as the Christ of Grace, or to speak about the Holy Ghost lawfully one needs the Spirit. Really no one can lawfully call Jesus Lord, but by the Holy Ghost (I Cor 12:3). When the Spirit is taken no one will have the position to claim Christ, or Jesus as Lord, thus in our Season we say “Christ is here”, since we have the position, but in the Night no one will have the position, making it unlawful to say, “Christ is here” or “Christ is there”. There is a division between the Day and Night, one noted by Jesus in Acts 1:6-8, although we are to have knowledge of the events of the Night, we are not to mix the Night into the Day, or the Day into the Night.
The division between the Day is Night is seen in other areas, we are of Agape Love, the Night has Phileo. Another difference is we overcome by the Faith of Jesus, they are overcome by the Wicked. We of the Day are of Salvation, they are Judgment. God separated the Day from the Night, the Wicked, or unlearned want to mix them. This also helps us understand the preconceived minds of some who look at the events of the Night as some great and wonderful happening. If one is in darkness the Night looks good, but the Day looks frightening. If one is of the Day they understand the Night, knowing the Greater Light of the Day is far better than the lesser Light of the Night. When one seeks to be Adam like, rather than Christ like they will seek the things of the sensual, soulish realm, rather than the spiritual.
There are some things not meant to be metaphors, they define themselves, so what happens when we make them metaphors? We fall into error. Take the word Wiles in Ephesians is defined by the Greek language as Method, or Methodology, but to make Wiles a metaphor presuming it means “devils”, rather than Methods of darkness, would be error. Therefore, it’s important to know the value of metaphors, as well as their dangers. Faith is not a metaphor, faith is faith; truth is not a metaphor, truth is truth. Jesus is Truth, yet we have boldness and access by His Faith, both the Truth and Faith remain as they are.
What about Prophecy? It doesn’t take much to read the prophecies of Old to see metaphor after metaphor. It stands, if we want to get a handle on prophecy we must also know the metaphors; after all, God changes not. If we heard a prophecy talking about the Sea, Word, Field, Earth and Light, how would we know what God is saying, if we don’t know the various meanings of the metaphors? We never ask a prophet to interpret their own prophecy, but it does little good if no one can. One can extend the prophecy, ending with a mass of people running off in the wrong direction, or they can discern the prophecy, being ready when God brings it to pass. The Spirit in us discerns, everyone Born Again has the capability to detect the real from the fable.
Names and titles can also be metaphors, we just saw how Hagar was one, another would be Adam, who was a metaphor in and of himself. If we assume Adam was the exactness of God we miss the prophecy, purpose, ending desiring to be Adam Like, rather than Christ Like. We know Adam failed, we know there is no mention of him having faith, nor do we see where he believed God. Rather he tested the commandment, he not only gave up his position and kingdom, he turned them with his generations over to the wicked one. Then he made excuses for his failure, so, how then can Adam be like unto God? Adam never went to God, it was God who came to Adam. How can Adam be in the Image of God, yet fleshly and earthly? There must be more to the metaphor Adam than the phrase “image of God”. On the same note it doesn’t mean Adam is all evil either, after all he was created by God as good. The living soul has a purpose and benefit, but without the Spirit it becomes dependent on the flesh. It doesn’t take long to see Adam was a living soul, but he was flesh as well. When he saw the woman his statement was, “This is now bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh” (Gen 2:23).
The darkness has a prince and a master governing it, we find the first child to Adam and Eve was born outside of the Garden, thus all humans from then on were also born under the hand of darkness. The flesh being a reproduction became the point of contact with the darkness, thus it rules the soul. Man would do good things and bad things, but the bad always out weighed the good. Even if man did something good, man would twist the glory to the self, by taking the glory. Whatever God gave man is good, but man would take the same gift then find some way to make it evil. God gave man the ability to know there was God, yet man goes about honoring man. Man still does, man gives man awards, honors for man’s accomplishments; however, if it was good in any degree, it came from God. Natural man robs God of the glory, steals the honor, then claims to be in the “image of God”! Man sees other natural men as able to overcome, and live productive lives, but any life without Christ is still death. Therefore the word Image has many variables, a stone can be cut to form an image of someone, a painting can project the image of someone, but it doesn’t mean they are the exactness of the image. In order to be the exactness the image needs what defines the specify, God is Spirit. The old man loves to make Adam a human with the Spirit of God, since it means God can be made to be corrupt, since Adam became corrupt.
The metaphors “life and life more abundantly” point to two areas of life, not one, with one being less abundant than the other. If Jesus came to bring Life, then He also came to bring us into a Living Soul condition. The next step is a decision on our part, but based on the efforts of the Spirit going beyond Life to a more abundantly heavenly position. It’s not a separate Life, but an addition to the Life granted, thus we gain Life as a Living Soul by the Cross and Breath of Jesus, but the Spirit of Christ in us coupled to Life becomes More Abundant. In what manner? More money? No, the ability to come boldly to the throne of Grace, even the ability to reach the end of our faith, the salvation of our souls. The mere addition of “abundant” proves the living soul position is still natural, thus when Adam was is in the Garden as a Living Soul (I Cor 15:45-49).
The disciples before the Cross couldn’t speak of Jesus as the Christ of Grace, they lacked position and knowledge, but the Corinthians had the position. The most dangerous position to be in is the living soul with the Spirit, yet remaining carnal. The Corinthians had the position to speak of the things of Grace, but lacked the knowledge and discipline by the Spirit, which means they would do the spiritual injustice. They will speak foolishness attempting to define spiritual matters, or as Jude put it, “speak evil of dignities” (Jude 8), or “speak evil of things which they know not” (Jude 10). Paul said, “the natural man receives not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned” (I Cor 2:14). When Paul spoke to the Corinthians it was to encourage them to enter the spiritual area, they had the Spirit (I Cor 3:16), but they were void of the spiritual, remaining carnal (I Cor 3:1-2). The signs of a carnal mind were evident, envy, strife, division, lay in wait to deceive, natural thinking, earthly intellect, always learning, but never gaining spiritual insight. Since the Corinthians had the Spirit, Paul knew it was only a matter of decision to reach the area to be Born of the Spirit to be Spiritual. Of course he couldn’t become spiritual for them, but he could instruct them. In the instruction he used tons of metaphors, especially in chapter 11, he also used allegories in chapter 10. Therefore, if we have the Spirit we should be able to keep the metaphors and allegories in their proper order gaining great insight into the mysteries.
When one has Life, they also have authority over the earth, but they still lack authority in heaven, thus Jesus also told us to Loose ourselves from the earth, so heaven can be Loosed on us. However, after heaven is loosed on us, it’s time we become loosed of the earth by the Spirit.
If we Bind ourselves to the earth, as we Bind heaven from us by failing to forgive, it would be like what? A son who accepts a gift, but refuses to use it in the manner the Father desires.
A son of man based in the kingdom of heaven, and a son of God based in the Kingdom of God. Although Jesus was nonetheless the Son of man, and the Son of God, the declaration of being a Son of God was based in the “Spirit of holiness” by the Resurrection (Rom 1:3-4). The same is true with us, we impute death on the Cross, we obtain the Ingress Aires to forgive based on the Father’s mercy, as God for Christ sake has forgiven us. Then we move to “receive ye the Holy Ghost”, which brings us the Gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 11:15-17 & 15:8). Based on the Holy Spirit (Spirit of Holiness) we have the Resurrection Power of the Greater He in us, forming us into sons of God.
When the devil presented the fruit neither Adam female or Adam male were subject to him, he was their adviser, not their master. Although we were in darkness, the devil could not stop us from coming to the Cross. The measure of faith has great power in and of itself, it’s suppose to (Heb 11:4-38). The position Adam had before taking the fruit is granted to us at the Cross by the Breath of Jesus. Paul tells us, “don’t give place to the devil”, showing we have the power to either grant the devil place, or not to. The devil has no authority equal to or over anyone who has received the Cross of Jesus.
Adam being a “living soul” also shows the limited knowledge associated with the position. God didn’t discuss the affairs of heaven with Adam, rather the dialog was always earth related. Adam had no concept of “heavenly things”, since he was formed of the earth, as his soul was created on the earth. To presume the “Adam mind” gives us insight to heaven is not in line with the Scriptures. Therefore, Life More Abundantly gives us heavenly insight, and access by the Spirit. Adam’s concern before and after the fall was still earth related, not heaven related. The Fall gives us one obvious insight, a Living Soul cannot discern those who lie in wait to deceive.
Adam was not Light, yet God made Two Great Lights, not One, the word Great is the Hebrew Gadol meaning Elder or Mighty, yet it also has a negative side meaning A proud thing, thus it depends on the usage, or what we do as the light. The two lights are not Proud things, rather they come against pride by being humble, but the proud can take the Lights turning them into lasciviousness (Jude 4). The wording To Rule in reference to the Lights is the Hebrew Memshalah meaning To reign, it’s found in Psalm 136:8-9 wherein we find the Sun rules the Day, and the Moon and Stars rule the Night, which becomes a treasure basket of metaphors. The actual Sun in the sky is not a self-generating light, it’s burning itself out. We are the Sun of the Day, but there is Jesus the Light who is over the Day and Night. The Moon (Zion) and the Stars (12 tribes which produce the 144,000) will rule the Night. We don’t rule the Night, they don’t rule the Day. Jesus said, The righteous will Shine as the Sun, when we find the Brightness of the Sun referred to, it points to the Day, not the Night (Matt 13:43). Therefore, God’s Mercy is seen in all Ages, but His Grace is only found during the Day.
There are Connecting Metaphors, two words or phrases linking one to the other in context, but are separated by the context. For example the very first verse in the Bible tells us God created the “heaven and the earth”, does it mean there is only one heaven? No, we know Paul tells us of the Third heaven, we find the plural “heavens” in many places, as well as in the Book of Genesis. Later in the Book of Revelation John sees a Beast coming out of the earth, yet he also saw a Beast of the Sea, but here in the first verse of Genesis we don’t find the Sea, nor do we find the phrase Sand of the Sea. They were in the plan, just as rain was in the plan. The “forecast” saw the rain, sand of the sea and the Cross before the Plan was put into motion.
Is God’s concern found in the Metaphors? Yes, the metaphor Heaven points to the Kingdom of God, but the metaphor Earth points to the kingdom of heaven. Which is First in God’s view? The Kingdom of God, but the kingdom of heaven is also given importance, thus they are linked together, but they are nonetheless separated. Genesis 1:1 is the Plan, we find God had the Kingdom of God with the kingdom of heaven in the plan before He put the Plan into motion; the Record was written, the Witness is being played out on the earth.
God doesn’t say the Heaven is without form and void, but He does show the earth is without form and void until Light came from on high (Gen 1:2). God doesn’t say the heaven was in darkness, but He does show the earth was. The Spirit didn’t move over the Heaven, but He did move over the Face of the Waters. Before God said a thing regarding the Plan, His purpose was dictated, thus Jesus said, Seek ye First the Kingdom of God, and His Righteousness. Why not seek the Righteousness, then the Kingdom of God? Why not seek the kingdom of heaven, then the Kingdom of God? One can’t consider seeking the Kingdom of God until they enter the kingdom of heaven, one can’t obtain the Righteousness of God without the Seed of God (Eph 4:24). Without the Seed, conception is out of the question, without the Root, the Birth is out of the question: Process.
What about seeking the Anointing? Are we suppose to seek the Anointing? If so, why didn’t Jesus include it in the Seeking? It’s not until Luke 4:18 where we find the answer. Jesus said “the Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has Anointed Me”; therefore, the Anointing came first, then the Spirit. Is it proven? Yes, Jesus came as the Word, but began His ministry as the Son of man, yet the Holy Ghost filled Him for the ministry, then the Spirit descended on Him as the Anointing. It doesn’t mean the Holy Ghost had a Spirit in His back pocket, it shows us the Holy Ghost brings the Spirit, the Spirit is in because of the Anointing. Neither does it mean Jesus was Born Again at the Baptism, He is the cause of us being Born Again. The Baptism didn’t make Jesus the Son of man, it confirmed it. The Resurrection didn’t make Jesus the Son of God, it declared it.
On Pentecost the Holy Ghost brought the Spirit, then the disciples were Born Again, as they entered the spiritual realm. Yet, the Holy Ghost came because they were anointed. How? The breath of Jesus gave them a Mercy position, forgiveness has an anointing. If it’s the case, we know if we have the Spirit we must also have the Anointing. Having the Anointing in us, and walking in it are different. Could we have the Anointing and not know it? Yes, God’s people are destroyed for a lack of knowledge, not for a lack of the Anointing.
This explains Isaiah 10:27 where we read “the Yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing”. The phrase Shall Be Destroyed is the Hebrew word Chaval meaning To bind, or Spoil. It’s Because of the anointing the Yoke is destroyed, not as a result of it, thus the Cross will remove the Yoke of bondage, then comes the Anointing, then comes the Spirit, showing the Spirit is drawn by the Anointing. Some of us read this as “the Yoke is destroyed by the anointing”, but it’s not what it says. When we ask for the Anointing, yet claim we have the Spirit we place a blockage in the way of the Spirit. Since the title Christ means Anointed, thus we are the Body of Christ, it then stands if we are in the Body, we have the anointing granted to the Body. Ahh, there are various areas within the Body, all of which have Anointings. The Anointing is Power based, it’s always the ability to accomplish a task assigned.
The Anointing for the office is limited to the functions of the office, thus the anointing of the Doma (gift) will not save us, it will edify us, it will teach us, and it will do the work of the ministry. The anointing of Mercy will conduct supernatural functions in the Name of Jesus, but it won’t save our souls. It will save us from the world, but not our souls. The Anointing over the Body is the Unction, a protection for the entire Body, whether they are carnal or spiritual. The Anointing in the New Man will save our souls, thus when we attempt to use a specific anointing in a place it was not intended, it won’t work. Perhaps it’s our problem, we attempt to use the Doma anointing to save our souls. Does it mean the Doma anointing will fail? No, it means it wasn’t designed for the task, much like using a spoon as a hammer.
We seek more of the Holy Ghost because He has anointed us, rather than seeking more of the anointing because of the Spirit. Paul understood the Anointing, when he spoke from the office, he kept the area where it belonged. When he spoke as a saint, he kept the area where it belonged, and in all cases the anointing for the function worked. Of course when he moved outside of either the anointing didn’t work, evidenced by his visit to Jerusalem when he was arrested.
We know one Yoke is the Mosaic Law (Acts 15:10); therefore, we can’t find one prophet in the Old Testament who became a prophet because of doing the Law. This also explains the Two Witnesses as the Law (Moses), and the Prophets (Elijah) for the Season of the Night. They are called the “anointed ones”; whereas we of the Day have the Water, Blood and Spirit making us the anointed ones.
The Two Witnesses are assigned to Two Churches only, they are not assigned to all Seven, thus we follow “hear ye Him”, the Night will follow “them”. Why is it so important? The “hear ye Him” is unto Salvation, the “them” unto Judgment, which do you prefer?
This brings us to the metaphors Binding and Loosing, two aspects talked about much today. To find these elements we have to look at how Jesus used them, as well as what He did in reference to them. On one hand we say “I bind you devil”, then turn right around and say “come out”; two completely different commands, much like saying, “I command you to stay, so come out”. True, we just covered this in the Warfare, but this is the metaphoric usage. Demons know two opposite commands mixed are not something Jesus did, nor something the disciples did. In Acts 19:11-16 we find the term Exorcists, which means one who binds devils, thus the misuse would be to bind a devil; whereas Jesus loosed the people from devils. It has to be a clue, Jesus cast the devils out, which Loosed the people, but the people were not moved to a different location, they remained standing right where they were at. The devils were the ones who trespassed, thus to loose the people was the purpose. Jesus cast the devil from the people, He didn’t bind the devils to the people. Binding and loosing are a Godly principle, but when we use a Godly Principle in an ungodly manner we will make mistakes, at times enter error.
The seven sons of Sceva lacked standing, yet they were connected to a religious order via Sceva their father. When the demon heard the mixed command (I adjure (bind) you to come out) from the seven sons of Sceva he said, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?” (Acts 19:15). There are two different Greek words used for Know in this verse. The first means to have knowledge of something or someone, the second means to be acquainted with, as in prior contacts. This demon knew of Jesus, ran into Paul prior, but these seven sons of Sceva were not giving the command from the proper position, nor where they doing it in the same manner as Paul did, in fact they were attempting to bind and loose at the same time, the result was failure. In Acts 16:16-18 Paul Loosed a woman, in Acts 3:1-10 Peter and John Loosed a man. Wait, didn’t Jesus say “I will give unto you the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever you shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever you shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven” (Matt 16:19). Yes, but notice Jesus told Peter “I shall give”, rather than had given, thus the Keys had to come after the Resurrection, not before, yet Peter and the other disciples were casting out devils before the Cross. The reference to this is also found in John, “Whosoever sins you remit (loose) they are remitted (loosed), and whosoever sins you retain (bind), they are retained (bound)” (Jn 20:23). The context is a key, how do we know? Where is the place of command? The earth, it’s in our hands, so is the devil in heaven? No, so this has to be something outside of the devil’s realm, but within our realm. What could it be? Ahh, Mercy, “say unto the mountain (unforgiveness) be you cast into the sea (back to the world)”, and “when you stand praying (from earth to heaven, forgive (loose) if you have aught against any: so your heavenly Father also which is in heaven may forgive (loose) you your trespasses. But if you do not forgive (bind), neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses (bound in heaven)”. Binding and loosing pertain to Mercy, but we also find other uses for the words. In any case, we need the example.
Where in the Scriptures did Jesus bind a devil? What did the devils do? In Matthew 18:18 we find a connection between the metaphors, explaining the teaching. After Matthew 16:19 we find a devil had bound a lad, but Jesus Loosed the lad (Matt 17:15-19). Then Jesus showed how He would be Loosed from the earth (Matt 17:23), then He told us hindering the little ones Binds them (Matt 17:25-18:5). Then how unforgiveness will bind us to earth, as it binds God’s forgiveness in heaven, yet forgiveness will loose heaven’s mercy upon us (Matt 18:18-19). Jesus then told a Parable about a man who was Loosed of his debt, but refused to Loose another. The man Bound one who owed him money; when the king heard it, he bound the man who failed to forgive as he was forgiven (Matt 18:26-35). Next when Jesus was confronted by the Pharisees, they used the word Divorce, which is another way of saying Loosed, but they were using it in the wrong manner, for the wrong purpose. Jesus taught on Loosing the Little Children, by never Binding them (Matt 19:14). There was the rich man who was Bound to his riches, he couldn’t Loose heaven (Matt 19:23-24). The Strongman must be Bound before the Stronger One can be Loosed (Luke 11:21-23). When the Stronger One (Spirit) comes to take (remove) all those so-called treasures, the Strongman will raise up to fight to keep those things “bound”. In all this we find Jesus Loosed, the devil and lost man binds, why then do we bind? Because we think it works, but so does witchcraft. Having to bind something everyday doesn’t mean it works, rather it shows it lacks. When it’s all said and done, the example and teachings show us binding and loosing have to do with Mercy connected to our willingness to forgive.
The Keys are the clue, if Jesus has the Keys, then He is master of what He holds the Keys to. The same is true with us, if Jesus gave us certain keys, we are master to those areas. Jesus has the keys regarding death and hell (Rev 1:18); therefore, when Jesus gave us certain other Keys, He told us, “this is up to you, you are kings, you have the power to forgive, or not to, you have the power to ask for the Spirit, or not to, you have the power to do the things of the Kingdom, or not to”. This is also found in the saying, “seek ye first the Kingdom of God”, it wasn’t “the Kingdom will come whether you seek it or not”. Keys then relate to Authority, power is different, rather we gain the power after we exercise the authority.
Jesus has the Authority over death and hell because through death He defeated him who had the power of death, that is the devil (Heb 2:14); however, the Power comes when death and hell give up their dead at the Judgment (Rev 20:13-14). We have the Authority to make the decision to use the Key, once we do, then comes the Power. Some of us are waiting for the Power, but Authority always comes before the Power (Matt 28:18-20 & Acts 1:8).
Paul used Allegories to explain mysteries, an Allegory is A literary device of presenting abstract ideas or concepts in a symbolic form in character. For an example we know the Jacob – Israel principle, as well as, the Isaac – Ishmael principle, as well as the Hagar – Sinai, or Hagar – Jerusalem principles, by comparing one element in the allegory to the other opens the mystery. An Allegory is not a Metaphor, but they do relate, we can’t talk about the Metaphors without moving into the Allegories as well. We will view many Metaphors and Allegories, but we will keep them within their intended purposes.
In our everyday life we run across many metaphors and allegories, most of which we take with a “grain of salt” (oops another metaphor), yet they all mean something. In the prior studies we viewed some Metaphors finding their importance in understanding the Latter Days, but metaphors and allegories also hold importance in our day to day walk with the Lord. If someone told us “don’t count your chickens, before they hatch”, we know what it means, but if they said “don’t burn your chickens, before they roll down the hill gathering hens”, we would think they had a few screws loose. Today in the Body, we find many concepts, some good, some very good, some bad, some very bad. For the most part we find a metaphor at the core of the concept, whether good or bad. The term “spiritual warfare” is a metaphor, since the phrase itself doesn’t appear in the Bible. One can take the metaphoric premise, add their imagination, but they will end in spiritual wickedness. The term “whore of Babylon” is neither a metaphor or allegory, it’s a misnomer, since there is no verse denoting a whore of Babylon, the Woman is a whore and Babylon, but she is not from Babylon.
We know the word War or Warfare only appears five times in the New Testament and none of them have to do with the devil, but they all have to do with our flesh and soul. The word Stronghold is a metaphor, we know someone didn’t grab a bunch of bricks and plant them in our minds, thus Paul shows Strongholds are imaginations and high things coming against the knowledge of God. If we assume these Strongholds are devils we only proved we have a stronghold. Clearly the Strongholds are established by our carnal thoughts, which come from the knowledge and wisdom of man. We can attack strongholds with all sorts of carnal weapons, but the only beneficial Weapons are through God. Truth, clarity, knowledge, obedience in Christ break down strongholds and traditional thinking.
However, as soon as some tradition we hold is exposed, we will accuse the one who brought the truth as being “against” our tradition, but it’s not them, it’s the Holy Ghost exposing something slowly eroding our power. Strongholds, like Traditions are not Truth, they make the Word of God void in our lives. The Scriptures are our hope, the New Man our ability, thus the enemy attacks the Scriptures with unbelief and doubt, thereby placing us in a disobedient mode, which negates, or chokes the Word our of us. If our Tradition was something done in the early days, yet not supported by plain Scripture, which will we hold to? The evidence determines if we are seeking Truth, or Traditions. Traditions are things we do, don’t confuse those with areas of study. If someone exposes a tradition we held, our natural, carnal knowledge will attempt to find something about them we can accuse, thus we have our excuse to reject the exposure in order to hold the tradition, yet any tradition of man will take something away from a Commandment.
What other example do we have of this? Going back to Genesis 1:1-2 we see the Heaven was pure, it wasn’t void or in darkness, but the earth was void, without form and darkness. The concept shows the information, ability and victory must come from above, or we end fighting darkness with voidness. The Spirit moved over the Face of the Water, He didn’t move in the Water. In the first two verses of the Bible we find nine metaphors; the Heaven, the Earth, Without Form, Void, Darkness, Face of the Deep, Moved, Face of the Water, and the Water. All these are clues to the Mystery, the purpose was not the Living Soul, it was the Quickening Spirit. The living soul was part of the Plan, but not the reason for the Plan.
Numbers and Colors are types of Metaphors and Allegories, since they refer to something beyond the number or color in itself. When we see the color Purple, we say “so what?”, but when we know the color Purple refers to Royalty, then it takes on a new light. When the children were in Egypt they projected some of their knowledge to the Egyptians, today we find the use of some colors and numbers in the old Egyptian tombs. Did these concepts come from the Egyptians to the Hebrews, or from the Hebrews to the Egyptians? Natural man thinks it was from the Egyptians to the Hebrews, but the Hebrews were using them before they were captive to the Egyptians, yet the Egyptians didn’t use them until the Hebrews settled in the land. Many Egyptian tombs have the color Yellow, which is a metaphor pointing to the Resurrection, but it also relates to Light, thus there is a Greater Light for those who are partakers of the First Resurrection, and the Lesser Light for those who are stood up on the last day.
The same concept is true with numbers, if we see nine blessings in the Law of Moses, nine fruit of the Spirit, and nine areas to the Manifestation of the Spirit we have to wonder where else do we find the number Nine, or what does it mean? The number nine refers to the Spirit, or the New Man (Holy Spirit), but is nine always pointing to the Spirit? Not necessarily, but in Luke 17:17 we find ten lepers were healed, one returned to praise Jesus, but nine didn’t, then Jesus asked where were the other “nine”. Does it mean the Spirit is a Leper? No, numbers are to assist us, but if we get paranoid over them we will be afraid to move unless the “number is right”. The number ten is the number of testing, the number one hundred is the testing complete, thus the ten lepers were given a testing, one came back to the place of healing to praise the Healer, the other nine did as they were told, but forgot to praise. Some of us get healed, then turn right around and give our faith the praise, and forget it was Jesus who took the Stripes. In this case the nine show the opposite of having good fruit, they did as they were told, but they should have praised the Lord as well. Therefore, the praise was not mandatory, but expected. For us we find the Father is searching for those who can worship in Spirit and Truth, showing the only way is by the Spirit of Truth.
The first place we find the number 13, it relates to rebellion, thus we can understand why there were really 13 tribes, but God only pointed to 12, so did they lose one? The warning was there, God made sure they knew there was hidden rebellion in the heart of man. Ishmael was circumcised when he was 13 years old, he has become a metaphor relating to rebellion, as it mocks the Promise. In Genesis chapter 14 the number is defined as, “in the thirteenth year they rebelled” (Gen 14:4). Does it mean whenever we see the number 13 we’re in rebellion? No, but it does make us consider, we can be in rebellion, we can be around someone who is in rebellion, or rebellion can be in the process of being broken, or it could just be the number 13. Wisdom always has a hand in the realm of numbers, metals and colors. We don’t discount them, but neither do we get paranoid. We can become so paranoid we refuse to buy a brass lamp since brass relates to judgment. Listen to the New Man, become aware of signs, but don’t form your life around them.
Other metaphors give us great hope and knowledge, Jesus said we can build on either of two places, the sand or the rock. We know He was not talking about a physical house, but the foundation of our theology and knowledge. The “sand” is not the Sea, it’s not the Earth, it’s not the Rock, it’s a place next to the Sea. When God called Abraham out, it produced the “sand” next to the Sea, prior all mankind was metaphorically known as the Sea. Although man has many cultures and “peoples”, God only has two of the earth, and one of heaven, who are still on the earth. The Sea was the place from which God called Abraham, from Abraham came the Jews, thus the Sea is Gentile, giving us two groups Gentile and Jew. If one is not a Jew, they are a Gentile, unless they fit the third group. The third group is also called out, but they are called out from both Gentile and Jew, to the Rock. We can build our foundation on the Law God provided for the Sand of the Sea, or on the precepts of the Sea, or we can build on the Rock; from the Rock Jesus builds the Church. Whenever we attempt to use any aspect of the Law of Moses as foundational, we are setting ourselves up for a fall. How can it be? The Law of Moses is “sand” related it has no benefit or power on the Rock, it was not designed for the Rock, thus it is not beneficial for the Rock. The Law of Moses was anointed, but it didn’t anoint the doer. Those of the Rock are covered with the Unction, but they are also anointed. In order to get to the Rock one has to accept the Cross, yet the Law of Moses is nailed to the Cross. However, if we build on the Rock (Anointing, Christ) we have a firm position.
Whether on the sand or the rock one thing is for sure, the storms will come. If we are on the sand, our house will fall, but if we are on the Rock we will not only survive, but we will gain. There is only one foundation for us, Jesus, the Cornerstone (oops another metaphor).
The Allegory of Jacob – Israel is a mystery in itself. It was the same man, but the Scriptures show the attitude of Jacob was not like Israel. Could God change an entire person by the changing of a Name? The allegory shows the word “Name” means more than a means to identify someone in order for them to cash a check. When the Name was changed, so was the authority, thus authority changes a person. When we enter the Rock we are given a New Name (authority) to cause change. The Name of Jesus means more than a means of identification, after all many people are named Jesus, but only one had the Position, Power and Authority to make the Name useful. Anyone in the Body, carnal or spiritual has authority in the Name of Jesus (Matt 7:21-23). The Name of Jesus has supernatural and spiritual ability as it defines Christ as the Son of man, and Christ as the Son of God. The disciples before Pentecost had the ability to cast out devils, and preach on the subject of Mercy based on their knowledge, but they had no idea what the Cross and Resurrection stood for. They operated as “sons of men”, not sons of God. However, after the Spirit was granted on Pentecost their position changed, by the Spirit they became known as sons of God (Rom 8). Therefore, the Name of Jesus will work in either of those two areas, but simply using the Name and watching it work doesn’t mean we Believe in the Name. It does show we Believe in the Power of the Name, but not necessarily the Name itself. The Name of Jesus also denotes a character, but the Authority shows us the Nature of Jesus. By the Spirit we are being conformed into the Nature and Character to become sons of God. Not the physical shape, or personality of Jesus, but a New Nature.
The various names of God pertain to authority, thus there are various forms and types of authority. The waster can only destroy, it’s all it knows, the authority is based in destroying alone. We know the devil is metaphorically known as the devil, Satan and Lucifer, but we also know the Book of Revelation gives us the three unclean spirits from the Mouths of the dragon, beast, and false prophet (Rev 16:13). Do these allegories all match to tell us about the “power, authority and seat of Satan”? Yes, they also tell us about the “seat of the beast” (Rev 16:10). We know the false prophet will do the working of Satan while the devil is still bound, but the false prophet isn’t Satan. Isaiah said Lucifer is a man, thus the unclean “spirits” are not devils, but attitudes, natures and vile religious thinking based in the earthly, sensual (soulish) and demonic, thus the false prophet is Lucifer the one who destroys his own land (earth). Lucifer says many things, but his authority is limited to destruction, since he destroys his own land.
Misuse of authority is a danger, not a metaphor, the authority of the waster is to destroy, either by laying in wait to deceive, attacking the anointing, disrupting Godly acts, dividing local bodies, attempting to destroy a person by slanderous remarks, or as James put it “kill the Just”. It’s the authority of the devil, however we rejected his authority by fully accepting the Cross of Jesus. Our Authority in the supernatural area of Christ is to cast out devils, heal the sick, baptize in water, preach the kingdom of heaven, and forgive as we are forgiven. All those are acts of Mercy from us to others, the spiritual Authority in the Name of Jesus is within, or the Word in us. The Authority is sent with the Spirit (Word in us, New Man, Greater He) to save our souls, and Witness Jesus by the manifestation of the Spirit. The Authority of Grace has granted us Charisma of Charis, and many other spiritual attributes. However, casting out devils doesn’t mean we are spiritual, it means we are members of the Body. The letters to the Romans and Corinthians display one can be in the Body, yet not spiritual. The Authority of Jesus in either the supernatural or spiritual is never to be used to destroy, or to exalt the self, or promote the old man. The Waster cannot save, protect, or do anything Christ like in nature. The Waster is associated with the authority, power and seat of Satan, not the Name of Jesus. The authority one uses identifies their source, if they are cunning, deceptive, lie in wait to deceive, or promote unbelief they are using the authority of the darkness. How can this be? The Book of Revelation shows us it’s what the false prophet does, which is what Judas did. The devil was first the anointed cherub, but God knew he would be the devil, thus God created him good, knowing he would become the Waster, producing Wasters (the old man).
There is the mark, number and image of the Beast, so do these relate to the power, authority and seat? Yes, but the words Mark and Number are metaphors, we have no problem understanding the phrase, “numbered among them”. Does it mean someone had a number pinned to them? No, it means they associated with the grouping to the point they became part of the group. How about a “mark”? Don’t mess with them, they are “marked”. Were they walking around with a “check mark” on their head? No, it means someone who has entered the authority of something to the point they can use the authority as a way of life. The “mark of the beast” is not a credit rating, or someone holding us down to put a computer chip in our nose; it’s association with the cares of this world, deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts for other things as a way of life, until they control ones nature, so much so, it becomes their motivation and lifestyle. Clearly if the Mark is “buy and sell” then it has to do with money, connecting it to the love of money, relating to a system trusting in money as its god.
We know the word Waters is a metaphor as it relates to Mercy, but in Revelation 17:15 it points to people, how come? The Sea is water, salt water, but water, yet we know there is also bitter water. We also see how the dragon sent a “flood” after the remnant of the Seed of the Woman, so does it mean the dragon sent Mercy? Hardly there is Living Water, Fresh Water, Bitter Water, and Salt Water. James asks, “Does a fountain send forth at the same place sweet (fresh) water and bitter?” (James 3:11). It’s one fountain, but two types of water, thus the metaphor Water depends on the usage. A “flood” to us is “water”, but to God it’s a something leaving it’s assigned banks to invade another area; separating the “flood” from the metaphor “water” as it applies to Mercy.
In Genesis 1:7 God divided the Waters, placing some below the firmament and some above. The word Firmament is the Hebrew Raqia meaning various things from Sky to Pavement, but literally it means “an expansion of plates”, within the description the Hebrew shows the Plates are those which have been beaten out. Clearly this shows classes of Waters, yet in Christ there are no classes. God formed the world with division already in the process, but the Image of God is without division; therefore Paul shows us the carnal mind is based in division, strife and envy (I Cor 3:3). So is God carnal? Not hardly, but the division was in place to keep the earthly from thinking they were heavenly.
The Hebrew Raqia was also used in Ezekiel 1:22 and 1:26 in reference to the canopy over the Cherubim, but under the Throne. We then find the word Firmament is a metaphor showing something relating to division, something under the Throne of God to divide it from the earth. Clearly God also has classes, He picked the Jews over all the other people of the world, there are Believers and non-believers, those of the Day and those of the Night, the Just and the Wicked, but God’s division is not to belittle, rather it’s to advance mankind. If God is no Respecter of Persons how come He picked the Jews over the other nations? How come Paul had special power, but Peter didn’t? How come Peter’s shadow healed, but John’s didn’t? The metaphor “no respecter of persons” simply means whether one is a Jew or Gentile they have the same Opportunity to accept the Cross, but it doesn’t mean since God allowed Peter’s shadow to heal, He has to allow ours to do so. Extending the premise can lead us into temptation where Pride waits to consume us.
Colors are attached to objects, relating to metaphors, which draws us to metals, such as gold, silver, brass and the such, all of which relate to some action or quality. Brass is a sign of judgment, Gold relates to purity or holiness, Silver to redemption, thus God had Moses make the elements in the Courtyard Brass, the elements in the Holy Place were covered with Gold, with Silver as the undercoat pointing to something yet to come, or better something hidden in Jesus until the time appointed.
Some elements are known to us, but relate to broader concepts. One matter we find in the Book of Revelation is the difference between the Seed of the Woman, and the Remnant of her Seed. If we assume the Remnant comprises the entire Seed of the Woman, then we form a high thing coming against the knowledge of God. The word Remnant means more than a portion of something, it refers the Remaining portion of something to complete the course, thus the Greater Light doesn’t complete the entire plan, but the Lesser Light can’t bring the purpose of the plan into being until the Day has passed, thus each has a purpose in the plan. Jesus warned us about mixing one into the other (Acts 1:6-8). Judgment is set for the Night, but those of the Day seek the fullness of the Spirit to become Witnesses for Jesus unto Salvation. The Remnant have one purpose, to make the enemies of Jesus His footstool, it’s not our course or job.
Viewing the word Remnant we also find it means “to stay behind”, thus one could form a stronghold thinking the Remnant are the Wicked who missed the Rapture, rather than the 144,000 whom God has blinded to the Gospel; however, John cleared the issue by standing on the Sands of the Sea, then seeing the Second Beast come from the Earth, showing the Beast of the Earth did not come from the Sand of the Sea, yet the 144,000 did. The Beast of the Earth is earthly, sensual and devilish, comprised of those who rejected the purpose for entering the Body (antichrist), even the salvation of their souls, rather they drew back to perdition (Heb 10:38-39). The Remnant on the other hand are taken from the twelve tribes, giving us another clue. In our Season it’s ten thousand times ten thousand, or multiplying. However, in the case of the Remnant they are taken from the tribes, showing thousands from thousands, two groups the multiplying for the Day, the subtraction for the Night (Rev 5:11). Therefore, the Day is based in the two things in which it’s impossible for God to lie, in multiplying He will multiply us, and in Blessing He will bless us. We are of Grace, the Night of Mercy, thus the Wicked fail at Mercy.
In reference to the Metaphor Sand of the Sea, why didn’t God say “Sand Next to the Sea”, or “Sand”? Why does the metaphor incorporate the Sea, while at the same time separating it? The metaphor alone shows the Sand came from the Sea, not the other way around. Yet further inland we find the “Earth”, on the Earth sits the Rock, on the Rock Jesus is building His Church.
We know God said “Light Be”, but what was first? The darkness, or the Light? The darkness was already on the earth before God brought the Light, thus the word darkness is also connected to the world. Jesus made it clear in John 3:19, “men loved darkness rather than Light”. Man’s flesh is a product of the earth, thus the flesh relates to darkness. If the soul of man attaches itself to the flesh, it seeks and loves the things of darkness. However, if one is Born Again it means they have a heavenly connection for their souls, producing a transfiguration from flesh to Spirit, so their souls can be spiritual.
Do we see the actual Sun come up every morning? How then can the world still be in darkness? The word darkness must relate to some condition man is in, rather than man not having the Sun to see by. God prophesied about the Greater Light and Lesser Light before Adam came on the scene, thus the Gospel was being preached before Adam was formed and created. Also, the Day was separated from the Night long before the actual Season for the Day came into being. Paul said we are children of the Day, not children of the Night, nor are we children of Darkness. He also pointed out how the children of darkness are guided by the spirit of disobedience; therefore, if we are guided by the Spirit of Christ unto Obedience we are not of the darkness. Were we? Yes, we were not only in darkness, but we were darkness. However, we were not “children of the Night”, nor intended to be children of the Night. There are children many, it depends on which family order one associates to, in order to determine what type of child they are.
Metaphors can also have more than one meaning, depending on the context in which they are used. In the Book of Revelation we see the “Sun” in darkness, but we also see it “covered with ashes”, we could make the mistake of thinking it’s one event, but the wording “darkness”, and the wording “black as ashes” are two different things. The Sun is the same, the condition is different. Ashes are a metaphor for repentance (Job 42:6), but darkness is a metaphor for demonic activity, mixing the two would indicate repentance is demonic, hardly the case. Neither can we take a blanket term and associate it to one group alone. If we see the metaphor Field, then the Beast of the Field we might assume all those in the Field are Beasts, which is not true. The Field has both Wheat and Tares, by the time the Beast comes out of the Earth, all the Wheat are gone. The same is true with the metaphor Beast, if we assume all Beasts are evil, wicked and demonic, we are stuck with the four beasts before the Throne of God being demonic, hardly the case at all. There are different words for the word “beast”, the four beasts before the Throne have life, but the beasts of the field, earth, and sea do not. The Beast of the Field gives up Life to hold to the authority of the Beast of the Sea.
The metaphor Scorpion is referred to in the singular for the first time in Luke 11:12, but in the plural in Deuteronomy 8:15, in all the word is seen some nine times, does it mean the metaphor Scorpion refers to the Spirit? Yes, and no, since Jesus was the first to use the singular in the phrase “if you ask an egg, will He (God) offer him a scorpion?”, indicating the counterfeit of the Spirit is metaphorically mentioned as a scorpion (Luke 11:12). In the Hebrew the word for Scorpions is Aqrab, it also means A knotted whip. In the Greek it’s Skorpios meaning To pierce, but the creature itself tells us something about the metaphor. A scorpion is an eight legged arachnid among the spider family, with two claws at the front of the body, with the killing stinger located on its back; metaphorically a Scorpion is related to deception, especially those who lie in wait to deceive. One looks at the claws as the danger, but the death is in the tail. The scorpion is found in temperate and tropical regions, usually it hides under rocks or other elements in wait, its also a Night creature. Ahh, the mystery, it seeks the things of the Night, as it hides under Rocks, thus the metaphor relates to The Rock, not the Rock itself, but the “earth” upon which the Rock sits. Jesus said He would build His Church on the Rock, yet we have Power to tread on serpents and scorpions (Luke 10:19). Does it mean if we want to find the Church we have to find some actual Rock? Or does it mean if we want to be rid of the devil, all we have to do is kill all the snakes and scorpions on the earth? Or are these metaphors? Metaphors of course. Being able to tread on something shows it is under us, not over us, meaning it has no power over us. Those who lie in wait to deceive, or form questions pointing to one thing, yet their hidden agenda is to insert their trap, think they are over us, or control us, but Jesus says it’s not so, we have the advantage, the New Man is who is able to discern the spirit. Serpents are defined as cunning, they run hand in hand with the deceivers, only in their case they attack with a viciousness, nonetheless they have no power over us.
There are many New Testament metaphoric phrases, but defined or described by the Greek word used. Yet, there are others found in the Old Testament carrying over to the New. One such phrase showing the former is, “be you doers of the Word” (James 1:22). On one hand it would seem if we do those things in Scripture, we would be completing the concept, but the word Doer is the Greek Poietes, in Romans 2:13 it was used in the phrase “For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified”. Which Law, the Law of Moses? Nay, but the Law of Faith (Rom 3:27). The Just still live by faith, but it still doesn’t tell us what Poietes means. In Acts 17:28 this same Greek word was translated as Poet, we get our English word Poet from the Greek Poietes. Does it mean we are to go about saying, “Roses are red, violets are blue, I’m going to heaven, and so can you”? No, the original meaning of the word Poet goes back to ancient times, meaning one with Beautiful Thoughts, or A keeper of the precept. If a Doer of the Word is one with beautiful thoughts, then it stands they keep the Precept of the Faith as they seek the Precious things of God, rather than the vile things of man, one meaning of beautiful fitting the concept is “truthfulness” (AHD).
Another metaphor is Almond or Almonds, the Hebrew root word for Almond is Shaqad meaning A lookout, or A watch, thus Jesus told us To Watch. The candlestick in the Tabernacle had designs like unto Almonds (Ex 25:33 & 37:19), but the first time we find the word is when Israel (Jacob) sent the goods to Pharaoh to retrieve Benjamin (Gen 43:11), thus Almonds also refer to Mercy. This helps us understand the phrase “Watch” means to applying Mercy, as in “watch for the opportunity”. Aaron’s rod had Almond Buds, not almond trees, thus the rod budding was a shadow of life, although Aaron’s rod appeared dead, it brought forth life, a sign of the Life we gain at the Cross.
On the same note, what would we do if a prophet came and called us “gum-wood”, which did happen to one pastor. The gum-wood or Algum (also noted as Almug) tree was used for pillars in the house of God (I Kings 10:11), as well as for the entrance to the temple (II Chron 9:10-11). Therefore, the metaphor Gum-wood is calling us to be pillars, or stand for God at the entrance of the Holy Place. If we didn’t know the metaphor we would either go out and buy every stick of gum we could find, or punch the prophet in the nose.
Aloes are another metaphor pointing to something beyond the plant itself. Today we use Aloe Vera for many things, including burns, it was first seen in a prophecy from Balaam, last seen with Jesus (Numb 24:6 & Jn 19:39). Balaam wasn’t a false prophet, and never considered as such, but he was considered a false teacher, as one who loved the wages of unrighteousness (seeking payment for the work of God – II Pet 2:15 & Rev 2:14). Balaam is an example of a prophet who speaks true prophecy, but teaches lies, thus Balaam is a metaphor for one who has one position, but moves into another without the calling or anointing to do so. The false prophet is like Balaam, in the Night there will be no prophets, they will have the written Prophets, thus the false prophet appears at a time when there is no position. Jezebel is a symbol of the self-appointed, those who move into a position, yet not called by the Holy Ghost. Both are elements found within, both produce gates, yet the called and anointed of God are able to set the captives free. Positions have attributes to identify the person to the calling, a teacher who centers in unbelief is not a called to be a teacher in the Office. A pastor who uses the lambs for personal gain, is not a called pastor in the Office. When Jesus gives the Gift (Doma) there is something in the gift to identify the person to the office. Paul knew he as an apostle, teacher, and prophet, but he also knew he wasn’t a pastor. If we feel called, we need only find the attribute to determine the calling in the gift.
In Proverbs chapter 7 the Prostitute (strange woman) says “I have perfumed by bed with myrrh, aloes and cinnamon” (Prov 7:17). This doesn’t say the Strange Women did it, only showing what she said. The “fair speech” of the Strange Woman lays the trap (Prov 7:21). Does it mean Aloes are an evil metaphor? Hardly, Jesus was covered with many pounds of Aloes for His burial (Jn 19:39). Like Balaam the Strange Woman talks about the Aloe, but it doesn’t mean she has it. Jesus didn’t talk about it, He had it, thus we find one metaphor connected to another, yet pointing to different things.
In the Song of Solomon we find the metaphor Aloes connected to the “fountain of gardens, a well of living waters”, we know the Living Waters refers to God’s Mercy applied through us by the Spirit (Song 4:14-15 & Jn 7:38-39). The purpose for the Aloe and Living Waters is for the Fruit in the Garden to be Pleasant (Song 4:16). Aloes have long been associated with healing, when Jesus as the Son of man was buried in the Garden there were Aloes, indicating the Healing power of God’s Mercy. Then the Resurrection coupling the Spirit with the Mercy, to bring forth the Living Waters. The same Spirit declares us sons of God, allowing us to couple Mercy and Life to bring forth living waters.
Aloes then represent Mercy, the Strange Woman says she has Mercy, but she also thinks stolen water is pleasant. This doesn’t mean we use the actual plant, assuming we are Resurrected, rather the metaphor points to the healing power of God through God’s Mercy. Therefore, when we hear the word “Aloes” or “Aloe” in prophecy we can now associate it to the metaphor in order to gain a better understanding. God said we are destroyed (cut off) for a lack of knowledge, God expects us to study to be approved, the honor of the king is to know these things. Prophecy can come, yet unless we understand what God is saying, our “goose bumps” may be in vain.
Today we hear the word Altar used in many prophecies, but which Altar? There was the Altar of Incense (Ex 30:27), the Brazen Altar (Ex 38:30), the Golden Altar (Ex 39:38), the Vessels Of The Altar (Ex 38:30), and the man who stood next to the Altar of Incense full of unbelief (Luke 1:11). There are the Horns of the Altar, yet those Horns shall be Cut Off (Amos 3:14), there are those who offer polluted Bread on the Altar (Mal 1:7), but where in the Law does anyone offer Bread on the Altar? Sounds like an a metaphor found in the Old Testament enjoined to the New. The importance of “bread” under the Law was found in two elements, the Manna and the Shewbread. The Shewbread was not made from the Manna, thus the Manna was not found in the Holy Place. A portion of the Manna was placed in the Ark of the Covenant, along with the Ten Commandments and Aaron’s rod, but the Ark was in the Holy of Holies. Therefore, we find two connecting metaphors, yet separated. Jesus said He was the Living bread from heaven, the fathers did eat the Manna, but they died; indicating Manna is not Life, it is however a temporary miracle for our time in the wilderness. The Shewbread represented the twelve tribes, thus it was a shadow of the Body of Christ. Jesus didn’t give us the Manna, He gave us much more. The Body of Christ is referred to as the “Bread”, but the New Covenant is found in the Blood. The Bread is the Rock as Christ, and Christ is the Anointing for the Body. It’s still the Body of Jesus (Christ), thus there is an anointing on the Body, but it doesn’t mean each and every person in the Body has the Anointing of the New Man within. Judas was anointed to do many things, but he was still a son of perdition.
The Manna was a miracle, but short lived, it ceased when the children crossed over into the Promised Land. Therefore, the manna is a wilderness element, it was never designed to enter the Promised Land. The Body will make a great change at the Rapture, the Bride will leave her “body” state to become New Jerusalem, but the “rocks” will remain behind and become the “Beast of the earth”. However the Shewbread could never leave the Holy Place, making the Holy Place is a metaphor for the Kingdom. Jesus is the Bread from heaven, but the Manna was not from heaven, the command and ability to produce it was, but the Manna grew from the ground (earth), the Jews considered the Manna, but didn’t consider the One who made it come forth.
The Holy Place was just for the “priests”, yet Jesus has made us both kings and priests. The Holy Place was the place where the Menorah was found, in the Book of Revelation we find Jesus in the midst of the Golden Candlestick (Menorah). He is not the candlestick, the Seven churches are the Menorah, within them we find some good, yet we also find there are evil invaders into some of the churches, thus they are not “The Church”, but churches, pointing to the Body. The Holy Place then represents the Body, not only do we find the Menorah and the Shewbread, but we also find the Golden Altar of Incense, which represents the prayers of the saints. The Golden Altar is a shadow of the Altar we find in the Book of Revelation, thus the Holy Place it was just before one makes entry into the Holy of Holies. In all this where is the Oil? In several places, the Shewbread was made from special flours mixed with oil, the light in the Menorah was the result of oil, and there was oil mixed with the incense in the Golden Altar. Putting all this together we find our priestly duties are to minister to the Body on behalf of the Lord as the Shewbread, Menorah, and Golden Altar of Incense. When we hear the metaphor “Altar of Incense” we know it has to do with prayers, what else? If the prophecy relates to the Night, then the same Altar takes on a different position. Revelation 8:3 tells us another angel stood at the “altar” having a golden censer, there was given unto him “much incense”, that he should (not might) offer it with the “prayers of all the saints” upon the “golden altar” which was “before the Throne”. This doesn’t say the altar was the Throne, but like the shadow we find it’s just Before the Throne. This angel then takes the censer, fills it with the fire of the altar, and casts it “into the earth”, then the plagues of judgment begin. Where does the angel toss this fire? Into the earth, not in heaven, not in the Kingdom, and not on the sand of the sea. Judgment begins in the house of God, yet the Wicked are connected to the same House; the enemies of a man are of his own house.
What about the Gate of the Altar where abominations are seen (Ezek 8:5)? We also see the souls of the Dead in Christ under the Altar. Which Altar? If we have a prophecy regarding “the altar” it behooves us to find out which one God is referring to, and why. We know the Brazen Altar was located in the Courtyard of the Tabernacle, it was used for the burnt sacrifices only. In Malachi 1:7 the word for Altar is the Hebrew Mizbeach which is a masculine noun meaning a Place of sacrifice, but it the text shows one can offer Polluted Bread there, how can it be? (Mal 1:7). No where was bread offered on the Brazen Altar, but it’s what the text says. If we are the Bread (Body), can we Pollute it? Yes, Jesus said “Take eat, this is My Body”, Paul said “shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them members of a harlot? God forbid” (I Cor 6:15). The Polluted Bread is when we take the Body, or any part thereof then place it on the “altar of judgment”, rather then encourage the Bread to enter the Golden Altar.
There were altars of devils as well (Deut 7:5, 12:3 & Judges 2:2). In Deuteronomy 7:5 we find the wicked altars, their images, groves, and graven images. Four items all counterfeits to the things of God, but notice the wording “images” and “graven images”. The word Images could also read Pillars or Statues, a Statue is a representation of something; tracing the word back to its original meaning we find it means “to stand in place of”, thus referring to someone placing something in the place of God, which would include placing Adam, or Michael in the place of Jesus, or man’s wisdom in the place of God’s, or intellect in place of the anointing.
If the children of God were commanded to burn, tear down and destroy these Statues, why didn’t Paul tear down the images on Mars Hill? More importantly, why did he use one of the images to preach about God? Was there a Greater Power with the Greater Light? A power so great, demonic influence, regardless of what the influence was, became subject to one with the Anointing of Christ? Most assuredly, if we receive it. When Jesus said we Tread on the demonic, it’s what He meant, we should never fear the demonic, beware of the potential, but not fear it. However, on the same note Paul didn’t worship any of those idols, rather he said they were based on superstitious behavior.
In reference to the metaphor Yoke we found the Yoke is destroyed to make way for the anointing, but what Yoke? Jesus said in Matthew 11:29 “Take My Yoke upon you”; therefore, it can’t mean any Yoke. The metaphor Yoke means something between two objects in which one of the objects has control over the other, or is superior over the other. One type of Yoke uses force and manipulation to control the lesser, the other requires cooperation to complete the process. There is also the single yoke placed on an animal to control the direction and action of the animal until it’s trained. Could the Yoke of Jesus be the Spirit? Yes, the New Man guides us, instructs us, and is forming us into the image of God’s Son, so we can be sons of God.
In Isaiah 9:4 it’s the Yoke of the oppressor, in Isaiah 14:25 it’s the Yoke of the Assyrian, in Isaiah 47:6 it’s God putting the Yoke on those who polluted His inheritance as they failed to show Mercy. In Jeremiah 28:2 we read how a false prophet gave a factual statement regarding the Yoke, but lied concerning when God would break it. The Yoke of bondage is related to the metaphors Egypt, Assyria and Babylon, all of which are pillars to the world. If it’s the case how then can the Law of Moses be a Yoke? The children to whom the Law was given still held their Egypt mentality, what they sowed, they reaped.
God’s Mercy destroys the evil Yoke to make room for the Anointing to bring us into Grace, thus we find Mercy must be obtained before Grace can be found. The greatest hindrance is the failure to give Mercy, which places a Yoke about our own neck. When God delivered us from the world by His Mercy, the Yoke was broken, if we receive it. It then becomes our choice to receive the Yoke of Jesus.
Now we will look at the word End as it’s used by Jesus in Matthew 24:12-14. Jesus said “and because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he who shall endure unto the End, the same shall be saved. And this Gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a Witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come”. The word End used here is the Greek Telos meaning The limit, but it doesn’t mean the End of all things, rather it means Reaching a point ending something, often it refers to the point where one element ends, then another begins. The same context is found in the word “forever”, if “forever” means to the very end, why say, “forever and ever”? Forever means to the end of something, the next “ever” then begins, having an end as well. We know this is the Day, it has a forever, then comes the Night and it has a forever as well, thus the saying is “forever and ever”, it is not “forever and ever and ever”.
In Matthew 24:12-14 the meaning of the word End is very important; the Day of Pentecost started an Age, the Time Ends before the Night begins. There shall be “false christs”, or those who say they are Christ Like, but lack the nature (Spirit). John calls them “antichrist” in First John, here in Matthew it’s false chirsts, but they are one in the same. Matthew 24:11 shows many false prophets shall arise, then we find the word Iniquity in verse 12 pointing to the Workers of Iniquity, whom we know go into the Night. Then Jesus shows the result, “the love of many shall wax cold” (Matt 24:11-14). It’s not the Faith of many Waxing cold, but their Love, yet we know Paul said there would be a Falling away from The Faith, thus we find two Seasons, a time when there will be a falling away from The faith, then a time when the love of many shall wax cold.
Without knowing the various metaphors, we would ending mixing one time into another. The wording “shall wax cold” is the Greek Psucho which comes from the Greek Psuchos which we know as Soulish, thus their Phileo Love shall revert back to an Agapao love for the darkness. If we miss the metaphor we would think the love of many ends up in a wax museum. None of this is to be confused with the phrase “without end”, which also means eternity, a place where there is no time, or ending.
This brings us to Similar Metaphors, or metaphors suggesting a similar aspect, but hold a different context. We have a prime example in four areas, all pointing to one metaphor, but with different aspects to show different events. The metaphor can be the same, but other added metaphors change the time, or location. The example we looked at prior was covered in ashes, as opposed to being in darkness. The same metaphor of the Sun was used, but with different metaphors showing a change in time.
Our examples are A, B, C and D, then we will discuss each.
A. Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the Sun be darkened, the Moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken (Matt 24:29).
B. And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the Sun became black as sackclothe of hair, and the moon became as blood; and the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casts her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind (Rev 6:12-13).
C. And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit. And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the Sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit. and the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the seat of the Beast; and his kingdom was full of darkness. (Rev 6:12-13 & 16:10).
D. And the light of the candle shall shine no more at all in thee….And in her was found the blood of the prophets and of saints (Rev 18:23-24).
All of these are Similar in nature, yet different, when we find similar metaphors they hold a mystery, but we can error by putting them all into one time period, ending with an extended metaphor (imagination). The surrounding metaphors, or words define the time and timing of the metaphor.
In example A we have the Sun, Moon and Stars, in example B we have the Sun, Moon and Stars, in example C we have the Sun alone, and in example D we don’t see the Sun, Moon or Stars, but we do see the word Light, which relates to example A. From this we must go back to the first place where we find Sun, Moon and a certain number of Stars used at the same time, then we must also define the Hebrew words used for the Sun, Moon and Stars. One of the Hebrew words for Sun is Shemesh, which is the most prominent word used meaning To be brilliant. Then the Hebrew Cherec meaning To itch, which is translated as Sun in a prophetic sense. Then the Hebrew Owr meaning Luminary or Happiness, which is the same word we found in Genesis for the Greater Light, and Lesser Light, the only place it’s translated as Sun is in Job 31:26. In the prior studies we found the “thing Job feared the most” was God destroying him and his belongings. In Job 31:23 the concept is confirmed, in Job 31:26 the premise is “If” Job had beheld the Sun or the Moon, there the metaphor is connected to Job’s failure to Behold the Sun and Moon, the iniquity was identified in Job 31:28. Prophetically we find Job 31 points to the time of the Sun and Moon as the Lesser Light. Then we find the stranger did not Lodge in the Street, as a metaphor showing a method to get from one location to another, or a place between locations, thus the Law and Prophets in the latter days are seen in the Street, not in hell, or Paradise (Job 31:32 & Rev 11:8). The last Hebrew word is Chammah meaning the Heat of the Sun. In the Greek we only have one word in reference to the Sun, but our concern is to find the first place where the actual Hebrew word is used, we already know the last place. The first place we find the word Sun connected with the Moon is in Genesis 37:9, there the Hebrew word is Shemesh eliminating the Hebrew words Cherec, Owr and Chammah. We know Genesis 37:9 is the dream of Joseph, yet it wasn’t the first dream of Joseph. The first dream had to do with Sheaves being Bound in the Field (Gen 37:7), we know the metaphor Field refers to the kingdom of heaven as it was defined by Jesus as the place where the children of the kingdom (wheat), and the children of the wicked (tares) dwell. The word Sheaves is the Hebrew Alummah from the Hebrew Alam means Tongue tied, Alummah means something bound, showing these elements are all earth related.
The first time we find the word Moon is in Genesis 37:9 as the Hebrew Yareach. More important the first time the Sun, Moon and Stars as a unit didn’t appear with Abraham, but with the offspring of Jacob. If the Holy Ghost wanted us to make the inference to Genesis chapter 1, then He would have used the Hebrew words in combination, but He didn’t, neither will we. An inference without supportive evidence is an assumption, but an inference with supportive evidence becomes a fact. In this case the fact is in Genesis 37, the assumption would be to use Genesis 1.
With example A we find the Sun darkened, the Moon losing her light, and Stars falling from heaven (singular), but the powers of the heavens (plural) are shaken. However, in example B the Sun is not “darkened”, but becomes black as sackclothe, the Moon as blood, yet not losing her light, with the stars of heaven (singular), but we don’t see the plural usage of the heavens being shaken. Both A and B are similar, but there are differences, thus example B is looking at the same Sun, Moon and Stars, but showing a different set of events separating it from example A, thus we find different times dictate the differences. The events are found in the other two examples; example C shows the Sun full of darkness, example D shows the she losing her light, thus all the events noted in example A do take place, but at different times. Example B shows a move from the Greater Light, to the Lesser, by the use of the metaphor Sackclothe in reference to the Sun in Repentance, thus one End of one Season has taken place, another Season is opening, leading to the completion of all events. Later the same Sun is covered with darkness, as demon possession, but it’s after the devil is loosed from the pit by the fifth angel.
It’s very important not to take a blanket view of metaphors, but look at the aspects given. We find example B taking place at the Sixth Seal, but example C with the Fifth Angel, and example D at the very end of the judgment, thus example B points to the Rapture as the End of the “ever” for the Witness of Jesus by the Water, Blood and Spirit, opening a time when the Lesser Light becomes effective (Acts 1:6-8). This will be the time after the Tares are bound in the Field as they are readied to become the footstool of Jesus. Which leads us to another area, the various Beasts, and where they are located, as well as what importance the metaphor Beast has in our Season.
Beasts are defined in Genesis as earthly, but didn’t John see four beasts in heaven? Yes, they pointed him to the four horsemen on earth, showing the beasts still relate to something done on earth, but in the case of the four beasts in heaven they display something ordained of God for the earth. John also used different Greek words to show a difference between the beasts in heaven, and the beasts of the Sea and Earth. If the riders of the horses would have pointed out four beasts on earth, the context would be much different. However, as we know the First Horseman is the Holy Ghost, the Second brings wars and rumors of wars, the Third brings famine, and the Fourth pestilence, the last three must be until He who now lets takes us out of here to bring an End to this Season. The Peace and Safety is actually a reverse of the world as we see it now, today attempting to make the world safe, or sickness free is a waste of time, the horsemen are faster than man. However, when the Holy Ghost goes, so does the “reproving” meaning the other three horsemen cease, bringing man the “perfect earth”, yet man being natural will listen to the false prophet bringing the entire thing to “sudden destruction”.
In the Old Testament we have several Hebrew words for the word Beast, first is the Hebrew Chay pertaining to having life, this word was the first one used in the Bible for Beasts. Next is the Hebrew Behemah meaning a dumb beast, then Nebelah meaning an idol, or a dead beast because of itself. Then the Hebrew Terephah meaning A beast devoured by other animals, then Cheyva meaning A Beast as an Animal, this word should not be confused with the Hebrew Chiyel meaning The result of life as a direct result of God. The Hebrew Beeiyr means A beast can be consumed, the Hebrew Meriy means A stall-fed beast, or domesticated. The Hebrew Tsiyiy means A Nomadic, or Beast of the Desert, or wilderness connected. The Hebrew Karkarah means A dromedary, the root word means To dance, referring to a beast appearing to be joyful, but is not. The Hebrew Iy means A howler or Beast of the islands, relating to a Woe, the Hebrew root word is a short form for the word Woe, this type of Beast is described in the Book of Revelation as the Beast of the Earth producing the Woes.
In the Prophets we often find the word “wild” added to the word “beasts”, seen in the wording “wild ass” or one running wild without a law, or refuses to submit to leadership, or goes about to widen its borders (Isa 32:14 & Hosea 13:8). In the Greek we find the four beasts in heaven are defined by the Greek word Zoon, meaning Of life, with the root word as the Greek Zao meaning To have life, as a living thing, thus the four beasts point to Life, although three of the four horsemen on the earth appear as anything but life. The four horsemen are sent to drive us from the World to the kingdom, thus the last three relate to the Holy Ghost’s reproving work on the Earth. The reproving of Sin is found in the wars and rumors of wars, as mankind kills his brother, or causes his brother to kill, or as man wars to protect his possessions, this beast is seen as the Calf being sacrificed, indicated by the horse being Red as blood. The reproving of righteousness is seen in how man loves and holds money as power, the beast is seen as a man, the horse is black representing the heart of lost man; the rider holds scales showing man is unequal. The reproving of judgment is seen as death and hell, yet Jesus has the keys to death and hell (Rev 1:18), the beast is seen as a flying eagle representing the angel of death, who was first seen just before the Exodus, yet it was sent by God: the horse as pale or sickly. The reproving comes because they Believe not in Jesus, because they reject the Son of God sitting on the right hand of Majesty on high, judgment comes because of the prince of this world as the beast of the earth causes it all to come to fiery end is judged.
The Beast of the Sea and the Beast of the Earth are defined by the Greek word Therion meaning A dangerous or Venomous beast, which associates to the serpents and scorpions; therefore, there is a clear separation between the four beasts in heaven, and the two beasts from the sea and earth. Since the metaphors serpent and scorpion are used, we can see how we can tread on these elements. As sad as it is, the beast of the earth makes the decision to become a beast, they are unequal, they actually work to remain in their iniquity. This explains why we see the people in the Book of Revelation after the devil is loosed becoming possessed seven times worse than at anytime prior, as they appear as scorpions. Are they really scorpions? Or is this a metaphor showing the power, seat and authority of the devil personified in the people? The latter of course. The false prophet is using the working of Satan while the devil is still bound, the old adage “the devil made me do it” will not hold water in the end.
In II Peter 2:12 with Jude 10 we find the use of the Greek Zoon in reference to the Wicked in our Season, but we also have the additional word Brute added to the word Beast. The word Brute is the Greek Alogos, which is a compound word with the letter A (Anti) the Word (Logos), thus Alogos refers to one who is unreasonable, unteachable or irrational, as they twist the Scriptures to their own destruction, but they nonetheless hold the position of a “living soul” just as Adam did during the Day: however, when the Day ends, so does the Unction over the Body, meaning they give their life to the Beast. They are still self-based and unable to hold to the Spirit, they are in the Field as the Tares. We also find the metaphor “Brute Beast” connects them to the beasts of the field, as those who are the spirit of antichrist. This explains how the forgiveness of our sins brings us Life, but it’s still not the Life of Jesus in us. While Jesus was on the Cross He said “Father forgive them”, but the Sacrifice didn’t stop there, neither can we. We must “Follow” Jesus through the grave to the Resurrection, then into heaven. From this we can see the Adam state is not the goal, yet it is where the Wicked remain. They are in the Body, they have Life, but they will test God in the next season they are found cast out of the Garden, they will bargain their life (Zoon) away to become the Beast.
Psalm 50 is termed “God Is The Judge”, in Psalm 50:11 we read “I know all the fowls of the mountains: and the wild beasts of the field”. The metaphor Mountain means A nation, the metaphor Mountains refers to the Gentile Nations, but Zion of the earth refers to the place upon which Jerusalem of the earth is built, thus the Mountain of the Lord will sit on the Mountains (Isa 2:2), when Jesus marks the 144,000 on Zion. The City (Woman) in the Book of Revelation is not surrounded by seven hills, she sits on Seven Mountains. The Seven Mountains were of the Ten, but the Woman and false prophet cause three to be removed, meaning the Woman sits on the nations of the entire earth. If we miss the metaphor we would spend our time looking for a physical city surrounded by seven hills, which would be extending the metaphor to satisfy a religious prejudice. The Woman is seen riding the beast, yet prior she is seen on a throne, the Moon as her foundation, but then we find her joined to the Beast of the Sea by the False Prophet as her guide.
In Psalm 50:12 we find the word World, but in verse 11 it’s the Field. The Hebrew word for Field is Saday (which we talked about prior); the Hebrew word for World is Tevel which is a feminine noun meaning The inhabitants or people of the earth, it was used as a poetic word, often considered to be the opposite of the Hebrew Midbar (A Pasture). The description of the Beast of the Field is seen in verse 18; defined as the Wicked, those who counsel with the Thief are partakers with adulterers, give their tongue and mouth to evil, they speak against their brother, their Mother’s Son, yet God will suffer them for a time, but in the end He will “tear” them to pieces (Ps 50:18-22). The defines why it seems like some get away with so much in this Season, yet God does nothing. Someone sells the dove, or slanders us to pieces, they walk away thinking they are victorious, yet we are faced with one thing after another, is it fair? Yes, when we know God will not do anything to them during the Day, but it changes in the Night. In our case it’s a trial and testing to bring us into a deeper place in Christ to make sure we are in the Rapture. Enjoy the testing and trial, it’s far better than the thought of getting away with killing the Just.
In Psalm 79:2 we find the “beasts of the earth” and the “fowls of the heaven” (not heavens). The fowls were defined by Jesus as Satan, those who pick at the fruit, hang around the tree to gain self benefit, yet never contribute to the Tree. This also gives us a separation, the Dove is not a “fowl” metaphorically, but the fowls are the opposite of the Dove, same class, different motives and character. The potential to be either a Dove, or a Fowl is in hand, keeping the old man makes us fowls, receiving the New makes us Doves. One might thing fowls are useful, they spread the “seed” of the Tree, but in this case the Tree is to remain One, only the Holy Ghost can spread the Seed through the saints, who are the Fruit of the Tree.
The word Earth used here is different from the word World used in Psalm 50. Here in Psalm 79 it’s the word for Earth is the Hebrew Erets meaning The physical planet, as opposed to heaven, referring to the Second Beast, as John saw it come from the Earth. The fowls have the ability to be above the Earth, but they are connected to the Earth by their desire (greed) for the things of the world. Psalm 79:3 shows these Beasts of the Earth and the Fowls have shed the blood of the saints round about Jerusalem; this also indicates the fowls are the religiously conceited, as whitewashed sepulchers, but the Beast are the Wicked who are the drunk who go into the Night.
The Prophets of Old tell us of the Beasts of the Desert, the Beasts of the Islands, the Beasts of the Forest, the Beasts of the Earth, and the Beasts of the Field, all are Beasts, but in different locations, yet the location gives us purpose (Isa 13:21-22, 18:6, 34:14 & 56:9). After the Rapture there will be no more Islands, thus the Beast of the Islands must relate to a time before the Rapture. The Field was defined by Jesus as something continuing past our Season; the Earth is defined as the kingdom of heaven, or the Rock, yet there are independent rocks continuing beyond our Season, but what about the Forest? Jesus used the metaphor Tree in various aspects, depending on the type of tree; thus simply talking about a Tree doesn’t define the metaphor. In the end the Trees of the earth are subject to the plagues, as are the Rivers, and Grass, all of which are metaphors. We know there is the Tree of Life, the Tree of the Knowledge of good and evil, Trees yielding fruit after their own kind, there are trees pleasant to the eye not bearing fruit. There is the Fig Tree, Olive Tree, Palm Tree and Cedar Tree, all of which mean something. The Fig Tree was defined when Adam used a Fig Leaf to cover himself, becoming the symbol for the religious order of Israel. Jesus talked about the Parable of the Fig Tree, as it would not bear fruit, but the leaves would appear. The leaves go back to Adam as a covering, not a doing away with the flesh, merely a covering for the flesh.
The Olive Tree is a metaphor for the Anointing of Mercy pointing to the Body of Christ. Paul talked about the Wild Olive Tree in Romans 11, his reference doesn’t point to the wild branches of the Fig Tree, he speaks directly about an Olive Tree. The reference points to how the Gentiles gained entry when the unbelieving natural branches were cut off. If God cut off the natural branches based on their unbelief, what do we think God will do to us if we hold unbelief? So, does it mean when we come to Jesus we turn into an olive tree? No, the Olive Tree relates to Mercy, the Commandments of Mercy were given to us by Jesus from the Mount of Olives. Therefore, the Olive Tree relates to the Body, not the Church. We don’t see the Olive Tree in heaven, but we do see the Tree of Life with the River of Life, thus the Tree of Life and River of Life relate to the Church.
Paul explains how a branch is defined by the fruit, if the Firstfruit is Holy, the lump from which the branch came must be Holy. If it’s Holy, then the Root will be Holy, if the Root Holy, the Seed must be Holy. However, we also read how some of the Branches are broken off, how can this be? Wait, the Root wasn’t broken, the Trunk wasn’t broken, not All the branches were broken, only a few. Each branch broken off was due to the unbelief of the branch, not the Trunk or Root, or the other branches. The warning of course is not to allow unbelief to cause us to be broken off, for God spared not the Natural branches, will He not spare us if we fail to believe? God is equal.
Paul’s comments on the branch and the Broken Body of Jesus are interesting, when he spoke of the broken branch in Romans he used the Greek Ekklao, but in First Corinthians 11:24 for the bread (Body) being broken he used the Greek Klao the root word for Ekklao. The Greek Ek means the origin, or the place of connection, thus the branch in order to remain must be Engrafted. Showing the branch must be conducive to the Trunk and Root. Yet in reference to the Broken Body we find something else, Paul equated the breaking of the Body to the betrayal of Jesus (I Cor 11:23). The Greek Klao means a complete separation of one element from another, it does not relate to a broken leg or arm, or even skin removed as a result of a beating, it means some attached element completely removed. In reference to the Olive Tree we find the breaking is in this season, if not Paul would not use the past tense, “because of unbelief they were broken off” (Rom 11:20), but in reference to the Broken Body it is yet future tense. Two different dangers, unbelief leading to betrayal associated with the son of perdition, those who draw back to perdition. Making unbelief an iniquity to continue to believe after we are identified with the Body.
The Tree of Life is of course the Holy Ghost connecting to the Spirit, Living Water is a product of Mercy and the Spirit. The Cedar Tree is known for the tenacity of its roots, relating to a foundation. The Sycamore Tree is somewhat different, it’s related to the Fig Tree, but is more ornamental in nature (all show). Our English word Sycamore comes from the Greek word Sykomoros, which originally meant a Fig Tree, thus Jesus told us to put our faith in God, not a religious system, even if the system came from God. Christianity is not a system, it’s a relationship based on a change in natures. Our religion is how we deal with people, as we remain separated from the world (James 1:27).
In Isaiah 34:14 we find the metaphor Wild Beasts of the Desert will meet with the Wild Beasts of the Island. The word Desert means Wilderness, thus the Woman in the Book of Revelation is found in the Wilderness. The Beasts of the Island during the Night become the Beast of the Wilderness, which is also the Beast of the Earth. When the Laodiceans think they are rich and in need of nothing, the Wicked as the Beast will make entry. Therefore, what they presume is their condition is a lie, since Jesus sees them as wretched.
The Book of Leviticus was written while the children were still in the Wilderness: Leviticus 26:22 says “I will also send wild beasts among you, which shall rob you of your children and destroy your cattle, and make you few in number; and your highways shall be desolate”. This is God speaking, but the cause is “if you walk contrary unto Me, and will not hearken unto Me; I will bring seven times more plagues upon you according to your sins” (Lev 26:21). Jesus said an evil spirit leaves, wanders, then returns finding the place it left conducive for evil. The evil spirit then brings more, making the end of the house seven times more wicked then the first. The devil will be bound for 1,000 years, but it doesn’t mean evil is bound, as the False Prophet still operates with the working of Satan while the devil is bound. The Book of Revelation shows God reaching out for the people to repent, yet the people blaspheme God, as they kill the saints. God will not destroy the Righteous with the Wicked, but when the Wicked destroy the Righteous, then comes the end. It’s still appointed for all once to die, then comes the Judgment.
In order to determine some of these Beasts we also have to define the word Wild, but we find it’s connected to the Wild Ox, Wild Roe, Wild Vine, Wild Ass, Wild Grapes, Wild Honey, Wild Olive Tree, Wild Man, Wild Goat, Wild Gourd, Wild Branch, as well as the Wild Beast. It shouldn’t surprise us by now to find more than one Hebrew word for the word Wild. The very first use of the word Wild is connected to Ishmael in Genesis 16:12 as the Hebrew Pere meaning to Run wild, but the word Man in this phrase is the Hebrew Adam, placing an Allegory with the Metaphors. The word Wild generally means one who ventures past it’s borders, or one who usurps authority, or one who makes themselves void of laws. To Usurp authority doesn’t mean to misuse your own, it means to misuse the authority of another.
As we found, Hagar is a type of metaphor. Paul also used her as an allegory, pointing to two different things. Ishmael is also a metaphor, he was used an allegory as well. When Paul points to Hagar as the Allegory, he suggests the unseen metaphor of Ishmael. Hagar was not half Egyptian and half Jew, she was all Egyptian, a real person, a bondwoman, but she became an allegory. Her activities were governed by Sarai, but it doesn’t mean she liked the commands. Genesis 16:3 shows Abram dwelled in the land Ten Years, yet the number Ten is the number of testing (Dan 1:12 & Rev 2:10). It was at the end of this period of testing, but before the promise was in hand when Ishmael came forth, thus the self-desire to produce Ishmaels comes near the end of the Test, but before the Promise is in hand. The moment when we are about to break through is when the desire to form our Ishmael will manifest. We must cast out the bond woman, with the Ishmael. Ishmael’s are the result of testing God’s Promise, or an attempt to make the Promise come to pass in our timing (still a testing we put on God), making them a product of manipulation. God tests us, we don’t test Him; teachers test disciples, disciples don’t test teachers. We pray and pray for God to use us, when it looks like He might, we get scared He will. All of a sudden it comes down to believing what we told everyone we believed.
When Sarai saw Hagar with child she went to Abram, but heard “do to her as it pleases you”, this could also read “do to her which is good in your eyes” (Gen 16:6). What was good in the eyes of Sarai was to “deal hardly”, or afflict Hagar (Gen 16:6). Hagar carried Ishmael on her back, a type of Hagar being Zion misused and Ishmael a type of a lazy self-based Laodicea nature of the City. Hagar called the place where the Lord spoke to her Beer-lahai-roi or “the well of Him that lives and sees me”, thus it was God who Lives and sees, not Ishmael. It wasn’t until Genesis 17:18 where we find Abraham (not Abram) made a request of God, regarding Ishmael, saying “O that Ishmael might live before You”. All of us must be careful what we ask for; how many of us what our Ishmaels to live before us? The wording “might live” is the Hebrew Chayah meaning To exist, thus the request of Abraham was a projection (might) to the future. From Ishmael would come many things, some of which are still around today. God never promised to make Ishmael many nations, but He did promise Ishmael would be A nation with twelve princes (Gen 17:20). The word Princes is the Hebrew Nasi (rather than Sur), meaning A sheik, or a Rising Vapor, something here today, but gone tomorrow. Literally it means One lifted up in a public way, yet in the Septuagint this same word was translated into the Greek Arche some twenty times in reference to the Davidic Prince, or Messiah, thus it also points to a beginning of something, or a principality. Ishmaels are earth bound, but they nonetheless come from Abram, not Abraham. Wasn’t Ishmael circumcised? Yes, at the age of Thirteen, yet the number Thirteen is the number of rebellion (Gen 17:23-25 & 14:4), thus Ishmaels are products of rebellion. Ishmael is a perfect example of having the Token of the Covenant, but not being of the Promise. This would be the same as being Sealed by the Holy Spirit, yet continually grieving the Holy Spirit.
We tend to view the word Adam as a male, but we find a change in the Hebrew when God took the rib (side) from Adam. Instead of Adam, the position of the male to become the Hebrew Iysh, the female as the Hebrew Ishshah, both of which appear for the first time in Genesis 2:22 and 2:23. We find the metaphoric use of Adam in a prophetic sense isn’t referring to male or female, but to either as creations who have the potential to either toss away, or accept what God offers. Adam male and Adam female are examples of free moral choice, the devil talked to them, he didn’t grab them, he didn’t have control over them, he couldn’t force them to take of the fruit, rather he enticed Adam female, she gave to her husband who was there with her, and he did eat. They were in a position where they could resist evil, or accept the evil suggestion. While in the Garden sin was defined, but sin was not an act until they set out to take of the forbidden fruit.
Within the prophetic verses we find the Hebrew word Adam associated with the evilness of man on one hand (Prov 11:7, 12:14, 28:12, Isa 2:11-12 et al), as well as the goodness of man on the other hand (Ezek 2:1-8), a product of “the knowledge of good and evil”, unfortunately the nature of man would take the good and make it evil, or take the glory for any good done, meaning lost man is more incline to sin, than not.
Ezekiel was termed a “son of man” some forty-five times, but Ezekiel was both priest and prophet, who was among the captivity who were taken to Babylon. Within the Book of Ezekiel the “Glory of the Lord” is mentioned over fifteen times, the combination of the term “son of man” and the term “Glory” should have been more than enough evidence for the Pharisees to receive Jesus, but choice is still a factor given to man. The Pharisees had more power to resist Jesus than the devils, thus they had the power to receive Jesus over the objections of the devil. They made the choice to reject, and paid the price. The paradox displays how even those possessed of the devil could make the choice to receive Jesus. On the flip side of the coin were the Pharisees, who used the same power in an evil way to resist Jesus. Resistance and Acceptance are matters of choice, when used in a Godly way we find we have the power to believe, when used in an evil way it ends in unbelief. It also proves the devil has no more power now, than he had at the tree. The demon possessed worshipped Jesus to be free, yet the Pharisees who were not devil possessed did the wiles of their father the devil, all matters of choice.
What does the metaphor regarding the evilness of the first Adam have to do with the Beast of the Island? We see both the word Island and the word Isles, the first time we find this metaphor is in Genesis 10:5 in reference to Noah. The sons of Japheth were Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech and Tiras. The sons of Javan were Elishah, Tarshish, Kittim and Dodanim, by these “were the isles of the Gentiles divided in their lands; everyone after his tongue, after their families, in their nations” (Gen 10:5). Here the word Isles relates to the nations of the Gentiles, it also shows the nations are just above the sea.
The Hebrews as the Jews were in the loins of Shem, with all the Gentiles from the other two sons of Noah. Regardless of the sub-nations, there are only two major groups, Jew and Gentile, with the Gentile being first on the earth.
The Hebrew word for Island is Iy meaning A habitable spot or A coast, it comes from the Hebrew Avah meaning To covet. The also defines the metaphor Coast is the place where Gentiles are located, next to the Sand of the Sea. The Hebrew Iy is also known to us as the short form for Woe, or Alas. This Beast of the Island connects to a Woe for the Gentiles, defined in Revelation 12:12, which reads “Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and the sea”. Where are the locations? The Earth and Sea? Now we know those two places have Beasts, thus the Sea relates to the Gentiles, the Earth to the sons of perdition. However, the beast of the sea doesn’t mean all in the sea are beasts, rather those who associate with the beast of the sea are beasts. The sons of perdition are also known as the Eighth, associated to the Seven, but Seven what? Seven mountains making it Gentile, and Seven churches making it from us, but not of us. The position holds those who draw back to perdition, then come out of perdition in the Night (Rev 17:11). This Eighth is the Eighth because it separated itself from the seven mountains into the Body, but then separated itself from the churches becoming the synagogue of Satan, although it’s of the Earth, it uses the authority of the Beast of the Sea.
Peter said the evil Beast has eyes full of adultery, unstable souls, who have a heart exercised with covetous practices, cursed children, which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam (II Pet 2:12-15). This shows this Beast is a position, not one person. They don’t have “unstable spirits”, rather it’s their unstable souls becoming the problem, connecting to Hebrews 10:38-39 showing they reject the saving of the soul. Peter calls them “brute beasts”, yet he also says they have escaped the pollutions of the world, thus this Beast is among us during this Season. John said the antichrists came from us, but were not of us.
The Beast of the Earth has life in this Season, as it escaped the world by entering the Body (kingdom of heaven), thus it relates to the metaphor Adam, one with life, but is nonetheless absent of the Ways of God. They lose life by bartering it away for the image of the Beast, thus Jude says they are “twice dead” (Jude 12).
What about the words Windows, Gates and Doors, are they also metaphors? In our prior studies we found the Gates of the city relate to the Remnant, but we also see the gates of hell do not. Then we find one Door points to heaven for the Anointed Gentile Church, another Door to the House of David, giving us the “time of Doors”. With these metaphors we also have the metaphor “days of Noah”, all of which connect. Before the Days of Noah we find Cain and Abel, two brothers, both born after the fall, both from the same womb, both with the same parents, both with the same opportunities, but with one difference, one held Envy against the other. Cain will be the first in the Bible to hear the words Door and Sin (Gen 4:7); the word Lieth in the phrase “sin lieth at the door” is the Hebrew Rabats meaning To crouch on all four legs, it suggests something crouched and ready to spring forward to devour as soon as opening occurs. This was after the Fall, yet God said Cain had the power to resist sin, or use it. The nature of man at the time was more prone to use it, then resist it.
The allegory of Cain and Abel is connected to many metaphors, not only to the metaphor Door, but to the metaphor Field as well. In the Book of Hebrews we find it was not the sacrifices given by these two brothers, but whether or not Faith was involved in their giving making the difference (Heb 11:4). Faith includes pleasing God, thus Cain gave as a chore, Abel wanted to give. We also find in the Book of Hebrews the first human on earth equated as using faith is Abel (Heb 11:4). Abel was a “keeper of sheep”, which is the meaning of the word Pastor, but Cain a “tiller of the ground”, or one who assists in the planting of Seed. Here we have two brothers involved in a metaphoric religious services, both actually gave sacrifices to God, one was honored, one was not. The one who was not honored was told by God sin was at “the door”, but he ignored the “word” of the Lord, ending blaming his brother. The reasoning? The same reasoning the spirit of man holds today, “if it were not for him, I would have been excepted”. Instead of seeing the fault lays within, Cain blamed the righteous.
The sacrifice of Cain was from the Fruit of the Ground, and Abel’s the Firstlings, giving us the Field (Gen 4:3-4). Abel gave his best with a joy, Cain saw it as duty. Those under the Law of Moses are bound by duty, or exercise the deeds for self-centered reasons, those under the Law of Spirit labor in joy and appreciation. Under the Law of the Spirit we do find Commandments, but we also find many areas where there are no Commandments, thus some things are done by our New Nature. The test of the New Nature is often by doing things where there is no Commandment, rather it’s by faith.
Both Cain and Abel were obedient, but only Abel mixed Faith with his obedience. One can be obedient to the command, with or without faith. “Yeah, well I’ll go there, I don’t like it, but I’ll do it, I’m always submissive”. No thanks, stay where you are, we will seek out the faithful servant.
Cain’s excuse wasn’t, “it was the sin you gave me”, rather it was, “Am I my brother’s keeper?”, or “it was the brother you gave me” (Gen 4:9). The word Keeper is the Hebrew Shamar meaning To keep a garden, or To keep safe, it was used to describe a Watchman, thus Cain blamed God for not protecting Abel. The Hebrew Shamar was also connected to Keeping a Covenant, or keeping a Promise. The Cherubim before the Garden guarded against intruders (Gen 3:24), which means the Cherubim did Shamar. Cain also had authority over the Door before him, thus God didn’t remove the sin, or put it there, rather He pointed it out. Cain refused to take the responsibility for what he did, he never considered he had the power to resist. The voice of Abel’s blood came from the earth, not heaven, yet Cain was cursed from the earth, while being on the earth (Gen 4:11). The “mark of Cain” was not someone running around painting check marks on him, it was his attitude and character. When anyone ran into one of the “Cain Klan” they knew it. Cain had an attitude growing more bitter to the point only the “Cain Klan” could stand to be around him, really it shows Cain was his brothers Keeper, thus we pray for the brethren as intercessors, or protectors.
Cain was used as a metaphor by Jude in his description of the false ones, Jude added both Balaam and Core (Korah) to the equation giving us Three evil products all of which are in the Field (Jude 11). Does it mean Cain, Balaam and Korah were around in Jude’s day? No, we know they were used as types, or allegories. Cain ended bitter in his ways, Balaam produced error; Core (Korah) was swallowed by the earth in his attempt to usurp authority. Three steps, all of which take one backward as they form their own way, then use the wrong door to commit error, making their bed in the pit of the earth.
Jesus said the doctrine of Balaam was among Pergamos, but He also pointed to the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes as well as the self-appointed Jezebels. Do they relate to Jude’s comments? Yes, Balaam is used as an allegory and warning in both, the Nicolaitanes control by domination, which is the way of Cain; the Jezebels are self-appointed, which was the sin of Korah. How does this relate to Judas being the son of perdition? Judas sold his brother and teacher (Jesus) to the enemy to get his own way, yet the same Judas was ordained by Jesus. When Judas moved out of his calling yet used the authority he became a self-appointed leader, who thought his position gave him power over the affairs of Jesus. Judas assumed he could control the Head of the Body, he also attempted to change prophesy to fit his desires. Judas was among the first to enter the earthly ministry right after the Baptism of Jesus, yet we also know Jesus knew all about Judas from the beginning, it was Judas who didn’t know himself. Judas heard the Parable of the Wheat and Tares, but failed to make the correlation.
The word Door is also found in Genesis 6:16, in reference to Noah and the Ark. The Ark had one door and one Window, God pours the blessing out of the Windows when the Door is closed. Although the Ark only had one window and one door, God shows there are Windows in heaven (Mal 3:10), yet there is the Time of Doors. There is only One Door into heaven, so why the Time of Doors? When John makes entrance by The Door into heaven, the Door to the House of David is opened, yet we also see how Jesus stands at a Door, thus we find Doors many, but only one Door into heaven. Jesus is the only one with the keys to the House of David, yet He gave us keys to the Kingdom. Jesus also has the keys to death and hell, thus Jesus gave us some keys, not all the keys.
Jesus tells those with the Door of David how no man can open or shut, but then He says He stands at the Door, if any opens He will come an sup with them (Rev 3:7 & 3:20). If no man can open it, how can He come in? Different doors, no man is going to usher in the Season of the Night, on man is going to stop it either. However, we have the Keys to the Door leading to Heaven, Jesus isn’t going to open the Door, we have to open it to invite Him in, then Jesus by the Spirit can take us through the Door at the Rapture.
In the Days of Noah the people were at rest, they didn’t have wars, rumors of wars, sickness, disease or famine, but they also considered God’s Judgment a moot concept, but they held Violence (unrighteousness) against God (Gen 6:11). Now many in the “days of Noah” really believed God was going to judge man? Just eight, Noah and his family. The saying, “as it was in the days of Noah” should tell us to look to the days of Noah. They were given in marriage, but is being married a sin? If it is, God should never have told us to leave our mother an father and cleave to our wives. It wasn’t marriage, but the timing, Judgment was being preached, but they went about like there were many tomorrows. They will ignore the Prophetic warning in the end times, just as they did in the Days of Noah. However, we Watch, as we’re ready for the end of the Day. The Wicked tell us the end of the world is today, but during the Night they will say there is no Judgment. For those of the Day it’s not the end of the world, but the coming of the Rapture.
The same was true in the days of Lot, the people in Sodom mocked the people of God, they lacked respect for the angels, rejected the thought of judgment. They felt life was their possession, they could do as they pleased, yet destruction came in a second.
There is more to the metaphor Door, the first Passover also had a “door”, one where the children were not to open, rather they were to remain behind it until the destroyer passed. Moses was told to place the blood in three places, and three places only. He had to put the blood on the top, and both sides, giving us a symbol of the Cross. The Hebrew word Inhshqowph means a Lintel, the Hebrew Mezuzah means the Door post, but the Hebrew Chap means the Threshold to the Door, or a Cup, thus the Door relates to the Cup. In the case of Moses the destroyer saw the blood and passed by. In our case the Blood of Jesus frees us from the second death as it cleans us continually.
Jesus also told us how the Door to the Sheepfold is opened by the Porter (Jn 10:3), the word Porter is the Greek Thuroros meaning A Watcher, or One who inspects. This connects the Porter to the entrance of the Tabernacle Courtyard as they inspected the sacrifice, regardless of the person. Jesus is the Door and Sacrifice, by His Sacrifice we make entry. Once inside we move through the Water and Fire to the Holy Place, the place where we gain entry by Position, not Sacrifice. Only the priests were allowed in the Holy Place, but then only the high priest was allowed into the Holiest of All. Jesus as our High Priest invites us into the Holiest of All.
In Revelation 21:12-25 and 22:14 we find the Gates to the Wall of New Jerusalem are given to the Twelve New Testament tribes, but it’s still New Jerusalem. The first time we find the word Gate is in Genesis 19:1 referring to the “gate of Sodom”, which can’t equate to the Gates for New Jerusalem. If we assume the first place we find the word Gates defines all gates, we would end with the Wall to New Jerusalem having the gates of Sodom, which generates a big problem, one so big we can’t get past it. Not all metaphors are defined by the first usage, we have to look at context and usage.
The gates to Sodom are more a reference to the gates of hell, not the Gates of New Jerusalem. Since the two angels walked through the gates of Sodom, we find those gates could not prevail against the Messengers of God. More important is the fact how the Gate of Sodom couldn’t keep Lot in bondage, he passed them as if they wasn’t there.
The word for Gates used in the phrase “gates of hell” is Greek word Pule, meaning a gate, but it related to the large gates around the city, not some small picket gate to a garden. The Jews used the gates to separate the outsiders from those inside, thus Gates are a form of division, showing why Paul asked, “Is Christ divided?”. Division has two forms, the Godly, and ungodly. The Word in us separates, and divides, but it’s for clarity. The gates of hell set up barriers to keep the Righteous from finding the Throne of Grace. The Wicked and Legalist set gates in our path, we have to either move around them, knock them down, or climb over them to keep on the path. Each time they set a gate of tradition, doctrine of man, or doctrine of devils in our path we have to stop, deal with the gate, then move on.
Jesus said “enter you in at the Strait Gate, for wide is the gate, and broad is the way leading to destruction” (Matt 7:13). Here we have two gates, one strait, the other unto destruction, thus ungodly division leads to destruction. The word Destruction is the Greek Apoleia meaning A state of perdition, or Exclusion from salvation, but it also means Destruction in either a temporal form (Acts 25:16 compared with 8:20), or eternal (II Pet 2:1). Peter connected it to those who have escaped the pollutions of the world, but like a dog returning to its vomit, they returned to the ways of the world.
The word Strait is the Greek Stenos meaning Narrow, but with obstacles standing close about. Stenos is akin to the Greek Histemi meaning To stand; clearly Jesus shows two gates, one narrow, one broad, the narrow one takes a close watch.
In the Book of Exodus we find “the hanging for the gate of the court”, with “the door of the tabernacle” (Ex 38:18 & 38:30). It may not seem like much, but we find the Gate and the Door are different. The Hanging to the Gate pertains to what one sees from the outside looking toward the Courtyard, but the Door to the Tabernacle pertains to one looking from the Holy Place to the Courtyard. The Sheepfold has a Door, not a Gate, thus once we make entry to the Holy Place, we can go in and out, and the strangers voice we will not hear. The entrance cannot be found by natural man, it takes the Porter, in our case it’s the Holy Ghost leading us to the Cross, which is a Door gaining us entry.
The Strait Gate leads directly to the Door of the Tabernacle, it doesn’t run around the Tent looking for some hidden revelation buried in the sand, nor does it seek some other Way. There is a route of progression, through the Brazen Altar, through the Brazen Grate, through the Brazen Laver, through the Door to the Holy Place, then one can be a partaker of the Light, Bread and Golden Altar of Incense.
If this Way has obstacles, yet begins at the Entrance, it seems there are obstacles within the Courtyard itself. Why would God do that? Why even put mysteries in the Bible? Why not make it plain and simple? Those who really care, search for the Lord to know Him, some will search for self-benefit, ending as the wanderers in the courtyard.
The activity was always in the Courtyard, the Quiet place was the Holy Place, unless someone brought in Strange Fire. There is Strange Fire and Strange Incense (Ex 30:9 & Lev 10:1); the word Strange is the Hebrew Zur meaning To press together, To turn away from, To be a stranger, or To be adulterous. The root idea pertains to deviating, this same word was used in Proverbs for the Strange Woman. What was the wrong with Aaron’s sons using the Strange Fire? What made it Strange? In Leviticus 1:7-9 we find the duties of Aaron’s sons pertained to putting fire on the altar, thus their duties were related to the courtyard, but in Leviticus 10:1 both Nadab and Abihu put fire in “his censer”, which shows they put the fire from the courtyard of judgment into the Censer of Aaron which was only used in the holy place, thus we can’t mix Salvation and Judgment in the same lamp, they are appointed to different SeWe know Hebrews 4:12 contains many metaphors, after all, does the Word in us divide the joint from the marrow? It says so. Does it mean when we receive the Word all the marrow in our bones will divide, or our joints will fall apart? Hardly, the metaphors show us mysteries. The first thing we see is a division between soul and spirit, thus the Weapons of our warfare are capable of dividing the soulish from the spiritual, which also shows the soul and spirit are different, yet interrelated, the Word never confuses the two. The Word will also point out our Ishmaels, fables and strongholds, as natural soulish elements, thus the Word will divide the things we do, and the things the Spirit does, allowing us to keep them separated. Of course this is predicated by having the Word in us.
Intents are motives, or the reason we do something, the thought is how we put the plan together, then comes the action. Without the Word in us we would never know our real intent; deception tells us “this is of God”, yet we will kill our Isaac while giving honor to our Ishmael, thinking it’s “of God”, when it’s not. The Word puts light on the Intent, exposing the thought before it becomes an action.
There are some human conditions becoming metaphors in the Kingdom, one of those is the word “barren”. The first place we find the word Barren is in Genesis 11:30 in reference to Sarai. There are two areas of being Barren, one is when God withholds for His time and timing, the other is when we cause the barrenness. Michal, the daughter of Saul, who was the wife of David made herself barren. When David danced before the Lord, it was Michal who attacked him, despised him, then rejected the purpose of the king’s joy (II Sam 6:14-16). Where did Michal birth the despising making her barren? In her heart (II Sam 6:16). Birthing envy, strife, division, competition and contention will make us spiritually barren.
Michal’s barrenness was self-induced, while David’s focus was on the Lord’s Ark, Michal was forming bitterness in her heart (II Sam 6:15-16). David made a tabernacle, or better stretched out a tent to hold the Ark, then he blessed the people in the name of the Lord of Hosts (II Sam 6:17-18). Next he gave everyone a Cake of Bread, a Good piece of Flesh, and a Flagon of Wine, all types and shadows of Communion (II Sam 6:19). With this we metaphorically find Shouting, Joy, the Word, the Body, the Flesh of Jesus, and the Blood, but Michal didn’t see it, rather she saw nakedness and shame, then attacked the appointed and anointed Ruler (II Sam 6:20-21). Cain attacked his brother, here Michal attacked her husband, yet both had the same intent, they sought fault and self-justification. Then we read “Therefore Michal the daughter of Saul had no child unto the day of her death” (II Sam 6:23). Why doesn’t the Scripture say “the wife of David”, after all, she was his wife. Michal was like unto Saul, not like a Wife of the King. She is a type and shadow of one who claims the position, but holds the nature of the old, thus she became Barren.
In the Study of Barrenness we find six Hebrew words, and two Greek words to consider. There are also the differences between Abortion, Miscarriage and Forced Miscarriage. The word Abortion means the use of something on the outside to cease the development of something within. Jude referred to this as “certain, men crept in unawares” (Jude 4). The wording “crept in unawares” is from the compound Greek word Pareisduno meaning To settle alongside, or Lodge stealthily (secret manner). The wicked run natural abortion clinics, by using deception and unbelief as their tools. A Miscarriage simply means the person’s body was either incapable of holding the seed or was not ready for the birth, causing the seed to be rejected, relating to time and timing, not fault. A forced miscarriage is akin to an abortion, it uses the body functions to cast off the seed, rather than outside instruments. The Hebrew word Shakol means Miscarry or Abortion, but it also shows a time of Bereavement, the root meaning of the word means To rob us of children. It also refers to Forced Miscarriage, it was first used in II Kings 2:19-21; however there it points to the land, not a person. In this case we find the prophet in the land will activate something, the false prophets attempt to abort it. Unbelief, doubt, unfounded attacks, envy, ungodly division and strife are tools used by wicked in their natural abortion clinics.
The men of the city said unto the prophet Elisha “behold I pray you, the situation of this city is pleasant, as my lord sees, but the water is naught, and the ground barren” (II Kings 2:19). The city was pleasant, but the ground, or the place for planting the Seed was barren. Our local church can appear “okay”, but we can have barren ground. If the ground is not healed, the city will soon suffer, dry up and blow away. The prophet didn’t grab the Water first, he went to the Salt, yet Salt is the product of dry ground. Then the prophet went to the Water Spring then applied the Salt saying, “there shall not be from there any more death or barren land” (II Kings 2:21). It took the Salt and the Water to bring Life, the prophet was metaphorically looking ahead. Jesus said, “You are the Salt of the earth: but if the Salt have lost his savor, wherewith shall it be salted?” (Matt 5:13). The wording “have lost his savor” is the Greek Moraion meaning To become insipid, or Lacking excitement, or Losing taste, becoming bland, which defines the character of a legalist. The context shows losing our excitement for God leaves us useless, tasteless and boring. Soul based excitement falls in the face of battle, whereas excitement of the Spirit endures.
In Psalm 107:34, which is entitled, “God Rescues Us” we find God can turn the rivers into a wilderness, the water springs into dry ground, the fruitful land into Barrenness, but it’s based on the wickedness of them who dwell therein (Ps 107:33-34). The Hebrew word for Wickedness is Ra meaning Evil thoughts from the intent of slander, producing ill words against others. The opposite would be a Doer of the Word, but in order to be a Doer, one must have the Word in them. The Word of God still divides between the thought and intent, discerning the source of the words of others, as well as our own.
We know Isaac came from Abraham, and from Isaac came Jacob, but what about the women involved? Was there something about them giving us a clue to the method God uses to bring His promise to pass? Is there a reason for the “dry spells” we face on the narrow path? What about the time between the ending of the Old Testament and the Birth of Jesus, was it a dry time? Of course we know of the Apocrypha contains fourteen books relating to the age between the Old Testament near the beginning of the earthly ministry. Yet, by the name Apocrypha we find it means Writings or statements of doubtful authorship or lacking authenticity, pointing to a Barrenness. The word Apocrypha comes from the Latin, meaning Not canonical, or not authentic, it’s the neuter plural of the Latin Apocryphus meaning Hidden. Giving light to another subject, the Greek word Apokryphos means Hidden, it’s connected to the Latin Apocryphus, thus any Hidden Book, whether under a tree or not, is Not canonical or authentic.
The first Hebrew word for Barren is Aqar meaning Sterile as if Extirpated in the generative organs, the root word means To be plucked up by the roots. Does this sound familiar? Yes, Jude said the false are plucked up by the roots (Jude 12). The word Extirpated means To remove or destroy completely, or Eradicate. The Hebrew shows there is nothing from which to build, thus it lacks usefulness. It wasn’t a lack regarding the number of eggs for reproduction, or weak eggs, rather there was no egg to begin with. In man’s eyes this produced the thought of reproduction being impossible, or foolish to even hope for offspring. This produces two areas of Barren, both related to God’s actions. On one hand the wicked are made barren, but on the other hand God produces a Barren time to bring about a promise where the only conclusion is “this is of God”.
Is being Barren a sin? Is it a curse? Not always, discernment leads us to the Bible where we find the first woman to be found Barren is Sarai (Gen 11:30), the second is Rebekah (Gen 25:21), the third is Rachel (Gen 29:31). On the same note the first barren woman to give birth was Sarai, the second was Rebekah, and the third was Rachel. In each case it was a barrenness for a purpose. The two forms of barrenness show the time before the Promise is based on a barren time in order to fit the time and timing of God.
Sarai heard the Lord say “is anything too hard for the Lord?”, but she was looking at Abraham, considering, “is anything possible with this old fool?”. Was Sarai barren through any fault of any human? No, but was it for a purpose? Yes, it was the Lord who held her back, not to punish her, as she supposed, but to Wait for the “time appointed” (Gen 18:14). The purpose was to show both Abraham, Sarah and us the promise came only from the Lord, not man. There is a time of being Barren, and the Appointed Time for the Promise to come forth.
The wording “time appointed” is the Hebrew word Moed meaning A festive gathering, it designates a predetermined time or place without regard for the purpose, thus the Appointed Time points to a specific time, yet the purpose could vary. In the case of Sarai the appointed time was the birth of a male child Isaac; however, for God the purpose went much further.
When Rachel saw her sister giving Jacob children, yet she was barren, envy entered (Gen 30:1). When we are in the barren area, yet the church down the street is in the birth stage, the danger of envy becomes real. If we fall into envy we will seek a handmaiden to bring forth on our own what God desires to bring; the result for us? Ishmael. We must then cast out the Ishmael and his mother, or the next time barrenness comes, we will again run to the mother of Egypt to produce another Ishmael.
God had a plan for Rachel, two sons both pointing to a time far beyond the years of Rachel. Rachel would give birth to Joseph (Gen 30:24), and Joseph means Adding or The Lord shall add. It was just after his birth when Jacob made his bargain with Laban for the rejected cattle (Gen 30:25-33). Much later in Genesis 35:18, after Jacob returns to Bethel, Rachel would give birth to Benjamin (son of the right hand), then she would die in child birth. Wait, wasn’t God able to bring her through this? Would a Good God allow this? Yes, but for a Better reason. Rachel was buried In the Way to Ephrath, which is Bethlehem (Gen 35:19). Matthew and the prophet Jeremiah saw the death of Rachel as a prophetic message. Herod signed his own death warrant by ordering the slaughter of the children from “two years old” in Bethlehem. The “two years” was supposed by Herod to handle his problem, but God saw it as a Jew coming against Joseph (The Lord Adding) and Benjamin (The Son Of The Right Hand). Couldn’t God stop Herod? Yes, but God has plans far beyond man’s self-based thinking. The slaughter was seen by God from the foundation of the world, but it doesn’t mean God ordained it, rather it was worked into the plan, without manipulating Herod, thus the blood of Rachel was weeping for her children, yet from the slaughter the Door would be open for the Son of the Right Hand to Add to the kingdom. At the same time the weeping preserved a place for those children, they did not die in vain.
In Joseph’s dream the Moon was his mother, yet by the time Joseph had the dream Rachel was dead. We know the Moon is Zion, thus Rachel weeping for her children not only pointed to Bethlehem, but it was a prophetic message of Zion weeping for her children. Between Sarai and Rachel was Rebekah, the wife of Isaac, who was the second woman in the Bible to be Barren (Gen 25:21). Isaac didn’t obtain his own wife, rather the servant of the father went out and found her at the Well of Water. We look at this as a type and shadow of the Holy Ghost seeking the Bride of Christ, which is correct and proper, but there are other metaphors as well. Isaac was Forty years old when he took Rebekah as his wife, we know Rebekah was the sister of Laban the Syrian (Gen 25:20). The number Forty refers to a wilderness experience. Rebekah had two children, twins, yet they were two nations in one womb as two manner of people, one was stronger than the other, and the elder shall serve the younger (Gen 25:23). The word Serve is the Hebrew Avad meaning To be made to serve, enslave, to cause to worship, rather than a willingness to worship, it’s this latter definition drawing our attention. One son will move in the path God has for him, the other will rebel in all regards, yet both will be blessed in a material sense, but in the end the elder will serve the younger.
The kingdom of heaven is the womb for the Kingdom of God, thus the metaphor kingdom of heaven also points to one Womb with two sons, one good, one evil. Yet the Kingdom of God contains the spiritual “sons of God”. Paul would make reference to these two sons by saying, “(For the children being not yet Born, neither having done any good or evil, the purpose of God according to the election might stand, not of works, but of Him who calls) it was said of her (Rebekah), The elder shall serve the younger. As it is written, Jacob I have loved, but Esau have I hated” (Rom 9:9-13). Paul made this reference in explaining the difference between the vessels of honor, and dishonor. Did God know which would be unto honor, and which to dishonor? It’s Paul’s point, before either did good or evil God knew what type of person they would be, then worked them into the plan; however, it doesn’t stop God from presenting opportunity.
The metaphor Esau points to the vessels of dishonor, pointing to those who really don’t respect the Birthright, they give more honor to their flesh, than the promise. Paul used this metaphor again in the Book of Hebrews, when he wrote, “Follow Peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord: looking diligently lest any man fail of the Grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled: lest there be any fornicator, or profane person as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright” (Heb 12:14-16). The New Birth is the reason for entering the kingdom of heaven, those who reject it are akin to Esau.
There were two other women in the Old Testament who were barren; Manoah the mother of Samson, and Hannah the mother of Samuel (Judges 13:2 & I Sam 2:5). This gives us Five barren women in the Old Testament, relating to the first Five churches in the Book of Revelation. How does this relate to us? In Isaiah 54:1 we read, “Sing, O Barren, you who did not bear; break forth into singing, and cry aloud, you who did not travail with Child: for more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife, saith the Lord”. The word Barren used here is the same Hebrew word used in reference to the five barren women; other than the five barren and here, it was used one other time in Psalm 113:9, and twice in the Law of Moses. We may have come into this Barren, but there is no reason to remain so.
In Second Peter 1:8 we find the English word Barren, but it’s the Greek Argos, meaning Unemployed. Peter said, “For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you, that you shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ”. The Greek Argos is the opposite of the Greek Ergon meaning Labor or Work, Ergon was used by James in explaining the Work of our faith. Peter tells us to Add to our faith, virtue; to virtue add knowledge, and so on until we are Fruitful and no longer Unemployed. Putting it with the context of II Peter we find the Unemployed are the false ones, they are independent contractors. They entered by the Mercy of God, but refuse to give it, yet they are Workers of iniquity, but unemployed nonetheless. This has nothing to do with being out of job in the secular area, it has to do with being a member of the Body. For those who have entered the Rest of God, they have ceased from their works. The Doctrine Of Christ demands for us to move from the repentance of dead works, to Faith toward God. Why then did the Holy Ghost pick the word Barren? Why not Unemployed? Or Useless? The concept shows we can have the Seed of God, but we are expected to be spiritual, thus the Corinthians would be an example of Barren.
There any other metaphors or allegories defining how the Word divides (Heb 4:12); Jacob – Israel is one; the name Jacob is from the Hebrew Aqav meaning To swell out, To seize by the heel (which curves outward, and displays a weakness), To come from behind, To circumvent (as in tripping up by the heels), To throw someone down, To supplant, To defraud, To deceive, To keep back, or Restrain, thus the noun Jacob is the attitude of the verb Aqav. We can build from a Jacob position, or wait on the Lord and have Him build us from the Israel. Jacob was the fearful one, Israel the man of faith.
The first place we find the name Israel is in Genesis 32:28 when Jacob wrestled with a “man”, the word for “man” is the Hebrew Ish meaning Man, Mankind, Possessor of manliness, but more important it refers to a Human Being, not an angel. The allegory shows the travailing of the New Birth, although it appears in Genesis 32 Jacob won the battle, we find he really didn’t, rather Israel won. Jacob the Fearful One was told by God to return home, yet just before meeting Esau, Jacob made plans to protect himself and his belongings, just as the Strongman will attempt to protect his so-called treasures. The message or “angel” of Israel came to Jacob, a battle ensued when Jacob was “left alone” (Gen 32:24). The wording “was left” is from the Hebrew Yathar meaning The residue left over after the portion has been Divided. This gives us the metaphoric clue to the Word dividing, as the man Jacob was told one thing, yet he assumed another. This battle was after all the sons, except Benjamin, were born.
We recall the battle and how Jacob heard the calling, but so did his feet. Like many of us who hear the call, soon comes the awareness of what the calling entails, then the thoughts enter, our feet no longer want to walk by faith, they begin to shake. The Jacob – Israel principle displays the call as Jacob hears, but Israel (faith) will answer. Recalling our study in Genesis we know there were times when the man was “Jacob”, other times when the same person was “Israel”. How could this be? Was he a nut? Was he real? Jacob is an example or Process, during the Process the man would answer or react as Jacob, at other times as Israel. We do no less, at times Jacob will answer, but Israel (faith) will come to the rescue. Israel believed God, but Jacob believed his own fears. The result will tell the tale, God provided Peace, Jacob didn’t see it, but it was there. The following chart gives us the Jacob – Israel thought process.
CHART – JACOB – ISRAEL
| Genesis 32:28: | Genesis 35:10-12 |
| “And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.” | “And God said unto him, Thy name is Jacob: thy name shall not be called any more Jacob, but Israel shall be thy name: and he called his name Israel. And God said unto him, I am God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall be of thee, and kings shall come out of thy loins; And the land which I gave Abraham and Issac, to thee I will give it, and to thy seed after thee will I give the land.”
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The above chart shows two things, the calling seen in the shadow, and the Call showing the purpose. Therefore, when the calling comes, settle down, wait for the Call to be defined, it’s won’t take forever, but it may take a training.
The man told Jacob “Your name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince have you power with God and with men, and have prevailed” (Gen 32:28). It’s from this statement the term “shall rule as God” came into being. The next day Jacob saw Esau coming, then he Divided the children unto Leah, and Rachel, then unto the handmaidens (Gen 33:1). A division took place in Jacob the night before, now another division is taking place, both were based on fear, not faith. At this point in time he has eleven sons, not twelve (Gen 32:22). The order is also important; Jacob placed the handmaidens and their children in the front, then Leah and her children, then Rachel and Joseph at the hindmost. This division was based on protecting the family, but didn’t Jacob the night prior say “For I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved”? (Gen 32:30). Didn’t the man say “Your name shall no longer be Jacob”? Yet, the very next verse shows Jacob was still Jacob, really he was Jacob until Genesis 34:7. What was this battle? Who was this man? Was it an angel? If so, why use the Hebrew Ish? Doesn’t the Holy Ghost know the difference between a human being and an angel? Why did God come again in Genesis 35:10-11 talking as if Jacob had no children at all? The battle was between the Supplanting One and the Called One. It might help to know the meaning of the word Supplanter, which means one who Supplants, and Supplant means To displace by use of scheming, treachery or other devious means. The battle was Jacob attempting to scheme his way out of the calling, but the calling prevailed.
In Genesis 35:10-11 God points to a future event and says “shall come out of thy loins”. Didn’t God know Jacob already had 11 sons? Yes, but the metaphor goes to the “Son of the Right Hand”, not the twelve tribes. We find “a nation” and “a company of nations”, two groups, not one (Gen 35:11). The words Nation and Nations are both the Hebrew word Ghoy meaning a Gentile or “non-Israel”, yet isn’t his name Israel? The word Company is the Hebrew Qahal, it’s considered one of the most important terms in the Old Testament. It means A congregation, An assembly, A crowd, it also referred to the “people of Israel”, or the eligible worshipping members of the assembly. The word Company really doesn’t fit with the Hebrew word Ghoy used in Genesis 35:11, but God has a plan. The first aspect is the Ghoy or Gentile in our Season coming to the Cross, but the combination of the Ghoy and Qahal displays the Born Again Believer who can worship in Spirit and Truth by the Spirit of Truth, whether they are Jew or Gentile.
Before Jacob came face to face with Esau, he attempted to give Esau “a peace offering” in order to “find grace” in the sight of Esau, but God wasn’t even going to allow it, thus Esau refused the “grace gift” (Gen 33:8-9). When the “grace gift” turns into a Blessing from Jacob to Esau, rather than a pay off, then God will allow Esau to receive (Gen 33:10-11). This Blessing and meeting took place during the Day, the battle at Night, thus the division came before the Day, the Blessing and Grace during the Day (Gen 33:16 & 32:24).
Jacob came to Bethel and built an altar calling it ElBethel, or The God Of The House Of God. While there, Deborah, Rebekah’s nurse would die, and was buried under the Oak, the name of It was called Allon–bachuth (The Oak Of Weeping). Then Jacob would hear from God, this time Jacob would hear “Your name is Jacob: your name shall not be called any more Jacob, but Israel shall be your name” (Gen 35:10). What happened? Did the so-called angel get the message wrong? Or was it the calling in the loins of Jacob doing battle with the fearful one over the “message”? Going back to the battle we find the man said “Your name shall be called no more Jacob” (Gen 32:28), but here in Genesis 35:10 God clearly says “Your name is Jacob”. The two events are connected, but shouldn’t be confused, there is the battle of the calling, then the calling. The battle of Jacob – Israel is the Authority change, something anyone who has a calling will go through. The anointing of the Calling, isn’t the same as the anointing in the New Birth, there is an authority change to take place. It’s what we find here, the authority of Jacob ceases as the authority of Israel begins. The calling is to assist the Body, not make us famous or holy. Far too often leaders fall into the trap of “self-mentor worship”; they see the anointing working, then think it’s because of them. They attempt to control the results, placing themselves in danger (I Tim 3:6). Balaam thought the calling was a “profession”, as he thought the gift was a means to make money, rather than a means to display the glory of God.
The man in the battle said “for as a prince have you power with God and with men”, but God said “I Am God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall be of thee, and kings shall come out of your loins” (Gen 35:11). Seems like God was about eleven sons late with the phrase “kings shall come out of your loins”; however, God was looking at us, notice it wasn’t “prince” but “kings”. The calling had a view of what it entailed, but here God clears the issue showing what will be produced. God is prophetically speaking to the product of the calling; Jesus, since Jesus has made us both kings and priests.
However, for Jacob there needed to be some “house cleaning”, some of the old Jacob had to go in order for Israel to take residence. Houses have three things of interest which relate to metaphors, the Doors, Windows and Furniture. When the Lord tells us “it’s time to clean the House”, it doesn’t mean clean our physical house, it refers to the soul as the House. Some of us keep some junky furniture, calling it treasured antiques. They’re antiquities, old, rotten, and about to fall apart. The restoring of our soul is really a Renovating, or removal of the Old, by bringing the New. If we have a Newness, we need New things to fit the Newness. The old bag just won’t hold the New Wine, it will burst, yet at times we get mad because the Spirit broke our faulty toy.
The word Furniture is also a metaphor relating to the tools used, or the weapons of our warfare. The weapons of our warfare are mighty through God, but there are other weapons not of God. Strife, manipulation, validation, using anger to get our way, causing division and envy.
Jesus said, when the unclean spirit is gone out of a person, it goes to dry places seeking rest, finding none comes back. If it finds the house empty, swept and garnished, it not only reenters, but brings seven more, thus the last state is worse than the first (Matt 12:43-45). We know this refers to the very end times when the pit is opened, but we also find some interesting facts. The three elements of Empty, Swept and Garnished are important factors, the word Empty is the Greek Scholazo meaning To take a holiday, To be at leisure, thus it doesn’t mean empty in the sense of void, but shows the person is now free, but decides to take pleasure in their freedom, rather than seeking to be filled with the Spirit to have a change. This is akin to being forgiven of our sins, but rejecting the New Birth, or receiving the Spirit, but rejecting the purpose. The word Swept is the Greek Saroo meaning To brush off, indicating a removal, but nothing replacing the old, being clean yet failing to have the Word in residence is being unequal. The word Garnished is the Greek Kosmeo relating to the orderly decorate fiber of the world. The House was set free, but refused to be filled with the things of God, thus the House was free of the demonic, but it took rest in the freedom assuming it would not happen again. It’s like leaving the world, yet going back to the world thinking we can now control it. To the demon the house was prepared with more room, allowing more demons to enter. Once the house is emptied and clean we don’t prepare it for the world again, we don’t continue to use natural intellect and wisdom then call it Godly, we seek the Spirit coupled with the knowledge and wisdom of God. Paul said, “which things we speak, not in the words of man’s wisdom” (I Cor 2:13). Therefore there is a man’s wisdom and a Godly wisdom. He then said the natural man cannot receive the things of the Spirit, for they are spiritually discerned (I Cor 2:14), thus there is a natural knowledge, and one of the Spirit.
After the New furniture is conducive to the New Man we must look at the house. The Window is not a way of Entrance, it was used by the Jews to toss things out of, to speak from, and to allow air in, but it was not used for an entrance. At the first Passover Moses didn’t put the Blood around the Window, he placed it around the Door, thus the Window is not Blood related. Attempting to climb in a window where the blessing came from makes us a trespasser, or a thief. We enter by the Door, since we belong in the House.
There are houses many, there is the House of Pharaoh, we know Pharaoh’s house is a type and shadow of bondage (Gen 12:15). God plagued Pharaoh and his House with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram’s wife (Gen 12:17). There are three Hebrew words for House, by far the most common being Bayith, which means To build, A dwelling place, A race, Descendants, the word includes what is in the house as well. We find the Hebrew Atrowth-beyth-Yowab used once meaning Crowns of Shophan, or Hidden, referring to the House of Joab in the family line of Judah (I Chron 2:54). The reference points to the House of Judah as a clue to something hidden, yet Proverbs tells us “it is the Glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honor of kings to search out the matter” (Prov 25:2). In the searching of the hidden mystery we find if we take away the dross from the silver, it will produce a vessel fit for the Refiner (Prov 25:4). Then we find if we take away the Wicked (old man) from before the king, then the king’s throne shall be established (Prov 25:5). Some of us are impressed by the natural knowledge of “great men”, but we are told “stand not in the place of great men” (Prov 25:6).
When John heard “come up hither” it was time to pass through the Door (Rev 4:1), only the Spirit of Truth can gain us the ability to “come up hither” (Rev 11:12). One other place we find the phrase “come up hither” it reads, “for better it is that it be said unto thee Come up hither: than you should be put lower in the present of the Prince whom your eyes have seen” (Prov 25:7). It begins by finding the hidden mysteries, the keys to open the knowledge and wisdom of God. The house (soul) is important, having the Newness of the house more so.
The Hebrew Bayith is translated as Court, Daughter, Door, Dungeon, Family, Hangings, Home, House, Household, Palace, Place, Prison, Tablet, Temple and Web; all these show the various forms and types of houses. There is the House of David and the House of the Spider; the House of Judah and the House of Jacob; the House of Levi and the Rebellious House. There are Tents as well, God will save the Tents of Judah first, then the House of David (Zech 12:7). The word Tents is a metaphor pointing to the Feast of Tabernacles, which was the Feast celebrated to show the end of the wandering in the wilderness. Moses died in the wilderness, as a clue to our wilderness purpose and condition. Any thought of using self-righteousness must die in the wilderness, it cannot enter the Promised Land, it will hinder our crossing. After we get faith, then we do the things of faith, anything not done in faith is sin.
This brings us the metaphor “wilderness”, showing the “wandering” is separated from the world, yet connected. The wilderness is the place of “mask removal”, where the ways of the old man are made manifest, even to the point where we can see them. In the wilderness the many voices of unbelief, doubt, pride, ego, fear, the mask of who we think we are will all shout, “there are giants in the land”, but the still small voice of the Lord will tell us “the battle is the Lord’s, the victory is yours”. This gives us the result in the allegory of Joshua and Caleb. What? Joshua and Caleb were the only two witnesses in the wilderness “spy group” who stood for God. Therefore, they become the allegory of what leaves the wilderness with us. Joshua means “Jehovah’s salvation” or “the salvation of Jehovah”. Caleb means “Forcible”, which doesn’t make any sense, unless we couple it with Faith. Ahh, Joshua is a type of God’s love, Caleb a type of our measure of faith. This shows what comes out of the wilderness is a Faith working by Love.
The wilderness is the “junk leaving” place, the place where the old man loses his grip on us, where we gain the upper hand on the old nature. Joshua and Caleb were in a house alone, yet faced a house divided. They were the minority voice who stood for God, when the majority did not.
There are hundreds of references to the word House, but this is a lesson, not a novel, we’re not going to look at them all, but we do want to view some. The prophet Ezekiel was told by God “Son of man, I send you to the children of Israel, to a rebellious nation who have rebelled…” (Ezek 2:3), adding, “for they are a rebellious house” (Ezek 2:5). Here we find the entire nation is a house, but within the house are other houses. There is the House of David, House of Levi and House of Judah, all of which are within the House of the nation. Defining the House spoken of is necessary to determine the context, a neighborhood has many houses, but it’s still one neighborhood. For instance Psalm 30 is entitled “The song at the dedication of the House of David”, but Psalm 52 refers to the House of Abimelech, yet Psalm 58 is a reference to the House of the Wicked. Why is it so important to keep the various houses separate? Isaiah said, “Woe unto them who join House to House, or who lay Field to Field” (Isa 5:8), then “In My ears says the Lord of Hosts, Of a truth Many Houses shall be desolate, even great and fair, without inhabitant” (Isa 5:9). The wording “shall be desolate” is the Hebrew Shammah meaning Horror, it emphasizes the spectacle of desolation, or the reaction which causes desolation. This also shows it’s the foundation upon which the house is built determining the type of house. One can build a nice house, but build it on the sand, it will fail in the end.
David had his house, but his desire was to “dwell in the House of the Lord forever” (Ps 23:6). There is one House which will never be desolate, our goal is to reach the position where our entire existence on the earth is dedicated to the House of the Lord in heaven. God desires to Tabernacle with His Tabernacles, God is looking for Fellowship.
Jesus has the keys to the House of David, but the dedication of the House tells us much about its future. The House of David will bring the Knowledge of the Lord to the world, but there is an attitude within the House of David lacking in the House of Jacob, thus the Time of Comfort begins with the House of David spreading the knowledge of the Lord, but ends with the House of Jacob bringing sudden destruction. The House of David is not designed to bring the Grace of the Lord, or the Wisdom of God, or the New Birth, it’s designed to represent knowledge regarding the Mercy of the Lord, thus they will not deny the Name of Jesus as it relates to Mercy. It doesn’t mean they go about saying, “In the Name of Jesus”, it means they hold the least of the Commandments, the ones Jesus gave on the Mount of Olives, prior to the Cross and Resurrection. In our case we hold to the least Commandments, but we also have the addition of the Cross and Resurrection. We have the Spirit, but the 144,000 they will operate in Mercy, the same as the disciples did before the Cross, yet the 144,000 won’t heal, because no one will be sick, they won’t cast out devils, since the devil is bound, they won’t have great strength, but a little strength.
The House of David will be open when the Lord sets His hand a second time to recover the Remnant, then they will say “O Lord my God, I cried unto You, and You have healed me” (Ps 30:2). In Psalm 30:5 we find Weeping during the Night, but Joy in the morning. We use the verse indicating a time of Joy, which is true and correct, but it points to the Weeping in the Night, not the Day. The Joy was found in the Morning, not the Night.
In Psalm 30:7 we find the Mountain of the Lord, which is also a metaphor for Zion of the earth. In Isaiah 2:1-2 we read “The word Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. And it shall come to pass in the last days, the Mountain of the Lord’s House shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it”. This shows both Mountains and Hills in the last days, but not the isles. Jesus said the Gospel was to be preached in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and unto the uttermost part of the earth (Acts 1:8). He didn’t say we were to draw all men to Jerusalem, rather we draw mankind to Jesus. There are differences in the Seasons, thus we can’t mix them. In our Season we pull people from the Sea and bring clarity to the field, in the next Season the people will come to Jerusalem to hear the Knowledge of the Lord; however, among them will be the Synagogue of Satan who will worship at the feet of the sixth church, yet take over the seventh. Toward the end of the Time of Comfort the Knowledge will lay in the Street, proving “My people are destroyed for a lack of knowledge”.
The House of David will project the knowledge of the Lord, which is their goal, but not their attitude, rather their attitude is “To the end my glory may sing praise to You, and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks unto You forever” (Ps 30:12). The basic premise of Praise is to give Thanks unto God for all things; there are many times when the event calls for the Sacrifice of Praise. This precious attitude is lacking in the House of Jacob, they think they are rich and in need of nothing. In our case, if we take the attitude “I will praise God through it, but not for it”; we haven’t praised God at all. We have heard the slander of man against us: fear was on every side, they devised to take away our life, but we Trusted in the Lord, saying The Lord He is our God (Ps 31:13-14); pointing to the attitude of the Tents of Judah, which tents we are. The Lord will deliver us by His Righteousness, not by our self-righteousness (Ps 31:1). The Lord will bring a House of Defense in the Rock (Ps 31:2-3), upon the Rock we do stand, not under it.
Zion of the earth is the hill upon which Jerusalem of the earth is built; therefore, we can find why Jesus said, Upon the Rock He will build His Church. The correlation separates Jerusalem of earth from New Jerusalem, as well as Zion of the earth from the Zion of heaven. Zion of heaven is the Rock, we are part heavenly Zion. The first place we find the word Zion, it relates to a Stronghold, as David took the Stronghold (II Sam 5:7). Then we find Zion is a City (I Kings 8:1). Then Zion has a Daughter (II Kings 19:21), then we see Zion is a Mount (II Kings 19:31). The first four times we find the word Zion it refers to four different things, yet it’s the same Zion upon which the 144,000 are marked. The word Zion is the Hebrew Tsiyown meaning A permanent capital, it comes from the Hebrew Tsiyah meaning To perch or a Wilderness, it’s the latter meaning holding importance. God sees the City in the wilderness, yet the wilderness is miles from the City, yet we find Zion is the Wilderness for the City.
Other meanings derived from the root words for Zion are A sign, or A monumental pillar. Zion is not only noted as a City and Mount, but a Hill and Castle as well (I Chron 11:5, II Chron 5:2 & Ps 2:6). Why so many? Do they relate to something? Yes, it helps define the difference between a Mountain and a Mount. The metaphor Mountain means a Nation, but a Mount refers to the People of the nation, thus the Law of Moses was delivered from two Mounts; whereas, Jesus delivered the Blessings of Mercy from One. This shows Zion of the earth is established on the Sand of the Sea, with two aspects, blessing and cursing, but Zion of heaven is the Rock, with one aspect, Blessing. Mixing the two will end in polluting both.
The children left Egypt they were on their way to the Promised Land, but first they had to cross the Wilderness, thus the Wilderness was the Street between Egypt and the Promised Land. The paradox shows the Body as a Street between the world and the Church.
The city of Jerusalem is known as a she, thus the metaphor Zion would include the worshipping elders of the City. Therefore, we can have the City and the Mount in the same location, as well as the Mount known as the City, since the city is build on the mount, becoming part of it. We know the Rock will have “rocks” left behind, but the Church will not, since the Church becomes the Bride of Christ. Zion and Jerusalem of the earth are just the opposite, the 144,000 are marked on Zion, but they will see the abominations done in the temple in the city. The correlation sees the structures as the Mount upon which the City is built, the Temple within the City. Therefore, the 144,000 are seen as Pillars in the Temple, not Pillars in the Tabernacle. Why didn’t Jesus mark the 144,000 in the City? The City is the Woman, Jesus went to the foundation (Zion) to mark the 144,000. We find Jesus Standing on the Mount shows the purpose of the 144,000 is to make the enemies of Jesus His footstool, hardly our task. Won’t the Father actually make the enemies of Jesus His footstool? Yes, showing the 144,000 are Mercy motivated, they will not be privy to Grace. The Night will be the perfect example of the vessels of honor as the 144,000, and the beast out of the earth as the vessels of dishonor.
The name Abimelech is a metaphor itself, the name means “father of a king”, the Abimelech David knew, wasn’t the same one Abraham knew, obviously. When David came to the House of Abimelech he produced the Psalm regarding Doeg the Edomite (Psalm 52). Doeg the Edomite is a type and shadow of a wicked person who uses his tongue in an evil manner to get his own way, or to exalt himself. Doeg’s heart was set on doing evil, then calling it good. In reference to those who hold the Doeg mind, the Psalm shows God will “pluck you out of your dwelling place”, which shows God will move those with the Doeg mind from one house to another. Then we find the phrase “Lo, this is the man who made not God his strength” (Ps 52:7). This takes us to Isaiah 14:16 where we find Lucifer is a man, then “They who see you shall narrowly look upon you, and consider you, saying, Is this the man” (Isa 14:16). The phrase “shall narrowly look” is the Hebrew word Shagach meaning To glance at sharply, or Discern, connecting to the Tares who are discovered by the Servants of the House. When the Tare is exposed, the tongue of the Tare will come forth with slander, and deception.
What about Edom being a metaphor? Obadiah notes Edom as a her (Obadiah 1:1), thus the Edomite must also relate to the City. Obadiah also says Edom will be Cut off (Obadiah 1:5). The wording Cut Off is the Hebrew Dhamah meaning To lay waste, To be silent, To perish with a violent end. The prophet lays out a picture showing Edom will appear blessed, but God will search her heart, exposing the hidden things (Obadiah 1:6). This relates to the Seventh church in the Book of Revelation. Jesus tells the Laodiceans “Because you say, I am rich and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and know not you are wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind and naked” (Rev 3:17). The Laodiceans are an example of prospering, yet failing to prosper as ones soul prospers. Amos says there will be a Famine of hearing in the end (Amos 8:11), he also shows something very interesting about the Image of the Beast. Amos says, “They who swore by the sin of Samaria, and say, Thy God O Dan, lives; and the manner (way) of Beer-sheba lives; even they shall fall and never rise up again” (Amos 8:14). They will call the Image “God”, thus the trick of the Wicked is to bring an Image of the world into the temple calling it “God”. One of the tribes not mentioned in the New Testament list is Dan, here we find out why.
Malachi says Edom will say “We are impoverished, but we will return and build the desolate places”, but God says “They shall build, but I will throw down; and they shall call them The border of Wickedness, and, The people against whom the Lord has indignation forever” (Mal 1:4). This describes the Footstool, in our Season Jesus sits, but in the next He stands. We start at His footstool of rest, yet when He stands the footstool changes to one of vengeance.
Is Mount Zion the same as the Mountain of the Lord? The Mountain of the Lord was established on Sinai, but Paul said Sinai was akin to Hagar, go figure? How could the Mountain of the Lord be on Sinai? Sinai was in the wilderness, the place where Moses obtained the Ten Commandments and the Law. Ahh, the principality of the Law will be the yardstick of judgment in the end. The Law was the means used to balance the failure of doing the Ten Commandments, natural man assumes by Attempting to keep the Ten Commandments they have kept them. The Ten Commandments show man’s failure, not man’s success. The children in the wilderness proved it, they also knew no human being was capable of keeping the Commandments. The ego and self-reliant pride of man assumes many things, but fails at the doing. The Law of the Spirit is much different, the Ability is provided in the New Birth, what we couldn’t do, we find we can do: what we didn’t want to do, we find we no longer want to do.
Okay, Mount Sinai was in the wilderness, Mount Ebal is in the Promised Land, yet the Law came from them both. God gave Moses the Law on Sinai, but Moses commanded the Law be read to the people from Ebal (when they reached the Promised Land). This shows the Nation or Mountain of the Lord being established. The Hebrew word Ebal means To be bald, or Uncovered, it holds a Division between blessing and cursing while holding both (Deut 11:29). Horeb is also known as the Mountain of God (I Kings 19:8 & Ex 3:1). From this Mountain came the Law, the Commandments, also the image of the golden calf (Deut 5:15, 5:2, 9:8-12, I Kings 8:9 & Ps 106:19). If one was a legalist they would have hung Paul for making an equation between Hagar and the Mount, but we see the Law came from God because of the failure of the people to believe, not as a result of their faith or belief. Hagar was a symbol of the mother of the product of manipulation, the manipulation came as a result of testing God, testing God is a result of doubting in the ability of God to bring about His Promise, which produced the Law.
The word Sinai means Pointed, but Horeb means Desolate, with a root word meaning To destroy. Sinai was the place where the Law was presented, but it was associated with the Wilderness (Ex 16:1). The metaphor “mountain” means a Nation, thus the Nation of Israel was formed when Moses obtained the Law, but the Law is not all Israel is. The Law and Commandments are powers and principalities, they came from God, but they are not God. They were sent as Instructors to the nation Israel, but there were many other things making up the nation. One of the problems the Pharisees had was making the Law their god, then making it the god over God, or the god to define God. In the process they missed the Word made flesh walking among them.
We also find the Hill of God is Bashan (Ps 68:15), yet Bashan has Strong bulls who mock the Cross (Ps 22:12). The Kine of Bashan is related to the Mountain of Samaria (Amos 4:1). All this shows there are Mountains many, the premise of a “hill” points to a small mountain, meaning it’s also a principality, or an element within a larger element. Hills usually refer to things within the nation, for instance there is the hill of Bashan which belongs to God, but in the hands of man it became a place of idol worship. It didn’t change the ownership, rather it became a testimony against the “landlords”.
Mount Zion for the Born Again Believer is much different from the one the 144,000 are marked on. In Hebrews 12:22 we read, “But you are come unto Mount Sion (Zion), and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels”. Then Peter said, “”Behold, I lay in Sion (Zion) a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he who believes on Him shall not be confounded” (I Pet 2:5). We also find, “You also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ” (I Pet 2:6). Hebrews 12:22 shows two locations, one is heavenly Zion, the other Heavenly Jerusalem, thus we find New Jerusalem is the Church, heavenly Zion the Rock upon which the Church is built. The Zion of the earth wasn’t a stone of stumbling, but the Gospel is. This shows Jesus as the Christ of Mercy and Grace provided the Christ covering as the ability of the Rock. Christ is the Anointed, the Rock has the anointing. Jesus is the Body and Head, Zion the Body, the Church the Head. We are not the Body of Moses, or Elijah, or Peter, or Paul, or the candlestick maker, we are the Body of Christ, we Hear ye Him.
This is shown when Peter points out the Chief Corner Stone is a benefit to the Believer, then Peter adds “but unto them which be disobedient, the Stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner. And a stone of stumbling, and a Rock of offense, even to them which stumble at the Word, being disobedient (unbelieving): whereunto also they were appointed. But you are a chosen generation..” (I Pet 2:7-8). Here we find the Stone has two elements; benefiting the Believer, yet stumbling to the unbeliever. There are no unbelievers in heaven; therefore, Zion of heaven begins here on earth, it’s established by Jesus as the Son of man, then the Church is being built by Jesus as the Son of God.
How does this relate to the Rock? After all the verses seem to point to Jesus as the Rock of stumbling. Ahh, Christ in you the hope of glory, Greater is He in you, all showing many in the Body of Christ are Christ like by having the New Man, but we also know there are those who mind the flesh, and those who have crept in unawares. Far better to center on minding the Spirit, then minding the flesh.
When we obtain the Righteousness of Jesus, all other forms of righteousness become unrighteousness. When the Father forgave our sins, the power of sin to deceive us was reproved. When Jesus gave us the keys unto the saving of our souls, judgment was also presented to those who reject the keys. There was neither Salvation or Judgment on the earth until the Cross, thus we rightly Divide the Word, remembering which side is which.
Psalm 122 is called “Jerusalem”, but which one? Jerusalem of the earth, or New Jerusalem? Psalm 122 begins with “I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the House of the Lord” (Ps 122:1). David viewed this House as the Temple yet to be built, but John saw it much differently. The House of God is one of Mercy, the House of the Lord one of Grace. When we are taken from here in the Rapture, we will meet Jesus in the Air, then we move before the Throne of God. There we will be in absolute safety, while at the same time they on the earth will say Peace and Safety, then comes sudden destruction. Verse two shows the Gates of Jerusalem, to David this pointed to the actual gates in the wall around Jerusalem of the earth, but John pointed to the Gates in the Wall of New Jerusalem as the place for the twelve New Testament tribes of the Remnant. David also shows the tribes and the Testimony of Israel, not the Testimony of the Lord (Ps 122:4). Not all who call themselves Israel, are of Israel, the difference is found in those who “give thanks unto the Name of the Lord” (Ps 122:4). Then we find “for there are set thrones of judgment, the thrones of the House of David” (Ps 122:5). These are not thrones of Salvation, but of Judgment, pointing to the Night. The House of David is not one of Salvation, but Judgment, it contains those who will make the enemies of Jesus His footstool. Then we see “pray for the peace of Jerusalem”, but which one? Jesus said “Peace unto you”, we are New Jerusalem, the Bride who descends, thus we pray for our Peace to become evident, rather than a peace as the world knows.
In Isaiah 57:4-13 we see how the Wicked sport themselves against the people of God, their mouths are wide, they are children of Transgression, “a seed of falsehood”, which points to the word Disobedient (Isa 57:4). They did slay the children in the valleys under the clefts of the rocks (Isa 57:5). Their portion is among the “smooth stones of the stream”, but wait didn’t David use a smooth stone to kill Goliath? Yes, it’s the point. David caused a head wound by using the smooth stone; therefore, the inheritance of the Wicked comes when they join to the Head (authority) of the Beast who suffered the head wound.
In reference to Good Works we find there are evil works as well, the House of the Wicked has workers of iniquity (Ps 59:2). The same evil use of the tongue is found, as these workers “belch out with their mouth: swords are in their lips” (Ps 59:7). Wait, don’t we use the Sword of the Spirit? Yes, it’s the Rhema, not the swords of slander, deceit, cursing, unbelief, or fault finding.
We also find, “except the Lord build the House, they labor in vain who build it” (Ps 127:1). This doesn’t say they can’t build a house, truly they can, but one who builds his own house, yet still uses the Name of the Lord, does so in vain. Isn’t the Stone disallowed by the Builders? Before Jesus came mankind was left with the task of building on his own, Paul shows we are still builders, but thank God, not on our own. If Jesus builds the Church, what building could this refer to? The Body, the Foundation is laid, which foundation is Christ, let every man be careful how he builds, some with wood, hay and stubble (self-endeavors), others with gold, silver and precious stones (Spirit-endeavors).
Jesus told the Laodiceans “I counsel you to buy of Me Gold tried in the fire” (Rev 3:18). Does it mean Jesus has a “Bank of Heaven”? Hardly, it shows Gold as a metaphor, just as the Bride is seen as Clear Crystal. We can labor to build our own house, or become a Servant by following the commands of the Master Builder, the choice is ours, the result in the hand of God. Paul said “for we know if our earthly House of this Tabernacle were dissolved, we have a Building of God, a House not made with hands, eternal in the heavens” (II Cor 5:1). The word House is the Greek Oikia meaning A dwelling, relating to the whole of a deceased persons possessions. The word Building is the Greek Oikodome literally meaning The act of building something, equating to the word Edification. Zion in a metaphoric sense has the People who worship in Spirit and Truth, they are being formed into New Jerusalem. Can earthly Zion provide this? Hardly, the city of bondage sits on it, thus we come unto heavenly Zion, the Rock, in order to be New Jerusalem the city of Liberty and Freedom.
There are Day Watchers, and Night Watchers, we are of the Day, not the Night, but there are servants who Stand By Night in the House of the Lord, we are not them (Ps 134:1). Psalm 134 points to the Lesser Light of the Night, not the Greater Light of the Day, don’t mix houses, or Lights.
None of us build a house in one day, God didn’t build the House of Israel in one day, it took time. If the Lord builds the House, then the House must have some attitude it to identify the building process, purpose, and who built it. On the other hand, if the Wicked build their own house, there must be some identifying character to detect the house as well. The enemy attempts to switch builders and methods, but the servant of the Lord is able to discern the Tare from the Wheat.
The Book of Proverbs has many comparisons, the basic comparison is between the Wise and Foolish. The Book of James holds many Proverb concepts, pointing to the Wisdom of God as an active element of our faith. Jesus talked about the Ten Virgins, five of which were Wise, five of which were Foolish. All ten were virgins, defining the class, all had lamps defining authority, but only five had the Oil, defining Mercy by the Spirit. All ten were in the kingdom of heaven, five of the ten moved on the path obtaining the Spirit to enter the Kingdom of God. Being a virgin means one is not associated with idols, thus all ten were void of idol worship, the only difference was the Oil, thus a lamp without oil cannot shine. This also sounds like “one is taken, one is left”.
When God’s Wisdom enters into our heart, knowledge becomes pleasant unto our soul (Prov 2:10). This division shows without Wisdom one can have knowledge, but it won’t be Pleasant to the soul. Paul said We all have knowledge, but knowledge without love will puff (cause pride) up (I Cor 8:1-2). Paul also said faith without love ends useless, just as any aspect of God void of love fails in the end. Love keeps the gift in the proper area, as it keeps us with the proper attitude. A lack of love always ends in pride, meaning pride is the wrecking crew to the house. The potential to be a “virgin of God’s wisdom”, or become a “Strange woman” lays in our hands, we have the Keys.
In Proverbs 2:16 we have the Strange Woman, Strangers, and the House of the Strange Woman inclining to death, thus her paths all lead to dead (Prov 2:16-19). The wording “strange woman” is the Hebrew Zur meaning To bind up, To turn away, or To be a foreigner. This Strange Woman is noted in Proverbs as one within the City (courtyard), but she is one who binds; whereas, the Wise are those who Loose.
Within the House of the Strange Woman we find the Wicked, who shall be Cut Off from the Earth (Rock), then the Transgressors who shall be Rooted out of the Earth (Rock) (Prov 2:22). Jude said they are Plucked up, but his reference coupled with the reference here doesn’t mean the Wicked will be Raptured, rather it shows a shaking taking place removing their false sense of security. John sees them as the Beast out of the earth, showing they come from the Rock, but were not part of us.
This Strange Woman then has two groups within her house, the Wicked and the Transgressor. The word Wicked is the Hebrew Rasha meaning Lawless, or Apostate equating to the word Iniquity. The word Transgressor is the Hebrew Begad meaning To act covertly, or cover with a false garment, to deal deceitfully, or be unfaithful, it means more than one who is a sinner, rather this word would be akin to Paul’s comments regarding false apostle, or the self-transformed, who appear righteousness, but hold Satan within (II Cor 11:13-15). The wording “shall be cut off” in Proverbs 2:22 is the Hebrew Karath meaning To Cut off a part of the Body, in metaphoric context it refers to the Broken Body of Jesus at the Rapture. The wording “shall be rooted” is the Hebrew Nasach meaning To appoint, or consecrate, or to ratify a covenant, but with this we find the word Out in verse 22, showing these Transgressors were part of the Covenant with Roots, but they will be Uprooted. Jude referred to this by saying the false were, “without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots” (Jude 12).
Are these two elements, two different aspects from the same base? Yes, Paul called the son of perdition the Man of Sin yet to come, yet he said the Iniquity was already at work. John said there was one spirit of antichrist, but many antichrists, thus this Strange Woman has strangers. This also shows how the Strange Woman will come against evil, not because she knows evil is opposed to God, rather she is deceptive as she uses evil against evil, yet calls it good. This same attitude was found in the Pharisees, who attacked Jesus for casting out devils, but they were of their father the devil, they feared the demonic realm, talked against it, yet were in it. There couldn’t be a Strange Woman until Wisdom came to Build her own House, thus the Strange Woman is the counterfeit of the Bride of Christ. The Strangers are the workers of the Strange Woman, they are the counterfeit of the Workers of the Harvest, thereby making them Workers of Iniquity, attempting to wreck the faith of many.
Since we find the Wisdom of God is the opposite of this Strange Woman, what would the Strange Woman use? The wisdom of man, which is earthly and natural, it’s the mother of strive, division and bitter envying, it’s the wisdom the old man uses; James said it was earthly (lacks heavenly virtues), sensual (soulish), and devilish (James 3:14-16). The Strange Woman thinks naturally, spiritual things are foolishness to her, stolen water (mercy) is sweet to her, and bread eaten is secret is pleasant (Prov 9:16-17).
The curse of the Lord is in the House of the wicked: but His blesses the habitation of the Just, yet the Just live by Faith (Prov 3:33 & Heb 10:38-39). If the curse is in the House of the Wicked, what do we think they will use? The curse of course, thus showing the Wicked go about cursing as they seek fault to exalt themselves, or promote their fables, yet in their zeal to find error, they become the error. They assume man is the enemy, they fear governments, they fear icons, they fear the demonic; much of their time is spent fighting demons, but using the works of the devil to do so. If the devil is ego centered and pride motivated, what does he desire? Attention? Yes, anyway he can get it, when we spend more time in conversations with the devil, then we do the Lord, we’re giving the devil exactly what he desires. Nonetheless, if we change and give God the glory, as we “mind the Spirit”, we are well on our way to full victory.
Surely the Lord will scorn the scorners, but He gives Grace unto the Lowly (Humble Prov 3:34). The word Scorn and Scorners comes from the same Hebrew word, which is Luts meaning To mock, the word includes the phrase “to make mouths at”; therefore, it relates to the one who slanders, mocks, or talks evil about things they know nothing about. There is no evil in God, how then can God bring Scorn? God doesn’t produce the Scorn, rather it’s directed toward God, thus God rejects it, sending a test back to the person. We see the Bible is a place of division as well, the Word in us is dividing for us, so we can see hindering elements in order to be rid of them, to be free indeed.
If we have the Mind of Christ this same benefit of Godly warfare rests with us, it’s not giving back to the Slanderer evil for evil, rather we simply can’t receive their folly, meaning it returns to them. This is the reason Paul told us not to render evil for evil, this also connects to Numbers 14:28 where God said “as you have spoken in My ears, so will I do to you”. Speak faith, hope and love, God will do unto us, speak slander, strife and envy, and it returns, shaken together and running over.
On the other hand, Wisdom is the principal thing, therefore get Wisdom: with all your getting get understanding. Exalt her, and she will promote you: she shall bring you honor, when you do embrace her (Prov 4:7-8). How do we Exalt Wisdom? By the works of our Faith, as our Faith works, Wisdom comes forth, as Wisdom comes forth, we gain in the experience. Rather than talk about Wisdom with one side of our mouth, while cursing man with the other, we become of the one Mind of Christ. Wisdom is also noted as a she, but we also find she is like a Tree of Life to them who lay hold upon her, happy (blessed) is everyone who retains her (Prov 3:18). We have two elements noted as a she, one is Wisdom, the other the Strange Women; is Wisdom the Spirit? Is this the Attitude to the Character of Christ in us dealing with people and events? The just live by faith, if any man lack Wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives liberally and upbraids not, but let him ask in faith (James 1:5-6). What would this Wisdom do? The Wisdom from God is pure, peaceable, gentle, easy to be entreated, full of mercy, and good fruits, but void of partiality and hypocrisy (James 3:17). The result of God’s Wisdom is the ability to hold the Fruit of Righteousness, so we can sown Peace in the hearts of them who make Peace with God, thereby allowing us to deal with people and events in a Godly manner (James 3:18). Peace will not come to us, unless we by Faith take on the attitude of Peace. There are some who begin wars just to fight, the Wicked cause wars, they bring division, strife and envy, they are carnal, yet claim to be Godly. Faith comes by hearing, the hearing by the Word (Rhema), and we are told “Hear Me now therefore, O you children, and depart not from the Words of My mouth. Remove your Way far from her (Strange Woman), come not near the Door of her House: lest you give your honor unto others, and your years unto the cruel: lest Strangers be filled with your wealth: and your labors be in the house of a Stranger” (Prov 5:8-10). Here is an event most face, God has moved in their life, they tell someone, then get mocked, or ridiculed. Jesus said man does not live by Bread alone, but by every Word (Rhema) proceeding from the Mouth of God. The word Honor in is the Hebrew Hod meaning Glory, or the Honor coming from the Glory. The Hebrew word Hod is not found in other Semitic languages, rather it’s unique to the Hebrew speaking people only, it’s used to describe the Olive Tree in Hosea 14:6, but the greater usage is attributed to God, or His Glory. Another situation, we give Mercy by the Olive Tree in us, but are mocked by the Wicked. The premise of giving Mercy and having it return shaken together, doesn’t mean the person we give the Mercy to, will return it. Rather when we need it, then it comes shaken together and running over.
Where is our Hope? Jesus said, He who enters by the Door of the Sheepfold will not hear the Voice of Strangers (Jn 10:1-5). The Voice of the Strangers comes from the Strange Woman, producing earthly, sensual and devilish wisdom, but God speaks from the Tree of Life, bringing about His Wisdom by the Spirit, we win in the end.
The Wisdom of God will mingle her Wine, which means to mix the Water and Blood, thus it’s not the Water alone, but the mixture of the Water (Mercy) and Blood (Grace Prov 9:2). The house of the Strange Woman has a Way as well, but it’s the Way to hell (Prov 7:27). However, Wisdom has built her own House, and has hewn out her Seven Pillars (Prov 9:1). The wording “has hewn out” is the Hebrew Chatsab meaning To cut or Carve from wood or stone, also it points to Division, it’s connected to the Hebrew Chatsah meaning To cut into two halves, or separate into two things, while coming from one thing. This shows the Seven churches are divided into two groups, yet they are Hewn Out, or formed for their time. The division gives us five for the Day, and two for the Night, showing the Seven Pillars are the Seven churches. The five relate to the Grace Season, then the last to will have the Law and Prophets to make the enemies of Jesus His footstool. The context shows Wisdom has called the Pillars done, thus Wisdom has called something a not to us, as a were. The last two already have the “work” complete for the Night, thus when the Spirit goes, the works God completed in Genesis will then come into play.
From the Strange Woman to the Foolish Woman (Prov 9:13), which is a direct correlation to the five foolish virgins. What attitude does the foolish woman have? She sits at the Door of her house, on a Seat in the high places, not the Highest. Paul said the place where spiritual wickedness is committed is the high places, it’s where we find the Strange Woman (Eph 6:12). The Strange Woman never makes it to the Highest of all, she sits above the world, but still uses the ways of the world. She steals the mercy of others, never giving any, she hides in the Bread, thinking she is not detected (Prov 9:13-14). She calls to passengers who are going on the Right Way, or those who have Ways, thus her targets are not those in the world, but those in the kingdom. She uses like terms as Wisdom; Wisdom says “whose is simple, let him turn in hither: as for him that wants understanding, she says unto him,” (Prov 9:4). The foolish woman says “Whoso is simple, let him turn in hither, and as for him who wants understanding, she says to him” (Prov 9:16). This is where the division is discerned; Wisdom promises one thing, the foolish another. Putting them together we find the differences:
WISDOM – PROVERBS 9:5
“Come, eat of my bread, and drink of the wine which I have mingled.”
FOOLISH – PROVERBS 9:17
“Stolen waters are sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant.”
The Foolish steals the mercy from others, uses the mercy against the person who gave it, yet in the end they find Mercy was the element Jesus will judge them by. They keep themselves hidden behind the mask of righteousness, when they want God to do something, they put on their mask of holiness thinking they have fooled God and us. When one takes of the foolish woman’s suggestion, they are dead, but claim life, all her guests are in the depths of hell (Prov 9:18).
Proverbs 9:14 shows the foolish woman sitting at the door to her house, thus she is a counterfeit porter, thinking she is the Holy Ghost, she is self-deceived into thinking God gave her the Body of Christ, assuming she is the Head, clearly she has a Lucifer mind, yet claims to have the mind of Christ. These are they who fit, “spiritual wickedness in high places”, the same attitude we fight not to become by asking for and walking in God’s Wisdom by the Spirit.
Why seek God’s Wisdom? A wise son makes the Father glad, but a foolish son is the heaviness of his mother (Prov 10:1). The word heaviness is the Hebrew Tuwdah meaning A grief, it comes from the Hebrew Yugah meaning To cause grief, but which Mother does this metaphorically refer to? New Jerusalem, the mother of us all. How can we call her “Mother”, yet cause her grief? Paul told us corrupt words grieve the Holy Spirit, thus when we use corrupt words, they are coming from the wrong source.
The foolish hold treasures of wickedness, but the Righteousness of Jesus delivers us from death (Prov 10:2). The Way of the Lord is strength to the Upright: but destruction shall be to the workers of iniquity (Prov 10:29). The mouth of the Just brings forth Wisdom: but the forward tongue shall be cut out (Prov 10:31). The Just still live by Faith, yet Faith comes by Hearing, as the Hearing by the Word (Rhema). The phrase “shall be cut out”, could also read “shall be cut off”, it’s the Hebrew Karath, which we saw prior. The wicked are overthrown, they are not: but the House of the Righteous shall stand (Prov 12:7).
Water being a metaphor for Mercy, also shows there is a type of water void of Mercy, introducing the metaphor Bitter Water. Therefore, leave off contentions, before it be meddled with (Prov 17:14). We allow Rivers of Living Water to flow from us, but here we find A crack in the vessel produces a leak downward, not a flowing over the top, thus strife, envy and division produce cracks allowing our Anointing of Mercy to dissipate. We heal the cracks by giving more Mercy, thus Mercy is a healer, for us and others. If the cracks are not cared for, the vessel becomes one of dishonor, causing a root of bitterness to spring up, producing bitter waters. The Water depends on the vessel, if the vessel is one of dishonor, it’s incapable of holding living water.
The Wicked do rob, not our material possessions, rather they are out to steal our Mercy by producing strife, contention, or words sent to make us angry to the point of retaliation. However, the robbery of the wicked shall destroy them; because they refuse to do Godly judgment, which is Mercy based (Prov 21:7). A wise man will scale the city of the Mighty casting down the strength of the confidence thereof (Prov 21:22). Paul said “casting down imaginations” is part of our warfare (II Cor 10:4). How does one become a Wise Man? By the Wisdom of God, thus Wisdom is one of the weapons of our warfare. Do our weapons include slander? Deceit? Trickery? Anger? Hardness? No, James shows our Weapons are Pure, Peaceable, Gentle, Easy to be entreated (teachable), Full of Mercy, and Good fruits, without Partiality, and without Hypocrisy (James 3:17). By Wisdom the House is built, by Understanding (experience) it is established (Prov 24:3).
If Wisdom builds the House, where is it built? Right after Jesus spoke on those who will come to Him and say “Lord, Lord haven’t we”, He points to the person who builds their House (Matt 7:21-24). It’s not just hearing, but the doing; but didn’t these Lord, Lord people do things? Yes, they cast out devils, gave prophecy, and did many wonderful works, all in the Name of Jesus; what then does Jesus mean when He says, “hears these sayings of Mine, and do them”? The Sayings of Jesus prior were all based in Mercy, a Way, thus it’s not the Acts we judge, but the Fruit or Ways. Those who hear will build upon Mercy; Grace does her own building.
If you Walk in Mercy, you walk in Love covering a multitude of sins, thus Love is seen in a variety of ways. Jesus rebuked Peter and the others when they made ungodly statements, thus He corrected them when they were wrong, but Loved them all. Love is not going to allow someone to continue on the wide road of destruction in their self-deceived notion it’s the narrow path of Righteousness.
All the houses are subject to the rain, floods, and winds, but the Wise build on The Rock, the Foolish on The Sand. Ahh, the metaphors Rock showing Christ, and the Sand showing the nation established on the Law of Moses, which is a principality for those still subject to the fall nature. Both the Law of the Moses and the Law of the Spirit were given by God, but remember it’s not who gave the law, but to whom it was intended making the difference.
This brings us to the word Built, which is the same Greek word used in reference to both locations. The word Built is the Greek Oikodomeo meaning To build, it was the same word used by Jesus when He said He would Build the Church upon the Rock. Paul uses the Greek word Sunoikodomeo in Ephesians 2:22, the addition of the Greek word Sun shows a cooperation process, thus Paul says, “in whom you also are built together for a habitation of God through the Spirit”. Paul’s comments reflect to the Body of Christ having a Foundation, yet still needing a building by the Spirit (Eph 2:20-21). This is clearly a process, but here Paul says the foundation is the apostles and prophets, but Jesus said The Rock, but we also know the prophets delivered Doctrine, the apostles gave us Commandments connecting to First Corinthians 12:28. Without the Prophet delivering Doctrine, or the Commandments we have no stability, we will then make up our own doctrines or commandments giving birth to a cult.
Paul said “according to the Grace of God which is given unto me, as a Wise Masterbuilder, I have laid the Foundation, and another builds thereon. But let every man take heed how he builds thereon” (I Cor 3:10). The wording “build thereon” is the Greek Epoikodomeo meaning To edify or Build, thus showing we build by building others in the Lord. Something the Corinthians failed to do, although they themselves were edified by Paul. The Corinthians received, but refused to give, they were exposed by their words, as words are the fruit identifying the tree (source). Paul knew by their words they were carnal, divided, paying too much attention to the winds of doctrine, yet little or no attention to the areas of importance. Their debates over baptized them was the biggest clue, baptism is important, but the one who baptized us doesn’t make ours any better than another, it’s knowing why we were baptized.
Now the Door to the House and the Window, if we are the House then the blessing must flow from us. Isaac was a blessing in and of himself; therefore, surely we can be blessings in and of ourselves. If we walk by the Spirit our very presence will be a blessing, a pillar of Peace in a world of war, a tower of Hope, where there is no Hope, a structure of Mercy where there appears none. Mercy grants us Blessings, but when we give Mercy we become a Blessing.
Is this concept seen in the Shadow? Yes, Elijah and the widow woman show us how we can be a blessing. The prophet was told the ravens would bring him Bread and Flesh in the Morning and Evening (I Kings 17:4-6). This shows how God can provide in both Seasons, even if He has to use the Birds to do it. The prophet had the experience of a creation supplying to an anointed servant, then God told him “I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain you” (I Kings 17:9). Did the woman meet the prophet and say “The Lord has told me to take care of you”? No, she had no idea it was commanded, but the prophet did. When the prophet found the widow woman she was seeking sticks (wood, hay and stubble), but the prophet told her “Fetch me, I pray you, a little water in a vessel so I may drink” (I Kings 17:10). We know Water is a metaphor for Mercy, here the widow obeyed showing her mercy, then she was granted Mercy. It was her first test, in the doing, she gained strength to believe. She was then told to bring a Morsel of Bread in her hand; Bread is a metaphor for the Body, which is also linked to Mercy. This time she said “I have not a cake, but a handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse” (I Kings 17:12). She was ready to die, she only had a little of what it takes, a little Oil and a little meal, thus she was out gathering wood, hay and stubble; what then was her attitude? She assumed she was going to die, thus showing wood, hay and stubble all relate to an attitude of death; however the prophet knew something most of us forget. The prophet told her “Fear not, go and do as you have said, but make me thereof a little cake first” (I Kings 17:13). Oh the conceit of the man, oh the self-based thinking, this widow has enough for her and her son, yet this man has the gall to say “feed me first”. It wasn’t conceit or self-based thinking, but a Mystery. Giving the prophet the best she had was going to open the blessing. If she would have said “no, I will give my son first, then me, and you a little”, she would have died. We want to be blessed, but forget “give to the prophet first”. God will send the prophet to us, but for many of us we stick them in the lowest place, feed them scraps, then complain because we’re not blessed. Whatsoever a person sows, they shall reap. Here we find the prophet knew in order for the widow woman to enter the commandment “to sustain you”, the woman had to give first. The evidence? Not only did this widow woman and her son live, they went into the Oil business.
There is an allegory between Saul the Pharisee, and Paul the Apostle, which helps explain the change made by the New Birth. In the Old Testament the word Blessing was the Hebrew Barak meaning to Bless, or to Curse, depending on the usage (I Kings 21:10, 21:13 & Job 1:5). This Hebrew word also held a close association to kneeling in order to receive a blessing (Gen 24:22-27, II Chron 6:13 & Ps 95:6). It was also used in reference to greeting another person with benevolence (I Sam 28:25 & II Kings 4:19); however, as we saw, it also held the idea of the cursing. In the New Testament the word Blessing is the Greek Eulogeo meaning To speak well, referring to God speaking well of us, as we speak well of others, it’s always void of cursing, condemning or belittling. In the Old Testament it depended on the usage, in the New it depends on the character of the person. James tells us the tongue is a deadly thing, it blesses God one second, then curses man the next, it’s a direct reference to the Old Testament. James’ point? The tongue cannot be saved, the person must be saved, filled with the Spirit, have Wisdom coupled to their faith in order to guide the tongue. Saul the Pharisee felt he was going to be blessed for eliminating the Christian from the land, but found his course was not Godly in nature at all. Paul the Apostle centered on being a blessing, by blessing others with the Good News. The difference between the two men is character and nature, the nature brought the character change by the New Birth. Being religious is not the answer, being Christ Like is. Saul was religious, Paul Born Again.
Jesus used many metaphors and allegories, some of the metaphors ended being allegories. Perhaps the most used by Jesus were the metaphors Tree, and Seed, at times He used the simple reference “tree”, other times He defined what type of tree He was talking about. The Fig Tree and the Olive Tree are two completely different trees with two completely different fruits. The fig tree has two fruits, for two seasons, but the olive tree only has one. If one transplants a fig tree it will bloom again, but if one transplants an olive tree, it will not produce fruit again. The first fruits of a fig tree are being prepared for the second fruit, but the first fruit are really useless as food. The second fruit grows into the first, but if the first fruit is corrupt, so will be the second. If the first fruit of the fig tree is removed, there is no second fruit. When Jesus noted how the Fig Tree would have no more fruit, or second fruit it was a blessing for the Remnant.
The Olive Tree is a different story, the olive berries picked from the tree are uneatable, they will make you sicker than a dog (another metaphor). The olives have to soaked in lye in order to prepare them, in order to make oil, the olives must be squeezed in a press. The word Gethsemane relates to this, thus to get the fruit from the Fig Tree all one needs to do is wait for the second fruit, but to get the anointing from the olives takes a process. The Olive Tree is a symbol of the Anointing on the Body of Christ, thus we use Olive Oil, not the Old Testament anointing oil. We are not attempting to dedicate something to the Tabernacle, we are representatives of the Mercy of the Lord.
There are other parts to a Tree as well, the leaves are important. Jesus told the Parable of the Fig Tree, as the Leaves, not the fruit would come forth in the latter days. The leaves of the Fig Tree represent a covering, but the leaves of the Tree of Life produce healing of the nations (Rev 22:2).
There is the Trunk of the tree, the element supporting the branches of the tree, but without the roots the trunk would fall. The roots are the unseen, yet they determine the ability for the tree to stand. Jesus told us people fail because they have no root, but does it mean they have to eat a tree? No, it points to the Foundation, the established foundation in the person. The seed is planted, the roots must grow first, in order for the tree to stand.
Since there are various trees, it also stands one can’t put figs on an olive tree, or olives on a fig tree, neither should one expect to see olives on a fig tree, or figs on an olive tree. There needs to be a tree change, in order to bring about a change in the fruit. When Jesus said “either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit”, did it mean we had to go out and buy a tree? (Matt 12:22). No, it means we need something of God in us to bring about the change. Jesus didn’t say “its fruit”, but He did say “his fruit”, showing the Tree has a nature based on a character, thus attempting to change ourselves into the New nature is self-transformed, a failure in the making. We must have a new heart to produce a new tree.
In the Book of Revelation the Tree of Life is on either side of the Street, connecting to the River of Life, which is Crystal clear, the metaphor Crystal in the Book of Revelation points to the Bride (Rev 21:10-11). The River of Life flows from the Throne to the Born Again believer, connecting heaven to us by the Witness (Rev 22:2). The Tree of Life is seen in two places at the same time, the Street is the place between places, thus the Tree of Life connects the Record as the place where the River flows to the Witness in us where it becomes Living Water. Man was removed from the Garden, not the Garden from man. When we are Born Again we enter Life, the Tree of Life is seen in us as the Spirit producing Life more Abundantly. The Record is the Father, Word and Holy Ghost, the Witness is the Water, connecting to the Mercy of the Father, the Blood connecting to the Grace of the Word, and the Holy Ghost connecting to the Spirit, joined by the Tree of Life with the River of Life giving us Life so we might have it more abundantly.
Before the throne of God there is Crystal, so did God have a party? Or go into selling Crystal? No, the metaphor Crystal points to the Bride, thus the Bride has Rivers of Living Water, all pure, honest, no masks or facades (Rev 21:10-11). Hanging a crystal around our neck doesn’t make us the Bride, having the Spirit does. Crystal is Pure, the first attribute for the Wisdom of God is Pure.
The leaves of the Fig Tree are for covering, not healing. In the latter days the Remnant will be those leaves, but there will still be no fruit on the Tree. The Wicked are wild olives, they will attempt to transplant their wild olives on the fig tree, to bring about figs under their control, they will fail, bringing about sudden destruction.
What would happen to the Remnant if the same old Fig Tree produced the same old corrupt fruit during the Night? The Remnant wouldn’t have a chance, whether 144,000, 144 or 14, they would be in a winless situation. However, if there is no fruit, yet the leaves remain as a covering of Mercy, showing God’s mercy endures forever, whether in the Day or Night, they will be able to stand in the face of adversity.
The wilderness areas of God is a place we all face, but when we’re in a wilderness, or when Jesus was in the wilderness does it mean we’re stuck in some Egypt? Or does it mean a place of training between places? It’s a place of training and victory, but do we know there is more than one wilderness? There are 21 different types of wilderness experiences, yet not all pertain to the wilderness the children went through. We will list these wildernesses in the order they appear in the Bible. The word Wilderness comes from the Hebrew Midbar meaning A wilderness, but it also means Mouth, or Speech, in the wilderness we gain New Tongues from Mercy, and Unknown Tongues from the Spirit enabling us to speak from a different source, relating to “by your words you are justified, or by your words you are condemned”. Our wilderness experiences are moving us from the world deeper into the Promise, each wilderness removes some hindering. Rejoice you of the heavens, without the wilderness experiences we wander aimlessly.
1. The first place we find a Wilderness is in Genesis 14:6, it relates to rebellion (Gen 14:4); therefore, the wilderness will expose and bring a place where rebellion can be conquered.
2. The next Wilderness is Beer-Sheba (the well of oath), bringing about a division (Gen 21:14 & 21:31-33). We can go through more than one wilderness at a time, or one at a time; in each case we have the children in the wilderness as our guide to what not to do (praise the Lord).
3. The wilderness of Paran (cavernous) points to the Hagar and Ishmael experience (Gen 21:21). This wilderness will expose the many Ishmaels we brought about, giving us the opportunity to cast out the woman and her son.
4. The wilderness of the Red Sea (Blood-world, or the place to divide us from the world into the Blood – Ex 13:18). This is where the Spirit will lead us into the wilderness to fortify our love for God.
5. The wilderness of Sur (a fort) is the one where the Water seemed to be lacking, but was found in the Rock, this wilderness brings the Living Water to the surface (Ex 15:22).
6. The wilderness of Sin (Clay) is the place of murmuring, or the place where we learn the danger of murmuring (Ex 16:1).
7. The wilderness of Sinai (pointed) becomes the wilderness of decision. It was here God said “If you will obey” (Ex 19:1-5).
8. The wilderness of Zin (thorn) develops the Witness by exposing and vacating us of the false witness (Numb 13:21).
9. The wilderness of Beth-Aven (House of vanity) will expose and destroy pride (Joshua 18:12).
10. The wilderness of Judah (praise) where the Children of Judah learn to praise and worship the Lord (Judges 1:16).
11. The wilderness of Ziph (Flowing) builds the tower of safety by bringing down the stronghold of the carnal mind (I Sam 23:14).
12. The wilderness of Maon (habitation) is the point of division between the Saul (prince) nature and the David (king) nature, allowing us to leave the Saul nature behind (I Sam 23:24).
13. The wilderness of En-gedi (fountain of a kid) teaches us the protection of the prophet’s cave (I Sam 24:1), relating to the cave of Elijah, wherein we learn our calling as we hear the Voice of the Lord, rather than the noises of destruction.
14. The wilderness of Gibeon (pertaining to a hill – Joshua 9:3) is the place where deception stops, both from us, and toward us (II Sam 2:24).
15. The wilderness of Damascus (activity) is the place of anointing, it was on the Road to Damascus where Saul (Paul) found the Anointed One (I Kings 19:15 & Acts 9:3-19).
16. The wilderness of Edom (Red or Esau – Gen 36:8) is the place where presumption is exposed, allowing us to define the difference between presumption and faith (II Kings 3:8).
17. The wilderness of Jeruel (founded by God) is the place where we learn to Stand: when we have done all to Stand, we are more than ready to Stand some more (II Chron 20:16).
18. The wilderness of Tekoa (sound of the trumpet) is the place of battle, the place where Belief is secured in our heart (II Chron 20:20).
19. The wilderness of Kadesh (consecrated) is the place where the Voice (Word) of the Lord shakes all that can be shaken (Ps 29:8).
20. The wilderness of Horeb is the place where self-pity is exposed, as the place where we find God is our Provider (I Kings 19:4-8).
21. The wilderness of Jesus is the place where we defeat the works of the devil (Matt 4:1, Mark 1:12 & Luke 4:1).
It may surprise us to find Zion, and the holy cities are termed as a wilderness (Isa 64:10), thus the Woman and Zion are in the wilderness when the 144,000 are marked.
This allows us to revisit the Anointing, Jesus didn’t say “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me so I can be blessed”, nor did He say “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, so I’m a child of God”, rather each area of the Anointing pointed to Jesus doing something for others (Luke 4:18-19). The Rock is established to help others, which is the purpose of the anointing on the Body. Yet, there are many organizations seeking to help others, who are not established on the Rock. Feeding the poor is a ministry open to anyone at any time, whether in the Body or not. However, baptism by water, the New Birth, the spiritual nature are only for those in the Body of Christ.
The natural mind of man will do all sorts of things they consider “good”, but they always have some self-motive, self-glory, self-promotion, or desire to look holy before man, or to have others talk about their goodness. We in the Body don’t use the ways of the world (at least we’re not suppose to), we are motivated by the Holy Spirit as we give God the glory.
The Spirit of the Lord came for a specific reasons:
(1) Preach the Gospel to the Poor,
(2) to Heal the brokenhearted,
(3) to Preach deliverance to the captives,
(4) and Recovering of sight to the blind,
(5) to set at Liberty them who are bruised, and
(6) to Preach the acceptable year of the Lord (Luke 4:18-19).
None of these say “to force them to receive”, nor do we see one word regarding the Curse, rather the Anointing came to Bless. Did Jesus preach to the Poor? Yes, Blessed are the Poor in Spirit. He also Healed the Brokenhearted by providing us the saving of the soul. The deliverance of the captives included anyone held by the prince of the power of the air, as well as the captives taken captive. Some of these things came about as a result of the Cross and Resurrection, as long as we have the Spirit Christ is on the earth.
The phrase “to preach the Gospel” is one Greek compound word Euaggelizo meaning To evangelize, it’s not the same as the Office of Evangelist, rather as we found the context means one who speaks in public regarding the Gospel. One can evangelize without being an Evangelist, just as one can prophecy without being a Prophet. There is no office or calling for a “Preacher”, we’re all Preachers in the Lord. This is seen in the use of a compound word found in Luke 4:18-19, which is the Greek Aggelos meaning An angel or Messenger, defining why Stephen had the Face of an Angel, he spoke as a Messenger of God. Stephen was not an Evangelist, or Pastor, but he nonetheless preached.
The other two uses of the word Preach in Luke 4:18-19 come from the Greek word Kerusso meaning To proclaim. Within Luke 4:18-19 we find six things, but in essence we also find the area of Preaching deliverance and recovery of sight as one area.
All these factors come as a result of the character of the Son of man which consisted of:
1) the Obedient Son full of Faith,
2) the Acceptance by the Father,
3) the Anointing,
4) the Holy Ghost and Spirit
5) and the Power of Christ.
None of these things call for an “office” they relate to anyone who is Born Again. This was a New Thing, it opened an area to change the entire course of things. John tells us the New Commandment isn’t New, yet it is. Before Faith came by Jesus the ability to do the Commandment was not available to man, but after Jesus came the ability was presented to man. God winked in times past, but the time of winking ceased for the Season of the Day. The premise is found in one statement, “God so love the world, He sent His only Begotten Son”. When Jesus came it was based on Love, not duty, yet Mercy connects to Love, Love to the Light, Light to Life, Life to Grace.
Understanding metaphors opens many verses, one is Psalm 50:10 where we read, “For every beast of the forest is Mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills”. The Hebrew word for Cattle used here is Behemouth meaning a Hippopotamus, or Nile-horse. What is a Hippo doing on a hill? A “fish out of water”? The word is connected to another Hebrew word showing the Beast is Mute, or unable to speak. In this reference it means these Cattle are unable to praise God, since they are in a place they should not be, but they nonetheless belong to God. Even the “beast of the forest” is among the Trees, yet it too belongs to God. We do not mold vessels of honor or dishonor, the vessel regardless of its type still belongs to God. How can a vessel mold another vessel? Our concern is the molding process being done on us; therefore, Jesus told Peter, “what do you care what I do with him, you follow Me”. The context goes with “Offer unto God thanksgiving; and pay your Vows unto the Most High” (Ps 50:14). Instead of looking about to find what is wrong with others, we offer Thanksgiving, paying the Vow of Mercy, be a Blessing.
Psalm 50:10 has nothing to do with God filling our bank account, it has to do with those who have wandered away, either by their choice, or by trickery. Psalm 50 also connects to the Day, and what appears to be God’s silence in judgment during the Day, as we read, “When you saw a thief, you consented with him, and have been a partaker of adulterers. You give your mouth to evil, and your tongue framed deceit. You sit and speak against your brother, you slander your own mother’s son. These things have you done, and I kept silence; you thought I was altogether such an one as yourself: but I will reprove you, and set them in order before your eyes” (Ps 50:18-21). The context is “will reprove you”, a future tense promise, thus as Paul told the Corinthians, it may appear as you are getting away with your deceit, but a price will have to be paid if they don’t repent.
Allegories are considered abstract ideas in the form of symbolic characters, events, or objects, but within we find something not Abstract, but gives us insight to the phrase “Greater is He in you”. If the Greater He is in us, than the Greater He must have a Nature, Character and Attitude, those attributes must come to us in some form not of us. Whenever God places “he” or “she” on an element, He is showing they have a character, or identifying elements. The old man has a character, earthly, sensual, devilish, self-based motivated, but still a character. The New Man also has a character, Christ in nature, full of good fruits, based in Love, Mercy, Grace, Faith, Hope, and centered on Salvation. Also we must consider the uses of masculine, neuter, and feminine, as they relate to position, authority and purpose, or we will not understand the difference between the Holy Ghost and Holy Spirit.
Since Grace and Salvation are for us, it stands we must make the decisions in the matter of the Keys granted to us. We are told to put off the old man, and put on the New, yet we are also told to bind the strongman There must be a method God has established to accomplish this, there is, the method points to the metaphors Binding and Loosing, and the understanding of the metaphor “Seed of God”. It’s vital for us all to understand when we were in the world it was not the “real” us, neither is the world “real” it’s the biggest façade of all. The first thing we have to understand is how God didn’t make us self-based, the old man did. The Real Us is only found when we are Born Again, never think for one second we can’t change, we are born into this world to be changed by the New Birth into who we are suppose to be. We will only find out “who we are”, by the Spirit. When clarity comes we will say, “I don’t know who I am”, we never knew, the old man gave us a bill of goods, we bought it and formed our souls around the flesh. It then becomes time to put those carnal thought processes away, as we enter the place of the Greater He. So, if the New Man is the Greater He, who is He Greater than? The he in the world, the old man, all those deeds and methods attached to the old man. The old man uses feelings, the feeling of pride, being superior, never wrong, or the complete opposite, self-pity, a feeling of worthlessness, yet either side lacks Truth. The natural mind cannot understand spiritual matters, because of the façade of darkness. We put off the old man by putting our mind on the Spirit, the closer to the Spirit we become, the further from the old man we travel.
The New Man began as the Seed, or Word in us. Jesus used one type of Seed to explain the Word being planted in us. However, why did Jesus use the seed of a plant? Why not the seed of an animal? Even the slowest of man knows the reproduction process of a cow. This mystery goes back to Genesis chapter one, showing the methodology God uses. God created and called forth certain Seeds they didn’t need another partner other than the ground to produce, yet all those equated to “living creatures”, thus the “life” was in the seed. God had a plan wherein we as nothing could receive something, the Life we needed was part of the something we gained. The life was not in us, we were sold under death, thus Life, Grace, and the Ability were all in the Seed, we became the Ground.
Did the Ground have a responsibility? Yes, the Ground has the duty to do the least of the Commandments of Mercy to prepare the Ground for the unhindered growth of the Seed. We find the Ingress Aires before Pentecost as the prerequisite for “receive ye the Holy Ghost”, confirming the importance of Mercy.
The Seed of any plant is akin to the Parable Jesus used regarding the Word growing in us, thus the Parable is based on a fact to explain a Truth. The Herb seed, or better the Seed with life in itself has five products, the Seed Coat, the Epicotly of Embryo, the Hypocotly of Embryo, the Cothledon, and the Hilum. To see the method of Growth take place we can see how the dead Seed has to be placed in the Ground, then certain elements must be added, Water being the most important. The Seed of God is really no different, it takes the Sower to Sow the Seed, then it takes Good Ground treated with Water to bring the growth. Why the dead Seed? The Cross is the place of death, the Seed then becomes the product of the Resurrection unto Life.
There are various Hebrew words for the word Herb, one is Eseb meaning To glisten, referring to any tender shoot. Then the Hebrew Deshe meaning Green herb or Tender Herb, then Asah meaning To yield, Gather or Make, then Chatsiyr referring to the Greenness of the Courtyard. The Hebrew Yaraq means Green vegetables, or Garden of herbs, the Hebrew Ewrah used in Isaiah 18:4 means Luminousness or Prosperity. In the New Testament we find the Greek Lachanon meaning a Vegetable herb, the Greek Botane used in Hebrews 6:7 meaning A grazing herb, comings from the Greek Bosko used in the phrase “feed my Lambs”. The word Grass has some cross over words found in the Hebrew word for Herb, and there are others. Like the Hebrew Yereq meaning Yellowish green, referring to sickly vegetables. In the New Testament we find the Greek Chortos for the English Grass, in I Peter 1:24 we find the metaphor points to the flesh of man. In the Book of Revelation we find when the First Angel sounds, all the Green Grass was burnt up, but in Revelation 9:4 after the demons are loosed from the pit, they are not allowed to hurt the “grass of the earth, neither any Green thing, neither any Tree” (Rev 9:4). The separation goes back to the wording Green Grass, then any Green thing, referring to two separate items. Isaiah says “all flesh is grass” (Isa 40:6); then the grass shall fade away (Isa 40:7); therefore, the metaphor Grass refers to people, the Trees to leadership of some type, the “green tree” is one with mercy, it was the same context as the people worshipping idols under a Green Tree, or presuming the Mercy of God would protect them no matter what they did. In Luke 23:30-31 Jesus defined the “green tree” as something with life, the dry tree as something without life, usually pertaining to the Night. The Fig Tree was dried up, or Dry, but it will nonetheless have leaves. The word Green generally refers to something flourishing, or has the ability to flourish by mercy. When the First Angel sounds all the Green Grass is taken, but it also leaves the Brown Grass, the Weak Grass, and the Sickly Grass. Therefore, Grass shows people in general, the type of Grass defines the type of people. Any Green thing also refers to anyone who has any mercy, thus the people with mercy will be spared, yet they will also be killed by the demon possessed, removing the righteous from the earth, then comes the end.
We ask “so what, what about the Seed of God?”. Good question, considering it’s the metaphor we are looking at, but we want to make a separation between the actual herbs, the metaphor for the herbs; between the method of production and the method of reproduction. It’s important to make the distinction between the two methods of reproduction and production. Failure to look at the proper method assumes God used some dead spirit in us to bring about His Spirit, thus causing the misconception of God finding some goodness in us, better than the Goodness in Him. Metaphorically we consider ourselves the Ground, the Ground cannot produce the Seed, it keeps the Seed within. The Seed is planted in the Ground, the Ground doesn’t make the Seed produce, but it can hinder growth.
Peter told us we are Born Again with the Incorruptible Seed of God by the Word (Logos), which lives and abides forever (I Pet 1:23). He also said, we are Redeemed With the Precious Blood of Jesus (I Pet 1:19). However, purifying our souls comes by obeying the Truth through the Spirit, with the purpose to receive the end of our faith, even the salvation of our souls (I Pet 1:22 & 1:9). It becomes clear, there are seeds many, but the only Seed for us during the Day is the Seed of God. The Seed is the Word (Logos), but we could confuse it to mean the Bible, then presume if we read about life in the Bible, we have Life. It’s the same error the Pharisees made, just reading about it, doesn’t mean we have it. Our souls associated or were born of the flesh making our souls carnal, natural and earthly, but when our souls are born (regenerated) by the Spirit our souls become heavenly, making our souls spiritual. Our transition is from the flesh to being Spirit, the Spirit came by the Holy Ghost, but we become one with the Spirit, making us Spirit.
No one, pro-life, or whatever confuses conception with birth, the process Jesus gave us is a process. The conception is not birth, neither is the root stage birth, but birth is the purpose for planting the seed. The premise shows Purpose is something we must not overlook, the reason for us to have the Seed of God is for us to become Spiritual in nature.
The Conception was the planting, the growth began in a place we could not see, but nonetheless we knew something was happening. Just as the flesh grows, the seed and root began to grow forming a foundation in the Ground. Mercy, prayer, belief and faith all became motivators for the growth of the Seed. The more teachable the Ground the deeper the Root would go, until deep speaks to deep. Then comes the Blade, then we are Born Again, the concept is not “Seed planted as Spirit is Spirit”, nor is it, “by the Root is Spirit”, it takes the Birth to bring clarity, a time when a change is noted in our character. Instead of thinking what would Jesus do, we do it.
A law by God was placed into effect as a confidence of any of us who asked for the Spirit, one Jesus affirmed. If we ask God for bread will He give us a stone? If we ask for a fish will He give us a serpent? Two things the devil can’t stop or counterfeit, one is our entry into the Body (Bread), the other is receiving the Seed by the Holy Ghost (Fish). The instant the Seed is planted there are signs, speaking in unknown tongues is one, prophecy another, speaking the wonderful things of God from either tongues or prophecy is the confirmed sign the Seed was planted. However, it’s not the same as Born Again, since the Process must be accounted for. Everything still produces after its own kind, flesh for flesh, Spirit for Spirit. However, there is a danger, the Seed can be removed or choked out of the person, but not counterfeited. When we were baptized in water did we expect to be devil possessed? No, why then do some think Jesus will baptize them in the Holy Ghost and they will end devil possessed? Because they can’t control or see the event, faith must hold God will give us the Seed as He upbraided not.
The Seed of God is Created after God’s True Holiness and Righteousness, it is all God, but it is not all God is. We are told to be Holy as our Father is Holy, and Jesus holds the Scepter of Righteousness, which is the Scepter of the Kingdom (I Pet 1:16 & Heb 1:8). Jesus told us to Seek first the Kingdom of God and His Righteousness, the Kingdom of God is within, thus we seek to be Born Again then walk in the Righteousness of the New Man. The New Birth is Grace, the ability to do Grace (Spiritual matters) is by Grace (Spirit).
The New Birth puts us on the path to be Conformed To the Image of God’s Son, making us sons of God. The word Conformed is the Greek SumMorphos, which is a compound word meaning Together with (Sum) and Form (Morphos); this Greek word shows us there is a union of something taking place with the Forming, which explains the Seed and the ground. The New Man doesn’t grow over our souls, nor does He take over our souls, neither does He destroy our personality. The New Man joins to the Soul, the Soul to the Spirit in order for the two to become One. Our soul in the flesh is flesh minded, our soul with the Spirit is Spirit minded.
Jesus also told us there was one Field, but in the field we find two different types, the Wheat, and the Tares, each grew in the same field, yet they were planted by different people. Jesus cannot plant Tares, He has none, the enemy cannot plant Wheat, he has none. The Tare appears just like the Wheat on the outside, but inside it lacks the useful grain. However, we also find the metaphor Ground relating to each person in the field, the Tare grows because the ground allows it, the Wheat grows because the ground allows it. Tares are watered by bitter water, Wheat by the water of Mercy. Can a field maintain both Wheat and Tares? Yes, Jesus said so, but it ends double-minded. One second it appears Christ like, the next it’s nasty, deceptive, lying in wait to deceive. James says it will bless God, yet with the same mouth curse man.
Jesus then explains the difference between Predestinated, and those who simply reject anything having to do with God. The same Seed is used in the Sowing, it’s always the Logos, Jesus told the Pharisees “you have not the Love of God in you”, and “you have not His Word (Logos) abiding in you”, with, “search the Scriptures; for in them you think you have eternal Life: and they are they which testify of Me” (Jn 5:38-42). In order to have Life, one must have Jesus in them. John also said “you are Strong, and the Word (Logos) of God abides in you”, with “God is Love”, adding “God is Light”, then “Greater is He in you” (I Jn 1:5, 2:14, 4:8 & 4:16). All these must connect to the Seed of God, which grows into the New Man. The New Man is the Greater He, the Spirit forming our souls into Spirit, as Another Comforter, Christ in us the Hope of Glory.
The Seed is the base product, everything produces after its own kind, but by Jesus using the growth of the herb seed to explain the growth of the Seed of God we find it’s a process. The Spirit produces the Birth, but it begins as conception. Jesus as the Logos said the words He spoke were Rhema, which He defined as Spirit and Life (Jn 6:63). The Seed is the Logos, but the New Birth brings the joined effort of the Logos and Rhema.
Predestinated simply means God has a plan, thus God knows all, before there is an all. The Plan shows God saw the end, before the beginning. The Plan is not automatic, it’s connected to something in order for the Plan to come to pass. The Plan is the Record in heaven, the Father, Word and Holy Ghost, the Witness to bring the Plan to pass is the Water, Blood and Spirit (I Jn 5:7-8). The Witness is not intellect, flesh and soul. The Water relates to the Father, centering on Mercy, as the Holiness of the Father. The Spirit is the result of the Holy Ghost planting the Seed, we must have the entire Witness.
It’s obvious the New Birth is a Blessing, not one of us deserve it, rather it’s granted based on the efforts of Jesus. Therefore, the Seed of God is centered on Blessing, while completely void of Cursing. However, we know there are enemies who desire to disrupt our stand. The phrase “fowls of the air” takes us to the phrase “the prince of the power of the air” in Ephesians 2:2, relating to the “spirit now working in the children of disobedience” (Eph 2:2). The word Disobedience is the Greek Apeitheia corresponding to the verb Unbelief. It’s a much stronger term than the Greek Apistia (unbelief), this word is also found in Romans 11:30, Ephesians 5:6 and Colossians 3:6. In Romans 11:30 it’s found in the phrase “for as you in times past have not believed God, yet have obtained Mercy through their unbelief”. In Ephesians 5:6 it was used to show the Wrath of God falls on the “children of disobedience”. In Colossians 3:6 it also shows the wrath of God coming on the “children of disobedience”, thus in Ephesians it’s future tense, in Colossians it’s present tense, but it’s the same “children of disobedience”. The difference is found in the word Mercy, the difference between a vessel of honor, and one of dishonor.
Since the New Testament writers talk of the New Man and the old man, then all this must some how relate. The old man is not really a human man, or a “he” as a nature, based in disobedience. Paul told us the spirit of man is ignorant of the things of God, yet the spirit of the world is opposed to the Spirit that is of God (I Cor 2:11-12). The “he in the world” is connected to the spirit of the world, the spirit of disobedience to the spirit of man. The reason we entered the Kingdom was to be free of the old, by becoming engrafted into the New. If we use the old man by attempting to make him intellectually religious, he becomes the “he in the world” opposing the Greater He we should have. Since he is motivated by envy, the envy will manifest in pride, arrogance, attacking the Bible, or brethren, turning into the spirit of antichrist.
The old man doesn’t understand one thing about the things of God, or spiritual matters, although he has many opinions on the subjects. The old man is not us, he is a nature we picked up through the flesh by the prince of the power of the air. The old man attempts to tell us “this is you, this is who you are, yes sir, it’s you”. Not so, it’s the old nature, it must be nailed to the Cross, as we must put it off (disavow it). If the old man was really us, how then could we “put” him off? Putting him off has to tell us the old man is a mask, a nature we picked up, something we can put away without destroying the real us in the process.
We entered baptism with the hope of changing our identity, we no longer wanted to identify with the world, it’s systems, it’s power, authority, seat, or nature. So what does the old man do? Make his attempts to get us back into a realm he is comfortable in. Like his father the devil, he is all mouth. The old man lost any and all power when we came into the kingdom of heaven, but he will nonetheless entice us. When we were under the authority of the prince of the power of the air we were led around by the desires of the flesh. Therefore, lusts where planted as evil tares, it’s the lusts the old man seeks to entice. Even the lusts lost their power, thus they attempt to pull us back to a realm where they are effective. The New Birth grants us the ability to overcome, as long as we mind the Spirit.
The Book of Hebrews tells us time and again, “Today if you hear His voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation” (Heb 3:7-8, 3:11-12 & 3:15). Within the teaching we also read, “Take heed, brethren lest there be In any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the Living God” (Heb 3:12). Wait! My Bible says, God will not leave me! True, but it’s not the issue, here the issue is one leaving God, which is possible. Nothing can separate us from the Love of God found in Christ, but we can leave Christ, thus separating ourselves from the Love. The context here, as well as in Jude is the person leaving God, or “divorcing” God. There is a vast difference between God leaving us, and any of us leaving Him.
We know about the metaphor Head pointing to Authority, but what about the metaphor Horn? It represents Power, the ability to carry out the authority. However, the Beast has horns, but there were also horns on the Ark of Covenant, thus there are differences of Power. Authority is the right to do something, power is the ability to carry out the authority granted, but power used outside of the bounds of the authority, or authority used outside of its bounds is rebellion. Jesus granted the Authority when He said, “All power (authority)” was given to Him, but then He said Tarry for the Power. One can have Authority, but no Power. There is a time to Tarry for the Power.
How does it effect us? Use the Name of Jesus in the proper manner and it works, you may not, but the Name does, why? The Name has power built into it, but it’s the Name, not you or me doing the work. Those who say, “Lord, Lord” used the Name, but it didn’t help them in reference to the “Father’s Will”. We need position, authority and power, regardless. When we were in the world we had position, the seat of Satan, we also had the authority of the prince of the power of the air, and we had the power of darkness, all of which were in the old man, all of which had the same goal, to get us into hell. A change in character and nature demands a change in authority, power and position. We are In Christ changing our position, we have the Name of Jesus granting us a change in authority, we have the New Man as the Power from on high. If we are Born Again we have “the Power of His Christ” allowing us to carry out the granted Authority in a Godly manner.
In Matthew we find the Parable on the Wheat and Tares, we know the Tares were planted by the enemy. The premise shows how the enemy attempts to use the Sowing in reverse, the tare seek the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts for other things. The Holy Spirit is fully able to take the Golden Plow of the Rhema to remove the Tares, yet preserve the Wheat, all He asks is for us to allow it.
Since we talked about the Footstool, we should also view this metaphor to conclude why we read “come worship at His footstool”, as it fits with, “make Your enemies Your footstool”. The first place we find the word Footstool it relates to the Temple, as David said, “I had in my heart to build a house for the rest for the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and for the footstool of our God” (I Chron 28:2). Psalm 99:5 says, “Exalt the Lord our God, and worship at His footstool”; however, we know David was talking about the Temple, but why would the Father tell Jesus “Sit at My right hand until I make Your enemies Your footstool” (Heb 1:13, 10:13 & Ps 110:1)? Seems strange at best to worship at the Footstool of the Lord, then find we’re His enemies for being at His Footstool. Seasons and Purpose, as we will see.
The Hebrew word for Footstool is Kebesh meaning A footstool as trodden upon; the root word is Kabash meaning To tread down; could David have been mistaken about the Footstool? No, he had it correct, during our Season the Jew does worship toward Jerusalem, we toward New Jerusalem. Their Temple will be rebuilt, our Tabernacle is being built. However, for them it will be the same place where the Woman and her lovers will set up the abomination. The enemies of Jesus will take over Jerusalem of the earth, and the temple causing the abomination making desolate to be set up, thus the footstool will be the place where the enemies of Jesus will congregate. The Throne of Jesus is in heaven, the earth His footstool, thus when all the worshipers are gone the only ones left at the “footstool” will be His enemies. God said heaven was His home, the earth His footstool (Isa 66:1), thus David knew he was earth bound, yet he wanted a place to worship the Lord. The Holy Ghost through David knew the place for us to begin was here on earth, if we don’t worship God here, we won’t in heaven.
Psalm 74:14 says “You did brake the heads of Leviathan in pieces, and gave him to be meat to the people inhabiting the wilderness”. Then in reference to the same wilderness, and the same people we read “man did eat angels’ food: He sent them meat to be full” (Ps 78:13 & 78:25). Does it mean Leviathan and Manna are Angel’s food? Can’t be, we know Leviathan means Crocodile a symbol of Egypt, what could all this mean? We find the word Leviathan in Job 41:1 in the answer the Lord is giving to Job, as we read, “Can you draw out Leviathan with a hook? or his tongue with a cord which you let down? Can you put a hook into his nose? or bore his jaw through with a thorn? Will he make many supplications unto you? will he speak soft words unto you? Will he make a covenant with you? will you make him for a servant forever? Will you play with him as with a bird? or will you bind him for thy maidens? Shall the companions make a banquet for him? Shall they part him among the merchants? Can you fill his skin with barbed irons? or his head with fish spears? lay your hand upon him, remember the battle and do no more. Behold the hope of him is in vain: shall not one be cast down even at the sight of him? None is so fierce who dare stir him up; who then is able to stand before Me? Who has prevented Me, that I should repay him? Whatsoever is under the whole heaven is Mine. I will not conceal his parts, nor his power, nor his comely proportion. Who can discover the face of his garment? Or who can come to him with his double bridle? Who can open the doors of his face? His teeth are terrible round about. His scales are his pride, shut up together as with a close seal. One is so near to another, no air can pass between them. They are joined one to another, they stick together, they cannot be sundered. By his sneezings a light does shine, and his eyes are like the eyelids of the morning. Out of his mouth go burning lamps, and sparks of fire leap out. Out of his nostrils goes smoke, as out of a seething pot or cauldron. His breath kindles coals, and a flame goes out of his mouth. In his neck remains strength, and sorrow is turned into joy before him. The flakes of his flesh are joined together: they are firm in themselves: they cannot be moved. His heart is as firm as a stone: yea, as hard as a piece of the nether millstone. When he raises up himself, the mighty are afraid: by reason of breakings they purify themselves. The sword of him that lays at him cannot hold, the spear, the dart, nor the habergeon. He esteems iron as straw, and brass as rotten wood, The arrow cannot make him flee: slingstones are turned with him into stubble. Darts are counted as stubble: he laughs at the shaking of a spear. Sharp stones are under him: he spreads sharp pointed things upon the mire. He makes the deep to boil like a pot: he makes the sea like a pot of ointment. He makes a path to shine after him: one would think the deep to be hoary. Upon earth there is not his like, who is made without fear. He beholds all high things: he is a king over all the children of pride.” (Job 41:1-34). This defines Leviathan, pointing to the old man, the he in the world, or worldly (Egypt) thinking, meaning the children in the wilderness were free of Egypt, they had authority over the things of Egypt, yet they used the ways of Egypt against God. The Angel’s food was the manna, two different things.
The description given in Job 41 also explains some statements in the Book of Revelation, but prior to we have to take a look at Isaiah 27:1 which reads, “In the Day the Lord with His sore and great and strong Sword shall punish Leviathan the piercing serpent, even Leviathan the crooked serpent; and he shall slay the dragon in the sea”. The word Dragon is the Hebrew Tannin meaning One who shakes the hand as a gesture of threatening, it was also used to describe the Wave offerings of the Lord, thus it depends on the context used to determine which usage to use. There are two elements in Isaiah 27:1, the piercing serpent, and the crooked serpent, same title, two elements, connected by using the same authority. The piercing serpent is the beast of the sea, the crooked serpent is the beast of the earth. Here in Isaiah it relates back to Isaiah 19:16 where the same word is used in the saying, “In the Day shall Egypt be like unto a woman: and it shall be afraid and fear because of the shaking (Tannin) of the hand of the Lord of hosts, which He shakes over it.” The word Shakes in the phrase “shakes over it” is the Hebrew Nuph meaning To quiver, or Rock to and fro, the metaphor Egypt points to the world. In Revelation 13:1-2 we find the dragon gave the Beast of the Sea power, a seat and authority to act in his behalf. This also equates to First John where we find we are not to “love (Agapao) the world”. If any man love (Agapao) the world, the love (Agape) of God is not in him, for all of the world, is contained in the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life, they are not of the Father, but is of the world” (I Jn 2:16). If we use the authority of the dragon, we will love the world, as does the dragon. However, if we have Jesus as the Head (authority) of our Life, then we Love as God.
Metaphorically Leviathan has become a symbol of a hostile kingdom, such as Babylon or Egypt. It explains how the children in the wilderness had Leviathan as food, they had power over the things of Egypt. Although they had the Authority and Power, they refused to exercise them, instead they retained the power, seat and authority of Egypt. When they found no water, they murmured, instead of reaching for God, they reached toward Egypt. Instead of saying “Praise the Lord God, for He has provided a Rock from which to bring the Water”; they said “You brought us out here to kill us”. Attitude, stinking thinking is negative in all respects.
Back to the history of Leviathan, the name came from the Ugaritic mythology, it was known as Lothan as well. According to the Ugarit mythology Leviathan engaged in a battle with Baal, but was on the side of the god Mot (god of the underworld), which is Satan fighting Satan. The name Ugarit means Field, it comes from the Ugaritic word Ugar. The Ugaritic nation had two temples, one for Baal and one for Dagon, here is where the Bible comes into play. Dagon was an ancient Semitic false deity attested to north Mesopotamia. The most common Northwest Semitic meaning of the word Dagon is Grain; in First Samuel 5:2-7 we find this god is the chief god of the Philistines. It was the Philistines who placed the stolen Ark before this false god; of course they found the power in the Ark was greater then their god, causing them to returned the Ark. The same reference showing the children in the wilderness had the knowledge of God destroying the power of Egypt, but they refused to believe it, or accept it. The Seed is planted in the ground, but if the ground refuses to believe it, the ground will soon choke out the Seed.
It was also in the temple of Dagon where Samson ended his ministry by pulling down the entire temple. According to the Bible it was in the temple of Dagon where the Philistines hung the head of Saul, which temple was presumed to be in Beth-shan (I Sam 31:12). In Joshua we find two references to Dagon as Beth-dagon (Joshua 15:41 & 19:27). The Ugaritic language was found in the Syllabic Cuneiform texts, or tablets of clay, many of those tablets have been found, and mention Baal, Dagon and Leviathan.
Prophetically and metaphorically Job 41 gives us some insight, the beast in Job 41 is wild in nature, self-based, seems to be Joyful, but the joy is based in destruction; it sends out darts, fire and is bent on robbing, killing and destroying, all of which show him as the motivation behind the Beast of the Sea. This beast is prideful (high things), he was a king over the children of pride, a sword; however, in Luke 10:17-20 it all changed, he no longer was king, but dethroned by servants acting in Mercy.
Before the Cross Jesus gave His disciples the power to tread on serpents, scorpions and All the power of the enemy. If it’s all the Power of the enemy, how can some of us be so beat up? By our words, or carnal ventures we give place to the enemy. Every time we speak unbelief we are giving food to the devil, each time we condemn a brother or sister in the Lord, we are doing for the devil, what he cannot do for himself. All those times we say “well this is going to turn on me, it always does you know”, or “I know this will be the toughest thing I’ve ever been through”, or “I guess it’s okay, but I thought I would get more”. Negative, stinking thinking, produces negative words encouraging Leviathan.
All this Negative and Positive stuff, it was once said Jesus gave negative statements, after all didn’t He say He had to suffer in Jerusalem at the hands of the religious rulers, then die? Of course it assumes the Cross is negative, yet it’s only negative to the unbeliever, never to a Believer. Peter assumed the same premise, but Jesus told him “get you behind Me Satan”; therefore, Peter displayed a “word of Satan”, and he was soundly rebuked. Peter as a disciple was also out of order for rebuking the teacher, showing it was Peter who was negative, not Jesus. The definition of Negative is, Expressing or containing negation, denial or refusal; less than zero; an image showing the Light as darkness. On the other hand the definition of Positive is, Directly affirmed; Inherit in a person regardless of the event; Open, Not engaging in doubt or unbelief; Greater than zero; Not allowing the event to hinder the goal. Rather be positive, thank you very much.
There are sayings which become metaphors as well, in the Book of Revelation we find Jesus as the “Alpha and Omega”, and “First and Last”, and “Beginning and the End”, and “Beginning and the Ending”, as well as the “Lamb slain from the foundation of the world”. Why not just say “Jesus”? There are reasons, God isn’t out to trick us, He is giving us mysteries so we as kings gain the honor in the discovery. Alpha and Omega at the same time means timeless, or everywhere at the same time. We have our Alpha the middle then Omega. The First and Last means the same, yet with the added concept of Jesus being over the Day and Night.
One can’t talk about metaphors without talking about the Book of Jude, which is full of metaphors and allegories. Jude talks about Filthy dreamers who despise Dominion, speak evil of Dignities, they walk in the Way of Cain, run Greedily after the error of Balaam, use the Gainsaying of Core (Korah), they are Spots in our Feast of Love, they Feast with us, Feeding themselves without Fear, Clouds are they without Water, Carried about of Winds, Trees whose Fruit has Withered, Without Fruit, Twice Dead, Wandering Stars, Plucked up by the Roots, Raging Waves of the Sea, Foaming out their own shame, Murmurers, Complainers, Walking after their own Lusts, Speaking Great Swelling Words, Having Men’s Person’s in Admiration because of Advantage, Mockers who Walk after Ungodly Lusts. More than a few metaphors, yet each has a meaning. Both Seasons are seen in two, Trees whose fruit has withered in this Season, but without fruit in the next.
The allegories are found in Cain, Balaam and Core (Korah), the angels who kept not their First Estate, Sodom and Gomorrah. Jude used metaphors like they were going out of style, showing us we must understand metaphors, in order to understand the words of the prophets. When a prophet says, “God is giving you a new heart”, what do you think it means? A physical heart? Perhaps, but more than likely it relates to the New Man coming forth.
We will view these metaphors, but one will stand out in reference to our study on Leviathan, connecting the Beast of the Sea to the Wicked. The phrase “their mouth speaks great swelling words” (Jude 16), can also read “the mouth of them speaks proud things” (TR). These subjects are related to the children of Leviathan, going right back to the Pharisees at the time when Jesus told them “you are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father you will do” (Jn 8:44). If there were false ones in the Temple, could there be false ones in the Tent of the Tabernacle? No, but they are found in the courtyard of the Tabernacle. They will attempt to toss strange fire into the Holy Place, but if we stand guard, we will be able to quench their fiery darts.
Jude also uses the term “ungodly” more than once, but wouldn’t you know it, they are different Greek words. In Jude 15 we read “all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed”, and there are three different Greek words used for the English Ungodly. In the Textus Receptus (TR) this reads, “to rebuke all the ungodly of them concerning all the works ungodly of them which they ungodly did”, both are correct, but we see there are different uses and tenses regarding the word Ungodly. The first use of the word Ungodly is the Greek Asebes meaning Impious or Wicked referring to the person, the second is the Greek Asebeis meaning the act, the third is the Greek Asebeo meaning The result of Wickedness, or the conclusion of the act; therefore, Jude points out they are Wicked, they do Wickedly, and the result will be Wickedness.
The word Clouds is a metaphor for Witnesses, but this group in Jude are defined as Clouds without water indicating they lack mercy, thus they are the vessels of dishonor. Are they in the world? No, they are of the world, but they Feast with us, or consume themselves on the benefits our Mercy produces. They know we must walk in love, so they bring strife to knock us form our walk of love and mercy. This is found in the word Feeding, which is the Greek Poimaino from the Greek Poimen which we know as Shepherd, or Pastor, thus they feed off the revelations given by others; although no revelation becomes to a human, they make it appear as if they obtained the revelation on their own.
They are Without Fear which is the Greek Aphobos with the Greek A meaning Negative or Without, and Phobos or Terror, Paul used Phobos in the phrase “fear of God” or “Terror of the Lord” (II Cor 5:11, 7:1 & Eph 5:21), thus this group will teach against the Fear of the Lord, claiming any such concept is absent of Faith, yet a fear of God is a part of Faith. The fear of God is based in God’s Equalness and Perfection, if the righteous turns from his ways to be wicked, will God not treat him as wicked? If the wicked turn from their wickedness unto righteousness, with God not treat them as righteous? God is equal.
In Jude the phrase “spots in your feasts of love” could also read “in the love feasts of you they are rocky reefs” (TR), the word for Spots or Rocky Reefs is the Greek Spilos. Jude 12 is the only place where we find this Greek word, it means A ledge or Reef in the Sea which cannot be seen by those on the surface. These Reefs lie in wait to deceive, they plan to shipwreck our faith.
Of course we know the metaphor Sea means the world, which brings in Jude’s statement “raging waves of the sea”, which could also read “wild waves of the sea” (TR) (Jude 13). The word Raging or Wild is the Greek Agrios, meaning without control, or absent restraint. These waves reject all laws governing their behavior, they feel the Body of Christ is given to them to do with as they will.
They also termed “foaming out their own shame” which shows their mouths produce their shame, connecting to the Wild Waves causing havoc, or fear. It’s not just the Sea, or the Wave, but the combination of Wild, Wave, Sea and Foaming describing the group. The word Foaming is the Greek Hautou meaning Itself or Himself, meaning produced by the person. It doesn’t mean the Greek Hautou is evil, since we find it associated with Jesus, but when we add the Wild Waves it shows the Wicked are self-based, self-run, producing their error in themselves.
Why did Jude use so many metaphors? According to history he was a prophet, they tend to use metaphors. He also used the metaphor “carried about of winds”, which could also read “by winds having been carried about” (TR – Jude 12). The word Carried is the Greek Periphero meaning To transport to and fro, the word Winds is the Greek Anemos, which was used by Jesus in His Parable of a man building a house. The Greek word Anemos for Wind was used in Ephesians in reference to the “winds of doctrine”, pointing to the fringe elements of a Doctrine, or making the fringe elements more important than the subject of the Doctrine.
The next phrase in Jude says these Wicked are Wandering Stars, the word Wandering is the Greek Planetes meaning A planet or prophetically an Erratic teacher, here in Jude 13 is the only place we find the Greek word. The metaphor Star points to those who are called, thus Jude shows those in this group are Vessels, called of God, but they refuse to crucify the flesh, rather they put a “religious clothe” on the old man calling him holy. They jump from one teaching to another, not because of the Truth, but because they seek to gain men’s admiration. They want to be the “stars” of the Body, but not the Star of God. They seek popularity, to gain the admiration from men.
At what point in time does Jude say these will appear? In Jude 18 we find it’s the Last Time, but we are also told to remember the Rhema spoken of by the Apostles, how there should be Mockers, but what is a Mocker? In II Peter 3:3 the same Greek word is translated as Scoffers, it’s the Greek Empaiktai meaning To Jeer or Mock, the word Jeer means To speak or shout in a derisive (to scorn) or flouting (to express ones contempt) manner. The next area would be “having men’s persons in admiration because of advantage”, which could also read “admiring faces for the sake of gain” (TR), either is correct. The word Persons is the Greek Prosopen meaning The front, or Face, or the Appearance. The word Admiration is the Greek Thaumazo meaning To wonder or Admire, showing the false do things to gain peoples admiration, thus they use the Name of Jesus to cast out devils, so we will think they are great, or they use the Name of Jesus to prophesy, so we will think they are the one and only prophet, or they do many wonderful works, but their intent is to be admired by man, or have man give them the glory. They know the Power on the Body is effective for anyone in the Body, Wheat or Tare, but they use it for self purposes.
We have said all this to reach the Counter to these false ones, Jude tells us “building yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, keep yourselves in the Love of God, Looking for the Mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Jude 20-21). Jude didn’t say “praying in unknown tongues” or “praying in the Spirit”, rather praying in the Holy Ghost means to pray in the Will of God in reference to gathering in the net. This is clear since Jude then says, “And” which is a conjunction connecting to the prior verse, “of some have compassion, making a difference, and others save (Sozo) with fear, pulling them out of the fire: hating even the garment spotted by the flesh” (Jude 22-23). He doesn’t say toss them back, he says bring them in, but why? Opportunity, like Philip who water baptized Simon, if they want in the Body by giving their confession of faith, we water baptize them, it’s up to them what they do afterward.
In addition Jude gives us three allegories, Cain, Balaam and Core (Korah). In the prior studies we viewed the ways of these three, but here in the study of allegories and metaphors we need to include the fallen angels, as well as Sodom and Gomorrah as they relate to the metaphor Filthy Dreamer. Cain killed his brother over a sacrifice, it’s the same context here. We can kill the Just by words of discouragement, thus unbelief kills the hope of more Christians than a gun. Balaam went beyond his office for gain, this has nothing to do with receiving and giving, it has to do with placing money in such a position we won’t go unless “the money is right”, or we judge congregations on the material, rather than the spiritual. Korah (Core) was the one who attempted to take the anointing of another, or overthrow leadership to place himself in the position.
Bringing us to the fallen angels, as well as the terms Blackness and Darkness. In verse 6 of Jude we find the fallen angels Under Darkness, in verse 13 we find the false have a place reserved in the Blackness of Darkness. The word Darkness in verse 6 is the same Greek word as the word Blackness in verse 13, but the word Darkness in verse 13 is a different Greek word. Don’t get confused, there is a reason. The word Darkness in verse 6 and the word Blackness in verse 13 are the Greek Zophos meaning a Dark cloud, the metaphor Cloud means a Witness, thus this word refers to a witness based in darkness. The word Darkness in verse 13 is the Greek Skotos meaning Obscurity or Hard to understand, or Hard of understanding, or Remote, or better, One who obscures or Opposes, Hinders the process, or causes injury. The wording First Estate is the Greek Arche, known to us as Beginning, or Principality, or the place princes are known by. This shows they left their principality by following the serpent, but their only principality was heaven, there is no second chance for them, thus they are stripped of Godly attributes bound in a place of darkness.
The metaphor “chains under darkness” is very important, since Jude didn’t remove any of the fallen angels from his wording, rather he included them all. Not one fallen angel escapes this, all of them are bound in chains under darkness now. This means the darkness is the world, showing why the Pharisees could resist Jesus, yet the devils couldn’t. Even fallen man has more power than the devils, yet by being in darkness they have like concerns. Peter adds to this by showing God spared not the angels who sinned, but cast them Down to hell, delivering them into chains of Darkness (II Pet 2:4). They are bound now, how can you bind the bound? Peter then talked about the “wells without Water” or false ones, as the Midst of Darkness is reserved for them (II Pet 2:17). If the children of disobedience are in darkness, then the fallen angels are bound under them, yet we are children of Light. Does Light have more power than darkness? Yes, the Light controls whether darkness can invade or not, thus if our Light Shines, the darkness is dissipated, if it’s the case how much lower are the devils under the darkness?
This brings us to Filthy Dreamers, but what are these false ones dreaming of? And why are they dreaming in the Day? The phrase Filthy Dreamers could also read Dreaming Ones, the phrase is the Greek Enupniazomai meaning One who dreams, yet in and of itself it really doesn’t tell the story. If these Dreamers Dream, then they are Night orientated, but why? They are purposed for the Light, yet they are in Darkness, thus the Night is more attractive than the Day, since the Day exposes much, the Night little. They are natural, to them spiritual things are foolishness, but since the Night is not spiritual, they think it will be heaven on earth. They attempt to establish themselves as the 144,000, or some other special element in which they think they are elevated above the rest of the Body. They presume they are the special of the special, the saviors of the Body, the great and powerful keeper of the Key. It’s the word Filthy making the difference, it means Sensual images, or portraying sensual images, meaning natural conclusions.
The next allegory given by Jude is Sodom and Gomorrah, it doesn’t mean the false are homosexuals, rather the allegory shows they have Given themselves over to lusts, but it wasn’t God who tempted them unto evil. These people have the same opportunity as anyone else in the Body, they can enter the Light, or remain in Darkness, but they love the darkness more. The people in Sodom and Gomorrah had two things, the were in the land promised to Abraham, and Lot was among them, yet they rejected both for the feelings they gained from their lusts. They fit the saying “this is the condemnation, Light is come into the world, and men loved (Agapao) darkness rather than Light because their deeds were evil” (Jn 3:19). This attitude comes when one is rescued, but holds to their lusts, forgetting Who and Why they were rescued.
What “strange flesh” do these Dreamers seek? The word Strange is the Greek Heteros meaning Another, the word Flesh is the Greek Sarx referring to the flesh of men, animals and the such; whereas the Body of Christ is referred to as the Soma of Christ. However, John says the Word was made Flesh (Sarx – Jn 1:14); Jesus said He would give His Flesh (Sarx – Jn 6:51), Jesus also said “Except you eat of the Flesh (Sarx) of the Son of man” (Jn 6:53). Instead of taking the Flesh of Jesus to become the Body (Soma), they take another flesh, their own calling it holy. Do they take Communion? Yes, but in their hearts it’s their flesh and their blood, thinking the Body of Christ was given to them to use as they desire. These false ones won’t hesitate for a second to tell us how they love the Body of Christ, or how they Love the Babes, but their intent is to get the Babes to serve them “because of advantage” (Jude 16).
The next area in Jude’s allegories and metaphors is found in verses 8 and 9. These Dreamers “despise dominion, and speak evil of dignities”; the word Despise is the Greek Atheteo translated as Reject in Mark 6:26, 7:9 & Luke 7:30, it means Reject, Despise or Disannul. The word Dominion is the Greek Heriotees it was translated as Government in II Peter 2:10 in reference to the same subject matter, it means Civil authority. Paul told us Jesus is far above all Dominions (Eph 1:21 & Col 1:16), thus to assume these Dominions are over us, is in error. It doesn’t mean we attack them, after all, Pilate was a Dominion, and Jesus told him “you can do nothing to Me, unless it be granted from on high”, thus If we walk in the Light, then the Dominion can’t do a thing unless it’s granted by the Holy Ghost. Paul accepted this, the Dominion (Rome) cut his head off, but not until his work was done. In fact, Herod couldn’t cut off John the Baptist’s head, but not until John’s work was done.
The wicked hold John 7 meetings, attacking others of authority in the Body of Christ, attempting to insert their personal agenda, or as Korah, overthrow authority. These Dreamers fear Dominion, attempting to control all Dominion through manipulation, force and domination. These Dreamers Speak Evil or Blaspheme Dignities, the word Dignities is the Greek Doxa or Glory, translated as Glory in Matthew 4:8, 6:13, 6:29, et al. There is the Glory of Solomon, the Glory of the people of Israel, the Glory of Jesus, the Glory of the Father, the Glory of the incorruptible God, the Glory of the Moon, the Glory of the Sun, the Glory of the Stars, and the phrase “Glory to Glory” (II Cor 3:18). Whatever the Glory, these Dreamers Blaspheme it by either talking evil about it, misusing it, attacking it, or attempting to overthrow it.
The other allegory we have viewed in prior lessons is found in verse 5; although we should know it, Jude puts us in remembrance, how the Lord having Saved (Sozo) the people out of the land of Egypt (World), destroyed them who Believed not. This could also read “having saved in the second place those not believing He destroyed” (TR). This goes right to Jude 22 and 23, we “Save” or Sozo the people, thus we as the Body act on behalf of the Lord as “fishers of men”, the real key is how the Net pulls in good fish, and bad.
The word Destroyed is the Greek Apollumi meaning To perish, as strange as it seems it’s the same Greek word used by Jesus in the phrase “for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy” (Jn 10:10). Does it mean Jude has equated God to the devil? Hardly, the devil comes with the intent of stealing, killing and destroying, but here in Jude the context shows some of the children Believed Not, forcing God to destroy them based on their unbelief, although God gave them many reasons to believe. This verse shows us the “fear of God”, God is holy and just, He will do what He must do. If we walk in Faith He will save us, if we draw back to perdition, He will do what He must do.
Jude also talks about Michael the archangel, and how Michael while contending with the devil, or disputed About (not over) the Body of Moses, did not bring against the devil a Railing Accusation, but said “The Lord rebuke you” (Jude 9). Notice Michael didn’t say “I come against you”, or “You’re cursed devil”, neither did he say “You’re blessed”. Michael knew the devil had been rebuked by Jesus, who then is greater? Jesus of course, the rebuking is complete, total, taken care of, thus Michael reminds the devil, he doesn’t attempt to justify his position, or who he is.
The wording Bring Against means Something brought to someone or something, the metaphor Body of Moses points to the Law of Moses, not the man. The event Jude speaks of is recorded in Zechariah 3:1-10; showing how the angel was speaking on behalf of the Lord or representing the Lord in the dispute, thus Michael didn’t go beyond the purpose or message, rather we find “and the angel of the Lord protested unto Joshua, saying….” (Zech 3:6-7). The word Protested is the Hebrew Ud meaning To Repeat, or Testify, it can mean to Speak against, or Speak for someone, or in this case To speak for someone, against someone. There were three main characters in Zechariah, Joshua the high priest, who was, or will be a man, Michael the archangel, and Satan represented by the Wicked sons of perdition, thus Paul says they come with all the working of Satan. Michael speaks to Joshua as a fellow servant, but in reference to Satan we find the phrase “and the Lord said unto Satan, The Lord rebuke you, O Satan; even the Lord Who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you: is not this a brand plucked out of the fire?” (Zech 3:2). Surely there is more said in Zechariah than “the Lord rebuke you”, it would appear as if the Lord and Michael are the same subject. Extending the metaphor could bring about cultist thinking by the wrong suggestion of Michael and Jesus as the same person. Michael as a representative speaks on behalf of the Lord, if this was the Lord speaking it would seem out of Character to use a third person narrative, rather we would see “I the Lord rebuke you”, but we don’t, clearly it’s a third person context. Michael points to Jerusalem as the brand plucked out of the fire, as God has chosen Jerusalem, not the devil, what happens to the Woman is in God’s hands, not the devil’s.
Jude’s point is simple, prior he talked about the fallen angels leaving their first estate, then the false ones who left the world yet failed to run the race lawfully. Then he shows how Michael who retained his first estate doesn’t treat the devil with accusations, but knows the result for the devil is not a matter to be decided, it has been decided, why then go about attempting to re-judge him? The comparison is for us, don’t waste time running around looking for the Wicked, preach the truth in love. Jude isn’t running about chasing the Wicked, he is defining them so we can spot them when they show up.
The word Accusation is the Greek Krisis meaning A separation, Judgment or To judge, it’s an important word in the allegory. Michael knew Judgment belongs to the Lord, not the angels. Wait, don’t we sit in the twelve thrones judging the tribes? Yes, but we judge by our Good Works of Mercy, thus by the doing, we show any can do mercy.
Since Jude and II Peter correlate, we should look at some of the metaphors Peter uses as well. Of course we know all these are not something the scribes came up with independent of one another, but given by the Holy Ghost, thus they all relate. Peter uses many of the same metaphors as Jude, with some additional ones, such as, “brute beasts”, instead of saying Michael, Peter points out “whereas angels, which are greater in Power and Might bring not railing accusation against Them before the Lord”. Peter also adds the Wicked, “count it a pleasure to Riot in the Day Time”, “they are blemishes sporting themselves with their own deceivings while they feast with you”, “beguiling unstable souls”, “a heart they have exercised with covetous practices: cursed children”, “wells without water”, “carried with a tempest to whom the mist of darkness is reserved forever”, “they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness those who Were Clean escaped from them who live in error”, “they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption”, with “if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning”. This last one is not a metaphor, or allegory, it’s a principle. Denying the self is a principle, belief is another, entering the Kingdom yet another.
It would seem from some of Peter’s comments a backslider hasn’t a chance, not so, there are qualifiers from the tenses and Greek language showing this is not a backslider, rather this is someone who has made a career of remaining carnal while remaining in the Body. This group is explained in the phrase “have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge” (II Pet 2:20). This could read “For if they having escaped the defilements of the world by a Full knowledge of the Lord…” (TR). It’s not a simple introduction to the Gospel, but knowledge of the Holy Commandment of “love one another as I have loved you”. A backslider is one who is overcome because of a faulty foundation, these people go about devouring, or alluring; the word Allure is the Greek Deleazo which is only used in II Peter and in James 1:14, only in James it’s translated as Entice, in the context of man being Enticed by his own lusts. The word means A decoy, or Delude, or Giving something appearing right on the surface, but has a hidden agenda set to entrap. The phrase “eyes full of adultery” could also read “full of an Adulteress” (TR), which points to the Strange Woman in the Proverbs, showing an overzealous concern for the self. Rather than call the called out of the world, they want the world to be conformed to their agenda. The phrase “beguiling unstable souls” could also read “alluring unstable souls” (TR), the word Beguiling (Alluring) is the same Greek word used in II Peter 2:18 for the English Allure (see above). The word Unstable could also read Unsettled, it’s the Greek Asebia also translated as Ungodly in Romans 4:5, 5:6 & I Peter 4:18. The metaphor Ungodly means Without God, or The removal of God, thus the principle may be Godly, but they remove God from it, using it for their self-benefit. The reference to “cursed children” means they go about as a Cursing, rather than Blessing. If we are not to Curse, what is Peter doing? Making identification, he is not cursing anyone, they curse themselves by refusing to be a blessing.
The most interesting of the metaphors in II Peter is the phrase “count it pleasure to riot in the day time” (II Pet 2:13). Clearly these subjects are in the Day, but they Riot or find pleasure in their endeavors to Riot. The word Riot is the Greek Truphee, it’s only used one other time in Luke 7:25, where it’s translated as Delicately, the word means To break between Mind (Head) and Body, thus they bring about the Broken Body. They Exercise their Heart (old man) by refusing to have the circumcised Heart (II Pet 2:14). The word Exercise could also read “being busied” it comes from the Greek Gumnazo meaning To practice naked for games, in the positive sense it was used by Paul in the phrase “exercise yourself unto Godliness” (I Tim 4:7), in Hebrews 5:14 in reference to those who can take Strong Meat. Here it means they used the principle of Exercise, but in the wrong manner by the wrong source.
The phrase “natural brute beasts” tells the story in and of itself, it needs to be revisited here. The word Beasts might remind us of the Beast of the Earth, but wait, the Greek word Peter used is Zoon pointing to a Beast with life, much like the four Beasts John sees in heaven about the Throne, not like the one of the Earth, how can this be? During this Season the use of the word Zoon means these Beasts have life, but after the Rapture they won’t, they will barter away their life to partake of the beast; therefore, we find them in this Season as Zoon, but in the next as the Greek Therrion or Wild Beasts. The Greek Therrion also describes the Beast of the Sea, which is the Beast the Woman is seen ridding, as well as the Beast from the pit, who is the Beast of the Earth, thus separating them from the four Beasts seen in heaven.
The Greek Therrion also means To look upon from a distance, or To be a spectator of something, but not a participant. The word Natural in II Peter 2:12 is the Greek Phusikos which means Governed by the old soulish nature. This is evident when we find the Greek Phusikos comes from the Greek Phusis meaning Growth by germination, or natural production, thus instead of being Born Again, they follow the old nature. This explains the metaphor “wells without Water”, the word Wells could also read Springs (TR), it’s the Greek Peegee which was used in the teaching Jesus gave at the Well of Jacob in John 4:6-14, thus they are Wells, but lack the Water (Mercy), which correlates to Paul’s teaching on the vessels of dishonor who lack Mercy (Rom 9:21-23). James used this same word when he asked, “Does a Fountain send forth at the same place (hole, denoting a well) sweet water and bitter”, with “no fountain both yield salt water and fresh” (James 3:11-12). The Fountain is the same, the word Water is used, but we find different types of Water, making the difference. Peter says these Wells are void of Water, but James adds they are not only void of Water, but they use the wrong Water, instead of Living Water, it’s the Water of bitterness.
The phrase “mist of darkness” in II Peter 2:17 in the Greek reads the same as Jude’s comments “blackness of darkness”. The key to the matter is seeing these elements are not outside of the Field, they Have escaped Egypt (world), they had the Full knowledge of the Lord, yet they refused to have their hearts changed, all they did was make the old man religious, rather than bind the strongman, they think he can be saved.
If they had the Full Knowledge, how can they speak evil of things they Understand Not? Understanding and Knowledge are different, the two phrases show the Gospel is simple at first, but entails many deep things; milk and meat, not milk alone. Spiritual matters are still foolishness to the natural mind, they fail to understand, because they fail to be spiritual in order to gain the experience. However, they have tons of natural intellect, they have years of training, but it’s all natural, they are “self-disciplined”, but it too is all natural. This is clearer when we see the wording Understand Not is the Greek Agnoeo with the negative A and Noeo meaning Not able to be acquainted with, or Ignorant of. Paul used this word in First Corinthians in the phrases “I would not have you ignorant” (I Cor 10:1, 12:1 & 14:38); therefore, showing they are ignorant of spiritual matters.
This brings us the phrase “the madness of the prophet”, and what the saying entails. The word Madness is the Greek Paraphroneo, it’s only used here in II Peter 2:16, it means To misthink, it doesn’t mean “out of his mind”. What did the prophet Balaam misthink? He assumed because God said “go ahead”, his actions were ordained by God, rather than God allowing the action based on the stubbornness of the prophet. When we “pester the Lord” for days to gain permission to do something, then the Lord finally says “Go ahead”, yet we assume we have the blessing of the Lord, we fall into the category of the “madness of the prophet”. The Lord allowed, since our soul was so stubborn it wouldn’t take No for an answer. When the event turns against us we assume the devil was able to mix into the things of God, when in fact we mixed into the things of the devil. Didn’t God know it? Yes, but it was we who pushed the issue, not God.
Jude said these false ones were “clouds without water”, Peter said they were “wells without water”, then added, “clouds carried with a Tempest” (Jude 12 & II Pet 2:17). The word Tempest is the Greek Lailaps it was used in the phrase “storm of wind” in Mark 4:37 and Luke 8:23. The Greek word Lailaps means Whirlwind, or a Turning wind, like a Tornado, or Water Spout. Peter had full knowledge of this type of trouble, he was in a boat when the Lord was there asleep when a Whirlwind (Lailaps) came up. The disciples looked at the event saying, “Master, don’t you care than we perish” (Mark 4:38). They equated the event to a Cursing, but Jesus said, “Peace, be still” to the storm, but to His disciples He said, “Why are you so fearful? How is it you have no faith?” (Mark 4:39-40). The latter statement is the point, the same one Peter makes. The false are self-motivated, they hear their own souls presuming it’s the Lord, they are the mind game players in the kingdom of heaven. They love to play the “prophet”, but they use the same divination the damsel used who followed Paul around saying, “These men come to show us the way of salvation”. They flatter and puff up, but their intent is to speak to the lusts of a person, attempting to make their words come to pass. How do we detect them? By the Bible? Nay, by the Spirit in us discerning the spirits.
Peter shows these false ones do Speak, but they speak Great Swelling Words Of Vanity (II Pet 2:18). They always manage to mix their greatness into the conversation, it’s always their faith, or their ability, or something else placing them as the center of attention, rather than Jesus. Do they promise us anything? Yes, they promise Liberty, but they can’t deliver since they are still in bondage to the flesh (II Pet 2:19). The phrase “Great swelling words of vanity” could also read “over swollen (words) of vanity” (TR). The word Vanity is the Greek Matalotes which is a compound word meaning Intuit or Transiently: Intuit means To know or discover by intuition: Intuition means An awareness of something without conscious attention or reasoning, thus they speak to lusts and self-desires, rather than telling the person what God desires. They lack Godly Reasoning, but use worldly logic.
The word Transiently means Quickly, or Short duration, showing they use emotions to entice the emotions of others. Their victims think the only place they “can feel the Spirit” is in the presence of the false one. It’s emotionalism, not enthusiasm, or the Spirit. Their Acts are of short duration; perhaps they cast the devil out of someone, but a short time later the person is again entrapped by demonic forces. The “joy” doesn’t come in the morning, it leaves in the parking lot. When someone is truly set free, these false ones will come with words to discourage the person, the spirit lusting to envy is the motivating power in their lives.
Since the false ones are attracted to this Adulteress, we should look at the metaphor and others relating to the metaphor. Jesus didn’t discount divorce, He couldn’t, the Father asked Israel for a divorce, how could Jesus then say Divorce in and of itself was sin? Both Matthew and Mark show the teaching of Jesus, but we will use Mark, since it relates to “Say unto the Mountain”. When Jesus was tempted by the Pharisees on the matter of divorce, He didn’t respond with “What did God tell you”, rather it was “What did Moses command you” (Mark 10:3). How could this be a temptation anyway? What was the hidden agenda of the Pharisees. Their question was “Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife?” (Mark 10:2). The Law of Moses clearly shows it to be lawful, then where is the trap? The word Man is the Greek Aner meaning Any male, for any reason. The Law states “When a man has taken a wife, and married her, and it come to pass she find no favor in his eyes, because he had found some uncleanness in her: then let him write her a bill of divorcement, and give it in her hand, and send her out of his house” (Deut 24:1-2). It’s not “any” reason, there must be a uncleanness detected, therein was their trap.
After Jesus explains the purpose of God from the Beginning, He says “whosoever shall put away his wife, and marry another, commits adultery” (Mark 10:11). The word Another means Like the prior, thus it’s not simply Another person, but another like the first. Why put her away, then marry another just like her? Why send him down the road, then marry another just like him? It merely shows the fault wasn’t in the one divorced, but the one who brought the divorce. The next answer must have stood the hair up on the necks of the Pharisees, as Jesus said, “And if a woman shall put away her husband, and be married to another, she commits adultery” (Mark 10:12). The word Another is the same as above, meaning Another like the one put away. What allegory lesson do we find here? James, Peter, Jude and Paul all say those who commit adultery are doomed, we tend to equate this to the actual act, but the actual act is a result of something within the person. The adultery issue is much deeper than the flesh, when we came to Jesus we imputed the old man dead, thus we were free to marry another, but if we attempted to remain married to the old man, yet claim to be the Bride of Christ, we have committed adultery.
Jesus also talked about fornication, yet fornication and adultery are different. Adultery is when one of the mates in a marriage engages with someone outside the marriage in the acts reserved for the marriage. Fornication involves the unlawful acts between two people; Fornication committed against the Body means they have rejected the Vows of marriage, or consider themselves not espoused or married (Matt 5:32).
What about the metaphors Daughter and Children? The 12 tribes of Israel were children, as Joseph’s dream shows. The metaphor “daughter of My people” appears 13 times in the Bible, with the number 13 is the number of rebellion. This is the “Daughter”, not Daughters, thus it doesn’t refer to the 12 tribes as such, but to one Daughter, the one in rebellion. This “daughter” is not the Daughter of God, it’s the daughter of the people. The first reference is found in Isaiah 22:4, which provides a clue to the metaphor, but it doesn’t define it. Isaiah 22:4 shows God saying, “Therefore said I, Look away from Me; I will weep bitterly, labor not to Comfort Me, because of the Spoiling of the Daughter of My people”. There are some clues in these passages to the time, it came as a result of the “burden of the valley of vision” (Isa 22:1), the vision was for a time set. The word Spoiling is the Hebrew Shod meaning A wicked demon, not demons as many, but one, as in the Beast of the Earth. This shows there is no comfort at this point in time because of the invasion of the Wicked, but this daughter is still the daughter of the people.
The real Keys to the metaphor “Daughter of My people” are found in the words of Jeremiah the prophet. In Jeremiah 4:11-12 we find “at that Time shall it be said to This People and To Jerusalem”, this gives us two groups; this “people” and “Jerusalem”, but what will be said at that Time? “A Dry Wind of the High Places in the Wilderness toward the Daughter of My people, not to fan, not to cleanse, even a Full Wind from those places shall come unto Me: now also will I give sentence against them”. What is this Wind? God heard a voice as of a Woman in Travail, her anguish as she brings forth her first child, the Voice of the Daughter of Zion, bewails herself, she spreads her hands, saying Woe is me now? for my soul is wearied because of murderers (Jere 4:31). This connects to Ezekiel, and the Time when the men (angels) go out to destroy, as the Lord tells one of them with the inkhorn, “Go through the City, through the Midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men who sigh and cry for all the abominations done in the midst thereof” (Ezek 9:4). The city is the daughter, thus she is not the moon, or the sun or the 12 stars, she is the offspring, the same city Jesus wept over (Matt 23:37-39).
In Jeremiah 6:14 we read, “They have healed also the hurt of the daughter of My people slightly, saying Peace, peace, when there is no peace”. In the Night they will say Peace and Safety, but then comes sudden destruction; thus it’s not merely saying, “we want Peace”, they’ve been saying it for years, rather it’s when there is Peace as the world terms it, but at the time the Spirit will be taken, and there will be no peace with God. When will this Time begin? In Revelation 6:12 when the Sixth Seal is broken we read how the Sun becomes as Sackclothe, as the Moon becomes as Blood, then after the Stars of heaven fell unto the earth. The metaphor Fallen Star refers to the sons of perdition who lacked what it takes to make it through the Door. In Jeremiah 6:26 we read, “O Daughter of My people, gird you with sackcloth, and wallow yourself in ashes: make you mourning, as for an only son, most bitter lamentation: for the Spoiler Shall suddenly come upon us”. Doesn’t this sound like “sudden destruction”, as “the Sun (nation) becomes as sackcloth so does the Daughter”? Therefore, the Daughter is told to put on sackcloth, not that she does, rather we find she doesn’t. This Daughter is the Woman who won’t wear the sackcloth, instead she becomes the Oppressing City, who holds the blood of the saints in her cup.
Jeremiah 9:7-8 adds more as we read, “Therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts, Behold, I will melt them, and try them; for how shall I do for the Daughter of My people? Their tongue is an arrow shot out; it speaks deceit: one speaks peaceably to his neighbor with his mouth, but in heart he lays his wait”. Could this be the past? Hardly, history shows the land has yet to Melt, the word Try is the Hebrew Bachan meaning To examine, Prove or Try, it holds two edges, one is the actual proving, the other is the investigation as a result of the proving. In this case we would call it Judgment, or The examination of the facts. Jesus says the Hour of Tribulation is to try all the world, not the Kingdom (Rev 3:10). In the world we will find Tribulation, but be of good cheer, Jesus has overcome the world, thus we joined Him to be the overcomers.
In Jeremiah 14:17 we find the Virgin Daughter of My People, with the word Broke, which becomes very important. The word Broke is the Hebrew Shever meaning A bruise, A hurt, An opening to bring injury, or Destruction, but it also means To break apart or in Pieces, as the Broken Body of Jesus is Broke apart. Most of the uses of this word are found in the Prophetic books pointing to impending disaster or destruction. Jeremiah lays out the groundwork, then finishes it in Lamentations. We find the Daughter of My people is Jerusalem of the earth, but she is hardly a Virgin, who is this Virgin Broken with a Great Breach, a Very grievous Blow? This Virgin Daughter is the Body to become the Bride, thus this refers to the end of our Season, the Time for the Broken Body of Jesus, when the Bride is take Lamentations chapter two speaks of many daughters, beginning with the Daughter of Zion, but then we find something interesting, the Elders to the Daughter of Zion (Lam 2:1 & 2:10). It’s the Elders who sit upon the ground and cast up dust on their heads as a sign of repentance because they belong to the Daughter of Zion. God’s Right Hand has become the Adversary (Lam 2:4), and Slew all that were pleasant to the eye in the Tabernacle of the Daughter of Zion; He Poured out His fury like Fire (Lam 2:4). The word Slew is the Hebrew Harag meaning To kill a person, it relates to Homicide. The first time this Hebrew word is used was when Cain Slew his brother, thus in this case it refers to family members. Would God allow the killing of His own? In order to spare them (Isa 57:1). It’s after the slaying the Fury is poured out, the wording Poured Out is the Hebrew word Shaphakh meaning To pour out, as a Drink offering, or to Pour out as one would pour out from a Vial (Rev 16:6-8). When all this is going on we find a group as a Sea of Glass before the throne in heaven who have obtained Victory over the Beast, over the Image of the Beast and the Mark of the Beast as they stand having the harps of God (Rev 15:2 & 4:6). The “sons of God” are in heaven, when many of the Daughters are on earth. Who sits at the Right hand of the Father? Jesus, here we find Jesus will bring the Judgment after the Father makes the enemies the footstool.
Lamentations chapter two continues to show there is a destruction of the Daughter of My people, because the Children, as the sucklings swoon in the streets of the City (Lam 2:11). These children say to their Mothers, “Where is corn and wine? when they swooned as the wounded in the streets of the city”. What other elements do we find in the Streets? In Revelation 11:8 we find the Two Witnesses lie in the Street of the Great City, in Lamentations 2:9 we find “the Law is no more; her prophets also find no vision”. Notice it’s “her prophets”, rather than “My prophets”. The Two Witnesses as the Law and Prophets have been made ineffective by the people rejecting them for the Image, yet the same Law will be used to Judge them by. If we ignore the call, reject the Word of the Lord, or cast off the warning, it doesn’t negate the responsibility.
On the way to the Cross Jesus said “Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for Me, but weep for yourselves, and for your children. For, behold, the Days are coming, in which they shall say, Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bare, and the paps which never gave suck.” (Luke 23:28-29). Why didn’t Jesus say “Daughters of Israel”? God divorced Israel, here was her Daughter. Don’t these passages in Lamentations reflect the statement? Yes, in Lamentations we find “Daughter of Jerusalem”, but Jesus used the Plural, showing more than one daughter in the position, also we find more than one in the second chapter of Lamentations, it all fits (Lam 2:1, 2:2, 2:8 & 2:13). In verse 8 we find the Lord has purposed to Destroy the Wall of the Daughter of Zion, but didn’t John show the Wall as founded on the Apostles and Prophets? Yes, but it’s New Jerusalem, here it’s earthly Jerusalem. The metaphor Wall means a Protection against invasion, we find the Gates of the Daughter of Zion are sunk into the ground, just like the Wall around Jericho (Lam 2:9). God will use the seven mountains as His army, thus they will be called the “army of God”, as they will carry out the will of God, but it doesn’t mean they get a reward, it means they will do as God knows they will.
Moving on with the metaphor Daughter of My people, we also find the “sons of Zion” in Lamentations 4:2. Wait I thought we were the sons? The verse reads, “the precious sons of Zion, comparable to find gold, how are they esteemed as earthen pitchers (vessels), the work of the hands of the Potter”. This separates the “sons of Zion” (vessels of honor) from what is spoken of next, the Sea Monsters (vessels of dishonor – Lam 4:2-3). The wording Sea Monsters is the Hebrew Tannin meaning A dragon, or Beast of the Sea; however, the daughters were more cruel than the Sea Monsters. At least the Sea Monsters knew to give suck to their young, the daughters didn’t take care for theirs. This shows as bad as the world is, the sons of perdition are much worse, they are like the “ostriches in the wilderness” (Lam 4:3). Here we find the Ostriches are unclean beasts, the unclean beast in the wilderness was the golden calf, correlating to the Wilderness where the Woman is found. There is also the Punishment for the Iniquity of the Daughter of My people in verse 6, which Punishment is Greater than the one imposed on Sodom.
God kindles a fire in Zion, it will devour the Foundations thereof, the kings of the earth, and the inhabitants of the world would not have believed the Adversary and the Enemy should have entered into the Gates of Jerusalem (Lam 4:11-12). This shows they will believe a lie, they will see Peace in the world assuming “all is well”, but the sins of the false prophet the city accepted, coupled with the iniquities of her priests, who have shed the blood of the 144,000 in the midst of her will be accounted for (Lam 4:13). When we see the phrase “the Blood of the Just” we must go to James 5:6, with the warning therein; in speaking to the Rich James shows they have “heaped up treasure together for the last days”, they have “condemned and killed the Just, and He does not” resist them (James 5:3 & 5:6). What treasure? Were they so afraid of the end times, they forgot about the Now? Yes, it’s the point, they become greedy, they concern themselves over the things yet to come, but neglected the call to give Mercy now. When they attack the Just it does appear as if God is doing nothing, but there is a record. When they kill the Remnant in the Night, it will appear as if they got away with it, but God is keeping a record.
The first usage of the metaphor Daughter of Jerusalem is in conjunction with the first usage of the Daughter of Zion, both are seen by the Prophet Isaiah. Second Kings 19:21 and Isaiah 37:22 relate to the same time and event as the prophet speaks against Assyria. Recalling this is still during the time when blessing was connected to cursing, and praying against the enemy was permissible, we see king Hezekiah was praying against the king of Assyria, and the Lord heard his cry (II Kings 19:20). In reference to this, the Lord declared “The Virgin, the Daughter of Zion has despised you, and laughed you to scorn: the Daughter of Jerusalem has shaken her head at you”. It really doesn’t make any difference how evil God’s people may become, anyone who comes against them, is really coming against God (II Kings 19:22). When God speaks to the Daughter of Jerusalem He sees her Breach (Lam 2:13), then God tells her, “all that pass by clap their hands at you, they hiss and wag their head at the Daughter of Jerusalem, saying Is this the city men call The perfection of Beauty, The joy of the whole earth?” (Lam 2:15). Doesn’t this sound like Isaiah 14:13-21? Don’t the people look on Lucifer asking, “Is this the man?”? It doesn’t mean Lucifer and the Daughter of Jerusalem are one in the same; however, it does show they become lovers of the “same mind”. The city was suppose to represent God, but the people see them worshipping idols.
There must be something happening between II Kings and Lamentations, or was there something to happen seen in the prophetic Scriptures? In Micah we find the answer; the prophet sees the Stronghold of the Daughter of Zion coming to the Flock, even the First Dominion, the kingdom shall come to the Daughter of Jerusalem. This is the First Dominion, not the Second, thus it relates to the kingdom of heaven. Did the kingdom of heaven come to the Daughter of Jerusalem? Yes, the prophet shows how Bethlehem will be the place from which the Ruler in Israel will come (Micah 5:1-2). The Ruler will Feed in the Strength of the Lord, in the Majesty of His Name of the Lord His God, but whose Name did Jesus come in? The Name of the Father, when we see the phrase “Name of the Father” it refers to Mercy, thus Jesus came in God’s Mercy forgiving sins on earth, but He was Resurrected to open Grace in His Name, as the declared Son of God (Rom 1:4). Our Jesus is a Man of Blessing and Peace, not cursing, He wars by doing Good (Micah 5:5). There shall be Seven Shepherds, and Eight principle Men, the word Principle is the Hebrew Nesikhk meaning Something poured out pointing to authority. In Daniel 11:8 it referred to princes, in Joshua 13:21 it pointed to dukes, both positions of authority. The Eighth did obtain an anointing from the Body, but used the authority of the beast of the sea, thus their glory turns to their shame, their life to death. The Seven Shepherds are the seven churches, or dispensation of times, the principle men are the Eighth, or those from the Seven who were not of the Seven.
Micah 5:3 is another key, showing there will be a time when the Ruler shall give them up, until The Time when the she has travailed and brought forth; then the Remnant of His Brethren shall return unto the Children of Israel. In Revelation 6:11 we find the White robes are given to those under the Altar, then they are told to wait for a Little Season until their “fellow servants also and their brethren” who should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled. Then we find the Kingdom did come, the Accuser of our Brethren is cast down (Rev 12:10). Later when John sees an angel, he falls to the feet, but hears “See you do it not: I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren” (Rev 19:10). In Revelation 22:9 we find the phrase “of your brethren the prophets”, thus Micah 5:3 shows a time when the Remnant shall return, but the purpose in their eyes is yet to be discovered.
The Daughter of Zion is like a Woman in Travail, she shall leave the City to Dwell “in a Field”, then she shall go to Babylon, there she shall be Delivered (Micah 4:10). One of the names of the Woman is Babylon, but she is the City, not the Virgin Daughter. The purpose? So Judgment can be delivered (Micah 4:13). Don’t confuse us for the Daughter of Zion, we are “sons unto Salvation”, she produces the Judgment.
What about the Daughter of Jerusalem? The prophet Zephaniah says, “Woe to her who is filthy and polluted, to the oppressing City! She obeyed not the Voice; she received not Correction; she trusted not in the Lord; she drew not near to her God” (Zeph 3:1-2). Yet, the same prophet said “Sing, O Daughter of Zion, shout O Israel; be glad and rejoice with all your heart O Daughter of Jerusalem. The Lord has taken away your judgments, He has cast out your enemy; the King of Israel, even the Lord, is in the midst of you; you shall not see evil any more” (Zeph 3:14-15). When did this happen? Shall not see evil? What about the Judgment? The division shows two times, the Lord did come to take away the Judgments by presenting forgiveness when He walked in the midst of them. However, later we find the same city obeyed not the voice of the Law and Prophets, she thinks she is the Queen, thus not accountable to anyone, or anything.
Adding to this we find the prophet Zechariah saying, “Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion; shout, O Daughter of Jerusalem; behold, your King comes unto you: He is Just and Having Salvation; lowly and riding upon an ass, and upon the colt the foal of an ass” (Zech 9:9). Did Jesus ride into the City? Yes, but did the people accept the Prophecy? No, it’s the issue, thus the prophet goes on to show the Lord will Speak Peace unto the Heathen: His Dominion shall be from Sea to Sea, which includes the Sea and the Sand of the Sea (Zech 9:10).
Since this Daughter of Jerusalem didn’t obey the prophecy, and since we found she is the oppressing city, a change must have taken place in her identification. Then we find the metaphors Daughter of Babylon and Daughter of the Chaldeans are all metaphors for the same location, Jerusalem of the earth under the hand of the Wicked (Isa 47:1). We then find the city is known as Babylon, not the “whore of Babylon”, but a Whore and Babylon (Rev 17:5 & 18:10).
Here we can define the word Virgin, since we find it used with the Daughter of Israel, Daughter of Zion, Daughter of Egypt and the Daughter of Judah. The word Virgin is the Hebrew Bethoolaw meaning To separate, we know it to mean a person who has not been involved in sexual relations; however, metaphorically speaking it goes further, meaning one with the Egg, but has never been introduced to the Seed, or one who has no children, nor has she produced children, thus the Remnant are noted as The Remnant of her Seed, rather than the Remnant of her Egg. We also see a reference showing this aspect of a Virgin goes to the Remnant, as the time of the last two churches. In Revelation 14:4 we find the 144,000 are Virgins, who are not defiled by women. In the Greek this reads “with women not were defiled, virgins they are” (TR). It would seem the 144,000 are all males, but this is a metaphor shows they did not defile themselves with the Whore, or with the sins of the Nation, thus the virgin aspect connects them to the Virgin Daughter of Zion.
The first place we find the word Virgin is in Genesis 24:16 in reference to Rebekah, who married Isaac. Isaac is a type and shadow of Christ, the Promised Blessing, as Paul pointed out. In reference to the Law of Moses, the virgin was noted as a “virgin of Israel” (Deut 22:19). We also find the Virgin Daughter of Zion (II Kings 19:21), the Virgin Daughter of Egypt (Jere 46:11), and the Virgin Daughter of Judah (Lam 1:15), but we don’t find the “virgin Daughter of Jerusalem”, but are there metaphors indicating such? Amos tells us the Virgin of Israel has fallen, which is a City, thus we find Jerusalem is a Virgin, yet as a Virgin her Man Child was brought forth, but she rejected her promised Son; therefore, the Virgin of Israel begins as a virgin, but ends as a Whore (Amos 5:1-3).
In reference to the Virgin of Israel we read how she did a terrible thing, yet she will go forth with dancing and music, which will be the Time of Comfort (Jere 31:4 & 31:13). What was this terrible thing? They forgot God and begin to burn incense, becoming a perpetual hissing (Jere 18:13-17).
In reference to the Virgin Daughter of Egypt we find she is told to go up into Gilead, and take balm, yet she has attempted many medicines, for she shall not be cured (Jere 46:11). Doesn’t this sound like “anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see” (Rev 3:18)? Perhaps we are finding a clue here, could the Virgin Daughter of Zion be the Sixth church as the Remnant; with the Virgin Daughter of Egypt the Seventh, then the Virgin Daughter of Babylon those who escape the Woman? What about the Virgin Daughter of Judah? Aren’t we associated with the Lion from the Tribe of Judah? Yes, but it doesn’t mean we are daughters, Paul shows if we mind the Spirit we become witnesses as sons of God, could we be daughters as well? Don’t we end as the Bride? Yes, we begin as a son, then end as the Bride, thus there is no male or female in Christ. We can’t equate these metaphors to a gender, they are intended to give us mysteries.
Taking this to the concept of the “he in the world”, we find the metaphor Virgin means one who doesn’t associate with the he in the world. Wait, weren’t we all associated with the world? Yes, but behold, when we received the New Man all things became New, the old us is dead on the Cross. Therefore, when the old nature is crucified, we are no longer associated with darkness, our focus turns to the New Man, as we become New. One of the hardest battles we fight is the recognition of being New by the New Birth.
This takes us to Zion who is told to deliver herself, she who dwells in Babylon. Sounds like “come out of her My people, be not a partaker of her sins” (Rev 18:4). Which invokes Psalm 137 which is entitled “The mourning of the Exiles in Babylon”. Like in Ezekiel they sit by the rivers of Babylon Remembering Zion, thus Zion is the place of Remembrance, the place of Joy, but Jerusalem the place of Sorrow. Here we find Jerusalem is also known as the Daughter of Babylon (Ps 137:7-9). Isaiah 47:1 shows the Daughter of Babylon and the Daughter of the Chaldeans are one in the same. In the end the four quarters of the earth like a Flood of the Sea shall come against The Daughter of Babylon (Jere 50:42). The Daughter of Babylon is like a threshing floor, ready to be burned and devoured (Jere 51:32-33). If the Woman is Babylon, who then is the Daughter? Like mother like daughter, the daughter are the people.
Egypt is a sign of the world, Babylon a sign of captivity, John shows those who kill by the sword must be killed by the sword, and those who take into captivity, must be taken into captivity. This goes back to Psalm 137 where we read, “O Daughter of Babylon, who are to be destroyed (wasted); happy shall He be, who rewards you as you have served us”. In the Book of Revelation we find the Great City has fallen, then the Voice from heaven calls out “come out of Her My People” which is the call for Zion to deliver herself. Then we find “Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works: in the Cup which she has filled fill to her double” (Rev 18:6). What Cup? The Cup in her hand full of abominations and the filthiness of her fornication (Rev 17:4). Fornication? Sounds like the teaching Jesus did on divorce.
This Woman is known as Babylon, but the prophets spoke of her as the Daughter of Babylon, what gives? Same subject matter, the first Babylon kept the children captive, just as the people in the Woman will do in the end. The Woman in the Book of Revelation is not “the Whore of Babylon”, she is a Whore, and Babylon, thus those who join to her become the Daughter of Babylon. Does it mean she is that way now? Peter defines it for us, his church was the Jerusalem church, James was his pastor, as Acts 15 points out. In reference to the location Peter said, “The church that is at Babylon elected together with you, salutes you” (I Pet 5:13). Could this mean Peter was in Babylon proper? No, it means he understood the prophetic message, and why the call was to begin in Jerusalem. Judgment does not come until Salvation is presented.
This “Woman” who is the Great City, is not the nation, or the temple, or the world, she is a City, the same City built on Zion, the same one in bondage even until now. She is seen with her foundation as the “moon”, a metaphor for Zion, she has the Sun (Israel) as her covering, and she has the 12 tribes as He crown, there is only one city to fit the description, it’s Jerusalem of the earth. For this reason Jesus marked the 144,000 on Zion, but they are seen weeping for Jerusalem.
This brings us to the Daughter of Zion and how she relates to Zion proper. From Isaiah 2:1 to 6:1 the prophet gives an outline of his Word for the end times concerning Judah and Jerusalem. Within the outline we find, “Moreover the Lord says, Because the daughters of Zion are haughty, and walk with stretched forth necks and wanton eyes, walking and mincing as they go, and making a tinkling with their feet: therefore the Lord will smite with a scab the Crown of the head of the daughters of Zion, and the Lord will discover their secret parts” (Isa 3:16-17). This is the plural usage of Daughter, which is only found four times, three in Isaiah and once in the Song of Solomon (Song 3:11). In Isaiah 4:4-5 we read “When the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and shall have purged the blood of Jerusalem from the midst thereof by the spirit of judgment, and by the spirit of burning. And the Lord will create upon every dwelling place of mount Zion, and upon her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day, and the shining of a flaming fire by night; for upon all the glory shall be a defense”. This refers to the Night, before the Woman turns from Zion as her foundation, to riding the Beast, then comes Judgment and Burning. The reference to the Daughter is still pointing to the people, the Time of Comfort will appear wonderful, just as the Garden, but just as the Garden the serpent sends the Beast of the Earth to bring the entire thing to ruin.
The plural usage of the Daughters of Zion also connects to the plural usage for the Daughters of Jerusalem. The metaphor Daughters of Jerusalem is found 8 times, seven in the Old Testament, once in the New. All seven references in the Old are found in the Song of Solomon. The one in the New is Luke 23:28, where Jesus said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for Me, but weep for yourselves” (Luke 23:28). Since He was talking to people, He defined the metaphor Daughter as people in a location.
In the Song of Solomon the first usage is found in 1:5, showing the Speaker is black as the tents of Kedar, as the curtains of Solomon. This is Black, not blackness, referring to the Night, rather than the Day. Then in Song 2:7 we find “I charge you, O you Daughters of Jerusalem, by the roes and by the hinds of the Field, you stir not up, nor awake my Love, till He please”, this same phrase is found in Song 3:5, why twice? Doesn’t it sound like a type and shadow of Resurrection? We find two elements in the Field, the Roes and the Hinds. The word Roes is the Hebrew Tsvi meaning An ornament of glory; the word Hinds is the Hebrew Ayalah meaning a Deer, as in The deer pants for the water. Both refer to the Good, both show us a type and shadow of the Body of Christ, with the Roes as Christ, and the Hinds as those who Sleep in Jesus, thus they seek after the Water, but have yet to obtain Living Water.
We also find the double usage of the plurals, Daughters of Jerusalem and Daughters of Zion in Song 3:9-10, as Solomon (son of the king) made himself a chariot (a bed), the pillars were Silver, the bottom was Gold, the covering Purple, in the Midst it was paved with Love. Silver is a metaphor for Redemption, Gold for purity, Purple for royalty, we find the entrance to this Bed for the Bride begins with Redemption. Then in Song 3:11 we find, “Go forth, O you Daughters of Zion, and behold king Solomon with the Crown….”. The Bed was prepared for the Daughters of Jerusalem, the Crown for the Daughters of Zion, but did the Daughters of Jerusalem receive the invitation? No, Jesus ended the metaphor by telling the Daughters of Jerusalem to weep for themselves. The context in the Song of Solomon changes from asking the Daughters of Jerusalem to join to simply informing them about the Love. In Song 5:8 and 5:16 the context shows “if you find”, then telling the Daughters of Jerusalem “this is my Friend and Beloved”, Jesus said He calls us Friends if we do as He says. The Old Testament references to the Daughters of Jerusalem ends with “I charge you, O Daughters of Jerusalem, you stir not up, nor awake my love, until He please”. This would be the Sixth church, the house of David when Jesus opens it, not before. Not only is this somewhat different from both 2:7 and 3:5 as the chart shows, but it also shows no one can wake Him until it’s time. Our call is to be ready to be ushered out of here, rather than master the ushering.
REFERENCES IN SONG OF SOLOMON:
| Song of Solomon 2:7 | Song of Solomon 3:5 | Song of Solomon 8:4 |
| “I charge you, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, by the roes, and by the hinds of the field, that ye stir not up, nor awake my love, till he please.” | “I charge you, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, by the roes, and by the hinds of the field, that ye stir not up, nor awake my love, till he please.” | “I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, that ye stir not up, nor awake my love, until he please.” |
The word Please in all the phrases is the Hebrew word Chaphets meaning To take delight in, or Gracious, when used as substantive it means Holy One, or Saint. This gives us the Location, the plural usage of either the Daughters of Zion, or the Daughters of Jerusalem, referring to the kingdom of heaven, thus we find the kingdom of heaven is not in heaven, it’s on the earth, yet purposed for those who are appointed to heaven, only the Kingdom of God is heaven related. This defines the differences between the two, the kingdom of heaven was established by the Son of man on the earth for those of the earth desiring to escape the world and earth; the Kingdom of God is established by the Son of God for the sons of God, it’s established in heaven, thus we can either bind ourselves to the earth, or loose heaven in us.
All this has a point, we are getting there. We know there are three cities of David, the one wherein he was born (Bethlehem), the one where he reigned as king (Jerusalem), and the illusive one (Zion). All three are important in Scripture, all three hold a significant factor. Paul gave us the allegory of Jerusalem of the earth, and New Jerusalem in heaven. Bethlehem was the city of the birth of Jesus, Jerusalem of the earth the scene of His death; thus spiritually we come onto Bethlehem to die, then to New Jerusalem to live. The first place we find the word Zion is in Deuteronomy 4:48 in reference to the borders of the wilderness, Zion is also known as Hermon. This takes us back to Deuteronomy 3:9 and the Battle with the two kings of the Amorites. Here we find two other names, Sirion and Shenir, both mean Coat of mail. The word Mail means Joined pieces of metal used to protect one in battle, it was used in reference to Goliath, the only two places we find the wording Coat of Mail is in reference to David and Goliath (I Sam 17:5 & 17:38). In I Samuel 17:5 it was the Coat of Mail on Goliath, in I Samuel 17:38 it was Saul’s Coat of Mail he attempted to put on David. The metaphor then points to some battle, David fought to take Zion from the inhabitants of Jebus (I Chron 11:5). The word Zion, strangely enough comes from the Hebrew Siyon from the Hebrew Siy meaning Loftiness of pride. Go figure? In Deuteronomy it’s known as Mount Zion, but it’s also known as a City, thus it has more than one metaphoric meaning, depending on whether one calls it a City or a Mount. The actual city of Jerusalem was built on a mount called Zion, thus when Jesus marks the 144,000 they are on Zion, not in the City of Jerusalem. Clearly they are Jews, not Gentiles, they are taken from the tribes, not added to them. However, we also come unto Mount Zion, but is it the same one the city of the earth is built on, or is it the one New Jerusalem is built on? This is made clear in the New Testament where we find the references to Mount Zion (Greek Sion ); in Hebrews 12:22 as we are told to come unto Mount Sion (Zion), and unto the city of the Living God, the Heavenly Jerusalem. This points to New Jerusalem, joined to a heavenly Mount, what would this Mount represent? The kingdom of heaven? Yes, but more important, it represents Mercy as the Body, whereas, New Jerusalem represents Grace as the Blood of Jesus. Then in I Peter 2:6 we find “Behold, I lay in Sion (Zion) a Chief Corner Stone, elect, precious: he who believes on Him shall not be confounded”. However, we also see the same Cornerstone is a Stone of Stumbling and a Rock of Offense to the Disobedient (unbelieving). Isn’t the Rock, Christ? Yes, the Stone is the Word, yet we find it has two purposes, but it’s nonetheless laid in Zion, with a purpose to become New Jerusalem. If the Stone is one of stumbling it must be at the entrance, thus those who believe it becomes a refuge, to the unbelieving a hindrance.
This becomes important when we find the last reference to Zion is the place where the 144,000 are marked. The Lamb Stood on Mount Zion, with Him a 144,000, wait isn’t the Greek spelling of Zion “Sion”, yet John used “Zion”, is he attempting to tell us something? (Rev 14:1). Yes, it’s a story weaving through out the Old, as it’s seen in the New. In the Greek the word Sion means A parched place, A hill where Jerusalem was built, thus we find the meaning changed from the Hebrew to the Greek, then from the Greek to the Hebrew, for good reason. Heavenly Zion is opposed to pride, it takes humbleness and mercy to be a rock of the Rock. The material Jesus uses to build New Jerusalem comes form the Rock, yet Zion of the earth is different, there Jesus marks the 144,000, He doesn’t use them to build the Church.
Paul showed us Hagar is akin to the Jerusalem of the earth, but the Free are joined to Jerusalem in heaven, yet both are established on something. The 144,000 are marked on Zion, the Scripture doesn’t say they are Zion, neither does it say Jesus is Zion, we are told Jesus sits on the Right Hand side of Majesty, but in Revelation 14:1 He is clearly Standing. A change takes place, one prophetic in nature, it will come to pass. The 144,000 are the Virgin Daughter of Zion, thus they stand on Zion, rather than being called Zion.
The Psalms are prophetic in nature, the first place in the Psalms we find Zion it relates to the 144,000 as we read, “Yet I have set My King upon My Holy Hill of Zion” (Ps 2:6). The word Set is the Hebrew Nasakh meaning Lying ahead, To find out, Justice, or A right answer in the legal realm, it refers to something yet to come associated with Judgment. This has to do with the Heathen raging, and the People imagining a Vain thing (Ps 2:1). The metaphor “kings of the earth” and “rulers” are also noted in this Psalm (Ps 2:2). They are “against the Lord and against His Anointed”, which shows these kings and rulers are antichrist (Ps 2:3). They say, “let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us”, this is in reference to making the Law and Prophets ineffective. Natural man without the restraint of the Law, or Commandments will end a terror.
After we find the King is set on Zion we read “You are My Son; this Day have I begotten You” (Ps 2:7). We know this reference is found in Hebrews referring to the Opening of the Day as it relates to Jesus. This shows the Lord and Zion are connected, then we find for those who Know the Name of the Lord will Put their Trust in Him, their goal is to Sing praises to the Lord, “which” (not who) dwells in Zion (Ps 9:10-11). Silly scribes, didn’t they know the Lord is a Who, not a Which? Could Paul have seen this by the Holy Ghost then used it to explain our ability to overcome? Yes, in Philippians 4:13 Paul said “I can do all things through Christ Which (not who) strengthens me”. Paul saw the Anointed as Christ, a Which belonging to Jesus the Who, thus it wasn’t doing all things through Jesus, but through the Anointing for the glory of Jesus, this limits the Things to the Things of Christ. Paul listed the Things as True, Honest, Just, Pure, Lovely, Of a good report, of Virtue and if there be any Praise connecting back to Psalm 9:10-11.
In Psalm 9:16 the Lord is known by His Judgment, wait don’t we know the Lord by His Grace? This separates the Times, showing the Wicked shall be turned into hell, which is a mystery in itself (Ps 9:17). This doesn’t say the Wicked will be put in hell, it says they become hell as they will be transformed into lake of fire where hell ends up. Then we find what may appear to be a mistake, but alas, there are no mistakes in the Bible. Psalm 9:16 ends with “the wicked is snared in the work of his own hands. Higgaion. Selah”. What is the word Higgaion doing there? Someone must have made a Boo-boo, no the word Higgaion means Meditation, or Think about it, yet the word Selah also means Think about it, thus we are told to Think about it, Think about it, two times, so Think about it as we work out your own salvation by fear and trembling.
When the Father makes the enemies of Jesus His Footstool, the Lord will be building Zion of the earth (Ps 102:13-16). Psalm 102 makes the statement not written for it’s generation, but one to come (Ps 102:18). The place of interest is Jerusalem, the Sixth church will bring the knowledge of the Lord to the world. This is also seen in Psalm 110:2, where we read, “The Lord shall send the Rod of Your Strength out of Zion: rule You in the midst of Your enemies.” When John measures the Temple, he does so with a Reed like unto a Rod. Jesus said the synagogue of Satan will worship at “the feet” of the Sixth church (Rev 3:9). When this takes place the synagogue of Satan will be at rest, but later it will form itself into the Footstool. When will this take place? When the Lord turns again to the captivity of Zion, it will be a time relating to one who Dreams, thus it will be the Night (Ps 126:1).
Isaiah 31:8-9 points to Judgment as well, the Fire is in Zion, the Furnace in Jerusalem, connecting to the description of the Feet of Jesus in the Book of Revelation. What about the Seventh church? Are there sinners in Zion? Yes, the sinners in Zion will be afraid, who can dwell with the devouring fire? Who can dwell with everlasting burning? (Isa 33:14).
At the same time we find the Congregation (solemnities) in the City of Zion, instead of a Temple, God will see a type of Tabernacle, thus He will also say “Come out of her My people, be not a partaker of her sins” (Isa 33:20 & Rev 18:4). When the Day comes it will be the Day of the Lord’s vengeance, a day for recompenses for the controversy of Zion (Isa 34:8). The word Controversy is the Hebrew Riv meaning A contest, A lawsuit, or Contention. For this reason Paul warned the Corinthians about building with wood, hay and stubble, or holding to envy strife and division, contentious behavior against members of the Body is self-abusive and dangerous.
In Isaiah 35:10 we find the Ransomed of the Lord shall return by coming to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads. This defines the Mark of God as one of Joy based on the protection of mercy, they will sing the Song of Moses. It’s interesting to see how the Mark of God protects these people from the Mark of the Beast, yet we who are Born Again seem paranoid over the “mark of the beast”. If they have the Mark of God on them, yet we have the Seal of the Spirit in us, don’t you think we are more protected? Of course, so much so they need the devil bound in order to operate. On the other hand we have the authority and power to cast out devils.
The word Ransomed is the Hebrew Padah meaning To set free from servitude, To rescue or deliver from danger, or To cause to be redeemed. This word was used in reference to the Lord sparing the firstborn of Israel, but taking the firstborn of Egypt. Padah is an intervening action which effects a release, it is not the release itself, but what leads to it. When this event begins the Sorrow and Sadness will flee away, Joy and Gladness will return, but didn’t we find the two words Joy and Gladness in reference to the Law of Moses? In Deuteronomy 28:47 we find the Curse comes because the people of God serve not the Lord with joyfulness and gladness of heart, for the abundance of all things. Here we find they will obtain their Joy through the Mark of God, then the Windows of heaven will be opened for them, which means the Door to the House of David will also be opened, of course the Door to heaven will be closed.
The Time of Comfort is also seen in Isaiah 49:13-14, as the Heavens will Sing, as John saw. The Earth will be joyful, breaking forth in singing, but Zion said, “The Lord has forsaken me, and my Lord has forgotten me”. Can the Lord forget? No more than a mother can forget her sucking child (Isa 49:15). It will appear so when the Beast and the Woman take over the world, then kill the 144,000, but God’s plan of Judgment includes choice, as the Beast and the Woman will make the choice to be God’s enemies. When this begins to unfold as the Time of Comfort the Wall will stand before the Lord in heaven, the Gates to the Wall will still be on earth.
Heavenly Zion which is the Rock will be taken, Zion of the earth which is founded on the Two Witnesses remains. The Lord shall Comfort Zion, yet make her a Wilderness as Eden, joy and gladness shall be found therein (Isa 51:3). The Time of Comfort will be great, a lot better than the earth is now, but heaven is far Greater, a far, far better place than the earth; Time of Comfort or not.
The Time of Comfort will see Zion as Eden, but not Jerusalem; God sees Jerusalem has drunk the cup of the Lord’s fury, the cup of Trembling, not the cup of Salvation. Two things will come upon this Woman, Desolation and Destruction, by Famine the Sword and plagues, then comes the judgment (Isa 51:16-19).
The last Resurrection will have two parts, merely being stood up isn’t enough, one must hear “Come up hither”. To Jerusalem and her lovers its “Awake, Awake”, but to Zion and her beauty it’s also “Awake, Awake” (Isa 51:17-19 & 52:1). When God says “Come out of her My people”, it will be the same as saying “Loose yourself from the bands of your neck, O captive Daughter of Zion” (Isa 52:2).
From all this we can see the Daughter of Zion refers to the Remnant, yet we can’t forget there are two Zions, one of Salvation for our Season, known as the Rock upon which the Church is built, then one of Judgment for the next, upon which Jerusalem of the earth is built. Ours has the Anointing of Christ, the other has the Two Anointed Witnesses of the Law and Prophets. As long as Jesus sits, Salvation is here, when He stands, then the Spirit takes us through the Door at the Rapture. For our Season it’s still, come let us worship at His footstool, for we are come unto Mount Zion, unto the city of the Living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels. This shows Zion for us is the Rock, upon which the Church is built; whereas, Zion of the earth is the place where Jerusalem of the earth is built.
Since Judgment will be the issue during the Time of Comfort, and since Jesus judges with a two-edged sword, we should find out what this Sword is all about. There are only four references to a two-edged sword in the Bible. We know the two New Testament passages as Hebrews 4:12 where the Word is sharper than any two-edged sword, then Revelation 1:16 where Jesus judges with a two-edged sword. Don’t confuse the Sword of the Spirit with a two-edged sword, the Sword of the Spirit has one edge of Grace. The first reference to a two-edged sword is found in Psalm 149:6, which is entitled A Hymn Of Praise; the passage reads, “Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a two-edged sword in their hand”. Here the purpose for the Sword is to “execute vengeance upon the heathen, and punishment upon the people”. This gives us a clue to the purpose of the two-edged sword. In Proverbs 5:4 we find the Strange Woman’s end is Bitter as Wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword. The metaphor Wormwood means Bitterness, we know during the last plagues the Star falls becoming Wormwood (Bitter – Rev 8:11), thus this Strange Woman is metaphorically the Woman (City) in the Book of Revelation, her Strangers are the sons of perdition. In Psalm 96:13 we read, “Before the Lord for He comes, for He comes to judge the earth, He shall judge the world with Righteousness and the people with His Truth”. These two items are the purpose for the Dividing asunder, making the Word in us greater than any two-edged sword. We have the opportunity to have the Word divide unto Righteousness, Holiness and Truth, thus we can avoid the Judgment through Salvation by having the Spirit of Truth. Once we receive the Spirit there is one thing we must remember, we are not appointed to the wrath of God, or the season of His wrath.
The Tabernacle has many allegories and metaphors, most of which we have covered in prior lessons; however, Paul tells us Jesus “has (past tense) broken down the middle wall of partition between us: having abolished in his flesh the enmity even the Law of Commandments contained in ordinances: for to make In Himself of two one New Man so making peace” (Eph 2:15-16). The Middle Wall was the curtain between the holy place and the holy of holies, the wording “has broken down” is the Greek Luo meaning To Loose, as opposed to binding (Greek Deo). Jesus has provided the method and manner of Loosing us from the courtyard into the holy place then into the holiest of all. The Law and Ten Commandments are nailed to the Cross, when we imputed death, we completed the purpose of both. We then entered a new realm, one wherein the Commandments of Mercy and Grace are applied.
Psalm 96:12 opens another area of metaphors, as it says “Let the Field be joyful, and all therein: then shall all the trees of the wood rejoice”. If we reject the use of metaphors we would assume some field would be happy, then all the trees in the forest would be jumping for joy, hardly the case. This is a metaphoric message, pointing to the Field as the kingdom of heaven, yet it opens the area of Trees and Grass. Jesus said If we had the faith as a Grain of Mustard Seed, since when do we find a grain of mustard seed acting in faith? Could Jesus be mistaken? Perhaps He didn’t really mean what He said, or He knew exactly what He said. A Grain of Mustard Seed is designed to grow, it knows nothing more, it doesn’t have a brain, it doesn’t have reasoning, it doesn’t have a soul, but it does do what God intended without argument, fighting, or attempting to change it’s course. Faith as a grain of mustard seed entails submission, as well as doing what God intended us to do.
John refers to Trees and Grass in the Book of Revelation; are these Olive Trees? Or some other type? Are they Fig Trees, or what? He does tell us the Grass is Green, how could it be? (Rev 8:7). On one hand we see a third part of the Trees burnt up, then after the demons are loosed we find they are commanded not to hurt the Grass of the earth, any Tree or Green thing, only Men, does it mean mankind is not metaphorically akin to the Trees, Grass and Green things? Or does it open another metaphoric mystery? The location is now narrowed to the Earth, or the kingdom of heaven, thus the kingdom of heaven will remain, but so do the Tares from our Season. The Green things have the shadow of life over them, which connects to the concept of the dry tree becoming a green tree, or as we know it, the resurrection “unto” life, which fits those among the 144,000, thus the demons will not hurt any of the 144,000. If the devils can’t hurt them, what makes us think the devils can hurt us?
In the Hebrew the word Ets relates to the word Tree, but it also means A carpenter, thus Jesus came as a carpenter, or Tree among Trees. In Daniel the word Iylaw was used meaning The Oak Of Paran or An ornamental tree. In the Greek there is the Dedron or Oak Tree, the Suke or Fig Tree, the Xulon meaning Timber of wood article, then Agrielaios for the Wild Olive Tree. This still doesn’t tell us about the Trees in the Book of Revelation. In Ezekiel 47:12 we find Trees by the River, the leaves of the Trees shall not fade, the fruit shall not be Consumed. The word Consumed is the Hebrew Tamam meaning To complete, connecting to Jesus and the lacking Fig Tree. The Leaves will complete the task, not the fruit. Yet, we also see how a tree shall bring forth New Fruit, how does it figure in? The wording New Fruit can also read A principle, it’s due to the Waters coning from the Sanctuary. Waters is a metaphor for Mercy in one form or another, there are the waters of Mercy, the Living Waters of Mercy, Bitter water, and salt water the last two lack mercy. The metaphor used here is two fold, first is the water of mercy in the knowledge of God coming from the Sanctuary during the Time of Comfort, but then comes the Floods of the salt water (Gentiles), then the Bitter water of the Woman. We are the only ones who have the Living Water by the Spirit.
The word Medicine also means For bruises and sores, relating to the plague. The New Fruit is not the fruit from the Tree, it’s evil fruit from the Rivers and Bitter Waters; therefore, the Fig Tree still didn’t produce Fruit, it merely used the Fruit from another Tree calling it a Fig. The Trees along the bank show a metaphor for something next to Water, which we know as the Sand of the Sea, thus the Trees here refer to the Twelve Tribes, the Fig Tree to the religious order. In Jude we find there are Trees who have withered (Jude 12), Jude uses the Greek Dendron meaning An Oak, this is the same word John uses in Revelation 7:1 and 9:4; however, in Revelation 2:7, 22:2 and 22:14 John uses the Greek Xulon, in Revelation 6:13 it’s the Greek Suke with the addition of the word Fig pointing to the Fig Tree. The only place in the Book of Revelation where we find the Olive Tree is in Revelation 11:4 in reference to the Two witnesses, there it’s the Greek Elaia. Since the Two Witnesses operate in Mercy we find the Olive points to Mercy, yet for use it’s Mercy coupled with Grace.
James asks us can a Fig Tree produce Olives? (James 3:12); Paul used the Olive Tree in Romans 11:17 and 11:24; however, there are 11 references to the Mount of Olives (Matt 21:1, 24:3, 26:30, Mark 11:1, 13:3, 14:26, Luke 19:29, 19:37, 21:37, 22:39 & John 8:1), all of which appear in the Gospel accounts. The Commandments of the Olive Tree came from the Mount of Olives, relating to Mercy. All of the plural uses in the Book of Revelation are the Greek Dendron the same word Jude used (Rev 7:3, 8:7, 11:4 & Jude 12). The Tree of Life is Xulon (Rev 2:7, 22:2 & 22:14), the Tree of Life is never seen as a Plural. The purposed Olive Trees become hard as Oaks, turning their glory into their shame, but the Two Olive Trees are the only Olive Trees during the Night. They are not attached to the Candlestick, rather they stand next to it, meaning they are only assigned to the last two churches. At the same time the Fig Tree with Leaves begins, then it’s shaken causing the Leaves fall, leaving a dry tree, with no leaves. Yet God said He would take the Green Tree and make it dry, and Dry Tree and make it Green; if Green refers to Life, we can see how those with Life who enter the Night give their Life to the Beast, leading them to the resurrection of the damned (dry tree), but those of the dry Fig Tree who keep the Commandments will receive the resurrection unto Life (green tree). We have Trees, and we have Trees, which is which?
In Nahum 2:3-4 we find the “Fir Trees” shall be terribly shaken, as the Chariots rage. Then in Nahum we find the Gates of the Rivers shall be opened, as the Palace shall be dissolved (Molten), then “she is empty, and Void, and Waste” (Nahum 2:10). All this goes back to Genesis 1, when the earth was void and waste in the Beginning, thus as it began, so shall it end, only the ending will have the earth as a Molten Lake of Fire.
The metaphor Fir Tree points to the word Fir which is the Hebrew Berowsh, generally it means the instruments made from the Cypress tree, whether the instrument is a spear or used for music; however, when we see “Terribly Shaken” adding to the concept. The wording Terribly Shaken is the Hebrew Raal meaning To reel or Brandish meaning To wave triumphantly, or menacingly, thus these Fir Trees are instruments of destruction, they Wave when the Woman uses menacing words and gestures. Therefore, we find various Trees doing various things; the Two Anointed witnesses couldn’t be waving in a violent, or menacing manner, they call for repentance and obedience, not oppression. There must be more to the metaphor used by John in the Book of Revelation.
After Peter made his statement regarding the Fig Tree, Jesus said “have faith in God”, He also said “you shall not only do this which is done to the Fig Tree” (Matt 21:21). What was done to the Fig Tree? Was it cursed? Hardly, Jesus didn’t Curse the religious leadership of Israel, He came to save it. Did Jesus have Authority over the Fig Tree, even to the point wherein it was subject to Him? Yes, He said He was Lord of the Sabbath, even the Pharisees asked “by what authority do You do these things?”. Authority over the Fig Tree means the Fig Tree doesn’t have Authority over us. The next step was to get rid of the Mountain of Cursing, yet being free of the Fig Tree doesn’t necessarily mean one is free of the Curse. Revelation 6:13 points to Stars falling as a Fig Tree casts her untimely Figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. The Untimely Figs are the first figs, the second growth comes from the first, thus the Fig Tree wasn’t able to produce Fruit. In her case the untimely figs are like unto Stars, thus when we see the opening of the Time of Comfort we see Stars falling as positions. At the same time the Body is broken, the positions appointed to the Wicked are taken from them, causing them to fall. Later another Star falls, the Woman’s star when she engages and mixes with the Wicked. When the stars of the Wicked fall, their names are blotted out of the Book of Life. It’s after the Stars have fallen when the 144,000 are Marked, but what relationship do these Stars have with the Fig Tree? Are they the Fig Tree? No, it’s like unto a Fig Tree, thus they are religious in nature, these Stars are purposed to be of the Olive Tree, but remained wild, hardened oaks, Independent Rocks, who lose their place in heaven when the Rapture takes place.
John’s word for Grass in Revelation 8:7 is the Greek Chloros or Kloros, it’s used four times in the New Testament (TR), once in Mark 6:39 in reference to the people sitting on the Grass, then three times in the Book of Revelation (Rev 6:8, 8:7 & 9:4). One would look at Revelation 6:8 and say “wait, I don’t see the word Grass there?”, and we don’t, rather it’s translated as Pale in reference to the fourth horse who brings Pestilence. The Rider who brings Pestilence is a Pale Green, who is sent among the Grass. This gives us two sides to the same metaphor, as God views the beasts of the field. Rats are a carrier of pestilence, as are many raw flesh eating, or blood sucking animals, just as the Beast of the Field is a flesh eating, blood sucking natural brute beast. Pale is a metaphor for sickly, they are Pale Green, thus sickly. Being a Christian doesn’t make us void of sickness, if so then it would be, “by his stripes you can’t get sick”, neither would there any reason to prey our prayer of faith. It’s not the paleness, but to Whom we go when Paleness comes, as well as to whom we give the glory, healed or not.
Both Revelation 8:7 and 9:4 are connected with the Trees and Grass, both show when the plagues begin one-third of both are burned up, leaving two-thirds. The demons are not allowed to Hurt the Grass of the Earth, any Green thing, neither any Tree. The word Hurt is the Greek Adikeo meaning Wrong, Suffer, or Hurt, it’s found some 10 times in the Book of Revelation (2:11, 6:6, 7:2-3, 9:4, 9:10, 9:19, 11:5 (twice) & 22:11), the last reference is translated as Unjust, thus Unjust means one has the ability to be Just, but rejects it as they bring Hurt to others. The word would also relate to those who Slander their brothers and sisters, or those who go about bringing Hurt, assuming they are doing Godly works. Although the demons don’t touch the green things, we find many of the people are tormented by the demons.
The One-third and Two-thirds are alluded to in Zechariah, as the prophet says, “in that Day there shall be a Fountain opened to the House of David” (Zech 13:1). The House of David then must have a Door, if a Door, someone must have the Key to Open it. We know Jesus has the Key of David, He also has the keys to death and hell, but He gave us the Keys to the Kingdom, don’t mix keys, the proper key for the proper lock.
In that Day the Lord will cut off the names of Idols, cause the prophets and unclean spirits to pass out of the land, or better to bind them in the pit. Then we find “Awake, O Sword, against My Shepherd, and against the man who is My fellow, saith the Lord of hosts; smite the Shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered: and I will turn My Hand upon the little ones. And it shall come to pass, in the land, saith the Lord, two parts therein shall be cut off and die: but the third shall be left therein” (Zech 13:7-8). The word “man” here is very interesting, it’s the Hebrew Ghever meaning War like or Warrior, it pointed to a male at the very peak of his Natural strength. This fellow has power and strength, but it’s natural in ability and means. This is just the opposite of Revelation 8:7 where one-third are burned, and two-thirds remaining, yet here in Zechariah it’s two-thirds Cut Off, and one third makes it through the Fire. What gives? Could the first angel complete Isaiah 57:1, wherein the Righteous are taken to avoid what is ahead? It would appear so. They who remain won’t take it to heart, they will assume as they did at the Rapture, God has taken the evil, not the Righteous, they will be just as wrong. Those who pass through the Fire will be able to say “The Lord is my God”, which is akin to Thomas’ statement “My Lord, my God”, when he saw and believed.
As for us? We are Branches of the Olive Tree, neither independent trees, or grass, thus Jesus put the Vine with the Olive Tree, showing both the Blood and Mercy Anointing. Jesus clearly showed He is the True Vine, the Father the Husbandman, every Branch in Him who bears not fruit the Father will take away: yet every Branch who does Bear Fruit the Father will purge, so it can bring forth More Fruit. Much better to be cut to the quick, than cut off.
Then we find the Two Olive Trees in the time of the Leaves of the Fig Tree. These two witnesses are the Law and Prophets, thus the words are Anointed, whether the person reading them is anointed or not. In our Season we have the advantage of being anointed by the Spirit, in the Next the Law and Prophets contain the anointing; in our Season it’s unto Salvation, in the next Judgment.
On the same note we can become paranoid over metaphors, and numbers. A small cut, or sore appears on our right hand, and immediately we think we are cursed. We just looked at the clock and it’s 13 past the hour, we’re in rebellion, it was at night, so we’re going to miss the Rapture, we hit our toe on our right foot running to our Bible, so we must have lost the anointing, causing us to run off yelling, “the curse, the curse”: when the truth is we have a sore, we need to be careful. If the first thing we think of is Cursing, then we need to consider our source. If the first thing we think of is the “devil”, we need a Holy Ghost focus change.
If a storm called Ishmael comes, do we look for the Precious, or the curse? We look for signs as warnings, or cautions, but we also look for the way to the Door first and foremost. Searching for the Precious doesn’t mean we avoid the responsibility of our actions, or the actions of others. We desire to rid ourselves of “wood, hay and stubble”, but what do the metaphors wood, hay and stubble represent? Envy, strife and division? Yes, carnal, worldly, soulish thinking? Yes, but the source is just as important as the product. Wood comes from trees, hay is a type of grass, stubble is the left over, or unusable portion of grain. Didn’t Jesus hang on the Tree for us? Yes, but He isn’t there now. We can’t say at the Cross and miss the Resurrection, yet we must take the lessons of the Cross to the grave, then the lessons of the grave to the Resurrection, then unto the Rapture.
The Tree holds many metaphors, we found there are trees, and there are trees. Which tree did Jesus hang on? The Tree of Life? The Tree of the knowledge of good and evil? The olive Tree? The fig Tree? The almond Tree? Which one? If it was the Tree of Life, then we lose, if it was the Olive Tree, we lose. If it was the Almond Tree we would have the Resurrection at death, if it’s the case we all lose, even Jesus. In a prior study we saw how the Cross did have a Cross Piece on the upright stake, showing the Cross was not a single upright stake, the proof is found in the first Passover. The Blood was not placed on the Door, but on the Wooden pieces on the sides, and top. The Cross had two pieces, one intersecting the other, thus we find the Law of Moses was from the fig tree, for the fig tree. The Law and the Commandments, with any and all Curses were nailed to the Cross, so was did the Cross take the curse, or Jesus who was nailed to the Cross? Jesus of course, but did the cruse remain on the Cross, or follow Jesus through the Resurrection? It stayed on the Cross with the Law and Commandments.
What other type of trees are there? There is the Palm Tree, Oak Tree, Juniper Tree, and the Wild Olive Tree, as well as Trees bearing seeds, but no fruit, such as the Sycamore Tree, or the Cedar Tree; then there are the Nut Trees, like the Almond, Hazelnut and Chestnut. Didn’t Aaron’s rod have Almond buds? Yes, the Almond Bud from the dead branch refers to the Resurrection as life from something appearing dead. The Sycamore Tree appears once in the New Testament (Luke 19:4), yet we say Be Gone to it; however, we also find the Greek word used (Sukomoraia) also means Mulberry, with the root word (Sukon) meaning Fig; why not say “Fig Tree”? Because both the Sycamore and Mulberry are representative of a Fig Tree, since they can’t bear fruit. In the Hebrew the word used for Sycamore is Shiqmah, in Psalm 78 we read all God did with the plagues in Egypt, including “He destroyed (killed) their vines with hail, and their sycamore trees with frost (great hailstones)” (Ps 78:47). In Amos we find the excuses of the false prophets include “I was a herdsman, and a gatherer of sycamore (wild figs) fruit”, yet the context shows there was no fruit to gather (Amos 7:14). It’s here in Amos we find the definition of the word Sycamore, and why Jesus didn’t say “fig tree”, but “Sycamore”; the Wild Fig tree can’t bear fruit, it’s so independent it’s useless. Paul said there were Wild Olive Branches grafted onto the Olive Tree, but here we find the Wild Fig Trees.
This brings us to a word Jesus used, one wherein He said we would be sent as Lambs, but among Wolves. In Acts 20:29 Paul knew after he departed from Ephesus, Grievous Wolves would enter among the Body (flock). Later Paul would face Grievous words spoken against him by the Jews (Acts 25:7). Yet, John said the Commandments of Christ were not Grievous (I Jn 5:3). The surface metaphoric meaning of the word Wolf shows one who is rapacious, or violent. The word Rapacious means one who Grabs, as a hawk grabs his prey; however, the root word shows the Wolf’s thoughts are hard to discern. Nature herself teaches us this, looking into the eyes of a wolf can’t tell us a thing; it’s like looking into an empty can. One can’t tell if the wolf is thinking about lunch, or about running away. Even if they lick your hand, you can’t tell if it’s affection, or tasting lunch. The metaphoric content shows a Grievous Wolf is one who comes among us with the “deep revelation”, so deep we’re far to stupid to understand it. They trap and devour with words; they set traps with words, or they use words to intimidate. Jesus said the false prophets would come to us in sheep’s clothing (outward appearance), but inwardly they are Ravening wolves. The word Ravening is the Greek Harpax meaning Rapacious, which is Grievous. The Greek word for Grievous is Barus meaning Oppressive, or rapacious and violent. They promise Liberty, but bind us, they are self-transformed, they still use the old man in a religious manner.
This brings us to the metaphor Cut Off, which has two meanings. In the Textus Receptus, Masoretic Text and Septuagint we can see the difference; however, there are some modern day texts ignoring one concept of Cut Off. For whatever reason, nonetheless we have the evidence in the manuscripts to bring the Light to this area. One form of Cut Off is from the Hebrew word Karath meaning To cut out, as one would cut a covenant, or to cut off as one would cut a portion of their body. The other use of Cut Off is the Hebrew Tsamath meaning To put an end to, or extirpated, or annihilate. The first use means to Separate by a Cutting, but it doesn’t rid the cut off area, it merely removes it; however, the latter aspect means to Remove completely from sight, thought, and mind. This is very important when we look at Psalm 94:23 and Psalm 37:28. Psalm 94:23 is a classic example of the Rapture revealed in the Old Testament, it tells us the workers of iniquity shall first be Cut Off from the Body, then the Lord shall Annihilate them; two different things, for two different times. The first is the Broken Body of Jesus, the time when the Wheat go home to be with the Lord, but the Tares remain as the Beast of the Earth. At the time of Judgment we find the association with the Hebrew word Tsaraph meaning To melt together, or To fuse together by fire. Psalm 37:28 tells us the Saints are Preserved forever, but the Wicked shall be Cut Off (extirpated).
When Jesus entered Jerusalem the people brought Palm Branches, laying them in the Street, they didn’t bring the entire Tree, just the Branches, but why? The Hebrew word for Palm Tree is Tamar, which is also the name of three Hebrew women and one location. The Branch of the Palm Tree is a symbol of Victory, or being Triumphant. Before the children in the wilderness had the “quail feast” they encamped by Elim where there were “twelve wells” and “threescore palm trees” (Ex 15:27). The number Twelve is interesting, it doesn’t point to the twelve tribes of Israel, they are Trees by the water, not Wells of Water. These twelve Wells represent the twelve Apostle positions, but the 70 Palm Trees metaphorically relate to the 70 who went out by the Mercy covering of the Name of Jesus.
The third day into the wilderness the children looked and there was no water, they murmured and God showed Moses A Tree. When Moses put the Tree into the Water, the Water became Sweet, just as the Cross mixed with the Water of Mercy makes us Sweet before the Lord. Then the Lord promised If they obeyed, He would see none of the diseases of the Egyptians would come on His people. It was afterward, when the people came to Elim, where there were Waters and Palm Trees. The promise and victory were before them, yet they murmured the more and missed it (Ex 16:2). In retrospect Jesus sent the 70 to preach and heal, as Palm Branches of victory for the people (Luke 10:1).
When Jonathan spied on the garrison of the Philistines, Saul was under a Pomegranate Tree (I Sam 13:23-14:2). The Pomegranate fruit was used as a symbol on the priest’s robe as well (Ex 28:34), as a sign representing the commandments of God. The Hebrew word for Pomegranate is Rimmon, which in and of itself tells us nothing; but the root word (Raman) means To lift up, or Rise up, thus the Pomegranate is a metaphor to being Lifted or Raised, which is what happens when one obeys the Lord.
The priests had bells with pomegranate symbols on the base of their robes. The bells served a purpose, pointing to a metaphor. The purpose was simple, when the priest was in the holy of holies, and the noise of the bell stopped, pull him out, he’s dead. Metaphorically the bell points to a Wheel (work), the concept of hundredfold is derived not from the Hebrew word used for Bell (Paamon), but the root word (Paamah). This gives us the Product of the Promise, to be Raised as Partakers in the First Resurrection, based on the Witness of the Water, Blood and Spirit in us.
Why was Saul under a Pomegranate Tree? The location is the key, it was “part of Gibeah” but “in Migron”, the word Gibeah means hill, whereas the word Migron means Fear, thus Saul was part of a hill, but filled with fear. It wasn’t Saul who brought the slaughter of the Philistines, it was Jonathan and his armor bearer (I Sam 14:14). Saul heard the noise, and fear grew the more, he wanted the security of the Ark of God, and a priest (I Sam 14:17-19). After Saul had his confirmation, he fought, but Jonathan heard one small voice of confirmation and sought the Victory.
Now the Juniper Tree, the place where we find the prophet of God sitting, of course it was in the wilderness, as the prophet wanted to die (I Kings 19:4). The Hebrew word for Juniper is Rothem, like the Pomegranate we have to look at the root word, Ratham, which means To yoke up. When Job was in the midst of his parable he said “who cup up mellows by the bushes and juniper roots for their meat” (Job 30:4). Job’s reference is also to the Wilderness, as a time appearing desolate, or a waste (Job 30:3). The other reference is found in Psalm 120, which is entitled A Prayer For Deliverance. The one praying is asking for his soul to be delivered from lying lips, from deceitful tongues, then we find the Sharp arrows of the mighty made with coals of the juniper (Ps 120:4). Going back to the prophet under the juniper tree the prophet ran there because of the threats of Jezebel, yet God was there as an angel touched the man, and provision was made. The prophet yoked himself in words of Jezebel, then when he ran, he added shame to this fear. The prophet prayed to die, but his work was not done. He went into the cave to hear his purpose of his calling, when he came out he knew God was with him, his goal was all that mattered. The Psalmist prayed for deliverance, and was delivered. Job used the juniper root as type of destruction, only because his view of the event dictated it. The Juniper Tree is one found in the Wildernesses we go through, those times when we yell out to God “take me home, I can’t take it any longer”, or when the words of darkness have brought fear to our souls. However, then comes a touch of the Lord, provision is made for the time ahead as we are delivered again, even if we are running from the self-appointed Jezebels who desired to kill us.
When Solomon was building the Temple, the floor was overlaid with Gold, but the entry of the Oracle had Two Doors made of Olive Wood (I Kings 6:30-33). Both Doors had carvings of cherubims, palm trees, and open flowers (opening flowers). Based on this some scholars think the Cross of Jesus was made of Oak, which most of the crosses of the time were. The posts for the doors, as well as part of the Wall were made from the Olive Tree (I Kings 6:33). John made entry through One Door, but at the time the Door to the House of David was also opened, the time of Doors points to the Olive Tree in one way or another. In our Season we are the Olive Trees of the Anointing, in the next the Two Witnesses are the two Olive Trees who stood next to the Lord of the whole earth, they will be the only Olive Trees in the Night. The 144,000 gain their anointing from the two witnesses, cast the two witnesses in the street, no more anointing.
The word Open or Opening means a Bud, the word for Flowers is the Hebrew Tsits meaning A glistening, or Burnished plate, the same word also means Wings, as in the Wings of angels. The base meaning of the word means something having a Gleaming in the air, not the prince of the power of the air, but something of Brightness. The metaphor Opening Flowers points to someone with Light, whether it’s the Greater or the Lesser.
Taking us to a Green Tree, prior we looked at the word Green in reference to the Green Tree Jesus referred to (Luke 23:31), and the Green things John referred to (Rev 8:7 & 9:4); however, to take it a step further, we find two different words for Green used. The one in reference to the statement by Jesus as He referred to the Day as a Green Tree, meaning One with Water (mercy), but there is also the Greek Hudria found in Luke 23:31, which is the only place in the New Testament this word is found. The other Greek word is Chloros meaning a Pale yellowish green, referring to Grass which has been exposed to the Heat, or is in the drying process; therefore, the reference in the Book of Revelation doesn’t refer to Healthy Watered Grass, but Green Grass which is in the process of dying, or as we know it “in dying you shall die”.
In the Old Testament we find Ephraim shall say, “What have I to do any more with idols? I have heard Him, and observed Him; I am like a Green Fir Tree. From me is Your fruit found” (Hosea 14:8). There is no fruit on a Green Fir, yet it does yield protection regardless of the time of year. The prophet Isaiah looked at the Time of Comfort and said, “Yea, the fir trees rejoice at you, and the cedars of Lebanon, saying Since you are laid down, no feller is come up against us. Hell from beneath is moved for you at your coming; it stirs the dead for you, even all the chief ones of the earth; it has raised up their thrones, all the kings of the nations” (Isa 14:8-9). Who is he talking about? Jesus? No, the king of Babylon (Isa 14:4), it goes on to show this king yet to come is also known as Lucifer (Isa 14:10-12). It might help to find out what the word Fir means; it comes from the Hebrew Berowth meaning Cypress, or a lance, or a musical instrument made of wood. This double meaning is important, it shows the Fir Trees have beat their weapons into plowshares, but will beat those plowshares into weapons later. Ephraim attempts to say, he is no longer an idol worshiper, but seeks the protection of the fir tree. In the days of Jeremiah the people worshipped idols under the “green trees”. They didn’t worship the tree, rather they were trusting in the protection of God, while they worshipped idols, a costly mistake.
Wait, don’t we have a promise of the Lord making us to lie down in Green Pastures? Yes, Psalm 23:2 says so, but the word Green tells us something about the Pasture. The metaphor Pasture isn’t the same as Grass, rather the Pasture is the place to feed, referring to the “food for the Sheep”. Now, wait, I know it takes Grass to make a Pasture. Perhaps, but not metaphorically. The word used for Pasture is the Hebrew Deshe meaning A sprout, it comes from the Hebrew Dasha meaning A sprout to bring forth. In the metaphoric sense it points to the budding Blade, thus it’s not merely resting in some grass field, but consuming the Milk of the Word so we may grow thereby. Much different from one who sits on pale dying grass assuming God is there to serve them.
The Oak Tree is interesting, the references are few, but important. The first place we find the Oak it has to do with Jacob burying the strange gods under an Oak (Gen 35:4). This is one of those areas where the clues to the metaphor are given in the first usage of the word. The “oaks of Bashan” are idols, or idol worshippers (Isa 2:13), we find the Oak Tree relates to being hard, proud and lofty (Isa 2:12), connecting to the Cedars of Lebanon. The Oak being a metaphor for idol worship also shows if it gets the chance, it will hang you (II Sam 18:9). The Oak is also a metaphor for the Wicked, since it will hang us between heaven and the earth, just over hell (II Sam 18:9). How does it fit with Jesus on the Cross? Perfect, He died for us, we were the Oaks of the world.
In Psalm 37:35 we read, “I have seen the Wicked in great power, and spreading himself like a Green Bay Tree”. Not only do we find the Wicked referred to as one, as in one position, but we find this element Spreads like A Green Bay Tree, not like a dead one, or a yellow one, but a Green one. This metaphor has to relate to the “spirit of antichrist” in our Season, the metaphor Green Bay Tree is defined by the Hebrew language. The word for Bay is the Hebrew Zrach meaning A native, or one who is born into the land. If comes from the root word Zarach meaning To rise up, which sounds good, until we find it means to rise up as a sore would on one’s skin, this word was used to define the symptoms of leprosy. In this case the Bay Tree is a metaphor for one who is a Native, it shows the Wicked are protected during the Day, but the connection is general, not individual.
What about the Wheat in this matter? Ahh, I am like a Green Olive Tree in the House of God; I trust in the Mercy of God forever and ever (Ps 52:8). The Wicked boast themselves in mischief, they have tongues loving the world, but come against the Olive Trees of God (Ps 52:1-5). Our concern is not to act like them, or to use their weapons, or fall into their snare. They do have a Snare, one set to trap the babes in Christ, but praise be to God, we can make a difference.
One last word of caution, one all of us must keep in mind. Never, never, never use allegories or metaphors as doctrine. Doctrine is clear defined Scripture, allegories and metaphors help explain the Doctrine, they don’t make it. An example? There is no verse saying Salvation is a Gift, so in order to form the doctrine one has to use allegories or metaphors, yet be void of any Scripture to support the doctrine. This is allegory doctrine, it always produces error. We don’t extend the metaphor by using another metaphor to explain it.
We don’t purport this to be a complete work by any means, there are many more metaphors and allegories, many of which the student can study on their own. This lesson was to open the file drawer, it doesn’t examine the entire file. Explore and have fun in Jesus, but remember the warning; don’t extend the metaphors, yet don’t become paranoid. From here we can study the New Testament letters, and gain for our foundation and walk.
INDEX PART I
ADDENDUM ON METAPHORS AND ALLEGORIES:
This list will have some of the metaphors; intended as a study tool:
ADAM – Natural man with a living soul, but not a quickening spirit; as Adam man he represents the flesh.
AGE – A period of time, or a Season.
AIR – Two places, the natural and the spiritual, the natural is the soulish realm where the prince of the power of the air reigns; the spiritual is above as the place where we where meet Jesus at the Rapture.
ALMOND TREE – The last resurrection, the time when judgment will divide the tree righteous from the wicked.
ALMOND BUDS – In reference to those on the rod of Aaron, they represent the resurrection, “life from the rod of miracles”.
ASHES – Sign of affliction, used with sackclothe to show repentance for affliction incurred.
BABE or FETUS – The root stage, or the time one is growing the root before they are Born Again.
BAD FISH – The Tares, the Children of the Wicked, but not the children of disobedience.
BEASTS OF THE DESERT – Sons of perdition, workers of iniquity, the tares planted in the Wilderness (desert or field).
BEAST OF THE EARTH – Sons of perdition as they surface after the Rapture and near the end of the Time of Comfort.
BEASTS OF THE FIELD – The Wicked, the Tares, those who join to the sons of perdition and become the tare followers.
BEASTS OF THE ISLAND – Those who are above the Sea as all dry land is considered an Island, these are they who become the Beast of the Earth, they were those who were the beasts of the wilderness (beasts of the desert.)
BEAST OF THE SEA – The beast from the World, the one who was given the Seat, Power and Authority of the dragon, by the dragon.
BEAST – Depends on usage and word used, there are good beasts in heaven, and bad the earth.
BELL – Witness, product of a hunderdfold.
BLADE – The product of being Born Again, the point to produce fruit.
BREACHES – Holes, or openings through which the enemy can attack.
BIRDS – Plural usage refers to “fowls” or someone pretending to be someone else, an example would be a false christ.
CHILDREN OF THE DARKNESS – Those who use the authority of the world, some of this group can be seen in the kingdom of heaven, but not in the Kingdom of God.
CHILDREN OF DISOBEDIENCE – The children of the world; those who follow the prince of the power of the air.
CHILDREN OF THE DAY – The Born Again child of Christ who walks by the Spirit in the Love of God.
CHILDREN OF THE LIGHT – Same as Children of Day, Light, Love and Life are their means.
CHILDREN OF THE NIGHT – Those of the Remnant who are of the Lesser Light, they have a type of life, same as Adam, but they do not have the Spirit.
CHURCH – The outpouring of Mercy from the Anointing, built on the Rock, termed the Bride of Christ being prepared.
CHURCHES – Groupings of those connected to the Rock.
CLAY – Man made of the earth, natural soulish.
CLOUD – One age of witnesses – three types of clouds are seen, one is the Great Cloud of Witnesses who were taken captive by Jesus, who received Jesus at the Ascension, the second Cloud is the Greater Cloud of Witnesses from this Season, then the dark cloud, or false witnesses.
CLOUDS – More than one age of witnesses, i.e.: Jesus ascended with a cloud, but returns with the Clouds.
COURTYARD – Kingdom of heaven, or place of judgment, the place of entrance where the Lamb was slain, but not the place where the Blood was given.
CROWN – Sign of authority, Good hold the crown of life, bad the crown of the false.
CROWN OF LIFE – Held by the Spirit and given to those of the Promise who endure; sign of Life on the Head (Authority).
CRYSTAL – The Bride of Christ before the Throne.
CUT OFF – Two usage’s depending on Hebrew word used, one means to push away and forget, the other means to Cut some part of the Body away either to enter a Covenant, or a result of a broken Covenant, the latter points the broken Body of Christ at the Rapture.
DARKNESS – Worldly minded, those who use the authority of the world, also known as the children of disobedience.
DARTS – Works, wiles or deeds of the devil sent to harm us.
DAUGHTER OF JERUSALEM – The Woman, or the City rebuilt.
DAUGHTER OF ZION – Those who are called unto Zion of the earth, or a people of Zion like the 144,000.
DAY – The Time and Season for the Christ minded Church.
DEAD IN CHRIST – Those who are crucified with Christ, those who are either under the alter, or who will be in the Rapture, those whose Head is Christ, known as those who are beheaded for the Word of God.
DIVERS COLORS – Pretending to be someone else, without the ability to be them, much like a false christ, or a false prophet, not to be confused with a “coat of many colors”, many colors and divers colors are very different.
DOOR – Method of entry; for the Christian it’s the Door into heaven, for the Remnant it’s the Door to the House of David.
EARTH – Kingdom of heaven.
EVE – The soul.
EVENING AND MORNING – Creation regarding the things for the Night Season of Judgment.
EVER – An age, or something lasting until another event begins.
EXORCISTS – Those who bind devils in people, rather than cast them out.
FATHERS – Those who have reached full age, the full corn in the ear; those who know Him who was from the beginning, better than they know themselves.
FIELD – Kingdom of heaven.
FIG TREE – Religious order of Israel, the covering of the flesh, not a doing away with it.
FISH – Those appointed to the kingdom of heaven, those in the Sea to whom we are sent.
FLOOD – Bitter water moving from one place to a place it should not be.
FLOWER – Appears beautiful, but fades, type and shadow of one who does what they assume are good works.
FOREST – Grouping of trees, or the kingdom of heaven.
FOWLS OF THE AIR – Children of the Wicked, or Tares.
FURNITURE – Tools or means used to identify the House.
GATE – Method of entry, or as a gate of hell a form of division to cause death.
GOOD FISH – Children of God, who desire or walk in love.
GRASS – People, or flesh.
GREATER LIGHT – Light given the Day, the children of the Day.
GRIEVOUS WOLVES – False prophets, false christ, false brethren.
GROUND – The place to plant the Seed; soft ground, a soft heart; hard ground, a hard heart.
HAIR – Covering, anointing.
HAIR AS WOOL – Covering or anointing belonging to God alone.
HAIR – WHITE – A sign of wisdom.
HAY – What is useless, it’s cut off because it lacks Water (mercy).
HARVEST – Pertains to the field, a place of separation between the wheat and tares.
HEADS – Authorities, those with authority.
HEAVENLIES – Appointed spiritual positions.
HOLY PLACE – Kingdom of God, the place just before the Holies of All, the place where the Light, Bread and Blood are first found all together.
HOLY OF HOLIES – Head of the Body, the place where the Promise is in hand for all time.
HORN – Symbol of power.
HUSBAND – Leader of the congregation, or Jesus as the protector of the Bride.
IMAGE – To resemble something or someone.
IMAGINATIONS – Concepts, ideas, or thoughts coming against the knowledge of God; a stronghold.
INHABITANTS – Those who are spiritual, who hold the Star position.
ISLAND – Saved gentile, one who stands above the Sea, those who are Dead in Christ.
ISLES – Places of dispersion belonging to Gentiles, those who sleep in Jesus.
JUNIPER TREE – The place in the wilderness where provision is made; a sign of deliverance.
KINGS – rulers in a kingdom, regardless of the kingdom.
KINGDOM – A place were the will of the king is carried out.
KINGDOM OF GOD – Spiritual kingdom where God rules, place where the Blood of Jesus is found.
KINGDOM OF HEAVEN – Kingdom on the earth belonging to God for the purpose of separating the Wheat from the Tares, the place where Mercy is tested.
KINGDOM OF SATAN – The world, the place where the dragon gave his power, authority and seat.
LESSER LIGHT – Light given the Night, or Remnant, a lesser power, or lesser strength, than the Greater Light of the Day.
LIGHT – Mercy, the ability to follow the Commandment of Love.
LION – One with authority, one who judges or devours; known as the “judge of the jungle”.
LITTLE CHILDREN – Babes in Christ, the blade, young child who knows their sins are forgiven.
LIVING WATERS – People with life inside, those who have the Spirit and able to project mercy with life.
MOUNTAINS – Nations.
MOON – Zion of the earth.
NAME – Point of authority.
NET – Pertains to the Gospel Cast into the Sea (world) to bring the fish out.
NIGHT – Time for the restoration of Israel (remnant).
OAK TREE – Idol worship, place of hanging, akin to Judas and the wicked ones.
OAKS OF BASAN – Idol worship, proud and lofty.
OLIVE TREE – Anointed ones, or the anointing connected to Mercy.
OLIVE OIL – Anointing based on God’s Mercy, light producing.
OLIVE BRANCHS – Christ like saints who walk in mercy.
OPEN FLOWERS – Someone with Light, whether it’s the Greater or Lesser Light.
OSTRICHES – Golden calf, unclean beasts.
PALM BRANCH – Victory.
POMEGRANATE – Lifted, raised, resurrection, either First or Last.
PRINCE – One who begins something, either good or evil; known by the principality they represent, i.e.: Jesus the Prince of Peace.
PRINCES – Appointed to be kings, known by the principality they rule in.
PRINCIPALITIES – A beginning of something, or the place wherein a prince is known by.
REED – An instrument of measuring areas of Salvation or Judgment.
REMNANT – Jewish people assigned to complete the course of Judgment, to make the enemies of Jesus as His footstool; the lesser light of the Night.
ROCK, THE – Christ, the Anointing, the Anointed Body, the Body of Christ.
ROCKS – Small broken aspects who should have been Christ like, who bartered their life to the Beast, to use the authority of the Beast of the Sea.
ROD – Correction, instrument of measuring areas where judgment comes from.
ROOT – The growth which can’t be seen on the surface, the fetus stage, time before the Sprout or Blade comes forth.
SACKCLOTHE – Repentance.
SAND OF THE SEA – The nation and land of Israel.
SEA – Gentile world.
SEA MONSTERS – Sons of perdition.
SEED – The very beginning of something purposed to grow, the conception process, the beginning of a promise.
SCRIPTURES – Written word about God, the “Word of God” is Jesus.
SHORE – Place above the Sand of the Sea, separated from the Sea, yet is neither the Sand of the Sea, or the Sea, the place of calling and teaching.
SILLY WOMEN – Teachers without wisdom or Godly knowledge.
SON OF GOD – One who represents God to man, a person who has the Spirit of Holiness.
SON OF MAN – One who represents man to God, a person who operates in the Mercy of God.
SON OF PERDITION – One who has left Perdition (world), but goes back based on using the authority of the world (Sea).
SPROUT – The first aspect of the blade.
STARS – Appointed heavenly positions, in our case each of us are a Star, in the case of Israel their stars are through the tribe order.
STAFF – Guidance, method the Shepherd uses to guide His Sheep.
STONES – Foundational, but can cause stumbling or judgment for the unbeliever.
STRONGHOLDS – Thoughts, ideas, hurts, pains, or hindrances and imaginations, coming against the knowledge of God.
STUBBLE – The part left in the field after being cut off, lacks water (mercy).
SUN – Either Jacob as the nation of Israel, or Bright as the Sun meaning the Face of Jesus.
TABERNACLE – Salvation, the Gentile Church.
TARES – Children or off-spring of the wicked, the works of the devil.
TEMPLE – Judgment.
TENT – Tabernacle, place where salvation rests.
TERRIBLE ONE – Little horn noted in Daniel.
TERRIBLE ONE – Evil minded people, i.e.: Alexander the Great and the such.
TONGUES, NATIONS, KINDREDS – Gentiles
TREE – Depending on type of Tree, Jesus was hung on a Tree, yet we also have the Olive Tree of the anointing, the Tree of Life, and the Oak tree of idol worship.
TREES – Either good or bad depending on context, refers (plural) to a grouping of trees; a group of people who either keep or break the covenant with God, some trees make covenants with devils. The Cedars of Lebanon point to idol worship.
TREE IN THE FIELD – Refers to one in the kingdom of heaven, but not always referring to a good tree, the Tree can be Cut off, leaving the stump, or as a Good tree it will be taken in the Rapture, depending on whether one broke the covenant with God, or kept it.
TREES BY A RIVER – These trees are not in the River, but by it, referring to the tribes of Israel listed in the New Testament, they are Trees by the Covenant.
VEIL – Artificial covering, something separating us from God.
VIRGIN DAUGHTER OF BABYLON – The Seventh church, or Lukewarm caught in the Woman’s folly.
VIRGIN DAUGHTER OF ZION – Simply the Daughter of Zion.
WATERS – Gentile people who give mercy, but do not have the Spirit.
WHITE ROBE – Resurrected body.
WIFE – Congregation.
WINDOW – A place from which something is poured out; the place where the thief attempts to enter.
WOMAN, THE – Jerusalem of the earth, the City in the latter days.
WOMEN – Jewish teachers of the Law of Moses, but lack knowledge of Grace.
WOOD – Idol worship, or what is cut from a tree for a good use.
WORD – Word of God, Jesus as the Logos, Rhema referring to the Spirit.
WORLD – Refers to a Space or location, the place where the curse and judgment reign.
YOUNG MAN – Full corn in ear, those who have overcome the Wicked.
ZION – (The Rock) One of two places, Zion of the earth, the foundation of Jerusalem of the earth, or Zion of heaven, the foundation to New Jerusalem.
NUMBERS: (these are not the negative association, but the positive usage).
ONE – God, Unity, of one mind
TWO – Joining together as One.
THREE – Trinity.
FOUR – Creative works.
FIVE – Grace.
SIX – Man, Living soul.
SEVEN – Rest, completeness.
EIGHT – New beginnings.
NINE – Holy Spirit.
TEN – Testing.
ELEVEN – God’s work with man.
TWELVE – Government.
THIRTEEN – Rebellion.
HUNDRED – Testing ending.
COLORS:
BLACK – Darkness, lacking mercy or love, void of light.
BLUE – Heaven, Witness.
BROWN – Absent clarity; night; death pending.
GRAY – Vague, lukewarm, compromise, double-minded.
GREEN – Life, or the potential for life.
PURPLE – Royalty.
RED – Blood.
WHITE – Pure; transparent; open.
YELLOW – Light; resurrection.
YELLOW (PALE) – Had life, but lost it.
METALS:
BRASS – Judgment.
GOLD – Purity.
IRON – Correction or bondage depending on usage.
SLIVER – Redemption.
By Rev. G. E. Newmyer – s.b.i.les21rev6/© 2003
