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This important understanding shows us, that when even a slight deviation from the meaning of the text is taken, we can then justify many other things. No doubt the KJB translators were greatly helped by the Spirit & these men were diligent in their business, but there has to be differences in, say the English versions, to the original Hebrew/Aramaic/Greek texts. When texts are modified, omitted, or added to, then there are a number of reasons for that, chiefly that the 'older' manuscripts were being used in translation & not the more reliable later Textus Receptus (from which we get our KJB & some others). GBU.
1-YHWH
2-Yahweh,
3-Yehovah,
4-Elohim,
5-Adonai,
6-HaShem,
7-Yahusha
8-YEHshia
9-Jehovah
10-YEHvah
These 10 are one.Wouldn't they be the name of the father of the Jews? John 8:44-45.
I am asking because according to the Word of GOD-the Word is GOD-, Acts 4:11-12 say:
11-JESUS is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner.
12 Neither is there salvation in any other:for there is none other NAME under HEAVEN given among men, whereby we must be saved.(Yes, there is none other NAME under HEAVEN except JESUS,that is the NAME that the own GOD chose for He Himself.JESUS said:I and my Father are One- John 10:30.And in the fourth Day after Adam,or around 2000 years ago,JESUS said: My Father worketh hitherto(it was still the fourth Day),and I work- John 5:17). In my understand,GOD was never called by nicknames as above listed.The name of GOD is only one:JESUS.
I don't quite understand why people lend credence to Kabbalistic and esoteric, and spiritists, sources(?)Think about it.
"Yehovah", "Yehovih", et al. as above listed,are considered sacred names in Kabbalah,so what? I find this absurd. But what does the Word of GOD say? 1Tim.4:1-2:
1 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly,that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith,giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;
2 Speaking lies in hypocrisy;having their conscience seared with a hot iron;
Beloved, believe not every spirit,but try the spirits whether they are of GOD:because many false prophets are gone out into the world- 1John 4:1.
1Jn 5:19-20:
19 We know that we are of GOD,and the whole world lieth in wickedness.
20 And we know that the Son of GOD is come,and hath given us an understanding,that we may know Him that is true,and we are in Him that is true,even in His Son Jesus Christ.This is the true God, and eternal life.
May our Lord GOD bless and keep us,and give us His protection, now,and for ever.
Amen
Who created the carnal mind? Did not God create man and give him a carnal mind? YES
Romans 8:7 Because the carnal mind is enmity (in direct rebellion) against God, for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
God created the problem and God solved the problem by the death and resurrection of Christ.
The old was done away with; behold. ALL THINGS have become NEW.
1 Corinthians 2:16 .....We have the mind of Christ ......
The GOSPEL is about BELIEVING what GOD HAS DONE.
Christ bowed his head in DEATH and SAID it is FINISHED. Three days later Christ arose and ALL THINGS BECAME NEW.
God Bless YOU!
You said you don't want to speculate regarding the mind of God, yet you go on to say "I do believe however that God in His wisdom and mercy gave the translators a deep respect for the Word of God and caused them to produce an exceptionally faithful word for word translation" (a deep respect?) If the Holy Ghost was involved then whatever was translated was translated PERFECTLY! Why would God give them a "deep respect" for His Word when He could use holy men of God who spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost? Is anything to hard for God? Does God make mistakes?
David are you not speculating in making the statements you are making?
( 2 Pet 1:19-21) If these holy men of God who were moved by the Holy Ghost to bring the prophecy of the scripture from old time were the translators, and yes I do believe that to be the Truth. Then we do have a PERFECT Inspired Word of God today.
God would not preserve the Hebrew and Greek manuscripts and then just stop at that and leave the rest up to men to translate, and make mistakes, would He?
You said "God has also guided men to provide the tools necessary to check out the KJV translation"
God did provide the tools necessary to check out the KJ translation so don't you think that translation would be His pure Words?
The only Bible that can be used with the Strong's Concordance to check the original meaning of the words in the Hebrew and Greek language is the KJB, there is a reason for that!
God does not make mistakes, God is not the author of confusion.
EVERY WORD OF GOD IS PURE! EVERY WORD!
( Ps 12:6-7) (Pro 30:5-6)
In ( Jn 14:23) "If a man love me he will keep ((my words))"
I will say again (Truth is Christ) on youtube is pretty much proof God preserved His Words in the KJB only, if you or anyone else seeking the Truth would spend a little time to do some research and watch some of the videos on this site!
(Truth is Christ) Watch and you will see.
Blessings to you David.
After appendicitis and subseauent antibiotic for infection and inflammation of my intestines for 12 days; I had to go back less than 48 hours later and after another week just got back home; this time on a liquid diet much longer to make sure I can handle things.
I probably already mentioned my appreciation for several believers with the Chaplain staff and one intern in particular who stated that he was a Christian and likely would pray for me. I also found the people in my church who called me multiple times very faithful; as they are with prayer and visiting many members who are confined (and with their own volition not being prompted by the Pastor to do such things). I am thankful after 2 years in this city (Philly suburb) to have found such a church and become a member.
Also of course the serving of the staff day and night on 12 hour shifts helped me to be grateful for the work involved for patient care. The hospital was a local one; fortunately one of the better. They helped me be as independant as I could; learning to navigate an IV or TPN line (food line) around to the bathroom by myself after "graduating" from the port o potty. I don't recommend the stomach pump that goes down you nose for fun entertainment; but it had to be done and I put them through a hard time more than once. If the tube was out I could have serious issues but you cough up flem all night long.
God was with me no doubt; it allowed my parents to become friends with a couple in church to help them; and thankfully my employers will give me leave the next couple weeks until I can get back and my parents will help me with what my insurance didn't cover; the operation. It did cover all but 50 dollars a day for the stay which is a game changer!
I quoted "this is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it" to one of the nurses today. No great response but I know I was there to be a witness. I appreciate your prayers.
Rich P
Since this is for commentary on your comment on the Levites I suppose I should say something related to that. It reminds me of the sons of Eli when they did the opposite; in molesting the young women and eating raw meat which was the extreme of lawlessness. The example you gave shows the Pharisitical behaviors; and also shows how things such as the Talmud and human tradition take away any real mercy as the Torah was also supposed to have; along with the Temple destined to be a place of prayer for all nations. The fact that they used the law to justify their actions of greed such a with their "Corbin" behavior which Christ excoriated them over makes it worse in some ways from those who just want to live licensiously.
What we CAN learn from the Levites and ordinances is we need to approach God on HIS terms; the consequences for any other way are clear in scripture (Ananias and Sapphira). God sees all and we must approach Him with fear and awe with the New Covenant as much as with the Old. God is the same yesterday today; Alpha and Omega.
Such an example could fit in with today's churches in some ways as well. Traditions of men such as styles of worship; attire; restrictions on dancing; movies; etc.; legalistic tithing and many other practices in themselves are useless; we should; however not go so casual as to disrespect God and make the Spirit decide to take the train to the coast so to speak as Don McLean's famous song would mention so poetically. Such a song as American Pie also makes us soberly think about America falling possibly in a day like Babylon. We could also extrapolate how music in the Christian music industry has "died" in some respect also although that may be a stretch.
God framed the worlds by his word and they are upheld by the word of power, which coming from the Son brings the earth as part of the Father Son relationship. "His Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;/ Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power," This being the case Jesus could claim, "I and my Father are one"( John 10:30). The Jews who heard his statement judged him and took stones to throw at him. In the Book of the Revelation we have the fall of Babylon which includes nations of the world, including Israel. The angel who threw the stone 'like a great millstone judged which came from the rightful Authority.(Re. 18:21).
Symbolic values of a stone and of a Lamb are the same, which is not the case of the natural world.
We shall consider this text: Re.22:3-5
"But the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him:/ And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads./ And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever."
It is significant that Jesus Christ reveals himself in the inaugural vision to John announcing, "and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death."(Re.1:18)
At the end of the book we see Jesus Christ in his Omega aspect, "I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last./Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city."(Re.22:13-14). Notice that gates to the city are no more shut? It indicates that we are looking at the day of Regeneration. "And the gates of it shall not be shut by day."
Abiding in Christ is to let his grace work perfectly in our lives. He.13:5
Re.21:24
New heaven and new earth are for those who are born again. In order to be part of Alpha and Omega they are enjoined to walk in the true Light. In Alpha and Omega we were shown how John viewed the holy city of God came down.
"In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations." In ch.22:2 as with the vision of Daniel in ch.12 he sees across the river of time the world of the body where the nations still require healing and are under the curse.
It is thus we shall consider the Alpha and Omega aspect with regards to our positions within the divine Will in which there is only a single tree of life.
Here we shall consider Jesus Christ as the beginning and the ending. It is in terms of day, which God established by a decree. This beginning has had day and night running sequentially. "And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness./ And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day."(Ge.1:4-5)
The symbolic value of the greater light and the lesser light put the entire world seen as temporal subject to the Father Son relationship. " And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness:" So when God said 'be ye holy as I am holy' he sent his Son as the visible image of the invisible God so man had a template to grown to its full stature. The sun, moon and the stars were not for themselves or for the natural world where change is the norm, but the key to holiness is in the kingdom of God. It is faith. (He.11:3)
Thus Law of the Spirit is contrary to the Law of Sin.(Ro.7:22-25). From whence did this knowledge come to St Paul? "For I delight in the law of God after the inward man."
Is it not by courtesy of God breathing into man who is representative of whole mankind? By one man sin entered into the world and by the same token by one man's obedience, any man through faith may claim eternal life. "That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord."(Ro.5:21) This same correspondence existing between man with the Son of man is linked to the Father Son relationship. It is thus grace that came by Jesus Christ places us upon the bedrock of truth. 'Thy word is truth'. It is thus we say, "He that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also." ( 1 John 2:23) This is validated in heaven." For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one."( 1 John 5:7)
That God may be all in all has its beginning from the truth written in our inward parts. For this reason the wandering of the Israelites in the wilderness is a kangaroo event of our lives as pilgrims and sojourners towards the city that has foundations and whose maker and builder is God.
In the penultimate chapter of the Book of the Revelations what is the earth and heaven? Is it not all new since the saints redeemed from the earth are part of the city of God and their POV has changed? So what do they from the world of the Spirit say: "And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; "(Re.21:1).The next verse is from John in the world of the body, "And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband."(v.2) Accordingly what we read in latter half of this chapter is bird's eye view of John from the world of the Spirit. (Re.21:24)
"That God may be all in all" is the substance of the worlds, which were framed by the word of God. What was in the mind of God serves as the beginning. When crunched and every uncleanness removed the worlds shall have still faith that makes 'Behold the tabernacle of God is with men' hold together. (Re.21:3) Jesus Christ is Alpha and Omega in which all things are held together. (Col.1:16-17)
This must explain the narrative mode of the Spirit to shift POV from Father to the Son or explain events from the Word or the Law. The entire Bible narrative is built out of two strands one from the POV of the Father and of the Son. "Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men. 32 Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come."(Matt.12:31-32-NKJV)
The Spirit does not speak of himself. Jesus explained why. "Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come./ He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you." ( John 16:13-14)
So finally we have only the Throne of God and of the Lamb. The Spirit organizes everything with this end in mind. Whatever we do must be to give glory to the Son. By literal approach what have the churches done besides their heresies but glorifying Israel and their own doctrines above all? Israel has its place as every man for whom God sent his Son to the world.
(1 of 2)
I really can not answer that question because I would not want to speculate regarding the mind of God.
And as I indicated there are a few but very few instances where the translators could perhaps have used an alternate word to fit the context, and at least a couple of instances where a plural word was translated singular and vice versa.
I do believe however that God in His wisdom and mercy gave the translators a deep respect for the Word of God and caused them to produce an exceptionally faithful word for word translation, and not a paraphrase version which I would suggest is an affront to the Holiness of the Word of God and should never be looked upon as such. And God has also guided men to provided the tools necessary to check out the KJV translation.
So we do have the VERY WORD OF GOD at our disposal for anyone with any literal capacity.
Another thing that we must keep in mind is that God Himself must open our understanding and lead us into truth, as we search His Word comparing scripture with scripture using the principles that God lays down in His Word.
And furthermore, God does not "save" based on our knowledge of Scripture. We can be a very knowledgeable theologian and yet be unsaved. And God can save an infant in their mother's womb with no knowledge of scripture whatsoever.
The evidence of our salvation is not our KNOWLEDGE OF the Bible. The evidence is our ATTITUDE TOWARD the Bible and our earnest desire to be obedient to what God might reveal to us in His Word, both in our doctrine and in our practice. God's salvation of the Ninevites through the preaching of Jonah is a beautiful example of exactly that.
One of the most if not the greatest warnings from JESUS for exactly these current days is Matthew 25:6: -> 6 And at midnight(isn't it a NEW TURN turn of GOD's Day, 2Peter 3:8?) there was a cry made; Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet Him.
Are you really going although your lamp is trimming? By the way, the beginning of sorrows is already running- Matthew 24:3-8.
The bridegroom will came very soon and the door will be shut, therefore, those which are ready will go in with Him to the marriage- Revelation 19:7-9 , take a look. The door will be shut for ever.
By the way, all GOD's people must remember Acts 1:11 - Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same JESUS, which is taken up from you into heaven(into the 3rd heaven), shall so COME IN LIKE MANNER as ye have seen Him go into heaven(3rd heaven, that is the next world- Luke 20:35-36. Take a look). JESUS was on Mount called Olivet in the day when He was taken up, right? It was around year 33AD and now shall COME in like manner, right? after two Days, right? Hosea 6:2-3 and John 2:19-Take a look- , and the SAME CLOUD that received Him will again be there in His return, understand? For better understand, compare with Matt.17:5 and Isaiah 4:5.
What does the Word of GOD say? The Word is GOD, self-executing, understand? The Word says: Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days. Dan.12:v.12 - Yeah, day 1335, the Ineffable, Wonderful, Indescribable, Unspeakable day, the day 1.335. Hallelujaaah!!! It means: 45 days after the period of 1290 days. Get ready you all as JESUS WARNED: Matt. 25: 6-13.
May our Lord GOD bless and keep us, and give us His protection, now, and for ever.
Amen
"It is Done"
The Spirit gives us in this passage. "And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God;" (Re.19:17-18). The Spirit sets an angel in the sun, which refers to the sun of righteousness, Jesus Christ.
All promises of God are yea and amen in him. So the narrative mode of the Spirit has its own color and shape. As with He.11:3 there are only two worlds framed by the word of God. So mountains of Israel are interchangeable as Jerusalem is a stand-in for New Jerusalem. In order to avoid confusion the Spirit also sets additional safeguard in the usage of numbers. The number Seven is a command number made up of 4+3. Four establishes the Word, which was with God and the Law. Number Three is a tag for the Son. The number assigned to the beast 666, He is a man in whom there is no place the word of God to work with. He is established as the son of perdition.
The Spirit uses fractions, which have its own purpose. "And I will turn thee back, and leave but the sixth part of thee,"(39:2) One sixth, one fourth and one third for instance. The Spirit gives the tag of condemnation, "Of sin, because they believe not on me" (John16:9) The beast did not believe in the Son, - his body, spirit and soul included. The classic example is in the image, "Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, whose height was threescore cubits, and the breadth thereof six cubits: he set it up in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon."(Dan.3:1) Numbers Six and Ten dominate here. Width is six cubits and height is ten times as much. It was set up on the earth. (2 of 2)
It Is Done
"Behold, it is come, and it is done, saith the Lord God; this is the day whereof I have spoken."
This is the day we have had come across in the Book of Psalms. (Ps.2:7) In these posts we have been going over the conspiracy of the kings which are many conflicts from one to the other breaking out without a final resolution but the Holy Spirit gives a pluperfect sentence, In short we are looking at event leading us to the final struggle in which the beast and his false prophet shall be taken and thrown into the lake of fire. Those who throw in their lot with the powers that be shall share their fate. "The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord, and against his anointed."
The Spirit gives cues as to how we should look at the events. Jesus towards the end of his ministry warned of apostasy in the church and backsliding, " And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many./ And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold."(Matt.24:11-13) We have been called before the worlds began and we have no other assurance than that the Son has sacrificed himself in order to perfect us. The politics of this day is in flux and shall leave their followers high and dry." But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved."
"Thou shalt fall upon the mountains of Israel, thou, and all thy bands, and the people that is with thee: I will give thee unto the ravenous birds of every sort, and to the beasts of the field to be devoured." Here the Spirit gives us the cue to follow track of the word of God, which in this case is a prophesy. What is a prophesy without its fulfillment?. The Spirit gives us in this passage. "And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God;" (Re.19:17-18).
"A Great Army"
The army of the kings of the east bear a tag, 200x1000x1000 These two sets refer to the period during which Satan is bound over. So latter days and latter years mentioned in Ch.38 necessitate this. "In the latter years thou shalt come into the land that is brought back from the sword. This is different from the latter days." But go thou thy way till the end be: for thou shalt rest, and stand in thy lot at the end of the days."(Dan.12:13)
Number 10 refers to the Decalogue and Judgment of God. The red dragon had 10 horns indicating power and authority, "having seven heads and ten horns," Similarly the beast also has the same. (Re.13:1,12:3)
The number 20 (10x2) refers to sinning against God and his holiness signifying the Son, The Prodigal Son refers how he may reconcile with his Father "Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee."( Luke 15:18) Joseph was sold by his brethren to the Ishmaelites, 'who took him to Egypt,' and the sum was 20 shekels of silver.(Ge.37:28) This continues in the trespass offering. (Le.5:14-16) This 20 shekels in the case of Joseph signifies their trespass against God and Joseph who was set down as the double for the Son. Also significant is that Judas betrayed Jesus for thirty pieces of silver. (10x3) The command number 3 refers to the Son.
"A Great Army"
they invaded all Egypt and settled down in every area of the country in great numbers. Never before had there been such a plague of locusts, nor will there ever be again."(Ex.10:13- NIV). St John gives us a clue to the nature of the army that Gog mustered in the battle. The locusts are unclean spirits different from what went into attack in the Book of Exodus. In Ez.38:4 we see them. Compare them what St John is telling us. "And the shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared unto battle; and on their heads were as it were crowns like gold, and their faces were as the faces of men./ And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as the teeth of lions./ And they had breastplates, as it were breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots of many horses running to battle."(9:7-9)
Ezekiel mentions the name Togarmah can be identified with the Phrygians as was Ashkenaz.
"Gomer, and all his bands; the house of Togarmah of the north quarters, and all his bands: and many people with thee." (38:6)
In order to understand the role of the scorpions consider this verse, "And they had tails like unto scorpions, and there were stings in their tails: and their power was to hurt men five months."(9:10) We have the clue in the idiomatic expression of Parthian shot, the ancient Parthian cavalry's habit of shooting arrows rearward at the enemy while in real or feigned flight.
St John gives a number to this army which as with 144,000 are intended as tags "And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand: and I heard the number of them." (9:16)
12x12 refers to gospel. This multiplied by 1000 gives us the first fruits "These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb."(Re.14:4)
(2 of 3)
"Thus saith the Lord God; Art thou he of whom I have spoken in old time by my servants the prophets of Israel, which prophesied in those days many years that I would bring thee against them?"
"A Great Army"
Prophets prophesied 'in those days' refer to the books for instance we have Daniel and he writes thus,"And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book."(Dan.12:1)
Our concern here is to present the passage in the two chapters of Ezekiel and it is clear that it is God who is in control. He has already got hooks into the jaw of Gog. Pharoah is similarly treated in so we shall include Egypt falling into that great army and their judgment is all same. "And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws, and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords:"(38:4)
Their place is to be thrown 'to be lain with the uncircumcised. "Son of man, wail for the multitude of Egypt, and cast them down, even her, and the daughters of the famous nations, unto the nether parts of the earth, with them that go down into the pit."(32:18-26)
In order to make sense of this expression, "Go down into the pit' we need to understand the book of the Revelation. The Ch.9 presents the Vision of Abaddon. By command from heaven the angel opens the bottomless pit "and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace".
This is a cue for the locusts and the scorpions' to emerge from under the earth. Locusts serve as one of the plagues visiting Egypt. "So Moses stretched out his staff over Egypt, and the Lord made an east wind blow across the land all that day and all that night. By morning the wind had brought the locusts;" (1 of 3)
"The valley of Hamongog."
"Thus saith the Lord; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the Lord."(Je.17:5) River Euphrates is thus dried up and it was determined before their ways strayed from His holiness and the Word.
In the vision of the Book bound with Seven Seals (Re.5) we find only the Lamb was found worthy to open the seals which are part of the judgment. The seven angels with seven trumpets are not blowing them all at once. The seven is indication that each aspect as judgment is distributed over the day appointed for the Son. Thus we have four angels associated with the river as in the following passage. "Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates./ And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men./ And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand: and I heard the number of them." (Re.9:14-16)
It is thus we need approach the following verses "And seven months shall the house of Israel be burying of them, that they may cleanse the land./ Yea, all the people of the land shall bury them; and it shall be to them a renown the day that I shall be glorified, saith the Lord God."
"In that day" is a phrase often employed by the Holy Spirit to indicate the day decreed for the Son.
"The day that I shall be glorified" refers to the day of regeneration.
The Valley Of Hamon-Gog
"And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will give unto Gog a place there of graves..: and there shall they bury Gog and all his multitude: and they shall call it The valley of Hamongog."
The valley bears another name, which is more revealing especially considering from where the enemies to Christ are coming. This valley is called "the valley of the passengers on the east of the sea.". In the Book of the Revelation we have the name the River Euphrates is used which is relevant to the occasion. "And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared."(Re.16:12) Notice the significance of the tag Six used by the Holy Spirit. We shall come to it anon. God sent a river to water the Garden of Eden and gives us two rivers both of which are continuation of blessings from the waters from above the firmament. God blessed us with all spiritual blessing in his Son. Thus we have the third river named Hiddekel and the fourth the River Euphrates. "And the name of the third river is Hiddekel: that is it which goeth toward the east of Assyria. And the fourth river is Euphrates."(Ge.2:14) The command number Three refers to the Son. Drying up the River is a signal of divine Judgment. The kings of the east are led to their doom for which this valley is sign. (39:15)
On the other hand we have the 'open valley' in the vision of the dry bones in Ez.37
In Ez.38:3-6 Gog is presented with names familiar with the history of the nation of Israel "Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal:" They made the flesh their arms and as Jeremiah speaks of such they are accursed. When they cannot appreciate the long suffering nature of God, his mercy it is a sure indication that their heart has departed from God. "Thus saith the Lord; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man," (1 of 2)
In Ch.37 the Spirit shows the prophet an army of dry bones and calls them Israel. "These bones are the whole house of Israel." He goes on to add, "Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel." (Ez.37:11-12) Bringing into the land of Israel refers to New Jerusalem and not the geographical Jerusalem. Who has bewitched Christians to resist the truth? By rejecting the Son of man their city was razed to the ground. Now what is left there is in spiritual terms is Sodom or Egypt. (Re.11:8) The Land of Magog refers to this. Whereas we are following the author and finisher of our faith who as the Lamb is shown standing on mount Sion, -"But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels,/ To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,"(He.12:22-23)
Who were the wise men from the east, and by tradition they are kings. "We three kings of Orient are' . Be that as it may they escaped judgment."(Matt.2:1-2). They paid heed to the dream, "And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way."(2:13) The Spirit used this in order to show these kings of the east paid heed to the Spirit as he warns everyone of us whenever we go astray. See how great many are caught in their own snares because they wanted to do as they pleased,"Until I went into the sanctuary of God; then understood I their end./ Surely thou didst set them in slippery places: thou castedst them down into destruction." (Ps.73:17-18)
Be Thou Prepared
"Be thou prepared, and prepare for thyself, thou, and all thy company that are assembled unto thee, and be thou a guard unto them." (v.7)
Prophet Ezekiel is referring to the kings of the east and his warning to them is juxtaposed by Jesus warning his disciples. " Behold, I have told you before./ Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not./ For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be."(Matt.24:25-28)
Gog is associated with the land of Magog. "Son of man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him,"
We have already discussed the world made to appear by the word of God refers to the earth for this reason the Preacher reminds us that it abides for ever. (Ec.1:4) The earth and the fulness thereof belong to him. (Ps.24:1) So where did this Gog and Magog come from? 'Thou, and all thy company that are assembled unto thee' are mercenaries brought by Satan. The devil sins from the beginning and John tells us why Jesus had to manifest. He shall destroy the works of Satan. It is thus the events in present world are gravitating inexorably into two camps. So Jesus speaking of many false christs rising it is a sure sign that it is time for the saints redeemed from the earth to be prepared.
It is in this context we considered the quails sent by an east wind was not merely about the nation of Israel loathing manna in the wilderness. The feathered fowl was a symbol. 'Christ in us' is also our spiritual food as Jesus taught us. Doing the will of God should be our meat and drink. So lusting for meat was tantamount to loathing the angel's food. Here we see the slippery path to their destruction as a nation. They are synonymous with the land of Magog.
In Ch.37 the Spirit shows the prophet an army of dry bones (1 of 2)
(2/2)
"Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live" This refers to God breathing into the nostrils of Adam. These dry bones became living soul so bone joins to one another. "there was a noise, and behold a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone."(v.7)
But what v.9 refers altogether new! "Then said he unto me, Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord God; Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live./ So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army."(vv.9-10) . Evidently the baptism of the Holy Spirit renders every believer part of this army.
This army we find following the rider on the white horse in the Book of the Revelation. 'And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses". It is thus our battles are fought in the world of the Spirit. Our battle is not with flesh and blood.
Bones do not carry labels but are as one,-the one gospel of God. So what does this verse signify? "Then he said unto me, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel."
Ministry of reconciliation by his Son explains 'the whole Israel' is interchangeable with body of Christ. The allegory of two sticks becoming one in the hand refers to Jesus Christ the King of kings, lord of lords. " And David my servant shall be king over them; and they all shall have one shepherd:" He leading them to the living waters we have this verse," Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely."(Re.22:17)
"Dry Bones"
The promise of God is, "Ask of me" Our possession can be only in the Son."Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession."(v.8)
The prayer of Jesus in the Gospel of John gives the fulfillment of this. Especially the vv.20-24. "That they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world./ O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee: but I have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me."( John 17:24-25) So knowing that God sent his Son is one part but we have to be made perfect for which we have to abide in him. " in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one;" He who has the Son has the Father as well. This is the church in eternity, the body of Christ.
The bone from Adam led to the creation of Eve, and the Spirit sets her as a symbol for this church in eternity. A close study of the Vision of Dry Bones (Ez.37) shall help us understand the ongoing church- building is in the world of the Spirit as much as the Spirit of Christ working with human agencies on the earth.
'The open valley' is a clue for us to include the two worlds as one. "And, behold, there were very many in the open valley; and, lo, they were very dry. "(37:2) Ezekiel is not required to prophesy to what is in the mind of God. So we have to take the lead of the Spirit and see the church how these dry bones may put on flesh and sinews "And I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and ye shall live; and ye shall know that I am the Lord."(37:8)
Second point is in the matter of breath. Of this v.9 is different than v.3. "Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live" This refers to God breathing into the nostrils of Adam. These dry bones became living soul so bone joins to one another. (1 of 2)
"Be Ye Wise" (2 of 2)
." Look at the history of mankind in order to see what carnal wisdom has given the world.
" But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth./ This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish./ For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work."(Jas.4:14-16)
How did Constantine1 transform the early church but in strife and in his sensual pride? The history of his reign gives us ample evidence where he promoted heresies and set differing camps of Orthodoxy against heresies fight it out? There was 'confusion and every evil work.' The pagan Empire was all iron and the church bought by the blood of Jesus Christ after the State had got into the act was miry clay. This is devilish since it is steered by foolish shepherds with their carnal wisdom. Before this state of evil work could go further God shall step in, and we are seeing the curl of a tsunami shaping up.
God has not changed his doctrine because the churches are all led helter-skelter by reason than faith. We see a great army of dry bones. The Spirit presents them as a vision meaning they exist only in the divine Will or the world of the Spirit. God shall use these dry bones to control the events narrated in the ch.38.
"Son of man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him," This we shall discuss in the coming post, which concludes our meditations on the psalm.
"Be ye wise"
"Be wise now therefore, O ye kings" We are called to be priests and kings. So we shall discuss the kind of wisdom we ought to cultivate. In Jesus Christ is the fulness so we shall learn of him. As the true and faithful witness he can be the only way, the truth and the life. "And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,/ And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen" (Re.1:5-6)
The Spirit has presented Adam as a stand-in for the Son. The deep sleep of Adam refers to the death of Jesus Christ. Till his Advent we have several heroes of faith and each of them reveal an aspect of the Son. God fashions the woman from one of his ribs, and how does Adam respond?
"And the rib, which the Lord God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man./ And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man." (Ge.2:22-23) Whence did his knowledge come from? Isn't it from God and he thought as His son. ( Luke 2:38) The Spirit makes him as a double for the Son where wisdom from heaven is freely given to him. It is for this reason God commanded him not to eat of the fruit of the tree. As son of God knowledge of good and evil was superfluous. His sin was in obeying the doctrine of Satan. As a son and as the double for his Son diobedience was no option. For wisdom from heaven to work in anyone the condition is to be led by Jesus Christ.
Wisdom from heaven is to be led by the word of God. It creates peace all around. 'But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy."
"Be Ye instructed"
Once the reverence for God and his word was gone what was left? "For all this they sinned still, and believed not for his wondrous works./ Therefore their days did he consume in vanity," (78:32-33). This is plain addiction. Overindulgence and craving are signs of a consumer society given to be consumed in vanity. In a permissive society man degrading so love is more a bondage. Are we being tricked or are we free citizens exercising healthy appetites, given by God?
Fools rely solely in their rational faculties, which is under the department of 'wisdom of this world'. In the Four horsemen figuring in the vision of St John what have we coming in the rear?
"And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth."(Re.6:8) Jesus Christ the rider on the white horse is pre-eminent in all things so we see him ahead of the cavalcade. By his death and resurrection Jesus Christ overcame death so we ought not be afraid. We are secure. "All things were created by him, and for him:/And he is before all:/And he is before all things, and by him all things consist."(Col.1:16-17)
'With the beasts of the earth' Hell following death gives pestilence a place. Does anyone by reason foresee pandemic as they hit us?
"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 there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power./And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads. (Re.9:2-5)
"Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth./ Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling."
Salvation is in none other than in the Son who is the heir of all things. The two worlds framed by God reveals faith which is one; the other is the word of God. The Word of God, as the Law or the constitution is a sound as well as a sign. In short the world made to appear is a sign. Jesus Christ as the slain Lamb, the Lamb of God and the Throne of God and of the Lamb are all one and the same.(He.11:3)
"If thou be wise, thou shalt be wise for thyself: but if thou scornest, thou alone shalt bear it." (Pr.9:12) The Spirit has given us the God document, the Bible is inerrant. So you cannot cut and paste passages from Scripture to make the nation of Israel as the central plank for your religion and practice. Jesus Christ, who of God is become our Savior Lord so all our glory should be in him. "But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:/ That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord."(1 Co.1:30-31)
"Judge not, that ye be not judged./ For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again."(Matt.7:1-2) God is the God of both poor and rich and absolutely impartial. "Rob not the poor, because he is poor: neither oppress the afflicted in the gate:/For the LORD will plead their cause, and spoil the soul of those that spoiled them." (Pr.22:22-23)
As with man so with His creation. " Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father."(Matt.10:29) The Spirit instructs how Israel murmured against divine Providence. "And they tempted God in their heart by asking meat for their lust."(Ps.78:18).