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Bible Study – Esau’s Disappointment and Enmity

Genesis 27:30-40

³⁰And it came to pass, as soon as Isaac had made an end of blessing Jacob, and Jacob was yet scarce gone out from the presence of Isaac his father, that Esau his brother came in from his hunting.

³¹And he also had made savoury meat, and brought it unto his father, and said unto his father, Let my father arise, and eat of his son’s venison, that thy soul may bless me.

³²And Isaac his father said unto him, Who art thou? And he said, I am thy son, thy firstborn Esau.

³³And Isaac trembled very exceedingly, and said, Who? where is he that hath taken venison, and brought it me, and I have eaten of all before thou camest, and have blessed him? yea, and he shall be blessed.

³⁴And when Esau heard the words of his father, he cried with a great and exceeding bitter cry, and said unto his father, Bless me, even me also, O my father.

³⁵And he said, Thy brother came with subtilty, and hath taken away thy blessing.

³⁶And he said, Is not he rightly named Jacob? for he hath supplanted me these two times: he took away my birthright; and, behold, now he hath taken away my blessing. And he said, Hast thou not reserved a blessing for me?

Esau’s pleading and tears could not undo what had happened. When he so casually sold his birthright for a bowl of pottage, he demonstrated to the Lord just how much he did not care for Spiritual things. His heart and head were filled with fleshly desires. Because of this, a seed of bitterness took root in his soul –

Hebrews 12:15-17

¹⁵Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;

¹⁶Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright.

¹⁷For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.

Esau’s repentance was not genuine. He was grieving over what he had lost – not expressing Godly sorrow for what he had done. Children often think they are only wrong when they are caught. Esau was the same as a naughty child, only longing for the blessing, not desiring to be right with the Lord. We can be reminded of the many Replacement Theologists – who attempt to take for themselves all of the blessings promised to Israel – without desiring the conditional basis for the blessings. Many, many people only express sorrow for sin – when they are caught.

³⁷And Isaac answered and said unto Esau, Behold, I have made him thy lord, and all his brethren have I given to him for servants; and with corn and wine have I sustained him: and what shall I do now unto thee, my son?

³⁸And Esau said unto his father, Hast thou but one blessing, my father? bless me, even me also, O my father. And Esau lifted up his voice, and wept.

³⁹And Isaac his father answered and said unto him, Behold, thy dwelling shall be the fatness of the earth, and of the dew of heaven from above;

⁴⁰And by thy sword shalt thou live, and shalt serve thy brother; and it shall come to pass when thou shalt have the dominion, that thou shalt break his yoke from off thy neck.

Isaac predicts that Esau will continue in his warlike mindset – “by the sword thou shalt live.” Certainly, an ominous and accurate statement of where the descendants of Esau are to this very day. Esau ultimately allows his bitterness to turn to anger. Anger, when allowed to proceed unchecked, gives birth to hatred and fighting, and can even lead to murder. Today – the descendants of Esau – are still harboring enmity towards Jacob. Today – they call themselves Palestinians.

TWO WRONGS DO NOT MAKE A RIGHT! FOUR WRONGS ARE EVEN WORSE!!

Isaac was fully aware that God had told Rebekah even before the twins were born that “the elder shall serve the younger.” Isaac also knew that Esau had sold his birthright to Jacob. Despite that, Isaac chose to ignore these rather remarkable facts.
Rebekah attempted to anticipate God, whereby she instigated a terrible deception rather than waiting on the Lord to do His perfect work.
Esau could not have forgotten that he had sold his birthright to his brother Jacob. It would have been proper for him to remind his father of the event, and refuse the blessing outright.
Jacob deceived his father by lying, and acting out the lie that he was his brother Esau.

For a family with so much promise and blessing, they ended in a terrible mess. Esau’s future is described in Obadiah, some refer to this as “The Obadiah War.”

Obadiah 17-21

¹⁷But upon mount Zion shall be deliverance, and there shall be holiness; and the house of Jacob shall possess their possessions.

¹⁸And the house of Jacob shall be a fire, and the house of Joseph a flame, and the house of Esau for stubble, and they shall kindle in them, and devour them; and there shall not be any remaining of the house of Esau; for the Lord hath spoken it.

¹⁹And they of the south shall possess the mount of Esau; and they of the plain the Philistines: and they shall possess the fields of Ephraim, and the fields of Samaria: and Benjamin shall possess Gilead.

²⁰And the captivity of this host of the children of Israel shall possess that of the Canaanites, even unto Zarephath; and the captivity of Jerusalem, which is in Sepharad, shall possess the cities of the south.

²¹And saviours shall come up on mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau; and the kingdom shall be the Lord‘s.

Bible Study – Isaac Gets a Bride – Part 2

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The unnamed servant has asked the Lord to reveal who the Bride will be – by volunteering to give water to the ten camels.

Genesis 24:15-27

¹⁵And it came to pass, before he had done speaking, that, behold, Rebekah came out, who was born to Bethuel, son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham’s brother, with her pitcher upon her shoulder.

¹⁶And the damsel was very fair to look upon, a virgin, neither had any man known her: and she went down to the well, and filled her pitcher, and came up.

¹⁷And the servant ran to meet her, and said, Let me, I pray thee, drink a little water of thy pitcher.

¹⁸And she said, Drink, my lord: and she hasted, and let down her pitcher upon her hand, and gave him drink.

¹⁹And when she had done giving him drink, she said, I will draw water for thy camels also, until they have done drinking.

²⁰And she hasted, and emptied her pitcher into the trough, and ran again unto the well to draw water, and drew for all his camels.

²¹And the man wondering at her held his peace, to wit whether the Lord had made his journey prosperous or not.

Camels have a series of physiological adaptations that allow them to withstand long periods of time without any external source of water.^[17] Unlike other mammals, their red blood cells are oval rather than circular in shape. This facilitates the flow of red blood cells during dehydration^[21] and makes them better at withstanding high osmotic variation without rupturing when drinking large amounts of water: a 600 kg (1,300 lb) camel can drink 200 L (53 US gal) of water in three minutes.^[22]^{[23] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camel}

That’s right ! 53 gallons of water for 1 camel!

53 gallons x 10 camels = 530 gallons of water!!!

Rebekah was not a sluggard! as the bride of the son of promise – she portrays the bride of jesus Christ – the church.

²²And it came to pass, as the camels had done drinking, that the man took a golden earring of half a shekel weight, and two bracelets for her hands of ten shekels weight of gold;

The unnamed servant gives precious gifts to Rebekah, gold bracelets and earrings, tokens of his master’s wealth. The Servant (Holy Spirit) gives tokens of the Father’s riches – endless joy, and boundless peace.

²³And said, Whose daughter art thou? tell me, I pray thee: is there room in thy father’s house for us to lodge in?

²⁴And she said unto him, I am the daughter of Bethuel the son of Milcah, which she bare unto Nahor.

²⁵She said moreover unto him, We have both straw and provender enough, and room to lodge in.

²⁶And the man bowed down his head, and worshipped the Lord.

²⁷And he said, Blessed be the Lord God of my master Abraham, who hath not left destitute my master of his mercy and His truth: I being in the way, the Lord led me to the house of my master’s brethren.

What an example the unnamed servant is to us! He was a faithful steward in every way. He looked after his master’s affairs as if they were his own. Unfaithful stewards will cheat and steal from their masters. In our own service to Christ, as faithful stewards, we must handle our talents, abilities, money, time, and opportunities as faithful stewards of God. In so doing, we will be rewarded for our faithful stewardship at the Judgment Seat of Christ.

The unnamed servant also trusted God implicitly to help him meet his responsibility.

Luke 16:10

He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much.

Bible Study – Two Angels Visit Lot

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In our last devotional, Abraham has interceded for his nephew Lot, after the Lord has revealed to him the impending judgement of Sodom. We learned two things – that the Lord desires the faithful to know His plans, and that He is receptive to the prayers of His saints. As we enter this lesson – the Lord has left communing with Abraham, and the two angels that had accompanied Him continue on towards Sodom.

1 And there came two angels to Sodom at even; and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom: and Lot seeing them rose up to meet them; and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground;

Lot “sat in the gate.” meaning he had a position as a civic leader. Lot arises and bows with his face towards the ground in the Oriental custom. [far different from when Abraham prostrated himself to the ground at the appearance of the Lord]

2 And he said, Behold now, my lords, turn in, I pray you, into your servant’s house, and tarry all night, and wash your feet, and ye shall rise up early, and go on your ways. And they said, Nay; but we will abide in the street all night.

Lot, the carnal believer, lives among these people and knows it is not safe for them to remain in the streets all night.

3 And he pressed upon them greatly; and they turned in unto him, and entered into his house; and he made them a feast, and did bake unleavened bread, and they did eat.

They relent and enter Lot’s home and eat a meal with him. Yet another example of angels having the ability to take on the appearance and function of human flesh. These are not disembodied spirits!

4 But before they lay down, the men of the city, even the men of Sodom, compassed the house round, both old and young, all the people from every quarter: 5 And they called unto Lot, and said unto him, Where are the men which came in to thee this night? bring them out unto us, that we may know them.

Many so-called “gay Christians” try to claim that the issue here is hospitality, not homosexuality. This defies all logic. For what possible reason could a hundred or so men have to bang on the door of someone’s home at night? Here is Sodom and Gomorrah, just a few miles from Hebron, Abraham’s home, and Jerusalem, Melchizedek’s home – and the stench of evil is so great that it has reached unto God in heaven! (Gen. 18: 20-21) Only 400 years since the profligate wickedness of the entire world was destroyed by Noah’s flood!

6 And Lot went out at the door unto them, and shut the door after him, 7 And said, I pray you, brethren, do not so wickedly. 8 Behold now, I have two daughters which have not known man; let me, I pray you, bring them out unto you, and do ye to them as is good in your eyes: only unto these men do nothing; for therefore came they under the shadow of my roof.

Lot attempts to reason with these savages. Here is proof that the men of Sodom are wanting to violate Lot’s visitors, because Lot offers his two young daughters instead. I assure you that what is going on here has nothing whatsoever to do with the Oriental sense of hospitality.

9 And they said, Stand back. And they said again, This one fellow came in to sojourn, and he will needs be a judge: now will we deal worse with thee, than with them. And they pressed sore upon the man, even Lot, and came near to break the door.

The Sodomites tell Lot to get away from the door, and then deride him as being in no position to judge them, he being a newcomer. They proceed to threaten Lot with even worse things than they had planned for the two angels. With even more aggression, they almost break the door.

10 But the men put forth their hand, and pulled Lot into the house to them, and shut to the door.11 And they smote the men that were at the door of the house with blindness, both small and great: so that they wearied themselves to find the door.

Through supernatural power, the Sodomites are blinded by the angels – yet Lot is able to leave and seek out his married daughters and their husbands in an attempt to deliver them from the impending doom.

12 And the men said unto Lot, Hast thou here any besides? son in law, and thy sons, and thy daughters, and whatsoever thou hast in the city, bring them out of this place:13 For we will destroy this place, because the cry of them is waxen great before the face of the Lord; and the Lord hath sent us to destroy it.14 And Lot went out, and spake unto his sons in law, which married his daughters, and said, Up, get you out of this place; for the Lord will destroy this city. But he seemed as one that mocked unto his sons in law. Genesis 19: 1-14

Recall that after Abram had rescued Lot, and the King of Sodom along with him, Abram declined to keep any of the booty he was entitled to as victor of the war. Abram refused to give the “devil an inch,” if you will. Please don’t underestimate the importance of this. From the beginning – God has been separating the wheat from the tares. In the story of Lot, living among the Sodomites, we see ourselves. We are living in a sinful, fallen world, that daily grows in degeneracy. As the evil grows, those that belong to Christ shall grow more and more uncomfortable living in “Sodom.” The Bible tells us that the immorality of the men of Sodom was a great affront to Lot’s sense of righteousness, as he was a believer in the One True God. The Word also says that for the same reason – our souls will be vexed – but that we will be delivered.

As we try to witness to family, friends, and people we just happen to meet, or we have a King like the King of Sodom, or our churches embrace abomination, and we read things like this – “A Christian Finds Acceptance of Homosexuality in the Bible,” and the whole world treats us with scorn as Lot’s sons – in – law did, we can take strength from the following passage, and know in our hearts that the Lord is yet separating the wheat from the tares until the cup of iniquity is full:

6 And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly;

7 And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked:

8 (For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;)

9 The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished:

2 Peter 2: 6-9

Bible Study – The Doom of Sodom

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As we left Abraham last week, he was being visited by three angels in human form who appeared out of no where. Abraham was given no warning by his men that strangers were approaching the camp. They were suddenly there at his tent door! After the Lord’s extraordinary and prophetic exchange with Sarah, the men arise to leave . . .

16 And the men rose up from thence, and looked toward Sodom: and Abraham went with them to bring them on the way.

17 And the Lord said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do;

18 Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?

19 For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord, to do justice and judgment; that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which He hath spoken of him.

This is so wonderful – that the Creator of the universe will share His thoughts with faithful Abraham. In like fashion, the Lord desires us to know all of His plans. That same Creator, Jesus Christ, during His earthly ministry had this to say about the faithful:

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

20 And the Lord said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous;21 I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto Me; and if not, I will know.

If the Lord is Omniscient – why does He need to go and see? It is entirely for our benefit, to teach us an eternal truth. That God is interested in the affairs of men, and that He is responsive to the prayers of the faithful.

22 And the men turned their faces from thence, and went toward Sodom: but Abraham stood yet before the Lord.

23 And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked?24 Peradventure there be fifty righteous within the city: wilt thou also destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are therein? 25 That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?

Who is Abraham thinking of here? His worldly nephew, Lot! How patient the Lord is, already foreknowing what the end result will be. And it is indeed the Lord that Abraham is speaking to. The One Who stays behind to talk to Abraham is Jesus Christ in preincarnate form, known as a Theophany, or more correctly – Christophany. Please recall that Abraham did not worship the king of Salem – Melchizedek, but he “bowed himself to the ground,” [Gen. 18:2] instantly when he saw these visitors. God’s messengers (angels) will never accept worship – but here it was rightly accepted by the only One worthy of worship.

26 And the Lord said, If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes.

27 And Abraham answered and said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord, which am but dust and ashes:

28 Peradventure there shall lack five of the fifty righteous: wilt thou destroy all the city for lack of five? And He said, If I find there forty and five, I will not destroy it.

29 And he spake unto him yet again, and said, Peradventure there shall be forty found there. And He said, I will not do it for forty’s sake.

30 And he said unto him, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak: Peradventure there shall thirty be found there. And He said, I will not do it, if I find thirty there.

31 And he said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord: Peradventure there shall be twenty found there. And He said, I will not destroy it for twenty’s sake.

32 And he said, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak yet but this once: Peradventure ten shall be found there. And He said, I will not destroy it for ten’s sake.

33 And the Lord went His way, as soon as He had left communing with Abraham: and Abraham returned unto his place.

Genesis 18: 16-33

So many have asked me – what was that long negotiation all about? It was for us! Telling us that no matter how sinful and degenerate the world becomes (for they will surely outnumber us as the Sodomites outnumbered Lot) – the end time judgement will not fall until the faithful are safely taken out of the way. Even if there are only ten Christians left in the whole world! The same judgement that fell on Sodom will happen again, except next time it will be world wide.

Pray without ceasing.

1 Thessalonians 5: 17

The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

James 5: 16

Bible Study – Ishmael to be a Nation

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Last week, the focus was entirely on the anticipated son of promise, Isaac. This week, the focus is Ishmael, who up until this point is Abraham’s only son. We learned in the last study, that Ishmael was born after the flesh, while the promised Isaac would be born of the Spirit. It is interesting to observe – that once again God presents us with the two lines – the Godly and the ungodly. . .

Abraham has expressed his desire that the Lord bless Ishmael [Gen. 17 : 18]

20 And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee: Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation.

21 But My covenant will I establish with Isaac, which Sarah shall bear unto thee at this set time in the next year.

22 And He left off talking with him, and God went up from Abraham.

The Lord promises Abraham that his son Ishmael will be blessed with twelve sons, and that they will all be princes. For thirteen years, since Abraham had succumbed to his wife’s manipulation to anticipate God, he has lived according to the flesh. His faith is still in the physical realm. God has “left off talking with him.” It is now time for Abraham to put off the flesh. Please recall that the outward circumcision represents what is to take place internally when the man is fully surrendered to God.

23 And Abraham took Ishmael his son, and all that were born in his house, and all that were bought with his money, every male among the men of Abraham’s house; and circumcised the flesh of their foreskin in the selfsame day, as God had said unto him.24 And Abraham was ninety years old and nine, when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin.25 And Ishmael his son was thirteen years old, when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin.26 In the selfsame day was Abraham circumcised, and Ishmael his son.27 And all the men of his house, born in the house, and bought with money of the stranger, were circumcised with him. Genesis 17: 20-27

I am not advocating for or against circumcision – all I am doing is explaining what it means! Also consider that circumcision is the only flesh that can be severed without physical deformation. God would never require anything from us that He would not do Himself. Our Savior was circumcised at eight days old.

AND WHEN EIGHT DAYS WERE ACCOMPLISHED FOR THE CIRCUMCISING OF THE CHILD, HIS NAME WAS CALLED JESUS, WHICH WAS SO NAMED OF THE ANGEL BEFORE HE WAS CONCEIVED IN THE WOMB.

Luke 2: 21 Jesus the Christ was the only One in all of history Who kept the entirety of the Law perfectly. All of it. The last devotional covered the important distinction between the bondage of the flesh or Law, (Hagar) and the freedom of the Spirit, (Sarah). Circumcision is the sign of the Covenant. It is the seal of the covenant, which must be sealed in blood.

A good way to understand this is to think about an important document, which is only considered viable when it has an authentic, impressed or embossed seal. Without the seal – it is fraudulent. Please go here to review God’s part of the Covenant. Now, as we arrive at the end of Genesis 17, both God and Abraham have committed to the Covenant by “sealing” it.

The Jews came to think of the actual circumcision as being more than a sign, and regarded it as their actual justification. It is important to understand that Abraham was part of the Covenant long before he was circumcised. Much like a Biblical betrothal period, in where the bride is considered fully the wife of the groom, but the marriage has not been consummated yet. Paul enlarges this for us –

And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had yet being uncircumcised: that he might be the father of all them that believe, though they be not circumcised; that righteousness might be imputed unto them also.

Romans 4: 11

Bible Study – The Promise of Issac

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Our last devotional covered the Covenant between Abraham and YHWH, with circumcision being the sign of the Covenant. The Lord also changed Abram’s name to Abraham – from “exalted father,” to “father of many.”

15 And God said unto Abraham, As for Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall her name be.

As God did with Abraham , He changes Sarai’s name to Sarah.

YHWH –

We now see the the “hey” on the end of His name, being attached to end of Sarai’s name, the same as He did to Abraham. Her name becomes Sarah. Remember – this letter – – means “Spirit.”

Sari + = Sar or Sarah

16 And I will bless her, and give thee a son also of her: yea, I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of people shall be of her.

She changes from “princess,” to “Princess of many.” The “Spirit” of God is now in both the mother and father of God’s people. God tells us that He accomplishes these things through His Spirit: “Then he answered and spoke to me, saying, This is the Word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the LORD of hosts.” (Zech 4:6)

17 Then Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, Shall a child be born unto him that is an hundred years old? and shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear?

Abraham laughs, not out of unbelief, but out of being overwhelmed. He is satisfied with 13 year old Ishmael. The hopes and dreams of this old man are focused on Ishmael alone.

18 And Abraham said unto God, O that Ishmael might live before thee!

19 And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him.

Genesis 17:15-19

In Galatians 4, we are given the deeper meaning of what has just transpired. The Covenant of the Law (Hagar) is compared with the Covenant of Grace (Sarah). It is the answer to any teacher, preacher, sect or religion, as to why we as believers, are not under the Law.

21 Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not hear the law?

22 For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman.

23 But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise.

24 Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar.(Hagar)

25 For this Agar ( Hagar) is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children. (Are not the Arabs under bondage to the Koran?)

26 But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all. (He is speaking of the New Jerusalem in Heaven)

27 For it is written, Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not; break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: for the desolate hath many more children than she which hath an husband.

28 Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise.

29 But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now. (the descendants of Ishmael to this day persecute the people of The Book)

30 Nevertheless what saith the Scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman.

31 So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free. Galatians 4: 21-31

The flesh is bondage, the Spirit is freedom. Does that mean believers can do away with the Law and live how ever they choose? No. What it means, is that the Law does not give life. Only the Spirit does. As Sarah was so old, she was as good as dead – yet she gave birth to life through the power of the Holy Spirit. As we are dead in our sins, so we give birth to the new man, when we are reborn by the Power of the Holy Spirit.

Bible Study – Circumcision Sign of the Covenant

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Thirteen years have passed since Hagar bare Abram a son, Ishmael. Although Abram loves Ishmael, he and Sarai still have no child. She is well past the age for having children, and certainly this has been a long time of testing.

1 And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the Lord appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before Me, and be thou perfect.

2 And I will make My covenant between Me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly.

3 And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, saying,

4 As for Me, behold, My covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations. 5 Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee. 6 And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee.

Look carefully at verse 5 above. Abram’s name had always meant “exalted father.” When God changes Abram to Abraham – it changes to “father of many.” But the even more significant thing is that God attaches part of His own name to Abram’s. YHWH – sounds something like “hey” or the sound made when exhaling strongly.

Abram + = Abram or Abraham

means “spirit.” The letter occurs twice in YHWH. The Lord takes one of the letters and inserts it into the middle of Abraham’s name. This is similar to when God – ” And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” Genesis 2:7

7 And I will establish my covenant between Me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee.8 And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.

God has stated His part of the Covenant:

Abraham will be the father of many nations
Abraham will have exalted descendants
This is an everlasting Covenant

Now God states Abram’s part of the Covenant:

9 And God said unto Abraham, Thou shalt keep My covenant therefore, thou, and thy seed after thee in their generations.10 This is My covenant, which ye shall keep, between Me and you and thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcised.

11 And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you.12 And he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every man child in your generations, he that is born in the house, or bought with money of any stranger, which is not of thy seed.

13 He that is born in thy house, and he that is bought with thy money, must needs be circumcised: and My covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant.14 And the uncircumcised man child whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised, that soul shall be cut off from his people; he hath broken my covenant.

Genesis 17: 1-14

Why circumcise? Always keep in mind that the nation of Israel was chosen by God to be a light unto the world. Everything that they experienced throughout the long history of the Old Testament was portraying and preparing for the Messiah.

The outward circumcision is a symbolic representation of what occurs on the inside man when he belongs to YHWH.

” And the Lord thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live.” Deuteronomy 30:6

” Circumcise yourselves to the Lord, and take away the foreskins of your heart, ye men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem: lest my fury come forth like fire, and burn that none can quench it, because of the evil of your doings.” Jeremiah 4:4

“But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.” Romans 2:29

[As an interesting side note – from Dr. M.R. De Haan, “Chemistry of the Blood,” that a newborn baby has natural resistance to infection in the first seven days of life – but it is only on the eighth day, that the infant develops blood coagulating ability. While modern science has medications to prevent excessive bleeding – certainly, ancient peoples could not have been aware of this type of blood chemistry. Also. Dr. De Haan states – “Circumcision is probably the greatest factor in the prevention of venereal disease.” While Dr. De Haan wrote his book in 1943, his research has been more recently validated – see here. ]

As we will explore during our journey through the Word of God – outward disease was used of God to represent inward sin.

Bible Study – Prophecy of Israel’s Bondage

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In our last devotional, Abram’s extraordinary faith was shown, and God promised Abram an innumerable inheritance. We proceed with the establishment of the the Abrahamic Covenant. It is a detailed procedure, not being fully sealed for 15 years.

7 And He said unto him, I am the Lord that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give thee this land to inherit it.8 And he said, Lord God, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it?

9 And He said unto him, Take me an heifer of three years old, and a she goat of three years old, and a ram of three years old, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon.

10 And he took unto him all these, and divided them in the midst, and laid each piece one against another: but the birds divided he not.

11 And when the fowls came down upon the carcases, Abram drove them away.

It is only my personal take on this – but I believe the covenant animals used here are extremely significant.

The heifer would correlate with the Babylonian empire.

Persia is not included because Persia willingly released Israel.

The she goat is the Grecian empire.

The ram is the Roman empire.

The animals are three years old – each representing a third of Israel’s bondage. The undivided turtle dove would be Israel, and the undivided young pigeon is the offspring of the turtle dove – the church. The fowls that come down to devour the sacrifice, are Satan and his demons.

12 And when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and, lo, an horror of great darkness fell upon him.13 And He said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years;14 And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance.15 And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age.16 But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full.

God tells Abram of Israel’s 400 years of slavery in Egypt.
He is told of Egypt’s reciprocal punishment
They will come out of Egypt with great wealth
God will afterwards use Israel to punish the Amorites, but not yet. They had not fully descended into the moral abyss. Much like the pagan world today. But – it’s coming!

17 And it came to pass, that, when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold a smoking furnace, and a burning lamp that passed between those pieces.

Notice that Abram does not pass through the pieces! God does.
God is not “cutting” the covenant, He is sealing it with fire! Sealing off His chosen from the pagan nations throughout history, carrying them through, for His purposes. God’s eternal covenant is just that – eternal.

18 In the same day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates:19 The Kenites, and the Kenizzites, and the Kadmonites,20 And the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Rephaims,21 And the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.

Genesis 15: 7-21

Interesting to ponder – the governments of the world all want Israel to give up even more of the tiny patch they hold now. The nations of the world are now much in every way like the “ites” that Israel was commanded to destroy.

9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.

2 Peter 3:9-10

Bible Study – Abram’s Faithfulness and Reward

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After the king of Salem departs, the king of Sodom speaks with Abram, but this is an entirely different exchange.

21 And the king of Sodom said unto Abram, Give me the persons, and take the goods to thyself.

The king of Sodom, is in no position to make such a request. He has been conquered, first by Chedorlaomer and his confederates, then by Abram. Technically – all the spoils belong to Abram.

22 And Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have lift up mine hand unto the Lord, the most high God, the possessor of heaven and earth,

Abram has made a very solemn promise to God –

23 That I will not take from a thread even to a shoelatchet, and that I will not take any thing that is thine, lest thou shouldest say, I have made Abram rich:

24 Save only that which the young men have eaten, and the portion of the men which went with me, Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre; let them take their portion. Genesis 14: 21-24

As far as Melchizedek is an Old Testament “type” of Christ – the king of Sodom is most certainly a “type” of Satan. The Lord has revealed to Abram that the king of Sodom would be first in line to accuse him of coming by his riches dishonestly. How like the evil one – Satan is the “accuser of the brethren.” {Rev. 12:10} Throughout the Bible, Old and New Testaments – the Godly and the ungodly are always presented together.

1 After these things the Word of the Lord came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.

2 And Abram said, Lord God, what wilt Thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus?3 And Abram said, Behold, to me Thou hast given no seed: and, lo, one born in my house is mine heir.

Abram wonders if God means to give him a son though his servant.

4 And, behold, the Word of the Lord came unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir.5 And He brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and He said unto him, So shall thy seed be.

Abram expresses his concern to the Lord. Yet another test – that resonates with us to this very day.

6 And he believed in the Lord; and He counted it to him for righteousness. Genesis 15: 1-6

What a high watermark in Abram’s faith! When he is first called out of Ur of the Chaldees to travel to an unknown land, he demonstrated complete trust and faith. It was challenging, but not impossible. But here – Abram is trusting in God to do what seems impossible.

Genesis 15:6 is the first record in Scripture of imputed righteousness. Genesis 15:6 is the foundation of the doctrine of justification by faith alone. Abram is Paul’s witness to salvation by faith –

“. . .faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness. . .Rom.4:9

There is only one plan of salvation in both the Old and New Testaments – FAITH. Old Testament saints looked forward in faith to the coming Savior, while we look back in faith to the Savior.

7 Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.

8 And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the Gospel unto Abraham, saying,

In thee shall all nations be blessed.

Galatians 3: 6-8

***Important note: Followers of Les Feldick and other ministries which teach that Old Testament saints received another “gospel,” are grossly mistreating the Word of God. Galatians clearly states that God Himself preached the Gospel to His friend Abraham in Galatians 3:8. There is only ONE Gospel, and has only ever been ONE Gospel.

Bible Study – Abram and Lot Separate

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And Abram went up out of Egypt, he, and his wife, and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the south. 2 And Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold. 3 And he went on his journeys from the south even to Beth–el, unto the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Beth–el and Hai; 4 Unto the place of the altar, which he had made there at the first: and there Abram called on the name of the Lord.

We see Abram and his caravan returning to the Promised Land. Pharaoh sent Abram away with a great deal of riches, in the form of “sheep, and oxen, and he asses, and menservants, and maidservants, and she asses, and camels.” Gen. 12:15 These gifts were given to Abram by Pharoah when he was entreating for Sarai. In the above passage, we read that Abram also came away with much gold and silver. Even in backsliding – God’s people are blessed.

Abram has “turned back,” and offered sacrifice. True repentance involves a turning, an identifiable change from the sinful path, back to the straight path. Without the “turning,” or repentance – there can be no fellowship with God.

5 And Lot also, which went with Abram, had flocks, and herds, and tents. 6 And the land was not able to bear them, that they might dwell together: for their substance was great, so that they could not dwell together. 7 And there was a strife between the herdmen of Abram’s cattle and the herdmen of Lot’s cattle: and the Canaanite and the Perizzite dwelled then in the land. 8 And Abram said unto Lot, Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between me and thee, and between my herdmen and thy herdmen; for we be brethren. 9 Is not the whole land before thee? separate thyself, I pray thee, from me: if thou wilt take the left hand, then I will go to the right; or if thou depart to the right hand, then I will go to the left.

Abram lays out to Lot, a choice, similar to the choices that every believer must make in their lives. Do we take the hard road, full of resistance and challenges? Or do we take the easy road that will give ease and comfort to our flesh?

Abram and Lot represent the two kinds of Christians. Lot – the Carnal believer, and Abram – the Spiritual believer.

10 And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered every where, before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar. 11 Then Lot chose him all the plain of Jordan; and Lot journeyed east: and they separated themselves the one from the other. 12 Abram dwelled in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelled in the cities of the plain, and pitched his tent toward Sodom. 13 But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the Lord exceedingly.

Lot’s worldly vision – only has eyes for the well-watered plain of Jordan. In his eyes, it is even like the Garden of Eden, and the lush land of Egypt. In his covetousness – he blocks out the reality of the depraved moral condition of the men of Sodom. His desire has overruled his faith.

14 And the Lord said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward: 15 For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever. 16 And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered. 17 Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it; for I will give it unto thee. 18 Then Abram removed his tent, and came and dwelt in the plain of Mamre, which is in Hebron, and built there an altar unto the Lord. Genesis 13: 1-18

This is likely the view that Abram had of the Promised land. Not in any way like the lush, well-watered plain of Sodom that Lot chose. Abram remained in the rocky, stubble filled mountains.

Lot – the carnal believer chose the selfish way, the worldly way. He chose not to separate himself from evil and its influence, rather, he chose to live alongside it; in the same fashion that the post modern Christian does; thereby inviting disaster. Like Lot, when disaster comes, the carnal Christian will fail to see it as a warning from God.

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

Bible Study – Abram Sojourns in Egypt

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And there was a famine in the land: and Abram went down into Egypt to sojourn there; for the famine was grievous in the land. 11 And it came to pass, when he was come near to enter into Egypt, that he said unto Sarai his wife, Behold now, I know that thou art a fair woman to look upon: 12 Therefore it shall come to pass, when the Egyptians shall see thee, that they shall say, This is his wife: and they will kill me, but they will save thee alive. 13 Say, I pray thee, thou art my sister: that it may be well with me for thy sake; and my soul shall live because of thee. Genesis 12:10-13

Several things did not happen here, which should have. As we have observed faithful Abram over the past few weeks, his faith was in evidence. Where is it now? Where is the sacrifice?

He decides to go to well watered Egypt (river culture similar to Ur) to wait out the famine.
Rather than relying on God’s promises, he fears for his life based on the desirableness of his wife.
He predetermines to deceive the people he is sojourning with.

At this point, Abram and his caravan would be traveling from Beersheba to Egypt. In Scripture, Egypt represents the world (flesh). Seeking after it indicates broken fellowship with God. Rather than turning wholly unto YHWH in the test of the famine – his fear overcame him, and he attempted to anticipate the future, despite the fact that God had clearly stated that he would be blessed – in the promised land.

We will pause here, and examine Hurrian culture for a moment. It would not be unusual – for a man to be killed in order to seize his wife. Abram, passing Sarah off as his sister, would be able to stall for time to escape (during a long betrothal period) while the negotiations were taking place. During this time, Sarah would dwell safely with her “brother.” Aside from that – Sarah was without doubt – an extraordinarily beautiful woman.

These paintings are from the rock cut tomb of Khnumhotep II located between Upper and Lower Egypt at Beni Hasan, and made during the reign of Senusret II of the 12th dynasty (around 1880-1874 BC). The hair, beards, and clothing portray Semites from the area of Palestine. More than just a trading party, entire families with wives and children appear to be relocating to Egypt. They are well groomed and dressed in the colorful clothing of their heritage.

14 And it came to pass, that, when Abram was come into Egypt, the Egyptians beheld the woman that she was very fair. 15 The princes also of Pharaoh saw her, and commended her before Pharaoh: and the woman was taken into Pharaoh’s house.

16 And he entreated Abram well for her sake: and he had sheep, and oxen, and he asses, and menservants, and maidservants, and she asses, and camels. 17 And the Lord plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai Abram’s wife. 18 And Pharaoh called Abram, and said, What is this that thou hast done unto me? why didst thou not tell me that she was thy wife? 19 Why saidst thou, She is my sister? so I might have taken her to me to wife: now therefore behold thy wife, take her, and go thy way. 20 And Pharaoh commanded his men concerning him: and they sent him away, and his wife, and all that he had.

Genesis 12: 14-20

The consequences of Abram’s backsliding are so far reaching, it is breathtaking in scope.

Backsliding always begins by failing to trust God in some area of life
Backsliding then progresses to “departing” from the will of God.
Backsliding always reaps unpleasant results.

Today – the world still reaps the “crop” sown by Abram’s backsliding. While in Egypt, he bought a young slave girl named Hagar to be Sarah’s handmaid – who became the mother of the Arabs.

The seeds of unrighteousness always reap a bitter harvest of sorrow and grief for generations to come. Seeds of righteousness reap a bountiful harvest of blessings – for generations to come.

Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth in Thee: yea, in the shadow of Thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast. Psalm 57:1

Bible Study – Abram Called Out

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These are the generations of Shem: Shem was an hundred years old, and begat Arphaxad two years after the flood: 11 And Shem lived after he begat Arphaxad five hundred years, and begat sons and daughters.

This family tree displays Genesis 11: 10-26

27 Now these are the generations of Terah: Terah begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran; and Haran begat Lot. 28 And Haran died before his father Terah in the land of his nativity, in Ur of the Chaldees. 29 And Abram and Nahor took them wives: the name of Abram’s wife was Sarai; and the name of Nahor’s wife, Milcah, the daughter of Haran, the father of Milcah, and the father of Iscah. 30 But Sarai was barren; she had no child. 31 And Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran his son’s son, and Sarai his daughter in law, his son Abram’s wife; and they went forth with them from Ur of the Chaldees, to go into the land of Canaan; and they came unto Haran, and dwelt there. 32 And the days of Terah were two hundred and five years: and Terah died in Haran.

Genesis 11: 10-32

We have come through four great events in our study of Genesis 1-11; which took place over a period of 1,800 years.

The Creation
The Fall
The Flood
Babel

What happens in the next chapter – 12 – is pivotal. There are very few Bible characters whose lives are so extolled in the divine record as Abraham’s is. He is a wondrous example of a person who is justified by faith – not works.
1 Now the Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee: Genesis 12:1

Looking at the family tree above, you can see that Abram is a descendant of Shem – who is still living at over 500 years of age! Knowledge of the true God was available, through Shem, but very few people wanted it. Just like today!

The people of Ur worshiped many gods, even Abram’s own father – Terah – was a pagan. In the following verses from the book of Joshua – God is telling the people the history of Israel:

2 And Joshua said unto all the people, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Your fathers dwelt on the other side of the flood in old time, even Terah, the father of Abraham, and the father of Nachor: and they served other gods. 3 And I took your father Abraham from the other side of the flood, and led him throughout all the land of Canaan, and multiplied his seed, and gave him Isaac. Joshua 24:2-3

[Ur had libraries complete with: dictionaries, grammars, reference works, encyclopedias, official annals, works on mathematics, astronomy, geography, religion and politics. Hammurabi, who ruled Babylonia in Abraham’s day, was a great patron of learning,]

This military standard is from the ruins of the royal tombs at Ur of the Chaldees in ancient Mesopotamia. The standard is about 4500 years old and one of the earliest representations of an ancient Sumerian army.
It has two sides, one depicting war and the other depicting peace. The excavator was the brilliant Sir Leonard Woolley, the archaeologist who uncovered the ruins of a highly advanced civilization, whose ruins can be traced before the flood of Noah. The royal standard of Ur is important in the study of Biblical archaeology, it reveals the fact that the original home of Abraham, the city of Ur really existed. Ur was an ancient city of Sumer, South Mesopotamia. The city is also known as Ur of the Chaldees. It was an important center of Sumerian culture and is identified in the Bible as the home of Abraham. [biblehistory.com]

Abram was being asked by God, to leave comfortable civilization and go out into an unknown land – strictly on faith. The faithfulness of Abram is truly incredible.

2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: 3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. Genesis 12:2-3

All the families of the earth are blessed through Jesus Christ – Abram’s ultimate descendant, Who is the focus and theme of the entire Bible.

4 So Abram departed, as the Lord had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran. 5 And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother’s son, and all their substance that they had gathered, and the souls that they had gotten in Haran; and they went forth to go into the land of Canaan; and into the land of Canaan they came. Genesis 12:4-5

6 And Abram passed through the land unto the place of Sichem, unto the plain of Moreh. And the Canaanite was then in the land.

This map displays Abram’s journey from Haran, where his father, Terah died, to the land of Sichem – or Shechem as you see at the end of the red trail.

The Canaanites that were in the land were the descendants of Ham’s cursed son – Canaan. Gen. 9:25

7 And the Lord appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto the Lord, Who appeared unto him. 8 And he removed from thence unto a mountain on the east of Beth–el, and pitched his tent, having Beth–el on the west, and Hai on the east: and there he builded an altar unto the Lord, and called upon the name of the Lord. 9 And Abram journeyed, going on still toward the south.

By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.

Hebrews 11:8

Repentance – #6 – The Importance of Repentance

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Repentance is so important that god commands “all men everywhere to repent.”

Acts 17:30

And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:

All means ALL!!!!!

1. The lost are to repent. Jesus said: But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. (Matt. 9:13) He said again: ³I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. ⁴Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem. ⁵I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. (Luke 13:3-5)

2. Backsliding, born-again Christians are to repent. Paul said: Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing. (2 Cor. 7:9) The believers in the church at Corinth were quite carnal. In his first letter to them, he called upon the church to discipline the guilty party, in his second letter he rejoices because the guilty have repented.

3. Local churches are to repent! In the Revelation of Jesus Christ, chapters 2 and 3, our LORD sent seven letters to seven churches. He called upon five of them to repent.

The church at Ephesus was to repent because she had left her first love.

The church at Pergamos was to repent because she permitted the doctrine of Balaam to to be taught, and to eat thing sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication.

The church at Thyatira was to repent because she suffered Jezebel to teach and seduce God’s servants to commit fornication.

The church at Sardis was to repent because she was a dying congregation.

The church at Laodicea was to repent because she thought she was rich and did not need anything. In her opinion – she had arrived. She did not know that she was neither hot nor cold, but lukewarm, and God was ready to spew her out of His mouth.

God called on all five of these churches to repent – or he would remove their candlesticks – and they would cease to give their light in the spiritual darkness of the world.

The lost are to repent – or perish.

The back-slidden Christian is to repent – or be disciplined.

The local church is to repent – or lose its effectiveness in a world lost to sin.

Coming up next, the final installment on Repentance – the evidence of repentance!

Study of the Church – Introduction

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The word “ecclesia,” in the New Testament was used to designate any assembly – political – Christian – or national. Jesus said – “I will build my church (ecclesia)” in Matthew 16:18. Used in this context it means a “called out” assembly or congregation. Israel was “called out” of Egypt whereupon they congregated in the wilderness. Today – the saved ones are “called out,” of the world to congregate in worship. What we are talking about is something that can not be seen with human eyes. It is the church that is in the world – but not of the world. . .

The church in the wilderness came to an end, but the church that Jesus Christ is building will never cease. He said “the gates of hell shall not prevail against it,” and it consists not of buildings and ordinances, but only of those souls who are saved – they are the building stones of the true church.

THE CHURCH IS A MYSTERY –

Only fellow heirs can understand this mystery, because it is only revealed through the Spirit. And only those born again, blood washed, and Spirit- baptized believers constitute the Church of Jesus Christ.

EPHESIANS 3:3-10

³How that by revelation He made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words,

⁴Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ)

⁵Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit;

⁶That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ by the gospel:

⁷Whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of His power.

⁸Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ;

⁹And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:

¹⁰To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God.. .

THE CHURCH HAS A SINGULAR BODY –

Christendom is made up of those who profess to be Christians, but they do not know Christ personally. The religionists would say that we are outside the faith because we do not obey their tenets – yet the Word of God states that each and every truly born again believer is part of the same body.

1 CORINTHIANS 12:12-31

¹²For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.

¹³For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.

¹⁴For the body is not one member, but many.

¹⁵If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?

¹⁶And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?

¹⁷If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling?

¹⁸But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him.

¹⁹And if they were all one member, where were the body?

²⁰But now are they many members, yet but one body.

²¹And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you.

²²Nay, much more those members of the body, which seem to be more feeble, are necessary:

²³And those members of the body, which we think to be less honourable, upon these we bestow more abundant honour; and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness.

²⁴For our comely parts have no need: but God hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honour to that part which lacked.

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

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

²⁷Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.

THE CHURCH ITSELF IS AN INVISIBLE BUILDING

Not that there is anything wrong with church buildings, but the true church is built from the born again souls that occupy the building – not the building itself.

EPHESIANS 2:10-22

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

¹¹Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands;

¹²That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:

¹³But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.

¹⁴For He is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;

¹⁵Having abolished in His flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in Himself of twain one new man, so making peace;

¹⁶And that He might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:

¹⁷And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh.

¹⁸For through Him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.

¹⁹Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;

²⁰And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief corner stone;

²¹In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord:

²²In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.

THE CHURCH IS THE ONLY BRIDE OF CHRIST

As Israel in the Old Testament is often referred to God’s “faithless wife,” the blood washed church is referred to as the pure and spotless “bride of Christ.”

2 CORINTHIANS 11:2

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

This concludes the introduction of our study on the Church. Please come back for a detailed analysis of the Church, which will be installed in seven parts.

Judgments – Part 4

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Quickly reviewing the first three segments of this series (which dealt entirely with the judgements of believers) :

The judgment of the believer’s sins
The judgment of the believer’s self
The judgment of the believer’s works

This fourth part deals with the judgment of the nations, all of which are to be judged at the Second Coming of Christ.

The judgment of the nations is not the great white throne judgment.

The judgment of the nations will take place “when the Son of man shall come in His glory. . .then shall He sit upon the throne of His glory.” Rev. 20:11-15 –

¹¹And I saw a great white throne, and Him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.

¹²And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.

¹³And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.

¹⁴And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.

¹⁵And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. If you read that passage carefully, you will see that the Great White Throne is never called “the throne of His glory.” The throne of His glory is here on earth – and judges only the living!

At the judgment of the nations, there will be no resurrection of the dead. But at the Great White Throne – ALL the wicked dead are raised. Rev. 20:13 – And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.

At the judgment of the nations, the judge is GOD “the King” judging the living nations in His earthly kingdom. But at the Great White Throne, the judge is GOD, judging only the wicked dead.

At the judgment of the nations – no books are opened! Whereas at the Great White Throne the “books were opened.”

At the judgment of the nations, there are two classes of people judged:

“sheep” – the saved. Rev. 7: 9-17 –

⁹After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;

¹⁰And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.

¹¹And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God,

¹²Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.

¹³And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they?

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

¹⁵Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in his temple: and He that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them.

¹⁶They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat.

¹⁷For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes. These are those who are saved during the Great Tribulation, after the sealing of the 144,000 Jews who do the work of evangelizing the world.

“goats” – the unsaved 2 Thess. 1:7-10

⁷And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels,

⁸In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:

⁹Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of His power;

¹⁰When He shall come to be glorified in His saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day. Hard to believe, but there will be many with hardened hearts, who will still reject Jesus Christ, even while they experience the terrible events during the Great Tribulation.

At the great white throne there is only one class – “the wicked dead”

At the judgment of the nations, the Righteous King gives the earthly kingdom to those who are born again as “sheep.” This begins the millennial earthly reign of Christ. At the Great White Throne which occurs after the 1,000 years – there are no saved, and no Kingdom – they are ALL cast into the Lake of Fire.

The judgment of the nations has nothing to do with the church!!!!

Matthew 25:31-32

³¹When the Son of man shall come in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then shall He sit upon the throne of His glory:

³²And before Him shall be gathered all nations: and He shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats. . .

The Nature of Sin – Part 5

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Deuteronomy 25:16

For all that do such things, and all that do unrighteously, are an abomination unto the Lord thy God.

Sin is an evil force, the presence of which cannot be escaped from in this earthly, fleshly, life. No – it cannot be escaped from – but it can be overcome by the power of God!

God’s remedy for sin

Mankind, in the fallen state, is unwilling to accept God’s remedy for his own ruination, and forever strives to bring about his own salvation through human means.

Man continually strives for self-righteousness, when his needs must be made the righteousness of God. 2 Cor. 5:21 – For He hath made Him to be sin for us, Who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.

Man continually strives to reform himself, when he needs to be regenerated. Titus 3:5 – Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost. . .

Man continually strives to “turn over a new leaf,” when what he truly needs is a “new life.” John 10:10 – The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

Man continually strives to be justified by the law, when his only real hope is to be justified by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Gal. 2:16 – Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.

Man continually strives to “clean up” the “old man,” when what he really needs is to be made a “new man” in Christ. Eph. 4:24 – And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

And finally, man continually strives to be saved by good works, when salvation can only be found through the Grace of God. Eph. 2:8,9 – For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.

The only remedy for the ruination of man is the Son of God, being made sin for us on the cross at Calvary. The only way to receive this remedy, is through faith in Him as personal Savior.

Isaiah 64:6

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

John 20:30-31

³⁰And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book:

³¹But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through His name.

The Nature of Sin – #3 – How Sin Entered the World

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In the first two parts of this series, it was determined that the origin of sin is a mystery that God has chosen not to reveal to us, and that the existence of sin can not be denied. We now move on to how sin came into the world.

THE BIBLE IS THE ONLY SOURCE FOR HOW SIN ENTERED THE WORLD

By one man sin entered into the world. Romans 5:12 – Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.

The fall of man is found not long after the creation in Genesis 3: 1-24. When Adam sinned, his seed became corrupt. 1 Peter 1:23 – Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the Word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.

Children do not need to be taught to lie, but they do need to be taught to be truthful. We do not need to teach children to be bad, but you do have to teach them to be good. Romans 5:18 – Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.

The Word of God says that ALL men are judged sinners – ALL are condemned already. John 3:18 – He that believeth on Him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

Sin entered the world through our first parents in the Garden of Eden, and “all have sinned,” because ALL are sinners. Romans 3:23 – For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.

We all sin by choice, because we are sinners by nature. The dominion that sin holds over us – is in direct proportion to the delight we take in it. It is our choice.

MAN CALLS IT AN ERROR – GOD CALLS IT SIN

MAN CALLS IT SICKNESS – GOD CALLS IT SIN

We now live in a day and age where man minimizes the seriousness of sin. If our sin was serious enough to require Christ’s death – Christians should never make light of sin.

ROMANS 7:13

King James Version (KJV)

Was then that which is good made death unto me? God forbid. But sin, that it might appear sin, working death in me by that which is good; that sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful.

Sin is the transgression of the law.

DEUTERONOMY 6:24

And the Lord commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear the Lord our God, for our good always, that He might preserve us alive, as it is at this day.

Despite this truth – man still determines that God’s way is not best – and decides to transgress God’s moral laws.

JAMES 2:10

¹⁰For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.

The Prophetic Emphasis of the Bible

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Just a quick thought that I felt had to be stated in view of the recent discussion we had with a commenter regarding the rapture of the church.

The Old Testament emphasizes the millennial reign of Christ
The Gospels emphasize the second coming which ushers in the millennial reign of Christ
The Epistles emphasize the rapture
The Revelation emphasizes the Great Tribulation

If you keep this little chart in mind it will be easier to keep the prophetic time line organized in your study. For example, it is extremely helpful when dealing with a passage like Luke 17:20-37. Since that passage is in the Gospels, it probably deals with the second coming of Christ to earth. The ones “taken” and the ones “left” are expressions dealing with the separation that will take place when Christ returns to earth.

The Epistles make references to the “Day of Christ,” which usually indicates the rapture.

1 Corinthians 1:7-8

⁷So that ye come behind in no gift; waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ:

⁸Who shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 5:5

To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.

2 Corinthians 1:14

As also ye have acknowledged us in part, that we are your rejoicing, even as ye also are our’s in the day of the Lord Jesus.

Philippians 1:10

That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ.

Philippians 2:16

Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain.

I keep a copy of that little chart, written on an index card, in my Bible as a book mark. Very helpful!

The Bible is the Inspired Word of God – #3 – A Book of Oneness

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THE BIBLE IS A BOOK OF ONENESS

2 PETER 1:21

For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.

The miraculous nature of the Bible should never be diminished.

The Bible is actually a library containing 66 books
The Bible was written by 40 different men – in a remarkable cross section of humanity, including kings, fisherman, priest, public officials, farmers, teachers, physicians, educated and uneducated.
The Bible was written over a period of approximately 1,600 years
The diversity of subject matter challenges the best minds to quantify it; encompassing – history, law, science, poetry, drama, biography, religion, and prophecy.
The phrase – Thus saith The LORD – occurs over 2,500 times in Scripture. All of these attributes in combination are a mathematical impossibility.

The various parts of the Bible are as harmoniously combined as the myriad parts of the human body.

A.W. Tozer: “We can hold a correct view of the truth only by daring to believe everything God has said about Himself. It is a grave responsibility that a man takes upon himself when he seeks to edit out of God’s self-revelation such features as he in his ignorance deems objectionable.

Differences between the Bible and the Qur’an

by Matt Slick

Bible	Qur’an
Monotheistic, Trinitarian, (Isaiah 43:10; 44:6-8; Matt. 28:19; 2 Cor. 13:14).	Monotheistic (5:73; 112:1-4), denies the Trinity (5:73).
Jesus is God in flesh (Col. 2:9).	Jesus is not God (5:17, 75).
Jesus was crucified (1 Pet. 2:24).	Jesus was not Crucified, (4:157).
Jesus rose from the dead (John 2:19-20).	Jesus did not rise from the dead.
Jesus was the Son of God (Mark 1:1).	Jesus was not the Son of God (9:30).
Holy Spirit, 3rd person in the Godhead. He will bear witness of Jesus (John 14:26; 15:26).	The Holy Spirit is the angel Gabriel (2:97; 16:102).
Salvation by grace through faith (Eph. 2:8-9).	Salvation by sincerity and works (3:135; 7:8-9; 21:47; 49:14; 66:8-9).
The Devil is a fallen angel (Isaiah 14:12-15).	The Devil, Satan, is not a fallen angel, but a fallen Jinn (2:34; 7:12; 15:27; 55:15).
Man is fallen, a sinner (Rom. 3:23).	Man is basically good.
Disciples were Christians (Acts 11:26).	Disciples declare themselves Muslims (5:111).
Worship on Sabbath (Exodus 20) then later on Sunday (Rom. 14:5-6; Acts 20:7; 1 Cor. 16:1-2).	Worship on Friday (62:9).
Miracles, numerous are recorded (1 Cor. 15:3-5, etc.).	No Miracles recorded, except they claim the Qur’an is a miracle.
Makes numerous prophecies (Isaiah 53; Micah 5:2, etc.).	Makes no prophecies.

H.L. Hastings: “So the hammers of infidels have been pecking away at this Book for ages, but the hammers are worn out, and the anvil still endures. If this Book had not been the book of God, men would have destroyed it long ago. Emperors and popes, kings and priests, princes and rulers, have all tried their hand at it; they die, and the Book still lives!”

ISAIAH 46:9-10

⁹Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like Me,

¹⁰Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure:

TWO WRONGS DO NOT MAKE A RIGHT! FOUR WRONGS ARE EVEN WORSE!!

Obadiah 17-21

17 But upon mount Zion shall be deliverance, and there shall be holiness; and the house of Jacob shall possess their possessions.

18 And the house of Jacob shall be a fire, and the house of Joseph a flame, and the house of Esau for stubble, and they shall kindle in them, and devour them; and there shall not be any remaining of the house of Esau; for the Lord hath spoken it.

19 And they of the south shall possess the mount of Esau; and they of the plain the Philistines: and they shall possess the fields of Ephraim, and the fields of Samaria: and Benjamin shall possess Gilead.

20 And the captivity of this host of the children of Israel shall possess that of the Canaanites, even unto Zarephath; and the captivity of Jerusalem, which is in Sepharad, shall possess the cities of the south.

21 And saviours shall come up on mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau; and the kingdom shall be the Lord‘s.

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Genesis 24:15-27

15 And it came to pass, before he had done speaking, that, behold, Rebekah came out, who was born to Bethuel, son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham’s brother, with her pitcher upon her shoulder.

16 And the damsel was very fair to look upon, a virgin, neither had any man known her: and she went down to the well, and filled her pitcher, and came up.

17 And the servant ran to meet her, and said, Let me, I pray thee, drink a little water of thy pitcher.

18 And she said, Drink, my lord: and she hasted, and let down her pitcher upon her hand, and gave him drink.

19 And when she had done giving him drink, she said, I will draw water for thy camels also, until they have done drinking.

20 And she hasted, and emptied her pitcher into the trough, and ran again unto the well to draw water, and drew for all his camels.

21 And the man wondering at her held his peace, to wit whether the Lord had made his journey prosperous or not.

22 And it came to pass, as the camels had done drinking, that the man took a golden earring of half a shekel weight, and two bracelets for her hands of ten shekels weight of gold;

23 And said, Whose daughter art thou? tell me, I pray thee: is there room in thy father’s house for us to lodge in?

24 And she said unto him, I am the daughter of Bethuel the son of Milcah, which she bare unto Nahor.

25 She said moreover unto him, We have both straw and provender enough, and room to lodge in.

26 And the man bowed down his head, and worshipped the Lord.

27 And he said, Blessed be the Lord God of my master Abraham, who hath not left destitute my master of his mercy and His truth: I being in the way, the Lord led me to the house of my master’s brethren.

Luke 16:10

He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much.

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6 And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly;

7 And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked:

8 (For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;)

9 The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished:

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Pray without ceasing.

The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

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AND WHEN EIGHT DAYS WERE ACCOMPLISHED FOR THE CIRCUMCISING OF THE CHILD, HIS NAME WAS CALLED JESUS, WHICH WAS SO NAMED OF THE ANGEL BEFORE HE WAS CONCEIVED IN THE WOMB.

And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had yet being uncircumcised: that he might be the father of all them that believe, though they be not circumcised; that righteousness might be imputed unto them also.

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The outward circumcision is a symbolic representation of what occurs on the inside man when he belongs to YHWH.

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17 And it came to pass, that, when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold a smoking furnace, and a burning lamp that passed between those pieces.

9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.

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6 And he believed in the Lord; and He counted it to him for righteousness. Genesis 15: 1-6

Genesis 15:6 is the first record in Scripture of imputed righteousness. Genesis 15:6 is the foundation of the doctrine of justification by faith alone. Abram is Paul’s witness to salvation by faith –

In thee shall all nations be blessed.

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Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth in Thee: yea, in the shadow of Thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast. Psalm 57:1

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By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.

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Acts 17:30

And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:

The church at Ephesus was to repent because she had left her first love.

The church at Pergamos was to repent because she permitted the doctrine of Balaam to to be taught, and to eat thing sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication.

The church at Thyatira was to repent because she suffered Jezebel to teach and seduce God’s servants to commit fornication.

The church at Sardis was to repent because she was a dying congregation.

The church at Laodicea was to repent because she thought she was rich and did not need anything. In her opinion – she had arrived. She did not know that she was neither hot nor cold, but lukewarm, and God was ready to spew her out of His mouth.

The lost are to repent – or perish.

The back-slidden Christian is to repent – or be disciplined.

The local church is to repent – or lose its effectiveness in a world lost to sin.

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THE CHURCH IS A MYSTERY –

EPHESIANS 3:3-10

THE CHURCH HAS A SINGULAR BODY –

1 CORINTHIANS 12:12-31

THE CHURCH ITSELF IS AN INVISIBLE BUILDING

EPHESIANS 2:10-22

THE CHURCH IS THE ONLY BRIDE OF CHRIST

2 CORINTHIANS 11:2

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11 And I saw a great white throne, and Him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.

12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.

13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.

14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.

15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. If you read that passage carefully, you will see that the Great White Throne is never called “the throne of His glory.” The throne of His glory is here on earth – and judges only the living!

9 After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;

10 And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.

11 And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God,

¹⁷But upon mount Zion shall be deliverance, and there shall be holiness; and the house of Jacob shall possess their possessions.

¹⁸And the house of Jacob shall be a fire, and the house of Joseph a flame, and the house of Esau for stubble, and they shall kindle in them, and devour them; and there shall not be any remaining of the house of Esau; for the Lord hath spoken it.

¹⁹And they of the south shall possess the mount of Esau; and they of the plain the Philistines: and they shall possess the fields of Ephraim, and the fields of Samaria: and Benjamin shall possess Gilead.

²⁰And the captivity of this host of the children of Israel shall possess that of the Canaanites, even unto Zarephath; and the captivity of Jerusalem, which is in Sepharad, shall possess the cities of the south.

²¹And saviours shall come up on mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau; and the kingdom shall be the Lord‘s.

¹⁵And it came to pass, before he had done speaking, that, behold, Rebekah came out, who was born to Bethuel, son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham’s brother, with her pitcher upon her shoulder.

¹⁶And the damsel was very fair to look upon, a virgin, neither had any man known her: and she went down to the well, and filled her pitcher, and came up.

¹⁷And the servant ran to meet her, and said, Let me, I pray thee, drink a little water of thy pitcher.

¹⁸And she said, Drink, my lord: and she hasted, and let down her pitcher upon her hand, and gave him drink.

¹⁹And when she had done giving him drink, she said, I will draw water for thy camels also, until they have done drinking.

²⁰And she hasted, and emptied her pitcher into the trough, and ran again unto the well to draw water, and drew for all his camels.

²¹And the man wondering at her held his peace, to wit whether the Lord had made his journey prosperous or not.

²²And it came to pass, as the camels had done drinking, that the man took a golden earring of half a shekel weight, and two bracelets for her hands of ten shekels weight of gold;

²³And said, Whose daughter art thou? tell me, I pray thee: is there room in thy father’s house for us to lodge in?

²⁴And she said unto him, I am the daughter of Bethuel the son of Milcah, which she bare unto Nahor.

²⁵She said moreover unto him, We have both straw and provender enough, and room to lodge in.

²⁶And the man bowed down his head, and worshipped the Lord.

²⁷And he said, Blessed be the Lord God of my master Abraham, who hath not left destitute my master of his mercy and His truth: I being in the way, the Lord led me to the house of my master’s brethren.

¹¹And I saw a great white throne, and Him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.

¹²And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.

¹³And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.

¹⁴And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.

¹⁵And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. If you read that passage carefully, you will see that the Great White Throne is never called “the throne of His glory.” The throne of His glory is here on earth – and judges only the living!

⁹After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;

¹⁰And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.

¹¹And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God,

¹²Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.

¹³And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they?

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

¹⁵Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in his temple: and He that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them.

¹⁶They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat.

⁷And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels,

⁸In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:

⁹Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of His power;

³¹When the Son of man shall come in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then shall He sit upon the throne of His glory:

³²And before Him shall be gathered all nations: and He shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats. . .

³⁰And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book:

³¹But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through His name.

¹⁰For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.

⁷So that ye come behind in no gift; waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ:

⁸Who shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.

⁹Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like Me,

¹⁰Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure: