The Battle of Armageddon: The Earthly Version Already Happened!
Judges Chapters 4 & 5: The Battle of Armageddon (Judgment Day) Prefigured!
Judges chapters 4&5 are unusual. This is because God not only records an “historical parable” in chapter 4, but He provides the revelation of the deeper spiritual meaning of that “historical parable” in chapter 5. We are therefore provided the uncommon opportunity to empirically test (and to prove) this methodology of allegorical/typological interpretation through a direct comparison of the preliminary derived spiritual understanding of, and conclusions drawn from, Judges chapter 4 with those that God Himself specifies in Judges chapter 5. Judges chapters 4&5 are particularly salient for us today as they also provide prophetic insights (and foreshadowings) on what we can expect at the end of time culminating with Jesus’s return on Judgment Day.
Introduction
Concerning end-times prophecy, you can pick up almost any book on the subject today and you’ll find references to the battle of “Armageddon” (mentioned in Revelation 16:16). In those books you’ll often find a description of some future earthly/physical battle that the authors believe will take place between various nations of the world and national Israel in the literal physical location of the plain of Megiddo in northern Israel. Is there any validity to this interpretation? Let’s take a look at what God has to say in Judges chapters 4&5, focusing in particular on the roles of Deborah and Barak in the destruction of the Canaanites and the implications that they hold for us today.
And as we proceed, please bear in mind that this Judges 4 account is entirely prophetic. Although the events in the account actually occurred in history, and are accurately recorded in the Bible, the account nonetheless foretells what will occur in the short period just prior to the end of the world and Judgment Day when Jesus returns from Heaven on the clouds of Glory and destroys this world and all who hate God and His Word.
Israel Under the Judgment of God
Judges 4:1, begins with the ominous statement, “And the children of Israel again did evil in the sight of the LORD, when Ehud was dead.“
This statement reminds us of what God said earlier in the book of Judges. In Judges 2:11-23, “And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, and served Baalim: And they forsook the LORD God of their fathers, which brought them out of the land of Egypt, and followed other gods, of the gods of the people that [were] round about them, and bowed themselves unto them, and provoked the LORD to anger. And they forsook the LORD, and served Baal and Ashtaroth. And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel, and he delivered them into the hands of spoilers that spoiled them, and he sold them into the hands of their enemies round about, so that they could not any longer stand before their enemies. Whithersoever they went out, the hand of the LORD was against them for evil, as the LORD had said, and as the LORD had sworn unto them: and they were greatly distressed. Nevertheless the LORD raised up judges, which delivered them out of the hand of those that spoiled them. And yet they would not hearken unto their judges, but they went a whoring after other gods, and bowed themselves unto them: they turned quickly out of the way which their fathers walked in, obeying the commandments of the LORD; [but] they did not so. And when the LORD raised them up judges, then the LORD was with the judge, and delivered them out of the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge: for it repented the LORD because of their groanings by reason of them that oppressed them and vexed them. And it came to pass, when the judge was dead, [that] they returned, and corrupted [themselves] more than their fathers, in following other gods to serve them, and to bow down unto them; they ceased not from their own doings, nor from their stubborn way. And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel; and he said, Because that this people hath transgressed my covenant which I commanded their fathers, and have not hearkened unto my voice; I also will not henceforth drive out any from before them of the nations which Joshua left when he died: That through them I may prove Israel, whether they will keep the way of the LORD to walk therein, as their fathers did keep [it], or not. Therefore the LORD left those nations, without driving them out hastily; neither delivered he them into the hand of Joshua.“
What is particularly ominous about the first verse of Judges 4 is that it was Israel, the people of God, that did evil in the sight of the LORD. As a result, in the very next verse we learn, “And the LORD sold them into the hand of Jabin king of Canaan, that reigned in Hazor; the captain of whose host [was] Sisera, which dwelt in Harosheth of the Gentiles.“
It should be noted from the preceding that God Is Sovereign, and God Is fully in charge of the historical situation and the destiny of His people. Old Testament Israel was the corporate church of that time. God’s corporate church in our day includes all those who claim to be Christian, but who have, in almost every case, become apostate. Just as we can read in the Book of Judges, it is GOD Who turns the corporate church over to the oppressor as a judgment against them for their sin of apostasy (rebellion, a form of spiritual fornication).
Revelation 20:7&8 tells us that, in the very last days, God would “loose” the devil for a “little season”(Revelation 20:3) as a judgment against the world, beginning with the apostate corporate church (1 Peter 4:17),”And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog (see Ezekiel 38:1-23), to gather them together to battle: the number of whom [is] as the sand of the sea.”
Jabin (the king of Canaan) and Sisera (the Captain of Jabin’s Army) Are “Types” for the Devil and the Abomination of Desolation
We should therefore not be surprised to learn that the oppresser in the Judges 4&5 case is Jabin (יָבִין (yāḇîn)) H2985, which means “whom God observes”, but is from the root word בִּין (bîn) H995 meaning “intelligent”, “cunning”, “wisely”, who is the king of Canaan, the country originally inhabited by Canaan, the grandson of Noah, who Noah cursed in Genesis 9:25. Furthermore, Jabin reigned in Hazor, which happens to be a city (like Ai), which Joshua (Hebrew for Jesus, meaning “Saviour”) burned and where Joshua slew a previous king, also named Jabin (Joshua 11:1-15). Although we are not given an exact derivation for the name “Sisera”(סִיסְרָא (sîsrā’)) H5516, who was the captain of Jabin’s army, the name is said to mean something like a “field of battle” or “battle array” or “onset”. However, we do know that Sisera is from “Harosheth”(חֲרֹשֶׁת (ḥărōšeṯ))H2800. Harosheth, also spelled Charosheth, meaning to engage in “mechanical work”, “carving”, or “cutting”, is derived from the root word, “charash” (חָרַשׁ (ḥāraš)) H2790, which is often translated negatively as “deviseth”, as is found in Proverbs 6:14; and in Proverbs 6:16-19, where it is used in a context to describe the things that God “hates” and are an “abomination” to God. It appears already, therefore, that Jabin and Sisera can be none other than “types” or “allegorical figures” of Satan/antichrist, the “abomination of desolation”, (Matthew 24:15), as he is loosed upon the world (by God) just before Judgment Day, as we read in Rev 20:3 and Rev 20:7-10.
It is imperative to understand that this Old Testament account is indeed a very clear allegory for the short time period when God will pour out His wrath and punishment on the corporate church for its apostasy, as well upon the world that is also in rebellion against God, just before Final Judgment Day, and which is often called the Great Tribulation. During that short period of time, which is identified in Revelation 20:3 and Revelation 20:7 as a “little season” when the devil will be loosed “out of his prison” upon the world to do his worst and afterwards will be defeated in the final battle of Armageddon and “cast into the lake of fire and brimstone.” One has to wonder whether or not the world has already entered into that short period of time when God unleashes the devil as a judgment tool, just as God did with Jabin and Sisera upon the people of Israel?
In Judges 4:3, we read how “the children of Israel cried unto the LORD: for he (Jabin) had nine hundred chariots of iron; and twenty years he mightily oppressed the children of Israel.“ The iron represents the judgment of bondage and its accompanying oppression for sin (see Psalm 107:10 &11, Revelation 2:27 and Revelation 19:15). That is why God refers to the land of Egypt as the “iron furnace” in Deuteronomy 4:20, 1 Kings 8:51, and Jeremiah 11:4. It also corresponds to what we find in Daniel 7:19-27, where the fourth beast (representing the antichrist during the final tribulation?) had “iron teeth” (1 Peter 4:17, “judgment must begin at the house of God“), but his kingdom would be destroyed at the end of that period when the “Ancient of days (God Himself) came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom.“
Deborah, a Portrait of the Bride of Christ, Declaring Judgment
In the next verse we learn of the faithful woman, Deborah. Deborah was a prophetess, and she was the only female to be a judge in the nation of Israel. However, what is really key within this account, is that Deborah is also a portrait of the Bride of Christ, the body of true believing Christians, the Saints, who continue to faithfully proclaim God’s Word within the context of the apostate era in which God will be pouring out His wrath on the apostate church, and this God-hating world, just prior to Judgment Day. The context is clear. Therefore, every believer should take note to “Keep Yourselves in the Love of God”, as each believer will be expected to be a faithful and watching witness for Jesus until the end of time, when Jesus comes back with all His Saints in Heaven to destroy this ungodly world and all the ungodly people on Judgment Day as we read in Jude 1:14-21:
“¶And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard [speeches] which ungodly sinners have spoken against him. ¶These are murmurers, complainers, walking after their own lusts; and their mouth speaketh great swelling [words], having men’s persons in admiration because of advantage. But, beloved, remember ye the words which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ; How that they told you there should be mockers in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts. These be they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit. ¶But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.“
The Words of God, as are found only in the Bible, contain both the Spirit of God and the Gospel of Salvation through Jesus’ Sacrifice, exemplified by His shed blood, which is the means of obtaining eternal life. The proclamation of this “good news” is the means that God uses to raise people from the dead to eternal life.
Deborah Means “Bee” and She Faithfully Declares God’s Word
Deborah means “bee”, by interpretation from the original Hebrew, דְּבוֹרָה (dᵊḇôrâ) H1682, which is from the root word דָּבַר (dāḇar) H1696 meaning to “speak” or “declare” and is intimately linked with the Hebrew word for “word“דָּבָר (dāḇār)H1697. It is an interesting fact that where bees gather you will also find honey, and honey is a type that God uses in relation to His Word/the Gospel of Jesus Christ (see Judges 14:8&9, and Psalm 119:103, and Revelation 10:9&10 and below under Abinoam).
However, “bees” דְּבוֹרָה (dᵊḇôrâ) H1682 are also used by God in the Bible to denote a means of judgment that God sends in response to rebellion (because they are given power to chase and sting). See for example:
Isaiah 7:18, “And it shall come to pass in that day, [that] the LORD shall hiss for the fly that [is] in the uttermost part of the rivers of Egypt, and for the bee that [is] in the land of Assyria.”
Deuteronomy 1:44, “And the Amorites, which dwelt in that mountain, came out against you, and chased you, asbees do, and destroyed you in Seir, [even] unto Hormah“).
Psalm 118:12, “They compassed me about like bees; they are quenched as the fire of thorns: for in the name of the LORD I will destroy them.”
It is also noteworthy that Jesus said in John 12:48, “He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.” That last day is Judgment Day!
Note: It is interesting to note that although Psalm 145:5 reads, “I will speak of the glorious honour of thy majesty, and of thy wondrous works.” The Hebrew word that was translated as “works” should more accurately be translated “words” (דָּבָר (dāḇār) H1697).
Deborah is NOT an Allegorical “Type” of Jesus Christ!
It is often claimed by theologians (particularly in our day) that, in this historical account, it was the woman, Deborah, who “saved the Israelites from Canaanite forces”, and moreover…”if there is any allegory to be found in this account…it must therefore be Deborah who is the one who should be viewed as a “Type” of Jesus Christ”.
However, in this study, it will be clearly shown and proven that it was NOT Deborah, but rather Barak, who was the key figure as a “Type” of Jesus Christ.
Today, Barak is shoved aside by modern, humanistically and worldly (not Godly), focused theologians, who, consciously or not, are in complete rebellion against God’s line of authority. Such theologians (and so-called academics) want only to elevate the woman, Deborah (who actually represents the Church, the “Body” of Believers, the “Bride” of Jesus Christ), above the man, Barak, who was really the savior in this historical allegorical account. Barak serves as an allegorical “Type” who God used to represent The Lord Jesus Christ in this historical account (which is therefore also an historical parable). Jesus Christ Alone Is The Head of the Church, as well as The “Bridegroom” in the Heavenly Marriage, as we read in the Book of Revelation.
Anyone who interprets and argues that Deborah was the “savior” is entirely contradicting God’s clearly established and clearly enunciated plan of authority and headship…for we know, according to 1 Corinthians 11:3, that, “But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman [is] the man; and the head of Christ [is] God.” as well as what we read in Ephesians 5:23, “For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.” and Colossians 1:18, “And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.”
And is it not interesting that, when God recounts the great men of Faith in Hebrews, Chapter 11, that in amongst the Judges Gideon and Sampson, it was NOT Deborah who was mentioned, but rather Barak? We find this in Hebrews 11:32-34, “And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and [of] Barak, and [of] Samson, and [of] Jephthae; [of] David also, and Samuel, and [of] the prophets: Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens.” This is because in each case the “man” named is actually a type of Jesus Christ that is entirely consistent with what we read in Luke 24:27 and John 5:39.
Deborah Was the Wife of “Lapidoth”
Deborah was a prophetess (one who declares the word of God) and a judge in Israel. We also know that she was the wife of Lapidoth (לַפִּידוֹת (lapîḏôṯ)H3941), which is a plural form of the Hebrew word, “lapid” (לַפִּיד (lapîḏ)H3940 ), meaning “lamp” or “lightning“, see below under Barak). We see the word lapid used 14 times in the Bible… lamp 7, firebrand 2, torch 2, brand 1, lightning 1, burning 1.
The first time it appears in the Bible, it seems a bit ominous, as we read in Genesis 15:1-21 where God promised Abram (Abraham) a future land of inheritance, and instructed that Abram prepare a sacrifice of five animals (heifer, goat, ram, turtledove, and pigeon; of which the first three were divided (cut) into pieces), and afterward Abram fell into a deep sleep and had a horrible vision where God revealed that the descendants of Abram (Abraham) would be in servitude in Egypt for 400 years, spanning four generations (to wit, Levi, Kohath, Amram, and Aaron), but then would come out with great substance. Then we next read in Genesis 15:17 “And it came to pass, that, when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold a smoking furnace, and a burning lamp (“lapid” לַפִּיד (lapîḏ)H3940) that passed between those pieces.” And then the LORD made a covenant with Abram (Abraham) regarding the Promised Land of Israel for an inheritance to his descendants.
In Isaiah 62:1, “For Zion’s sake will I not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest, until the righteousness thereof go forth as brightness, and the salvation thereof as a lamp (לַפִּיד (lapîḏ)H3940 ) that burneth.”
Deborah must therefore be a typological representation of the true believers during a time of great apostasy who actively, and faithfully, declare the whole counsel of God’s Word that brings the message of both deliverance and judgment when the devil is loose. Deborah is indeed an allegorical picture of the remnant of the Christian church which remains faithful to the end, enduring the end-times’ “Great Tribulation” as Jesus described in Matthew 24:21. Such true believers, together with all other believers throughout history, are described in the Bible as the Bride of Christ as described in Revelation 21:2.
We should also remember that Jesus is The “Lamp,” albeit from a different Hebrew word that is normally translated as “candle”, but translated in English as “lamp” here in 2 Samuel 22:29 “For thou [art] my lamp (נִיר (nîr) H5216), O LORD: and the LORD will lighten my darkness.” and Psalm 119:105, “Thy word is a lamp (נִיר (nîr) H5216) unto my feet, and a light (אוֹר (‘ôr)H216),unto my path.” We can derive the correlation between Jesus and the lamp because Jesus is The Word made flesh, as we read in John 1:14, “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.”
Deborah’s Palm Tree
Note that Deborah “dwelt under the palm tree of Deborah“ (the “palm tree” may be another reference to Jesus, because as we read in Psalm 92:12, “The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.”). Such trees represent life and strength typifying the attributes of Jesus Christ. Reinforcing this idea is the use of the word “dwelt.” For the believer, Jesus is our dwelling place (i.e., Psalm 90:1, {A Prayer of Moses the man of God.} “LORD, thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou [art] God“). We also know that the palm tree was located “between Ramah and Bethel in mount Ephraim“. Ramah means “high place,” and Bethel means “house of God.” Ephraim pertains to the tribe of Ephraim, descended from the younger son of Joseph who received the double portion, and who Jacob blessed with his right hand and said “in thee shall Israel bless.”
It is worth a moment to consider why “the children of Israel came up to her for judgment.“ A judge is someone who hears a matter and then pronounces a sentence against an accusation whether vindication or condemnation and punishment. When the believers bring the gospel of salvation they are always bringing the two-fold message of deliverance from the bondage to sin and Satan through Jesus Christ or the alternative just punishment of sin which is an eternity in hell on Judgment Day. How can anyone truly know about salvation through Jesus Christ unless they first understand from what they are being saved? Every human being is by nature in desperate need of a Savior to protect him or her from the coming judgment and wrath of God, which is the just penalty for his or her sins. Furthermore, we know that if “He that spared not his own son” (Romans 8:32) in that Jesus had to endure God’s wrath in Hell, will not God also do the same to those who do not become saved? 2 Corinthians 5:11, “Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men;“
Barak, a Portrait of Jesus Christ as the Ultimate Judge
Next we read in Judges 4:6, “And she sent and called Barak the son of Abinoam out of Kedesh-naphtali, and said unto him, Hath not the LORD God of Israel commanded, [saying], Go and draw toward mount Tabor, and take with thee ten thousand men of the children of Naphtali and of the children of Zebulun?“
This is the first reference to Barak. Barak (בָּרָק (bārāq)H1300), interestingly enough, also means “lightning” (exactly as Lapidoth, the husband of Deborah!), but also “glittering sword.” Might Barak therefore also be a type or allegorical prefigurement of Jesus Christ? In Exodus 19:16, we read of when Moses was on Mount Sinai and God made His presence known to the people, “And it came to pass on the third day in the morning, that there were thunders and lightnings (בָּרָק (bārāq)H1300), and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud; so that all the people that [was] in the camp trembled.“
It should be noted that immediately following the giving forth of the Ten Commandments, we also read in Exodus 20:18, “And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings (לַפִּיד (lapîḏ)H3940 ), and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw [it], they removed, and stood afar off.“
It is as if God is saying that Barak and Lapidoth are essentially the same. As proof that this is indeed the case, in Ezekiel 1:13, we read in the same verse where Ezekiel describes the “visions of God,” “As for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance [was] like burning coals of fire, [and] like the appearance of lamps (לַפִּיד (lapîḏ)H3940 ): it went up and down among the living creatures; and the fire was bright, and out of the fire went forth lightning (בָּרָק (bārāq)H1300).” This is repeated in Daniel 10:6, where we read how Daniel, just like Ezekiel, describes Jesus in a vision, “His body also [was] like the beryl, and his face as the appearance of lightning (בָּרָק (bārāq)H1300), and his eyes as lamps (לַפִּיד (lapîḏ)H3940 ) of fire, and his arms and his feet like in colour to polished brass, and the voice of his words like the voice of a multitude.” And isn’t it interesting that we see the same two words together again in Nahum 2:4, where judgment is being pronounced against Nineveh, “The chariots shall rage in the streets, they shall justle one against another in the broad ways: they shall seem like torches (לַפִּיד (lapîḏ)H3940 ), they shall run like the lightnings (בָּרָק (bārāq)H1300).”
As though the picture of Barak representing the Lord Jesus Christ is not clear enough, we find in Psalm 77:18 and Psalm 97:4 the following declarations of the LORD reigning and His works and judgments, “The voice of thy thunder [was] in the heaven: the lightnings (בָּרָק bārāq)H1300) lightened the world: the earth trembled and shook.” and “His lightnings (בָּרָק bārāq)H1300) enlightened the world: the earth saw, and trembled.”
Lightning and Arrows Used Together to Bring Judgment
And for additional emphasis on the connection with Jesus, Being God’s Word, and His association with bringing judgment, there is Zechariah 9:14, “And the LORD shall be seen over them, and his arrow (חֵץ (ḥēṣ) H2671) shall go forth as the lightning (בָּרָק bārāq)H1300): and the Lord GOD shall blow the trumpet, and shall go with whirlwinds of the south.” Also please note the particular and unmistakable harmony of these three additional verses that also tie “lightning” with “arrows” or weapons of warfare to bring destruction, hence judgment:
Psalm 18:14, “Yea, he sent out his arrows, (חֵץ (ḥēṣ) H2671) and scattered them; and he shot out lightnings (בָּרָק (bārāq))H1300), and discomfited them.”
Psalm 144:6, “Cast forth lightning (בָּרָק (bārāq)H1300,) and scatter them: shoot out thine arrows (חֵץ (ḥēṣ) H2671), and destroy them.“
NOTE: Psalm 45 is another synopsis of Jesus coming on the clouds of Glory as KING of KINGS and LORD of LORDS (1 Timothy 6:15, Rev 17:14, Rev 19:16) coming conquering and to conquer (Revelation 6:2) with a “sword” and “arrows” on Judgment Day (the first seven verses) to meet His Bride (Revelation 21:2), the Queen, the Eternal Church, to take Her to Heaven with Him (the last ten verses).
Psalm 45:1-7 “¶ [[To the chief Musician upon Shoshannim, for the sons of Korah, Maschil, A Song of loves.]] My heart is inditing a good matter: I speak of the things which I have made touching the king: my tongue [is] the pen of a ready writer. Thou art fairer than the children of men: grace is poured into thy lips: therefore God hath blessed thee for ever. Gird thy sword (חֶרֶב (ḥereḇ)H2719) upon thy thigh, O [most] mighty, with thy glory and thy majesty. And in thy majesty ride prosperously because of truth and meekness [and]righteousness; and thy right hand shall teach thee terrible things. Thine arrows (חֵץ (ḥēṣ)) H2671 [are] sharp in the heart of the king’s enemies; [whereby] the people fall under thee. Thy throne, O God, [is] for ever and ever: the sceptre of thy kingdom [is] a right sceptre. Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness: therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.”
Psalm 45:8-17, “All thy garments [smell] of myrrh, and aloes, [and] cassia, out of the ivory palaces, whereby they have made thee glad. Kings’ daughters [were] among thy honourable women: upon thy right hand did stand the queen in gold of Ophir. Hearken, O daughter, and consider, and incline thine ear; forget also thine own people, and thy father’s house; So shall the king greatly desire thy beauty: for he [is] thy Lord; and worship thou him. And the daughter of Tyre [shall be there] with a gift; [even] the rich among the people shall intreat thy favour. The king’s daughter [is] all glorious within: her clothing [is] of wrought gold. She shall be brought unto the king in raiment of needlework: the virgins her companions that follow her shall be brought unto thee. With gladness and rejoicing shall they be brought: they shall enter into the king’s palace. Instead of thy fathers shall be thy children, whom thou mayest make princes in all the earth.“
God uses “Lightning/Lightnings” to Describe Jesus and His Second and Final Coming in the New Testament
Remember how, in Matthew 24:27, we read where Jesus Christ tells us directly that His coming on Judgment Day will appear as lightning, “For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.” Note the harmony with Psalm 77:18, “The voice of thy thunder was in the heaven: the lightnings (בָּרָק (bārāq)H1300) lightened the world: the earth trembled and shook.” Clearly this points to Jesus being both the Light of the world and the Judge of the world.
In Matthew 28:3, describing “the angel of the Lord descended from heaven”, we read that, “His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow:“Luke 17:24, “For as the lightning, that lighteneth out of the one [part] under heaven, shineth unto the other [part] under heaven; so shall also the Son of man be in his day.”
Revelation 4:5, “And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and [there were] seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.“
Revelation 8:5, “And the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire of the altar, and cast [it] into the earth: and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake.”
Revelation 11:19, “And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail.”
Revelation 16:18, “And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, [and] so great.
Finally, back in Deuteronomy 32:41, the same word Hebrew word “barak” is alternatively translated as “glittering sword”, “If I whet my glittering sword (בָּרָק bārāq)H1300, and mine hand take hold on judgment; I will render vengeance to mine enemies, and will reward them that hate me.” We this also in Job 20:25, where God has just outlined what will happen to the wicked and the hypocrites of the world on Judgment Day, “It is drawn, and cometh out of the body; yea, the glittering sword (בָּרָק bārāq)H1300cometh out of his gall: terrors [are] upon him.”
More verses to ponder:
Job 38:35 “Canst thou send lightnings (בָּרָק (bārāq)H1300), that they may go, and say unto thee, Here we [are]?“
Isaiah 34:5&6 “For my sword shall be bathed in heaven: behold, it shall come down upon Idumea, and upon the people of my curse, to judgment. The sword of the LORD is filled with blood, it is made fat with fatness, and with the blood of lambs and goats, with the fat of the kidneys of rams: for the LORD hath a sacrifice in Bozrah, and a great slaughter in the land of Idumea.“
Ezekiel 21:28 “And thou, son of man, prophesy and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD concerning the Ammonites, and concerning their reproach; even say thou, The sword, the sword [is] drawn: for the slaughter [it is] furbished, to consume because of the glittering (בָּרָק (bārāq)H1300):”
Nahum 3:3, “The horseman lifteth up both the bright sword and the glittering (בָּרָק bārāq)H1300) spear: and [there is] a multitude of slain, and a great number of carcases; and [there is] none end of [their] corpses; they stumble upon their corpses:“
Habakkuk 3:11 “The sun [and] moon stood still in their habitation: at the light of thine arrows they went, [and] at the shining of thy glittering. (בָּרָק (bārāq)H1300) spear.
When we consider that all of the above verses are talking about Judgment Day, we must conclude that not only does “Barak” clearly and irrefutably represent Jesus Christ, but Barak also represents Jesus Christ as Both The Judge, and The Means of Judgment coming on Judgment Day!
NOTE: Some other verses come to mind that support this last statement. First in Psalm 7:11-13 we read, “God judgeth the righteous, and God is angry [with the wicked] every day. If he turn not, he will whet his sword; he hath bent his bow, and made it ready. He hath also prepared for him the instruments of death; he ordaineth his arrows against the persecutors.” It is very difficult to begin to understand the might of God’s wrath against the wicked, against God’s enemies on Judgment Day. But that Sword of Truth is Jesus, and He told us that His Word is what will bring judgment on Judgment Day as we read in John 12:48, “He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.”
Abinoam, a Portrait of The Father in Heaven
Barak is also the son of Abinoam. If the typological/allegorical methodology of interpretation, that has so far been employed in this study, is Biblically valid (e.g, That it is entirely God ordained and true), then we should logically expect, given the evidence that Barak so clearly and unequivocally represents Jesus Christ, that Barak’s father, Abinoam, would provide at least some evidence that Abinoam is a typological representation of The Father in Heaven. In other words, we have a sound basis, or “scientific” means, to both test, and hopefully prove, this methodology of allegorical interpretation and to see whether it is God ordained or not. We start with the theory based on previous evidence found in God’s Word (1 Corinthians 2:13), and now, using deductive reasoning, we are enabled to make a prediction using that theory. In this passage of scripture, regarding Abinoam, we can put the theory to the test. If the prediction (i.e. that Abinoam should be a clear “type” of The Father in Heaven) is validated, then likewise the theory is also validated!
In perfect confirmation, with the above prediction, we find that Abinoam means “father (אָב (‘āḇ)) H1“ of “beauty (נֹעַם (nōʿam)) H5278” or “father (אָב (‘āḇ)) H1 of pleasantness (נֹעַם (nōʿam)) H5278).” Both progenitive attributes, “beauty” and “pleasantness“, as translated from the original Hebrew texts, can be shown to be unequivocal references to Jesus Christ, therefore, the “father” of those attributes (“beauty” and “pleasantness”), which unequivocally point to Jesus Christ, must be a “Typological” representation of God the Father in Heaven! Can this be proven? It most certainly can!
Noam (“Beauty”), the name of the first staff in Zechariah 11 represents the Lord Jesus Christ
In Psalm 27:4 we read, “One [thing] have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty (נֹעַם (nōʿam)) H5278 of the LORD, and to inquire in his temple.” Also in Psalm 90:17 we read, “And let the beauty (נֹעַם (nōʿam)) H5278 of the LORD our God be upon us: and establish thou the work of our hands upon us; yea, the work of our hands establish thou it.“
And it is EXTREMELY significant to find that God tells us in Zechariah 11:10-13*, “And I took my staff, [even] Beauty (Noam), and cut it asunder, that I might break my covenant which I had made with all the people. And it was broken in that day: and so the poor of the flock that waited upon me knew that it [was] the word of the LORD. And I said unto them, If ye think good, give [me] my price; and if not, forbear. So they weighed for my price thirty [pieces] of silver. And the LORD said unto me, Cast it unto the potter: a goodly price that I was prised at of them. And I took the thirty [pieces] of silver, and cast them to the potter in the house of the LORD.” Note, specifically, that it was the “poor of the flock that waited on me” … it was the believers who knew that it was the Word of the LORD! The believers who wait upon God must “know” that it was Jesus who was cut asunder, and that the price paid by the chief priests was thirty pieces of silver, because Jesus is the Word made flesh as we read in John 1:14.
These prophetic verses also describe exactly what happened to Jesus Christ (we know that Jesus (The WORD of the LORD) was cut asunder and that Jesus was broken by God for all believers, and that so also was the first covenant of works under the Law broken, in order that the new covenant of grace could be instituted) and the thirty pieces of silver were the price given to Judas Iscariot to betray Jesus, and that Judas “cast down the pieces of silver in the temple” (“The house of the LORD“), and which were later used to buy “the potter’s field, to bury strangers in“!
Note to the Reader: There is general agreement by most theologians and Biblical scholars that the passage in Zechariah, chapter 11, regarding the broken staff named “Beauty” (Noam) and its price, the thirty pieces of silver used to buy the potter’s field, prophetically points to Jesus Christ, but this is only because there is an explicit reference/description of it in both Matthew 27:3-10 and Acts 1:15-19. In the Matthew account, Judas is seemingly filled with remorse for betraying Jesus, and he tries to return the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests (Matthew 27:3). When the chief priests and elders refuse to accept the money, Judas casts the thirty pieces of silver to the temple floor and leaves and hangs himself (Matthew 27:4&5). Not wanting to put “blood money” into the treasury, the priests use the silver pieces to buy a potter’s field (Matthew 27:6&7). “Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy* the prophet, saying, And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of him that was valued, whom they of the children of Israel did value; And gave them for the potter’s field, as the Lord appointed me.” (Matthew 27:9).
It should also be noted that Exodus 21:32 lists “thirty shekels of silver” as the price the must be paid by an owner of any ox that gores another’s manservant or maidservant (hence it is the established value by God for a servant’s life), and we all should know that Jesus’s earthly life was one of servitude and that Jesus is also known as the “Suffering Servant”.
But what about “pleasantness“? In Proverbs 3:17, God, through King Solomon, is describing wisdom and understanding (again clear references to Jesus Christ) where we read, “Her ways [are] ways of pleasantness (noam), and all her paths [are] peace.” [Note: Don’t let the feminine gender reference confuse you, because in the very next two verses, we see wisdom equated to “the tree of Life” and “that by wisdom the LORD founded the earth.” We know, therefore, that “wisdom” has to be referring to Jesus Christ because of what we read in John 14:6, and Revelation 2:7 and Revelation 22:2, and John 1:1-4.] Also, given that all of wisdom’s “paths are peace”, we should bear in mind that Jesus is the “Prince of Peace” according to Isaiah 9:6.
The Bible Is Self-Validatiing!
This is yet another excellent example of the perfection of God’s craftsmanship of both the actual history, and the recording of it in the Bible, to convey spiritual truth which can be found out if sought for like hidden treasure (see Proverbs 3:13-15). If “beauty” and “pleasantness” (noam) represents Jesus Christ, then Abinoam unequivocally represents The Father of Jesus Christ, hence God the Father in Heaven. Because Abinoam is the father of Barak, Barak is again seen (from a new perspective, beyond the meaning of Barak in the Hebrew and God’s use of Barak in Biblical scripture) to represent Jesus Christ, the Son of God, The Father.
Perhaps most importantly, the prediction was correct and therefore, likewise, the methodology is also proven to be valid. We have thus all been clearly shown a proven means of interpretation of the Bible from the Bible! (and it was all simply done by only comparing spiritual things with spiritual things…by comparing scripture with scripture)
* In the Matthew 27:3-10 account of the 30 pieces of silver being cast down in the temple, which were used by the chief priests to buy the potter’s field (“the field of blood“), please note that in verse 9 it references the prophet “Jeremy” (Jeremiah) versus Zechariah, which can lead to some confusion. If we look at Jeremiah 32:6-15, we can indeed see a number of similarities, as it references “redemption“, that it was “a field” purchased for “17“ shekels of “silver” and reference to an “earthen vessel” (a pot made by a potter), and “Then I knew that this [was] the word of the LORD.” Note how this compares to Zechariah 11:11, “the poor of the flock that waited upon me knew that it [was] the word of the LORD.” It is not clear why Jeremiah states “17” “shekels of silver” versus “30″ “pieces of silver” as is found in both Matthew 27 and Zechariah 11 (Interestingly, Exodus 21:32 lists “thirty shekels of silver” as the penalty to an owner of any ox that gores another’s manservant or maidservant). Then Jeremiah 32:12 concludes that the evidence of the purchase would be written in “the book of the purchase, before all the Jews that sat in the court of the prison.” The purpose of these passages was to provide a testimony that although the Jews (Judah and Benjamin) would go into Babylonian captivity, God would free the captives after 70 years, (Jeremiah 29:10) and return them to Jerusalem and the surrounding areas, which allegorically pointed to Jesus freeing the believers from captivity in prison (in bondage within the gates of hell) to the New Jerusalem (heaven). So the Gospel theme nonetheless remains consistent.
What about the second staff, “Bands”?
We should also note that in reading one verse further in Zechariah 11:14, we find God telling us, “Then I cut asunder mine other staff, [even] Bands (חֵבֶל (ḥēḇel) H2256), that I might break the brotherhood between Judah and Israel.” The Hebrew word translated as “Bands” (חֵבֶל (ḥēḇel) H2256) is used in the Bible to indicate a “bond” or “pledge” with reference to “a cord/rope (as twisted), especially a measuring line; by implication, a district or inheritance (as measured)” or figuratively, to pervert, destroy or bring “sorrows like a woman in travail”. The use of the name “Bands” for the second of the two staves would seem to be telling us that God is providing a second witness to His ending, or dissolution, of His marital relationship with National Israel, because Jesus is of the tribe of Judah, and when the first staff, “Beauty” (Noam, hence Jesus, “the word of the LORD”), was cut asunder, so too was the marital covenant relationship with National Israel. Remember the the moment that Jesus died, the veil of the Temple leading to the Holy of Holies was rent, from top to bottom (Matthew 27:51, Mark 15:38, Luke 23:45 ) which indicated that God’s temporal marriage to National Israel (the Old Testament church) had ended, along with all animal sacrifices, and which marked the beginning of the new eternal marital covenant (the New Testament church) with the Gentiles with a remnant of national Israel.
There might also be the implication that with the breaking of the stave “Beauty”, representing Jesus in His Atoning Sacrifice, that the just judgment that is due to all of mankind, represented by the stave “Bands” would also be broken as well and that covenant, which was previously limited to only National Israel, would subsequently apply to the whole world through the Tribe of Judah (Jesus is from the Tribe of Judah).
Moreover, it should also be noted how the words “bands” and “cords” (albeit different in the original Hebrew) are used in Psalm 2:1-3, where we read, “¶Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, [saying], Let us break their bands (מוֹסֵר (môsēr)) H4147 asunder, and cast away their cords (עֲבֹת (ʿăḇōṯ))H5688 from us.” The majority of mankind (the “heathen”) have no interest in a marital relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ as they are opposed to Him and His Church. We also find in Psalm 129:4, “The LORD [is] righteous: he hath cut asunder the cords of the wicked“, which is indicative of the fact that all believers were captives to the devil and have now been set free by Jesus.
One More Thing: Honey, like Noam, is another reference to the Word of God, Jesus Christ (and the Gospel of Jesus Christ)
It was earlier mentioned with regard to Deborah (meaning “bee” in the original Hebrew, דְּבוֹרָה (dᵊḇôrâ) H1682, which is from the root word דָּבַר(dāḇar) H1696 meaning to “speak” or “declare” and is intimately linked with the Hebrew word for “word“דָּבָר (dāḇār)H1697). It is an interesting fact that where bees gather you will also find “honey” H1706 or “honeycomb”H5317, that comes from bees, are both often used typologically for the Word of God/the Gospel of Jesus Christ (see Judges 14:8&9, and Psalm 119:103, and Revelation 10:9&10). And this is entirely consistent with the fact that Deborah was a “prophetess”, or someone who faithfully proclaims the Word of God. However, “bees” דְּבוֹרָה (dᵊḇôrâ) H1682 are also used by God in the Bible to denote a means of judgment that God sends in response to rebellion (because they are given power to chase and sting, see for example Isaiah 7:18 and Deuteronomy 1:44). It is also noteworthy that Jesus said in John 12:48, “He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.” That last day is Judgment Day!
We also know that the promised land (typifying Heaven) is frequently described in the Bible as a place flowing with “milk and honey”H1706. And it should be noted here that when Paul’s was shipwrecked, that the “certain island” that Paul prophesied about in Acts 27:26 was named Melita (now known as Malta) in Acts 28:1. Melita means “Honey” and it was also used in this event to portray “Heaven”… to where all 276 souls on the ship were saved, even though the ship (representing the corporate church just before judgment day) was destroyed. Some swam,”And the rest, some on boards, and some on [broken pieces] of the ship. And so it came to pass, that they escaped all safe to land.”
Getting back to the meaning of honey, please also note for example, in Psalm 119:103, we read, “How sweet are thy words unto my taste! [yea, sweeter] than honey H1706 to my mouth!” In Proverbs 24:13 &14, we can see a clear link between honey and “knowledge of wisdom”, which is associated with The Word (Which Is Jesus), “My son, eat thou honeyH1706, because [it is] good; and the honeycombH5317, [which is] sweet to thy taste: So [shall] the knowledge of wisdom be unto thy soul: when thou hast found [it], then there shall be a reward, and thy expectation shall not be cut off.“
And in Ezekiel 3:3&4, when God told Ezekiel to eat the roll (words were on the roll/scroll) we read, “And he said unto me, Son of man, cause thy belly to eat, and fill thy bowels with this roll that I give thee. Then did I eat [it]; and it was in my mouth as honey H1706 for sweetness. And he said unto me, Son of man, go, get thee unto the house of Israel, and speak with my words unto them.” Clearly God is equating honey with His Word.
Please also note the similarity with Revelation 10:9&10, “And I went unto the angel, and said unto him, Give me the little book. And he said unto me, Take it, and eat it up; and it shall make thy belly bitter, but it shall be in thy mouth sweet as honey. And I took the little book out of the angel’s hand, and ate it up; and it was in my mouth sweet as honey: and as soon as I had eaten it, my belly was bitter.”
Also in Psalm 19:7-11, we read, “The law of the LORD [is] perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD [is] sure, making wise the simple.The statutes of the LORD [are] right, rejoicing the heart:the commandment of the LORD [is] pure, enlightening the eyes.The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the LORD [are] true [and] righteous altogether. More to be desired [are they] than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey H1706 and the honeycombH5317. Moreover by them is thy servant warned: [and] in keeping of them [there is] great reward.”
Please also note that when Jonathan ate the honey that his eyes were enlightened! See1 Samuel 14:25-29, with the last verse saying, “Then said Jonathan, My father hath troubled the land: see, I pray you, how mine eyes have been enlightened, because I tasted a little of this honey H1706“
So then, it is therefore no coincidence that we find in Proverbs 16:24, “Pleasant (Noam) words [are as] an honeycombH5317, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones.” Given that we have been shown that Noam is representative of Jesus, then we can see that this verse is really telling us that “Jesus’s words are like honeycomb and sweet to the soul and health to the bones.” Jesus’s words (and He is The Word) give us eternal life and they are very sweet and indeed very healthy for us!
Finally, with regard to honey, as it is described in the Bible, we are also apparently given some warnings that we should take in the Word carefully, such as meditating on it, and not rushing through it as we also read in Proverbs 25:16, “Hast thou found honeyH1706? eat so much as is sufficient for thee, lest thou be filled therewith, and vomit it.” We simply cannot absorb the Bible as if we were reading any other book. And in Proverbs 25:27, we find this additional warning, “[It is] not good to eat much honeyH1706: so [for men] to search their own glory [is not] glory.”
While this last point is not entirely clear to this teacher, it may be that we are also being admonished by God that while studying God’s Word to seek enlightenment, we must be careful to discern our personal motivations. Is it to glorify God? (which is all that it should be) or is it somehow a vehicle by which we are contributing to our own vanity because we have been enabled to see things that might otherwise be hidden from others? (Remember Jonathan and how his “eyes have been enlightened” when he “tasted a little of the honeyH1706 “, 1Sa 14:29 .) If we have been enlightened by God through the reading and hearing of God’s Word, not only should we be willing to humbly share that honey with others, but we must never presume for one moment any pridefulness as a result of any such enlightenment. Proverbs 20:12, “The hearing ear, and the seeing eye, the LORD hath made even both of them.” Whatever spiritual discernment that we might have, it is solely a gift from God, and therefore, God, Alone, gets ALL of the Glory!
The Believers are From Every Nation, Typified by “Galilee of the Gentiles”
But what does it mean to be from Kedesh-naphtali? Kedesh (קֶדֶשׁ Qedesh H6943, which means “holy place”, “ceremonially clean”, or “sanctuary”) was established by Joshua (“Jesus”&”Saviour”) as a “city of refuge for the slayer” (together with the city of Shechem in mount Ephraim, see Joshua 20:7). Furthermore, in Joshua 21:32 we read that Kedesh is in the area of land given to the tribe of Naphtali known as Galilee. So we can see therefore that Barak was a Galilean just as Jesus was! And Jesus most certainly was ceremonially clean and from a Holy Place (Heaven)!
But what about Barak taking ten thousand men of the children of Naphtali and Zebulun toward mount Tabor? From Matthew 4:12-15 (and Isaiah 9:1), we learn that the land encompassing both Naphtali (“Wrestling” in Hebrew) and Zebulun (“Dwelling in Hebrew) or Naphtalim and Zabulon in Greek, is identified as being within the region of Galilee, “Now when Jesus had heard that John was cast into prison, he (Jesus) departed into Galilee; And leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon the sea coast, in the borders of Zabulon and Nephthalim: That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias (Isaiah 9:1) the prophet, saying, The land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephthalim, [by] the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles;” And when we look at Isaiah 9:1, we see that it read specifically as, “Nevertheless the dimness [shall] not [be] such as [was] in her vexation, when at the first he lightly afflicted the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, and afterward did more grievously afflict [her by] the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, in Galilee of the nations.” (But PLEASE also be sure to read the rest of Isaiah 9:2-6, footnoted below, as it succinctly lays out salvation is for the believers from every nation through Jesus Christ).**
But what does it mean to be from Zebulun? Is it not also most interesting that the town of Nazareth, where Jesus grew up, in not only in the Galilee region, but it is also specifically in the land of Zebulun, just as was the home of Jonah (almost next-door in Gath-Hepher), but now, not surprisingly, we see that this same area was also the home of Barak! Please see: An Exposition of the Book of Jonah and the map below:
Map Source: https://i2.wp.com/ladderofjacob.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/galilee-01.jpg
When we look closer at the verses in Judges 4, we get the distinct impression that God is declaring that a multitude (typified by the number ten thousand) of believers is drawn from all the nations of the world, both Gentile (non-Israeli) nations as well as the remnant saved by grace from the nation of Israel (primarily during the New Testament era and hence relating to the New Testament Church) and that they would go with Jesus to whatever mount Tabor represents (see below).
This interpretation is corroborated by Revelation 5:9-13, where, respecting the Lamb (Jesus Christ, “Lion of the Tribe of Judah, the Root of David” Who “prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof” Revelation 5:5-6, and Who we know Is “the Lamb of God” (John 1:29), we read the following:
“And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth. And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands; Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.” And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.”
It is important to note the very close similarity of the above to that which can be found in the Old Testament, in Daniel 7:9-14, where we see another account of Judgment Day illustrated by very similar language, “I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire. A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousands thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened. I beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake: I beheld even till the beast was slain, and his body destroyed, and given to the burning flame. As concerning the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away: yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time. I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.” The Ancient of Days would have to be God The Father, while the Son of man is clearly Jesus Christ.
And even back during the wilderness sojourn, we are told that when the Ark of the Covenant rested, then Moses said in Numbers 10:36, “And when it rested, he said, Return, O LORD, unto the many thousands of Israel.” The words translated for many thousands in the original Hebrew text read, רָבַב (H7231) אֶלֶף (H504) which can be read as “myriad thousand”, “millions of thousand”, or “ten thousand thousand.” So again, the eternal Israel is being typified by God by these numbers in the Bible.
The “out every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation” and “all people, nations, and languages” refers to all those saved by grace from both national Israel together with the Gentile nations and “the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands” shows us that the number of believers, the eternal Israel, saved by Jesus out of all nations, is a great multitude consistent with “all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues“, and was therefore indeed “a great multitude, which no man could number.”
It should also be noted that we read of a seemingly smaller number “an hundred and forty and four thousand.” in Revelation 7:4 and in Revelation 14:1-3, it is clear that the number 144,000 is a spiritual number representing all who are saved by the Lord Jesus Christ (the number is composed of 12 (representing the twelve tribes of ancient Israel) time 12 (representing the 12 Apostles of the New Testament era) times 1000 which emphasizes “completeness”. “And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father’s name written in their foreheads. And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps: And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth.“
So we see then that the “ten thousand(s)” is a spiritual number used by God for typifying the great multitude of all of those who are saved by Jesus Christ, Who Is their Redeemer, just as the number 144,000 also represents all those who are redeemed.
That multitude of believers is found in Heaven, praising God for their salvation, as we read on in Revelation 7:9-10 where they, “stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.”
Remember also what we read in Matthew 12:14-18, after Jesus healed the man with the withered hand, “Then the Pharisees went out, and held a council against him, how they might destroy him. But when Jesus knew it, he withdrew himself from thence: and great multitudes followed him, and he healed them all; And charged them that they should not make him known: That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Behold my servant, whom I have chosen; my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased: I will put my spirit upon him, and he shall shew judgment to the Gentiles.“
Mount Tabor, a Portrait of Heaven with Judgment in View?
As a mountain, we know that there is at least the possibility that mount “Tabor” (תָּבוֹר (tāḇôr)) H8396, a prominent dome-shaped mountain (whose meaning in Hebrew is simply “Mount”) could represent “Heaven“. This is because of what we read in Psalm 121:1&2 {A Song of degrees.} “I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills (from הַר (har)) H2022 in Hebrew, which can also be translated “mountains” or “mount”), from whence cometh my help. My help [cometh] from the LORD, which made heaven and earth. And shortly afterward, we read in Psalm 123:1, “¶[[A Song of degrees.]] Unto thee lift I up mine eyes, O thou that dwellest in the heavens.“
Moreover, we read in Psalm 3:4 “I cried unto the LORD with my voice, and he heard me out of his holy hill (הַר (har)) H2022. Selah.” We can also see this relationship expounded to us in Psalm 68:15&16, “The hill (הַר (har)) H2022of God [is as] the hill (הַר (har)) H2022of Bashan; an high hill (הַר (har)) H2022 [as] the hill (הַר (har)) H2022of Bashan. Why leap ye, ye high hills (הַר (har)) H2022? [this is] the hill (הַר (har)) H2022[which] God desireth to dwell in;yea, the LORD will dwell [in it] for ever.”
Psalm 87:1 “¶[[A Psalm [or] Song for the sons of Korah.]] His foundation [is] in the holy mountains (הַר (har)) H2022.”
Our Only Help is From God, and God Is Upon His Holy Hill, Which Can Only Be Pointing Us to Heaven.
Then in Psalm 123:1 {A Song of degrees.}, we read, “Unto thee lift I up mine eyes, O thou that dwellest in the heavens.” We also know from Psalm 11:4 “The LORD [is] in his holy temple, the LORD’S throne [is] in heaven: his eyes behold, his eyelids try, the children of men.” However, we also find God’s use of allegory, with hills and mountains being representative of Heaven, such as we find in Psalm 24:3 “Who shall ascend into the hill (הַר (har) H2022) of the LORD? or who shall stand in his holy place” and Psalm 48:1 “Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised in the city of our God, in the mountain (הַר (har) H2022) of his holiness.“
Psalm 87:1 “e¶[[A Psalm [or] Song for the sons of Korah.]] His foundation [is] in the holy mountains (הַר (har) H2022).“
Psalm 125:2, “As the mountains (הַר (har) H2022 [are] round about Jerusalem, so the LORD [is] round about his people from henceforth even forever.“
And we should also consider that while both Isaiah 2:2–4 and Micah 4:1–5 were temporally referring to the earthly Jerusalem, they both were actually, spiritually, pointing to the eternal Heavenly Jerusalem. “…the mountain of the LORD’S house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.” We know this because of what we read in Revelation 21:2 “And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.“
It is not entirely clear what is the true derivation of the meaning of the word “Tabor” (תָּבוֹר (tāḇôr)) H8396. There do seem to be a number of somewhat conflicting explanations. One explanation is that it is derived from the root word that means to be “broken in pieces” (תְּבַר (tᵊḇar)) H8406 , or something akin to broken rocks as can be found in a rock quarry. In that case, perhaps it could be an indirect reference to a place where believers are found before God, given that believers are referred to as “lively stones” (1 Peter 2:5) who are also “broken” in terms of the heart (Psalm 34:18, “The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.”) as well as the spirit (Psalm 51:17 “The sacrifices of God [are] a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.“). Another explanation is that it is related to the root word “taher” (טָהֵר (ṭāhēr))H2891 , meaning to be “pronounced clean” or “purged” and “purified”. Without doubt, Heaven is entirely “Pure” and all believers who ascend to Heaven are made spiritually “clean” and “purged of sin” and “purified” through sanctification by the Holy Spirit as a result of Jesus Christ’s Atoning Sacrifice.
It is also interesting to note here that mount Tabor is generally considered to be the leading candidate for the site of Jesus’s Transfiguration (The “Mount of Transfiguration“)…and while we can’t confirm or deny that assertion from the Bible; we can say that based on what we can learn in the course of this study, it would not be surprising if it was. For the record, Mt. Hermon is also considered to be a prime candidate for the location of Jesus’s Transfiguration.
More Evidence Mt. Tabor Represents Heaven
It is also noteworthy that we do find mount Tabor in association with “the heavens” as we read in Psalm 89:11&12, “The heavens [are] thine, the earth also [is] thine: [as for] the world and the fulness thereof, thou hast founded them. The north and the south thou hast created them: Tabor and Hermon shall rejoice in thy name.” The “heavens” and “earth” are mentioned together, and then immediately following so too we find a counterpoint, with “the north and the south” being representative of this created earth, and the high mountains, specifically mount Tabor and mount Hermon, representing “the heavens” that “rejoice“. Psalm 89:11&12 therefore provides a clear correlation in the Bible between mount Tabor with heaven!
And is this not also consistent with what we read in Matthew 5:12, where Jesus said, “Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great [is] your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.” and Luke 6:23, “Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy: for, behold, your reward [is] great in heaven: for in the like manner did their fathers unto the prophets.” Finally in Revelation 18:20, “Rejoice over her, [thou] heaven, and [ye] holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on her.“
Note: From a topological perspective, mount Tabor is only 575 m (1,886 ft) above sea level, while mount Hermon, the highest point in Israel (which even now includes a ski resort, as it is generally snow capped in winter) is 2,236 m (7,336 ft) in elevation. However, mount Tabor, while only a quarter as high as mount Hermon, is uniquely prominent in that it is a singular peak rising abruptly as unique mound from the surrounding Megiddo plain as shown in the photo at the top of this post.
Mount Tabor is also mentioned in a somewhat different way in Judges 8:18 in that when Gideon asked the two remaining Midianite kings the following question and their reply (just before Gideon had them killed), “Then said he unto Zebah and Zalmunna, What manner of men [were they] whom ye slew at Tabor? And they answered, As thou [art], [so were] they; each one resembled the children of a king.” The children of a king refers to the believers who are the children of God. For more about the meaning of “children of a king”, please see: mephibosheth-and-a-covenant-of-grace/
Note also that these Midianite kings, Zebah (זֶבַח (zeḇaḥ) H2078) which means “sacrifice“, and Zalmunna (צַלְמֻנָּע (ṣalmunnāʿ) H6759) which means “deprived of protection“, had earlier killed the brothers of Gideon, evidently at the foot of mount Tabor, and were themselves then killed by Gideon. Note also that in Psalm 83:9-12, where we read of the death brought to the enemies of God, “Do unto them as [unto] the Midianites; as [to] Sisera, as [to] Jabin, at the brook of Kison (Kishon) [Which] perished at Endor (Endor, the same that was the home of a witch 1 Samuel 28:7, is located in the valley of Megiddo): they became [as] dung for the earth. Make their nobles like Oreb, and like Zeeb: yea, all their princes as Zebah, and as Zalmunna: Who said, Let us take to ourselves the houses of God in possession.”
The other two Midianite kings, who Gideon also slew, were named Oreb (עֹרֵב (ʿōrēḇ)H6159) means “Raven” (an unclean “fowl of the air”), and Zeeb (זְאֵב (zᵊ’ēḇ)H2062) means “Wolf”, [which the Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ, protects His flock from, remembering also in Matthew 7:15 “¶Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.”].
Therefore, in Psalm 83:9-12, God is clearly equating Barak and Gideon, because they both defeated and killed those named individuals who were clearly identified as “enemies” of God as stated in Psalm 83:2. Moreover, we can see more clearly how Barak and Gideon are spiritual representations of Jesus, Who, on Judgment Day, will defeat the devil and his accomplices, the false teachers who have sought to subdue the Church of God (take “the houses of God in possession”) through apostasy. “They have taken crafty counsel against thy people, and consulted against thy hidden ones.” Psalm 83:3.
It should also be noted that the plain of Megiddo and its environs have been recorded as the location of two great tragedies that befell National Israel: 1) the death of Saul and his sons on Mt. Gilboa, which is where the River Kishon begins in the south east corner of the valley of Megiddo (1 Samuel 31:8) and 2) the death of King Josiah who was killed by the Pharaohnechoh, king of Egypt in the valley of Megiddo (2 Kings 23:29-30 and 2 Chronicles 35:22).
The River Kishon is at the Foot of Mount Tabor (to which Judgment Comes from Heaven)
In Judges 4:7, we read how God, speaking through Deborah, would bring Sisera to the river Kishon* (meaning “winding” קִישׁוֹן (qîšôn)H7028 from the Hebrew “qowsh or yaqosh”(קוֹשׁ (qôš)) H6983 , meaning “to set a trap or snare, like that of a fowler“) that is located at the foot of mount Tabor in the middle of the plain of Megiddo (from which Armageddon is derived) for Barak to meet in battle. Armageddon is specifically mentioned as the location representing the end of the world as we read in Revelation 16:16-18, “And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon. And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done. And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great.”
We also not that in Psalm 69:22&23 we read, “Let their table become a snare (פַּח (paḥ))H6341 before them: and [that which should have been] for [their] welfare, [let it become] a trap (מוֹקֵשׁ (môqēš)) H4170. Let their eyes be darkened, that they see not; and make their loins continually to shake.” These verses are referenced in Romans 11:9&10, ¶And David saith, Let their table be made a snare, and a trap, and a stumbling block, and a recompence unto them: Let their eyes be darkened, that they may not see, and bow down their back alway”.
Remember, that in Luke 21:34&35, Jesus spoke of Judgment Day in the context of a “snare”, “And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and [so] that day come upon you unawares. For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth.” And look at how Jesus statement harmonizes with what God gives to us in Psalm 9:15-17, “The heathen are sunk down in the pit [that] they made:in the net which they hid is their own foot taken. The LORD is known [by] the judgment [which] he executeth: the wicked is snared in the work of his own hands. Higgaion. Selah. The wicked shall be turned into hell, [and] all the nations that forget God.“
Please note also that God tells us clearly in Isaiah 28:13 that those, who refuse to hear the Word of God, will be condemned as though they would be caught in a snare. “But the word of the LORD was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, [and] there a little; that they might go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared (קוֹשׁ (qôš)) H6983, and taken.“
Moreover, regardless of the derivation of mount Tabor, which the evidence provided above makes a strong case for Tabor to represent Heaven, we do know that God clearly has established severe Judgment at the foot of mount Tabor in association with the river Kishon (“to snare”), and the Megiddo (e.g., Armageddon) valley that it flows through. This is because it is also a fact that after Elijah confounded the 450 prophets of Baal in 1 Kings 18:20-40 on top of mount Carmel (near the Mediterranean Sea), that we read in verse 40, “And Elijah said unto them, Take the prophets of Baal; let not one of them escape. And they took them: and Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon, and slew them there.“
We should also take particular note that both mount Tabor and mount Carmel are both mentioned in the same verse in Jeremiah 46:18, “[As] I live, saith the King, whose name [is] the LORD of hosts, Surely as Tabor [is] among the mountains, and as Carmel by the sea, [so] shall he come.” It would seem that God is saying that He Is surely coming again in Judgment (on Judgment Day) as surely as He did bring Judgment to the valley of Megiddo (Armageddon) from both mount Tabor and mount Carmel in the past.
*Note: The destruction of Sisera and Jabin at the river Kishon is corroborated in Psalm 83:9, “Do unto them as [unto] the Midianites; as to Sisera, as to Jabin, at the brook of Kison:“
Deborah “Arose”
By Judges 4:9 we find that Deborah “arose” and went with Barak to Kedesh (the city of refuge). In Judges 4:10, we read how Barak “called” Zebulun and Naphtali (the believers from out of the Gentile nations) and he “went up with ten thousand men at his feet: and Deborah went with him.“ These references of going up with Barak prophetically make it clear that all believers are partakers of the first resurrection of the dead “in Christ” which took place on Easter Sunday, 33 A.D. This is why we read in verse eight, “And Barak said unto her, If thou wilt go with me, then I will go: but if thou wilt not go with me, [then] I will not go.” While anyone can speculate that in the earthly historical account that Barak was “fearful”, hence cowardly, the Bible does not support that anywhere explicitly. In fact, quite to the contrary, Hebrews 11:32 lists Barak as one of the great men of faith! This is because the spiritual implication (that Jesus’s resurrection and ascension to Heaven includes that of His Church…without whom He would not go) would otherwise be lost. This idea is also entirely consistent with what we find in Ephesians 1:20, “Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set [him] at his own right hand in the heavenly [places],” and in Ephesians 2:6, “And hath raised [us] up together, and made [us] sit together in heavenly [places] in Christ Jesus:“
Map source: https://sonlightcamp.org/2017/01/15/first-light/
Judges 4:14-16, Judgment Day (The Ultimate Armageddon) is Coming!
Skipping ahead to verse 14, we read, “And Deborah said unto Barak, Up; for this [is] the day in which the LORD hath delivered Sisera into thine hand: is not the LORD gone out before thee? So Barak went down from mount Tabor, and ten thousand men after him.” Does this sound familiar? It should, because in Jude 14&15 we are given a prophesy of the second coming of Jesus on Judgment Day with “ten thousands of his saints.” There we read, “And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints,: To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard [speeches] which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.”
Please note the similarity in the language we find concerning the last words of Moses before his death in Deuteronomy 33:2&3, “And he said, The LORD came from Sinai, and rose up from Seir unto them; he shined forth from mount Paran, and he came with ten thousands of saints: from his right hand [went] a fiery law for them. Yea, he loved the people; all his saints [are] in thy hand: and they sat down at thy feet; [every one] shall receive of thy words.” Remembering also that just previously in Judges 4:10, we read how Barak “called” Zebulun and Naphtali (the believers from out of the Gentile nations) and he “went up with ten thousand men at his feet: and Deborah went with him.” Barak is a clear and unequivocal “Type” of the LORD Jesus Christ!
Remember also what we find in the clearly Messianic verses of Zechariah 14:4&5, where the verses end by declaring that on Judgment Day, Jesus will come with all of His saints with Him, “and the LORD my God shall come, [and] all the saints with thee.”
And there are these key verses in 1Thessalonians 4:13-18, “¶ But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. ¶ For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive [and] remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent (precede) them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive [and] remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.”
Other verses to ponder regarding God’s use of “ten thousand” as it pertains to the saints in Heaven and the Judgment to come:
Daniel 7:9 &10, “I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne [was like] the fiery flame, [and] his wheels as burning fire. A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened.”
Revelation 5:11&12 “And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands; Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.”
In Judges 4:15&16, we see the total defeat of Sisera and all his host: “And the LORD discomfited Sisera, and all [his] chariots, and all [his] host, with the edge of the sword before Barak; so that Sisera lighted down off [his] chariot, and fled away on his feet. But Barak pursued after the chariots, and after the host, unto Harosheth of the Gentiles: and all the host of Sisera fell upon the edge of the sword; [and] there was not a man left.” Note how well this harmonizes with what we read in Psalm 106:10&11, regarding God’s salvation of national Israel leading them through the Red Sea, and the subsequent destruction of Egyptians led by Pharaoh that sought to kill them in the Red Sea. “And he saved them from the hand of him that hated [them], and redeemed them from the hand of the enemy. And the waters covered their enemies: there was not one of them left.” When Judgment Day comes, Jesus with all of His Saints will forever destroy ALL of Jesus’s (and their) enemies, the devil and his host, and consign them to Hell, and there will be none of them left.
The Believers Will Take Part in Bringing Judgment on Judgment Day
It should also be noted here that the 10,000 men who come down from mount Tabor after Barak represent all of the “saints”, the “believers”, the “saved” who will come down from Heaven with Jesus on Judgment Day (we know this from Jude 1:14, “…Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints.“). It is the eternal Church, the body of believers of which Jesus is the eternal Head. It is clear that the physical destruction of the host of Sisera was by the “sword”, and, in the historical account, it could not have been done by Barak alone, it would have had to have also been done by those who came with Barak. If we turn to Psalm 149:5-9, we read that, “Let the saints be joyful in glory: let them sing aloud upon their beds.[Let] the high [praises] of God be in their mouth, and a twoedged sword in their hand; To execute vengeance upon the heathen, [and] punishments upon the people; To bind their kings with chains, and their nobles with fetters of iron;To execute upon them the judgment written: this honour have all his saints. Praise ye the LORD.” And what is the “twoedged sword”? It is the Word of God! The Bible tells us so here in Hebrews 4:12, “For the word of God [is] quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and [is] a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” Also in Revelation 1:16 where we read about the twoedged sword coming out of the mouth of Jesus (“the Son of man“), “And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance [was] as the sun shineth in his strength.” Everyone who is unsaved will be judged on the basis of God’s Word, Who is Jesus, and it is the saved believers who are the attendant messengers and witnesses of that Word. Finally, we know from John 12:48 where Jesus said, “He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.” The Word of God (Jesus is both The Word and the Bringer of the Word) is the Sword by which God will both Judge and Destroy all of the unbelievers on Judgment Day.
But why is the Word of God specifically called a “twoedged” sword? It is because the Word of God brings both life and death, both salvation or condemnation, “comfort” and “vengeance” (see: https://bereansearching.com/2022/07/20/a-christian-perspective-on-the-book-of-nahum-comfort-and-consolation/) . We read in 2 Corinthians 2:14-17, “Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place. For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish:To the one we are the savour of death unto death; and to the other the savour of life unto life. And who [is] sufficient for these things? For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God:but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ.“
Jael is Another Picture of the Church’s Role in the Final Judgment
There is one last aspect of final judgment in the literal historical account of Judges chapter 4, which seems to point to the woman, Jael, (the wife of, Heber, a Kenite, and a descendent of the Father-in-Law of Moses, Jethro who was a Midianite priest), who is directly involved in the slaying of Sisera with a hammer and tent peg. Jael is the woman who fulfilled the prophesy of Deborah. She had the honor of killing Sisera, the captain of Jabin’s army. Sisera had come to Heber’s property and sought refuge there, knowing that Heber was in alliance with the Canaanite King, Jabin. She brought Sisera into her tent, covered him with a blanket, and gave him some milk to drink (verses 18–19). Jael seemed kind at the time, but she knew what she had to do next. After Sisera was refreshed he fell asleep. Then Jael took a tent peg and a hammer and silently placed the nail to Sisera’s temple and hit the peg with the hammer, driving it through his head with such force that it killed Sisera.
In this account, Jael served as another “Type” of the eternal church bringing about the death of the devil’s captain through the bringing of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the “Word” (Jeremiah 52:7, “[Is] not my word like as a fire? saith the LORD; and like a hammer [that] breaketh the rock in pieces?”. For more on Jael’s role, see below in Chapter 5.
Judges Chapter 5 is God’s Commentary on Judges Chapter 4
Let us move ahead to Chapter 5 to test the validity of this exposition and interpretation of Judges chapter 4. In Judges chapter 5, we read of the song of Deborah and Barak. In that song, giving praise to God for “the avenging of Israel,” we find that there four very significant verses:
Four Very significant Verses In Judges, Chapter 5
#1… in Judges 5:12, we read, “Awake, awake, (עוּר (ʿûr))H5782 Deborah: awake, awake, (עוּר (ʿûr))H5782 utter a song: arise, (קוּם (qûm)) H6965 Barak, and lead thy captivity captive, thou son of Abinoam.“ We need to take a close look a the underlined phrases in this verse.
#1A: “Awake, awake”
The repetition of the words Awake, awake (two times) is worthy of note. It reminds us of what we find three times in Isaiah (with the first having the word awake three times):
Isaiah 51:9, “Awake, awake,(עוּר (ʿûr))H5782 put on strength, O arm of the LORD; awake,(עוּר (ʿûr))H5782 as in the ancient days, in the generations of old. [Art] thou not it that hath cut Rahab, [and] wounded the dragon?”
Isaiah 51:17, “Awake, awake,(עוּר (ʿûr))H5782 stand up, O Jerusalem, which hast drunk at the hand of the LORD the cup of his fury; thou hast drunken the dregs of the cup of trembling, [and] wrung [them] out.“
Isaiah 52:1, “Awake, awake;(עוּר (ʿûr))H5782 put on thy strength, O Zion; put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city: for henceforth there shall no more come into thee the uncircumcised and the unclean.“
Psalm 7:6 is particularly noteworthy as it involves the use of both “awake” and “arise” in the same verse, but, most importantly, the words are found within a verse that is entirely focusing on Judgment Day! ” Arise,קוּם (qûm) H6965 O LORD, in thine anger, lift up thyself because of the rage of mine enemies: and awake (עוּר (ʿûr))H5782 for me [to] the judgment [that] thou hast commanded.”
Psalm 9:19&10, harmonize with the above, “Arise, קוּם (qûm) H6965 O LORD; let not man prevail: let the heathen be judged in thy sight. Put them in fear, O LORD: that the nations may know themselves [to be but] men. Selah.”
These awakenings are pointing to the resurrection of the saints (the holy city adorned in beautiful garments as a bride for her Husband, Jesus) because of Jesus Christ’s resurrection, but also clearly pointing to Judgment Day when Jesus will arise from His Throne in Heaven and come down from Heaven to destroy all of His, and the believers’, enemies. Jesus is the arm of the LORD Who destroyed Egypt (Rahab) wounded the dragon, the devil (Sisera in this historical account). In Isaiah 51:17, God is referring to the earthly Jerusalem, while in Isaiah 52:1, God is referring to the Jerusalem and Zion which are the true eternal Church (typified by Deborah in this historical account).
Regarding that Judgment, we read in Psalm 9:7-10, “But the LORD shall endure for ever: he hath prepared his throne for judgment. And he shall judge the world in righteousness, he shall minister judgment to the people in uprightness. The LORD also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble. And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, LORD, hast not forsaken them that seek thee.“
#1B: Leading “Captivity Captive”
The key phrase is “lead thy captivity captive.” This phraseology describes the action of Jesus, through His Atoning Sacrifice, plundering the devil’s prison house of hell and freeing the captives/prisoners and the restoring of God’s elect to their former estate. It refers to the action of God in bringing His people back, or delivering them, from the bondage and oppression into which He had earlier placed them for their transgressions of His law in Adam and through time (see Jeremiah 29:14, Jeremiah 30:3, Jeremiah 32:44, all of Jeremiah 33, Ezekiel 39:25, Amos 9:14, and Zephaniah 3:20). The phraseology describes the ultimate restoration of the fellowship mankind initially had with God in the Garden of Eden; the significant difference being that this restored fellowship is more intimate and can never be lost again.
The specific phraseology of “lead thy captivity captive” is found in only two other places in the whole Bible.
In Psalms 68:18, “Thou hast ascended on high, thou hast led captivity captive: thou hast received gifts for men; yea, [for] the rebellious also, that the LORD God might dwell [among them].” and in
Ephesians 4:8, “Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.“
In Psalm 68 it is a Messianic prophecy pointing to Jesus, and in Ephesians it is a specific statement about the Lord Jesus Christ referring back to Psalm 68! Jesus Is the Only means whereby the Elect of God are delivered from the bondage to sin and oppression of Satan and finally and fully restored into fellowship with God at the end of time!
There can therefore be absolutely no doubt that God, using this phraseology, specifically established Barak as a pre-figurement of Jesus Christ, and what Jesus will do to the oppressor (the devil) and his host (the unsaved) when Jesus returns on Judgment Day!
And looking back at Psalms 68:18, notice how the verse just before it reads in Psalm 68:17 “The chariots of God [are] twenty thousand, [even] thousands of angels: the Lord [is] among them, [as in] Sinai, in the holy [place].
Note how this is also consistent with what we read in Isaiah 61:1, “The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to [them that are] bound;” And to what prison is the Bible is referring? It is the prison house of the devil (“Lucifer” in Isaiah 14:12) due to the fall of Adam as we read 14:17, “[That] made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof; [that] opened not the house of his prisoners? And remember that Jesus made clear in Matthew 16:18, “And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and thegates of hell shall not prevail against it.”
The Valley of Megiddo is Through Which the River Kishon Flows (1 Kings 18:40)
#2… is Judges 5:19, because God makes it clear that the battle is to be linked with the valley of Megiddo, and therefore no question of its relationship to the Armageddon we read about in Revelation 16:16, “The kings came [and] fought, then fought the kings of Canaan in Taanach by the waters of Megiddo; they took no gain of money.”
Another link between Armageddon and Judgment Day, when Jesus returns as Judge (but also with salvation for the believers), can be found in Zechariah 12:10&12 “And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for [his] only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for [his] firstborn. In that day shall there be a great mourning in Jerusalem, as the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon.” And this refers back to 2Kings 23:29, when King Josiah was slain by Pharaoh Nechoh in the valley of Megiddo and there was a great mourning for King Josiah in Jerusalem. (Hadadrimmon is a town in the valley of Megiddo named after two false gods of Syria (Haddad and Rimmon))
#3… in Judges 5:20, God shows that this whole event has been a perfectly crafted historical parable typifying Armageddon at Judgment Day, because He says, “They fought from heaven; the stars in their courses fought against Sisera.“ Clearly, this description has nothing to do with the earthly, historical and physical battle we read about in Chapter 4. Rather God is telling us that Chapter 4 contained typological representations. Chapter 4 portrayed Jesus Christ (typified by Barak in this historical account) coming down from Heaven (typified by mount Tabor in this historical account) with His multitudes of saints (typified by the stars, please see Genesis 22:17, Isaiah 14:13, Dan 12:1-3) on Judgment Day (typified by the battle in the valley of Megiddo, a.k.a. Armageddon) to slay Satan and all of his host, the fallen angels and the unsaved of the world (typified by the kings of Canaan and all their host).
Genesis 22:17, “That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;“
Job 38:7, “When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?“
From Isaiah 14:12-15, we clearly see that Satan, the chief prince of all the angels that became devils, in his great pride sought to “be like the most High,” but was subsequently consigned to Hell.
“How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! [how] art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations. For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.“
Note that Satan wanted to exalt his throne above the “stars” of God; In the Bible the stars represent the believers as we read next in Daniel 12:3, “And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.“
#4…in Judges 5:21, God tells us that, “The river of Kishon swept them away, that ancient river, the river Kishon. O my soul, thou hast trodden down strength.“ This appears to be further evidence of the finality of the death that is in view, i.e. when God casts Satan and all his dominion into the lake of fire (from Revelation Chapter 20) for all eternity! And it is also consistent with the last verse, Judges 5:31, “So let all thine enemies perish, O LORD: but [let] them that love him [be] as the sun when he goeth forth in his might. And the land had rest forty years.”
Jael is praised by Deborah and Barak
In Judges 5:24-27, we read in the song of Deborah and Barak concerning the heroism of Jael, “Blessed above women shall Jael the wife of Heber the Kenite be, blessed shall she be above women in the tent. He asked water, [and] she gave [him] milk; she brought forth butter in a lordly dish. She put her hand to the nail, and her right hand to the workmen’s hammer; and with the hammer she smote Sisera, she smote off his head, when she had pierced and stricken through his temples. At her feet he bowed, he fell, he lay down: at her feet he bowed, he fell: where he bowed, there he fell down dead.” As was mentioned above, in this account, Jael served as another “Type” of the eternal church bringing about the death of the devil’s captain through the bringing of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the “Word” (Jeremiah 52:7, “[Is] not my word like as a fire? saith the LORD; and like a hammer [that] breaketh the rock in pieces?” Jael might therefore spiritually represent the true believers, at the end of time, who will play a role with Jesus in the Final Judgment in the defeating of the devil, the arch-enemy of God and man.
Judges 5:28-30, is a lamentation of Sisera’s mother who longingly waits for the return of her son with the spoils of war, but Sisera, like the devil and his minions, will never return. The devil and all those who are also enemies of God will be destroyed in the final battle on Judgment Day! But happily, for the believer, we are encouraged to read the last verse, Judges 5:31, “So let all thine enemies perish, O LORD: but [let] them that love him [be] as the sun when he goeth forth in his might. And the land had rest forty years.” In Heaven, the believers will have their rest in Jesus for all eternity!
Conclusion
In this study we have seen yet another case where God has masterfully crafted history, and the recording of it, to prefigure the return of the Lord Jesus Christ on Judgment Day. From it we have learned that the battle of Armageddon is not some future earthly battle involving earthly political nations, i.e. Russia, etc., attacking the political state we now know as national Israel in the valley of Megiddo. That scenario has nothing to do with the Armageddon of the Bible, because Armageddon is actually Judgment Day itself! Judgment Day will be the last event in history when the Lord Jesus Christ will come back in the clouds of Glory to destroy all wickedness, and send all of the unsaved to an eternity in Hell, and put an end to this entire creation, which is under the curse of sin. It will mark the end of time and the beginning of eternity wherein righteousness will dwell in new heavens and a new earth forever. In 2 Peter 3:10 we read, “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.” But thankfully in 2 Peter 3:13 we read, “Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.“
It should also be noted how prevalent judgment is in the word picture painted by God in Judges 4 & 5. It is safe to say that the whole account is dripping with judgment. First we found that Deborah, who typified the believers, is described as a judge who declared judgment during a time of judgment from God on National Israel. Then we found that Barak represents Jesus as the ultimate Judge at a battle that perfectly typifies the ultimate judgment that definitely will come on the Last Day, Judgment Day. We even saw how the geographic setting appears to be pointing to that judgment. It is therefore entirely appropriate that God has painted this so very vivid picture of judgment in the book entitled “Judges.”
In 2 Corinthians 5:11, we are admonished, “Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are made manifest unto God; and I trust also are made manifest in your consciences.” Given that God has recorded such a clear and unequivocal prophetic warning of the final judgment that is so assuredly coming; it is incumbent on everyone to search his or her own conscience (and heart) and ask himself or herself the big question: Am I ready to meet God? It is my sincere prayer that whosoever reads this review will undergo that self-examination and be able to answer in the affirmative. If not, it is still possible to cry out to God for mercy, for it is still the day of salvation. (Please also remember that Barak was just a pre-figuring “shadow” of Jesus Christ, not the “substance.” Only through the Person and Work of Jesus Christ is there any hope of salvation. Acts 4:12, “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.“)
**Isaiah 9:2-6, “The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined. Thou hast multiplied the nation, and not increased the joy: they joy before thee according to the joy in harvest, and as men rejoice when they divide the spoil. For thou hast broken the yoke of his burden, and the staff of his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, as in the day of Midian. For every battle of the warrior is with confused noise, and garments rolled in blood; but this shall be with burning and fuel of fire. For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.“
Today’s Application: Are You Ready?
Jesus is the only Way of escape from the just penalty for our sins. All other ways that man can devise will lead only to Hell come Judgment Day. You are either with God or against God. Have you made peace with God through Jesus Christ? Please pray to God for mercy through Jesus Christ and He will show you mercy. Judgment Day is for anyone individual a heart beat away, but for the world it is coming very soon given the signs of the times we are currently all living in.
Explore posts in the same categories: Bible StudiesTags: Armageddon, Baal, Barak, Bible, Deborah, God, Israel, israelite, Jabin, Jesus, Joshua, Judges, Judgment Day, Sisera
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Bereansearching's Blog 
January 4, 2014 at 4:37 am
Judges 4;6 tells us Barak was aware he was supposed to do something because he was asked “Hath God not commanded”. Thinking about that in the light of what this study implies troubles me. Also, The fact he wouldn’t go unless the woman Judge went tells me something else. More even, the fact a woman cut the head off the enemy speaks a great deal to me. The man seemed week to me or at least not secure in his conviction as was the Judge. For this, the honor of taking the head was given to a woman. I personally think if God was making Barak a figure like unto his son, he would have had the Judge tell him to go without her and do what God had already commanded. I think that God didn’t want Barak to be compared to his son so he had the Judge go instead. I think that more likely than to say the Judge didn’t speak for God here. Just think a little to much credit was given the man and likely for name sake.
January 13, 2014 at 11:31 pm
Thanks for the comments, but from a spiritual perspective there is profound disagreement. We are dealing with an historical “parable”. (Please remember why Jesus spoke in Parables…see: Matthew 13:10-16 and please also see the definition of historical parable in the beginning of the study on Esther)
On an earthly level, yes, we can speculate about the human actions and motivations all we want and paint Barak in a non-flattering light. Just like we can do the same for any human shadow that God used to portray Jesus in the Bible (look at David for example).
However, on a spiritual level (remember Jesus said search the scriptures because they testify of HIM…and he didn’t limit where to search) these men do represent Jesus Christ…but not initially in an obvious way. That is where spiritual eyes are required in order to see what Jesus meant when He said that they testify of Him. Remember the road to Emmaus…(the Disciples didn’t get it until later when Jesus expounded unto them out of Moses, the Law, and all the prophets concerning Himself)
And then there is the question of why did God declare Barak a great man of faith in Hebrews chapter 11?
Neither Deborah or Jael (meaning “strength of God”) were mentioned.
Nonetheless, Jael was extolled in Judges Chapter 5 because she did play a key role, both in the earthly physical instance and in the spiritual instance that is for the most part veiled.
But who do these women represent anyway?…none other than the bride of Christ…and aren’t the believers active in the conquering and plundering of the devil and his kingdom? Yes, of course.
Jesus specifically said in Matt 16:18, “I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”
Look closely at the virtuous woman whose “price is far above rubies” at the very end of Proverbs (Proverbs 31:10-31). Same thing! The Bible also says that the believers are “more than conquerors” (Romans 8:37).
The believers have the whole armor of God including “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God”! (Ephesians 6:17)
A sword is for offense, not defense. God set it up such that the believers, the church, the Bride of Christ (represented by a woman) are co-involved in winning the battle…just as Barak was accompanied by the ten thousand coming down from Mt. Tabor. (and please review in the study how perfectly that correlates with Jude 14)
God is the author of the Bible, not man, so please do not anyone think that it was some kind of first century prejudice against women on the part of the Hebrew scribe (most likely Paul) who penned the Book of Hebrews.
God always blesses and praises women when and as they represent the bride of Christ…e.g., Deborah, Ruth, Esther, Anna, The Shulamite bride, etc.
Judges 5 provides more spiritual insights as the study shows…if you disagree, then accept this as an apology.
Please read the other studies for a more complete picture of how God magnificently crafted the Bible to veil spiritual truth through the use of historical parables.
P.S. We have a similar situation, and similar apparent contradiction, when we look at the book of Jonah. In the book, Jonah fled from God in what at an earthly level clearly appeared to be both disobedience “to what God commanded” and perhaps cowardice, but as a spiritual allegorical type of Jesus, we are reminded that Jesus voluntarily left the presence of God in Heaven such that, like Jonah who was sacrificed and spent 3 days in the belly of the whale so that the ship and crew could be saved by assuaging God’s wrath, so too are we reminded that Jesus was similarly sacrificed to save His church by assuaging God’s wrath and spent 3 days and 3 nights in “the heart of the earth”. And Jesus Specifically pointed to Jonah as an allegory of His Own death, burial, and resurrection. Please read the Bible study on Jonah in this bereansearching blog to see the connections and how the earthly historical account is actually an historical allegory with a spiritual and heavenly meaning pointing to the Person and Work of our Lord Jesus Christ. Always remember that in the Bible, God uses imperfect shadows and types to point us to Jesus’s perfection (and that they were never meant to be the very image of Whom they represent). (Hebrews 10:1)