Bereansearching Bible Studies

Did you ever wonder why Jesus was born in Bethlehem (in Judah/Judaea), but He was raised in the village of Nazareth (in Zebulun/Zabulon)?

Bethlehem (בֵּית לֶחֶם (bêṯ leḥem)^H1035 which means “House of Bread”)

The reason is that Jesus had to be born in Bethlehem is fairly well known. Jesus also had to be born in Bethlehem to fulfill the prophecy of Micah 5:2, “But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, [though] thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me [that is] to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth [have been] from of old, from everlasting.” Bethlehem is also known as the city of David as we read in Luke 2:4, “And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)“

It is also no coincidence that the very name Bethlehem, House of Bread, because we also know that Jesus is the Bread of Life as we read in John 6:48, where Jesus said, “I am that bread of life“. (This is also reiterated further in John 6:49-51). It is also note worthy that Ephratah (אֶפְרָת (‘ep̄rāṯ))^H672 means “fruitful”. 

Nazareth (Ναζαρά (nazara)^G3478 which means “The Guarded One”)

After the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem, we are told in Matthew 2:13-15, “¶And when they (the wise men) were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt,and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod willseek the young child to destroy him. ¶When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt: And was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son.”
(Note: This is referring back to the prophecy in Hosea 11:1, “When Israel [was] a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt.”)

Joseph, after fleeing with Jesus and Mary to Egypt until after King Herod was dead, moved to Nazareth in Galilee as we read in Matthew 2:19-23, “¶But when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeareth in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, Saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and go into the land of Israel: for they are dead which sought the young child’s life. And he arose, and took the young child and his mother,and came into the land of Israel. But when he heard that Archelaus did reign in Judaea in the room of his father Herod, he was afraid to go thither: notwithstanding, being warned of God in a dream, he turned aside into the parts of Galilee: And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, He shall be called a Nazarene^G3480.“

It should also be noted that Jesus, when He appeared after his resurrection to Saul/Paul, Jesus identified Himself as “Jesus of Nazareth” in Act 22:8, “And I answered, Who art thou, Lord? And he said unto me, I am Jesus of Nazareth, ^G3480 whom thou persecutest.“

There appears to be only one possible prophetic reference that is provided to us in the Old Testament that could be interpreted as referring to Jesus being a Nazarene/Nazarite, and that is found in Judges 13:5, where an angel of the LORD spoke to Samson’s mother (who was barred at the time) regarding Samson “For, lo, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son; and no razor shall come on his head: for the child shall be a Nazarite unto God from the womb: and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.” The last mention of Samson in the Old Testament is in Judges 16:30, “And Samson said, Let me die with the Philistines. And he bowed himself with [all his] might; and the house fell upon the lords, and upon all the people that were therein. So the dead which he slew at his death were more than [they] which he slew in his life.” While the earthly account is referring to Samson, Samson serves a spiritual “type” of the Lord Jesus Christ, because Jesus is the True Deliverer of the Eternal Israel of God.

It is also consistent that “Nazarite” (נָזִיר (nāzîr))^H5139 means “consecrated” or “separated” in service “unto the LORD” and is first appears in Numbers 6:2 in relation to the “Nazarite vow”. The name Nazareth is consistent with Nazarite, because someone who is “consecrated” is also “guarded”.

Jesus was also a Galilaean (From the Hebrew, גָּלִיל (gālîl)^H1551, meaning “circle” or “circuit”)

Note that the Luke 2:4 also mentions Nazareth, and specifies Nazareth as being part of Galilee (which represents the northern furthest reaches of Israel and was evidently considered largely heathen).  Jesus is also referred to as a Galilaean as we read in Luke 23:6, “When Pilate heard of Galilee, he asked whether the man were a Galilaean.” And the accusation brought to Pilate was that Jesus began His teaching in Galilee as we read in Luke 23:5, “¶And they were the more fierce, saying, He stirreth up the people, teaching throughout all Jewry, beginning from Galilee to this place.” 

Zabulon/Zebulun (זְבוּלוּן (zᵊḇûlûn)^H2074, which means “Exalted”) is in Galilee of the Gentiles

In Isaiah 52:13, we see this prophecy regarding Jesus, “Behold, my servant shall deal prudently, he shall be exalted and extolled, and be very high.“

And we also know that Jesus is from the Tribal area of Zebulon from Matthew 4:15, “The land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephthalim, [by] the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles;” which refers back to Isaiah’s prophecy in Isaiah 9:1, “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.“

The Messiah Was Not Expected to Come from Nazareth or Galilee

In John 1:45 we read, “Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.  And Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see.“

Why did Nathanael ask this question?  We get the feeling that it was some kind of contemporary euphemism which indicated that Nazareth, a city in Galilee, was a place of poor reputation.  We find support for this idea in John 7:52, where we read, “They (the chief priests and Pharisees) answered and said unto him (Nicodemus*), Art thou also of Galilee?  Search, and look: for out of Galilee ariseth no prophet.” (We should also be aware that this is entirely consistent with what we read just a few verses prior in John 7:40-41, “Many of the people therefore, when they heard this saying, said, Of a truth this is the Prophet. Others said, This is the Christ. But some said, Shall Christ come out of Galilee?“)

Jesus Came From the Same Neighborhood as the Prophet Jonah

And it should also be pointed out that the prophet Jonah was from the same neighborhood as Jesus’ boyhood home in Nazareth. Jonah is from the town was Gathhepher, which is located only two miles north of Nazareth, and therefore Jonah is also from Zebulon and hence Galilee. For more on Jonah and his role as a prophet of God, and another “type” of Jesus in the Old Testament, please see the Book of Jonah post.

Conclusion 

1. Jesus was born in Bethlehem (the land of the tribe of Judah, in the center of Jewry, next to Jerusalem), but He grew up in Galilee (Nazareth, in the land of the tribe of Zabulon) the fringes of Israel that represent the Gentiles, and then… 
2. Jesus first revealed the kingdom of heaven on earth, at His first advent, in the land of the Gentiles, which culminated in the fulfillment of his earthly ministry with his death at Jerusalem in the land of Judah, and then…
3. The revelation of the of His atonement to His people, His heavenly ministry, began at Pentecost in Jerusalem in Judah and is being fulfilled in the Gentile world, typified by Zebulon in Galilee, as we read in Acts 1:8, “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.“

Introduction

Many people, particularly in our day, scoff at the idea that the Bible is the Word of God. Some are even now willing to use the Bible as a football for social media videos to show their disdain. Regardless of such actions against the Bible, does this in anyway invalidate the Bible? Absolutely not!

In fact, if people would take the time to study the Bible, they might find some surprises, which actually show how the Bible can prove itself, and therefore that the following is also true…

1. The Bible was supernaturally crafted (by God the Holy Spirit), and
2. There is indeed a God as He describes Himself in the Bible, and
3. That God will be sending most people to Hell for their sins, and
4. Yet God offers The Way of escape in the Person and Work of the Lord Jesus Christ, as is also described in the same Bible through the sharing of Jesus’ Gospel.

On the Road to Emmaus

In Luke 24:27, we read about the extraordinary account where Jesus, after His resurrection, meets up with two distraught disciples leaving Jerusalem on the Road to Emmaus. The disciples did not recognize Jesus…and this is because the whole account is a “metaphor” for the fact that the entire Old Testament (the only Holy Scriptures that the two disciples were familiar with at that time) was a closed book to them.

After some discussion about the recent crucifixion of Jesus (which the disciples did not understand), Jesus explained why things happened the way they did, “And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.” Jesus referred back to what were the only scriptures available at the time, the Old Testament, to point to His Person and His Work. This is unequivocally telling us that the Old Testament was really all about Jesus.

The many Bible studies, which can be found on this website, show how it is possible to corroborate Jesus’ own teaching, that the Old Testament scriptures refer to Him, when we look at the many “types” in the Old Testament. Some are more obvious than others, like Isaac, Joseph, and David, but let us look at one particularly extraordinary example that proves how the Bible is self-validating.

Barak Is a Portrait or “Type” of Jesus Christ (as the Ultimate Judge)

When we take a close look at the historical account in Judges 4&5, which tells us about the Deborah the Judge and Barak, we will find another of the Bible’s many Historical Parables. We can derive that Barak is a “type” of the Lord Jesus Christ from several points of reference. In Judges 4:6 we read the following about Barak, “And she (Deborah) 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 the man, Barak, in the Bible.  Barak (בָּרָק (bārāq)^H1300), interestingly enough, means “lightning“, but also “glittering sword“, but the word “barak” is found many times. 

When we search the Bible for where the word, barak, is found we find it In Exodus 19:16, where 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.“

Moreover, 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.” 

God uses “Lightning/Lightnings” to Describe Jesus, and His Second and Final Coming, in the Bible

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.”  

What about Barak’s father, Abinoam?

We were also told in Judges 4:6 that Barak is also the son of Abinoam. 

If the typological/allegorical methodology of interpretation (otherwise known as the “hermeneutic”), that has so far been employed in this study, which claims that Barak is a clear and unequivocal allegorical “type” of the Lord Jesus Christ, is Biblically valid (e.g, That it is entirely God ordained and true), then should we not also expect to find Biblical evidence that Barak’s father, Abinoam, is typological representation of God, The Father, in Heaven?

In other words, we have a sound basis, or “scientific” means, to both “test”, and hopefully “prove” that the methodology of allegorical interpretation is correct or not, and show whether it is God ordained or not, and in the process prove whether the Bible is self-validating 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 and the Bible is self-validating! 

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! Let us look at how Noam (“Beauty”), the name of the first staff in Zechariah 11, is used in the Bible to represent 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.“

But some could argue that the above is merely anecdotal, coincidental, or circumstantial evidence, and not “proof.”

However, it is EXTREMELY significant to find that God also tells us this in Zechariah 11:10-13*, “And I took my staff, [even] Beauty (נֹעַם (nōʿam)) ^H5278, 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, because we know that Jesus, Who Is The WORD of the LORD (as we read in John 1:1) was cut asunder, and that Jesus was broken by God for all believers. This was so that the first covenant of works would be fulfilled, in order that the new covenant of grace could be instituted. 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 widespread agreement by theologians and Biblical scholars that the passage in Zechariah 11, regarding the broken staff named “Beauty” (נֹעַם (nōʿam)) ^H5278 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 being fulfilled in both Matthew 27:3-10 and Acts 1:15-19.  But we can now see that there is additional proof to validate that understanding of Zechariah.

Moreover, 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 , 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.

Conclusion: The Bible Is Indeed Self-Validating!

The above exposition reveals 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).  

1. Barak in the Hebrew (meaning “Lightning” or “Glittering Sword”), as well as God’s use of “barak” in Biblical scripture, make clear that Barak is a “Type” of the Lord Jesus Christ (and this particularly so when we look at the descriptions of Barak, e.g., 10,000 men coming with him into the valley of Megiddo to slay all of God’s enemies as we similarly see in Jude 1:14-16). 
2. If “beauty” and “pleasantness” (נֹעַם (nōʿam)) ^H5278 represents Jesus Christ, then Abinoam (אֲבִינֹעַם (‘ăḇînōʿam))^H42, which means the “father of noam“ must unequivocally represent The Father of Jesus Christ, hence God the Father in Heaven. And please remember that “noam’s” price was “thirty pieces of silver” that were cast down in the house of the LORD (the temple) and given to the potter in Zechariah 11:10-13, which Jesus fulfilled in Matthew 27:5-7.

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 according to 1 Corinthians 2:13…by comparing scripture with scripture, because the Bible is Spritual). The Bible has proven itself to be true and trustworthy and is therefore self-validating!

Note to the Reader: The above post is an excerpt of a much larger post on Judges, Chapter 4 and 5 that can be found here.

Introduction

That phrase, “Last Days” or “Latter Days”, is frequently mentioned in our day by various Christian theologians of various religious sects, as well as laymen Bible students, and even by those in the secular realm. But what does the phrase, “last days”, or “latter days” as is used in the Bible, really mean? In order to determine the answer to that question, we need to look at both the original components of that phrase in both the Hebrew and Greek and the context in which they are found. The meaning can be derived through a synthesis of all of the times that the phrase is found.

The “Last Days“

The specific phrase, the “Last Days” is found eight times in the King James Version of the English Bible, three times the Old Testament, and five times in the New Testament.

In the Old Testament, the words that form the phrase interpreted as “last days” are אַחֲרִית (‘aḥărîṯ)^H319, meaning the last or end, hence, the future; also posterity:—(last, latter) end (time), hinder (utter)-most, which the KJV translates in the following manner: end (31x), latter (12x), last (7x), posterity (3x), reward (2x), hindermost (1x), miscellaneous (5x); and  יוֹם (yôm)^H3117, which is primarily translated as day(s) or time(s).

In the New Testament, the phrase translated as “last days” is from the original Greek words, ἔσχατος (eschatos)^G2078, meaning as a superlative; farthest, final (of place or time):—ends of, last, latter end, lowest, uttermost; and ἡμέρα (hēmera)^G2250, which overwhelmingly translated as “day(s).”

The King James Version translates ἔσχατος (eschatos)^G2078 in the following manner: last (46x), lowest (2x), uttermost (2x), last state (2x), ends (1x), latter end (1x). It is from this Greek word, that we derive the term “eschatology” or the “study of the last days”.

The Verses Where the Phrase “Last Days” or “Latter Days” Is Found in the Bible

In order to determine the meaning of the phrase “last days” in the Bible, we need to first see the context wherein the phrase is used. Here are those eight verses:

Genesis 49:1, “And Jacob called unto his sons, and said, Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you [that] which shall befall you in the last days.” This is Jacob’s deathbed prophesy for the twelve tribes of Israel, and the one that tells us that Judah will be the means by which Jesus will come as the Sacrificial Lamb of God and eternally reign as the Messiah for His people, as well as The Judge of all the earth as we read in verses Genesis 49:8-12.

Isaiah 2:2, “And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD’S house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.” This verse, together with the context is telling us that in the New Testament era that there will be a great conversion to true Christianity involving the whole world and not just the Jews.

Micah 4:1, “But in the last days it shall come to pass, [that] the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it.” This verse and its context are nearly identical to that above in Isaiah chapter 2.

Acts 2:17, “And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams:” This is the fulfillment of Old Testament scripture that also pointed to the New Testament era, which would officially begin at Pentecost 33 AD when the Holy Spirit was poured out. See: Isaiah 44:3, Ezekiel 11:19, Joel 2:28, and Zechariah 12:10,

2 Timothy 3:1, “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.” This is describing the New Testament era all the way to the end of time culminating with Judgment Day.

Hebrews 1:2, “Hath in these last days spoken unto us by [his] Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;” When the Book of Hebrews was penned the New Testament era had already begun with the death of John the Baptist (the last of the Old Testament prophets) and during Jesus’s earthly ministry which that culminated on Passover Followed by the Holy Spirit having been poured out (both occurring in 33 AD)

James 5:3, “Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days.” This warning is for the rich in this world to forsake serving mammon, which profits nothing in the world to come, and the following verses of exhortation are for the believers to be patient because Jesus is coming back soon.

2 Peter 3:3, “Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts,” These last days are now, and encompass the entire New Testament era that will remain only until Judgment Day.

The “Latter Days”

The specific phrase, “latter days”, is only found in the Old Testament, and it is taken from the same Hebrew words translated above as “last days”. The phrase “latter days” is found eleven times as follows:

Numbers 24:14, “And now, behold, I go unto my people: come [therefore, and] I will advertise thee what this people shall do to thy people in the latter days.” This is a prophesy of Balaam pointing to Jesus, “a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel” (Numbers 24:17) and the New Testament era that follows.

Deuteronomy 4:30&31, “When thou art in tribulation, and all these things are come upon thee, [even] in the latter days, if thou turn to the LORD thy God, and shalt be obedient unto his voice;(For the LORD thy God is a merciful God;) he will not forsake thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers which he sware unto them.” God seems to be saying that even in the worst of times in the the New Testament era, a remnant will be saved if those of National Israel to turn to God (Jesus the Messiah).

Deuteronomy 31:29, “For I know that after my death ye will utterly corrupt [yourselves], and turn aside from the way which I have commanded you; and evil will befall you in the latter days; because ye will do evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger through the work of your hands. These are Moses’s last words and point to the falling away of National Israel and its effective end in the New Testament era (70 AD).

Jeremiah 23:20, “The anger of the LORD shall not return, until he have executed, and till he have performed the thoughts of his heart: in the latter days ye shall consider it perfectly.” The LORD Jesus Christ will perform the building of His Church in the New Testament era and then Judgment Day will come.

Jeremiah 30:24, “The fierce anger of the LORD shall not return, until he have done it, and until he have performed the intents of his heart: in the latter days ye shall consider it.” The LORD Jesus Christ will perform the building of His Church in the New Testament era and then Judgment Day will come.

Jeremiah 48:47, “Yet will I bring again the captivity of Moab in the latter days, saith the LORD. Thus far [is] the judgment of Moab.” These are allegorical judgments for the enemies of God in the New Testament era.

Jeremiah 49:39, “But it shall come to pass in the latter days, [that] I will bring again the captivity of Elam, saith the LORD.” These are allegorical judgments for the enemies of God in the New Testament era.

Ezekiel 38:16, “And thou shalt come up against my people of Israel, as a cloud to cover the land; it shall be in the latter days, and I will bring thee against my land, that the heathen may know me, when I shall be sanctified in thee, O Gog, before their eyes.” The Heathen began to know God in masse only in the New Testament era.

Daniel 2:28, “But there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets, and maketh known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days. Thy dream, and the visions of thy head upon thy bed, are these;” In this case, Daniel is explaining Nebuchadnezzar’s dream that goes forward in time all the way into the New Testament era and into eternity.

Daniel 10:14, “Now I am come to make thee understand what shall befall thy people in the latter days: for yet the vision [is] for [many] days.” The New Testament era is in view.

Hosea 3:5, “Afterward shall the children of Israel return, and seek the LORD their God, and David their king; and shall fear the LORD and his goodness in the latter days.” The New Testament era is in view.

Conclusion

The “last days” or “latter days” are simply referring to the entire New Testament era that will culminate in Judgement Day very soon. Remember that the period from Abraham to Jesus was 2000 years, and that the period of the New Testament era, from the time of Christ until now is also 2000 years. While no man can now the day or the hour of Judgment Day (Matthew 24:36), it would seem reasonable to conclude that we must now be in the very, very, last of the “last days”.

The casting of “pur” or “lot” in the Book of Esther is like the rolling of dice, but as we know from Proverbs 16:33, “The lot is cast into the lap; but the whole disposing thereof is of the Lord.“

An Exposition of the Book of Esther: The Little Known (Little Understood?) Book of Prophecy that Reveals God’s Magnificent Plan of Salvation Through the Person and Work of Jesus Christ

NOTE to the reader: The following is only an excerpt of a much longer, more complete, and more in-depth study, please see: The Book of Esther: a Christian Commentary

Introduction

The Book of Esther, Like All of the Books of the Bible, Displays God’s Providence for His Glory and Honor

The Book of Esther is read every year to the assembled congregations of the Jewish people in their synagogues to the present day.  It is read as part of the celebration of the Feast of Purim (also known as the “Feast of Lots” which are objects used as a form of divination, something like “dice”, and from which we get the term “lottery”.)  The feast is celebrated to remember the deliverance of the Jews from Persia, whose date of destruction, their judgment day, was pre-determined by the casting of “pur” or “lot” (Esther 9:24). The predetermined time was to be at the end of the year, but was ultimately, amazingly, turned into a day of deliverance and salvation, in accordance with God’s Will (Proverbs 16:33). And because of that deliverance of the Jews in Persia, God enabled them to return from captivity, and to restore Jerusalem and the Holy Temple in advent of the coming of The Lord Jesus Christ, The Jewish Messiah, about 450 years later.

The Book of Esther is About Deliverance and Salvation Through Jesus Christ

The Book of Esther is indeed about the miraculous physical deliverance of the Jews of national Israel (the physical descendants of the patriarchs from the first, Abraham, through Isaac and Jacob and David).   More importantly, however, it is about the miraculous eternal deliverance of the true Jews, the body of believers, the church of Jesus Christ (those who are of the faith of Abraham, which include a remnant of both National Israel and the Gentile nations – – Romans 2:28–29; Romans 4:13–16; Galatians 3:26–29).  Because the Book of Esther has both an earthly/historical meaning and a heavenly/eternal spiritual meaning, it is an “Historical Parable“, which involves significant use of “allegories” and “types“. 

The Book of Esther Reveals God’s Magnificent Salvation Plan Through Jesus Christ…From Beginning to End and Forever

Perhaps the most important of God’s purposes for the Book of Esther was to convey (albeit in a concealed manner) most, if not all, of the key elements of God’s magnificent salvation plan in one short (ten chapter) account. 

The messages of the Book of Esther is the same Gospel message that can be found everywhere else in the Bible as it focuses on the Person and Work of the LORD Jesus Christ. The only difference is that, each time Jesus is found in the Bible, we can learn more about Him and God’s Gospel plan through Him (which glorifies God in the process).  However, to truly “see” Jesus (to believe with our hearts and not just our minds), we must have our “spiritual eyes” opened by God.  Given that this can be the case, then another purpose for God having provided us with the Book of Esther is that it will edify and strengthen the faith of the saints (the elect of God, the believers).

Perhaps just as significantly, the Book of Esther is also a book of Prophecy, because it culminates with a picture of Judgment Day at the end of creation and the eternity in Heaven that will follow for all who are counted among the people of Jesus… and the eternal death and destruction in hell for all those who are not.

So where do we see Jesus in the Book of Esther?

Some Christian commentaries conclude that it is Esther who, “as the advocate for her people,” is the deliverer of salvation to her people and therefore portrays Jesus Christ.  Is that correct?   Let’s look at the six main characters in the order of their appearance:

1) King Ahasuerus: A very great and powerful king who reigned over a “glorious  kingdom” with the “honour of his excellent majesty.”

2) Queen Vashti: A beautiful queen, the first wife of the king Ahasuerus.  When she was bidden by the king (by his “commandment”) to a great feast, she refused to come while holding her own feast for the women; so the king decreed that she could never again come into his presence.  He also decreed that her royal estate be given “to another that is better than she.”  King Ahasuerus sent letters to all his provinces to be published “to every people after their language.”

3) Mordecai: A certain Jew, “the son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish, a Benjamite“, who lived in the king’s palace and sat in the king’s gate. He was the nearest kinsman to Esther, being her elder cousin.

4) Esther: A fair and beautiful maid, a virgin, (and an orphan, because “for she had neither mother or father”)  who was brought up by Mordecai, and he “took for his own daughter“… “when her father and mother were dead“.)  Esther pleased king  Ahasuerus and “she obtained kindness of him.”  “And the king loved Esther above all the women, and she obtained grace and favour in his sight more than all the virgins; so that he set the royal crown upon her head, and made her queen instead of Vashti.“

5) Hegai (Hege): The King’s Chamberlain, the keeper of the women (evidently a eunuch). (We also read about another King’s Chamberlain in Chapter 4, named Hatach, who is evidently also a eunuch.)

6) Haman: A chief prince of king Ahasuerus who because he saw that Mordecai bowed  not to him (Haman), nor reverenced him, “Haman sought to destroy all the Jews that  were throughout the whole kingdom of Ahasuerus, even the people of Mordecai.“ Esther 7:6 “And Esther said, The adversary and enemy [is] this wicked Haman.“

Synopsis

King Ahasuerus replaces his first queen, Vashti, for her disobedience, and gives her royal estate to Esther (the Jewish orphan raised up by her elder kinsman, Mordecai) who has been anointed by the King’s Chamberlain, Hegai.  Later, prince Haman, in his prideful wrath, determined (by the casting of lots, or pur) a specific day at the end of the year to destroy Mordecai and his people (the Jews), and then convinced the king to decree the destruction of “a certain people” (the Jews) from throughout the land by accusing that they did not keep the king’s laws.  Haman also sought to have Mordecai hanged on the highest gallows that Haman had made.  When Mordecai heard about it, he put on sackcloth and ashes outside the palace gate.  “Then called Esther for Hatach, one of the king’s chamberlains, whom he had appointed to attend upon her, and gave him a commandment to Mordecai, to know what it [was], and why it [was].” Later under commandment from Mordecai, Esther went into the kings presence (at the risk of death, but walking by faith…”if I perish I perish“) to inform the king (over time through two sequential banquets) of Haman’s plot to kill her people.  However, Mordecai, because of an earlier act of faithfulness to the king (which Esther had “certified the king [thereof] in Mordecai’s name” in Esther 2:22, although the king had forgotten for a time), was subsequently honored by the king, and arrayed in the king’s royal apparel wearing the king’s royal crown and allowed to ride through the street of the city on the king’s horse.  This was the very honor that Haman, because of his pride, had sought for himself.  Instead of receiving that honor as he expected, Haman was subsequently humiliated. Moreover, when Esther later revealed Haman’s plot to the king, and, as the king soon supposed Haman was about to assault Esther, Haman was ordered to be hung from the same gallows that he had made for Mordecai.

Because Mordecai had subsequently been granted the king’s authority (which had previously been under Haman), Mordecai made a new decree, which while not nullifying the earlier decree, provided the means by which the Jews could defend themselves and kill all those in league with Haman at the end of the year. And we also know that there was a great “conversion” during this interim period between the third month (associated with the Feast of Firstfruits/Pentecost) and the end of the year, for we read, “…And many of the people of the land became Jews; for the fear of the Jews fell upon them.“

In the final battle, at the end of the year, where Haman had planned to have all the Jews destroyed and consumed in one day, all those who hated the Jews, including all of the ten sons of Haman were themselves removed “with the stroke of the sword, and slaughter, and destruction.”  The next day, after this great battle, the Jews rested from their enemies and “made it a day of feasting and gladness,” to be remembered and kept throughout every generation.  

Finally, because the king had advanced Mordecai “next unto the king” (his right-hand man, so to speak), Mordecai was “great among the Jews, and accepted of the multitude of his brethren, seeking the wealth of his people, and speaking peace to all his seed.”  We also read earlier, after the death of Haman, that “Mordecai went out from the presence of the king in royal apparel of blue and white, and with a great crown of gold, and with a garment of fine linen and purple: and the city of Shushan rejoiced and was glad.  The Jews had light, and gladness, and joy, and honour.“

The Spiritual “Types” Represented by Each Person In the Book of Esther

If we compare this historical account with the rest of the Bible, we can find some amazing and unequivocal parallels between the following:

1)  King Ahasuerus with Heavenly Father (or more generically, Almighty God)

2)  Queen Vashti with National Israel of the Old Testament

Vashti was a beautiful first queen, but she rebelled against the King and refused to come to his feast, but rather held her own feast for the women in the royal palace that belonged to the King. Deuteronomy 31:16-18 explains how this can be so.

3)  Mordecai with Jesus Christ (God as Savior)

It is Jesus Christ who delivers His people, the “Jews.”  He is the one who ascended to the Right Hand of God the Father.  Jesus is the One Who we read about in Revelation 19:11-16. Jesus wears the “many crowns”, riding the “white horse”, and Jesus bears the Name that is “Faithful and True“.  He is the one who Satan sought to destroy on the cross, but it was Jesus who instead vanquished Satan at the cross.  Jesus (as the God-Man) is the One Who nurtures the believers by serving in the role of their near kinsman.  We also know that at the Great Battle at the end of the age, on Judgment Day, all who are in league with Satan (the unbelievers) will be destroyed with him at that time.  Then will the “Jews” (the true believers in Jesus Christ, the Messiah, please see Romans 2:28-29) find rest from their enemies.  We also know that the believers are referred to throughout the Bible as the Bride of Jesus Christ (and Jesus Christ is also God).  That bride is described in the Bible with all the attributes ascribed to Esther.  The true believers replaced national Israel (pictured by Vashti), God’s former chosen people, whom He effectively divorced at the cross (please see Jeremiah 3:8 regarding the initial divorce by God of the first ten tribes of Israel, see also Isaiah 50:1) because they would not come when bidden to the final Passover Feast (they rejected Jesus as Messiah, the Perfect Passover Lamb of God, see also Luke 14:15-24).

4)  Queen Esther with the Body of Believers (from both Jews (the remnant) and Gentiles; the true “Jews” or the eternal Israel)

5)  Hegai (Hege) and Hatach, the King’s Chamberlains, with God, the Holy Spirit

Hegai (Hege) (הֵגֵא (hēḡē’) ^H1896 was a chamberlain eunuch appointed by King Ahasuerus to attend Queen Esther whose name means either “eunuch” or “Meditation“; “Word“; “Groaning“; “Separation”, who prepared Esther to come into the presence of the King by purifications with nothing but what Hegai appointed, and that was “six months with oil of myrrh, and six months with sweet odours, and with [other] things for the purifying of the women.”  Remembering that in Romans 8:26 we read, “Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.“

Another of the King’s Chamberlains, who also would have had to have been a eunuch like Hegai, is named Hatach, הֲתָךְ (hăṯāḵ)^H204 meaning either “a Gift” or “Verily” (hence “Truly” or “Truth“), and both attributes are clearly used in the Bible as representations of the Holy Ghost/Holy Spirit.   The Holy Spirit Anoints the believer, Is An Intermediary for them in prayer to God the Father, Is “The Gift from God”Acts 10:45, and also Is “The Spirit of Truth” John 16:13 Who leads the believer into all Truth (Jesus)!  (Please see: The Book of Esther: a Christian Commentary)

6)  Haman with Satan

Regarding Haman’s role, 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. Satan wanted to exalt his throne above the “stars” of God; as we read in Isaiah 14:13, “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:” 

It is particularly noteworthy that in Esther 7:6 we read, “And Esther said, The adversary and enemy [is] this wicked Haman.“ In the original Hebrew, the word frequently translated into English for “adversary” is שָׂטָן (śāṭān)^H7854. So it should be abundantly clear that Haman is being used as a “Type” of the devil (Satan), who is most certainly both wicked as well as the enemy of God, God’s Word, and God’s people. This is also entirely consistent with 1 Peter 5:8, where we read, “¶Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:“

We also see this is God’s condemnation of Edom, hence Esau, hence Haman (and therefore: the devil) in Obadiah 1:4, “Though thou exalt [thyself] as the eagle, and though thou set thy nest among the stars, thence will I bring thee down, saith the LORD.

God dealt with Haman’s (and the devil’s) pride exactly as God Will Do on Judgment Day (“The day of the LORD of hosts”) as we read in Isaiah 2:12, “For the day of the LORD of hosts [shall be] upon every [one that is] proud and lofty, and upon every [one that is] lifted up; and he shall be brought low:“

In the Bible the “stars” represent the believers, typified by Esther (whose very name means “Star”).  We see this also clearly 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.“ And please note also how the words “stars” and “sons of God” are used together in this verse: Job 38:7, “When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?

Remember also, in Matthew 4:8-10, how the devil, like Haman to Mordecai, having been given the power by God to rule this world upon the Fall of Adam, desired for Jesus to “fall down and worship” him, and Jesus answered, “Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.” 

Expositional Outline of the Prophetic Book of Esther: 

Comfort for the Believers at all Times (God’s Magnificent Salvation Plan Explained in Ten Chapters)

(Psalm 68:5, “A father of the fatherless (i.e.,Esther), and a judge of the widows (i.e.,Ruth and Naomi), [is] God in his holy habitation.“)

Chapter I.          God’s Magnificent Salvation Plan: National Israel (under the Law) rebels: making a way for the remnant of both Jews and Gentiles (under Grace)(Esther 1:12 and Esther 1:19) Please see Deuteronomy 31:16-18 and Romans 4:15.

Chapter II.         God Remembers His Covenant:  The Establishment of the New and Better Covenant (Esther 2:1-4)   Please also see Hebrews 8:6-13.

• Jesus Christ (Mordecai) Shows Mercy to the Fatherless (Esther)  (Esther 2:7)
• The Work of the Holy Spirit in Purifying the Believer (Esther) to enter into God’s presence: (Esther 2:15)
• A Rebellion Against the King by Those (possibly eunuchs) Who Kept the Door, Bigthan and Teresh (possibly representing the fallen angels of 2 Peter 2:4, Jude 1:6 Revelation 12:9?) (Esther 2:21-23)

Chapter III.        Satan Given Dominion Over This Creation Immediately Upon the Fall of Adam (Esther 3:1 and Esther 8:5)  Please see Romans 6:23

• The Temptation of Christ,  Satan Seeks to Destroy Jesus and His People by Accusing the People for Being Sinners…Not Keeping the King’s Laws (Esther 3:6-8), Please see: Revelation 12:10

Chapter IV.       The Atonement of Jesus Christ (Esther 4:1) followed by “three days and nights” of fasting.

Chapter V.        The Faith of the Saints (Christ’s Faith, Ephesians 3:11&12)  (Esther 5:1&2) Please see Hebrews 12:2, Numbers 24:17, and Psalms 45:6 (note that Esther did not put on “royal apparel” until the “third day”)

Chapter VI.       Palm Sunday (Esther 6:11)

Chapter VII.      The Last Passover Feast and Christ’s Victory over Satan at the Cross (Esther 7:10)

Chapter VIII.     The Great Commission and the New Testament Era Beginning at Pentecost (Esther 8:1-17)

Chapter IX.       Judgment Day and the Transition to Eternity

Chapter X.        Eternity in Heaven (Esther 10:3) Please see Galatians 3:16 & 29

NOTE: There is not one direct reference to God found anywhere in the Book of Esther.  As a result, Martin Luther declared it to be an apocryphal book.  It is also the only Old Testament book missing from the Dead Sea Scrolls, possibly because the Essene sect believed that Esther was not sufficiently faithful to the Mosaic Law, i.e., she married the “Gentile” Persian king.  Nonetheless, it is important to also note that Mordecai is specifically mentioned among those who returned to Jerusalem in the restoration following the initial captivity into Babylon as can be found in both Ezra 2:2 and Nehemiah 7:7. This double witness validates that Mordecai was a real person in history during the associated time period. The Book of Esther is a valid part of the Holy Scripture and was perfectly crafted by God the Holy Spirit as an Historical Parable.

Conclusion

The Book of Esther provides us with an accurate account of an actual period in history, but it was nonetheless orchestrated, recorded, and written under the inspiration of Almighty God, by His Holy Spirit, and it is incorporated into God’s Word the Bible for the edification and consolation of His people, which glorifies God in the process.  The Book of Esther is, therefore, an historical vignette orchestrated by God in the first instance (historically), and written down as precisely crafted in the Bible in the second instance (spiritually) to fulfill God’s own purposes. Those purposes include the conveyance (albeit in a concealed manner) of most, if not all, of the key elements of God’s magnificent salvation plan in one short (ten chapter) account.

For a longer, more complete, and more in-depth study, please see The Book of Esther: a Christian Commentary

Introduction to the Book of Hebrews

The Book of Hebrews is a most interesting book in the New Testament. The Book of Hebrews quotes extensively from the Old Testament and is thoroughly derived from it, with the exposition being provided by God the Holy Spirit (please see John 15:26 and John 16:13-15). It is a book, in the form of an epistle (letter), which is intended to show that Jesus is the fulfillment of all of the Old Testament scriptures to “the Hebrews”, an audience which would have been well versed in those same Old Testament scriptures (the Mosaic Law, the Prophets, and the Writings, etc., also know as the “Tanakh“).

The main themes of the Book of Hebrews involve:

1. God’s denouncement of the sin of “Unbelief”,
2. God’s praise of “Faith”, the opposite of unbelief, and
3. Jesus is the fulfillment and substance of the Old Testament “Types” and “Shadows” as both the High Priest and the Sacrifices

The author of the Book of Hebrews was evidently addressing what was likely a problem for many of the Jews in that day regarding Jesus as the Christ (Messiah), including those 1) who were newly converted to Christianity and likely undergoing persecution by unconverted Jews, 2) the Jews who were curious whom God might be drawing to Jesus, and 3) the naysayers.

Evidently, there were some Jewish members of the church who were tempted to return to the Mosaic Law and Jewish traditions. This epistle to the Hebrews urges them not to go back, but to move on to full spiritual maturity, by faith. Jesus Christ is better than angels and better than Moses, and He has provided a better sacrifice, a better Priesthood, and a better covenant than anything of the Old Testament and, moreover, Jesus is the fulfillment of the Old Testament laws and sacrifices. Those ordinances were only meant to testify of Jesus. See also, the Road to Emmaus

It is reasonable to conclude that the Book of Hebrews qualifies as a “catechism” ( /ˈkætəˌkɪzəm/; from Ancient Greek: κατηχέω, “to teach orally“), which is a summary, and an exposition of doctrine, to serve as a learning introduction to the Sacraments traditionally used in teaching converts.

And just as it was a teaching guide for Hebrew converts to Christianity, the expositional teaching equally applies to all believers.

Background #1: Who Was the Human Author of the Book of Hebrews?

According to various theologians, Biblical scholars and other academics there has evidently been quite some “controversy” regarding who God used as the human author of the Book of Hebrews. For more on this issue the reader can pursue it here in GotQuestions

However, this teacher’s King James Version of the Bible (an English Translation) states that the Book of Hebrews is an Epistle from the Apostle Paul. Drawing from some significant, but indirect ,evidence, it is quite reasonable to identify Paul as the human vehicle whom God used to author the book of Hebrews.

Paul was well equipped to dictate such an epistle, being a self-proclaimed “Hebrew of the Hebrews“, according to Philippians 3:5, but my King James Bible also says that it was scribed/penned by Timothy in Italy, which is where Paul spent his last days. It is also notable that this epistle specifically mentions “brother Timothy” (in Hebrews 13:23) and Paul is the only Apostle to have done that elsewhere in the Bible.

It should also be noted that the in Paul’s second letter to Timothy, verses 15&16, Paul wrote that he was in “chain” in Rome, and the author of the Epistle to the Hebrews also made mention of being in “bonds” as we read in Hebrews 10:34, which is also consistent with the last words of Paul in Colossians 4:18, “¶The salutation by the hand of me Paul. Remember my bonds. Grace [be] with you. Amen.” (more on this in the post on Chapter 13)

The Epistle to the Hebrews begins with no greetings or salutations common to Paul’s acknowledged epistles to the Gentiles whether to the churches or to a person (like Timothy or Titus), it went to an entire ethnic and instead went right to the heart of the matter making clear that God spoke to us in the OId Testament by the prophets in many different times and ways, but now (in the last days) by His Son, Jesus Christ, Who God appointed to be Heir of all things and by Whom God created all things!

It has also been pointed out to this teacher that the letter to the Hebrews was unique and different from other Pauline epistles in that it is titled as being addressed to a whole ethnic group, rather than specific churches or cities.

Nonetheless, perhaps the very best explanation (at least to this teacher) of why Paul’s name would not be attached to this epistle to the Hebrews is that most likely God (working through Paul) did not want to provide any means by which it might prejudice the “hearing” of the words that would be included within the epistle on the basis of Paul’s previous history 1) with the Hebrews, and 2) Paul’s widely known persecution of early Hebrew converts to Christianity and/or Paul’s later close association with the Gentiles.

To this teacher, this makes a lot of sense given Paul’s own previous assertion in Philippians 3:5 of being a “Hebrew of the Hebrews“, while it does provide evidence of Paul’s humility, perhaps more importantly suggests a recognition that, if he were to have attached his name (and Apostleship), as in the openings of his other epistles written to the Gentiles, it would not carry much weight with the Jews. And note how perfectly this is in keeping with Jesus’ statements that we find in:

1. Matthew 13:57, “And they were offended in him. But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, save in his own country, and in his own house.“
2. Mark 6:4, “But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, but in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house.”

Ultimately, it does not matter who the human author and/or scribe was. The reason that it does not matter is because the True Author is God Alone, through God The Holy Spirit, as we read in 2 Peter 1:21. The Bible is the Word of God and not of men.

Background #2: Who Are The Hebrews?

From Eber עֵבֶר (ʿēḇer), ^H5677 meaning “the region beyond” (“the great beyond”?), who is a descendant of Shem, one of the three sons of Noah Genesis 10:21, is generally used as a reference to being from near the Euphrates River on the east of the Jordan River (other side of the great salt sea).  Ur of the Chaldees, where Abram (Abraham) was from is at the southern reach of the Euphrates River.

“Hebrew” is the word, עִבְרִי (ʿiḇrî) ^H5680 meaning “one from beyond“, but can also mean “one who traversed” or “who passed over”

1 Chronicles 1:17-27 provides the genealogy from Shem to Abram (Abraham) showing that Abram was a “Hebrew” and hence so were all who were descended from Abraham (both Isaac and Ishmael, both Jew and Arab)…so they could also all be called “Shemites or Semites” from which we hear the world “antisemitic”, and moreover, they could also be called “Hebrews” as they are also all descended from Eber (Genesis 10:21).  However the name “Hebrew” generally is now considered synonymous with only the Semitic speaking Israelites, and that is apparently also the case of how it is used in the title of the book of “Hebrews”.

Abram (Abraham) is identified as a Hebrew in Genesis 14:13, “¶And there came one that had escaped, and told Abram the Hebrew; for he dwelt in the plain of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol, and brother of Aner: and these [were] confederate with Abram.“

Jonah identified himself as a Hebrew in Jonah 1:9, “And he said unto them, I [am] an Hebrew עִבְרִי (ʿiḇrî) ^H5680; and I fear the LORD, the God of heaven, which hath made the sea and the dry [land].”

Paul identified himself as a Hebrew in Philippians 3:5, “Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee;”

NOTE: 1 Chronicles 1:24-27 “¶Shem, Arphaxad, Shelah, Eber, Peleg, Reu, Serug, Nahor, Terah, Abram; the same [is] Abraham. Does not precisely match what is provided in Luke 3:34-37, “Which was [the son] of Jacob, which was [the son] of Isaac, which was [the son] of Abraham, which was [the son] of Thara, which was [the son] of Nachor, Which was [the son] of Saruch, which was [the son] of Ragau, which was [the son] of Phalec, which was [the son] of Heber, which was [the son] of Sala, Which was [the son] of Cainan, which was [the son] of Arphaxad, which was [the son] of Sem, which was [the son] of Noe, which was [the son] of Lamech,”The difference being that “Cainan” is not listed in the 1 Chronicles accounting between Arphaxad and Sala (Shelah).  It is not clear why this is the case, but the lineage ultimately remains the same as Sala/Shelah is still a “son” of Arphaxad, even as a grandson.

Outline: The Priesthood of Jesus Christ

This Outline partitions Hebrews into sections of verses*:

1. The Person of the Priest (Chapters 1:1- 3:6)

A. Jesus Is God (Hebrews 1:1– 2:4)

a. Jesus Is Greater than the Prophets (Hebrews 1:1-3) Jesus made the worlds

b. Jesus Is Greater than the Angels (Hebrews 1:4-14) Jesus made the earth and the heavens, but He is eternal

c. Jesus Is Greater than the Apostles (Hebrews 2:1-5) Jesus performed miracles, and through the Holy Spirit gave gifts to the Apostles so that they could do the same

B. The Priest Jesus Is also Man (Hebrews 2:5– 3:6)

a. The Victorious Brother of God’s children (Hebrews 2:5– 18)

b. The Glorious Son over God’s house (Hebrews 3:1-6)

2. The People of the Priest (Hebrews 3:7– 4:16)

A. Unbelievers are Excluded from God’s Rest (Hebrews 3:7– 4:2)

a. Israelites Fell in the Wilderness (Hebrews 3:7– 3:19

b. The Warning for Today (Hebrews 4:1&2)

B. Believers are Included in God’s Rest (Hebrews 4:3–

a. His Rest Remains Today (Hebrews 4:3-9)

b. His Help is for Today (Hebrews 4:10-16)

3. The Plan for the Priest (Hebrews 5:1– 10)

A. The Priest’s Requirements (Hebrews 5:1)

B. The Priest’s Work (Hebrews 5:2&3)

C. The Priest’s Calling (Hebrews 5:4-6)

D. The Priest’s Perfection (Hebrews 5:7-10)

4. The Plan for the People of the Priest (Hebrews 5:11-6:19)

A. They Are Not Unskilled in the Word, but Go on to Perfection

in the Doctrine of Christ (Hebrews 5:11-6:3)

B. They Do Not Fall Away, but Inherit the Promise (Hebrews 6:4-14).

C. God Confirms Their Promised Inheritance (Hebrews 6:13-19)

5. The Promised Priesthood (Hebrews 6:20-7:28)

A. A Divine Priesthood after the Order of Melchizedek (Hebrews 6:20-7:4)

B. A Superior Priesthood to the Levites (Hebrews 7:5-14)

C. An Eternal and Powerful Priesthood (Hebrews 7:15-28)

6. The Perfect Priesthood (Hebrews 8:1-10:18)

A. A Spiritual Priesthood that it is Better than the Earthly One. (Hebrews 8:1-6)

B. An Effective Priesthood that Replaces the Earthly On (Hebrews 8:7-13)

C. The Limitations of the Earthly Priest (Hebrews 9:1-10)

D. The Perfection of the Spiritual Priest (Hebrews 9:11-14)

E. The New Fulfills the Promise and the Old Vanishes Away (Hebrews 9:15-17)

F. The Death Required to Fulfill the Promise (Hebrews 9:18-23)

G. The Perfect Death That Fulfills the Promise (Hebrews 9:24-28)

H. The Earthly Priesthood was Never Expected to Take Away Sin (Hebrews 10:1-4)

I. The Spiritual Priesthood Was Prophesied to Take Away Sin (Hebrews 10:5-18)

7. The Perfect People (Hebrews 10:19-13:19)

A.They Have a Faithful and Obedient Heart (Hebrews 10:19-25)

B. They Do Not Despise the New Priesthood (Hebrews 10:26-31)

C. They are Patient in Affliction and in God’s Service (Hebrews 10:32-37)

D. They Have Faith (Hebrews 10:38-11:40)

E. They Keep Their Eyes on Jesus (Hebrews 12:1-3)

F. They Do Not Despise Chastisement of the Lord (Hebrews 12:4-13)

G. They Live Holy And Not Sinful Lives

H. They have Come into a Spiritual Kingdom that is Eternal (Hebrews 12:18-29)

I. They are Concerned About Others in Need (Hebrews 13:1-3)

J. They Honor Marriage (Hebrews 13:4)

K. They Seek to Serve God and Not Mammon (Hebrews 13:5&6)

L. They are Faithful to the Gospel That Led Them to Salvation (Hebrews 13:7-16)

M. They Obey and Are Concerned for the Proper Authorities in the Church (Hebrews 13:17-19)

8. The Blessings of the Priest (Hebrews 13:20-25)

Overview of the Book of Hebrews*

“The great design of the book of Hebrews is to set forth the superiority of the Lord Jesus Christ above the prophets, above the angels, and above Moses and over Aaron and his sons (and also above the Apostles). It explicitly shows Jesus’ superiority over the priesthood, His sacrifice over all other sacrifices, and His New Covenant over the Old Covenant. It teaches the Hebrews the true knowledge of the mysteries of their law- the design, use, and meaning of its ceremonies. It is also a book of warning against apostasy, and a book showing the true glory of faith in Christ.” – Henry T. Mahan

Before God created the Universe and its inhabitants, God designed a marvelous Plan of Salvation for the people whom He would choose to save through the Person and Work of the Lord Jesus Christ. The next Big event after Creation was the fulfillment of His Plan in the Life, Death, and Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. Between these two major events God explained His Plan by means of the Law and the Prophets as we have in the Old Testament.

One of the purposes for the Book of Hebrews is to provide another bridge to help us in our understanding of the relationship between the explanation of God’s Plan in the Old Testament and its anticipated fulfillment in what we know as the New Testament.

The first and most important point that the book of Hebrews makes in that Jesus Christ is God Almighty Himself. Jesus Is The Word of God made flesh and the Embodiment of The Message, Who Is better than all the prophets and angels who spoke before. All the other messengers talked about the Savior and quoted Him (e.g., Isaiah 43:11, Isaiah 60:16, Hosea 13:4). Jesus brought the message with the greatest authority, and Jesus’ message was that He Is the Savior!

The consequence, according to Hebrews 2:3, is that we must listen to Jesus. He is “The Way, the Truth, and The Life“(John 14:6). 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.“

Hebrews Chapter 2 tells us that it was necessary that Jesus become a man, via the seed of Abraham, in order to save men and that Jesus had to become a man to become our eternal High Priest, the Man Who’s job it was to take away men’s sins.

Chapters 3 and 4 tell us more about Jesus in reflection of the Old Testament. Moses was used of God to provide the first five books of the Bible that established the rules for the Aaronic Priesthood. Moses also led national Israel out of Egypt through the wilderness. Joshua led national Israel into the Promised Land. Jesus was better than both Moses and Joshua in that only Jesus can bring the eternal Israel into its eternal Promised Land of Rest (Heaven). And that can only come with the gracious absolution from Sin through Salvation through Jesus Christ. That is why we read in Hebrews 4:15&16 that Jesus is the eternal High Priest, after the order of Melchizedek (a “Theophany“) for the believers, the eternal Israel.

From Hebrews 5:1-10:31, we learn the basis for, as well of the value, the necessity and the success of Jesus’ High Priesthood. The message is that it is Jesus Alone Who can separate man from sin and give the believers eternal life. The objective of this lengthy explanation is to encourage, and to sternly warn, the readers to place their faith and trust in Jesus Christ Alone as the eternal High Priest and to not waiver from that faith.

Hebrews Chapter 11 is a clarion call, by means of precepts and illustrations, to have Faith in the promises of the Word of God. Chapter 12 is another call, also by means of precepts and illustrations, to value those promises above the things of this world. Chapter 13 concludes by showing how a person’s faith in the Great High Priest, and the value that he places on His Promises, shapes that person’s life.

The Book of Hebrews was evidently written to converted Jews who endured persecution, and who were, at least initially, the targets of abuse for their faith in Jesus (Hebrews 10:32-37). This epistle was written for their edification, comfort and exhortation to keep that faith. The author also showed compassion and empathy towards his readers by using the phrase “Let us” 13 times, and thereby sympathetically encouraging the readers by including himself in their struggles.

*Note to the Reader: The Outline and Overview (apart from the initial quote by Henry T. Mahan) provided above are extracted from the work of Elder Tom Schaff (who is now with the Lord).

Introduction

Although It will not be entirely elaborated upon in great depth in this study (more detail concerning Gideon is in an earlier post), Gideon’s battle against, and his defeating of, the Midianites (and the Amalekites and “all the children of the east”) should be understood to be another “Historical Parable” in the Bible that typifies “Judgment Day“, where

1) Gideon spiritually represents (is a “Type”) of the Lord Jesus Christ,

2) The men with Gideon who participate in the attack spiritually represent the believers in Jesus Christ, and

3) The Midianites (et al.) spiritually represent the enemies of God (who are the devil’s own, including the purveyors of false gospels) in the world who are miraculously destroyed.

This event is also reminiscent of the battle that we read about in Judges 4&5. 

In this “Historical Parable” of the Battle of Gideon, which is an actual historical account that is spiritually interwoven into Judges chapter 7 where we are provided with another “hidden gem” that God has concealed within the Bible.

In Judges 7:20, we read “And the three companies blew the trumpets, and brake the pitchers, and held the lamps in their left hands, and the trumpets in their right hands to blow [withal]: and they cried, The sword of the LORD, and of Gideon.” In this single verse there are four key elements worthy of further scrutiny from a spiritual perspective as expounded below.

1. The “Trumpets” warn of the Judgment to come
2. The “Pitchers” are the hearts of the believers within which is hid the Light of Christ
3. The “Lamps” represent the Light of the Gospel of Jesus Christ
4. The “Sword of the LORD” is the Word of God

1. When The Last Trumpet Sounds, It Will Herald Judgment Day

The Trumpet is from the original Hebrew word שׁוֹפָר (šôp̄ār)^H7782, and is the same word that we read about inExodus 19:16, Exodus 19:19, Exodus 20:18, and Joshua 6:4-20 at the battle of Jericho (another prefigurement of Judgment Day).

When the “Last Trump” sounds, it will be Judgment Day for the world as we are told in 1 Corinthians 15:52, “In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.” The seventh trumpet is the last trumpet that we read about being sounded by the seventh angel in Revelation 11:15, “¶And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become [the kingdoms] of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.“

2. The Pitchers Also Typify the Believers

2 Corinthians 4:3-7, tells us plainly, “But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to [give] the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.”  

Remember also Psalm 119:11, “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.“

The “pitchers” are “earthen vessels”, which represent the believers who have the Glorious Light of Jesus Christ shining brightly in their hearts, that is otherwise hidden from the world of the unsaved, which is to be revealed on the Last Day, Judgment Day. 

John 3:19-21, “And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.”

Isaiah 8:20, “To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, [it is] because [there is] no light in them.

This is all in accordance with God’s plan. We know from the following verses that the Light/Fire will be revealed as we read in :

Romans 8:18, “For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time [are] not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” and 1 Corinthians 3:13, “Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is.“

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.“

Moreover, the truth of that Light will be kept hidden from the world of unbelievers until Judgement Day, when the Judgment that befalls them comes as a “thief in the night”. This is exactly what we are told in 2 Peter 3:10, “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.“

3. The Lamp Is The Light of The Gospel of Jesus Christ

The lamp (לַפִּיד (lapîḏ))^H3940, which means “lamp“, “torch“, and “lightning” points to the Light of Christ that will be made fully manifest on Judgment Day. For more on the meaning of “lapid”, please see the section that expounds on the meaning of Lapidoth, the husband of the Prophetess, Deborah, in the study of Judges 4&5. 

Which leads us to remember John 9:5, where Jesus announces, “As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world” after which he immediately healed a blind man, “born blind”.  Then we read later in John 9:39,”And Jesus said, For judgment I am come into this world, that they which see not might see; and that they which see might be made blind.”

4. The “Sword of the LORD” Is the Word of God

The “sword” is also important because it is another spiritual reference to the Word of God as we find 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.”

Remember also that Jesus is pictured as having a two-edged sword coming out of His mouth in Revelation 1:16, “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.“

To underscore that point, we need to remember the last six verses of Psalm 149 remind us that the believers will be accompanying Jesus on Judgment Day as was reported in an earlier post.

Psalm 149:4-9, “For the LORD taketh pleasure in his people: he will beautify the meek with salvation. 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.“

The believers are also viewed as “conquerors” as we find in Romans 8:37, “¶Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.”

Regarding the “Sword of the LORD”, we should also remember the following verses that also point to Judgment Day:

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):”

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.”

The Death of The Two Pairs of Kings of Midian

The finality of the Judgment is also manifest in the last verse of Judges Chapter 7,  Verse 25, “And they took two princes of the Midianites, Oreb and Zeeb; and they slew Oreb upon the rock Oreb, and Zeeb they slew at the winepress of Zeeb, and pursued Midian, and brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon on the other side Jordan.“ Judges Chapter 8 informs us that two other Midianite kings, Zebah and Zalmunna, were subsequently also killed (see below).

The First Two Kings are Captured and Slain

The first two Midianite kings, who Gideon slew, were named Oreb (עֹרֵב(ʿōrēḇ)^H6159) means “Raven” (an unclean “fowl of the air”) which represents the forces of the devil as Jesus expounded upon in the “Parable of the Sower“, and Zeeb (זְאֵב(zᵊ’ēḇ)^H2062 ) means “Wolf”. Remember that Jesus Christ is The Good Shepherd, protecting His Eternal flock from the spiritual wolves, which we know are out there in the world, as we read in Matthew 7:15  “¶Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.”  Again, in Acts 20:29, “For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock.”

So in both cases these kings represent the wicked one’s servants who look like “kings”, but are really purveyors of a false gospel seeking to kill and devour the righteous.

The “rock of Oreb” is mentioned in Isaiah in the context of a Judgment Day against the Assyrians (typifying the final Judgment Day), through the relating of the slaughter there to the destruction of Egypt in the Red Sea at the start of the Exodus as we read in, Isaiah 10:26, “And the LORD of hosts shall stir up a scourge for him according to the slaughter of Midian at the rock of Oreb: and [as] his rod [was] upon the sea, so shall he lift it up after the manner of Egypt.” The context is further elaborated in the immediately preceding verses in Isaiah 10:24&25, and then expounded upon in Romans 9:27, “Esaias also crieth concerning Israel, Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, a remnant shall be saved: For he will finish the work, and cut [it] short in righteousness: because a short work will the Lord make upon the earth.“

It should be clear that the death of king Zeeb at the “winepress” (יֶקֶב (yeqeḇ))^H3342 is not accidental or incidental, because it brings to mind other references that point to Judgment Day. The “winepress”, which in the original Hebrew can also be גַּת (gaṯ)^H1660, refers to God’s wrath that must be brought to bear in judgment for sin.  Jesus, as the believers’ atoning sacrifice, first had to endure that wrath and suffer the shame of God’s reproach for their sins.  But for those who remain dead in trespasses and sins, they will be tread down in the winepress of God’s wrath by Jesus as their Judge.

Key verses to recall regarding the meaning of the “winepress”:

Isaiah 63:1-6, “Who is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah? this that is glorious in his apparel, travelling in the greatness of his strength? I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save. Wherefore [art thou] red in thine apparel, and thy garments like him that treadeth in the winefat (winepress, גַּת (gaṯ) ^H1660 ? I (Jesus) have trodden the winepress alone; and of the people [there was] none with me: for I will tread them in mine anger, and trample them in my fury; and their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments, and I will stain all my raiment. For the day of vengeance [is] in mine heart, and the year of my redeemed is come. And I looked, and [there was] none to help; and I wondered that [there was] none to uphold: therefore mine own arm brought salvation unto me; and my fury, it upheld me. And I will tread down the people in mine anger, and make them drunk in my fury, and I will bring down their strength to the earth.“ Jesus endured the wrath of God in the Winepress of Shame in the first Judgment Day (in 33AD for the believers), and Jesus will bring Judgment on His enemies in the great winepress of the wrath of God on the second and final Judgment Day.

Joel 3:13, we read, “Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe: come, get you down; for the press ^H1660 is full, the fats overflow; for their wickedness [is] great.” 

Revelation 14:19, “And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast [it] into the great winepress of the wrath of God.  And the winepress was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand [and] six hundred furlongs.”  

Revelation 19:13, we see this picture of Jesus, “And he [was] clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.“

For more on this please see the study of Jonah (Jonah was from a village called “Winepress of Shame”).

The Second Two Midianite Kings Are Also Captured and Slain

But there were two other kings who Gideon pursued as we read about Chapter 8. It is particularly noteworthy 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 mount Tabor, and were themselves, subsequent to their capture, also killed by Gideon in retribution. 

In Judges 8:18, when Gideon asked the two remaining Midianite kings the following question, and they gave 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 and they are like Jesus.  For more about the meaning of “children of a king”, please see: mephibosheth-and-a-covenant-of-grace/  Gideon replied to the two kings in Judges 8:19, “¶And he said, They [were] my brethren, [even] the sons of my mother: [as] the LORD liveth, if ye had saved them alive, I would not slay you.“

“As Thou Art, So Were They“

These two Midianite kings made it clear that those whom they slew at mount Tabor appeared like Gideon. Does this not bring to mind what we read in Hebrews 2:9-13, “But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man. ¶For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom [are] all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified [are] all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren, Saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee. And again, I will put my trust in him. And again, Behold I and the children which God hath given me.” (Note: Hebrews 2:12 is specifically referencing Psalm 22:22, which reads, “I will declare thy name unto my brethren: in the midst of the congregation will I praise thee.“)

And when we look a little few verses further down in Hebrews to Hebrews 2:16-18, we are reminded of how closely Jesus identifies with mankind to save a people for Himself, “For verily he took not on [him the nature of] angels; but he took on [him] the seed of Abraham. Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto [his] brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things [pertaining] to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted.“

And is it not also true that the Bible says that the believers are to become likened to Jesus? Look at what 1 John 3:2 says, “Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.”

Mother and Brethren?

Given that Gideon is an unequivocal “Type” of the Lord Jesus Christ, it is worth remembering what Jesus said regarding His “mother” and His “brethren”. In Matthew 12:48&49, we read “But he answered and said unto him that told him, Who is my mother? and who are my brethren?  And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren! And again in Mark 3:33&34, “¶And he answered them, saying, Who is my mother, or my brethren?And he (Jesus) looked round about on them which sat about him, and said,Behold my mother and my brethren!“

Therefore, those who are counted among Jesus’ disciples, the believers, are Jesus’ brethren. Where do we see accounts of Jesus’ brethren (disciples) being killed? The first recorded one is Stephen, in Acts 7:59. And who killed Stephen? The apostate church leaders! And what were Stephen’s last words? In Act 7:55, we read, “But he(Stephen), being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, andsaw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God. And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.” His death occured in the presence of Heaven. And remember what Tabor spiritually represents? Yes, Heaven (with Judgement in view)! God saw it, received Stephen, and God, as Jesus the Judge, will remember it, come Judgment Day! This was the case for all the prophets that were also killed in the Old Testament and continuing right through to the end of Great Tribulation in the run up to Judgment Day. 

Some additional verses that address how the apostate church (represented by the Jews) killed Jesus’ disciples:

1 Thessalonians 2:15, “Who both killed the Lord Jesus, and their own prophets, and have persecuted us; and they please not God, and are contrary to all men: Forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles that they might be saved, to fill up their sins alway: for the wrath is come upon them to the uttermost.” 

And consider the last days when the witnesses (representing the true believers) are killed by the apostate church ruled by the Abomination of Desolation in Revelation 11:7-12, “¶And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them. And their dead bodies [shall lie] in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified. And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves. And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice overthem, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth. ¶And after three days and an half the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them. And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them.“

Note how well this conforms with John 16:2, “They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.” The apostate church will drive out (and effectively “kill”) the true believers. But we must remember that Psalm 116:15 makes clear how God feels about the death of Jesus’ brethren, “Precious in the sight of the LORD [is] the death of his saints.“

Further Corroboration

Note also that in Psalm 83:9-12, where we read of the death brought to the enemies of God in the book of Judges, “Do unto them as [unto] the Midianites; as [to] Sisera, as [to] Jabin, at the brook of Kison (Kishon) [Which] perished at Endor (Endor/En-Dor, the same that was the home of a witch 1 Samuel 28:7, is located in the valley of Megiddo, most likely between Megiddo and Taanach) : 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.”  

Therefore, in Psalm 83:9-12, God is clearly equating Gideon with Barak(and hence the Lord Jesus Christ), because they both defeated and killed those named individuals, all six who were clearly identified as “enemies” of God (who sought to claim the “houses of God” as their own) as stated in Psalm 83:2, ” For, lo, thine enemies make a tumult: and they that hate thee have lifted up the head.”  Moreover, we can again see more clearly how both and Gideon and Barak 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.  we see in Psalm 83:3, “They have taken crafty counsel against thy people, and consulted against thy hidden ones.” 

Conclusion

We have learned from this study that we have been provided another amazing “Historical Parable” pointing us to the Person and Work of the Lord Jesus Christ. We have been shown that Gideon is a clear “Type” of the Lord Jesus Christ, and how Gideon was chosen by God to utterly destroy God’s enemies, involving the utter supernatural defeat of the Midianites (and the Amalekites and “all the children of the east”) in a battle typifying Judgment Day with 300 men out of 32,000 who were refined and purified for the purpose through testing by God. We also see how the two pairs of Midianite kings (the number “two” represents a witness in the Bible) were used by God to represent leaders of apostate churches purveying false gospels to lead astray, and thereby hope to kill the believers as we read in Mark 13:22, “For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce, if [it were] possible, even the elect.”