Bereansearching Bible Studies

What is the Mark 13 Account All About?

Mark 13:34-37, “[For the Son of Man] is as a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch. Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning: Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping. And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch.“

Watching does not mean looking out the window, or standing at the door and staring off into space. It means that we are to remain vigilant in our preparing for the return of the Lord Jesus Christ on the clouds of Glory. We read in Matthew 24:48-51, “But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; And shall begin to smite [his] fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken; The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for [him], and in an hour that he is not aware of. And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”  

Interestingly enough, God reiterates the above in Proverbs 7:19&20, wherein even the evil servants represented by a harlot, know “For the goodman [is] not at home, he is gone a long journey: He hath taken a bag of money with him, [and] will come home at the day appointed.” Jesus is the Good Man, the bag of money represents His Saved Saints, and He will come back to earth with them on the “day appointed”, which is Judgment Day.

What Does It Mean to “Watch”?

Remember a similar warning in 2 Peter 3:3-9, “Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as [they were] from the beginning of the creation. For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished:But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. ¶ But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day [is] with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.“

Note how this harmonizes with Psalm 90:4-7, “For a thousand years in thy sight [are but] as yesterday when it is past, and [as] a watch in the night. Thou carriest them away as with a flood; they are [as] a sleep: in the morning [they are] like grass [which] groweth up. In the morning it flourisheth, and groweth up; in the evening it is cut down, and withereth. For we are consumed by thine anger, and by thy wrath are we troubled.”

James 4:14, “Whereas ye know not what [shall be] on the morrow. For what [is] your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.“

Moreover, we can determine that the thousand years is allegorically typifying the New Testament era when we correlate the “watch in the night”, that is associated with a thousand years, with what we learn in Revelation 20:1 “And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.” The devil was bound at the cross, and here we are at the end of a literal period of almost 2000 years of the New Testament era (typified by the thousand years), entering into, or quite possibly having already entered into, the little season where the devil would be loosed in the lead up to Judgment Day when Jesus returns to Judge the world and establish the new heavens and the new earth. Apart from the light of the gospel of Jesus Christ,  mankind is in darkness, and the only light that does shine is the New Testament Gospel going forth to save sinners, and the watch in the night being, likewise, the sending forth of the same in the darkness of this present world, the New Testament era.

This same Greek word is translated be vigilant in 1Peter 5:8, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:” which sums it quite nicely.  The Greek word translated as “Vigilant” is the same Greek word for “Watch” (γρηγορέω (grēgoreō)),^G1127.  And when we look at where we find that same word translated from the Greek as “watch” in the Bible, we find clear and unequivocal references to Judgment Day and the Return of the Lord Jesus Christ from Heaven!:

Matthew 24:42-44 “Watch^G1127therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched,^G1127and would not have suffered his house to be broken up. Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.”

Matthew 25:13 “Watch^G1127therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.”

Luke 12:37, “Blessed [are] those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching^G1127: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them.”

2 Peter 3:10-12,  “¶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. [Seeing] then [that] all these things shall be dissolved, what manner [of persons] ought ye to be in [all] holy conversation and godliness, Looking for (waiting in expection) and hasting (earnestly desiring) unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?”

And finally, we are told that at the end of the plagues, just after the 6th Vial of Wrath is poured out and just before the 7th Vial of Wrath is poured out on Judgment Day (when the world is destroyed with thunders and lightnings and a great unprecedented earthquake in Revelation 16:18 ) that Jesus declares in Revelation 16:15 “¶Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed [is] he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.¶ And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.” The Final Battle of Armageddon is Judgment Day as prefigured in Judges 4&5!

And please note the harmony of the above verses with Proverbs 8:34 “Blessed [is] the man that heareth me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors.“

What About the “Night”?  “Night” and “Darkness” is Where God Is Not…Jesus (and the Believers in Him) Is the “Day”and the “Light of the World”

Is it not interesting that in Proverbs Chapter 7 we are warned by God to obey His commandments, to effectively write them on the tablets of our hearts and to treat wisdom and understanding as our sister and kinswoman, and then in Proverbs 7:5 we are told that they are the means to keep us from falling prey to the “strange woman, from the stranger [which] flattereth with her words.” Note how God explains how these false gospels and the false churches can be compared to a harlot (a prostitute) that entices the unwary person (a man without wisdom or understanding) into her house. And particularly, as we read in Proverbs 7:9, that it was “In the twilight, in the evening, in the black and dark night:” And what did the harlot say in Proverbs 7:19, “For the goodman [is] not at home, he is gone a long journey: He hath taken a bag of money with him, [and] will come home at the day appointed.” Does not that sound exactly like the account Jesus describes in Mark 13?

Moreover, note what the end of that matter is as we read what God warns in the concluding verses in Pro 7:24-27, “Hearken unto me now therefore, O ye children, and attend to the words of my mouth. Let not thine heart decline to her ways, go not astray in her paths. For she hath cast down many wounded: yea, many strong [men] have been slain by her. Her house [is] the way to hell, going down to the chambers of death.“

This is a warning by God to hold fast to the Truth of God’s Word, and to beware of false gospels being taught in false churches that will only mislead us to Hell. Note that the misleading is done in darkness, in the night, where no light is. Jesus in the Light of the World that is missing in the night and in darkness! Note that we are also told not to follow “her paths”. We know from Psalm 119:105 “NUN. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” and from Psalm 23:3, He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.” And remember that we are instructed in Proverbs 3:5&6, “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”

Other instructive verses regarding the night and darkness:

Psalm 16:7 “I will bless the LORD, who hath given me counsel: my reins also instruct me in the night seasons.“

Isaiah 9:2 “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.“

Isaiah 9:2 “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.”

Isaiah 9:19 “Through the wrath of the LORD of hosts is the land darkened, and the people shall be as the fuel of the fire: no man shall spare his brother.“

Luke 22:52&53 “¶Then Jesus said unto the chief priests, and captains of the temple, and the elders, which were come to him, Be ye come out, as against a thief, with swords and staves? When I was daily with you in the temple, ye stretched forth no hands against me: but this is your hour, and the power of darkness.”

1Thessalonians 5:2, “For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.“

John 8:12  “¶ Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.“

John 9:4, Jesus said, “I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.“

John 11:10 “But if a man walk in the night, he stumbleth, because there is no light in him.“

John 13:30…we read where Judas Iscariot fled from Jesus to betray Him, “¶ He then having received the sop went immediately out: and it was night.“

Ephesians 5:8 “¶For ye were sometimes darkness, but now [are ye] light in the Lord: walk as children of light:”

Ephesians 6:12 “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high [places].”

1Peter 2:9, ¶ “But ye [are] a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:“

The Watchman’s Duty

The Book of Ezekiel provides us with three instances (in addition to Ezekiel 2:1-10) that make it clear that the duty of a watchman is to warn the people of impending danger…to issue the warning of the coming Judgment (typified by “the sword”).  The Believer’s duty is to warn and apply the talents gifted to him or her ((The Gospel of the Light of Life) and to let the world know that there is a way to make peace with God through Jesus Christ Alone.  We should be mindful of Jesus’s teaching in Luke 14:31-33, “Or what king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand? Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an ambassage, and desireth conditions of peace. So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.” Jesus is the only means of suing for peace with God for our sins to stave off God’s vengeance on Judgment Day. We need Jesus to be our Ambassador, Intercessor, and our Advocate before the Father as we read in 1 John 2:1, “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for [the sins] of the whole world.“

Ezekiel 3:16-21, “¶And it came to pass at the end of seven days, that the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me. When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked [man] shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand.Yet if thou warn the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul. ¶Again, When a righteous [man] doth turn from his righteousness, and commit iniquity, and I lay a stumblingblock before him, he shall die: because thou hast not given him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he hath done shall not be remembered; but his blood will I require at thine hand. Nevertheless if thou warn the righteous [man], that the righteous sin not, and he doth not sin, he shall surely live, because he is warned; also thou hast delivered thy soul.“

Ezekiel 13:1-3 “¶And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel that prophesy, and say thou unto them that prophesy out of their own hearts, Hear ye the word of the LORD; ¶ Thus saith the Lord GOD; Woe unto the foolish prophets, that follow their own spirit, and have seen nothing!“

Ezekiel 33:1-9 “¶ Again the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Son of man, speak to the children of thy people, and say unto them, When I bring the sword upon a land, if the people of the land take a man of their coasts, and set him for their watchman: If when he seeth the sword come upon the land, he blow the trumpet, and warn the people; Then whosoever heareth the sound of the trumpet, and taketh not warning; if the sword come, and take him away, his blood shall be upon his own head. He heard the sound of the trumpet, and took not warning;his blood shall be upon him. But he that taketh warningshall deliver his soul. But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned; if the sword come, and take [any] person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the watchman’s hand. ¶So thou, O son of man, I have set thee a watchman unto the house of Israel; therefore thou shalt hear the word at my mouth, and warn them from me. When I say unto the wicked, O wicked [man], thou shalt surely die; if thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked [man] shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand. Nevertheless, if thou warn the wicked of his way to turn from it; if he do not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul.”

The duty of the watchmen is to be warning to the world, both the Sword of Judgment to come and the Way of Escape in Jesus, rather than sitting and gazing!  (And please remember how God exemplified Jesus through Barak (meaning Lightning and Glistening Sword) coming on Judgment Day in Judges 4&5 . And it is NOT incidental in Revelation 1:16, Revelation 2:16, Revelation 19:15, and Revelation 19:21 that a sword came out of Jesus’s Mouth! The Word of God will judge the unsaved on the Last Day! Jesus made that clear 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.”

Please also note the parallel with Isaiah 11:4, “But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.”

But we also should be mindful that according to Psalm 127:1 [[A Song of degrees for Solomon.]] Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh [but] in vain.” God Alone does the saving! And God Alone is Sovereign. Note the similarity with Job 12:14, “Behold, he breaketh down, and it cannot be built again: he shutteth up a man, and there can be no opening.” See also: The Real Inconvenient Truth.

What Does It Mean to be “Sleeping”?

To be sleeping is to be as one who is oblivious to the temporariness of life, and who is without the desire to serve God by serving others in faithfully bringing the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ that they might have eternal life in Heaven. The ones who are not asleep will remain sober and vigilant, and they will not be asleep at the wheel (slumbering) while they should be on the “Watch”.

Here is a quick word review on the implications on the word “slumber“

Psalm 132:4 “I will not give sleep to mine eyes, [or] slumber to mine eyelids, “

Proverbs 6:4 “Give not sleep to thine eyes, nor slumber to thine eyelids.“

Proverbs 6:10 “[Yet] a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth, and thy want as an armed man.“

Proverbs 24:33 “[Yet] a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: So shall thy poverty come [as] one that travelleth; and thy want as an armed man.“

Isaiah 5:27 “None shall be weary nor stumble among them; none shall slumber nor sleep; neither shall the girdle of their loins be loosed, nor the latchet of their shoes be broken:” The context is where the believers are bringing judgment. And in order to do that, the the believers must put on the whole armor of God as we read in Ephesians 6:13-17, “Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. ¶Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:“

Isaiah 56:10 “His watchmen [are] blind: they are all ignorant, they [are]all dumb dogs, they cannot bark; sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber. The context is where the unsaved pastors and teachers are not watching (not faithfully preaching and teaching) and are like someone who sleeps, or is like a dumb dog that is unable to bark.

Romans 11:8 “(According as it is written, God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear;) unto this day.” The context is describing the Priests and Pharisees of Paul’s day, but also the unsaved pastors and teachers of our day who are not remaining faithful to the Truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

“Occupy til I come”: Spreading the Gospel Message So That The Seed Continues To Be Sown In Order to Bring About a Great Harvest of Souls

As we have been shown elsewhere, the seed of the sower in the Parable of the Sower is (just like the talents in this parable) represents “the Word of God“…through, and by which, the Gospel Message of Salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ Alone is preached and taught. To be a profitable servant, the Gospel Message must go forth from each and every believer!  We must also hold fast to that which we have been entrusted and as stated in Luke 19:13 “And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come.“

Working in the Fields of Harvest is Occupying

A believer must be awake, working, doing, and not sleeping. That means continuing in the faith and continuing to share the Gospel in this otherwise dead and dying world. A couple of verses to show how God expects us to be diligently serving Him.

Proverbs 10:4 “He becometh poor that dealeth [with] a slack hand: but the hand of the diligent maketh rich.“

Romans 2:7 “To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life:“

Philippians 2:12&13, “¶ Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of [his] good pleasure.

James 1:22 “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.“

James 2:18 “¶ Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.” 

James 2:20  “But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?”

James 2:26 “For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.”

Matthew 5:15&16, “Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.“

Luke 11:33 “No man, when he hath lighted a candle, putteth [it] in a secret place, neither under a bushel, but on a candlestick, that they which come in may see the light.“

Ephesians 6:6&7 “Not with eye service, as men pleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart; With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men:“

Galatians 6:9 “And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.“

2 Thessalonians 3:13 “But ye, brethren, be not weary in well doing.”

1 Peter 2:15 “For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men:”

Revelation 2:24-26, “But unto you I say, and unto the rest in Thyatira, as many as have not this doctrine, and which have not known the depths of Satan, as they speak; I will put upon you none other burden. But that which ye have already hold fast till I come. And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations:”

Also remember Jesus teaching (particularly regarding false teachers coming as wolves in sheep’s clothing) in *Matthew 7:17-20, “Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither [can] a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.”

Finally, the title of this study quotes from Luke 12:48, which states, “But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few [stripes]. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.”  Please also see: The-Parable-of-the-Talents

Believer’s will hopefully be convicted to pray:

Dear Heavenly Father, in the Name of The Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Beloved Only Begotten Son, have mercy on me, for I am still a most unprofitable servant.  Please bless me with the Holy Spirit (Thy Anointing Oil) that I might be profitable for Thee, as a faithful watchman, to effectively share the true Gospel of Salvation through Jesus Christ to multiply the talents given to me for Thee.  And to use Thy Word to bring many others to salvation (as bountiful fruit into Thy harvest house), so they too can escape the just penalty for their sins, which is only possible through the Person, and Atoning Work, of the Lord Jesus Christ, and be saved before that Great and Terrible Day of Judgment at the end of the world when Jesus comes again on the clouds of Glory.

*Jesus referred to the “Key of Knowledge” in Luke 11:52

(A Fifteen Chapter Typological Interpretive Guide to Biblical Understanding)

PREFACE: The Purpose of this “Bible Study Guide”

The Bible is God’s Holy Word for mankind, which, in its entirety, always points us to the Person and Work of the Lord Jesus Christ as God, The Savior. The following discussion proves this point. It is the heartfelt desire and prayer of this teacher that all readers will ponder this work, along with the other studies, to lead them to know the true Gospel…that the Lord Jesus Christ Is their Only hope for Eternal life in Heaven…with the only alternative being an eternity in Hell for sin. For more on this teacher’s intent, please see: Searching the Bible to Come to Jesus Christ: The Way, The Truth, and The Life.

The Apostle Paul, in Ephesians 6:19, makes clear his intent as an evangelist for Jesus Christ: “And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel,” and earlier, in Ephesians 3:1-11, Paul describes the “mystery of Christ“, which, prior to the New Testament era was “not made known” but “is now revealed“…”That the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel:..to which Paul said he was given the grace by God to “preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ; And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ: To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly [places] might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God, According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord:“

And again, God, via the Apostle Paul, also made clear in Colossians 1:26, “[Even] the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints: To whom God would make known what [is] the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory: Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus:“

The purpose of this Bible Study Guide is the same for this author as it was for the Apostle Paul…to boldly proclaim the mystery of the gospel!  And that gospel to be proclaimed is that Jesus Christ is Lord, God, and Savior!…And that Jesus is the Only Way by which anyone, Jew or non-Jew, can have eternal peace with God in full payment for sins!  Moreover, rejecting Jesus (refusing to hear that gospel) leaves only one alternative…suffering for an eternity in Hell for that person’s sins!

This is the same gospel which can be found and described in detail throughout the Bible, albeit more obviously in what we know as the New Testament.  But the question is, why did Paul choose to refer to that clear and unequivocal gospel message as being a “mystery”?  It is because the greater part, or the bulk, of the Bible, which we know as the Old Testament (and all that was only available to Paul in his day) is where that same gospel had been hidden, as a mystery, by God Himself.

Finally, the purpose of this book is to Praise Almighty God: The Father, The Son (The Word), and The Holy Spirit, Who mercifully calls us to eternal life through the redemptive Work of Salvation, Jesus’ Sacrifice and His Shed Blood, as the Bible makes clear to those who read it. Moreover, even if not a single human being who is left on this Earth ever reads, or even ever cares to read, what has been posted on this blog, the LORD willing, this teacher will continue to strive to be faithful unto death to what was written in David’s Psalm of Praise as found in Psalm 145. To God be All the Glory!

This teacher is also fully aware of this admonition from God through the Apostle Paul to those who are made stewards of such mysteries that they must be faithful to God in handling His Word….from 1 Corinthians 4:1&2, “¶Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.“

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Table of Contents

PREFACE: The Purpose of this “Bible Study Guide”

Introduction:  The Bible is “Holy Scripture”, Unlike Any Other Book!

Chapter 1:  What Makes This Bible Study Guide Different From Other Teachings?

Chapter 2:  The Mystery of the Gospel: The Whole Bible Points to Jesus Christ, The “Word”

Chapter 3:  The Key to Biblical Understanding: We Must See Jesus!

Chapter 4:  The Bible Was Largely Written in Typological (Allegorical) Form

Chapter 5: Understanding God’s Word, the Bible: God’s Word is a Mystery!

Chapter 6: God the Holy Spirit Is The Means by Which “Parables” and “Dark Sayings” Are To Be Understood 

Chapter 7: The Unveiling (Unlocking) of The Mystery is God’s Work Alone!

Chapter 8:  The Gospel of Jesus Christ is The Mystery, and The Hidden Wisdom, Kept Secret Since the World Began

Chapter 9:  Diligently Seeking and Searching for Jesus Christ

Chapter 10:  Jesus Christ is “The Secret”

Chapter 11:  Jesus Christ is the “Wonderful” Secret

Chapter  12: The Saving Knowledge of Jesus Christ is Hidden From the Non-Elect

Chapter 13:  “The Testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of Prophesy” (as Guided by The “Spirit of Truth”*)

Chapter 14:  The Whole Bible (From Genesis to Revelation) Is About Jesus Christ and God’s Salvation Plan Through Him Alone! That is the True Gospel of Grace!  God Makes This Point Clearly and Unequivocally in the New Testament!

Chapter 15:  The New Testament Speaks Plainly of the Gospel (“Good News”) of Jesus Christ, Which Previously Had Been Veiled in the Old Testament

CONCLUSION: “Salvation [is] of the LORD“

APPENDIX:  Understanding Parables, A Biblical Proof-Text for Typological Interpretation

POSTSCRIPT:” He that hath ears to hear, let him hear“

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Introduction:  The Bible is “Holy Scripture”, Unlike Any Other Book!

Before we can begin to gain any wisdom, knowledge, understanding, or truth from the Bible, we must realize, and believe with our whole being, that the Bible, God’s Word, is not only true, but is as Holy as God Himself Is Holy.  God intimately identifies Himself with His Word as we find in John 1:1, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.“, and later in John 1:14, we see, “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.”  To quote another Christian Bible teacher… In the Holy Scriptures, the Bible, that God has provided, “God reveals Himself, not merely information about Himself, but HIMSELF.”

The Bible is unique, not only because it is compiled from 66 manuscripts, scribed by over 40 different individuals, over a period spanning 1500 to 1600 years, but because the Bible was written entirely under the inspiration of the Infinite Mind of God (The Infinite God Who created the Infinite Universe… as well as created you and me out of nothing) through God’s Holy Spirit, and is not derived in any way out of the intellect of any man (e.g. those individual humans who God used to write the Bible).  As a result, it should never be approached (as some teachers have advocated) as one would read “any other book or magazine.”  No other book was ever written under Divine inspiration and no other book has been the subject of Providential preservation! 

We must, therefore, try to instead approach the study of the Bible with the appropriate reverential awe that The Most High Holy God HIMSELF deserves.  God describes the manner in Psalm 2:11 and Isaiah 66:2 as with “fear” and “trembling.”  Because this, in reality, is impossible for anyone to do, in and of himself or herself (because everyone is by nature unclean, clumsy, presumptuous, and irreverent), it is only by God’s infinite grace, and longsuffering mercy, that He allows anyone to come to saving truth from the Bible.  We must, therefore, humbly, prayerfully, acknowledge our complete destitution apart from the Good Grace of the Almighty Sovereign God.  Those who are called to be the children of God, will not only do this, but will seek after the wisdom and truth of God by searching the Bible. 

That is why we read in Proverbs 2:1-6, “My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee;  So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, [and] apply thine heart to understanding;  Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, [and] liftest up thy voice for understanding;  If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as [for] hid treasures;  Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God.  For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth [cometh] knowledge and understanding.” Proverbs 4:7 states, “Wisdom [is] the principal thing; [therefore] get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.” and Proverbs 9:10, “The fear of the LORD [is] the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy [is] understanding.”

And finally, in Psalm 90:12 we read, “So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.“ and  Psalm 119:34, “Give me understanding, and I shall keep thy law; yea, I shall observe it with [my] whole heart.“

At the end of Psalm 107, after we learn of how God brings affliction for sin and then His mercy upon hearing the cries of those so afflicted, we read in Psalm 107:43, “Whoso [is] wise, and will observe these [things], even they shall understand the loving kindness of the LORD.

Jesus Is Made Unto Us Wisdom…Glory in Understanding and Knowing Him!

But if God does bless a person with that wisdom, please remember also what we read in Jeremiah 9:23&24, “¶Thus saith the LORD, Let not the wise [man] glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty [man] glory in his might, let not the rich [man] glory in his riches: But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I [am] the LORD which exercise loving kindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these [things] I delight, saith the LORD.”

The Apostle Paul referred back to the above verses in Jeremiah 9:23&24 in 1 Corinthians 1:26-31, “¶For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, [are called]: But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: That no flesh should glory in his presence. But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.”and 2 Corinthians 10:17, “But he that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.“

The Bible is Alive!

Furthermore, the Bible is not a passive or idle entity.  The Bible is the “living” Word of God, in the Spiritual sense, and will bring about a reaction in the life of one who reads it, for better or worse, depending on the will of God (NOTE:  NO “OTHER BOOK” is able to READ the READER!).  That is why we learn in Hebrews 4:12, “For the word of God [is] quick (meaning that it is “alive“), 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.“

Please pay close notice that the Word of God is a “discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” Had you ever heard that before? The Bible reads the reader because it is alive!

Bible study is not just an intellectual exercise!

Through the hearing of the word (see Romans 10:17) a person is either saved, or more greatly condemned.  That person will either love the Word, or hate the Word. There really is NO middle ground. This is why 2 Corinthians 2:15&16 declares (of those that bring, or preach, the word as found in the Bible alone), “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…”  Also in Luke 12:48, we read where Jesus states that while those who remain ignorant of the word of God (the Bible) are not excused (they will still be condemned for their sins), they will receive a lesser condemnation than those who are familiar with the word of God, but who, nonetheless, do not become saved, “But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few [stripes]. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.” 

It is this teacher’s most sincere hope and prayer that the words found in Ephesians, chapter one (every verse), will apply to whomever receives this Bible Study Guide, particularly verse 17, “That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:  The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,”  (Note also the use of the word “mystery” again in  verse 9, “Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:“)

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Chapter 1:  What Makes This Bible Study Guide Different From Other Teachings?

This “Bible Study Guide” is intended to assist the reader (particularly the student of the Bible who is seeking truth from the Bible beyond just the historical and moral lessons) to understand a different hermeneutic than that which is now commonly being taught in the majority of seminaries, educational institutions, and churches.  Today, the commonly taught principles of Bible study instruct us to read the Bible almost exclusively from a perspective that emphasizes:

1. the historical cultural context,
2. the literal meaning of the words and verses as they meant only to the people who were living when they were recorded,
3. the specific situation and setting (including geography) of the people to whom the verses were written at the time of the writings, and
4. how the specific passage being studied might relate to either the Old or New Testament Covenants. 

This methodology is generally referred to as the “Literal-Grammatical-Historical” method (hermeneutic) of Biblical interpretation, which is largely derived from the teachings of the leaders of the Reformation and others more recently who focused primarily on the “plain meaning” of Scripture.

However, the reality is that THERE IS ONLY ONE TRUE hermeneutic of the Scriptures, and this is because… although the Bible record consists of “plainly understood” historical context (true historical accounts, which are all perfectly crafted and orchestrated by God with valid moral implications), nonetheless God makes clear that He has embedded the real Truth of the spiritual/gospel message throughout the Biblical texts including the historical record, all of which point directly to the Person and Work of the Lord Jesus Christ (albeit allegorically, in a “veiled” manner). Jesus Christ, Alone, Is our only means of salvation for our sins.

This correct hermeneutic recognizes that the Bible is unlike any other book, in that it is entirely “Spiritual“. The Bible is about God, and John 4:24 makes clear that “God [is] a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship [him] in spirit and in truth.” Moreover, John 6:63 tells us that, “It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, [they] are spirit, and [they] are life.“

Romans Chapter 8 addresses the difference between the Spiritual and the carnal (sinful flesh). Two key verses are Romans 8:6, “For to be carnally minded [is] death; but to be spiritually minded [is] life and peace.” and Romans 8:13&14, “For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.“

The Bible is always concerned with such spiritual issues such as sin, versus the Holiness and Righteousness of God. Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin [is] death; but the gift of God [is] eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” and Romans 3:10&11, “¶As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.”

1. God’s Just Judgment: 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.” and Hebrews 9:27 “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:”).
2. God’s Salvation: 2 Corinthians 6:2 “(For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now [is] the accepted time; behold, now [is] the day of salvation.”
3. God’s Sanctification: 1 Thessalonian 4:3 “¶For this is the will of God, [even] your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication:”, and
4. God’s Service (Romans 12:1&2, “¶ I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, [which is] your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what [is] that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.“

On the other hand, the Literal-Grammatical-Historical hermeneutic (which claims that the Bible is written “plainly” and is easily understandable and that anyone can understand without spiritual insight, while also claiming that the Bible only follows the normal rules of human communication) will only lead to confusion, stumbling, and wrong doctrines, when it comes to understanding things like election, predestination, the role and means of water baptism, dispensations, and the end times, etc. For more background on this extremely important differences between the two hermeneutics, please see the “Refutation of the Literal-Grammatical-Historical Hermeneutic“.

Moreover, additional rules have been created that stipulate that we are not to “read into” a verse any more understanding beyond that which the people at the time would have understood the verses to mean (when those verses were first written). 

Other “principles” being taught today wrongly declare, “Don’t look for allegories in the Old Testament Narrative” and more dogmatically, “Only two percent of the Old Testament is Messianic.”  The problem with such humanly crafted and taught rules of Biblical interpretation, and why such rules are so insidious, is that, for the most part, they actually place mental and spiritual “blinders” on the reader, by limiting the reader to see only the earthly historical and moral lessons of the Bible.  While the obvious lessons thus drawn can certainly be valid and profitable (as they can be fine, proper, and useful just as we read in 2 Timothy 3:16: “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness”), the extra restrictions imposed by the “Literal-Grammatical-Historical” method are such that the reader will actually miss the most important, and key, Heavenly “spiritual” meaning from the Bible, and the hence reader will never be able come to know, and have, a true understanding. That understanding shows how magnificently and perfectly the Bible was actually crafted by God to reveal the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Humanly crafted and taught rules effectively set limits (boundaries) to what The Infinite Creator and Supreme Omnipotent God could be saying to us in the Bible.  

Such rules thus lower God to man’s earthly level, rather than exalting and glorifying God at the supernatural Heavenly/Spiritual level from which He Reigns.  

Those rules prevent us from seeing that Jesus Christ is the Key of Knowledge, supernaturally interwoven through every portion of the Bible!  Anyone who tells you otherwise is like the blind lawyers of Jesus’s day that we read about in Luke 11:52, “¶Woe unto you, lawyers! for ye have taken away the key of knowledge: ye entered not in yourselves, and them that were entering in ye hindered.” Moreover, in Matthew 15:14, we are admonished by Jesus to “Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.” (and the ditch is an allegorical reference to Hell).

Whether or not that misdirection is a conscious or unconscious goal of those who teach and preach the Literal-Grammatical-Historical method of Bible interpretation does not matter, as the result will still be the same.  The reader thus taught will have become biased/prejudiced, such that it will prevent the reader (e.g., spiritually blind him or her) from ever understanding the Bible from a higher order perspective as was eternally ordained by God, The Author, Who perfectly crafted His Word, the Bible…through the power of His Holy Spirit/Holy Ghost.  As a result, they will never search out God’s Wisdom and Understanding in the Word as one would seek for Hidden Treasures.

So then, the question is, should we read and interpret the Bible as taught by men?… or as taught by God?

Here’s what the Bible has to say on the subject…1 Corinthians 2:12-16, “Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. ¶Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth: comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man (everyone in the unsaved state) receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know [them], because they are spiritually discerned. But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.”

Key to this passage is “comparing spiritual things with spiritual things”…and given that the Bible is Holy, and entirely inspired by the Holy Ghost, the Spirit of God, then that statement is telling us that that we should be comparing Biblical scripture with Biblical scripture to gain God’s Wisdom (which is actually coming to know the Lord Jesus Christ Who is Wisdom, 1 Corinthians 1:30).

This is repeated and corroborated in 1 John 2:27, “But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.“ The anointing is of the Holy Spirit Who God the Father sent to the believers to lead them into all truth, and that Truth Is Jesus. John 16:13, “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, [that]shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.” Note the consistency with John 14:26, “But the Comforter, [which is] the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.” and 1 John 2:20, “¶But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things.” (“unction” means “anointing”)

The Bible is its own interpreter, its own dictionary, its own Wikipedia! It is easy to think that a certain word or phrase has an obvious and clear meaning, but the issue is what does the Bible really mean by these words? The only correct answer to that question is to compare verses with other verses and see how the Bible defines its own terms. The Bible alone should limit our thinking about the words and phrases in the Bible. We must learn to abide by the Bible’s definitions and logic.

Anyone who claims to have knowledge from the Bible had better not be quoting men, but rather they had better be quoting scripture alone…but even then, you, dear reader, had better be checking out what those preachers and teachers are quoting for yourself, from the Bible alone, as the Bereans did in the first century in Acts 17:10&11, and earnestly search “the scriptures (the Bible) daily, whether those things were so.”

This “Bible Study Guide” will further elaborate on only a portion of what God, Who Is the Author of the Bible, provides for those whom He graciously blesses with the “eyes to see”, and “the ears to hear” such that they might testify of Jesus and worship God in the spirit of prophesy. See also: https://bereansearching.com/2021/12/29/the-hearing-ear-and-the-seeing-eye/ 

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Chapter 2:  The Mystery of the Gospel: The Whole Bible Points to Jesus Christ, The “Word”

In Proverbs 25:2 (KJV) we find this extraordinary verse, “[It is] the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour of kings [is] to search out a matter.” If we look carefully at the text as it reads in the original Hebrew using an Interlinear Bible or Online cross-reference like this: https://www.blueletterbible.org/kjv/pro/25/2/t_conc_653002, we find that it can also read like this…”[It is] the glory of God to conceal a “word” (because it is from the Hebrew דָּבָר (dāḇār)^H1697, a masculine noun): but the honour of kings [is] to search out a “word” (because the word that was translated into English as “matter” is also the same word found in the original Hebrew to be דָּבָר (dāḇār) ^H1697, which is translated more than eight hundred times in the Old Testament as “word.”)*.  It appears, therefore, that God is telling us that He is glorified by the concealing of The Word (Jesus Christ) in the Bible, and the believers are “honored” by being made able to search out The Word (Who is Jesus Christ) when reading the Bible.

NOTE: Jesus makes all believers “kings” and “priests”, as we read in Revelation 1:5&6, “And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.”  This is reiterated in Revelation 5:10, where we see from the preceding verses that Jesus, as the Lamb of God, has redeemed the believers by His shed blood, “And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.” Note how this is also consistent with what we read in Job 36:7 when speaking of God regarding the believers, “He withdraweth not his eyes from the righteous: but with kings [are they] on the throne; yea, he doth establish them for ever, and they are exalted.“

And note how consistent this is with 1 Peter 2:5, “Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.” and 1 Peter 2:9, “¶But ye [are] a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:“

Ephesians 2:4-7, “But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.“

“Dāḇār” is also found in other key verses:

• Note what is found in Proverbs 16:20 where the King James Version translation reads, “He that handleth a matter wisely shall find good:…” but in the original Hebrew it reads, “He who wisely understands or heeds unto the word (דָּבָר (dāḇār))^H1697 shall find good…” 
• And in Psalm 56:10 we read (as also translated in the King James Version), “In God will I praise his word (דָּבָ֑ר (“dabar”))^H1697: in the Lord will I praise his word (דָּבָר (dāḇār))^H1697.” 
• And in Psalm 33:6 we read, “By the word (דָּבָר (dāḇār)) of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth.” 
• And in Psalm 145:5, “I will speak of the glorious honour of thy majesty, and of thy wondrous works (actually “words” (דָּבָר (dāḇār))^H1697 in the original Hebrew).“

Through the use of this Bible Study Help it is hoped that the reader will, by the grace of God, come to know The Word, the Lord Jesus Christ [Remember that we read in John 1:1-3, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.” and in John Chapter 1, verse 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.”]. In 1 John 1:1 we find, “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life;” And to make the connection between Jesus (the Son of God) and the Word as unmistakable as possible, we read in 1 John 5:7, “For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.”

It is also hoped that the reader might see that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the “Mystery”, and that Jesus Christ is the “Secret” and the “Hidden Wisdom” of the whole Bible that everyone, Jew or Gentile, so desperately needs for salvation from sins and eternal life with God in Heaven.

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Chapter 3:  The Key to Biblical Understanding: We Must See Jesus!

Anyone earnestly seeking for truth in the Bible must ultimately come to the Person and Work of Jesus Christ, for Jesus is, according to John 14:6, “the way, the truth and the life.”  In John 5:39, we read where Jesus was admonishing the Jews and said, “Search the scriptures (only the Old Testament in that day); for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.”(The “me” being Jesus Christ Himself!)

It is most certainly true that many places in the New Testament speak plainly concerning the loving Gospel of Grace through Jesus Christ: about His suffering and death on the cross as the only acceptable, and therefore perfect, sacrifice/peace offering to God for sin; about His resurrection and exaltation at the Right Hand of God The Father; about His building His church by the power of God the Holy Spirit, and about His return to Judge the unsaved of the world on the Last Day to an eternity in Hell, and to create a new heaven and a new earth for His Eternal Kingdom prepared for those whom He came to seek and to save.  HOWEVER, the diligent Bible student should also be aware of the greater portion of scripture that is the Old Testament where that same message is often veiled in “a mystery” (and it is most certainly not limited to only two percent). The Bible itself uses such terms “mystery” and “parable” to explain how it has been uniquely crafted by God in a magnificent, and yes, even a mysterious supernatural way, to serve God’s purposes.  In Mark 4:11+12 we read, “And he (Jesus Christ speaking to His disciples) said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all [these] things are done in parables:  That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and [their] sins should be forgiven them.”  It is my prayer that all who God has called to read this study guide, and the examples that follow, will be spiritually made alive and/or fed through the “hearing” of His Word (Romans 10:17, “So then faith [cometh] by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.“) that they might all know Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord.

God commands us to both search and study the Bible (both the Old and New Testaments*) so that we might have eternal life.  In John 5:39, Jesus said, “Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me (Jesus Himself).”  In 2 Timothy 2:15, “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.“

God provides some exemplar proofs for the validity of this typological hermeneutic,  which has been applied in the expositions found in these accompanying Bible studies in the Bereansearching Blog.  One proof can be found in the Book of Acts, Acts 8:26-35, “And the angel of the Lord spake unto Philip, saying, Arise, and go toward the south unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza, which is desert.  And he arose and went: and, behold, a man of Ethiopia, an eunuch of great authority under Candace queen of the Ethiopians, who had the charge of all her treasure, and had come to Jerusalem for to worship,  Was returning, and sitting in his chariot read Esaias the prophet.  Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot.  And Philip ran thither to [him], and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest?  And he  said, How can I, except some man should guide me? And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him.  The place of the scripture which he read was this, He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth:  In his humiliation his judgment was taken away: and who shall declare his generation? for his life is taken from the earth.  And the eunuch answered Philip, and said, I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this? of himself, or of some other man?   Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus.”  The focus was solely on Jesus!

This “Bible Study Guide” is primarily for the purpose of providing that exact same guidance, in that its focus is only to preach unto the reader Jesus.  It might also be viewed as “strong meat” to those who desire to grow in the knowledge and understanding of the Word of God which is Jesus (See John 1:1&14).  In Hebrews 5:13+14 we read, “For every one that useth milk [is] unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.  But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, [even] those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.”  Of course, in so doing, it will cover many of the more basic biblical principles as well.

Beginning with one of Jesus’s parables, this Bible Study Guide will establish the criteria by which a few familiar (hopefully) passages of Biblical scripture will later be reviewed to search for the higher order or “typological” meanings of those passages.   Hopefully,  in the process, the reader’s faith might be strengthened if already a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, and, if not, that the reader might be blessed with that saving faith.

May all who read this Bible Study Guide be as the Greeks in John 12:20&21 that came up to the feast to worship and say, “we would see Jesus.” And is it not interesting that 1 Corinthians 13:12 tells us “For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.” We now see Jesus concealed in the Bible, which is a parable, or as described in a “glass, darkly”, but when Jesus returns, then we will see Him in Person!

*2 Timothy 3:16+17, “All scripture[is] given by inspiration of God, and [is] profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.

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Chapter 4:  The Bible Was Largely Written in Typological (Allegorical) Form

Contrary to what anyone may have previously told you, the Bible is, for the most part, not an easy book to read.  Of course, it is true that the Gospel of salvation through the Person and Work of the Lord Jesus Christ alone is plainly stated in a number of New Testament passages, such as John 3:16-18, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.  For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.   He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”  Nonetheless, to a very large degree, the rest of the Bible, particularly the Old Testament, relies heavily on the more difficult “typology” (which, to be understood, requires Holy Spirit led comparison of scripture with scripture (“spiritual things with spiritual”) in accordance with God’s directive as found in 1 Corinthians 2:13). 

Today, many theologians readily dismiss the idea that the majority of the Bible was written in typological/allegorical/symbolical or figurative form.  When confronted with that truth, these same theologians will simply say that any such interpretations are fancifully derived, or even “fantastical”, and have no basis in reality and are therefore no more than figments of the interpreters’ imaginations.

Their argument goes like this: “Interpreters who allegorize can be very creative, with no control based in the text itself. It becomes easy to read one’s own beliefs into the allegory and then think that they have scriptural support.” 

However, the fact that God uses temporal/earthly/carnal “allegory,” “figures,” “shadows, “patterns,” “similitudes,” “examples” and “ensamples” (“typos” in Greek meaning “examples” or “types“) to convey eternal/heavenly/ spiritual truth (albeit many times in a veiled, mysterious, concealed, or secretive manner) is, nonetheless, plainly stated in the Bible as we find in:

Galatians 4:22-31, concerning the typology of the two sons of Abraham, Ishmael (born of the bondwoman, Hagar (Agar in Greek), typifying the result of fleshly works under the law) and Isaac (born of the freewoman, Sarah, typifying the result of Heavenly promise under grace).  Galatians 4:24“Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar.For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children.  But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.”

Romans 5:14, “Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude (ὁμοιότης (homoiotēs))^G3665 of Adam’s transgression, who is the figure [τύπος (typos))^G5179 meaning “types”] of him that was to come.“

Hebrews 7:15, “And it is yet far more evident: for that after the similitude (ὁμοιότης (homoiotēs))^G3665 of Melchisedec there ariseth another priest,“

Note that the Greek word (ὁμοιότης (homoiotēs))^G3665, which is translated as “similitude”, is the same word translated “like as” in Hebrews 4:15, “For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as (ὁμοιότης (homoiotēs))^G3665 [we are, yet] without sin.” It means to “resemble”, in the “likeness of”, in the “form of”. It seems to be consistent with pointing to Melchizedek as a “Type” to represent Jesus, and most likely Jesus, pre-incarnate (given the attributes of Melchizedek). It should be noted, however, that God does refer to “similitudes” (דָּמָה (dāmâ))^H1819 in the Hebrew Old Testament as we read in Hosea 12:10, “I have also spoken by the prophets, and I have multiplied visions, and used similitudes, by the ministry of the prophets.”

Hebrews 8:5, “Who serve unto the example (ὑπόδειγμα (hypodeigma))^G5262 and shadow (σκιά (skia))^G4639 of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle: for, See, saith he, [that] thou make all things according to the pattern τύπος (typos)^G5179 shewed to thee in the mount.“

Hebrews 9:8&9, “The Holy Ghost this signifying, that the way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest, while as the first tabernacle was yet standing:  Which [was] a figure [Note that this is from the original Greek word (παραβολή (parabolē))^G3850 which is most often translated as “parable“] for the time then present, in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices, that could not make him that did the service perfect, as pertaining to the conscience;“

Hebrews 9:23, “It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things (ὑπόδειγμα (hypodeigma))^G5262 in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.“

Hebrews 9:24, “For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures (ἀντίτυπος (antitypos))^G499 of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us:“

Hebrews 10:1, “For the law having a shadow (σκιά (skia))^G4639 of good things to come, [and] not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect.“

Colossians 2:16-17, “Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath [days]:  Which are a shadow (σκιά (skia))^G4639 of things to come; but the body [is] of Christ.“

In 1 Timothy 1:16 we see how Paul was used of God as a “pattern” for a sinner saved by grace, “Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, for a pattern (ὑποτύπωσις (hypotypōsis)) ^G5296to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting.”

Hosea 12:10, “I have also spoken by the prophets, and I have multiplied visions, and used similitudes (דָּמָה (dāmâ))^H1819, by the ministry of the prophets.”

1 Corinthians 10:6, “¶Now these things were our examples (which in the original Greek is τύπος (typos)^G5179 meaning “types”), to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted.“

1 Corinthians 10:11, “Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples (which in the original Greek is τύπος (typos)^G5179 meaning “types”): and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.” 

Romans 15:4, “For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.“

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Chapter 5: Understanding God’s Word, the Bible: God’s Word is a Mystery!

1 Corinthians, Chapter 2, Addresses the Mystery

In 1 Corinthians 2 (the whole chapter) we learn more of the means of understanding God’s Holy Word, the Bible:

a) in verse 2, “For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.”

b) in verse 5, “that your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.“

c) in verse 7+8, “But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, [even] the hidden [wisdom], which God ordained before the world unto our glory:  Which none of the princes of this world knew:…“

d) in verse 10, “But God hath revealed [them] unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.“

e) in verse 13, “Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth: comparing spiritual things with spiritual.“

f) in verse 14, “But the natural man (everyone in the unsaved state) receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know [them], because they are spiritually discerned.“

In John 6:63 we read, “It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, [they] are spirit, and [they] are life.“

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Chapter 6: God the Holy Spirit Is The Means by Which “Parables” and “Dark Sayings” Are To Be Understood

Definition of the Word “Parable”

The Bible tells us that a “parable” is something that is not obvious, and hence hidden from open view, or is concealed or “secret”. In the New Testament, in the original Greek, the word translated as “parable” is παραβολή (parabolē)^G3850. That Greek word is a composite of “pará“, meaning “alongside”, and “bállō“, meaning “to cast“. A parable is, by interpretation, a familiar thing which is cast, or put alongside, that which is unknown or concealed, and is essentially the same as “similitude” or “likeness” and a “thing serving as a figure of something else“. 

In the Old Testament, the word in the original Hebrew text that is most often translated into English as “parable” is מָשָׁל (māšāl)^H4912 (and which is also translated as “proverb”, e.g the Book of “Proverbs” is the Book of Māšāl). Either way it is translated, מָשָׁל (māšāl)^H4912 is defined as a “metaphorical adage requiring mental action.”

The Purpose of Parables: Jesus Always Spoke in Parables to the Multitudes

The Bible makes it clear that Jesus always spoke in “parables”to the multitudes.  Jesus deliberately spoke in parables so that those who only had carnal ears and eyes, would hear, and not understand; and see, and not perceive. In Matthew 13:34&5 we read that: ”All these things spake Jesus unto the multitude in parables (παραβολή (parabolē))^G3850;  and without a parable (παραβολή (parabolē))^G3850 spake he not unto them:  That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, I will open my mouth in parables (παραβολή (parabolē))^G3850; I will utter things which have been kept secret* from the foundation of the world.” (and Jesus was referring back to the prophetic statement we find in Psalm 78:2, “I will open my mouth in a parable: I will utter dark sayings of old:”)

*Note: The word translated as “secret” used here derives from a Greek word κρύπτω (kryptō) ^G2928, that means “to conceal or hide”.

So let us look closer at Psalm 78:1&2, where God calls upon all believers to, “Give ear, O my people, [to] my law: incline your ears to the words of my mouth.  I will open my mouth in a parable (מָשָׁל (māšāl))^H4912: I will utter dark sayings* (חִידָה (ḥîḏâ)) ^H2420 of old:”

It is particularly noteworthy that in Psalm 78:2, this Hebrew word translated as “parable” is also placed together with another word that is translated as “dark sayings“. The word in the original Hebrew text that is translated into English as “dark sayings” is חִידָה (ḥîḏâ) ^H2420 (also used as “riddle“, “dark sentences” or “dark speech“) means “hard question, riddle, enigma, or puzzle. There are a number of cases where God uses these same two Hebrew words, which are translated here in English as “parable” and a “riddle“, in conjunction to show that they are essentially synonymous. These verses are quite profound!

• Psalm 49:4, “I will incline mine ear to a parable (מָשָׁל (māšāl))^H4912: I will open my dark saying ((חִידָה (ḥîḏâ))^H2420 upon the harp.“
• Proverbs 1:5&6, “A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels: To understand a proverb (מָשָׁל (māšāl))^H4912, and the interpretation; the words of the wise, and their dark sayings (חִידָה (ḥîḏâ)). ^H2420“
• Ezekiel 17:2, “Son of man, put forth a riddle (חִידָה (ḥîḏâ)) ^H2420, and speak a parable (מָשָׁל (māšāl))^H4912 unto the house of Israel;“

But is it not interesting that in Psalm 78, immediately after declaring that the speaker would utter a “parable” and “dark sayings of old”, that only a straightforward Biblical historical account is provided! One might reasonably ask…Why is that? The answer is that it is because the historical account itself is a parable (or riddle or allegory), and it is therefore also an “Historical Parable“…in Psalm 78 points to the Person and Work of the Lord Jesus Christ throughout time and space! And it was therefore most certainly not written to be “plainly” understood.

Moreover, dear reader, please be aware that Job also spoke in a parable, as we are told in both Job 27:1 and Job 29:1. And a careful spiritual scrutiny of Job Chapter 28 makes clear that Job was serving as a “Type” of the Lord Jesus Christ in that parable precisely as crafted by God the Holy Spirit.

Jesus Expounded/Explained the Parables to His Disciples

But Jesus did expound the parables to His disciples. In Mark 4:34, we read, “But without a parable spake he not unto them: and when they were alone, he expounded all things to his disciples.”

Jesus explained to His disciples why He spoke in parables to the multitudes.  In Mark 4:11&12, we read: “And he said unto them, Unto you (the elect) it is given to know the mystery*** of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without (the non-elect), all [these] things are done in parables:  That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and [their] sins should be  forgiven them.“(God reiterates this explanation in Isaiah 6:9&10, John 9:39&40, and Acts 28:26-28… PLEASE read these verses to see the perfect reinforcement that they provide).

* From the Hebrew word חִידָה (ḥîḏâ) ^H2420 (also used as dark sentences or speech) meaning “hard question, riddle, enigma, or puzzle,”  and is synonymous with the word “proverb” or “parable”. But the word that is translated into English as “parable” is derived from Hebrew word “masal” מָשָׁל (māšāl)^H4912 which has the meaning of a “metaphorical adage requiring mental action.”  Ezekiel 17:2 tells us that a parable and a riddle are essentially the same, “Son of man, put forth a riddle (חִידָה (ḥîḏâ)) ^H2420, and speak a parable (מָשָׁל (māšāl))^H4912 unto the house of Israel;“

** The word “secret” here  derives from a Greek word κρύπτω (kryptō) ^G2928, that means “to conceal or hide”.

*** Note that in the New Testament, “mystery” derives from a Greek word μυστήριον (mystērion) ^G3466 that means something that is hidden, secret, a mystery, a hidden purpose or counsel of God: the secret counsels which govern God in dealing with the righteous, which are hidden from ungodly and wicked men, but plain to the godly. Something which imposes silence by shutting the mouth. Note how this ties in with Ephesians 6:19 “And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery ^G3466 of the gospel,” and Colossians 1:26 “[Even] the mystery^G3466  which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints:“

The point being that, when Jesus spoke, the “plain” earthly meaning was insufficient for the vast majority of his hearers (those who were not to be counted among God’s Elect) to understand the “spiritual” or “heavenly” meaning.  What Jesus said was effectively given in the form of a “riddle”, and hence having a “hidden” or “secret” meaning. The exposition of the Bible’s parables comes from God Alone, and through His Holy Spirit Alone, and not from the wisdom of men.  

One might then ask, “Oh really? If a Biblical parable, or riddle, is expounded publicly, then why would not everyone immediately understand the riddle? Would not the exposition thereby have defeated the stated intended purpose of the parable?”  

The answer is an absolute NO!  We know this because Jesus did expound and explain the meanings of at least two of His parables to everyone in the world (at least to everyone who reads the Bible), because those expositions are provided to us in the Bible (the “Parable of the Sower” and the “Parable of the Wheat and the Tares“).  Nonetheless, even when the heavenly/spiritual meaning is provided to everyone and anyone by Jesus Himself, in a seemingly plainly understood way, the non-elect will still not perceive or understand with their hearts and they will remain in their unsaved state of having rejected the Gospel of Salvation. The proof can be found here: Matthew 13:14, Mark 4:12, and Acts 28:26. Please Also see: The  Hearing Ear and the Seeing Eye.

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Chapter 7: The Unveiling (Unlocking) of The Mystery is God’s Work Alone!

In 2 Peter 1:20&21, we are told, “Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.  For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake [as they were] moved by the Holy Ghost.“, and in 2 Peter 2:1&2, “But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.  And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of.”  These verses are saying that if anyone gives forth an interpretation out of their own intellect or from the carnal minds of others that have taught them, they are false teachers and the truth is not in them.  (Even more ominous, they will receive the greater condemnation from God for that sin.)  But how are we to know which interpretation is out of a man’s mind as opposed to what God is really saying?  God provides us the answer, out of His Word, the Bible, as follows:

The Bible Is a Spiritual Book

Referring again back to 1 Corinthians 2:13, we read, “Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.“  And we know from 2 Samuel 23:2, “The spirit of the LORD spake by me, and his word [was] in my tongue.”  Clearly the word of God, the Bible, is spiritual, as it was written under the direction of the Holy Spirit.  So if we want to learn the true meaning of any verse, then we need to compare scripture with scripture (spiritual things with spiritual).  Furthermore, any revelation of truth from God’s word (which can only come through the use of this methodology) is solely the work of the Holy Spirit.  That is why in1 John 2:27 we read, “But the anointing (of the Holy Spirit) which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.”  This is entirely consistent with what we read in John 16:13, “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, [that] shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.” See also

John 15:26&27, “¶But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me: And ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me from the beginning. 

Note that in John 14:17 that we also read, “[Even] the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.” and in 1 John 4:6, “We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.”)

The Gift of the Holy Spirit is Required

The Bible requires spiritual insight to understand it.  That faculty is only obtained as a Gift from God, through the indwelling (or anointing) of His Holy Spirit, The “Spirit of Truth“.  That action is God’s alone, and is synonymous with the Gift of salvation (Acts 5:32, “And we are his witnesses of these things; and [so is] also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him.“).  Just as salvation is a Gift of God (Ephesians 2:8, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: [it is] the gift of God:“) so are our spiritual eyes and ears a Gift of God (because we have His Spirit in us witnessing to our spirit). 

That is why we read in Proverbs 20:12, “The hearing ear, and the seeing eye, the LORD hath made even both of them.”  We must have been given the wisdom of God, by God. (James 1:5, “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all [men] liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.“)  This will come when we are truly seeking Him (because He first sought us, see John 6:44) and fear (have reverential awe of) Him.  We are told in Psalm 111:10 that, “The fear of the LORD [is] the beginning of wisdom:“, and in Proverbs 1:7, “The fear of the LORD [is] the beginning of knowledge: [but] fools despise wisdom and instruction.”  The more we study God’s word, the Bible, the more, by God’s grace, our faith grows and the spiritually wiser we can become.  In Romans 10:17, we find that, “faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”  Furthermore, in Isaiah 50:4, we read, “The Lord GOD hath given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to [him that is] weary: he wakeneth morning by morning, he wakeneth mine ear to hear as the learned.” (This is also consistent with Psalm 40:5&6, “Many, O Lord my God, are thy wonderful works which thou hast done, and thy thoughts which are to us-ward: they cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee: if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered. Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou opened: burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required.”…and immediately following in Psalm 40:7-9, the messianic verses talk about Jesus coming in the volume of the book (the Bible) and His fulfilling work and finishing sacrifice as the sole means by which only we can hope to obtain God’s Salvation.)

Side Note:  It is quite interesting to find in Exodus chapter 31, when God looked for a man of wisdom and understanding and knowledge, that God told Moses the following starting in verses 2-5: “See, I have called by name Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah: and I have filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship, to devise cunning works, to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass, and in cutting of stones, to set them, and in carving of timber, to work in all manner of workmanship.”

God called the man and and God filled the man with His Holy Spirit in order for that man to have “wisdom” and “understanding” and “knowledge” to do the service of the Lord in the building of God’s Holy Habitation (represented by the earthly tabernacle).  It is a parable that we must heed, because, just as we are told in Psalm 127:1, “¶Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it, except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.” That house (and city) represents the Church, as Jesus said in Matthew 16:18, “And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”

BTW…Bezaleel (which means “In the shadow of God”; i.e., “under his protection”), the son of Uri (which means “my light”), the son of Hur (no known definition, but from the Bible (Exodus 17:10-12) we know that Hur was the only other person to accompany Moses and Aaron up the hill and helped Aaron in supporting Moses’ arms), of the tribe of Judah (meaning “Praised” and Jesus was from the tribe of Judah ).  We see therefore that Bezaleel ultimately represents the Lord Jesus Christ.

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Chapter 8:  The Gospel of Jesus Christ is The Mystery, and The Hidden Wisdom, Kept Secret Since the World Began

Proverbs 1:20-23 tells us that, “Wisdom crieth without; she uttereth her voice in the streets: She crieth in the chief place of concourse, in the openings of the gates: in the city she uttereth her words, saying, How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge? Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you.“  (Note: Although the female gender is clearly in view here, we should remember that the Church is referred to as the “Bride of Christ” and she, as the Body of Christ, declares Jesus Christ, Who Is Wisdom. Please also see the Proverbs Chapter 8 study.)

We know this because of what we read in 1 Corinthians 1:30, which describes Jesus Christ as Being Wisdom,(“But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:“). Then in 1 Corinthians 2:7 (“But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory:“) is really saying, “We speak Jesus Christ in a mystery.”  This is a repetition of 1 Corinthians 1:18 (“For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.“), which says that those who are perishing (the unsaved) do not truly understand Jesus is the Savior they need.  Those who are saved do know who He is, for they see Him in the Bible (John 5:39, where Jesus said, “Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.“). 

To confirm that this is not man’s interpretation but God’s, all we have to do is look at Romans 16:25, which reads, “Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began,“.  Additional support is found in Colossians 2:2&3, where we read, “… to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God (God the Holy Spirit, Who reveals the mystery), and of the Father (God the Father), and of Christ (God the Son, Jesus);  In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”  The believers can see how God pre-figured Jesus and salvation through Him alone in all the Old Testament historical accounts (doing the Will of God the Father by the Power of the Holy Spirit).  Such examples can be found when we look at the lives of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Joshua, Barak, Boaz, David, Mordecai, Nehemiah, Jonah, Job, etc.  However, for the rest (the non-elect unsaved who are spiritually blind), such wisdom is “hidden,” because God hides the truth of the Gospel of Salvation through Jesus Christ from them (God leaves them in their blindness!). This is made unmistakably clear in 2 Corinthians 4:3, “But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:“

It should also be noted that at the very end of time the mystery of God will be finished (fulfilled) as we read in Revelation 10:7, “But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets.“

            It should also be noted that the Book of Revelation begins with the words, “The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified [it] by his angel unto his servant John:“.  A few verses later, in Revelation 1:8, Jesus declares that, “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.“

             The Book of Revelation is God’s revealed summary testimony of the previously veiled gospel plan to glorify Himself through Jesus Christ’s victory over Satan, sin, death, and hell.  He reviews His loving, gracious gospel plan to make ready a people (His Church) to worship Him in spirit and in truth.  It emphasizes that the consummation of this already effectuated gospel plan will take place very soon in the historical time context.

Where is Wisdom Found?

In Job 28 we read of Job’s “parable” (Yes, Job spoke in a “parable”, see: Job 27:1 and Job 29:1) regarding where Wisdom can be found…Job 28:12 &13, raises the question, “But where shall wisdom be found? and where [is]the place of understanding? Man knoweth not the price thereof; neither is it found in the land of the living.” This is reiterated in Job 28:20&21,”Whence then cometh wisdom? and where [is] the place of understanding? Seeing it is hid from the eyes of all living, and kept close from the fowls of the air.”  Note that it is “hid” from the eyes of all living…it is hidden from all of mankind…EXCEPT to those God chooses to reveal.  Those are God’s chosen, the elect of God!

God Knows Where Wisdom Is Found and He Declares It to Mankind

Regarding “Wisdom”, in Job 28:23 we read, “God understandeth the way thereof, and he knoweth the place thereof. For he looketh to the ends of the earth, [and] seeth under the whole heaven; To make the weight for the winds; and he weigheth the waters by measure. When he made a decree for the rain, and a way for the lightning of the thunder: Then did he see it, and declare it; he prepared it, yea, and searched it out. And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that [is] wisdom; and to depart from evil [is] understanding.“

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Chapter 9:  Diligently Seeking and Searching for Jesus Christ

            In the Introduction to this paper it was shown how God makes it clear that we are to seek Him, and seek Him diligently.  In Proverbs 2:1, we read where God says, “My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee;  So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, [and] apply thine heart to understanding;  Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, [and] liftest up thy voice for understanding;  If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as [for] hid treasures;  Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God.” 

Note well this correlates with what we find in Job 28:14-19 describing Wisdom, “The depth saith, It [is] not in me: and the sea saith, [It is] not with me. It cannot be gotten for gold, neither shall silver be weighed [for] the price thereof. It cannot be valued with the gold of Ophir, with the precious onyx, or the sapphire. The gold and the crystal cannot equal it: and the exchange of it [shall not be for] jewels of fine gold. No mention shall be made of coral, or of pearls: for the price of wisdom [is] above rubies.  The topaz of Ethiopia shall not equal it, neither shall it be valued with pure gold.“

We saw in the previous section that in Jesus Christ are “hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”  Therefore, to seek out wisdom is to seek out Jesus Christ.  Furthermore, 1 Peter 1:10 tells us that seeking out and searching for Jesus is finding salvation and vice-versa, “Of which salvation the prophets have inquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace [that should come] unto you:  Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.”  In Hebrews 11:6 we read, “But without faith [it is] impossible to please [him]: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and [that] he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.“

Additional verses that speak to the issue of diligently seeking for Jesus include:

Psalm 119:2, Blessed [are] they that keep his testimonies, [and that] seek him with the whole heart.“

Jeremiah 29:13, “And ye shall seek me, and find [me], when ye shall search for me with all your heart.“

Isaiah 55:6, “Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:“

James 4:8, “Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse [your] hands, [ye] sinners; and purify [your] hearts, [ye] double minded.“

In Acts 17:27, we read that on Mars’ hill, in Athens, Paul informed the Greeks that God had determined for all mankind, “That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us:”  Remember what Jesus said in Matthew 7:7, “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:”  But also remember that we will never truly seek Him unless He first seeks for us, as we read in John 6:44, where Jesus says, “No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.“ which is consistent with what we read in Psalm 65:4, “Blessed [is the man whom] thou choosest, and causest to approach [unto thee, that] he may dwell in thy courts: we shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house, [even] of thy holy temple.“

 Hebrews 9:28, “So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.“

For additional insights on what it means to have spiritual ears and eyes to hear and see what God has wrought, please see: The hearing-ear-and-the-seeing-eye 

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Chapter 10:  Jesus Christ is “The Secret”

            In Amos 3:7 we read, “Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.”  A few Bible students (including this Bible teacher) had erroneously referred to this verse to argue that God will reveal the timing of Jesus’s return on Judgment Day to the believers because of the context of the preceding verse, Amos 3:6, “Shall a trumpet be blown in the city, and the people not be afraid? shall there be evil in a city, and the LORD hath not done [it]?,” (which clearly does relate to the warning of the Judgment to come).  However, we know that Jesus Christ is the personification of the Word of God.  He and His Gospel of Grace must, therefore, be the primary focus of this verse.  Could Jesus Christ be “the Secret” whom God reveals through His word, the Bible?  The word translated as “secret” (note that it is in the singular) is from the Hebrew word סוֹד (sôḏ)^H5475 in Strong’s Concordance.  Let’s look at a few other verses where this same word is found:

             Job 15:8, “Hast thou heard the secret סוֹד (sôḏ)^H5475of God? and dost thou restrain wisdom to thyself?”  (Job (who is another type of Jesus Christ) did hear the “Secret” of God, the “Secret” is the word of God Who is Jesus Christ.  Please see Matthew 17:5)

            Psalm 25:14, “The secret סוֹד (sôḏ)^H5475of the LORD [is] with them that fear him; and he will shew them his covenant”  Jesus is with those that fear God; He makes known to them His everlasting covenant which is His gospel of grace.

             Proverbs 3:32, “For the froward [is] abomination to the LORD: but his secret סוֹד (sôḏ)^H5475[is] with the righteous.“

             Proverbs 15:22, “Without counsel (סוֹד (sôḏ))^H5475 purposes are disappointed: but in the multitude of counsellors they are established.”  The word translated as “counsel” is the same word translated above as “secret,” and so we can see that without Jesus Christ there is only failure, much as we read in: Psalm 127:1, “{A Song of degrees for Solomon.} Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh [but] in vain.”

Ezekiel 13:9, “And mine hand shall be upon the prophets that see vanity, and that divine lies: they shall not be in the assembly of (סוֹד (sôḏ))^H5475 my people, neither shall they be written in the writing of the house of Israel, neither shall they enter into the land of Israel; and ye shall know that I [am] the Lord GOD.”  Again the word translated “in the assembly of” is the same word for “secret.”  Therefore, unless a prophet is in Christ, that “prophet” will see only vanity (and not Jesus Christ), and he is therefore a “false prophet”, and God’s heavy hand of judgment will abide upon him.

Psalm 64:2, “Hide me from the secret counsel (סוֹד (sôḏ))^H5475 of the wicked; from the insurrection of the workers of iniquity:” Clearly, we don’t want to fall prey to false Christs (see Matthew 24:24).

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Chapter 11:  Jesus Christ is the “Wonderful” Secret

In Judges 13:9-14, we read where the “angel” (messenger) of the Lord appeared to the mother and father of Samson.  There can be little doubt that this “angel” was actually the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, Who had at times appeared in human form to saints of Old Testament times (Genesis 14:18, Genesis 32:30, and Judges 6:22). 

Verses 18 and 22 indicate that this messenger was Jesus. Judges 13:18, “And the angel of the LORD said unto him, Why askest thou thus after my name, seeing it [is] secret?” 

Judges 13:22, “And Manoah said unto his wife, We shall surely die, because we have seen God.”  The word “secret” in verse 18 is translated from the Hebrew word (פִּלְאִי (pil’î ))^H6383  which can also be translated as “wonderful” as we find in Psalm 139:6, “[Such] knowledge [is] too wonderful (pilee) for me; it is high, I cannot [attain] unto it.”  It is also derived from the prime root word פָּלָא (pālā’) ^H6381 and closely linked to the companion word פֶּלֶא (pele’)^H6382 that are also both translated as “wonderful,” or “wondrous.”

In Isaiah 9:6, God declares in this well known prophesy of the first coming of Jesus Christ that, “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 (פֶּלֶא (pele’)^H6382), Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father*, The Prince of Peace.“

*NOTE the intimacy between Jesus and The everlasting Father that is reiterated later in: John 14:9, “Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou [then], Shew us the Father?” John 10:30, “I and [my] Father are one.” 1 John 5:7, “For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.“

It is not surprising therefore that we read in:

Psalm 119:129,  “Thy testimonies [are] wonderful (פֶּלֶא (pele’)^H6382: therefore doth my soul keep them.

Psalm 119:18, “Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous (פָּלָא (pālā’)^H6381) things out of thy law.” 

Psalm 119:27, “Make me to understand the way of thy precepts: so shall I talk of thy wondrous (פָּלָא (pālā’)^H6381) works. (NOTE: The “angel” that appeared to Samson’s parents also did “wondrously” (פָּלָא (pālā’)^H6381) in Judges 13:19.)

The prayer of all mankind should be that God might deal “wonderfully” with them and grant them the eyes to see the Person of Jesus Christ in the scriptures of the Bible; to understand or know Jesus Christ (Who is “the Way”) as Savior and Lord; to talk of, or declare, the gospel of salvation effectuated by the work of Jesus Christ; and, in Christ, to keep (desire to be obedient to) Jesus’ commandments.

Joel 2:26, “And ye shall eat in plenty, and be satisfied, and praise the name of the LORD your God, that hath dealt wondrously (פָּלָא (pālā’)^H6381) with you: and my people shall never be ashamed.“

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Chapter  12: The Saving Knowledge of Jesus Christ is Hidden From the Non-Elect

The Old Testament is replete with examples of how God prevents the non-elect from seeing the Spiritual Truth and Wisdom that are reserved for the Elect of God, Jesus’ Eternal Church.

One example can be found in Isaiah 29:10-12, which is primarily a testimony by God against the prophets, seers, and rulers (the Priests and Pharisees, the “learned ones”) who during the Old Testament era claimed to understand the word of God, the Bible, but who really had no understanding at all.  Today also, in the New Testament era (when so many new Bible translations/interpretations have become available that have tampered with God’s Word) many theologians, academicians, and religious leaders who claim to have an understanding of the Bible, nonetheless lack the spiritual insight to separate truth from error whereby they preach a “false gospel”.  To all of them, this “book” is still “sealed,” even though they may be “learned” men.  They neither desire nor seek righteousness by grace through Jesus Christ alone, but rather by their own efforts, through either the keeping of the Law or pursuing/pushing a “false gospel” using false doctrines.   We have, for example, some who are called “dispensationalists”, who claim that there is more than one Gospel, as though the Jews are still under a works gospel and the Gentiles under grace. Such thinking identifies them as “false prophets”, and the Light of Christ is not in them.  They do not have the Holy Spirit to guide them to the Truth (Jesus Christ) that leads to eternal life.  They are “spiritually blind” and therefore still dead in their sins and under the wrath of God.  Such false teachers will all be destroyed in Hell on Judgment Day. Matthew 15:14 makes clear that we are to, “Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.” The ditch (or pit) is a Biblical metaphor for Hell. See also the Sealed Book.

As was pointed out earlier, in Proverbs 25:2 we read, “[It is] the glory of God to conceal a thing (“word,” thus: Jesus Christ): but the honour of kings [is] to search out a matter (“word,” thus: Jesus Christ).”  The word translated as “conceal” is from the Hebrew word סָתַר (sāṯar) ^H5641 in Strong’s Concordance.  It is the same word as found just above in Psalm 64:2 that is translated as “hide.”  It can also be translated as “secret,” as is found in: Deuteronomy 29:29, “The secret (סָתַר (sāṯar)) ^H5641 [things belong] unto the LORD our God: but those [things which are] revealed [belong] unto us and to our children for ever, that [we] may do all the words of this law.“

in Daniel 2:20-22, “¶Daniel answered and said, Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever: for wisdom and might are his: And he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding: He revealeth the deep and secret things: he knoweth what [is] in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with him.” God gives wisdom to those who are already wise, and knowledge to those who already have understanding. God reveals the deep and secret things that are hidden within the scriptures to the believer! Hallelujah! Praise God from Whom all blessings flow!

Remember what we are also later told in Daniel 2:28-30 [being aware that the word in Hebrew is רָז (rāz)^H7328, which means “to conceal” or “secret” and is taken from Aramaic, and therefore only appears in the Book of Daniel]: “But there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets (רָז (rāz))^H7328, 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; As for thee, O king, thy thoughts came [into thy mind] upon thy bed, what should come to pass hereafter: and he that revealeth secrets (רָז (rāz))^H7328 maketh known to thee what shall come to pass. But as for me, this secret (רָז (rāz))^H7328 is not revealed to me for [any] wisdom that I have more than any living, but for [their] sakes that shall make known the interpretation to the king, and that thou mightest know the thoughts of thy heart.” Anyone who has ever been granted the privilege of spiritual understanding of the Bible, God’s Holy Word and by it the knowledge of The Father and The Son, will readily assent to this declaration by Daniel.

We should also think back to what Joseph said to Pharaoh’s butler and baker who were in prison with him in Genesis 40:8, “And they said unto him, We have dreamed a dream, and [there is] no interpreter of it. And Joseph said unto them, [Do] not interpretations [belong] to God? tell me [them], I pray you.“

In Isaiah 45:15 we read, “Verily thou [art] a God that hidest (סָתַר (sāṯar)) ^H5641 thyself, O God of Israel, the Saviour.”  This is why the prayer of the believer is found in Psalm 27:9, “Hide (סָתַר (sāṯar)) ^H5641 not thy face [far] from me; put not thy servant away in anger: thou hast been my help; leave me not, neither forsake me, O God of my salvation.” and Psalm 119:18&19, “Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law.  I [am] a stranger in the earth: hide סָתַר (sāṯar)) ^H5641 not thy commandments from me.” and in Psalm 143:7, “Hear me speedily, O LORD: my spirit faileth: hide סָתַר (sāṯar)) ^H5641 not thy face from me, lest I be like unto them that go down into the pit (Hell).

New Testament Corroboration

The New Testament provides additional insight into this issue of God, and His “secret things“, being hidden from all those except the believers (the “elect”* of God…those whom He Wills to save).  Not everyone “understands”. To most people, the Word of God is hidden, because there are only a few who have been granted the “ears to hear and the eyes to see.” Please listen carefully to the words of Jesus’ joyful prayer to God The Father…

Matthew 11:25-27, “¶At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes. Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in thy sight. All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal [him.]“

Similarly in Luke 10:21&22, ““In that hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit, and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes: even so, Father; for so it seemed good in thy sight.  All things are delivered to me of my Father: and no man knoweth who the Son is, but the Father; and who the Father is, but the Son, and [he] to whom the Son will reveal [him].“

But please note carefully what Jesus said to His disciples “privately” in the very next two verses in  Luke 10:23&24, ¶And he turned him unto [his] disciples, and said privately, Blessed are the eyes which see the things that ye see: For I tell you, that many prophets and kings have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen [them]; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard [them].” The disciples (as “babes“) were able to see and hear, while to others, to the “wise and prudent” of the world, all these things remain “hid“. To them the Bible is a sealed book, and the knowledge of The Son and The Father is only revealed to the few to whom The Son chooses. As a result, there are very few who fully understand the profound significance of this hard teaching. Please see also the study on Isaiah Chapter 29: “A Book that is Sealed“. 

The Saving Knowledge of Jesus Christ is Revealed to God’s Elect

In John 14:21, Jesus states, “He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest (from the Greek ἐμφανίζω (emphanizō) ^G1718 meaning to “disclose”, “declare plainly”, “reveal“, or “make known” ) myself to him.”

For the believers, God makes His words (the Bible) “plain”, as we find in Proverbs 8:8, “All the words of my mouth [are] in righteousness; [there is] nothing froward or perverse in them.  They [are] all plain to him that understandeth, and right to them that find knowledge.”  For the non-elect, God’s words are “hidden”.  2 Corinthians 4:3 states, “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.”  Ephesians 3:9, “And to make all [men] see what [is] the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:” Colossians 1:25, “Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God;  [Even] the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest (made known or revealed)to his saints:”  Colossians 2:2, “That their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ;  In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.“

*NOTE: Regarding the issue of election, remember that Jesus also prayed in John 17:9, “I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine.  And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them.”  While it is correct to understand that Jesus was referring specifically to His disciples at that point, we later read in the same chapter, in John 17:20, “Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; That they all may be one; as thou, Father, [art] in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.”  For more on this issue, please read Romans, chapter 9, particularly verses 11-24; and Romans, chapter 11, particularly verses 5-8.

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Chapter 13:  “The Testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of Prophesy” (as Guided by The “Spirit of Truth”*)

We also learn that if anyone is a true prophet (one who is declaring God’s word faithfully), then certain criteria must also be met.  All true believers, who are today’s the true prophets, must have the testimony of Jesus Christ, and no one else.  That is why we read in Revelation 19:10, “And I fell at his feet to worship him.  And he said unto me, See [thou do it] not: I am thy fellow servant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”! 

You see the Bible is the word of God, and Jesus Christ is both God and the Word made flesh (See particularly John 1:1 and John 1:14).  Revelation 19:13 reiterates this point, “And he (Jesus Christ) [was] clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his (Jesus’s) name is called The Word of God.”   Note also that they must have the anointing of the Holy Spirit, Who we read about in John 15:26, Jesus told His disciples, “¶But when the Comforter (the Holy Ghost or the Holy Spirit) is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, [even] the Spirit of truth*, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me (Jesus Christ):” and also John 14:16-18, “And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.“

*The Spirit of Truth

John 15:26, “But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, [even] the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:

John 16:13, “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, [that] shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.

1 John 4:6, “We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.”

1 John 5:6, “This is he that came by water and blood, [even] Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth.“

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Chapter 14:  The Whole Bible (From Genesis to Revelation) Is About Jesus Christ and God’s Salvation Plan Through Him Alone! That is the True Gospel of Grace!  God Makes This Point Clearly and Unequivocally in the New Testament!

            In John 5:39, we read where Jesus was admonishing the Jews and said, “Search the scriptures (only the Old Testament in that day); for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me“. In John 5:45 &46, we read, “Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father: there is [one] that accuseth you, [even] Moses, in whom ye trust.  For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me.”  Also in Hebrews 10:7 where God explains Psalm 40:7,“Then said I, Lo, I come: in the volume of the book [it is] written of me“, as saying that the book (the Bible) is talking about Jesus Christ, “Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God.” The “me” in all the above is unequivocally referring only to Jesus Christ!

             Remember also in Luke 24:27 where Jesus, after His resurrection, was walking on The Road to Emmaus with the two companion disciples who did not recognize Him.  There we read, “And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.”  Later on, in verses 30-32, we read of Jesus braking bread and giving it to the two disciples, “And it came to pass, as he sat at meat with them, he took bread, and blessed [it], and brake, and gave to them. And their eyes were opened, and they knew him; And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?.”   We see this repeated again later in verses 44 & 45: “And He (Jesus) said unto them, These [are] the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and [in] the prophets, and [in] the psalms, concerning me.  Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures,”

This point is also reiterated in Acts 3:18, “But those things, which God before had shewed by the mouth of all his prophets, that Christ should suffer, he hath so fulfilled.”   Again in Acts 10:43, we read where the Apostle Peter declared, “To him (Jesus Christ) give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.”  In John 1:45 we read where, “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.”  Finally, in Romans 1:1-3, we read, “Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called [to be] an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God, (Which he had promised afore by his prophets in the holy scriptures,) Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh;And declared [to be] the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:”. And remember that this is referring back one thousand years to when God was prophetically speaking to king David in 2 Samuel 7:12-14, ” ¶And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever. I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men:“

             We can see, therefore, that effectively the entire Bible has been precisely crafted by God, by His Holy Spirit, into one cohesive, consistent whole, from beginning to end and was written as a “parable,” in that only if God has given the reader “Eyes to See” can the Bible truly be understood and applied to his heart, otherwise the Word remains hidden to that individual.  It is the only way to “hear” Him (see Matthew 17:5).  Because this is so, we can also see how it should be possible to “see” the Lord Jesus Christ (He is both the Word and Wisdom) on each and every page, whether it be in the New, or Old, Testament.  In 1 Corinthians 13:12, we read, “For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.“

             Remember how Jesus taught in John 14:6 “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” and that John 10:9, “I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.” Colossians 4:3, “Withal praying also for us, that God would open unto us a door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds:” and in Matthew 7:13, Jesus also spoke these words, “Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide [is] the gate, and broad [is] the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:  Because strait [is] the gate, and narrow [is] the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.”  Finally, in John 6:44, Jesus explicitly told us that, “No man can come to me, exceptthe Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.” Jesus emphasized this later in John 6:65, “And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father.“

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Chapter 15:  The New Testament Speaks Plainly of the Gospel (“Good News”) of Jesus Christ, Which Previously Had Been Veiled in the Old Testament

            In 2 Corinthians 3:1-18, we read how God compares the New Testament to the Old Testament.  We see a clear comparison between the glorious gospel of grace (for both Jew and Gentile!) through Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life that is openly revealed by the Spirit through “great plainness of speech” to the gospel of works by man that can only lead to condemnation and eternal death, but which was nonetheless glorious because it pointed to Jesus Christ in a veiled manner and which veil was removed by the person and completed work of Jesus Christ.  “Ye are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men:  [Forasmuch as ye are] manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart.  And such trust have we through Christ to God-ward:  Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency [is] of God;  Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.  But if the ministration of death, written [and] engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which [glory] was to be done away:  How shall not the ministration of the spirit be rather glorious?  For if the ministration of condemnation [be] glory, much more doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory.  For even that which was made glorious had no glory in this respect, by reason of the glory that excelleth.  For if that which is done away [was] glorious, much more that which remaineth [is] glorious.  Seeing then that we have such hope, we use great plainness of speech:  And not as Moses, [which] put a veil over his face, that the children of Israel could not stedfastly look to the end of that which is abolished:  But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same veil untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which [veil] is done away in Christ.  But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the veil is upon their heart.  Nevertheless when it shall turn to the Lord, the veil shall be taken away.  Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord [is], there [is] liberty.  But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, [even] as by the Spirit of the Lord.“

 CONCLUSION: Salvation [is] of the LORD

             The conclusion of the matter is, only if (by the grace of God, alone) we have the Holy Spirit indwelling in our hearts (because we are called and chosen by God, and are therefore spiritually raised from the dead (“born again” by the Spirit), can our spiritual ears and eyes be opened to the hidden Truth of God (in concurrence with being given the necessary faith hope and love and the desire to be obedient to Him!).  Because that Truth is of God, and about God…then “spiritual” discernment (not carnal, earthly, human) is required.  In Romans 7:14 we read, “For we know that the law (the whole word of God, the Bible) is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin.“

Therefore, only if we are being guided by God the Holy Spirit, as a Gift according to God’s Sovereign Will and Good Pleasure, and by God’s Grace Alone, using the process of prayerfully searching and comparing scripture with scripture (comparing spiritual with spiritual) within the context of the whole Bible, can the veil be removed, such that we can begin to see Jesus Christ and His work of salvation for His people that God has inextricably interwoven throughout all His word, the Bible.  Jesus really is the Child of Promise and The Way, The Truth, and The Life.  May all who read this be as the Greeks in John 12:20&21 that came up to the feast to worship and say, “we would see Jesus.”

And please, dear reader, never forget that “Salvation is of the Lord” (Please see the study of Jonah), and “salvation” means being saved from the just penalty for one’s sins, and that penalty would, apart from salvation, require an eternity in Hell come Judgment Day.

Appendix: Understanding Parables, A Biblical Proof-Text for Typological Interpretation

            In Mark 4:10 we read that Jesus, when He had just finished telling the parable of the Sower, was asked by His disciples what the parable meant; “And when he was alone, they that were about him with the twelve asked of him the parable.”  In Mark 4:13, Jesus gave the following response, “And he said unto them, Know ye not this parable? and how then will ye know all parables?“

            Why did Jesus imply that His disciples should have known what the parable meant?  Could they have known before Jesus explained it to them?  Also, He indicated that if they did know the meaning of this parable, then they would be able to know the meaning of all parables.  What did that mean?

             When we do a word study of the Parable of the Sower, using a concordance such as Strong’s or Young’s, comparing scripture with scripture (comparing spiritual things with spiritual); we find that if we search just the Old Testament (the only scriptures available at the time of Christ), then we can derive essentially the same meaning of the parable as Jesus gave His disciples.  By applying the same principles to the rest of the Bible, trusting God’s Word, by faith, being led by The Holy Spirit, we ought to be able to learn the meaning of “all” parables.

            However, please remember that the information in this Bible Study Guide is not to be viewed as some kind of a cookbook “recipe,” by which we can automatically come to Truth.  God is Sovereign, and in complete control of the revelation of saving truth from His Word, the Bible.  Intellectual knowledge will never save anyone (it could actually add to greater condemnation).  May we never be as those God describes in 2 Timothy 3:7, “Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.”   (Remember also that Jesus is The “Truth”)

POSTSCRIPT: “He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.”

1. Spiritual Understanding Requires the Gift of The Holy Spirit

The point of this study is intended is to instruct the reader regarding the truth of how the Bible is crafted by God to reveal the spiritual Truth, which involves allegories, types, and shadows, which all consistently point to the Person and Work of the Lord Jesus Christ. And that spiritual level of understanding, which is only possible with the Gift of God the Holy Spirit, cannot be perceived with carnal eyes.

2. The Bible Is True and Trustworthy

The events recorded in the Bible are not myths or legends upon which the gospel message is derived.  All of the historical events recorded (including all of the Old Testament narratives) are literal, and can be trusted as true facts.  From those historical facts we can derive moral lessons.  The Bible also contains specific laws and codes of conduct that provide the best means to govern and benefit human society.  The framers of the United States Constitution wisely drew heavily on those lessons and laws. The proverbs teach us valuable moral lessons.  While such lessons will certainly benefit anyone in this temporal earthly life, neither a knowledge of biblical historical facts, or biblical morality through obedience to God’s laws, will bring that person to salvation.  Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of all of the historical events, moral lessons, and Levitical laws and ordinances, which are all only temporal/earthly “types” and “shadows,” and therefore have no lasting substance in themselves. The historical events that are found in the Bible, which are all factual and actually occurred, were precisely recorded/inscribed crafted by God, The Holy Spirit, in the Bible to convey spiritual truth, and are all, therefore “historical parables“.

3. The Whole Bible Is a Parable in One Form or Another

The majority of the Bible (both the Old and New Testaments) contains a variety of parables, including historical and geographical parables, which, in one way or another, all point to the Person and Work of the Lord Jesus Christ  We know from Proverbs 1:5 that, “A wise [man] will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels: To understand a proverb, and the interpretation; the words of the wise, and their dark sayings. The fear of the LORD [is] the beginning of knowledge: [but] fools despise wisdom and instruction.” And Jesus spoke in parables so that those who only had carnal eyes, would see and not perceive, and moreover, in John 3:12, “If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you [of] heavenly things?“

4. The Bible Is All About The Person and Work of the Lord Jesus Christ

Therefore, only if we are being guided by God the Holy Spirit, as a Gift according to God’s Sovereign Will and Good Pleasure and by God’s Grace Alone, using the process of prayerfully searching and comparing scripture with scripture (comparing spiritual with spiritual) within the context of the whole Bible, can the veil be removed, such that we can begin to see Jesus Christ and His work of salvation for His people that God has inextricably interwoven throughout all His word, the Bible.  Jesus really Is the Child of Promise and The Way, The Truth, and The Life.  May all who read this be as the Greeks in John 12:20&21 that came up to the feast to worship and say, “we would see Jesus.”  

Eternal salvation is only a Gift of Grace by God obtainable through the hearing of, and responding repentant faith in, the Gospel of Jesus Christ for God’s purpose to build up the Eternal Church, the Kingdom of God.

A Final Admonition

The Apostle Paul warns us regarding the knowledge the God endows to the believer in 1 Corinthians 13:1– “Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity (love), I am become [as] sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have [the gift] of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity (love), I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed [the poor], and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity (love), it profiteth me nothing. ¶Charity (love) suffereth long, [and] is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,“. And moreover we are further admonished in 1 Corinthians 8:1, “…Knowledge puffeth up, but charity (love) edifieth.”

Amos 8:11, “Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD:“

There is a Spiritual Famine in Our World Today!

To say the least, we are living in unusual times, which are not at all unlike those spoken of by God to the prophet Amos (see above). Everyone is aware of the ills facing our world today…wars, famines, pestilences, natural disasters, political and economic turmoil, rampant crime and violence, and now, particularly, the abominable sexual perversions, including towards children. But there is more going on behind the scenes of which few are aware. That is that there is little speaking of, or the hearing of, God’s Word. That is the famine that needs to be considered.

In our world today, sin is not only not being punished, it is rather being tolerated, and moreover, even promoted! This is because God is bringing a judgment against our world in the form of Tribulation. There is a dearth in the world with respect to hearing God’s Word. It is a literal, spiritual FAMINE!

Literal physical famines are described many times in the Bible, for example: Genesis 12:10, Genesis 26:1, Genesis 47:4, Ruth 1:1, 2 Kings 25:3, Jeremiah 44:13. But the famine that we now find ourselves in is different. The world is being starved for lack of hearing the true Gospel of Salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ. Biblical Christianity is increasingly being besmirched, while false religions and gospels are being growing in adherence. The Bible is now banned from nearly all schools and almost all public discourse.

Nonetheless, there is still a remnant of believers remaining faithful to God’s Word as we read in Luke 4:25&26, Jesus was teaching in the synagogue in Nazareth, “But I tell you of a truth, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elias, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when great famine was throughout all the land; But unto none of them was Elias sent, save unto Sarepta, [a city] of Sidon, unto a woman [that was] a widow.” Jesus was referring back to the famine spoken of regarding Elijah in 1 Kings 17:8-16.

Psalm 37:18&19, “The LORD knoweth the days of the upright: and their inheritance shall be for ever. They shall not be ashamed in the evil time: and in the days of famine they shall be satisfied.“

Psalm 37:25&26, “I have been young, and [now] am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread. [He is] ever merciful, and lendeth; and his seed [is] blessed.“

The Great Tribulation is the Greatest Famine of All Time

And as for this world, God refers to it as “the Great Babylon” at the end of time in the Book of Revelation (at the end of the Bible), in Revelation 18:23), “And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived. And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth.”

The Bridegroom is The LORD Jesus Christ and the bride is the Eternal Church of God, and at the end of time, during the Great Tribulation (when the devil is loosed for “a little season” Revelation 20:3), the Word of God will essentially be silenced. The witnesses of God’s Truth will have been silenced and effectively killed, literally and/or figuratively. The Light of the World is Jesus Christ, and without Him, and without the hearing of Him, the world will go completely dark. The lack of “hearing” of “The Word” (which is the “True” Jesus) means that the world will be starved for the lack of hearing of God’s Word and suffer the consequences of a spiritual famine…Eternal Spiritual Death!

Conclusion: Jesus is the Bread of Life!

John 6:35 “And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.

John 6:48, “I am that bread of life.”

John 6:57&8, “As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me. This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever.“

The Lord’s Prayer

We should also keep in mind what the Lord’s Prayer is really saying. It refers not just to physical bread, but more importantly, it refers to the “spiritual bread”…the bread of life! Who Is Jesus!

Matthew 6:9-13, “After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as [it is] in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.“

Only Jesus, as contained in the Bible in its entirely, Is The Word of God and the Bread of Life, Who can sustain the believers through this Great Tribulation and help us to endure until the end, Judgment Day, when Jesus returns on the clouds of Glory to judge the world and to retrieve His Church for eternity with Him in Heaven.

Postscript: Joseph was a “Type” of Jesus Christ during the Great Famine in Genesis 41-47

Remember how, back in Genesis chapters 41-47, when there was a great physical famine, we learned the following:

Genesis 41:55-57, “And when all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread: and Pharaoh said unto all the Egyptians, Go unto Joseph; what he saith to you, do. And the famine was over all the face of the earth: And Joseph opened all the storehouses, and sold unto the Egyptians; and the famine waxed sore in the land of Egypt. And all countries came into Egypt to Joseph for to buy [corn]; because that the famine was [so] sore in all lands.“

But then, in Chapter 42 we see that Joseph’s brothers came to him from the land of Canaan to buy sustenance, Genesis 42:5&6, “And the sons of Israel came to buy [corn] among those that came: for the famine was in the land of Canaan. And Joseph [was] the governor over the land, [and] he [it was] that sold to all the people of the land: and Joseph’s brethren came, and bowed down themselves before him [with] their faces to the earth.”

Then later in Chapter 43, Genesis 43:1 ¶ “And the famine [was] sore in the land.”

However, later in Genesis 45:11 we read that Joseph, after having revealed himself to his brethren, told them that he had prepared a place for them during the famine, in the the land of Goshen (the “best of the land” in Egypt Genesis 47:6), “And there will I nourish thee; for yet [there are] five years of famine; lest thou, and thy household, and all that thou hast, come to poverty.” and finally in Chapter 47, we read in Genesis 47:12 “And Joseph nourished his father, and his brethren, and all his father’s household, with bread, according to [their] families.

Please also note that these were the same brothers that threw Joseph into the pit and sold him into slavery in Egypt. Nonetheless, Joseph, like Jesus, was merciful to them and said to them first in Genesis 45:5, “Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life.” and second in Genesis 50:19 ¶ “And Joseph said unto them, Fear not: for [am] I in the place of God? But as for you, ye thought evil against me; [but] God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as [it is] this day, to save much people alive. Now therefore fear ye not: I will nourish you, and your little ones. And he comforted them, and spake kindly unto them.” Jesus was put to death for the sins of all of God’s elect, His brethren, but God meant it for good that all those who would believe on Him would not perish, but have everlasting life.  John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.“

Introduction

Nehemiah Chapter 8 takes place in Jerusalem after the restoration of the Temple and the rebuilding of the walls of the city following the Great Captivity in Babylon roughly 450 years BC. In Nehemiah chapter 8, we read where the long forgotten word of God, the “book of the law of Moses” was brought before the people by Ezra (meaning help in time of trouble), the priest and scribe who stood before the people on a pulpit (or tower) made of wood for the purpose.

What is extremely important to note is that it takes place in the “Seventh Month”.

Nehemiah had been opposed by the enemies of the Jews, who try to thwart the work of the rebuilding of the walls of the Holy City Jerusalem with various tactics, but the wall was ultimately finished with God’s blessings just in time to observe the Feast of Tabernacles that occurs in the middle of the Seventh Month. 

Note to the Reader: This study should be viewed in conjunction with another study of Nehemiah focusing on the role of Nehemiah rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem as an allegorical “Type” of the Lord Jesus Christ building His Church, the New Jerusalem.

The key takeaway is that Nehemiah Chapter 8 is another Historical Parable that points to the finished work of Jesus Christ in the placing of all of the “lively stones” (the believers) into the walls of the New Heavenly Jerusalem that is necessary to complete that work of building His Church. Jesus tells us that the end of the world would be in harvest time in Matthew 13:39. The Feast of Tabernacles (Feast of Booths or Sukkot) is the final of the three annual solemn Feasts, which always occurs in harvest time (the Fall of the year) in the 7th month of the Hebrew lunar calendar, and represents the ingathering of the saints together into Heaven.

And dear reader, please remember that the…

1) The Feast of Passover was FULFILLED with the death of Jesus (the Lamb of God) in precisely on Passover in 33 AD,

2) The Feast of Weeks was FULFILLED with the pouring out of God the Holy Spirit precisely on Pentecost in 33 AD, but

3) The Feast of Tabernacles (Feast of Booths or Sukkot), which occurs in the middle of the 7th month (September-October) each year, has NOT YET BEEN FULFILLED.

Nehemiah Chapter 8

We read the following in Nehemiah 8:1-3, “¶And all the people gathered themselves together as one man into the street that [was] before the water gate; and they spake unto Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses, which the LORD had commanded to Israel. And Ezra the priest brought the law before the congregation both of men and women, and all that could hear with understanding, upon the first day of the seventh month. And he read therein before the street that [was] before the water gate from the morning until midday, before the men and the women, and those that could understand; and the ears of all the people [were attentive] unto the book of the law.”

Introduction

Nehemiah Chapter 8 takes place in Jerusalem after the restoration of the Temple and the rebuilding of the walls of the city following the Great Captivity in Babylon roughly 450 years BC. In Nehemiah chapter 8, we read where the long forgotten word of God, the “book of the law of Moses” was brought before the people by Ezra (meaning help in time of trouble), the priest and scribe who stood before the people on a pulpit (or tower) made of wood for the purpose.

What is extremely important to note is that it takes place in the “Seventh Month“.

Nehemiah had been opposed by the enemies of the Jews, who try to thwart the work of the rebuilding of the walls of the Holy City Jerusalem with various tactics, but the wall was ultimately finished with God’s blessings just in time to observe the Feast of Tabernacles that occurs in the middle of the Seventh Month. 

Note to the Reader: This study should be viewed in conjunction with another study of Nehemiah focusing on the role of Nehemiah rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem as an allegorical “Type” of the Lord Jesus Christ building His Church, the New Jerusalem.

The key takeaway is that Nehemiah Chapter 8 is another Historical Parable that points to the finished work of Jesus Christ in the placing of all of the “lively stones” (the believers) into the walls of the New Heavenly Jerusalem that is necessary to complete that work of building His Church. Jesus tells us that the end of the world would be in harvest time in Matthew 13:39. The Feast of Tabernacles (Feast of Booths or Sukkot) is the final of the three annual solemn Feasts, which always occurs in harvest time (the Fall of the year) in the 7th month of the Hebrew lunar calendar, and represents the ingathering of the saints together into Heaven.

And dear reader, please remember that the…

1) The Feast of Passover was FULFILLED with the death of Jesus (the Lamb of God) in precisely on Passover in 33 AD,

2) The Feast of Weeks was FULFILLED with the pouring out of God the Holy Spirit precisely on Pentecost in 33 AD, but

3) The Feast of Tabernacles (Feast of Booths or Sukkot), which occurs in the middle of the 7th month (September-October) each year, has NOT YET BEEN FULFILLED.

Nehemiah Chapter 8

We read the following in Nehemiah 8:1-3, “¶And all the people gathered themselves together as one man into the street that [was] before the water gate; and they spake unto Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses, which the LORD had commanded to Israel. And Ezra the priest brought the law before the congregation both of men and women, and all that could hear with understanding, upon the first day of the seventh month. And he read therein before the street that [was] before the water gate from the morning until midday, before the men and the women, and those that could understand; and the ears of all the people [were attentive] unto the book of the law.”

Ezra “read therein” and in verse 4, beside him stood 13 men, six at his right hand and seven at his left hand (13 total, which together with Ezra, made a total of 14). Nehemiah 8:4 ¶And Ezra the scribe stood upon a pulpit of wood, which they had made for the purpose; and beside him stood Mattithiah, and Shema, and Anaiah, and Urijah, and Hilkiah, and Maaseiah, on his right hand; and on his left hand, Pedaiah, and Mishael, and Malchiah, and Hashum, and Hashbadana, Zechariah, [and] Meshullam.” Their names provide us insights on their spiritual significance.

These 13 men and the meaning of their names are as follows:

Ezra (“Help”) is the Priest in the middle

On Ezra’s Right Hand: The God Man Is in View…The Prophet

1. Mattithiah (“Gift of God“) Romans 5:15 “But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, [which is] by one man,Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many.“
2. Shema (“Hear” or announcement (report)) John 12:38 “That the saying of Esaias the prophet might be fulfilled,which he spake, Lord, who hath believed our report?and to whom hath the arm of the Lord been revealed?“
3. Anaiah (“God Has Answered”, and that which is humble, lowly, meek, and poor or afflicted) Isaiah 53:4 “Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows:yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.“
4. Uriah (“God is My Light”) John 8:12 “Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.”
5. Hilkiah (“God is My Portion“) Psa 142:5 “I cried unto thee, O LORD: I said, Thou [art] my refuge [and] my portion in the land of the living.
6. Maaseiah (“Work of God”) John 6:29 “Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.“

On Ezra’s Left Hand: The Son of God Is in View…The King

1. Pedaiah (God Has Redeemed), rescued, ransomed) Job 19:25, “For I know [that] my redeemer liveth, and [that] he shall stand at the latter [day] upon the earth:
2. Mishael (Who is What God Is?) Psalm 18:31 “For who [is] God save the LORD? or who is a rock saveour God?
3. Malchiah (God is My King)  Psalm 47:7 “For God [is] the King of all the earth: sing ye praises with understanding.”
4. Hashum (Of great wealth, rich) Psalm 50:10 “For every beast of the forest [is] mine, [and] the cattle upon a thousand hills.“
5. Hashbadanak (Considerate Judge) Hebrews 10:30 “For we know him that hath said, Vengeance [belongeth] unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people.
6. Zechariah (God Remembers) Psalm 105:7-10, “He [is] the LORD our God: his judgments [are] in all the earth. He hath remembered his covenant for ever, the word [which] he commanded to a thousand generations.Which [covenant] he made with Abraham, and his oath unto Isaac; And confirmed the same unto Jacob for a law, [and] to Israel [for] an everlasting covenant:“
7. Meshullam (Friend) John 15:13 “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.“

From this analysis it would not be inconsistent with scripture to conclude that at Ezra’s right hand were those who God wanted to portray Jesus Christ as the man (featured by the number six, for mankind of humble birth who would be the Savior and Sacrifice and Prophet of God). On the Left hand were those who God wanted to portray as Jesus Christ as Divine (featured by the number seven, perfection) at His second coming who would return as both King and Judge. It can also be said that from the people’s point of view they had Jesus Christ portrayed in front of them as Prophet (the six at Ezra’s right hand), Priest (Ezra in the middle), and King (the seven at Ezra’s left hand) We should also remember that Ezra stood on a “pulpit” (or tower) of wood made for the purpose. Does that not bring to mind that Jesus was erected on a cross, made of wood “for the purpose”, on which Jesus was both the sacrificial Lamb of God and the High Priest Who offered the Sacrifice.

13 More Men

In Nehemiah 8:5, we read “And Ezra (representing God as our Help) opened the book in the sight of all the people; (for he was above all the people; and when he opened it all the people stood up:” and also in verse 7 that there were 13 more men (evidently tribal elders) and the Levites who”caused the people to understand the law:” In verse 8 we read, “So they read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense (meaning), and caused them to understand the reading.”

1. They read the Word “distinctly“
2. They gave the “sense“
3. They caused the people to “understand”

Those men were:

1. Jeshua (Salvation/Savior). The same as Joshua given what we read in Nehemiah 8:17 “Jeshua the sonofNun” Psalm 37:39 “But the salvation of the righteous is of the LORD: [he is] their strength in the time of trouble.” 2 Peter 3:18 “But grow in grace, and [in] the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever. Amen.”
2. Bani (My Building) “1 Corinthians 3:9-11. “For we are labourers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry, [ye are] God’s building. According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon. For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” 
3. Sherebiah (God has scorched, parched, set free) 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;
4. Jamin (Right Hand) Revelation 1:20The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches.“
5. Akkub (Supplant/usurp) We are all Jacobs, Genesis 27:36 “And he said, Is not he rightly named Jacob? for he hath supplanted me these two times: he took away my birthright; and, behold, now he hath taken away my blessing. And he said, Hast thou not reserved a blessing for me?“
6. Shabbethai (My Sabbaths, hence “Rest”) Mark 2:27 “And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath:“
7. Hodijah (God is Majesty)  Hebrews 1:3 “Who being the brightness of [his] glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;“
8. Maaseiah (Work of God) Ephesians 2:10 “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”
9. Kelita (Crippled, lacking, Assembly). Sam as Kelaiah (dishonored of God, voice of God?). Ezra 10:23 We are all by nature lacking like Mephibosheth
10. Azariah (God has Helped) Hebrews13:6 “So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.“
11. Jozabad (God has Endowed) Hosea 2:19-20 “And I will betroth thee unto me for ever; yea, I will betroth thee unto me in righteousness, and in judgment, and in lovingkindness, and in mercies.I will even betroth thee unto me in faithfulness: and thou shalt know the LORD.“
12. Hanan (Gracious/Merciful Giver) Hebrews 4:16 “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.“
13. Pelaiah (God does Wonders) Hebrews 2:4“God also bearing [them] witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will?“

It would seem that these 13 men represent all of the believers throughout time, who are viewed by God as His Eternal Church and Bride and are a viewed as a living reflection of Jesus and His attributes. Moreover all believers are commanded by Jesus in the Great Commission to go into the world and preach the gospel as we read in Mark 16:15 “And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” And, based on what we have learned in Nehemiah chapter 8, the believers should preach the Gospel/the Word

1. “distinctly“,
2. and give the “sense“,
3. and make it to be “understood“.

And in order for anyone to truly understand the Word of God, they must be gifted by God “the ears to hear and the eyes to see“.

NOTE: Jesus makes all believers “kings” and “priests”, as we read in Revelation 1:5&6 “And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.”  This is reiterated in Revelation 5:10, where we see from the preceding verses that Jesus, as the Lamb of God, has redeemed the believers by His shed blood, “And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.“

And note how consistent this is with 1 Peter 2:5, “Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.” and 1 Peter 2:9, “¶But ye [are] a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:“

Moreover, Ephesians 2:4-6, tells us, “¶ But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised [us] up together, and made [us] sit together in heavenly [places] in Christ Jesus:“

Job 36:7, “He withdraweth not his eyes from the righteous: but with kings [are they] on the throne; yea, he doth establish them for ever, and they are exalted.“

And in 1 Peter 2:9, “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light;”

Finally, please, dear reader, think about this…What did Jesus say to His disciples at the Last Supper?

In Luke 22:29&30 we read that Jesus (The “King of kings, and Lord of lords“, 1 Timothy 6:15 &Revelation 19:16) said, “And I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed unto me; That ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.“

This will be true for all believers in Heaven! Hallelujah!

Jesus Fulfilled the First Half of Isaiah 61:2 in Nazareth in Luke 4:18-21

In Luke 4:16&17 we read where Jesus came to Nazareth, Jesus’s home town, and on the sabbath day He stood up and opened the book of Isaiah (Esaias in Greek) as we read here, “And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read. And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written,“…

Jesus then began reading from Isaiah 61:1–2, “¶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; To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn;”

The reading of the above by Jesus is recounted next in Luke 4:18–21 with Jesus saying, “The Spirit of the Lord [is] upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.“

“And he closed the book, and he gave [it] again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him. And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.” 

It is clear that after Jesus had spoken “the Word”, that the eyes all the people were locked on Jesus (Jesus is the “Word made flesh” John 1:14) and Jesus spoke into their ears.

Jesus Closed the Book Half Way Through Isaiah 61:2

Very interestingly, what was not read by Jesus in the Luke account, but which is recorded in the second part of the verse of Isaiah 61:2, right after the last words that Jesus spoke before closing the book “To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD,” were the additional words that Jesus did not read, “and the day of vengeance (נָקָם (nāqām))^H5359 of our God; to comfort (נָחַם (nāḥam))^H5162 all that mourn;” 

Jesus stopped going any further before making reference to the day of God’s “vengeance” נָקָם (nāqām))^H5359, which will be Judgment Day…and it most certainly could not have been fulfilled when Jesus was reading in the Nazareth synagogue (and even not as yet, if you are still able to read this article). That Day of Vengeance (Judgment Day) is still to come…albeit shortly.

We should all pay close attention to these three points… 

1) In the Luke account, It was Jesus Who “opened the book” of Isaiah in verse 17, because it is really only Jesus, as the Son of God, Who can “open” “the book.”

Note how this is later reiterated in Revelation 5:1-9, where Jesus Is The Only One Who Is Worthy to open the “sealed” book, closed up with “seven seals” that is held by God the Father on His Throne…

“¶ And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals. And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof? And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon. And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read (ἀναγινώσκω (anaginōskō))^G314 the book, neither to look thereon. And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.

¶And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth. And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne.

¶And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four [and] twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints. 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 bloodout of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;” 

And note also that there is one remaining reference to the “open book” in Revelation 10:1 “¶And I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven, clothed with a cloud: and a rainbow [was] upon his head, and his face [was] as it were the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire:And he had in his hand a little book open: and he set his right foot upon the sea, and [his] left [foot] on the earth, And cried with a loud voice, as [when] a lion roareth: and when he had cried, seven thunders uttered their voices.”

Jesus Christ is the Lion of the Tribe of Judah Genesis 49:9. Jesus is the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world Revelation 13:8. Jesus Is The Mighty Messenger from Heaven, Who shines like the sun, and will be coming on the clouds of Glory, with the rainbow of Noah, and His feet in Judgment.

It should also be noted that it was setting was at the end of the world, because if we read a little later in Revelation 10:6&7, it says, “…that there should be time no longer: But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets.” Then the last verse says that the angel (The Messenger, Who is Jesus) had the Apostle John eat the little open book and told him that, “…Thou must prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings.” The little book is the Bible, and it is the means by which the believers prophesy the revealed mystery of the Gospel of Salvation through Jesus Christ Alone.

2) and it was Jesus Who “closed the book” half way through the second verse of Isaiah 61:2, after which Jesus said “This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.”; and 

3) The reason that Jesus “closed the book” at that point is because the rest of the verse is pointing directly to Judgment Day, at which time Jesus will bring vengeance for God’s enemies and comfort to the believers.  

Jesus had to “close the book” if He was going to say the prophesy was “fulfilled” in their ears that day! 

Jesus could not go any further in the text, and had to stop mid-verse, because Judgment Day is only going to be fulfilled at when Jesus comes back from Heaven at the “end of the world”! 

That is pretty amazing if anyone stops to think about it! 

Jesus Has the “Key of David” to Open and Close (the Book/the Bible)!

Remember also that in Revelation 3:7 we read that only Jesus has the “key of David” and Jesus Is The ONLY One Who “openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth;” 

Revelation 3:7, “¶And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth;”

And please note how perfectly this ties back to the prophecy in Isaiah 22:22, “And the key of the house of David will I lay upon his shoulder; so he shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open.“

And by the way, the two verses previous to this Isaiah 22:20&21, were indeed spiritually pointing to Jesus, as we find the following, “”And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will call my servant Eliakim the son of Hilkiah:  [Eliakim אֶלְיָקִים (‘elyāqîm)^H471 means “God raises up” (hence just like Jesus), and he is the son of Hilkiah חִלְקִיָּה (ḥilqîyâ),^H2518 meaning “Portion of Jehovah” (hence like God the Father)] And I will clothe him with thy robe [The Kingly robe of eternal rulership], and strengthen him with thy girdle [as previous], and I will commit thy government into his hand” [the eternal government under Jesus’ Authority]: and he shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to the house of Judah.”   It’s all about Jesus! Jesus made this clear and He told that the whole Bible speaks of Him. Please see how this is the case in this post: “Becoming a Berean“.

It is also interesting to note that there is at least one other believer who understood these allegories, which all point us to Jesus, because Matthew Henry, Circa 1708, wrote this exposition of Isaiah 22:23&24, “Our Lord Jesus, having the key of the house of David, is as a nail in a sure place, and all the glory of his father’s house hangs upon him, is derived from him, and depends upon him; even the meanest that belong to his church are welcome to him, and he is able to bear the stress of them all. That soul cannot perish, nor that concern fall to the ground, though ever so weighty, that is by faith hung upon Christ.”

Moreover, this is even more clear when we read in Revelation 5:5, that Only Jesus, “the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book“.

Revelation 5:5, “And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.“

And regarding God’s sovereignty, these two verses in Revelation are both also consistent with Job 11:10, “If he cut off, and shut up, or gather together, then who can hinder him?“

Comfort to the Believer

What is also a comfort for the believer, is that Jesus said that He would send the “Comforter” the “Spirit of Truth” Who would lead His sheep into “all Truth” and He would speak of Jesus (John 15:26, and John 16:13). Believers are given the promise that Jesus, through the Holy Spirit, would open the book (the Bible) for us to see Jesus.  In Luke 4, Jesus specifically said that He would open the eyes of the blind…”recovering of sight to the blind.” See also: Proverbs 25:2, Proverbs 20:12, Psalms 119:18.

And let us not forget that it was the Lord, Jesus Christ, Who OPENED Lydia’s heart in Acts 16:14, “And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, which worshipped God, heard [us]: whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul.” This entails the new birth, which includes the gift of the Holy Spirit, Who enables all understanding, as we read in 1 Corinthians 2:14-16, “But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know [them], because they are spiritually discerned. But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.“

Finally, it is most interesting that, in Isaiah 34:16, God tells us directly to read “the book” (the Bible), “Seek ye out of the book of the LORD, and read: no one of these shall fail, none shall want her mate: for my mouth it hath commanded, and his spirit it hath gathered them.”

Note to the reader: This post is excerpted in part from the-hearing-ear-and-the-seeing-eye/.

Introduction

In our world today, there are many people who claim to be followers of the Lord Jesus Christ. However, sadly, they exhibit sufficient faults in their personalities and daily life conduct, such that they can lead others to denounce and attack them for any real or perceived hypocrisy.  The end result is that it can lead many to question Christianity itself.

First we must understand some realities.  No one, no matter how devout and committed a Christian that a person might be, is ever without sin.  To begin, we need to understand that all humans are by nature sinners, as we read in Romans 3:10-20: “As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.” 

However, the true believer in Jesus Christ is nonetheless cleansed from all sin (along with freedom from the penalty for it) because Jesus paid the full price of that penalty by sacrificing Himself as we read in Romans 3:21-26,

“But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; Even the righteousness of God [which] is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth [to be] a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; To declare, [I say], at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.”

The Conflict of Two Natures

Does this mean that a true believing Christian is no longer a “sinner”?

No! 1John 1:8-10, “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us [our] sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.”

And according to Romans 7:14-25,

For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin. For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I. If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good. Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.

The Difference Between Spiritual Life and Spiritual Death

Every human being is by nature a sinner, being descended from Adam, who committed the original sin of disobedience to God in the Garden of Eden. And while physically alive, every human being is by nature “spiritually” dead.  The transition from naturally existing in spiritual death to eternal spiritual life in Jesus Christ requires the eternal life-giving empowerment of God the Holy Spirit  (which is commonly referred to as being “Born Again”).

This is why we read in Ephesians 2:1-10 whereof Paul is writing to the believers in the church of Ephesus, “And you [hath he quickened], who were dead in trespasses and sins; Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. ¶But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised [us] up together, and made [us] sit together in heavenly [places] in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in [his] kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: [it is] the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”

So, a true believing Christian differs from everyone else as being someone who, by the grace of God alone, responds to the call to repent and cries out to God for mercy through Jesus Christ and to whom God shows that mercy by granting eternal life in Jesus through Jesus’s atoning sacrifice to pay for that person’s sins. The Christian remains in a physical, natural, body, which remains under the curse of physical death. That body remains at odds, or as Paul wrote, at war, with the Holy Spirit, Who is the Gift of God, Who instills that person upon regeneration. The Christian becomes embroiled in a battle to subdue his natural inclinations that lead to sin and death.  That battle is determined to continue until physical death, or the end of the world, whichever comes first.

Christian Fruits of the Spirit

Moreover, a true Christian does not want anything to do with sin in the inward being, but rather desires to obey God, fear God, and keep His commandments.  That means the Christian will approach life differently than the unsaved of the world (those who are not true Christians) because the unsaved are not engaged in an internal war.   They are spiritually dead and therefore cannot be in opposition to the body of sin and death.

The Christian, being “rooted in Christ” (Ephesians 3:17 & Colossians 2:7), is led by the Holy Spirit of God unto good works, bearing “good fruit” by manifesting the following attributes and by leading others to eternal salvation by the Lord Jesus Christ.

Galatians 5:22 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,”

Ephesians 5:9 “(For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;)“

Matthew 7:16, “Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapesof thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down,and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.“

Romans 6:22, “But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.“

Wisdom from Above brings “Good Fruits”

James 3:13-18, “¶Who [is] a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his workswith meekness of wisdom. But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth. This wisdom descendeth not from above, but [is] earthly, sensual, devilish. For where envying and strife [is], there [is] confusion and every evil work. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, [and] easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.“

Some Hallmarks of the Christian Life

“Charity” or Brotherly Love

There are a number of instructive hallmarks for any true believing Christian. 

First and foremost, all Christians must love the Lord our God, then others as themselves. 

Matthew 22:37 ¶”Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second [is] like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.“

Among them, 1Peter 4:7-11,“But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer. And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins. Use hospitality one to another without grudging. As every man hath received the gift, [even so]  minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. If any man speak, [let him speak] as the oracles of God; if any man minister, [let him do it] as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.”

1 Timothy 1:5 “Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and [of] a good conscience, and [of] faith unfeigned: From which some having swerved have turned aside unto vain jangling;”

And regarding “charity”, it is more correctly translated in our day as meaning true brotherly “love”, 1Corinthian 13:13 ¶And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these [is] charity.

Romans 14:13, “Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumbling block or an occasion to fall in [his] brother’s way.”

Romans 15:1-2, “We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let every one of us please [his] neighbour for [his] good to edification.”

1Co 14:20 “¶ Brethren, be not children in understanding: howbeit in malice be ye children, but in understanding be men.”

Even in the Old Testament there are similar directives for a child of God. Zechariah 8:17 , “And let none of you imagine evil in your hearts against his neighbour; and love no false oath: for all these [are things] that I hate, saith the LORD.”

Lowliness and Meekness

In Ephesians 4:1-4, we are instructed by Paul, “I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. [There is] one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;“

And with regard to our “calling”, in just a bit further on we read in Ephesians 4:11-13, “¶And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; andsome, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers, For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:“

Paul writing to Titus with instructions for the establishment of churches and admonitions for the believers Titus 3:1 , “¶Put them in mind to be subject to principalities and powers, to obey magistrates, to be ready to every goodwork, To speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers, [but] gentle, shewing all meekness unto all men.“

The Christian’s Walk

Ephesians 4:25-32, “Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another. Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: Neither give place to the devil. Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour,working with [his] hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth. Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.“

Hebrews 12:14, “Follow peace with all [men], and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:“

Romans 12:18, “If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.“

Other Admonitions

A true believing Christian will be a student of the Bible to know what it contains because we know, according to 2 Timothy 3:16&17,  that, “All scripture [is] given by inspiration of God, and [is] profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.”

A Christian will strive to follow this direction as found in 2 Timothy 2:22-26, “Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart. But foolish and unlearned questions avoid, knowing that they do gender strifes. And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all [men], apt to teach, patient, In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; And [that] they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.”

A Christian is a follower of God, having child-like faith as we read in Ephesians 5:1-4, “Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour. ¶But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints; Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks.“

A Christian must exhibit brotherly love (“Charity”) because as Paul scribed in 1 Corinthians 13:1, “Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become [as] sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.”

A Christian must have reverential awe (“fear”) of the Omnipotent Holy God of creation as we read in Ecclesiastes 12:13, “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this [is] the whole [duty] of man.”

1 Timothy 6:20 “O Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding profane [and] vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called: Which some professing have erred concerning the faith. Grace be with thee. Amen.”

Ephesians 5:11-14, “And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove [them]. For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret. But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light. Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.”

Profitable Attributes

A long list of key Christian attributes can be found in Romans 12:9-21,

“[Let] love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good. [Be] kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another; Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord; Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer; Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality. ¶Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not. Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep. [Be] of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. [Be] not wise in your own conceits. ¶Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men. If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men. Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but [rather] give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.”

All of Romans Chapter 13, Romans 13:1– being subject to earthly government and showing love to others. The last two verses read, “Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to [fulfil] the lusts [thereof].”

Jesus said in Matthew 7:12, “Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.”

James 1:19, “Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:”

1Thessalonians 5:22 “Abstain from all appearance of evil.”

Psalms 34:13-16, “Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile.Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it. The eyes of the LORD are upon the righteous, and his ears [are open] unto their cry. The face of the LORD is against them that do evil, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.”

The Christian should be willing to lay the life down in worship and obedience to The Mighty and Powerful God of all creation. 2 Corinthians 5:11, “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.“

And then, in 2 Peter 3:12, we see that the believer must continue in the faith and in the work of sharing the Gospel of Salvation through Jesus Christ Alone until Jesus comes back on Judgment Day, “Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?”

For more on what it is to be a Christian in this earthly existence, please see:A Good Employee: A Christian Credo

POSTSCRIPT

From another author…describing sincere/unfeigned faith and love from a pure heart that should exemplify the life of every believer:

Deep sincerity — tear-filled sincerity — is an essential marker of spiritual health and the aliveness of our affections, and critical to our gospel mission. The apostle Paul’s ministry is exemplified by his sincere love 2 Corinthians 6:4: “But in all [things] approving ourselves as the ministers of God, in much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses, In stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labours, in watchings, in fastings; By pureness, by knowledge, by longsuffering, by kindness, by the Holy Ghost, by love unfeigned,“

He calls us to an earnest trust in God as he celebrates Timothy’s “sincere faith” (2 Timothy 1:5). It is in this sincere faith that we all must express sincere love for others: “Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and [of] a good conscience, and [of] faith unfeigned:” (1Timothy 1:5; see also Romans 12:9; 1 Peter 1:22).

And even if ridiculers turn out to hate knowledge, we live under the authority of divine truth in sincerity, as James 3:17 says, “But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, [and] easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.”

The New Jerusalem?

There are many who have been taught that when Jesus comes back on the clouds of glory that He will establish a new Jerusalem; a literal, physical city, in what we know today as Jerusalem, which is currently also the capital city of the restored nation of Israel. Many Christian theologians and some Hebrew scholars contend that near the end of time God will allow the rebuilding of the Holy Temple of God in Jerusalem (for a third time on the site currently occupied by the Islamic “Dome of the Rock”). Many of these same people contend that, with the restoration of the physical building of the temple, sacrificial rites will also be restored including the sacrifice of “red heifers”, etc. Let’s see what the Bible has to say regarding this issue.

With regard to the possibility that this earth will even exist beyond Jesus’s second coming (Judgment Day), In 2 Peter 3:7, we read, “But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgement and perdition of ungodly men.” 

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 of the world to an eternity in Hell, and put an end to this entire creation, which is under the curse of sin and death.  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.“ And please also note that this is not something that is an isolated verse. Peter is reiterating what can be found in these three verses:

1. Isaiah 66:22, “For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the LORD, so shall your seed and your name remain.” (Remembering what we read in Galatians 3:29, “And if ye [be] Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.“)
2. Isaiah 65:17, “For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind.”
3. Revelation 21:1, “¶And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.“

Regarding the new Jerusalem, however, in the very next verse we read, “and I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.”  Later, at the end of verse 9, one of the seven angels told John, ” Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb’s wife.”  And in verse 10, “and he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain and shewed me that great city, holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God.”  We can readily see that the city, the new Jerusalem is not some literal, physical, city, but rather the “spiritual” kingdom of God encompassing the body of all true believing Christians, the true eternal Church, which God looks upon as the bride of Christ!

To see that the new Jerusalem is a spiritual representation of the kingdom of God that is made up of the body of believers, the church, we just have to turn to Revelation 3:12, where we read, “Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall no more go out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, [which] is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and [I will write upon him] my new name. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the spirit saith unto the churches.”  This truth is also evident in Galatians 4:25&26 which contrasts the earthly Jerusalem and her children (the Jews of national Israel), described as being in bondage (to the works of the law), with the heavenly spiritual “Jerusalem which is above is free (through the grace of God), which is the mother of us all (all true believing Christians).”

Also we are told in 1Timothy 3:15, “But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.“

In Hebrews 11:10 we read how by faith Abraham looked forward to the new Jerusalem, “For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker [is] God. And then again in Hebrews 11:16, “But now they desire a better [country], that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city.“

Additional support is found in Hebrews 12:22-23 , where we read, “But ye are come unto Mount Si-on and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,”.

As to the timing of the fulfillment of the coming of the new Jerusalem we are told in Matthew 24:29-31, “Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: And then shall appear the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.  And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.”

The Holy Temple of God, Where is it Now? It is a Spiritual Heavenly House, Not an Earthy House!

This brings us to another problem.  There are those in various religions today who claim to have access to a literal, physical, earthly holy temple of God.  While anyone, for any reason, can build a temple and claim that it is a temple of God, the reality is that there was only one earthly Temple of God, and God had it destroyed by the Romans in 70AD (because its earthly efficacy ended when Jesus died on the Cross, and the veil, that covered the entrance to the Holy of Holies, was simultaneously rent apart). Moreover, God allowed the Muslim Dome of the Rock to be built upon former foundation of the earthly Temple to prevent any future rebuilding efforts.

This is because, as was indicated above, the True Holy Temple of God is a “spiritual” structure, that is not built with man’s hands, and is made up of true believing Christians (described as “pillars” in the temple) coincident with the new Jerusalem with God in Heaven.  Revelation 3:12, “Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, [which is] new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and [I will write upon him] my new name.“

This is entirely consistent with what we read in 1 Peter 2:4-8, where God equates the true believers to “lively stones” that are part of the spiritual temple of God of which Jesus Christ is the “Chief Corner Stone.”  “To whom coming, as [unto] a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, [and] precious, Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.  Wherefore also it is contained in scripture, (Found in  Isaiah 28:16 and Psalm 118:22) behold I lay in Si-on a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded.  Unto you therefore which believe [he (The Lord Jesus Christ) is] precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner, And a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed.”  Note also the harmony with Psalm 144:12, “That our sons [may be] as plants grown up in their youth; [that] our daughters [may be] as corner stones, polished [after] the similitude of a palace:“

Jesus is the Chief (Head) Corner Stone of the Temple of God

Psalm 118:22,”The stone [which] the builders refused is become the head[stone] of the corner.“

Isaiah 8:14, “And he shall be for a sanctuary; but for a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offence to both the houses of Israel, for a gin and for a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.“

Isaiah 28:16, “Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold,I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner[stone], a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste.” (The believer will not be afraid and not run away when Jesus comes)

Matthew 21:42, “Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes?“

Mar 12:10&11, “And have ye not read this scripture; The stone which the builders rejected is become the head of the corner:“

Luke 20:17, “And he beheld them, and said, What is this then that is written, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner?”

Acts 4:11, This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner.“

Romans 9:33, “As it is written, Behold, I lay in Sion a stumblingstone and rock of offence: and whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.“

NOTE To Reader: It is particularly important to note the frequent use of the word “lay“. We should therefore all be mindful of the fact that Jesus’s body (during the 3 day and 3 night Atonement) was laid in a tomb, as we read in Matthew 27:59&60, “And when Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, And laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock: and he rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulchre, and departed.” Moreover, in 1 John 3:16, we read that Jesus laid down His Life for us (as we must similarly be willing to die for the brethren’s sake), “Hereby perceive we the love [of God], because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down [our] lives for the brethren.“

The Believers are Both the Lively Building Stones and Co-Laborers with Jesus Christ. Jesus Is Both The Chief Corner Stone and the Chief Master Builder

And 1 Corinthians 3:16 we are explicitly told that a physical temple, like the one that was destroyed in 70AD, is no longer in view as we read, “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and [that] the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which [temple] ye are.”

[NOTE TO THE READER: This is another example of why it is so important to rely on the King James translation, because of its use of the Old English “ye”, which is the plural of “you”. The believers (“ye”, plural) are the Temple of God, and that the Holy Spirit dwells within each believer (“you”, singular). Other English translations miss this nuance.

The believers are also not only the “lively stones” (plural) that form the Temple of God, but are also “co-builders” of that wall with Jesus Christ, as we are informed in 1 Corinthians 3:9-11. “For we are labourers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry, [ye are] God’s building. According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon. For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” Note how this is also consistent with the last words of Nehemiah 2:16…as “the rest that did the work” is historically referring to those co-laborers with Nehemiah in building the earthly wall of the physical Jerusalem, who spiritually represent the believers with Jesus Christ in building the eternal church encompassing the New Jerusalem.

Then immediately following, 1 Corinthians 3:12-17 goes on to add, “Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; 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. If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire. ¶Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and [that] the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which [temple] ye are.“

The Holy Temple of God is currently being constructed with the living souls of mankind drawn throughout temporal history, being the precious elements and stones dedicated to God who will endure the trial by fire come Judgment Day. Those saved souls are represented by the “gold, silver, and precious stones.” Sadly, there will be others, represented by the “wood, hay, stubble“, who will come into, and associate themselves with, the external body, the corporate Christian church (versus the Eternal Church of Jesus Christ), but who are in reality are not part of God’s Elect. Those persons will be burned and lost forever. Please also see this post: 1 Corinthians 3:12: Building with “Gold, Silver, Precious Stones” & “Wood, Hay, Stubble”?

So that there can be absolutely no doubt that the holy temple of God could never, ever, again be defined by “physical” stones and mortar (whether in Jerusalem or anywhere else for that matter), we read in Ephesians 2:19-22 of the “spiritual” stones in the “spiritual” Temple, which was established at the beginning of the New Testament and continues in building to the present: “Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow-citizens with the saints, and of the household of God: And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone: In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.”

In 2 Corinthians 6:16, we read, “…Ye (plural) are the temple of the living God; as God hath said (see Ezekiel 37:26 &27), I will dwell in them (plural), and walk in [them]; and I will be their (plural) God, and they (plural) shall be my people (plural).”

And note this harmony showing the difference between an earthly, temporal abode and an eternal heavenly abode as we read in 2 Corinthians 5:1&2, “For we know that if our earthly house of [this] tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven:“

Hebrews 8:1&2 “¶ Now of the things which we have spoken [this is] the sum:We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens; A minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man.” Jesus is our High Priest after the order of Melchizedek Psalm 110:4.

Acts 7:48-50, “¶Howbeit the most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands; as saith the prophet, Heaven [is] my throne, and earth [is] my footstool: what house will ye build me? saith the Lord: or what [is] the place of my rest? Hath not my hand made all these things?“

Acts 17:24 “God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands;

The Earthly Temple Was Only Intended as an Allegorical “Figure” of the True Eternal Temple of God Surrounded by the New Jerusalem Consisting of All Believers Throughout Time

Finally, we are instructed by God beginning in Hebrews 9:11 and continuing all the way to the end of the chapter Hebrews 9:28 that the earthly temple was just a “figure” (“type”) of the eternal Temple of God in Heaven can never be built with human hands. “But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building; Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption [for us]. For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions [that were] under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance. For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. For a testament [is] of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth. Whereupon neither the first [testament] was dedicated without blood. For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and of goats, with water, and scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book, and all the people, Saying, This is the blood of the testament which God hath enjoined unto you. Moreover he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle,and all the vessels of the ministry. And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission. [It was] therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, [which are] the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us: Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others; For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.“

Other references to Ponder:

Psalm 23:6 “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.“

Psalm 27:4 “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 of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple.” (and also note that “beauty” is “noam” in the original Hebrew…and that a careful study of Judges 4&5 tells us that “Beauty” is an unequivocal reference to Jesus Christ!)

Amos 9:11&12 “In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen, and close up the breaches thereof; and I will raise up his ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old: That they may possess the remnant of Edom, and of all the heathen, which are called by my name, saith the LORD that doeth this.”

Acts 15:15-17 “And to this agree the words of the prophets; as it is written, After this I will return, and will build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down; and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up: That the residue of men might seek after the Lord, and all the Gentiles, upon whom my name is called, saith the Lord, who doeth all these things.“

Conclusion: The Role of the Earthly Temple of God Permanently Ceased with Jesus’ Death on the Cross!

To more clearly understand why there could never again be any need for an earthly, physical temple of God following the death of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross, we have only to search the scriptures to review what happened at the precise moment of His death.  We read in Matthew 27:51, Mark 15:38, and Luke 23:45 that, at that very moment, the veil of the temple was rent in twain (torn in two) from top to bottom.  The result was that the “Holiest of all,” (see Hebrews 9:3) the tabernacle altar of God (where only the high priest, alone, could venture once a year to make an atoning sacrifice of blood on the Day of Atonement) which had heretofore always been hidden from outside view by the veil, had now been fully exposed by God to show that the sign or figure that the “Holiest of all” of the temple represented had been perfectly fulfilled in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ; as He was both the sacrificial Lamb of God and the High Priest that offered the perfect atoning blood sacrifice.  God was showing that the function of the earthly temple had come to an end! (Read all of Hebrews chapter 9 to see that this is so).   

We have no indication whether or not the Jewish high priest (Caiaphas) made any effort to repair the torn veil so that he, and the other Jewish high priests that followed him, could have attempted to continue the yearly atonement sacrificial rite until the physical temple in Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans in 70 A.D., because God only knows, but regardless any priestly action in an earthly temple would have been pure vanity and rebellion against God (as would any attempt to rebuild the temple and restore physical sacrifices).  They would not and could not have had any effect or substance so far as God’s plan of salvation was concerned.  In fact, (according to Isaiah 66:1-4) they would have only been an abomination in God’s sight (because by carrying out those rites, the Jews were continuing to deny that Jesus Christ had come to fulfill the law of sacrifice, which had all along been the sole focal point of the blood sacrifices that were carried out in the temple before Christ died). 

Isaiah 66:1-4 reads: “¶Thus saith the LORD, The heaven [is] my throne, and the earth [is] my footstool: where [is] the house that ye build unto me? and where [is] the place of my rest? For all those [things] hath mine hand made, and all those [things] have been, saith the LORD: but to this [man] will I look, [even] to [him that is] poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word. He that killeth an ox [is as if] he slew a man; he that sacrificeth a lamb, [as if] he cut off a dog’s neck; he that offereth an oblation, [as if he offered] swine’s blood; he that burneth incense, [as if] he blessed an idol. Yea, they have chosen their own ways, and their soul delighteth in their abominations. I also will choose their delusions, and will bring their fears upon them; because when I called, none did answer;when I spake, they did not hear: but they did evil before mine eyes, and chose [that] in which I delighted not.“

This is the most likely reason why God finally allowed the physical temple in Jerusalem to be destroyed for the second (and last) time, and why he scattered the Jews (until our day).  Additionally, because God also subsequently allowed the Islamic Dome of the Rock to be built on the temple site in Jerusalem, the Jews have been, and will continue to be, prevented from rebuilding the temple ever again (despite the fact that the Jews have had political sovereignty over Jerusalem since 1967) right up to the time of the return of the Lord Jesus Christ on the clouds of Glory that will herald Judgment Day.

“The Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple” (of the New Jerusalem)! 

FINALLY, so there can be no doubt whatsoever regarding the Future of the Holy Temple of God, we read in Revelation 21:10-21 about the New Jerusalem, “that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,” and that, within that magnificent City (having light, and walls of gold and precious stones that typify the believers), there was “no temple”, because as we read in the next verse, Revelation 21:22, “¶And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.“!!!

Postscript: Revelation 14 also mentions the temple (and altar) as being in Heaven as we read in: Revelation 14:17&18, “And another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle. And another angel came out from the altar, which had power over fire; and cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle, saying, Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe.” Similarly, we read in Revelation 15:5, “And after that I looked, and, behold, the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened:”

Doxology

Psalm 48:1-14, “¶[[A Song and Psalm for the sons of Korah.]] Great [is] the LORD, and greatly to be praised in the city of our God, [in] the mountain of his holiness. Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth, [is] mount Zion, [on] the sides of the north, the city of the great King. God is known in her palaces for a refuge. For, lo, the kings were assembled, they passed by together. They saw [it], and so they marvelled; they were troubled, [and] hasted away. Fear took hold upon them there, [and] pain, as of a woman in travail. Thou breakest the ships of Tarshish with an east wind. As we have heard, so have we seen in the city of the LORD of hosts, in the city of our God: God will establish it forever. Selah. We have thought of thy lovingkindness, O God, in the midst of thy temple. According to thy name, O God, so [is] thy praise unto the ends of the earth: thy right hand is full of righteousness. Let mount Zion rejoice, let the daughters of Judah be glad, because of thy judgments. Walk about Zion, and go round about her: tell the towers thereof. Mark ye well her bulwarks, consider her palaces; that ye may tell it to the generation following. For this God [is] our God for ever and ever: he will be our guide [even] unto death.“