Bereansearching Bible Studies

INTRODUCTION

There is significant controversy today regarding the theological interpretation of God’s Covenantal relationship with National Israel (the Old Testament nation) and whether that relationship continues today. Key questions include:

• Does God’s original promise to Abraham still apply to the modern nation of Israel, which inhabits the Bible’s ancestral land?
• What does this mean for the future?

Three prominent viewpoints address the relationship between the Christian Church and National Israel:

1. Dispensationalism: The Church is completely distinct from National Israel.
2. Replacement Theology: The Church has entirely replaced National Israel.
3. Covenant Theology: The Church is a separate expansion of National Israel.

[These viewpoints are explained in more detail, with rebuttals, in the Appendix.]

This study will show that all three views are flawed to some degree. The Bible provides the means to understand God’s true Covenantal relationship with the “eternal” Israel, which is:

• Neither separate from,
• Nor a replacement for,
• Nor an expansion of the corporate body represented by National Israel. This has always been God’s plan, though largely veiled until now for reasons known only to God.

National Israel was the visible, temporal, corporate presence of the people of God in the world throughout the Old Testament until the Advent of the Lord Jesus Christ. The same is now true for the New Testament Church. National Israel and the New Testament Church over the past 4000 years have had God’s promises of blessings for obedience and warnings of curses for disobedience. God cares for each of them, for in them both are found the Eternal Israel of God, all because of the Promised Seed fulfilled in the Person and Work of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Eternal Church of the Lord Jesus Christ consists of:

• An elect remnant from National Israel (a subset of that larger corporate body),
• Plus an elect portion from the entire Gentile world, all saved by grace alone, entirely within keeping with, and in complete fulfillment of, God’s promise to Abraham.

Jesus Christ is the promised “Seed” (singular) to Abraham. (Please see this related post: “The ‘Seed’ of Abraham Is Singular, or ‘One’, Who Is Jesus“.) In Christ, all believers (Jew and Gentile) are part of the eternal Israel and heirs according to the promise:

Galatians 3:29 — “And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.”

Note the consistency with what we read in Hosea 1:10, “Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured nor numbered; and it shall come to pass, [that] in the place where it was said unto them, Ye [are] not my people, [there] it shall be said unto them, Ye are the sons of the living God.” This is describing the “Eternal Israel” made up of both Jews and Gentiles.

The Apostle Paul went further in the next chapter of Galatians to equate “National Israel” with the children of the bondwoman (Ishmael by Hagar) being bound to the Law, as opposed to the “Eternal Israel of God” being children of the free woman (Isaac by Sarah) being set free by Jesus as we read in  Galatians 4:21-31, “¶Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not hear the law? For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman. But he [who was] of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman [was] by promise. 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. For it is written, Rejoice, [thou] barren that bearest not; break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: for the desolate hath many more children than she which hath an husband.“

The “Jerusalem which is above“ and free, as opposed to being in bondage to the law, is the “New Jerusalem” spoken of in both Revelation 3:12 and Revelation 21:2 “coming down from God out of heaven” which has NOTHING AT ALL to do with the earthly, carnal, Jerusalem in National Israel that we know today!

“¶Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise. But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him [that was born] after the Spirit, even so [it is] now. Nevertheless what saith the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman. So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free.“

Romans 4:13 — “¶For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith. For if they which are of the law [be] heirs, faith is made void, and the promise made of none effect: Because the law worketh wrath: for where no law is, [there is] no transgression.”

The Law given to Moses for National Israel were entirely fulfilled by the Lord Jesus Christ (the Jewish Messiah), but God’s eternal promises to Abraham apply only to the elect—the spiritual “eternal Israel” (The elect remnant chosen Jew and Gentile in Christ)—NOT to physical National Israel (past or present). Election is by grace, not genealogy, nor national heritage, nor by the works of the law.

Romans 9:6-8 — “¶Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they [are] not all Israel, which are of Israel: Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, [are they] all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called. That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these [are] not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed.”

It is particularly important to remember back when Moses was lecturing Israel for its unbelief…even though the Israelites had seen many, many, miracles in Egypt and in the wilderness with their “physical eyes” in Deuteronomy 29:4…”Yet the Lord hath not given you an heart to perceive, and eyes to see, and ears to hear, unto this day.” Those Israelites remained spiritually deaf and blind in unbelief.

This is reiterated in Romans 11:5-10, “Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace. And if by grace, then [is it] no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if [it be] of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work. ¶ What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded (According as it is written [Deuteronomy 29:4, see also and Isaiah 6:10], God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear; ) unto this day. ¶And David saith, Let their table be made a snare, and a trap, and a stumblingblock, and a recompence unto them: Let their eyes be darkened, that they may not see, and bow down their back alway.” And Psalm 69:23 tells us that for those who opposed Jesus and His Gospel, “Let their eyes be darkened, that they see not; and make their loins continually to shake.”

And let us never forget what Jesus said in both Matthew 3:9, “And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to [our] father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.” and Luke 3:8, “Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and begin not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to [our] father: for I say unto you, That God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.“

Galatians 3:7-9, “Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham. And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, [saying], In thee shall all nations be blessed. So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.

The “Eternal Israel” are indeed the true children of God (NOT “National Israel”), and are those who are spoken of as being of Abraham as we read in Galatians 3:28, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. And if ye [be] Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.“

Please this post: “The Children of God“

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God’s Covenantal Promise to Abraham

Genesis 17:1-8 — God promises Abraham an everlasting covenant to him and his “seed” after him….”I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee. And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.“

The Holy Spirit provides us commentary in:

Acts 3:25&26, “Ye are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying unto Abraham, And in thy seed (σπέρματί, singular) shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed. Unto you first God, having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities.” (Note that the Gospel go first to the Jews as we read in Acts 1:8 where Jesus told His disciples, “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.“)

Galatians 3:16 — “Now to Abraham and his seed (σπέρματι, singular) were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds (σπέρμασιν, plural), as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed (σπέρματι, singular), which is Christ.” Please see this study on the basis for correct understanding on how the “‘Seed’ is Singular” and points us to the Lord Jesus Christ!

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What “Israel” Is the Bible Really Referencing?

The Hebrew word יִשְׂרָאֵל (yiśrā’ēl) H3478 means “Prince of God” (2,489x in KJV). It has five distinct uses:

1. Jacob personally (Genesis 32:28).
2. The Nation descended from Jacob.
3. The ten northern tribes after the split from Judah/Benjamin.
4. The Lord Jesus Christ (Typologically).
5. The body of believers in Christ (Jew and Gentile)—the “eternal/spiritual” Israel.

Galatians 3:7, 26-29 declares, “…they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.… ¶For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. And if ye [be] Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.”

There is no salvific efficacy in being Jewish. Eternal Israel = those in Christ, saved by grace alone, not lineage.

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Promises Made, Promises Kept

God fulfilled all “earthly” land promises to National Israel in the days of Solomon:

Joshua 21:43-45 — “There failed not ought of any good thing which the LORD had spoken unto the house of Israel; all came to pass.”

Nehemiah 9:7&8 — “Thou [art] the LORD the God, who didst choose Abram…to give [it, I say], to his seed, and hast performed thy words; for thou [art] righteous:”

1 Kings 8:56 — “There hath not failed one word of all his good promise.”

Hebrews 6:13-20 — God confirmed the promise with an oath, giving strong consolation to the heirs of promise, with Jesus as the forerunner and High Priest forever.

God always keeps His promises!

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“Eternal” Israel Was Always in View, NOT “National” Israel

Paul uses the olive tree allegory (Romans 11:13–27):

• Natural branches (National Israel) broken off due to unbelief.
• Wild branches (Gentiles) grafted in by faith.
• Admonition: Do not boast—God can cut off wild branches too.
• Some natural branches can be re-grafted if they believe.

Romans 11:25-26 — “Blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:”

“All Israel shall be saved” = All of the “eternal” Israel (all the elect remnant of Jews from “National Israel” + all elect from the Gentiles), NOT all of “National” Israel, because as a nation, Israel will remain in its blindness as we see today.

Olive oil, which comes from the olive tree, in the Bible symbolizes The Holy Spirit (for anointing and for providing the light). (See: “Jesus’ Parable of the Ten Virgins”)

Note to the Reader: Please note the similarity in the symbology regarding the root and branch of the olive tree above with the vine described by Jesus in John 15:1-8, “¶I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every [branch] that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. ¶I am the vine, ye [are] the branches: He that abideth in me, and Iin him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast [them] into the fire, and they are burned. If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.“

2 Peter 1:5-8 also describes the fruitfulness that comes by faith in Jesus, “¶And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make [you that ye shall] neither [be] barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.“

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The Books of Ruth and Esther: Additional Insights

Book	Represents	Key Insight
Ruth	Elimelech (National Israel, left the House of Bread & died) Naomi (Jewish remnant) + Ruth, the Moabitess (Gentiles)	National Israel removed, but two women saved by grace (via Boaz) = Church
Esther	Queen Vashti → Queen Esther	National Israel rebelled and removed; Church installed as the better Bride

Esther 1:19 — Vashti’s royal estate was given to “another that is better than she”.

(See posts: “Queen Vashti, A Spiritual Portrait of National Israel” and “Queen Esther, A Spiritual Portrait of the Bride of Christ“.)

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A Remnant According to Election of Grace

Romans 10:21 → 11:1-5 — God has not cast away His people whom He foreknew. A remnant is saved by grace, not by works (like Elijah’s 7,000; 1 Kings 19:18)

(Please see: “The Doctrine of Election Is Salvation by God’s Sovereign Grace Alone”.)

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What About the Holy Temple of God?

“Dispensationalists” expect a future, earthly, third temple, animal sacrifices, and a literal millennial reign of Jesus in earthly Jerusalem. This is ENTIRELY unbiblical and denies Christ’s finished work!

• The veil was torn from “the top to the bottom” (Matthew 27:51).
• The temple was destroyed in 70 AD.
• The true Temple is spiritual: believers in the New Jerusalem (Heavenly, NOT earthly)!

Hebrews 11:8-16 — Abraham looked for a heavenly city whose builder is God.

(Please see: “The Holy Temple of God, Will It Ever Be Rebuilt?”.)

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National Israel Today: A “Sign” of the End Times

“The Parable of the Fig Tree“

When Jesus’ disciples asked Him in Matthew 24:3, “Tell us, when shall these things be? and what [shall be] the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?” Jesus answered, among other evidences, in Matthew 24:32-35 (& Mark 13:28–31; Luke 21:29–33 ) — “Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh“

• Joel 1:6&7: Israel = God’s fig tree, attacked and barked (stripped).
• Modern Israel = leaves but no fruit (because it rejects Jesus).
• Israel, typified by the fig tree, as a nation again is a “sign” heralding the End Times, NOT a portent of revival.
• National Israel’s special role ended at the cross and was sealed in 70 AD.
• Please see: “Is Time Almost Up?“

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Other Points to Ponder

• Luke 20:13-16 (Parable of the Vineyard): National Israel killed the Son (Jesus); hence the kingdom was given to others.
• Matthew 23:37-39 (And in Luke 13:34&35): Jesus lamented over Jerusalem: “Your house is left unto you desolate.” Note: Jesus’ reference to “as a hen gathereth her chickens under [her] wings” is expound in this post: “Boaz’s Skirt“.
• Romans 2:28&29, “For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither [is that] circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: But he [is] a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision [is that] of the heart, in the spirit, [and] not in the letter; whose praise [is] not of men, but of God.“
• Galatians 3:28, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.“
• Colossians 3:11, “Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond [nor] free: but Christ [is] all, and in all.”
• Galatians 6:15&16, “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature. ¶And as many as walk according to this rule, peace [be] on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God.“

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CONCLUSION: Saved Redeemed Sinners Are the True Eternal Israel

Physical descent from Abraham does not guarantee salvation, and neither does “physical” circumcision (by blood) or “physical” baptism (by water)…which only serve as “sign” of the two Covenants. Remember that “not all Israel is Israel” means that there is a larger “corporate” body (those who identified with either the Old Testament Nation of Israel or who identify as “Christians” today) within which is found the smaller “eternal” body of God’s chosen people (the eternal Israel/eternal Church). Corporate fellowship with believers, just like Jewish lineage and practice, is no guarantee of Salvation. Only the “spiritual” circumcision of the heart and the “spiritual” baptism by washing of The Holy Spirit as applied to the elect believer by God, by His Grace alone, in Jesus Christ Alone (and only Jesus Is the true “Seed of Promise”).

We read in Acts 10:34, “Then Peter opened [his] mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness,  is accepted with him.” and the Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 2:11, “For there is no respect of persons with God.“

• Ishmael vs. Isaac (Both were circumcised)
• Esau vs. Jacob (Both were circumcised)…

— But only Isaac and Jacob were chosen—by election, not by either works or lineage.

Romans 9:6-8 — “…For they [are] not all Israel, which are of Israel: Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, [are they] all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called. That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these [are] not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed.”

Romans 9:11-13, “(For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth;)… As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.“

We see this very clearly also in Romans 2:28&29, “For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither [is that] circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: But he [is] a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision [is that] of the heart, in the spirit, [and] not in the letter; whose praise [is] not of men, but of God.“

Acts 10:34-35, “…God is no respecter of persons: But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him.”

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APPENDIX: Three Viewpoints of National Israel Vis-à-Vis the Christian Church

1. Dispensationalism

• Two peoples: Israel and the Church.
• Promises to Israel fulfilled in a literal 1,000-year kingdom after a pre-tribulation rapture and seven year tribulation period.
• Influenced by Scofield Bible and John Darby.
• Rejects allegorical interpretation; insists on literal-grammatical-historical hermeneutic.
• Rebuttal: Denies Christ’s finished work; expects restored temple with sacrifices (abominable). The veil was rent exposing the Holy of Holies; then the temple destroyed. NOTE to the Reader: This teacher holds to a different hermeneutic, which is explained in these two posts: Refutation-of-the-literal-grammatical-historical-hermeneutic-and-dispensationalism, and Dialogue-for-and-against-the-allegorical-method-of-biblical-understanding.

2. Replacement Theology (Supersessionism)

• The Church replaces Israel entirely.
• No future for National Israel.
• Rebuttal: Partially correct but misses that eternal Israel was always God’s focus—no Plan B.

3. Covenant Theology

• Views Scripture through Covenant of Works → Covenant of Grace.
• All biblical covenants are outworkings of these.
• Rebuttal: Implies God needed a Plan B. Jesus was the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world (Revelation 13:8). Salvation was always by grace.

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Key Takeaway:

Eternal Israel = elect remnant of Jews + elect Gentiles in Christ = Christ’s Church and His Eternal Bride.
National Israel = the “Means“, the key element of God’s Magnificent Salvation Plan, but NOT the fulfillment of those Means, and the National Israel of today serves as a prophetic sign (being “the fig tree in leaf, but without fruit”) that heralds the fact that Jesus is coming back again soon!

Introduction

This post is simply for pointing out a noteworthy juxtaposition created by a remarkable Christian, John Newton (1725-1807), in which two of his hymns taken together have both an unmistakable salience for the believer and a point of instruction for all mankind.

It is sufficient to simply post the texts of both hymns and let the reader consider the applications:

“Day of Judgment! Day of Wonders!” by John Newton (1774)

“Amazing Grace” by John Newton (1779)

Another Hymn worthy of consideration is: “O For A Thousand Tongues to Sing” by Charles Wesley (1739)

Introduction

What does it mean to “speak with new tongues”? In Mark 16:17, we read where the Lord Jesus Christ said, “And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.” Does it mean that the believers are to babble in church like those in the charismatic churches of today who are said to speak “in tongues”? Or does it mean something else?

If we are to take these “signs” literally, then only those capable of picking up a cobra or rattlesnake and not dying from the venom, or who can drink poison and survive would qualify as believers. But that is not what Jesus meant, otherwise essentially no one could be counted as a believer if that were the case. The same is true with believers speaking “in new tongues”. There has to be a spiritual meaning involved.

Picking Up Serpents and Drinking Poison Without Harm?

Before moving on to addressing the meaning of speaking “with new tongues”, let us look at the taking up of serpents and drinking any deadly thing without being harmed. Jesus made clear that these would be the signs that follow believers.

The reality is that all of these openly visible “physical” manifestations in the early New Testament church era were a “sign” of what actually takes place “spiritually” in the life of every believer who has been quickened by God’s Holy Spirit, just as Jesus said would be the case. With regard to taking up serpents without harm, we should remember what we read in Act 28:3-6, where the Apostle Paul, after having just survived a shipwreck on The Island of Melita, was bitten by a poisonous serpent, but no harm came to him. That was an unmistakeable “physical” sign, or manifestation, of what takes place “spiritually” in the life of every believer. “And when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks, and laid [them] on the fire, there came a viper out of the heat, and fastened on his hand. And when the barbarians saw the [venomous] beast hang on his hand, they said among themselves, No doubt this man is a murderer, whom, though he hath escaped the sea, yet vengeance suffereth not to live. And he shook off the beast into the fire, and felt no harm. Howbeit they looked when he should have swollen, or fallen down dead suddenly: but after they had looked a great while, and saw no harm come to him, they changed their minds, and said that he was a god.“

Although Paul’s picking up a venomous serpent, and even being bitten by it (but remaining unharmed), was clearly “literal”, it also served as an historical parable (and therefore a “sign”), which carried a “spiritual” implication. God used this exemplary “sign” to point to the fact that believers will be able to “spiritually” deal with the devil’s (the “serpent’s”) lies, and thus will not be enticed or fooled by purveyors of false gospels that would otherwise “spiritually” kill the hearers.

We can know this because God refers to the devil’s servants as we read in Deuteronomy 32:33, “Their wine [is] the poison of dragons, and the cruel venom of asps.“, which is expounded further in the New Testament by the Apostle Paul in Romans 3:13, “Their throat [is] an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps [is] under their lips:” This is reiterated in Psalm 140:1-3, “¶[[To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David.]] Deliver me, O LORD, from the evil man: preserve me from the violent man; Which imagine mischiefs in [their] heart; continually are they gathered together [for] war. They have sharpened their tongues like a serpent; adders’ poison [is] under their lips. Selah.” and in Psalm 58:4&5, regarding the wicked and violent men, “Their poison [is] like the poison of a serpent: [they are] like the deaf adder [that] stoppeth her ear; Which will not hearken to the voice of charmers, charming never so wisely.“

Similarly, Jesus’ description of the “sign” of true believers as being unable to be harmed by drinking anything poisonous does not refer to “literal” earthly poisons, but rather to “spiritual” poison. Jesus was highlighting the fact that no believer can be harmed through the hearing of a false gospel (which is spiritual poison that comes from the devil). God’s elect, if they do come in contact with false gospels, will not be harmed nor destroyed by them. This correlates with teaching of Revelation 17:2, wherein God describes the “poison” of the wine of fornication of the great harlot being consumed by all the reprobate world, “With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication.” That wine is indeed poisonous, as it will most certainly destroy mens’ souls.

Speaking with New Tongues?

But what about speaking with new tongues? The first recorded occurrence of the believers speaking in “new tongues”, after being newly indwelt by God’s Holy Spirit, is found in Acts Chapter 2. On Pentecost Day in 33AD, the Holy Spirit gave the apostles had the ability to speak to the assembled crowds of Jews in Jerusalem in languages with which the apostles were otherwise unfamiliar.

Acts 2:4-12, “And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. ¶And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven. Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language. And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another,Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans? And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born? Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judaea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, andAsia, Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya aboutCyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes, Cretes and Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God. And they were all amazed, and were in doubt, saying one to another, What meaneth this?“

It is clear, then, that the tongues in Acts 2 were “literal” and were spoken in understandable human languages, which served as a “literal” physically discerned “sign” that Jesus said would be a hallmark of all believers. The gift of speaking in new tongues, as exemplified in Acts 2, is generally accepted to mean that it is the miraculous ability to speak a language that believers, like the apostles, did not previously know in order to minister to a person who spoke that particular language. Some believe that the “speaking in tongues” later mentioned in 1 Corinthians 12:1—11 are the same as the speaking in tongues that unfolded in Acts 2.

However, others (particularly those who identify as “charismatics”) believe that the “tongues” in 1 Corinthians 12:1—11 are related, but different, to the “new tongues” of Acts 2. They interpret the gift of tongues in 1 Corinthians 12:1—11 as being a private prayer language between a believer and God and/or the miraculous ability to speak an unknown language in order to minister to other believers (not unbelievers, and not people who can understand the language as was the case in Acts 2).

So then, what is the reality concerning speaking in new tongues?

“tongues are for a sign, not to them that believe, but to them that believe not:“

We need to search further in the Bible for potential insights. In 1 Corinthians 14:21&22, we read, “¶In the law it is written, With [men of] other tongues and other lips will I speak unto this people; and yet for all that will they not hear me, saith the Lord. ¶Wherefore tongues are for a sign, not to them that believe, but to them that believe not: but prophesying [serveth] not for them that believe not, but for them which believe.” The Apostle Paul was referring back to the prophesy of Isaiah found in Isaiah 28:11-13, “For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people. To whom he said, This [is] the rest [wherewith] ye may cause the weary to rest; and this [is] the refreshing: yet they would not hear. But the word of the LORD was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, [and] there a little; that they might go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken.“

Moreover, the other “signs” that Jesus said would follow the believers…the casting out of devils and healing the sick…are also not to be taken “literally”, but more importantly “spiritually”, in that those who under the domination of the devil, and who are sin sick, can only be saved through the hearing of faithful and prayerful preaching of Jesus’ Gospel of Salvation. For more on healings serving as “signs”, please see: “The Great Physician: Another Name for the Lord Jesus Christ“.

Conclusion

Speaking in “New Tongues”, is indeed as a “sign” that follows all believers who, upon conversion and the indwelling of God’s Holy Spirit, speak in a new tongue by faithfully proclaiming the New Testament Gospel that they did not speak before. It is noteworthy that, just as was prophesied by Isaiah, the majority of national Israel could neither hear, nor understand, nor believe.

And just as noteworthy is the fact that this has also been true for the majority of the Gentile world throughout the entire New Testament era. The Gospel is still like a foreign language, which most people can neither hear nor understand, apart from God’s Gracious and Divine intervention. Previous to conversion, the believers themselves knew nothing about, nor even cared to know, the Gospel of Salvation that was wrought through the Person and Work of the Lord Jesus Christ unless God had intervened to save them.

Introduction

We all have on occasion heard the phrase “Great Physician” with respect to Jesus’ ability to heal the physically sick during His earthly Ministry. We also have these scriptural proverbial references spoken by Jesus which make clear the link between “physical” healings to their equivalent “spiritual” healings, with Himself being the “physician” in Mark 2:17, “When Jesus heard [it], he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” and in Luke 4:23, “And he said unto them, Ye will surely say unto me this proverb, Physician, heal thyself: whatsoever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in thy country.“

For background, we should be reminded of when Jesus was in the Nazareth synagogue (at the very beginning of His three plus year ministry) where He opened the Book of Isaiah Isaiah 61:1&2 that we read about in Luke 4:16-21 the following excerpt: “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.” [For more on the spiritual meanings of this action, please see: “Jesus Opens the Book, Jesus Closes the Book“]

Notice that result of the “good tidings” from the Old Testament Hebrew and interpreted from the New Testament Greek as “gospel” (meaning “good news”) involved several “physical” rescues for humanity that typified “spiritual” salvation from Jesus, who had been declared to be anointed by God’s Holy Spirit.

1. Preaching the gospel to the “poor” (also “meek”, “humble”) is bringing the gospel of salvation to the “poor and humble in spirit” (those who lack in the hearing of the Gospel of Salvation made possible by the Person and Work of the Lord Jesus Christ).
2. Healing the “brokenhearted” (the “downtrodden”) is pointing to the spiritual healing of those crushed under the power of the devil.
3. Preach “deliverance of the captives” is pointing to the means by which the hearers will be set free “spiritually” from bondage to both sin and the prison house of the devil.
4. “Recovering of sight to the blind” is pointing to the fact that all of mankind are by nature “spiritually” blind to their sin-sick state and need the eyes to be opened see their need of Jesus’ Salvation. Please see: The Hearing Ear and the Seeing Eye.
5. “To set at liberty them that are bruised” is another example whereby all of mankind is by nature in “spiritual” bondage to sin and the devil because of the original Fall of Adam, and who can only be freed by Jesus’ Atoning Sacrifice.

Remember also, in Matthew 11:2-6, when the disciples of the imprisoned John the Baptist came to ask Jesus on John’s behalf if Jesus was the Christ, and Jesus’ only answer was “…Go and shew John again those things which ye do hear and see: The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is [he], whosoever shall not be offended in me.” This is also found in Luke 7:18-23 where we read in verse 22, “¶Then Jesus answering said unto them, Go your way, and tell John what things ye have seen and heard; how that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, to the poor the gospel is preached. And blessed is [he], whosoever shall not be offended in me.“

But let us also review again the majority of the “Physical” Healing Miracles that Jesus did which point to the “Spiritual” Healing Miracles that occur with Salvation that is only made possible by Jesus’ Atoning Sacrifice.

1. Healing the Lepers: The dreaded disease of Leprosy was created by God to illustrate “physically” mankind’s “spiritual” sin-sick disease in the flesh that makes us all unclean by nature and unable to enter into the camp of God apart from a complete healing and cleansing. Only God could “physically” heal and cleanse a leper (Jesus healed many lepers), which points us to the fact that only God can “spiritually” heal and cleanse mankind’s leprous-like sin-sick` souls. For more on this please see: Jesus’ Cleansing of the Ten Lepers
2. Healing the Sick: Jesus healed the Apostle Simon Peter’s mother-in-law, who was sick with a fever, as we read in Matthew 8:14, “¶And when Jesus was come into Peter’s house, he saw his wife’s mother laid, and sick of a fever. And he touched her hand, and the fever left her: and she arose, and ministered unto them.” and in Capernaum, Jesus also healed a centurion’s servant, as is recorded in Luke 7:2-10, “And a certain centurion’s servant, who was dear unto him, was sick, and ready to die.” There were also several occasions when Jesus performed a healing on the Sabbath day. In most of those instances, the healing was followed by a confrontation with the religious leaders: Mark 3:1-6 (also Luke 6:6-11)…the man with the withered hand; Luke 13:10-14…the woman having a debilitating infirmity for 18 years; Luke 14:1-6…the man having the “dropsy”; John 5:1-18, the crippled man at the Bethesda pool being “impotent” for 38 years .
3. Healing the Lame: Jesus healed the “physically” lame as a sign that served to show that all of mankind is like that lame or even a paralyzed person, unable to stand and walk properly. For more on this please see: Mephibosheth and God’s Covenant of Grace. We read in Luke 5:17-26 of Jesus having healed the paralyzed man carried to him on a bed.
4. Healing the Blind: The entire Ninth Chapter of John describes Jesus’ physical healing of a man who was born blind that involved Jesus’ applying His saliva to the man’s eyes. The earliest account of Jesus healing the blind involved the healing of the blind man in Bethsaida that we read about in Mark 8:22-26 which also involved Jesus applying His saliva to the man’s eyes. Mark’s gospel gives us another account of Jesus healing a blind man named Bartimaeus as in Jericho in Mark 10:46-52. There is another important case of Jesus healing a blind man in Luke 18:35-43 wherein the blind man cried out to Jesus and we read of the resulting interaction, “¶And Jesus stood, and commanded him to be brought unto him: and when he was come near, he asked him, Saying, What wilt thou that I shall do unto thee? And he said,Lord, that I may receive my sight. ¶And Jesus said unto him, Receive thy sight: thy faith hath saved thee. And immediately he received his sight, and followed him, glorifying God: and all the people, when they saw [it], gave praise unto God.” Again the curing of “physical” blindness points us to the ultimate healing of man’s natural state of mind involving “spiritual” blindness that only God can cure.
5. Healing the Deaf and Dumb: Again, please see: The Hearing Ear and the Seeing Eye. In Mark 7:33-37, we read where Jesus healed a deaf and dumb man who could not speak near Decapolis. Jesus healed the man, but again as above, it involved the use of Jesus’ Saliva. The curing of “physical” dumbness points us to the ultimate healing of man’s natural state of mind involving “spiritual” dumbness that only God can cure. The believers so healed can “spiritually” speak with a new voice with a new tongue to preach the Gospel, as is elaborated in the main post above. Please see also: “Honoring God with One’s Mouth and Tongue“
6. Casting out Devils: In Luke 8:26-36 (and also Mark 5:1-13), we read where a man who had many devils, the so-called the Gerasene Demoniac, named “Legion“, was healed by Jesus with the devils/unclean spirits transferring to a heard (of about 2000 swine according to Mark 5:13) that all subsequently drowned in the Sea of Galilee. It is notable what we also read in Mark 1:34, “And he (Jesus) healed many that were sick of divers diseases, and cast out many devils; and suffered not the devils to speak, because they knew him.“
7. Raising the Dead to Life: We have three distinct accounts of Jesus raising people from the dead to life, where all three point to the fact that only God can “physically” raise someone from “physical” death, but pointing to the fact that only God, through Jesus, can “spiritually” raise someone from the curse of sin and death to eternal “spiritual” life:
   • Daughter of Jairus (Mark 5:21-43, Matthew 9:18-25, Luke 8:40-56):  Jairus, a major patron of a synagogue, asks Jesus to heal his daughter, but while Jesus is on the way, Jairus is told his daughter has died. Jesus tells him she was only sleeping and wakes her with the words “Talitha cumi” (“Damsel arise”).
   • The Young Man from Nain (Luke 7:11-15): A young man, the son of a widow, is brought out for burial in Nain. Jesus sees her, and his pity causes him to tell her not to cry. Jesus approaches the coffin and tells the young man inside to get up, and he does so.
   • The Raising of Lazarus (John 11:1-44): A close friend of Jesus who had been dead for four days (such that his body was already stinking) is brought back to life when Jesus commands him to come forth from the grave. And Jesus made a couple of key points during this historical account:
     • Jesus said in John 11:4that the raising of the dead would be for “the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby.“
     • We also read in John 11:25, “¶Jesus said unto her (Martha, the sister of Lazarus), I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this? ¶She saith unto him, Yea, Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world.” Jesus made clear the connection of the resurrection of Lazarus’ as a sign pointing to Jesus’ power over death to bring about the resurrection unto eternal life.

Jesus’ Physical Healings Were Never Meant To Be the End Point

All physical afflictions, including death, are the result of sin, and Jesus’ supernatural actions in temporally addressing them were intended to serve together as “signs”, and not the substance, of Salvation. They pointed to Jesus’ ability to bring about “spiritual” healing that is eternal. Physically healing someone alone is as futile as trying to take something to treat a temperature without finding what is causing it.

Remember what we are told in Romans 5:12-14, “¶Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: (For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law. Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam’s transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come.“

When Jesus healed all of these resultant illnesses of sin, He was teaching that unless the root cause for sin is found and treated, there is no cure. In fact, we can for certain know that many of those who were healed by Jesus, including Lazarus who was raised from the dead, eventually all still died in their flesh. This provides us all with another important lesson as it proves that any focus today by those that seek and claim to be able to supernaturally heal men of their physical afflictions, clearly do not have the answer for the root cause.

Remember that Jesus made a point of comparing those with limitations and infirmities like “the poor, the lame, the maimed, and the blind” to those who are in need of repentance in both Luke 14:13, “But when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind:” and Luke 14:21, “So that servant came, and shewed his lord these things. Then the master of the house being angry said to his servant, Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind.”

The poor and infirm were representative of all the sin-sick souls who are in need of salvation, versus those who are self-righteous and do not see themselves in need of repentance and hence salvation. We see this in Luke 18:9, “¶And he (Jesus) spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:” and after which we are provided the “Parable of the Pharisee and the publican” in the subsequent verses:Luke 18:10-14.

Jesus is the Great Physician of the poor and infirm, who were identified as “sinners” and dismissed by the scribes and Pharisees as we read in Mark 2:17, “When Jesus heard [it], he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” and Luke 15:7, regarding the lost sheep “I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.” (Please see the post on Luke 15 for a more comprehensive review of the lost sheep, which includes the Parable of the Prodigal Son.)

Regarding the feast mentioned above, Jesus calls sinners to repentance and welcomes them to partake of the Great Wedding Feast come Judgment Day. (Please see the study on the Two Great Feasts.)

In closing let us remember what we read in Romans 8:5-11, “For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded [is] death; but to be spiritually minded [is] life and peace. Because the carnal mind [is] enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. And if Christ [be] in you, the body [is] dead because of sin; but the Spirit [is] life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.“

Conclusion

The ‘physical’ healings by Jesus of people’s “physical” infirmities, like being “deaf”, “dumb”, “blind”, “lame”, “leprous”, etc., which included Jesus’ casting out devils and even raising people from death to life, were all intended to reveal, by analogy, God’s Magnificent “Spiritual” Healing and Cleansing Power, through the Person and Atoning Work of the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ came to heal His chosen from their sin sicknesses and bondage to the devil, which everyone has inherited from Adam and which perpetuate themselves throughout every generation. It is only because of the Intercession by the Great Physician, The Lord Jesus Christ, that all believers are healed from those spiritual infirmities, which otherwise separate everyone from God. Believers are spiritually resurrected from spiritual death to new life in Christ, being born again in the spirit by God’s Holy Spirit. Once spiritually awakened, the believers will have been given ears that ‘spiritually’ hear, eyes that ‘spiritually’ see, and new tongues with which they can ‘spiritually’ communicate the Gospel of Salvation, because the Word of God is now in them.

POSTSCRIPT:

In the Hymn, “O For a Thousand Tongues” by Charles Wesley (1707-1788), the last stanza reads:

Hear Him , ye deaf: His praise, ye dumb,

Your Loosed tongues employ;

Ye blind, behold your Savior come;

And leap, ye lame, for joy. Amen.

Introduction

In Jonah 2:9, we read where Jonah, crying out from within the belly of the whale says, “But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay [that] that I have vowed. Salvation [is] of the LORD.” Have you ever thought what “Salvation is of the LORD” actually means?

This study explores the implications of Jonah’s words for humanity—past, present, and future—drawing from various posts on the Bereansearching website. The goal is to be like Ezra and the Levites in Nehemiah 8:8, where we read of their effectiveness in conveying truth from the scriptures, “So they read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused [them] to understand the reading.” This compendium focuses on God’s Magnificent Salvation Plan, centered on the Person and Work of the Lord Jesus Christ. May it be a helpful overview for every reader seeking The Truth, Who is Jesus.

1) God is the Creator of the Universe

No human being can “physically” see God and live, just as God told Moses in Exodus 33:20, “And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live.” As a result, there is a tendency of much of mankind to dismiss the fact that there is indeed an invisible God Who is nonetheless in total control of all of creation. However, God tells us Romans 1:20, “For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, [even] his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: Because that, when they knew God, they glorified [him] not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.“

We also know that Jesus Christ, as God, The Creator, is made evident here in these exemplar verses:

• Hebrews 1:1-4, “¶God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by [his] Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; 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; Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.“
• 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.
• John 1:14, ¶And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

For more, please see The Holy Trinity and The Earth as Described by God.

2) God Is Totally Sovereign

God is omniscient (ALL knowing) and omnipotent (ALL powerful). Psalm 135:6&7, “Whatsoever the LORD pleased, [that] did he in heaven, and in earth, in the seas, and all deep places. He causeth the vapours to ascend from the ends of the earth; he maketh lightnings for the rain; he bringeth the wind out of his treasuries.“

Nothing escapes His Knowledge, His Will, or His Grasp. We are told in Matthew 10:29&30 (also in Luke 12:6&7) that God knows every hair on every person’s head, “Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.“

Luke 8:17, “For nothing is secret, that shall not be made manifest; neither [any thing] hid, that shall not be known and come abroad.“

For a deeper exploration, God’s Total Sovereignty: The Real Inconvenient Truth!

3) God’s Sovereignty Subsumes Salvation

Humanity often assumes control over their destiny, but salvation is entirely God’s prerogative. God’s Will overrules man’s will. God Sovereignly determines who is to receive salvation: we are all simply the work of God’s Hands.

This is perhaps the hardest thing for anyone to accept. Everyone likes to imagine oneself as the captain of his or her own fate. Human beings generally all get to choose what clothes to wear, and what to eat, as well as how to respond or initiate all other everyday issues that come our way. The one thing that we cannot choose, and over which we have NO control, is to choose to become one of God’s children.

Isaiah 64:8 makes clear the relationship of man versus God, “But now, O LORD, thou [art] our father; we [are] the clay, and thou our potter; and we all [are] the work of thy hand.” God is in charge, not man, and that includes whether a person will ever be saved or not. The “Doctrine of Election” is Salvation by God’s Sovereign Grace, Alone. Please see this post: God Is The Potter, We are the Clay (and His Workmanship).

Key verses (in addition to Romans chapter 9) underscore God’s sovereign election:

1. Matthew 22:14, “¶For many are called, but few are chosen.” (passive voice) (also Matthew 20:16)
2. John 15:16, “Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and [that] your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.“
3. John 6:44, “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.“
4. Ephesians 1:4&5, “According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,“

Salvation is by God’s grace alone, not the result of any human effort. Please see: Biblical Ironies and God’s Poetic Justice and Only One Way to Salvation.

4) Jesus’ Parables and the Doctrine of Election

Jesus’ parables—earthly stories with heavenly meanings—highlight spiritual truths supporting the doctrine of election. Parables serve as a linguistic vehicle that point to the necessity of Spiritual awakening and underscore that Salvation is by Election, which is only obtainable as a gift from God.

It is more than noteworthy that Jesus’ disciples asked him pointedly in Matthew 13:10, “¶And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables?” We read of Jesus’ response in the next verse, in Matthew 13:11, “¶He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.” The first “them” are the disciples, while the second “them” are the “multitudes”, among whom are all those who are not counted as being the children of God.

Jesus elaborated on the purpose of parables, and of His reasoning for employing them as a teaching tool, which has been expounded in depth in this post: Why Did Jesus Employ Parables in His Teachings?. Jesus explained to His disciples WHY He always spoke in parables to the multitudes as we read in Mark 4:11&12, “And he (Jesus Christ speaking to His disciples) 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.“

Jesus was making clear that His teachings were never intended for “everyone”, but rather only to those to whom God had given “Spiritual Ears to Hear and Spiritual Eyes to See“.  And while each parable may or may not be fully understood by a believer, that does not diminish the point that a parable cannot be “truly” understood by anyone other than a believer (beyond the intellectual “understanding” as heard by someone’s “physical” ears), even when a parable is fully and openly explained. Matthew 11:25&26, “¶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.” Parables underscore a fundamental principle, the Doctrine of Election.

Perhaps the most significant of Jesus’ parables is “The Parable of the Sower“, because it helps to explain how God crafts His parables to help the believer with understanding of “All” parables. (Mark 4:13, “And he (Jesus) said unto them, Know ye not this parable? and how then will ye know all parables?). But Jesus went on to provide His disciples (and us) with the means to understand parables through His exegesis of the Parable of the Sower, teaching by example of 1 Corinthians 2:13, “not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual” (scripture with scripture). The Parable of the Sower addresses the various obstacles that inhibit the effectiveness of the Gospel of Salvation message, but, nonetheless God’s Word will take root in the prepared heart and bear fruit by leading others to Jesus Christ.

Other parables provide additional supporting insights on the doctrine of election, such as in the one with the separation of five wise virgins from the five foolish virgins, or in the separation of the faithful servants from the unfaithful servant, or in the separation of the sheep from the goats, or involving the separation of the people bidden to the Marriage Feast, who either have a wedding garment or do not, or the separation of the wheat from the tares. 

• The Parable of the Ten Virgins: Which teaches us that only those who have been anointed by God’s Holy Spirit will enter into Heaven to be with the Bridegroom, the Lord Jesus Christ
• The Parable of the Talents: Which teaches us to multiply the Gospel message of Salvation
• The Parable of the Good Samaritan: Which teaches us to have compassion for our fellow man, but also that The Lord Jesus Christ is exemplified by the Good Samaritan in saving and caring for spiritually dead souls.
• The Parable of Prodigal Son: Which teaches us that Jesus came to save sinners, repentant sinners, and not the “righteous”.
• The Great Separation: Which teaches us that there will be Great Division and Separation coming on Judgment Day (exemplified by the parables of the wheat and the tares, the sheep and the goats, the good fish and the bad fish in the net). 

God uses Parables to help us understand what really matters from an eternal perspective, and that Salvation is only a gift of unmerited favor from God. Speaking in parables is a metaphor for how God effectuates His Magnificent Salvation Plan.

In each of these parables, a clear distinction is made between that which is to be saved, versus that which is to be cast out into outer darkness, destroyed, and burned for eternity. These Parables repeatedly make the point that the end result for all of mankind since creation, come Judgment Day, is a Great Eternal Separation…either entering into Heaven with Jesus or being cast into Hell under the wrath of God for sin. 

The key takeaway is that Jesus did NOT die to save “everyone” from their sins! Jesus only came to save those whom God has chosen to save, who God counts to be among the elect of God and who are otherwise referred to as “the sheep” of the Flock of The Good Shepherd, Jesus. We must carefully consider what we find in Romans chapter 9, and in particular, Romans 9:13, “As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.“

This is spelled out clearly as well in 1 Corinthians 2:10-14, “But God hath revealed [them] unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. 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 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.“

5) The Lord Jesus Christ Will Be The Judge on Judgment Day!

Jesus will return as the Ultimate Judge on Judgment Day, accompanied by the saints (Please see “The Believers (The ‘Saints’) Will Be With Jesus in Bringing Judgment on Judgment Day!“). Scriptures like Matthew 10:28, warn of eternal consequences: “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” Jonah 2:2, where Jonah cries “out of the belly of hell,” typifies Christ’s atonement, enduring hell’s equivalent to save His elect. “And said, I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the LORD, and he heard me; out of the belly of hell cried I, and thou heardest my voice.“

There are many references to Jesus’ Second Coming on Judgment Day. The following posts address the key facts:

1. Judgment Day is Coming Soon
2. Lightning, Swords, and Arrows
3. The Heavens Rolled Back as a Scroll
4. Coming Like a Snare
5. The Great Sacrifice of Judgment Day
6. Isaiah Chapters 1-3 

Moreover, in the run-up to Judgment Day, The Final Tribulation Will Be When the Devil is Loosed by God. But for anyone who is distressed upon hearing that this is the case, God tells the believer not to fret. These two posts help to explain the basis for that understanding: Biblical Proverbial Wisdom and Truth Applicable to Our World Today and Psalm 37.

6) Eternal Hell is Real

The following posts are self evident, but one thing needs to be made clear in addition. Romans 6:23 states, “For the wages of sin [is] death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” The “death” that is in view is not just physical death, but an eternity in Hell for the non-elect. Jesus’ Atonement paid this penalty in full for His chosen, His elect, which was the equivalent of an eternity in Hell (understanding that God is outside of space and time). That is the reality. If Jesus endured the wrath of God in Hell, then eternal Hell is part of that reality that everyone must accept.

1. Is There Really an Eternal Hell?
2. The Winepress of Shame
3. The Threshing Floor of God

7) God Conceals Himself in His Word

God hides spiritual truth from the non-elect. This is perhaps the hardest lesson to learn and teach.

Proverbs 25:2 (KJV) states: “[It is] the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour of kings [is] to search out a matter.” This is perhaps one of the most significant and profound verses in the Bible because, as explained here in this post: “The Lord Jesus Christ is The Word“. The Hebrew word for “thing” and “matter” דָּבָר (dāḇār)^H1697 means “word,” pointing to Jesus, the Word (John 1:1).

Only the elect, guided by the Holy Spirit, discern these truths as we read in 1 Corinthians 2:14, “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 (ἀνακρίνω (anakrinō))^G350.” [This also brings us back again to the Doctrine of Election.]

This is extremely important! The natural man is NOT anointed with God’s Holy Spirit and without Him, it is impossible for the natural man to begin to grasp any saving understanding of what God is teaching the believers who have been given, by God, the Anointing of The Holy Spirit. The unsaved may understand intellectually (as the devil does), but they remain dead in their trespasses and sins.

The Road to Emmaus (Luke 24) illustrates this, as Jesus, after His Resurrection, opened the scriptures to His disciples (who did not initially recognize Him), revealing Himself in the Old Testament. That study explains the significance of the associated events and is entirely consistent with what Jesus made clear in John 5:39… that we are to “Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.”  

In Jesus’s day, the scriptures consisted ONLY of the Old Testament!  We therefore have a clear mandate to search, back in the Old Testament, to see how gloriously and amazingly God has embedded The Lord Jesus Christ within so many of the passages of the Old Testament. And the Bereanseaching website is dedicated to helping the reader see how this is so.

Remember this prayer of Jesus 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].“

Please see also this post: “God’s Word is a Mystery“. The Word of God is “Plain” to the Believer, but “Hidden” to the Non-Elect (and that is a “Mystery” in itself!).

The fundamentals of true Christianity are provided in a 15 Chapter Book entitled “Exalting the Person and Work of the Lord Jesus Christ: The Key if Knowledge for Unlocking the Mystery of the Bible“. Chapter 12 focuses more on why God determined to conceal Himself in His Word.

CONCLUSION

“Salvation is of the LORD” (Jonah 2:9) means Salvation is God’s Gift, according to God’s Sovereign Will and Good Pleasure, granted solely to His elect by His Grace alone. And “Salvation” means being saved from the just penalty for one’s sins, and that penalty would, apart from Jesus’ Atoning Sacrifice, require an eternity in Hell come Judgment Day.

Parables are used by God to illustrate that Salvation is only for the elect of God, His Chosen people, His sheep. Matthew 22:14, “For many are called, but few [are] chosen.”…Note the word is “chosen” and NOT that the few “choose”. Romans 9:16, “So then [it is] not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.“

Only those born again by the Spirit can discern spiritual truths, as Romans 7:14-25, laments human carnality and exalts Christ’s deliverance. Believers, guided by the Holy Spirit, must search the scriptures (John 5:39) to see Jesus interwoven throughout the Bible, and be as the Greeks in John 12:20&21, who came up to the feast in Jerusalem to worship and say, “we would see Jesus.” May all who read this seek Him through His Word.

Introduction

The Great Tribulation is the “Little Season” when the Devil Will Be Loosed

in Revelation 20:1-3, we read, “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.”  We can both see and learn that it must be a part of God’s Magnificent Salvation Plan that God would let the devil loose for “a little season” just prior to Judgment Day. This raises a number of questions…Why? When? How Long? And What then?

The second chapter of Thessalonians provides us with some insights on the timing of the end of the world. NOT the “specific”, or “exact”, or “precise” timing, but “general” timing, along with some features associated with the very last of the last days. It is also entirely consistent with other passages of Holy Scripture as we will see in a bit.

The Bible does make clear that just prior to Judgment Day, at the end of time, will be a period also known as the “Great Tribulation as we read in verses Matthew 24:21 & 22, “For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.”

And then 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 sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man (Jesus Christ Himself) 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.”

Note to the Reader: This post is excerpted in part from “Is Time Almost Up?  How Can Anyone Know?“

Thessalonians Chapter 2

Let us read together the first 15 verses of Paul’s second Epistle to the Thessalonians, Chapter 2:

2 Thessalonians 2:1, “¶Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and [by] our gathering together unto him,”

2 Thessalonians 2:2, “That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.“

2 Thessalonians 2:3, “Let no man deceive you by any means: for [that day shall not come], except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;“

2 Thessalonians 2:4, “Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.“

2 Thessalonians 2:5, “¶Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?“

2 Thessalonians 2:6, “And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time.

2 Thessalonians 2:7, “For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth [will] let, until he be taken out of the way.“

2 Thessalonians 2:8, “And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:

2 Thessalonians 2:9, “[Even him], whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,“

2 Thessalonians 2:10, “And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.

2 Thessalonians 2:11, “And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:“

2 Thessalonians 2:12, “That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.“

2 Thessalonians 2:13, “¶But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth:“

2 Thessalonians 2:14, “Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.“

2 Thessalonians 2:15, “Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle.“

How Long? God will cut the time short

While the length of time of the “little season” is not specified, Jesus gives us the assurance, in Matthew 24:22, that the world will not be completely destroyed and that not everyone would die before Judgment Day (via nuclear war, pandemics (pestilences), earthquakes, famines, climate change, or whatever calamities) because: “And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.” And it is repeated in Mark 13:20, “And except that the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh should be saved: but for the elect’s sake, whom he hath chosen, he hath shortened the days.”  This is also consistent with Apostle Paul’s Holy Spirit inspired statement in 1 Corinthians 15:51-53, “Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep (die), but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.”

What then? The Coming of the Day of the Lord (JUDGMENT DAY)!

And From 2 Peter Chapter 3 (please see the whole Chapter) we find that at Jesus’s coming, which will herald the Final Judgment Day, the elements shall melt with fervent heat and that there will be an entirely new creation… Verses 3-8, “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.

Zephaniah 3:8, “Therefore wait ye upon me, saith the LORD, until the day that I rise up to the prey: for my determination [is] to gather the nations, that I may assemble the kingdoms, to pour upon them mine indignation, [even] all my fierce anger: for all the earth shall be devoured with the fire of my jealousy.“

And then we must carefully consider these next two verses: 2 Peter 3:8&9, “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.” That is a clear indication that God’s timetable is not based on how mankind looks at time. It is dependent on God’s Magnificent Plan of Salvation whereby everyone who is to be saved (and brought into the Body of Christ), will be saved. None who were ordained to eternal life will perish (remain unsaved and go to Hell). Only God knows that precise timing of the end of the world when Jesus returns as Judge. And please note the harmony with what we read in James 5:7&8, “¶Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.“

Isaiah 34:4 “And all the host of heaven shall be dissolved, and the heavens shall be rolled together as a scroll: and all their host shall fall down, as the leaf falleth off from the vine, and as a falling fig from the [fig] tree.”

Isaiah 51:6 “Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look upon the earth beneath: for the heavens shall vanish away like smoke, and the earth shall wax old like a garment, and they that dwell therein shall die in like manner: but my salvation shall be for ever, and my righteousness shall not be abolished.”

Revelation 6:14, “And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.”

Luke 21:28, “And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.”

Jesus made very clear in Matthew 24:35 that this creation is temporal, but He and His Word are eternal: “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.”

What is Coming: “New Heavens and a New Earth, Wherein Dwelleth Righteousness.“

2 Peter 3:10-13, “But the day of the Lord (Judgment Day) 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 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? Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.”  Peter was aware of what God said by the prophet Isaiah, inIsaiah 65:17 “For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind.” and 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.”

What Should We Do Now?

Things certainly do not appear to be improving in the world, and for the most part, the world seems to have gone absolutely insane for reasons that are not obvious to any objective observer.  That is because the root cause is spiritual, and therefore not readily apparent or discernible to those who are trying to explain and or justify current events from a carnal perspective. They will blame it on climate change, or point the finger a political opponents, or whatever comes to their natural minds. 

However, the Bible offers us the very clear explanation, and predicts exactly what we are seeing in the world today, and what will be the final outcome.  In 2 Thessalonians 1:7-12 we are told, “And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power; When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day. Wherefore also we pray always for you, that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfil all the good pleasure of his goodness, and the work of faith with power: That the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and ye in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Conclusion

Anyone and everyone is free to choose to either listen to, or ignore, the Truth as found in the Bible. One way or another, we will all have to come to the realization that all of creation and time and space is finite and will end at some point…and for any one individual that end will come at the point of physical death which is inevitable in any case. But the Bible teaches that there is still the reality of the final Judgment Day to come for sin for everyone who is not saved by the Atoning Sacrifice of Jesus Christ!

However, while anyone remains physically alive in this temporal earthly realm, there is still the hope and joy of knowing that there can be eternal peace with God through Jesus Christ (Alone), Who, as The Sin Bearer and The Punished Substitute, IF that person only cries out to God for mercy in Jesus’ Name before it is too late.  In order to stand in the presence of God, and to enter into the Temple of God not built with hands, we must be clothed in the robes of Jesus Christ’s Righteousness.

For the Believer, according to 2 Corinthians 5:1-11, “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:If so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked. For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life.Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit. Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord:(For we walk by faith, not by sight:) We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord. Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. 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.”

Jesus warned of the coming Judgment Day and said the following in Luke 21:34-36, “And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.”

Comfort for the Believer in the End Times

Despite the increasingly tribulous times that we now find ourselves living in, and these are the Last Days, there remains the exquisite hope and comfort for all Believers. In Romans 8:26-39 (the entire chapter sums it all up) we read “Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified. What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, “¶But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep (dead), that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep (are dead) in Jesus will God bring with him. ¶For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent (come before) them which are asleep (dead). For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive [and] remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.“

POSTSCRIPT: Judgment Day is Coming Soon!

Throughout the ages, many people have claimed to know when Judgment Day, the end of the world, is about to happen using the Bible as the basis.  Some will even erroneously claim to know, and then announce, exact dates for that day of destruction.  Whenever they do, whoever they are, they are all in complete contravention of the reality as spoken by Jesus in Matthew 24:36, “But of that day and hour knoweth no [man], no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.”

But is there at least a way that we might know approximately (e.g., the “Season”) when Judgment Day is coming, sooner than later?  Let us see what the Bible does reveal to us on this subject.  No matter what anyone has ever told you, or whatever you may have believed up until now…when Jesus comes back, it will be once and for all, and that will be “Judgment Day”, period! There will be NO carnal earthly reign on this sin-cursed earth for a thousand years (millennial era), but rather ETERNITY with our HOLY GOD!

In Matthew 24:14, Jesus is very explicit. Please read this chapter very carefully, and do so while keeping in mind the other passages listed below.  However, note where we read, “And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.”

Has that happened yet?  If the Gospel of Salvation through Jesus Christ has been preached throughout all the world, via missionaries, publications, radio and television, or the World Wide Web (the Internet), including through vehicles such as this Bereansearching blog…should we not expect that Judgment Day is very close?

And have not very explicitly enumerated sins become public and in plain sight of all in defiance of God? We must, therefore, have to be VERY close to a time when the so-called “cup of iniquity” (idolatry and immorality) will become full (patterned after what we read about the 400 year/four generations sojourn of Israel in bondage in Egypt and the subsequent fate of the Amorites in Genesis 15:13-16, “And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land [that is] not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years; And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance.  And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age. But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites [is] not yet full.“)

2 Thessalonians 1:3-10, “We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is meet, because that your faith groweth exceedingly, and the charity of every one of you all toward each other aboundeth; So that we ourselves glory in you in the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that ye endure: [Which is] a manifest token of the righteous judgment of God, that ye may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which ye also suffer: Seeing [it is] a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you; And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord JesusChrist: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power; When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day“.

Introduction

The following excellent model prayer is taken by permission from the Family Worship Hymnal ©1999 Christian Liberty Press.

For more on what is meant by God choosing the lost sinner, vice the lost sinner choosing God, please see this post entitled, The Doctrine of Election. And the quote, “Salvation [is] of the LORD“, is taken directly from the mouth of the prophet Jonah as found in Jonah 2:9. For more on the Book of Jonah, and the spiritual implications it holds, please see this Christian commentary: The Book of Jonah.

Introduction

The number thirteen (“13“) is a prime number that represents “Completion” or “Super Fullness” (possibly with implications for the end of time, the “completion and super fullness of time”). It should also be noted that he number 13 is often considered “unlucky” by those who are superstitious (this phobia even has its own name: triskaidekaphobia) due to several historical and cultural associations, e.g., Judas, who betrayed Jesus, was the 13th guest at the Last Supper. Interestingly, although it can be shown that the number 13 should indeed be viewed as negative for all unbelievers (because the number 13 ultimately points to the end of the world on Judgment Day when Jesus returns), the number 13 should alternatively be viewed as positive for all the true Christian believers who happily anticipate Jesus’ soon return.

Note to the Reader: This post is an excerpt from another longer post entitled: Numbers in the Bible Convey Spiritual Concepts.

What Does the Bible Say About the Number 13?

• While there were twelve tribes in Israel, there were in fact thirteen. The tribe of Joseph was given a double portion divided up between his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim, which created an additional 13th tribe. Genesis 48:22 (The tribe of Ephraim, because of Jacob/Israel’s Patriarchal blessing, is also known as the tribe of Joseph. Numbers 1:32)
• While there were twelve Apostles with Jesus, there were in fact thirteen because Paul was chosen by God to be the 13th Apostle (understanding that Judas Iscariot, being of the original twelve, was replaced by Matthias, as we read in Acts 1:26) See also for example, Romans 1:1 Galatians 1:1, and 1 Corinthians 9:1
• In Genesis 17:25, we read that “And Ishmael his son [was] thirteen years old, when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin.” It is also an interesting fact that in Judaism, 13 years old signifies the age at which a boy matures and becomes a Bar Mitzvah, i.e., a full member of the Jewish faith (counts as a member of Minyan).
• Have you ever realized that the walls of Jericho fell only after National Israel circumnavigated (compassed) the city thirteen times?  Joshua 6:2-5, “And the LORD said unto Joshua, See, I have given into thine hand Jericho, and the king thereof, [and] the mighty men of valour. And ye shall compass the city, all [ye] men of war, [and] go round about the city once. Thus shalt thou do six days. And seven priests shall bear before the ark seven trumpets of rams’ horns: and the seventh day ye shall compass the city seven times, and the priests shall blow with the trumpets. And it shall come to pass, that when they make a long [blast] with the ram’s horn, [and] when ye hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall of the city shall fall down flat, and the people shall ascend up every man straight before him.“
• In Joseph’s second dream, thirteen celestial objects (the sun, moon, and eleven stars) bow down to him in Genesis 37:9&10. His brothers and father quickly interpreted the dreams to mean they would one day be under Joseph’s authority. This dream (together with the first dream in Genesis 37:6-8) effectively became reality in Genesis 42:6and Genesis 42:9 . And we should also remember that at the end of time, according to Philippians 2:10, “That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of [things] in heaven, and [things] in earth, and [things] under the earth;And [that] every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ [is] Lord, to the glory of God the Father.“
• Seth, in the origina Hebrew (שֵׁת (šēṯ))^H8352 meaning “compensation” or “substitute”), the third son of Adam, was born to Adam when Adam was 130 years old. Genesis 5:3, “And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat [a son] in his own likeness, after his image; and called his name (קָרָא (qārā’)^H7121שֵׁם (šēm)^H8034) Seth:“
• 1 Kings 7:1, “But Solomon was building his own house thirteen years, and he finished all his house.” Given that king Solomon is used by God to “Typify” Jesus, and Jesus builds His house by the saving of souls throughout time, we could also say that these “thirteen years” could be indicative of the whole period of time of God’s Salvation program. It is therefore no accident or incident that, by using the Biblical calendar provided by God using patriarchal genealogies (mentioned earlier) it can be shown that it had been 11000 years from creation to the coming of Jesus. And given that it is now two thousand years since Jesus was on earth, we must be very close to it being 13000 years since creation now in our day(see note below on how this age can be determined).
• Three other verses to ponder…Why did God provide this information?  Deuteronomy 1:2, “(There are eleven days‘ journey from Horeb by the way of mount Seir unto Kadeshbarnea.). Remember also that Mt. Horeb is where the Law was given, but so it was in the Garden of Eden that a Law was given and Kadeshbarnea would have been the entrance to the Promised Land (Heaven). Remembering that a day to God is as a 1000 years to man 2 Peter 3:8, “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“. However, it was not until Joshua (“Jesus”) led the people through the flood waters of the river Jordan 40 years later where the Ark of the Covenant stayed the flood waters that the people could enter in. And remember this: Joshua 3:4, “Yet there shall be a space between you and it (the Ark of the Covenant), about two thousand cubits by measure: come not near unto it, that ye may know the way by which ye must go: for ye have not passed [this] way heretofore.” Could it be that the final entering in to Heaven will be about two thousand years after Jesus returned to Heaven, for a total of about 13000 years since Creation?

A Key to the Biblical Calendar that points to Creation being 13000 years ago (as opposed to only 6000 years ago)

A key to determining the Biblical calendar of history can be found in the Books of Genesis and Exodus. The Bible tells us three times that National Israel sojourned in Egypt exactly 430 years in Exodus 12:40, Exodus 12:41, and Galatians 3:17 (and that National Israel was in bondage for 400 of those years according to Genesis 15:13 and Acts 7:6). [ NOTE to the Reader: This is a controversial subject given that some theologians and scholars, as far back as at least to Flavius Josephus in the first century, have claimed that the sojourn was not 430 years, but rather 215 years due to an erroneous understanding of the “fourth generation“.]

We do know in fact that there were only “four generations” living in Egypt during that 430 year period, according to the Word of God in Genesis 15:16, “But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites [is] not yet full.” For the Levitical priesthood, the first generation to come into Egypt was that of Levi. Levi can be shown to have been sixty years old when he entered into Egypt during the great famine, given that Joseph was 39 years old at the time. We can know this Genesis 41:46 because Joseph was 30 years old when he foretold the following seven years of plenty and then his brothers came in during the second year of the subsequent famine (Levi can be calculated separately as having been 21 years older than Joseph), and Levi lived 137 years according to Exodus 6:16, therefore the first generation was in Egypt for 77 years. The second male in the “generational line” of the Levitical priesthood was Kohath, who lived 133 years according to Exodus 6:18. The third in this generational line was Amram, who lived 137 years according to Exodus 6:20. The fourth and last of the generational line of the Levitical priesthood to be in Egypt was Aaron. Aaron was 83 years old at the time of the Exodus according to Exodus 7:7. 77 + 133 +137 +83 = 430 years covering only four generations, exactly as God said would be the case.

But note that the generations are consecutive, and not overlapping, as would normally be expected (and what most people think when seeing the word “begat“). This is because God does not provide any evidence of a direct father-to-son relationship. Instead, each of these patriarchs were in fact distant progeny, either grandsons or great grandsons, etc., born in the same year as that of the previous patriarch’s death. A true father-to-son relationship is normally identified through the use of the Hebrew phrase “(קָרָא (qārā’)^H7121 שֵׁם (šēm)^H8034)” meaning “called his name“, and that is not the case as is provided in Exodus chapter 6. The only direct father-to-son relationships, which are incontrovertible with regard to calculating the Biblical calendar from the genealogies, are found in Genesis 5 and 11 are 1) Adam to Seth, 2) Enosh to Lamech, 3) Noah to Shem, and 4) Terah to Abraham. All of the other names recorded were patriarchal heads of families that would have followed each other chronologically in a manner consistent with what was just shown to be the case with Levi, Kohath, Amram, and Aaron. Using this methodology it is possible to arrive at about 13000 years since creation (as opposed to other calculations suggesting only 6000 years). Among the key dates derived from the 13000 year calendar include Noah’s Flood occurred in 4990 B.C. and the Exodus occurred in 1447 B.C.

The Biblical Calendar Rosetta Stone is the 430 years in Egypt conforming to four generations…NO other timeline is sufficient to explain this. And the currently generally accepted Biblical Timeline of ~6000 years since creation says that Israel’s sojourn in Egypt had to be only 215 years!!!…despite the Bible having emphatically stated 430 YEARS TOTAL IN THREE PLACES (Exodus 12:40, Exodus 12:41 , and Galatians 3:17) to the very day!!! (and 400 years in bondage/affliction…because, when Joseph reigned for the first 30 years, Israel was not in bondage).

As a result, this relatively unknown information entirely annuls all of the generally accepted Biblical Timelines claiming ~6000 years since creation (which erroneously applies only 215 years to Israel’ sojourn in Egypt) and instead shows us that it has been ~13000 years since creation (where the sojourn actually lasted 430 years, exactly, as the Bible explicitly states THREE times).  

From a geologic (“Scientific”) perspective of history, from which mankind claims that the Universe was created in a Big Bang, ~14 Billion years ago, this difference is relatively insignificant. However, it is more than double that of the current accepted thinking from a theological perspective.  And it should be noted that this newer Biblical Timeline and the “Scientific” Timeline are not irreconcilable.  When we consider that Adam, that only a few minutes after having being formed out of the dust would have likely “appeared” as though he was an adult (e.g., ~20 years old) so too does the universe “appear” to be ~14 Billion years old. Moreover, the Bible states that God created the universe by simply speaking it into existence out of nothing, which is also consistent with the Big Bang theory which states that everything came from nothing in an instant.

Introduction

Myriad misperceptions abound on the role of numbers as they are found in the Bible. Nonetheless, it can be observed that God does apply the use of numbers in a consistent and meaningful way, which have the effect of conveying spiritual truths, as this post attempts to show. The numbers in the Bible, just like the words in the Bible (in the original languages), are integral to the Spiritually crafted text in an inerrant, infallible, and consistent manner/pattern. We should also be aware that “numbers” are also unique words in themselves, in that (unlike other words) they are the only means of human communication which can be universally understood. 

Note to the Reader: This post is an excerpt from another longer post entitled: Numbers in the Bible Convey Spiritual Concepts.

The “276” souls saved in the shipwreck with Paul coming to the island of “Melita” (“Honey“) highlight the Prime Number “23”

We also know that the promised land (typifying Heaven) was frequently described in the Bible as a place flowing with “milk and honey”^H1706.  And it should be noted here that when Paul was shipwrecked, that the “certain island” that Paul prophesied about in Acts 27:26 was named Melita (now known as “Malta“) in Acts 28:1.  Melita means “Honey”, and it was also used in this true historical account to portray “Heaven”*… to where all 276 souls on the ship were saved, although the ship that carried them was completely destroyed (because it represents the apostate corporate church just prior to Judgment Day). We read in Acts 27:37, “And we were in all in the ship two hundred threescore and sixteen souls.“ and then later inActs 27:42-44, that the centurion in charge of the Apostle Paul, ”commanded that they which could swim should cast [themselves] first [into the sea], and get to land: And the rest, some on boards, and some on [broken pieces] of the ship. And so it came to pass, that they escaped all safe to land.”  

The ship was completely destroyed, yet every soul was saved. That is the plain, literal, and historical understanding, for which there is no argument to that point. But why did the number of souls total exactly “276“? Could there be some kind of spiritual meaning Iinked to that number as was the case of the 153 fish? YES, Indeed there is!

When we look at the original Greek language translated into English by the King James translators, we find that the number presented as “two hundred threescore and sixteen” (“276“) is διακόσιοι (diakosioi) ^G1250 (“200“), ἑβδομήκοντα (hebdomēkonta) ^G1440 (“70“), and ἕξ (hex)^G1803(“6“).Each of those numbers has spiritual significance. 

The number “two hundred” (2 x 10 x 10) is representative of the church (“2”, like the two witnesses) in totality (“10” squared).  Mark 6:7, “And he called [unto him] the twelve, and began to send them forth by two and two; and gave them power over unclean spirits;“

“Seventy” as a Perfection of Time Indicator

The number “seventy” is a perfection of time indicator, as we know from the 70 years of desolation of Jerusalem and the Babylonian captivity during that same seventy year period (Daniel 9:2 and Jeremiah 25:12, Jeremiah 29:10). Then there are the 70 weeks of years (490 years) in Daniel 9:24 prophesying the exact time in the future that Jesus would arrive to make Atonement, “Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.” Also Isaiah 23:15, “¶And it shall come to pass in that day, that Tyre shall be forgotten seventy years, according to the days of one king: after the end of seventy years shall Tyre sing as an harlot.” 

Sometimes “seventy“ can have a positive connotation (for the Believers)

We also know from Exodus 1:5, “And all the souls that came out of the loins of Jacob were seventy souls: for Joseph was in Egypt [already].” In the New Testament, we read where Jesus appointed seventy men as new Apostles as we read in Luke 10:1, “After these things the Lord appointed other seventy also, and sent them two and two before his face into every city and place, whither he himself would come.” and then in Luke 10:17, “And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name.” Significantly, Jesus told those seventy men in Luke 10:20, “Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.” Those 70 men were appointed by Jesus and were granted entrance into Heaven. Seventy years was also the time period of captivity after which Jerusalem would be restored, picturing the end of time when the New Jerusalem would be revealed.

Sometimes “seventy” can also have a negative connotation (for the unsaved)

2 Samuel 24:15, “¶So the LORD sent a pestilence upon Israel from the morning even to the time appointed: and there died of the people from Dan even to Beersheba seventy thousand men.” In Ezekiel 8:11, there were, “seventy men of the ancients of the house of Israel,” who were doing abominations back in the Old Testament. 1 Chronicles 21:14, “¶So the LORD sent pestilence upon Israel: and there fell of Israel seventy thousand men.” Judges 9:56, “¶Thus God rendered the wickedness of Abimelech, which he did unto his father, in slaying his seventy brethren:”

Finally the number “six” (“6”). The number six is most closely aligned with both man and work.  God created man on the sixth day (Genesis 1:26-31). That was God’s “Work”.

So then, using this understanding of how God has used these specific numbers in the Bible, we can see that it involves the Eternal Church when God will finish His Work of restoration at the end of time leading to the era of the New Jerusalem in Heaven.

The Number “23” Is Also in View

But there is more to the spiritual implications of this historical account than that. The number 276 can also be divided into 3 x 4 x “23“. As was indicated earlier above, the number “3” represents “the Purpose or Will of God”, while the number “4” represents “Global” or “Universal” (like the four points of the compass, again please the Appendix). The number “23” (please see the Appendix) is another “prime number”, which cannot be divided any further and it represents God’s Judgment, particularly in “the Final Tribulation“, which occurs just before Judgment Day, when God’s wrath is poured out on the apostate church and the abomination of desolation takes over because God looses the devil as we read in Revelation 20:3&7.  The giant storm “euroclydon“, a form of God’s Wrath, was sent by God against the ship. 

276 Is a Unique Number Which Also Highlights the Number “23”

And just as we learned above how the number 153 was unique, so too is the number 276 unique! 
In the case of the number 276, the prime number that is highlighted is the number “23” in the same unique manner as was “17” highlighted in the number 153. If we add 1 +2 +3 +4 +5…up to and including +23, then we find that the sum of all the numbers equals 276!  The number 23 is therefore uniquely highlighted in two different ways that no other number besides 276 will be capable of doing. So then, the spiritual meaning that God has crafted into this historical account is that the Jesus (represented by the Apostle Paul, as a “Type” of Christ) would bring the souls of all of the believers into Heaven (those who were previously in the corporate body, the church during the last days after it is destroyed by God for its becoming apostate during in the Final Tribulation. 

Scriptural Evidence to show the number “23” points to “Judgment”, particularly in the context of punishing the corporate church for its apostasy during the “Final Tribulation”:

1. It was stated that the temple would be trodden under foot for 2300 (“23” X “100”) days to signify the period of the Final Tribulation when God judges the corporate church for its apostasy. Daniel 8:13&14, “¶Then I heard one saint speaking, and another saint said unto that certain [saint] which spake, How long [shall be] the vision [concerning] the daily [sacrifice], and the transgression of desolation, to give both the sanctuary and the host to be trodden under foot? ¶And he said unto me, Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.“
2. 23,000 (“23” X “1000”) Israelites were killed in one day in the plague in the Sinai wilderness as we read in 1 Corinthians 10:8, “Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand.“
3. It was in the 23rd year of Nebuchadnezzar’s reign when Judah was completely destroyed by the Babylonians under Nebuchadnezzar. Jeremiah 52:30, “In the three and twentieth year of Nebuchadrezzar Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away captive of the Jews seven hundred forty and five persons: all the persons [were] four thousand and six hundred.” (And please note that the 4600 is 2 x 2300)!

* The fact that all of the 276 souls made it safe to the Island of Melita is also significant, because it also reinforces a spiritual concept, because it is also a “Geographical Parable”. A Geographical Parable is a real “earthly” physical place, which serves to represent a real “spiritual” place and thereby conveys a “spiritual” meaning. “Melita“, from the orginal Greek Μελίτη (melitē)^G3194, means “Honey“. The Island of Melita, as God applies it in the Bible, is described more fully in a longer post entitled Biblical Insights: Geographical Parables, Part 7: The Island of Melita, A Portrait of Heaven. We also should remember that the “Promised Land” (typifying Heaven) is frequently described in the Bible as a land that is flowing (or floweth) with “milk (חָלָב (ḥālāḇ)) ^H2461and honey (דְּבַשׁ (dᵊḇaš))^H1706“(see for example Exodus 3:8). The phrase “milk and honey” is actually found 20 times in the Old Testament.  Is it not interesting that both milk and honey are related to this Creation of God, and, hence are not reliant in any way on the work of man? They are also dependent on green grass and flowers to be produced, but they result in a means of sustenance for man. Only those who are the chosen of God can enter into that land of rest (from work), a land that is flowing with milk and honey, hence that land of milk and honey (hence also “Melita”) is an earthly picture of the Spiritual Heaven wherein mankind can have eternal rest and sustenance for that which it cannot labor.

Introduction

Myriad misperceptions abound on the role of numbers as they are found in the Bible. Nonetheless, it can be observed that God does apply the use of numbers in a consistent and meaningful way, which have the effect of conveying spiritual truths, as this post attempts to show. The numbers in the Bible, just like the words in the Bible (in the original languages), are integral to the Spiritually crafted text in an inerrant, infallible, and consistent manner/pattern. We should also be aware that “numbers” are also unique words in themselves, in that (unlike other words) they are the only means of human communication which can be universally understood. 

Note to the Reader: This post is an excerpt from another longer post entitled: Numbers in the Bible Convey Spiritual Concepts.

The “153” fishes caught in the net by the Disciples highlight the Prime Number “17”

God records the historical account of Jesus appearing to the disciples (post-Resurrection) on the shore of the Sea of Galilee (“Sea of Tiberias“), when Peter, along with other named disciples, were fishing as we read in John 21:1-11, “¶After these things Jesus shewed himself again to the disciples at the sea of Tiberias; and on this wise shewed he [himself]. There were together Simon Peter, and Thomas called Didymus, and 

Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, and the [sons] of Zebedee, and two other of his disciples. Simon Peter saith unto them, I go a fishing. They say unto him, We also go with thee. They went forth, and entered into a ship immediately; and that night they caught nothing. But when the morning was now come, Jesus stood on the shore: but the disciples knew not that it was Jesus. Then Jesus saith unto them, Children, have ye any meat? They answered him, No. ¶And he said unto them, Cast the net on the right side of the ship, and ye shall find. They cast therefore, and now they were not able to draw it for the multitude of fishes. ¶Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved saith unto Peter, It is the Lord. Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he girt [his] fisher’s coat [unto him], (for he was naked,) and did cast himself into the sea. And the other disciples came in a little ship; (for they were not far from land, but as it were two hundred cubits,) dragging the net with fishes. As soon then as they were come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid thereon, and bread. Jesus saith unto them, Bring of the fish which ye have now caught. ¶Simon Peter went up, and drew the net to land full of great fishes, an hundred and fifty and three: and for all there were so many, yet was not the net broken.“

Remember what Jesus said in His first encounter with them after a similar event in Mark 1:17“And Jesus said unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men.” (see also Matthew 4:19, and Luke 5:1-10, where in the last verse we read, “And so [was] also James, and John, the sons of Zebedee, which were partners with Simon. And Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men.“). Therefore the fishes spiritually allegorically represent mankind. Jesus said so!  So then what does the number “153” represent?  We can be certain that it is NOT just some random number indicating “a lot” of fish. And God did not tell us “about 150”, the Bible specifically, and precisely, states “an hundred and fifty and three:“!

NOTE: Before proceeding to address the meaning of the number of fishes caught (153) we should remember that fish do not exhibit their free will and volunteer to be caught in any net. They are caught unawares and suddenly and there is nothing that they can do to prevent themselves from being caught. It is therefore useful to remember how consistent this is with respect to the doctrine of Election for those who become saved. They are caught in the “Good” net, but everyone of the non-elect will be similarly be caught in an Evil net. Ecclesiastes 9:12, “For man also knoweth not his time: as the fishes that are taken in an evil net (מָצוֹד (māṣôḏ))^H4685, and as the birds that are caught in the snare (פַּח (paḥ))^H6341; so [are] the sons of men snared (יָקֹשׁ (yāqōš))^H3369 in an evil time, when it falleth suddenly upon them.“

When we look at the original Greek language translated into English by the King James translators, we find that the number presented as “an hundred and fifty and three” (“153“) is ἑκατόν (hekaton)^G1540 (“100“), πεντήκοντα (pentēkonta)^G4004 (“50“), and τρεῖς (treis)^G5140 (“3“). Each of those numbers has spiritual significance in themselves. 

The “an hundred” (10 x 10) is representative of “totality” (“10” squared).  

The number “fifty” is (5 x 10). The number “five” (“5“) is a prime number representing “Divine Justice“, which brings both God’s “Salvation” and “Judgment“. The multiplication of “5” by “10” is indicative of this being in “totality”. (Please see the Appendix below)

Finally we see the number “three” (“3”). The number “3” represents “the Purpose or Will of God” (as in the Trinity, please see see the Appendix).

So then, using an initial understanding of how God has used these specific numbers in the Bible, we can see that it involves the “Will of God” to, in “Totality”, bring about “God’s Justice” in bringing Salvation to God’s Elect, the Eternal Church, at the end of time (while at the same time being God’s Will to bring about the totality of God’s Just Judgment on those not counted among God’s elect with the Elect being represented by the caught fish)

The Number “17” Is Also in View

But there is more to the spiritual implications of this historical account than that. God instructs us to search out the Word of God like hidden treasure. The number 153 is very significant, but it takes time to search out the otherwise hidden meanings. The Number 153 also breaks down like this:  3 x 3 x “17“. Again, the number “3” represents “the Purpose or Will of God” and the number “17” (a prime number that cannot be divided any further) represents “Heaven” in the Bible.

153 Is a Unique Number Which Also Highlights the Number “17”

Moreover, the number of caught fishes being exactly “153” is itself a very unique number because the prime number “17”, which can be factored from it, is particularly highlighted by the number “153” in a VERY unique manner. If we add 1 +2 +3 +4 +5…..up to and including +17, we find that the sum equals 153!  The number 17 is therefore uniquely highlighted in two different ways that no other number besides 153 will be capable of doing. 

We can see that the spiritual implication that God has incorporated into this historical account, and the insertion of this unique number, is that it was the Purpose and Will of God that the disciples, led by Peter, should become “fishers of men“, and they would be used of God to bring a great number of souls into Heaven in accord with Jesus’ declaration that is recorded in Matthew 4:19 and Mark 1:17.

Scriptural Evidence to show that the number “17” has “Heavenly” or “Completion of Salvation” association/typology:

1. In Genesis 8:4, “And the ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat.” Noah’s Ark resting was a prefigurement of salvation and coming into Heaven. Heaven is prefigured by mountains as we read in Psalm 121:1&2, “¶[[A Song of degrees.]] I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help [cometh] from the LORD, which made heaven and earth.” The word for “hills” in the original Hebrew is הַר (har)^H2022, which is synonymous with “mountains”.
2. Joseph (a clear Type” of the LORD Jesus Christ) was seventeen years old when he had the dream that the members of his family would bow before him. Genesis 37:2-10, “These [are] the generations of Jacob. Joseph, [being] seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brethren; and the lad [was] with the sons of Bilhah, and with the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives: and Joseph brought unto his father their evil report.” This historical event anticipated the Heavenly realm in eternity when all believers will bow and worship the LORD Jesus Christ as is told to us in Revelation 5:11-14.
3. Jacob lived seventeen years in Egypt under the care and keeping of Joseph who as the second ruler of Egypt had saved him from deadly famine. Genesis 47:28, “And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years: so the whole age of Jacob was an hundred forty and seven years.” This period again points us to Heaven where all the believers will be under the care and keeping of the LORD Jesus Christ forever.
4. When Judah and Jerusalem was about to go into captivity in Babylon, Jeremiah was instructed by God to buy a field in the land of Israel and pay seventeen shekels of silverfor it. Jeremiah 32:9, “And I bought the field of Hanameel my uncle’s son, that was in Anathoth, and weighed him the money, [even] seventeen shekels of silver.” This action anticipated the future return of the remnant of Israel to the promised land, which in turn is the entrance of all believers into Heaven (and Salvation) marking the end of the captivity of their souls.