Bereansearching Bible Studies

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.

Introduction

This short post is for the purpose of highlighting a little known hidden spiritual truth that God has interwoven in the historical account pertaining to a murderous insurrectionist man named Barabbas. This teacher has labeled this post as another one of God’s spiritual Hid Treasures, but this particular example is a bit unusual, as it is ‘hidden in plain sight’. This is because although the historical account involving the man named Barabbas is well known, and many Bible students are aware that Barabbas’ name in Hebrew means “Son of the Father”, the spiritual implications of the account are nonetheless understood by only very few.

The account also serves as another of many Historical Parables in the Bible. Such Historical parables are accounts of literal, and accurately recorded, historical events, which were also precisely crafted and recorded/inscribed by God in the Bible (via God The Holy Spirit, in allegorical manners) to convey important Spiritual Truth. And that Spiritual Truth is that Eternal Salvation is only a gift of grace by God, paid for in full for the sins of God’s Elect by Jesus’ eternal Atoning Sacrifice, and is obtainable through the hearing of, and responding repentant faith in, the Gospel of Jesus Christ; which is the true purpose and lasting substance of the Bible.

Barabbas

Barabbas (the man whose life intersected with that of Jesus’s trial before Pontius Pilate on Passover Day in 33AD) is mentioned in all four of the gospels of the New Testament as found in Matthew 27:11–26; Mark 15:6–15; Luke 23:17–25;; and John 18:33-40. Those full four accounts concerning Barabbas are all appended at the end of this post. The following is a synopsis of those accounts of Jesus’ trial before the Governor Pontius Pilate and how the accounts pertain to Barabbas.

Pontius Pilate Sought Jesus’ Release

Jesus stood silent before the Roman Governor, Pontius Pilate, not answering the false accusations being levied against him by the Chief Priests and elders/rulers of the Jews. Note that this was entirely consistent with Isaiah’s prophesy in Isaiah 53:7, “He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.”

Note: All of Isaiah Chapter 53 is entirely Messianic, and all of those verses prophetically point us unequivocally to the Lord Jesus Christ and His substitutionary Atonement for His Elect…everyone who is spiritually blessed and set free from their just punishment like Barabbas was. Another verse that stands out: Isaiah 53:5, “But he [was] wounded for our transgressions, [he was] bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace [was] upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.“

Pilate made clear that both he and King Herod had already examined Jesus and determined that Jesus had done nothing worthy of death (Luke 23:14&15).

Pilate knew that Jesus was being falsely set up by the chief priests who had handed Jesus over to him because of what we read in Mark 15:10, “For he (Pilate) knew that the chief priests had delivered him for envy.” Pilate preferred to just chastise/scourge/whip Jesus and then send Him on His way, so he sought for a way to release Jesus and still maintain the peace and not have an innocent man’s blood on his hands.

Pilate hoped that he could circumvent the desires of the Jews by taking occasion that it was the time of the Passover Feast. The release of a Jewish prisoner was evidently customary during the time of the Feast of Passover as we read in Mark 15:6, “¶Now at [that] feast he released unto them one prisoner, whomsoever they desired.” According to that custom, the Roman governor would evidently grant mercy to one criminal as an act of goodwill toward the Jews over whom he governed. Pilate offered the mob that occasion as a means to release Jesus, but the mob chose instead the release of Barabbas, a notorious and clearly guilty criminal who had been previously imprisoned according to Luke 23:19, “(… for a certain sedition made in the city, and for murder, was cast into prison.)” Pilate’s plan was foiled, because of what we read in both in Matthew 27:20, “¶But the chief priests and elders persuaded the multitude that they should ask Barabbas, and destroy Jesus.” and in Mark 15:11, “¶But the chief priests moved the people, that he should rather release Barabbas unto them.”

We next read in Matthew 27:22, that, as a result of that unexpected turn of events, “¶Pilate saith unto them, What shall I do then with Jesus which is called Christ? [They] all say unto him,Let him be crucified. ¶And the governor said, Why, what evil hath he done? But they cried out the more, saying, Let him be crucified. ¶When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but [that] rather a tumult was made, he took water, and washed [his] hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person: see ye to [it]. ¶Then answered all the people, and said, His blood [be] on us, and on our children. ¶Then released he Barabbas unto them: and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered [him] to be crucified.“

Pilate was evidently quite surprised at the mob’s demand for Barabbas to be set free instead of Jesus. After Pilate’s first failed attempt to free Jesus, we read in Luke 23:20-25, “¶Pilate therefore, willing to release Jesus, spake again to them. But they cried, saying, Crucify [him], crucify him. ¶And he said unto them the third time, Why, what evil hath he done? I have found no cause of death in him: I will therefore chastise him, and let [him] go. ¶And they were instant with loud voices, requiring that he might be crucified. And the voices of them and of the chief priests prevailed. And Pilate gave sentence that it should be as they required. And he released unto them him that for sedition and murder was cast into prison, whom they had desired; but he delivered Jesus to their will.“

Note to the reader: There is additional elaboration on this sequence of events in Matthew 27:24&25, “¶When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but [that] rather a tumult was made, he took water, and washed [his] hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person: see ye [to it]. ¶Then answered all the people, and said, His blood [be] on us, and on our children.” On the surface (from a literal perspective) this declaration would seem to be a case where the people, in their arrogance, were condemning themselves (as well as their progeny) for the undeserved death of Jesus, and were in essence saying “bring it on.“ However, when we consider this declaration from a spiritual perspective, we can see a duality is present in the which that God moved the crowd to say what is a key Gospel truth, namely, that the only hope for mankind, including their posterity, is to be covered by the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ for sin. This duality is similar to what we find between the earthly/literal meaning and the heavenly/spiritual meaning recorded in John 11:49-52, “¶And one of them, [named] Caiaphas, being the high priest that same year, said unto them, Ye know nothing at all, Nor consider that it is expedient for us, that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not. And this spake he not of himself: but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus should die for that nation; And not for that nation only, but that also he should gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad.” And please not how closely this parallels the account of Joseph with his brothers who had wanted him killed (just like the Jews wanted Jesus killed)…and what did Joseph say to his brothers in Genesis 50:20?…”But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as [it is] this day, to save much people alive.” Just one more Historical Parable.

The Spiritual Implications of Barabbas’ Release from Prison and Death, and Jesus Taking Barabbas’ Place

The story of the murderous Barabbas and his release from condemnation is far more than a historical artifact and surprising happenstance. The events associated with him and his name in particular were supernaturally crafted, predestined/foreordained, and were recorded precisely by God to provide some additional spiritual insights into the Atoning Sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus was completely innocent of sin as we read in 2 Corinthians 5:21, “For he (God) hath made him [to be] sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” and yet He went willingly to His execution because of what we read in John 10:14-18, “I am the good shepherd, and know my [sheep], and am known of mine. As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep. And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, [and] one shepherd. ¶Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again.This commandment have I received of my Father.“

While the Bible does not tell us any more of Barabbas, we cannot rule out that Barabbas could have become converted following his miraculous release from prison because of Jesus’ intercession. However, whether Barabbas was ever converted and saved or not remains inconsequential to the validity of the spiritual analogy that can be drawn from this historical account.

Son of the Father?

It is no accident or happenstance that Barabbas’ name literally means in Hebrew, “Son of the Father“! We know that the Lord Jesus Christ is “The Son of God“, and that Jesus died on the cross in the stead of Barabbas. So what is the spiritual message that can be drawn from this?

In mankind’s natural state, all of humanity are captives to the devil in the devil’s prison house awaiting execution on Judgment Day because of the fall of Adam. By God’s Grace, through Jesus’s Atoning Sacrifice, sinners can be made “sons of God”. How do we know this?

Sonship in Christ

We should all remember that all the believers are considered by God to be the “sons of God”, as we read in John 1:12, “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, [even] to them that believe on his name:” And in Galatians 4:1-7, we read “¶Now I say, [That] the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all; But is under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the father. Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world: But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. ¶And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.“

There are many, many other verses that make clear that all Believers are considered by God to be His children. One standout verse is Galatians 3:26, “¶For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.”  For a much more in-depth explanation on how this is the case, please see this post: “True Believing Christians Are the Children of God“.

CONCLUSION

Barabbas was a condemned thief, murderer, and insurrectionist during the time of Roman rule over Israel in Jesus’ day, who had his death sentence (by crucifixion) amazingly commuted because Jesus took his place on the cross on Calvary/Golgotha Hill (located just outside the gates of Jerusalem).

The account of Barabbas’ release coincides precisely with the reality of the Salvation of every believer throughout time. Everyone stands fully guilty before God and deserving of death because everyone is a sinner and by God’s standards we are all equal before God as thieves, murderers, and insurrectionists (as hard as this is to believe for those who may think of themselves as “good”). For we are told in Romans 3:23-25, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth [to be] a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;” and Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin [is] death; but the gift of God [is] eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.“

As the prophet Jonah said in Jonah 2:9, “…Salvation [is] of the LORD.” Through no effort or ability on any person’s part, a person is saved solely on the basis of Jesus’ taking that otherwise condemned sinner’s place through His Atoning Sacrifice on the Cross. Salvation is by Jesus Alone! The Lord Jesus Christ, although completely innocent, served as the sinner’s Kinsman Redeemer and sin-bearer to take the sinner’s just punishment for his or her sins (which was the equivalent of an eternity in Hell). Jesus voluntarily stepped in to take the sinner’s place. The resulting eternal Salvation for the sinner is solely a Gift from God to His Elect. Those saved sinners form the Body of Believers, the Eternal Israel, the Eternal Church, the Bride of Christ.

Barabbas, is a picture of every one who God has chosen unto salvation, representing every one who is allowed to go free with no condemnation, just as we are told in Romans 8:1, “¶[There is] therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” Moreover, 1 Peter 3:18, “¶For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:“…“

APPENDIX: The Four Biblical Accounts Concerning Barabbas

Matthew 27:11-26, “¶And Jesus stood before the governor: and the governor asked him, saying, Art thou the King of the Jews? And Jesus said unto him, Thou sayest. And when he was accused of the chief priests and elders, he answered nothing.¶Then said Pilate unto him, Hearest thou not how many things they witness against thee? And he answered him to never a word; insomuch that the governor marvelled greatly. ¶Now at [that] feast the governor was wont to release unto the people a prisoner, whom they would.And they had then a notable prisoner, called Barabbas. Therefore when they were gathered together, Pilate said unto them, Whom will ye that I release unto you? Barabbas, or Jesus which is called Christ? For he knew that for envy they had delivered him. ¶When he was set down on the judgment seat, his wife sent unto him, saying, Have thou nothing to do with that just man: for I have suffered many things this day in a dream because of him. ¶But the chief priests and elders persuaded the multitude that they should ask Barabbas, and destroy Jesus. The governor answered and said unto them, Whether of the twain will ye that I release unto you? They said, Barabbas. ¶Pilate saith unto them, What shall I do then with Jesus which is called Christ? [They] all say unto him,Let him be crucified. ¶And the governor said, Why, what evil hath he done? But they cried out the more, saying, Let him be crucified. ¶When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but [that] rather a tumult was made, he took water, and washed [his] hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person: see [ye to it].“

Mark 15:6, “¶Now at [that] feast he released unto them one prisoner, whomsoever they desired. And there was [one] named Barabbas, [which lay] bound with them that had made insurrection with him, who had committed murder in the insurrection. And the multitude crying aloud began to desire [him to do] as he had ever done unto them. But Pilate answered them, saying, Will ye that I release unto you the King of the Jews? For he knew that the chief priests had delivered him for envy. ¶But the chief priests moved the people, that he should rather release Barabbas unto them. And Pilate answered and said again unto them, What will ye then that I shall do [unto him] whom ye call the King of the Jews? ¶And they cried out again, Crucify him. ¶Then Pilate said unto them, Why, what evil hath he done? And they cried out the more exceedingly, Crucify him. ¶And so Pilate, willing to content the people, released Barabbas unto them, and delivered Jesus, when he had scourged [him], to be crucified.“

Luke 23:13-24, “¶And Pilate, when he had called together the chief priests and the rulers and the people, Said unto them, Ye have brought this man unto me, as one that perverteth the people: and, behold, I, having examined [him] before you, have found no fault in this man touching those things whereof ye accuse him: No, nor yet Herod: for I sent you to him; and, lo, nothing worthy of death is done unto him. I will therefore chastise him, and release [him]. (For of necessity he must release one unto them at the feast.) ¶And they cried out all at once, saying, Away with this [man], and release unto us Barabbas: (Who for a certain sedition made in the city, and for murder, was cast into prison.) ¶Pilate therefore, willing to release Jesus, spake again to them. But they cried, saying, Crucify [him], crucify him. ¶And he said unto them the third time, Why, what evil hath he done? I have found no cause of death in him: I will therefore chastise him, and let [him] go. ¶And they were instant with loud voices, requiring that he might be crucified. And the voices of them and of the chief priests prevailed. And Pilate gave sentence that it should be as they required. And he released unto them him that for sedition and murder was cast into prison, whom they had desired; but he delivered Jesus to their will.“

John 18:33-40, “¶Then Pilate entered into the judgment hall again, and called Jesus, and said unto him, Art thou the King of theJews? ¶Jesus answered him, Sayest thou this thing of thyself, or did others tell it thee of me? ¶Pilate answered, Am I a Jew? Thine own nation and the chief priests have delivered thee unto me: what hast thou done? ¶Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world:  if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence. ¶Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice. ¶Pilate saith unto him, What is truth? And when he had said this, he went out again unto the Jews, and saith unto them, I find in him no fault [at all]. ¶But ye have a custom, that I should release unto you one at the passover: will ye therefore that I release unto you the King of the Jews? ¶ Then cried they all again, saying, Not this man, but Barabbas. Now Barabbas was a robber.“

Introduction

The Book of Job is a long and complex book of the Bible that was written in narrative style, but nonetheless provides poignant, but unmistakable, “spiritual” insights into Who God Is, and how He Sovereignly works in the lives and affairs of men in this temporal “earthly” world.

Job, whose name, in the original Hebrew is אִיּוֹב (‘îyôḇ)^H347, means “hated” (e.g., persecuted) who in different ways, “typologically” represents both the first Adam (man), as well as the Second Adam (the Lord Jesus Christ). Job was a real historical figure who lived in the land of Uz, associated with Edom (Lamenations 4:21), which we know today as part of the Arab lands east of the river Jordan.

The real existence of Job is further evidenced by his being mentioned twice by the prophet Ezekiel in Ezekiel 14:14, “Though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, ^H347 were in it, they should deliver [but] their own souls by their righteousness, saith the Lord GOD.” and in Ezekiel 14:20, “Though Noah, Daniel, and Job, ^H347 [were] in it, [as] I live, saith the Lord GOD, they shall deliver neither son nor daughter; they shall [but] deliver their own souls by their righteousness.” In the New Testament, we are provided another reference to Job in James 5:11, “Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job , and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.” Interestingly, in the original Greek, Job is (Ἰώβ (iōb))^G2492, which means “Cry of woe“.

The Book of Job is all about “Redemption”…addressing those repentant sinners who are Redeemed by the Lord Jesus Christ, and the believers’ Kinsman Redeemer, the Lord Jesus Christ.

We are also provided some key words of wisdom in the Book of Job that convey to the believer signal themes such as we find in Job 1:21&22, “And (Noah)said, Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD. ¶In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly.” and Job 19:25&26, “For I know [that] my redeemer liveth, and [that] he shall stand at the latter [day] upon the earth: And [though] after my skin [worms] destroy this [body], yet in my flesh shall I see God:”

And the parallel should also be noted that just as at the beginning of the Bible in Genesis we see the devil attacking the first man, Adam, who was made perfect, also at the beginning of the Book of Job we also see the devil attacking the man Job, of who was also said by God in Job 1:1 to be a “man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil.“

The Book of Job is also complex in that there are multiple levels of understanding, such that it is yet one more “Historical Parable“. Of course there is the literal and historical aspect, where we read of the real man, Job, who underwent numerous personal losses to the point of his utter and total despair, yet we see that despite all of his pain and suffering, followed by the duress of the onslaught of false accusations coming from his “friends”, that Job never lost his faith in God.

On an earthly level, Job was a man in the flesh, who felt that he had committed no sin worthy to deserve any punishment (evidencing the inherent pride of all mankind descended from the first Adam), while his three “friends” could only point their fingers at Job to accuse him of his sin (typifying those who have a “form of godliness” as we read in 2 Timothy 3:5.) Those “friends” are well-meaning religious folk, who preach salvation by the works of the law rather than only by Grace, and thus representing what can be called the “corporate church”. They knew “the Law of God”, but not the fact that no one (other than Jesus) is capable of meeting the demands of the Law. Those three friends clearly did not personally know or understand God’s love and mercy, which only the repentant believer can (someone who is in the true “eternal” church).

However, on a spiritual level, we can also see how Job’s sufferings can be related to that of the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus voluntarily left His Heavenly habitation, where He had been in the direct presence of God The Father, to come to this sin-cursed earth to take upon Himself a body of flesh and bones, and become the Suffering Servant, the Kinsman Redeemer, the substitutionary Atoning Sacrifice for the sins of His elect. Jesus was stripped both literally and spiritually of all that He previously had in going to the cross of Calvary. Isaiah 53:10, “Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put [him] to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see [his] seed, he shall prolong [his] days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.” [Note in particular that the word translated as “bruise” is in the original Hebrew דָּכָא (dāḵā’)^H1792, which also means to “crush“, “oppress“, and “break in pieces“.]

Interwoven within the text there are some other, more subtle, insights that can be gleaned, which this teacher has referred to in other posts as “Hidden Spiritual Gems“. Those posts illustrate how perfectly God has crafted His Word the Bible to conceal important spiritual truths. Those hidden gems are for the believers to “search” out, and to celebrate, with other believers, and to edify and to strengthen the faith of the saints. This tenth such post takes a closer look at the four friends of Job to uncover one such hidden gem.

Job Put to the Test

We first hear of Job in Job 1:1, “¶There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name [was] Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil.” He had ten children and was a man of great wealth. The Bible tells us that one day Satan presented himself before God and God asked Satan what he thought of Job. Satan accused Job of honoring God only because God had blessed him. So, God allowed Satan to take away Job’s wealth and his children. Later, God allowed Satan to afflict Job physically. Job grieved deeply, but according to Job 1:21&22, we read, “And (Job) said, Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD. ¶In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly.”

Job’s Three Friends Become His Accusers

Following the unimaginable personal catastrophes that God allowed the devil to bring upon Job, we read in Job 2:11–13, of the first three of Job’s four friends Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar, who came to commiserate with him. Coming upon him and not recognizing him, they initially empathized with him and “…they lifted up their voice, and wept; and they rent every one his mantle, and sprinkled dust upon their heads toward heaven.” Then the three “friends” sat in silence with him for seven days before they offered their advice (and accusations).

Subsequently, these three men each gave a series of speeches to Job, recorded in Chapters 4—25 in which they accused Job of committing sins so grievous that God was punishing him with misery. Job knew God well enough to know that He did not work that way; in fact, he had such an intimate, personal relationship with Him that he was able to say in Job 13:15, “Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: but I will maintain mine own ways before him.” And note how Job responded when, in Job 2:9, Job’s wife suggested he simply curse God and die, “¶Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God, and die.” but Job only replied in Job 2:10, “¶…Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips.”

The Three Friends Preached a False Gospel

The speeches of Job’s three friends included many Biblical truths, but they were nonetheless wrong in their presumptions and applications of those truths with regard to Job and his situation. Job’s friends were certain that Job must have sinned in order to deserve punishment and argued with him about it. But Job maintained his innocence, though he confessed that he wanted to die and did ask questions of God. Their overarching belief was that Job was suffering because he had done something wrong. As a result, they repeatedly encouraged Job to admit his wrong doing, repent, and do good so that God would bless him again.

This is where his three friends, who represent the False Church, failed as they were, in effect, preaching a works gospel, in the which they believed and were teaching that “bad things happen to bad people” and “good things happen to good people”, and thus they believed that God’s blessings are reserved for those who “deserve” or “earn” it. This is the kind of theology that will only lead a person to Hell on Judgment Day. Ephesians 2:8, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: [it is] the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.“

Although the Bible does teach that we reap what we sow… Galatians 6:8, “For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.” James 3:18 states, “And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.” We also know that God blesses the righteous Psalm 5:12, “For thou, LORD, wilt bless the righteous; with favour wilt thou compass him as [with] a shield.” and Psalm 32:10, “Many sorrows [shall be] to the wicked: but he that trusteth in the LORD, mercy shall compass him about.”

But Jesus also made clear that in this life the believer would have tribulation. Hence blessings will not necessarily always take temporal material form. If they always did, we would have no way to explain the anguish and deprivation suffered by the Apostles, martyrs, or faithful Christians around the world (for example Hebrews 11:35–40). God’s blessing to the believer may often be unseen, and hence spiritual, as we read in Romans 8:28, “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.” And let us not forget that regarding having tribulation in this world, Jesus more fully stated the following in John 16:33, “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.“

At one point Job, weary of their unhelpful words, told them, “ Job 16:2, “I have heard many such things: miserable comforters [are] ye all.” Adversity and calamity in this world are not always a sign of God’s displeasure. Jesus specifically made this point regarding those who died in the falling tower of Siloam in Luke 13:4&5, where Jesus said, “Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.” To equate disaster with God’s curse is to believe and behave like Job’s “miserable comforters.”

Elihu, the Fourth Friend, Was Different

Job later goes on in chapter 31 to assert his integrity before God. And that is when the fourth, younger, friend, Elihu (which in the original Hebrew, אֱלִיהוּ (‘ĕlîhû)^H453, means “He is my God“…see more on this below), is introduced in chapter 32, who, after initially holding his peace, speaks for the first time in anger, rebuking both Job and his three friends. There is a lot of hidden wisdom in this chapter. Notice that when Elihu begins to speak, Jobs three “friends” are “amazed” (astonished) and “they answered no more: they left off speaking,…(for they spake not, but stood still, [and] answered no more;).

Job 32:7-10, “I said, Days should speak, and multitude of years should teach wisdom. But [there is] a spirit in man: and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding. Great men are not [always] wise: neither do the aged understand judgment. Therefore I said, Hearken to me; I also will shew mine opinion.“

This man, Elihu, would speak with different words. It brings to mind what we read in 1 Corinthians 3:19, “For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness.” And think about this…God is referred to as the “Ancient of Days” as we read in Daniel 7:9&13&22. Job 12:12, “With the ancient [is] wisdom; and in length of days understanding.” God is eternal, and His Wisdom supersedes man’s wisdom, but God can grant His Wisdom and Understanding to the believers by His Holy Spirit. This is exactly what we read in 1 Corinthians 2:10-12, “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. But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.“

Then the last six verses make clear that Elihu would not speak to either them, or Job, in the manner that his friends had come with arguments and accusations. As was noted above, these verses similarly use language that involves veiled references to the Lord Jesus Christ. The wine in the bottle points to Jesus’ shed blood and His imputed life-giving Spirit, as we read in Matthew 9:17 (also Mark 2:22 and Luke 5:37), “Neither do men put new wine into old bottles: else the bottles break,  and the wine runneth out, and the bottles perish: but they put new wine into new bottles, and both are preserved.” A person has to be changed, made new (born again), prior to receiving God’s Holy Spirit.

Elihu goes on to speak beginning in chapter 33 by the “Spirit of God” to effectively declare both God’s Sovereignty and His Mercy and Grace to undeserving sinners among whom is Job, despite Job being the epitome of humankind uprightness. Elihu’s soliloquy goes for five chapters to effectively make clear that no one is righteous before God, as we read in Romans 3:10, “As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.” and, moreover, that God’s Holiness, and His thoughts and ways are so far above man’s thoughts and ways as to be unsearchable, and that God Alone Is both Sovereign and Righteous. Isaiah 55:8&9, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither [are] your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For [as] the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.“

We could say that those five chapters could be summarized by what the Apostle Paul was inspired to write in Romans 11:33-36, “¶O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable [are] his judgments, and his ways past finding out! For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor? Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again? ¶For of him, and through him, and to him, [are] all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.“

NOTE TO THE READER: Job Chapter 33 is significant in another way because Job Chapter 33 is all about Jesus and His Gospel of Salvation! Although Elihu is a real historical person (perhaps even a “Theophany“), Elihu is being used by God as “Type” to be representative of the Lord Jesus Christ in a manner consistent to what Jesus told His disciples on the Road to Emmaus. Note in particular the language that God uses, and the way each of the following verses unfold. In Verse 3, Elihu states, “My words [shall be of] the uprightness of my heart: and my lips shall utter knowledge clearly.” Only Jesus is upright in heart, only Jesus utters knowledge clearly. Verse 4, “The Spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life.” Jesus was conceived in Mary by The Holy Ghost/Holy Spirit, as we read in Luke 1:35. Jesus is therefore wholly God, but also wholly man, exactly as is expressed in Verse 6, “Behold, I [am] according to thy wish in God’s stead: I also am formed out of the clay.” Then after some chastisement of Job for claiming to be righteous before God, Elihu states in 1 Verses 13&14, “Why dost thou strive against him (God)? for he giveth not account of any of his matters.” God does not have to give an answer to anyone as He is totally Sovereign. “For God speaketh once, yea twice, [yet man] perceiveth it not.” God has provided mankind with both the Old and New Testaments, and yet mankind (apart from God’s intervention) still does not understand what the words mean. But God does reveal Himself in miraculous ways such that in Verse 16, “Then he openeth the ears of men, and sealeth their instruction,” Remember what we are told in Proverbs 20:12, “The hearing ear, and the seeing eye, the Lord hath made even both of them.” God has to intervene to given someone the ability to “perceive His Words” (please see “The Hearing Ear…“). In Verse 17, we read, “That he may withdraw man from his purpose, and hide pride from man. God intervenes to prevent someone from destroying his self or her self who because, if his or her pride were not covered they would continue headlong to Hell. Proverbs 16:18, “Pride [goeth] before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.” This is borne out in the immediately following verse…Verse 18, “He (God) keepeth back his (man’s) soul from the pit, and his life from perishing by the sword.” God keeps the saved soul from going to Hell and from being Judged on Judgment Day by the Word. This is more evident in these other verses: Verse 23&24, “If there be a messenger with him, an interpreter, one among a thousand, to shew unto man his uprightness: Then he is gracious unto him, and saith, Deliver him from going down to the pit: I have found a ransom.” The messenger is the one who brings the Gospel of Salvation to that person and explains what the Bible is teaching, to show that we are all sinners in need a Savior, Who Is Jesus. Then that person will be saved from going to Hell (the “pit” is synonymous with “Hell”), only because Jesus paid the full ransom price at the Atonement on the cross for that person’s sins. The result is as we read in the next verse, the person will be born again and commune with God! Verses 25&26, “His flesh shall be fresher than a child’s: he shall return to the days of his youth: He shall pray unto God, and he will be favourable unto him: and he shall see his face with joy: for he will render unto man his righteousness.” Note that Jesus imputes His righteousness to the believers as we read in Revelation 19:8, “And to her (the church) was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.” The next four verses wrap things up concerning the repentant soul. In Verses 27-30, “He (God) looketh upon men, and [if any] say, I have sinned, and perverted [that which] was right, and it profited me not; He (God) will deliver his soul from going into the pit, and his life shall see the light. Lo, all these [things] worketh God oftentimes  with man, To bring back his soul from the pit, to be enlightened with the light of the living.” Remember that Jesus is the Light of the world and the Light of the Living, as we read in John 8:12, “Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” The Gospel message in interwoven, albeit in a veiled manner, throughout all of Job, Chapter 33!

God Openly Speaks Directly to Job

Next we read where God Personally steps in directly at the beginning of Chapter 38, and throughout to the end of Chapter 41, speaking out of a whirlwind to Job with innumerable, unanswerable, rhetorical questions concerning Creation. The only interlude being Job’s response in Job 40:3&4, “¶Then Job answered the LORD, and said, Behold, I am vile; what shall I answer thee? I will lay mine hand upon my mouth.” Finally, at the beginning of Chapter 42, Job acknowledges to God that God is totally Sovereign, abhors his own vileness, and humbled himself before God as we read in Job 42:2-6, “I know that thou canst do every [thing], and that no thought can be withholden from thee. Who is he that hideth counsel without knowledge? therefore have I uttered that I understood not; things too wonderful for me, which I knew not. Hear, I beseech thee, and I will speak: I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto me. I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee. Wherefore I abhor [myself], and repent in dust and ashes.”

Note to the reader: Although none of these rhetorical questions posed to Job by God can be answered affirmatively by any man, including Job, they nonetheless can all be answered affirmatively by the Creator, Lord Jesus Christ, for whom Job serves as a spiritual “Type”.

We next read where God turned from Job in anger to Job’s three friends in Job 42:7, “¶And it was so, that after the LORD had spoken these words unto Job, the LORD said to Eliphaz the Temanite, My wrath is kindled against thee, and against thy two friends: for ye have not spoken of me [the thing that is] right, as my servant Job [hath]. Therefore take unto you now seven bullocks and seven rams, and go to my servant Job, and offer up for yourselves a burnt offering; and my servant Job shall pray for you: for him will I accept: lest I deal with you [after your] folly, in that ye have not spoken of me [the thing which is] right, like my servant Job. ¶So Eliphaz the Temanite and Bildad the Shuhite [and] Zophar the Naamathite went, and did according as the LORD commanded them: the LORD also accepted Job.”

God told the three men to offer sacrifices, and that Job would pray to Him (God) on their behalf and that He would accept Job’s prayer. Job did so, thus forgiving his friends for their harshness to him. God restored Job’s fortunes two-fold: Job 42:10, “And the LORD turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before.” And Job 42:12, “¶So the LORD blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning:” Then in Job 42:16, “¶After this lived Job an hundred and forty years, and saw his sons, and his sons’ sons, [even] four generations.“

A Key Message of Job

The Book of Job is all about “Repentance, Redemption and Restoration“…addressing those repentant sinners who are Redeemed by the Lord Jesus Christ, and the believers’ Kinsman Redeemer, the Lord Jesus Christ, Who Restores the sinner into the Presence of God, which is better than the lost estate was in the Garden of Eden.

What Job did not understand was, even though he trusted and believed in God‘s sovereignty and mercy, his personal faithfulness was not an insulation from affliction. He perceived that he had done nothing to deserve his unimaginable suffering. However, no matter how “good” he appeared to be, Job (the man) was still a sinner in need of a Savior…A Kinsman Redeemer…Who can only be the Lord, God, Jesus Christ. God emphasized this point in Chapters 40 and 41, using the Behemoth and Leviathan to represent the devil, to show that only God is powerful enough to overcome the devil and save Job. Job clearly got the message, and he repented as we read in the following and last chapter in Job 42:5&6, ” I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee. Wherefore I abhor [myself], and repent in dust and ashes.” And then God blessed Job double-fold, just as God did for Jesus after His Atonement on behalf of His redeemed.

The trials that Job endured were not related to his behavior or lack of faith. Instead, God used the sufferings as a test and as part of His sovereign plan in Job’s life to provide yet another spiritual reference to point to the undeserved sufferings of Jesus to save a people for Himself. Following this period of Job’s suffering and torment, and Job’s intercession on behalf of his three friends, God blessed Job with full restoration as we read in Job 42:10, “And the LORD turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before.” Job 42:12, “¶So the LORD blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning:” and finally, Job 42:16 “¶After this lived Job an hundred and forty years, and saw his sons, and his sons’ sons, even four generations.“

The Spiritual Aspect of Job Points Us to Jesus and His Sufferings

But that is not the whole story, just as Job endured unimaginable torment that was undeserved, so too did the Lord Jesus Christ voluntarily endure unimaginable torment, which He did not deserve to save His people from the just punishment for their sins. As their Kinsman Redeemer, Jesus had to be the intercessionary Stand-In. Job made clear that he understood that this would be the case when he said in Job 19:25, “For I know that my redeemer liveth, and [that] he shall stand at the latter [day] upon the earth:” And just as Job’s estate restored (his captivity turned) and increased double, so too was Jesus restored to The Father in Heaven after the Atonement and following His Resurrection. Moreover, Jesus’ Kingdom was also magnificently increased by the addition of all the souls for whom Jesus came to die for, and to suffer the pangs of Hell for their sins. Remember what we read concerning Jesus in Hebrews 10:7-10, (referencing Psalm 40:7&8) beginning with, “Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God.” For a more in-depth study on how and why God has supernaturally interwoven Jesus throughout the entire Bible please see: Exalting the Person and Work of the Lord Jesus Christ: The Key of Knowledge* for Unlocking the Mystery of the Bible

Jeremiah 5:30, “A wonderful and horrible thing is committed in the land. The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means; and my people love [to have it] so: and what will ye do in the end thereof?

2 Timothy 4:3, “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away [their] ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.“

Psalm 58:4, “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.“

Introduction

Jeremiah Chapter 25 is an unusual chapter of the Bible. Not only does it foretell God’s Judgments against both Judah and Jerusalem (which were fulfilled in the literal temporal sense when Jerusalem was destroyed and the Jews were taken captive to Babylon and put under the reign of the evil King Nebuchadnezzar), but it is also a warning to the entire world of the short period of time known as the Final (Great) Tribulation, when God will have loosed the devil again to deceive the nations (as king Nebuchadnezzar is a “Type” of the devil). Jesus made clear that this period known of Great Tribulation will be the last event in history, which will occur immediately leading up to Judgment Day when the world as we now know it will be utterly destroyed. God makes this evident in the following verses of Jeremiah. God says that immediately following the 70 year captivity in Babylon, that Babylon would be judged (Jeremiah 25:12-14). And then God tells Jeremiah, in Jeremiah 25:15-38, that He would make all the many nations and great kings of the world to drink the wine cup of His fury, which forms yet another picture of Judgment Day that immediately follows the Great Tribulation. 

When we open up most reference Bibles, we will frequently see the chapter heading for Jeremiah Chapter 25 to read either “Prophecy of the Captivity” and “Ruin of All Nations Foretold“.

During the Final Tribulation, God Will Remove His Word!

This is exactly why we read in Jeremiah 25:10, “Moreover I will take from them the voice of mirth, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride, the sound of the millstones, and the light of the candle.” When we take a careful look at the seven key words presented here, we can, in each case, show that God is declaring that He will remove His Word from the entire world as a prejudgment for having turned from Him, and for the refusal of the world to hear when that Word was faithfully being proclaimed.

NOTE to the reader: We see very similar language in Jeremiah 7:34, where God says, “Then will I cause to cease from the cities of Judah, and from the streets of Jerusalem, the voice of mirth^H8342, and the voice of gladness^H8057, the voice of the bridegroom^H2860, and the voice of the bride^H3618: for the land shall be desolate.” and again in Jeremiah 16:9, “For thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will cause to cease out of this place in your eyes, and in your days, the voice of mirth^H8342, and the voice of gladness^H8057, the voice of the bridegroom^H2860, and the voice of the bride^H8057.” We see the same exact words again in Jeremiah 33:11, where God is speaking of the future Restoration, first temporally to National Israel coming back to the physical land and spiritually to the Eternal Israel/Jerusalem coming into Heaven: “The voice of joy^H8342, and the voice of gladness^H8057, the voice of the bridegroom^H2860, and the voice of the bride^H8057, the voice of them that shall say, Praise the LORD of hosts: for the LORD [is] good; for his mercy [endureth] for ever: [and] of them that shall bring the sacrifice of praise into the house of the LORD. For I will cause to return the captivity of the land, as at the first, saith the LORD.” So we therefore have all the more reason to look closely at the spiritual implications of these key words.

1) God Will Take Away “The Voice of Mirth“

Clearly this is referring to that which comes from the mouth. Voices speak “words”. So the words that are being taken away are of “mirth“. The original Hebrew word that is translated as “mirth” is שָׂשׂוֹן (śāśôn)^H8342 which is translated variously by the King James translators in the following manner: joy (15x), gladness (3x), mirth (3x), rejoicing (1x).

Among the instances where this word is translated as either “joy” or “gladness” are these in Esther Chapter 8, verses 16 & 17, at the time when Mordecai (representing the Lord Jesus Christ) was promoted to the right hand of the king (representing God the Father) and the new decree (representing the Gospel of Salvation) went forth throughout the kingdom: “The Jews had light, and gladness, and joy,^H8342 and honour. And in every province, and in every city, whithersoever the king’s commandment and his decree came, the Jews had joy and gladness,^H8342 a feast and a good day. And many of the people of the land became Jews; for the fear of the Jews fell upon them.”

2) God Will Take Away “The Voice of Gladness“

The word in the original Hebrew that is translated as “gladness” is שִׂמְחָה (śimḥâ)^H8057, which has been interpreted by the King James translators variously as joy (44x), gladness (31x), mirth (8x), rejoice (3x), rejoicing (2x); so note how easily both “gladness” and “joy” can be used interchangeably when this original Hebrew word is found as we just saw for שָׂשׂוֹן (śāśôn)^H8342 that was translated first as “mirth”.

The Believers, the true eternal Jews, will all have “joy and gladness” both now, and into eternity. We see this in the very next verse in Esther 8:17, “And in every province, and in every city, whithersoever the king’s commandment and his decree came, the Jews had joy (שִׂמְחָה (śimḥâ))^H8057 and gladness (שָׂשׂוֹן (śāśôn))^H8342, a feast and a good day. And many of the people of the land became Jews; for the fear of the Jews fell upon them.” and in Isaiah 35:10, “And the ransomed of the LORD shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy (שִׂמְחָה (śimḥâ))^H8057upon their heads: they shall obtain joy (שָׂשׂוֹן (śāśôn))^H8342 and gladness(שִׂמְחָה (śimḥâ))^H8057, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.“

Some sample verses that contain שִׂמְחָה (śimḥâ)^H8057 include:

Psalm 30:11, “Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing: thou hast put off my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness (שִׂמְחָה (śimḥâ))^H8057; To the end that [my] glory may sing praise to thee, and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks unto thee for ever.“

Psalm 45:15, “With gladness (שִׂמְחָה (śimḥâ))^H8057 and rejoicing (גִּיל (gîl))^H1523 shall they be brought: they shall enter into the king’s palace.“

Psalm 100:1&2, “¶[[A Psalm of praise.]] Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands. Serve the LORD with gladness (שִׂמְחָה (śimḥâ))^H8057: come before his presence with singing.”

3) God Will Take Away “The Voice of the Bridegroom“

The original Hebrew word that is translated as “bridegroom” is חָתָן (ḥāṯān)^H2860, which has been interpreted by the King James translators variously as law (10x), bridegroom (8x), husband (2x).

Some examples include: Isaiah 61:10, “I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom ^H2860 decketh [himself] with ornaments,and as a bride adorneth [herself] with her jewels.”

Isaiah 62:5, “For [as] a young man marrieth a virgin, [so] shall thy sons marry thee: and [as] the bridegroom ^H2860 rejoiceth over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee.”

Psalm 19:5, “Which [is] as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, [and] rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race.“

Without doubt these are spiritual references to the Lord Jesus Christ.

Note that we see this reference again in Joel 2:16, “Gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the children, and those that suck the breasts: let the bridegroom ^H2860 go forth of his chamber, and the bride^H3618 out of her closet.” For more on the Book of Joel, please see this study.

4) God Will Take Away “The Voice of the Bride“

The original Hebrew word that is translated as “bride” is כַּלָּה (kallâ)^H3618 , which has been interpreted by the King James translators variously as daughter in law (17x), bride (9x), spouse (8x).

The “Bride” when found in the Bible is always a portrait of the Bride of Christ, the Body of Believers.

Isaiah 49:18, “Lift up thine eyes round about, and behold: all these gather themselves together, [and] come to thee. [As] I live, saith the LORD, thou shalt surely clothe thee with them all, as with an ornament, and bind them [on thee], as a bride ^H3618 [doeth].”

Revelation 21:2, “And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.“

These verses are making it all the more clear that the Bridegroom spiritually represents the Lord Jesus Christ, and that the eternal Church is His Bride.

5) God Will Take Away “The Sound of the Millstones“

The original Hebrew word that is translated as “Millstones” is רֵחַיִם (rēḥayim)^H7347, which has been interpreted by the King James translators variously as mill (2x), millstone (2x), nether (1x).

Millstones are used to grind wheat into flour for the making of bread. They are therefore intimately associated with making bread available to feed the people. If the millstones are not making any sound, then there is no bread being made. God makes clear that the “Bread of Life” is intimately linked with Jesus Christ and the hearing of His Word as we read in John 6:35, “And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.” Remembering also that Jesus is The Word: 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.“

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

But the key takeaway is that God will take away the “sound” of the millstones. That sound will not be heard and as a result no bread will be available. The Word of God will, therefore, no longer be available!

6&7) God Will Take Away “The Light of the Candle.”

The original Hebrew words that are translated as “light” and “candle” are respecitively, אוֹר (‘ôr)^H216, and נִיר (nîr)^H5216, which have been interpreted by the King James translators variously as follows…

1. אוֹר (‘ôr)^H216: light(s) (114x), day (2x), bright (1x), clear (1x), flood (1x), herbs (1x), lightning (1x), morning (1x), sun (1x) and
2. נִיר (nîr)^H5216: lamp (35x), candle (9x), light (4x).

“The Light”

For the “light” we have these examples of God’s usage:

Genesis 1:3&4, “And God said, Let there be light (אוֹר (‘ôr))^H216:and there was light (אוֹר (‘ôr))^H216.And God saw the light (אוֹר (‘ôr))^H216,that [it was] good:and God divided the light (אוֹר (‘ôr))^H216 from the darkness.“

Job 37:15, God asks Job, “Dost thou know when God disposed them, and caused the light (אוֹר (‘ôr))^H216 of his cloud to shine?“

Psalm 97:11, “Light (אוֹר (‘ôr))^H216 is sown for the righteous, and gladness (שִׂמְחָה (śimḥâ))^H8057 for the upright in heart.“

Psalm 119:105, “NUN. Thy word [is] a lamp unto my feet, and a light (אוֹר (‘ôr))^H216 unto my path.”

Isaiah 45:7, “I form the light (אוֹר (‘ôr))^H216, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these [things].”

Isaiah 9:2, “The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light (אוֹר (‘ôr))^H216: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.” 

New Testament “Light” examples

If anyone has the true Light, they have Jesus, for Jesus Is The Light as we read in John 1:4&5, “In him (Jesus Christ)was life; and the life was the light (φῶς (phōs))^G5457 of men. And the light (φῶς (phōs))^G5457shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.“

John 8:12, “Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light (φῶς (phōs))^G5457 of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light (φῶς (phōs))^G5457of life.

Luke 2:32, “A light (φῶς (phōs))^G5457 to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.”

2 Corinthians 4:5&6, “For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who commanded the light (φῶς (phōs))^G5457 to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to [give] the light (φωτισμός(phōtismos))^G5462 of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.“

 2 Timothy 1:10, “But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light (φωτίζω (phōtizō))^G5461through the gospel:“

And describing Heaven, we read in Revelation 22:5, “And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light (φῶς (phōs))^G5457 of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light (φωτίζω (phōtizō))^G5461: and they shall reign for ever and ever.“

“of the Candle”

We should remember how back in the study of Proverbs 31:10-31, the Virtuous Woman (representing the true eternal Israel, the true believers in Jesus Christ), that her “candle” did not go out by night. This is because the true believers will continuously to have the Light (the Holy Spirit) through to the end when Jesus comes back again on Judgment Day.

For “candle” נִיר(nîr)^H5216 we have these examples of God’s usage:

We also know this from Psalm 119:105, “NUN. Thy word [is] a lamp (נִיר (nîr))^H5216 unto my feet, and a light unto my path.“

Psalm 18:28, “For thou wilt light my candle: ^H5216 the LORD my God will enlighten my darkness.“

Psalm 132:17, “There will I make the horn of David to bud: I have ordained a lamp ^H5216 for mine anointed.“

And note the contrast with the unsaved that we read about in Job 21:17, “How oft is the candle^H5216 of the wicked put out! and [how oft] cometh their destruction upon them! God distributeth sorrows in his anger.” and Proverbs 24:20, “For there shall be no reward to the evil [man]; the candle^H5216 of the wicked shall be put out.“ and Proverbs 13:9, “The light of the righteous rejoiceth: but the lamp^H5216 of the wicked shall be put out.“

In Exodus 27:20, we find, “And thou shalt command the children of Israel, that they bring thee pure oil olive beaten for the light, to cause the lamp (נִיר (nîr))^H5216to burn always.”  

Please also see “The Parable of the Ten Virgins”, where only the five wise virgins had oil, the source of the light (representing God’s Holy Spirit) in their lamps, and they were the ones who were ready when the bridegroom (again, who represents Jesus) came at midnight (representing Judgment Day) in Matthew 25:6. The “five wise virgins”, like the “virtuous woman”, represent the eternal Church of God.

A Famine in the Land!

Note the consistency with what God says in Amos 8:11-13, “Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD: And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the LORD, and shall not find [it]. In that day shall the fair virgins and young men faint for thirst.” God is again telling us that there will indeed be a time when the Word of God will not be heard as if it were a famine, where there will be neither bread (the Bread of Life, Jesus) or water (the Gospel of Salvation by Jesus Christ) because God will have removed His Word.

Conclusion: The Great Tribulation is the Greatest Famine of All Time

Jesus warned of the Great (and Final) Tribulation as a prelude to Judgment Day in the following verses, which suggests that from a “spiritual” standpoint this period will indeed be horrific because 1) the devil will have been loosed again on earth, and 2) few, if any, people will become saved as a result. It should be noted that while these foretold events might seem to have had a literal physical fulfillment with the destruction of Jerusalem in 69/70 AD by the Romans, Jesus is really focusing on a global spiritual fulfillment during the Final Tribulation.

1. Matthew 24:19, “And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!”
2. 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.“
3. Matthew 24:29, “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:” [For more on this please see: “The Heavens shall be Rolled Together as a Scroll“.]
4. Mark 13:24, “But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, 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 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.“
5. Luke 21:22-24, “For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled. But woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck, in those days! for there shall be great distress in theland, and wrath upon this people. And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall betrodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.“

Relatedly, Jesus tells the believers not to worry in any case: John 16:33, “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.“

And as for this world, God refers to it as “the Great Babylon” at the end of time in the Book of Revelation. And please dear reader do not miss the close correlation of what we have just read about in Jeremiah 25:10 with what we now find in Revelation 18:23, “And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived. And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth.”

[The reader is encouraged to see this post as well “A Famine in the Land“] 

Finally, the Bridegroom is The LORD Jesus Christ, and the bride is the Eternal Church of God, and at the end of time, during the Great Tribulation (when the devil is loosed for “a little season” Revelation 20:3), the Word of God will essentially be silenced. The witnesses of God’s Truth will have been silenced and effectively killed, literally and/or figuratively. The Light of the World is Jesus Christ, and without Him, and without the hearing of Him, the world will go completely dark. The lack of “hearing” of “The Word” (which is the “True” Jesus) means that the world will be starved for the lack of hearing of God’s Word and suffer the consequences of a spiritual famine…an eternal spiritual death in Hell! It is this teacher’s prayer that although God has warned the world beforehand of this condemnation and pre-Judgment, that it may yet still be the day of Salvation because of what we read in Deuteronomy 4:30, “When thou art in tribulation, and all these things are come upon thee, [even] in the latter days, if thou turn to the LORD thy God, and shalt be obedient unto his voice; (For the LORD thy God [is] a merciful God;) he will not forsake thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers which he sware unto them.“

[For more on the latter days, please see this post.]