One of the great mysteries in Scripture concerns the identity of Jerusalem. Today many Christians wait to see a new temple built in old Jerusalem and yearn for the day when this same old Jerusalem shall be made a praise upon the earth. But, the prophecies concerning Jerusalem do not deal with old Jerusalem and Ezekiel’s vision concerning a new temple do not relate to some new physical temple that will one day be built in old Jerusalem. No, these prophecies speak about the overcomers of God, the sons of God and the Bride of Christ, whom John saw as New Jerusalem descending from heaven.

In the Old Testament it is primarily the prophets Isaiah and Ezekiel who spoke about this new Jerusalem. We need to interpret the prophets through the filter of the Revelation given to John and the other New Testament apostles and prophets. For example, what does John mean when he says, “Then the angel^[a] showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb ² through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life^[b] with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.” (Revelation 22:1-2, ESV)

First, take note that in this passage John says the very same thing which Ezekiel prophesied when talking about the new temple to come. Look particularly at verse 12 below to see this. Ezekiel said,

Then he led me back to the bank of the river. ⁷ As I went back, I saw on the bank of the river very many trees on the one side and on the other. ⁸ And he said to me, “This water flows toward the eastern region and goes down into the Arabah, and enters the sea;^[b] when the water flows into the sea, the water will become fresh.^[c] 9 And wherever the river goes,^[d] every living creature that swarms will live, and there will be very many fish. For this water goes there, that the waters of the sea^[e] may become fresh; so everything will live where the river goes. ¹⁰ Fishermen will stand beside the sea. From Engedi to Eneglaim it will be a place for the spreading of nets. Its fish will be of very many kinds, like the fish of the Great Sea.^[f] 11 But its swamps and marshes will not become fresh; they are to be left for salt. ¹² And on the banks, on both sides of the river, there will grow all kinds of trees for food. Their leaves will not wither, nor their fruit fail, but they will bear fresh fruit every month, because the water for them flows from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be for food, and their leaves for healing. (Ezekiel 47:6b-12)

Notice that trees grow on each side of the river. The river itself is the water of life, Jesus Christ. The water, representing Christ’s truth and life, flows to the salty sea. This sea is mankind. Mankind dwells in the salty, murky, dark waters under the firmament of heaven. Remember the second day of creation, “And God said, “Let there be an expanse^[a] in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” ⁷ And God made^[b] the expanse and separated the waters that were under the expanse from the waters that were above the expanse. And it was so. ⁸ And God called the expanse Heaven.^[c] And there was evening and there was morning, the second day.” (Genesis 1:6-8) The waters “above the expanse” are the waters of life.  A time is coming when this water above the expanse will flow into the water below the expanse. This will make the salty water into “fresh” water, that is, it will bring life and healing to the “fish of the Great Sea.” The fish are men. Remember that Jesus calls us to be fishers of men. But, what are the trees? Isaiah prophesied,

The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me,
    because the Lord has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor;^[a]
    he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives,
    and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;^[b]
2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor,
    and the day of vengeance of our God;
    to comfort all who mourn;
³ to grant to those who mourn in Zion—
    to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness instead of mourning,
    the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit;
that they may be called oaks of righteousness,
    the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified.^[c]
4 They shall build up the ancient ruins;
    they shall raise up the former devastations;
they shall repair the ruined cities,
    the devastations of many generations. (Isaiah 61:1-4)

The trees we see in Ezekiel and Revelation are these “oaks of righteousness.” These are the firstfruits of God, the first human beings besides Jesus ever to be glorified with immortal bodies. To them will be granted a “beautiful headdress” in place of the ashes of dust they now bear. Today they mourn under the burden of their faint spirit, their unfruitfulness, and the sin of their flesh. Tomorrow they will be clothed with a garment of praise. Tomorrow, at their glorification, they will produce new, good fruit each month. Their leaves, their produce, will bring healing to the nations. To them it shall be granted to build up the ancient ruins, to raise up the former  devastations, and to repair the ruined cities. These trees are the ones whom the Bible also calls “New Jerusalem,” as prophesied by Isaiah.

For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent,
    and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not be quiet,
until her righteousness goes forth as brightness,
    and her salvation as a burning torch.
² The nations shall see your righteousness,
    and all the kings your glory,
and you shall be called by a new name
    that the mouth of the Lord will give.
³ You shall be a crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord,
    and a royal diadem in the hand of your God.
⁴ You shall no more be termed Forsaken,^[a]
    and your land shall no more be termed Desolate,^[b]
but you shall be called My Delight Is in Her,^[c]
    and your land Married;^[d]
for the Lord delights in you,
    and your land shall be married.
⁵ For as a young man marries a young woman,
    so shall your sons marry you,
and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride,
    so shall your God rejoice over you. (Isaiah 62:1-5)

 This is the same image which John saw and wrote of.

⁹ Then came one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues and spoke to me, saying, “Come, I will show you the Bride, the wife of the Lamb.”¹⁰ And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great, high mountain, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, ¹¹ having the glory of God, its radiance like a most rare jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. ¹² It had a great, high wall, with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and on the gates the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel were inscribed— ¹³ on the east three gates, on the north three gates, on the south three gates, and on the west three gates. ¹⁴ And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. (Revelation 21:9-14)

So, when John says, “Then the angel^[a] showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb ² through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life^[b] with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations,” (Revelation 22:1-2) this speaks of God’s Spirit, God’s water of life, moving without hindrance through the very essence (“middle of the street of the city”) of each overcomer who comprises New Jerusalem! And it is this unhindered flow of the water of life, the very fullness of Jesus Christ himself, which produces in us ongoing fruit which will bring healing to the entire earth! Let us then each aspire to become these oaks of righteousness that will heal a broken and hurting world.

One time when Jesus healed a blind man, the man said, “I see men as trees walking.” (Mark 8:24) This statement always puzzled me. Why was it recorded in Scripture? What did it mean? Until now I thought it merely meant that his vision was cloudy, that he could not yet clearly see natural things. Now I believe that it represented an opening of the blind man’s spiritual vision and concerns a work that God wants to do in all of us, and he wants to do it NOW. Consider the context.

Mark 8 begins with Jesus miraculously feeding four thousand people with seven loaves of bread and a few small fish. After they all ate to their satisfaction the disciples picked up seven baskets of leftover pieces. Immediately following this miracle the Pharisees demanded Jesus to perform some type of sign for them. This deeply troubled Jesus. Hadn’t he just done something quite amazing by multiplying a few loaves and fish into enough food to fill thousands? Even his disciples did not really understand what such a miracle meant and so, when they forgot to bring enough bread to eat, they fretted and feared when Jesus told them to “beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.” (Mark 8:15) They thought Jesus referred to their failure to bring leavened bread to eat. Jesus knew their thoughts and said,

“Why are you discussing the fact that you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive or understand? Are your hearts hardened?¹⁸ Having eyes do you not see, and having ears do you not hear? And do you not remember?¹⁹ When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?” They said to him, “Twelve.” ²⁰ “And the seven for the four thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?” And they said to him, “Seven.” ²¹ And he said to them, “Do you not yet understand?” (Mark 8:17-21)

Here Jesus lays bare the problem with all of us. Our hearts remain hardened by our lusts and the deceitfulness of sin. We have eyes to see natural things, but we fail to see spiritual things. We have ears to hear natural sounds, but we fail to hear the whispering wind of the Spirit. We have minds which remember many things, but we fail to remember the spiritual truths and the miracles which God has already done in our lives. And so live for our fleshly lusts and we fear and we fret when we forget something or our circumstances don’t look too bright or feel just right. So, Jesus then reminds them (as he reminds us now) of his miracles concerning bread and asks them (us), “Do you not yet understand?” He knows they don’t and so, by the Holy Spirit, Mark then records another miracle with a blind man. Why now? Because Jesus’ own disciples were still blind to the spiritual truth he taught and represented, just as many of his disciples even today remain blind to the truths revealed throughout the Bible. Here is the story which follows:

²² And they came to Bethsaida. And some people brought to him a blind man and begged him to touch him. ²³ And he took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village, and when he had spit on his eyes and laid his hands on him, he asked him, “Do you see anything?” ²⁴ And he looked up and said, “I see people, but they look like trees, walking.”²⁵ Then Jesus^[c] laid his hands on his eyes again; and he opened his eyes, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. ²⁶ And he sent him to his home, saying, “Do not even enter the village.” (Mark 8:22-26)

When we come to Jesus we are as this blind man. We can see nothing. We are as babes just come from the womb with eyes open, but not yet able to fix them upon anything or understand anything. When we believe in Jesus we allow ourselves to be touched by him; we allow him to pour living water (spit) into our eyes. The question then becomes, do we now see anything? That is, do we see anything for ourselves, or do we just mimic and parrot what our teachers tell us?

This story of the blind man sets forth a two-fold work in believers. When we first believe in Jesus we receive the earnest of the Holy Spirit which is the power to become a son of God. See John 1:12. But, we do not yet see everything clearly. Instead, says Paul, we see through a glass darkly. Our spiritual perception remains dim during this season of our faith for now we see “darkly,” not “clearly.” But we, like Mark’s blind man, should at the very least see what looks like trees, walking. This means that we should be cognizant of and recognize God’s trees who walk in the earth these days. These are the men and women among us, and hopefully we ourselves, who bear the righteous fruit God requires of his plants. Consider the following verses:

Blessed is the man^[a]
    who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
    nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
² but his delight is in the law^[b] of the Lord,
    and on his law he meditates day and night.

Yes, it is we, we who were born blind to God and filled with a sinful nature, who need God (Jesus) to spit (pour living water) into our spiritual eyes so that we can begin to see his ways. And as we learn to see we will begin to observe men (God’s servants) as trees walking, producing the fruit of righteousness that our LORD requires.  And when we faithfully do that, then Jesus will touch us a second time, will heal us completely by giving us glorified, immortal bodies, and then, and only then, shall we indeed see clearly!

But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, Lord, who has believed our report? So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. (Romans 10:16-17)

I have known since I wrote the last post on the New Covenant that the theme of this post would be based upon Romans 10:17, the truth that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. But it was not until this morning that it occurred to me that I really ought to examine the verse that Paul quotes from Isaiah before I wrote about it. So today I read Isaiah 53:1, the source of this Scripture. I did not just read that verse though. I began at Isaiah 52:13 and read through Isaiah 55:13. And once again I saw an amazing thing… how the Book of Isaiah so often sheds light upon truths revealed in the New Testament.

First, this passage from Isaiah prophesies and predicts the centuries later suffering and crucifixion of our Savior, Jesus Christ. It is here where we first learn that God will send a particular servant who will be cruelly despised and tortured by men, a servant who will offer himself up as a living sacrifice and offering for the sins of all mankind. Yes, here resides the wonderful verse which reveals that all men have gone astray from their Creator, but that God laid mankind’s iniquity upon Jesus instead of the sinners themselves.

All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned everyone to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. (Isaiah 53:6)

And it is just before this where Isaiah says, “Who has believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed?” the verse which Paul quotes in Romans 10. Now consider what Paul says next.  ”So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Interestingly, Isaiah talks about this very thing within the passage of Scripture from 52:13 to 55:13. Before considering the particular verses remember that in the Book of John Jesus calls him “the water of life” in chapter 4 and “the Bread of Life” in chapter 6. Also recall from many previous teachings on this site that the Biblical definition of “food” is God’s Word, or true doctrine. The following verses make this abundantly clear:

⁸ Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. ⁹ Do not be led away by diverse and strange teachings, for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not by foods which have not benefited those devoted to them.¹⁰ We have an altar from which those who serve the tent have no right to eat. (Hebrews 13:8-10)

Amazingly, then, later in this passage under consideration in Isaiah, the prophet speaks directly about food. He says,

“Come, everyone who thirsts,
    come to the waters;
and he who has no money,
    come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
    without money and without price.
² Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread,
    and your labor for that which does not satisfy?
Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good,
    and delight yourselves in rich food.
³ Incline your ear, and come to me;
    hear, that your soul may live;
and I will make with you an everlasting covenant (the NEW COVENANT!),
    my steadfast, sure love for David. (Isaiah 55:1-3)

And now we have come full circle.  Isaiah has given us the secret for obtaining faith from God. We have to come to Christ for food and water, that is, come to him for the truth of His Word. Then we have to “buy” that food (truth) from him.  But, we don’t buy it with the money of men like we do “for that which is not bread.” We spend our dollars, our silver, and our gold for the natural foods, wants, and pleasures our flesh desires. But that is not true bread, says Isaiah. Instead we need to buy Christ’s water, bread, wine, and milk. But, these are spiritual things and we “buy” them “without money and without price!” How?

We buy Christ’s food, Christ’s truth, by “listening diligently.” Do you really care about the things of God? Or do you pretend you are a “good Christian” because you regularly attend church, say your prayers, and retain friendships with a few other “Christians?” Paul says that “faith comes by hearing.” You can only hear, says Isaiah, if you come to Christ, incline your ear to him, listen diligently for what he has to say to you, and then eat (take to heart) that which he says. THIS IS what it means when Paul says that “hearing comes by the Word of God.”

And this is why Paul begins his statement concerning faith by referring us to Isaiah 53:1. To have faith means that we become obedient to that “word of faith” each of us individually receives. “But they have not all obeyed the gospel.” No, we Christians have not all obeyed the gospel, nor have we obeyed the individual words of instruction God has given us. Instead, many of us have turned the doctrine of faith into a gospel of “grace to sin.” Others of us turned the true gospel of grace into a set of laws that bar many from salvation. This is why Paul says that whatever we do which does not proceed from faith is sin (Romans 14:23) and is also why he says not to quarrel over many doctrinal opinions (Romans 14). As we diligently listen to Christ, then he will lead us into all truth, “For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.” (Romans 1:17)

In my last series on the meaning of Passover we discovered that the prophetic implications of that feast relate specifically to God’s group of overcomers called the manchild or the sons of God. We further learned that this group has been called to become the spiritual fulfillment of the tribe of Levi. Specifically, God has called and chosen them to become guardians of “the testimony.” “The testimony” itself speaks of “the seamless garment,” the totality, of God’s truth. This particular group of Christians has affirmed and made the following passage of Scripture a part of their lives:

¹¹ For the Lord spoke thus to me with a strong hand, and instructed me that I should not walk in the way of this people, saying:

The question we must ask ourselves now is why is it possible for some people to succeed in becoming overcomers when almost the entire Levite tribe failed to do so and, in fact, became complicit in crucifying Jesus himself? The answer, I believe, is found in the difference between the New and the Old Covenants. The Book of Hebrews, I believe, reveals the differences between the Old and New Covenants better than any other book in Scripture.

Hebrews is a mysterious book which remains totally misunderstood by almost all of Christianity. I do not believe that Paul wrote it because it contains none of Paul’s typical signature statements.  I do not believe that John wrote it because it does not sound like John’s writing either.  The book never says it was written to “Hebrews” or to “Jews.” The book was written to Christians and it fulfilled two main purposes. First, Hebrews reveals how it is that the Christian faith arose out of the faith of Israel, which we call Judaism. Second, Hebrews exhorts Christians to walk in their new faith unto the salvation of their souls. The book does not at all deal with coming to initial faith in Jesus Christ as the savior of your spirit. It assumes you have done so. It deals entirely with the salvation of the soul instead. This is why Christians misunderstand it. Any time the book says that a person will be destroyed or suffer loss because of sin or lack of faith they immediately assume that the person in mind never believed in Jesus Christ. Thus they miss the entire purpose of this profound work.

The word “covenant” (διαθηκη diatheke dee-ath-ay’-kay) is used 33 times in ten books in the New Testament. Seventeen of these 33 uses occur in the book of Hebrews alone. The first use of the word in Hebrews occurs in chapter 7.

¹¹ Therefore, if perfection were through the Levitical priesthood (for under it the people received the law), what further need was there that another priest should rise according to the order of Melchizedek, and not be called according to the order of Aaron? ¹² For the priesthood being changed, of necessity there is also a change of the law. ¹³ For He of whom these things are spoken belongs to another tribe, from which no man has officiated at the altar.

¹⁴ For it is evident that our Lord arose from Judah, of which tribe Moses spoke nothing concerning priesthood.^[a] 15 And it is yet far more evident if, in the likeness of Melchizedek, there arises another priest ¹⁶ who has come, not according to the law of a fleshly commandment, but according to the power of an endless life. ¹⁷ For He testifies:^[b]

¹⁸ For on the one hand there is an annulling of the former commandment because of its weakness and unprofitableness, ¹⁹ for the law made nothing perfect; on the other hand,there is the bringing in of a better hope, through which we draw near to God.

²⁰ And inasmuch as He was not made priest without an oath ²¹ (for they have become priests without an oath, but He with an oath by Him who said to Him:

²² by so much more Jesus has become a surety of a better covenant.

²³ Also there were many priests, because they were prevented by death from continuing.²⁴ But He, because He continues forever, has an unchangeable priesthood. ²⁵ Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.

²⁶ For such a High Priest was fitting for us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and has become higher than the heavens; ²⁷ who does not need daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the people’s, for this He did once for all when He offered up Himself. ²⁸ For the law appoints as high priests men who have weakness, but the word of the oath, which came after the law, appoints the Son who has been perfected forever. (Hebrews 7:11-28)

From this passage we learn one major thing about this new covenant of which the New Testament writers speak. It is a “better covenant.” It is better because the high priest of the New Covenant, Jesus Christ, has been perfected forever. He has no weaknesses, unlike the Levitical priests who came before him. For this reason he is able to “save to the uttermost” those who come to God through him. Remember that in the time of Moses God substituted the Levites for the firstborn. The Levites then became intercessors between the rest of the Israelites and God. All Israelites had to approach God through them, but they were weak by reason of their sinful flesh. They could not save Israel “to the uttermost.” Next, we will begin to discover what this means.

The previous articles in this series showed that God ordained the Feast of Passover primarily for the preparation of his firstfruits, his overcomers. God decreed fifteen or more specific regulations concerning Passover and, as we saw, each one of these mandates prophetically looked forward to particular spiritual applications in God’s overcomers, the specific overcomes who would one day be chosen as one of the “manchild.” The manchild is that spiritual body prophesied by John in Revelation 12.

And the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born. And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne. And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days. (Revelation 12:4-6 KJV)

For many years I have thought that the manchild and the Bride of Christ were synonymous, just two terms representing different aspects of God’s overcomers. Yesterday and today God has shown me that these two groups make up separate and distinct groups of overcomers. I believe that Passover relates to the first of these groups, the manchild, and that the Feast of Pentecost relates mainly to the Bride of Christ. I believe the Bride of Christ is the woman who flees into the wilderness in the passage above. Now I will try to show this divisional spiritual concept from the Scriptures.

When Moses first announced Passover to Israel he said, “Thus saith the LORD, About midnight will I go out into the midst of Egypt: And all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sitteth upon his throne, even unto the firstborn of the maidservant that is behind the mill; and all the firstborn of beasts.” (Exodus 11:4-5 KJV)  The Hebrew word translated “firstborn” here comes from בְּכוֺר (bek-ore’) and means “firstborn; hence, chief:—eldest (son), firstborn(-ling)” according to Strong’s. This Hebrew word is a masculine noun and thus refers to the firstborn male of a family, not the firstborn female.

The fact that Passover related only to male firstborns can be further proven by comparing Exodus 13:1 with Numbers 3:39-43. In Exodus 13:1 God announces that every “firstborn” which opens the womb of both man and beast shall be his. In Numbers 3:39-43 God substitutes the consecrated firstborn males of Israel with all the males of the tribe of Levi. The Hebrew word זָכָר zakar zaw-kawr’ which means “male” actually occurs right next to the Hebrew word for firstborn here, “And the LORD said unto Moses, Number all the firstborn of the males of the children of Israel from a month old and upward, and take the number of their names.” (Numbers 3:40) The fact that only males are in view becomes crystal clear in the following passage:

¹¹ “When the Lord brings you into the land of the Canaanites, as he swore to you and your fathers, and shall give it to you, ¹² you shall set apart to the Lord all that first opens the womb. All the firstborn of your animals that are males shall be the Lord’s. ¹³ Every firstborn of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb, or if you will not redeem it you shall break its neck. Every firstborn of man among your sons you shall redeem. ¹⁴ And when in time to come your son asks you, ‘What does this mean?’ you shall say to him, ‘By a strong hand theLord brought us out of Egypt, from the house of slavery. ¹⁵ For when Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, the Lord killed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both the firstborn of man and the firstborn of animals. Therefore I sacrifice to the Lord all the males that first open the womb, but all the firstborn of my sons I redeem.’ (Ex. 13:11-15 ESV)

Thus those who qualify to rule with the rod of iron as the manchild described in Revelation 12:4-6 fulfill Passover by walking in the fourteen Passover regulations reviewed in part 8 of this series. These will have qualified for rule by a lifetime of testing and tribulation. They will have learned to discern good from evil and have determined to choose good. Although they do not yet live in sinless perfection that is their goal, their deepest heart desire. They yearn to be perfect as their Father in heaven is perfect and they mourn that they still dwell in bodies of sinful flesh. These are the ones of whom Isaiah prophesied in a mystery.

¹⁰ Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz, ¹¹ “Ask a sign of the Lord your^[f] God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven.” ¹² But Ahaz said, “I will not ask, and I will not put the Lord to the test.” ¹³ And he^[g] said, “Hear then, O house of David! Is it too little for you to weary men, that you weary my God also? ¹⁴ Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.^[h] 15 He shall eat curds and honey when he knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good. (Isaiah 7:10-15)

Jesus, of course, according to Matthew 1:22-23 first fulfilled this prophecy. Jesus was born of the virgin Mary and he was in fact “God with us,” which is what the name Immanuel literally means. But, like many prophecies this one too will receive a double fulfillment. A chapter later Isaiah speaks of Immanuel again, saying,

⁵ The Lord spoke to me again: ⁶ “Because this people has refused the waters of Shiloah that flow gently, and rejoice over Rezin and the son of Remaliah, ⁷ therefore, behold, the Lord is bringing up against them the waters of the River, mighty and many, the king of Assyria and all his glory. And it will rise over all its channels and go over all its banks, ⁸ and it will sweep on into Judah, it will overflow and pass on, reaching even to the neck, and its outspread wings will fill the breadth of your land, O Immanuel.”

¹¹ For the Lord spoke thus to me with his strong hand upon me, and warned me not to walk in the way of this people, saying: ¹² “Do not call conspiracy all that this people calls conspiracy, and do not fear what they fear, nor be in dread. ¹³ But the Lord of hosts, him you shall honor as holy. Let him be your fear, and let him be your dread. ¹⁴ And he will become a sanctuary and a stone of offense and a rock of stumbling to both houses of Israel, a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. ¹⁵ And many shall stumble on it. They shall fall and be broken; they shall be snared and taken.”

¹⁶ Bind up the testimony; seal the teaching^[f] among my disciples. ¹⁷ I will wait for the Lord, who is hiding his face from the house of Jacob, and I will hope in him. ¹⁸ Behold, I and the children whom the Lord has given me are signs and portents in Israel from the Lord of hosts, who dwells on Mount Zion. (Isaiah 8:5-18 ESV)

The Hebrew word יֶלֶד yeled yeh’-led is translated “children” in verse 18 above, but according to Strong’s literally means “sons.” I in this verse refers to Jesus. I believe the manchild will thus consist of Jesus’ own sons. This is that which Paul prophesied,

¹⁸ For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. ¹⁹ For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. ²⁰ For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope ²¹ that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. ²² For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. ²³ And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit,groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. (Romans 8:18-23 ESV)

When I first began thinking that the manchild and the Bride of Christ were two separate groups of Christians the LORD took me to the following passage:

“Before she was in labor
    she gave birth;
before her pain came upon her
    she delivered a son.
⁸ Who has heard such a thing?
    Who has seen such things?
Shall a land be born in one day?
    Shall a nation be brought forth in one moment?
For as soon as Zion was in labor
    she brought forth her children.
⁹ Shall I bring to the point of birth and not cause to bring forth?”
    says the Lord;
“shall I, who cause to bring forth, shut the womb?”
    says your God.

And then I was reminded again of Revelation 12:5, “She gave birth to a male child, one who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron, but her child was caught up to God and to his throne.” And I thought, “Certainly the “she” in these two passages cannot be the Bride of Christ for she is not yet married! Surely she cannot have a baby until after she is married? And it was after this that the LORD showed me the sign of Immanuel. Just as Mary was not yet married when she became pregnant and just as Joseph and Mary did not consummate their marriage until after Jesus was born, so shall it be with the Bride of Christ!

Today those in the Church who will be called out of that Church do not even now that they are (spiritually) pregnant. When they first see the manifestation of the sons of God (the manchild) they will ponder in their hearts if this truly could be the Sons of God which Paul predicts, because if they are then they would in fact be “God with us.” Remember also that when Mary heard and saw Jesus do certain things she pondered those things in her heart. Mary is a type of the Bride of Christ.

So, yes, it appears from Scripture that the son of the Bride comes to maturity before the Bride! And this occurs before the Bride makes herself ready and before the Marriage Supper of the Lamb!

The reason why it is important to understand that Passover relates to the firstborn instead of all people (at the present time) is because the entire Scripture was written for the chosen overcomers, not for the whole world. Jesus spoke in parables for this reason… to hide the truth from the general masses of humanity, not to explain it to them. Matthew says,

¹⁰ Then the disciples came and said to him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” ¹¹ And he answered them, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. ¹² For to the one who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. ¹³ This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. ¹⁴ Indeed, in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says:

¹⁶ But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. ¹⁷ For truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it. (Matthew 13:10-17 ESV)

Later in this same chapter Matthew said,

³⁴ All these things Jesus said to the crowds in parables; indeed, he said nothing to them without a parable. ³⁵ This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet:^[e]

The question we face now is, “Why does God make this so hard?” We have to turn back to Isaiah chapter 6, the chapter Jesus quoted above, in order to understand. Following is that chapter in its entirety.

6 In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train^[a] of his robe filled the temple. ² Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. ³ And one called to another and said:

⁴ And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. ⁵ And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!”

⁶ Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. ⁷ And he touched my mouth and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.”

⁸ And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am! Send me.” ⁹ And he said, “Go, and say to this people:

This chapter begins with God revealing himself to the prophet Isaiah. Immediately upon receiving that revelation Isaiah “mourns” over his sinful condition and realizes he is “poor in spirit,” so poor in fact that he even calls his lips unclean. By responding in this way Isaiah shows that he, initially at least, qualifies to begin walking as an overcomer. In response to his heart’s cry “without guile” God sends a seraphim to touch his lips with a live, hot coal. This represents (is a type of) the baptism of fire (roasting the lamb) that every overcomer must go through. At this point Isaiah qualifies for the ministry of the word of God. God asks who will go to preach for Elohim and Isaiah volunteers. Then God gives him his marching orders. Isaiah will indeed preach the word of God (it is sweet in his mouth), but its outworking will be bitter (eating bitter herbs) because no one will understand him.

Then Isaiah wonders, how long will this go on? How long will it be until people will finally begin to understand your Word? God answers that this will not occur until judgments come and until the holy seed (firstborn, firstfruits, overcomers) are a mere stump in the land, all that is left of that huge tree today which sees itself as the Kingdom of God on earth, the Church. The overcomers will have been the only ones:

1. Who applied the blood of the Passover lamb to the doors and lintel of their lives (souls),
2. Who ate the lamb with unleavened bread (representing a soul without guile and hyprocrisy which has embraced the true doctrine of Christ, or as Paul says, “not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.”
3. Who ate the lamb with bitter herbs (they submitted to a life of travail and bitterness of soul as they worked out their soul’s salvation in fear and trembling)
4. Who ate the lamb roasted in the fire, not boiled in water or eaten raw (the overcomers submitted to the baptism of fire allowing God’s word to burn the dross, the sin, out of their souls)
5. Who roasted and ate the lamb whole, with its head, legs, and inner parts (they did not pick and choose the words of God they would apply to their lives; to them the Word of God is as a seamless garment which conveys one truth, God’s truth, and one law, and all of it is to be eaten)
6. Who ate the lamb without breaking its bones (Of course the people of Israel did not pick up the whole lamp and pass it around for each person to take a bite of it; they cut the joints and marrow with a sharp knife. This represents the truth of Hebrews 4:12, “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” Overcomers learn to discern the word of God and submit to the Spirit’s work in them. They understand that the Word seeks to convert their souls, not just bring their spirits a one-time salvation that does not affect their earthly lives)
7. Who ate all the lamb in one night (who consumed Christ’s flesh and blood during their one life time, that is, who assimilated his word into their very souls and made it part of them during their earthly life, thus becoming one flesh with Christ; since they attempted to eat all of Christ what remains of him that was not eaten (not understood or assimilated during their lives) will be “burned in the fire;” it will be imputed to them by faith at their judgment just before their glorification)
8. Who ate the Passover lamb (Christ) with their loins girded (according to Ephesians 6:10-18 they learned of and submitted to Christ having their most vulnerable body parts protected with the belt of truth)
9. Who ate the Lamb with their feet shod with the Gospel of peace (again according to Ephesians 6)
10. Who ate the Lamb with his staff in his hand (the staff or rod represents the blossoming almond tree rod of Jeremiah 1:11; this speaks of new life, resurrected life, which will first be displayed in each overcomer, each firstborn manchild, the firstfruits of God)
11. Who ate the Lamb in haste (in some mystery I don’t understand the obedience of the overcomers hastens the coming of the Day of the LORD according to Peter,
    

    ⁸ But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. ⁹ The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you,^[a] not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. ¹⁰ But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies^[b] will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.^[c]

    ¹¹ Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, ¹² waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! ¹³ But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. (2 Peter 3:8-13)

12. Who became circumcised by faith in Christ before they ate of him, their Lamb (“For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power: In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ: Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead. And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it. (Colossians 2:9-15)
13. Who came out of Babylon and refused to eat the Passover Lamb with uncircumcised foreigners (overcomers did not fellowship in Christ with those who refused to acknowledge, accept, and consume Christ in faith also)
14. Who ate the Lamb in One House, God’s House, as a firstborn son of God (“Therefore, holy brothers,^[a] you who share in a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession, ² who was faithful to him who appointed him, just as Moses also was faithful in all God’s^[b] house. ³ For Jesus has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses—as much more glory as the builder of a house has more honor than the house itself. ⁴ (For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God.) ⁵ Now Moses was faithful in all God’s house as a servant, to testify to the things that were to be spoken later, ⁶ but Christ is faithful over God’s house as a son. And we are his house if indeed we hold fast our confidence and our boasting in our hope.” (Hebrews 3:1-6, ESV)

Yes, many are called, but few, very few are chosen. For the vast majority of those called the word of God spoken to Isaiah and quoted by Christ has proved true:

“‘Keep on hearing,^[c] but do not understand;
keep on seeing,^[d] but do not perceive.’
¹⁰ Make the heart of this people dull,^[e]
    and their ears heavy,
    and blind their eyes;
lest they see with their eyes,
    and hear with their ears,
and understand with their hearts,
    and turn and be healed.”

I didn’t say it. The LORD said it.

¹⁹ You will say to me then, “Why does he still find fault? For who can resist his will?” ²⁰ But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, “Why have you made me like this?” ²¹ Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use? ²² What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, ²³ in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory— ²⁴ even us whom he has called, not from the Jews only but also from the Gentiles? ²⁵ As indeed he says in Hosea,

²⁷ And Isaiah cries out concerning Israel: “Though the number of the sons of Israel^[c] be as the sand of the sea, only a remnant of them will be saved, ²⁸ for the Lord will carry out his sentence upon the earth fully and without delay.” ²⁹ And as Isaiah predicted,

³⁰ What shall we say, then? That Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness have attained it, that is, a righteousness that is by faith; ³¹ but that Israel who pursued a law that would lead to righteousness^[d] did not succeed in reaching that law. ³² Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were based on works. They have stumbled over the stumbling stone, ³³ as it is written,

[Jesus] answered and said, Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up. (Matthew 5:13)

Did you know that the Bible calls those who believe in Jesus “plantings” or “branches” of the LORD? When Jesus began his ministry he told the Jews that he fulfilled the following prophecy from Isaiah:

The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; (Isaiah 61:1-2 KJV)

How many of us then go to Isaiah to find out exactly what else he prophesied concerning this majestic One who fulfilled it? For the next verses describe us, we believers who will obey and walk in our God’s ways. The reason why Jesus came to earth, says Isaiah, was

To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified. And they shall build the old wastes, they shall raise up the former desolations, and they shall repair the waste cities, the desolations of many generations. And strangers shall stand and feed your flocks, and the sons of the alien shall be your plowmen and your vinedressers. But ye shall be named the Priests of the LORD: men shall call you the Ministers of our God: ye shall eat the riches of the Gentiles, and in their glory shall ye boast yourselves. For your shame ye shall have double; and for confusion they shall rejoice in their portion: therefore in their land they shall possess the double: everlasting joy shall be unto them. For I the LORD love judgment, I hate robbery for burnt offering; and I will direct their work in truth, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them. And their seed shall be known among the Gentiles, and their offspring among the people: all that see them shall acknowledge them, that they are the seed which the LORD hath blessed. 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 decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels. For as the earth bringeth forth her bud, and as the garden causeth the things that are sown in it to spring forth; so the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations. (Isaiah 61:3-11 KJV)

So, consider yourself. Are you a “planting of the LORD?” Concerning this Paul said, “Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?” (2 Corinthians 13:5 KJV) Now, having tested yourself and having determined that you are in fact a planting of the LORD, ask now whether you are “a tree of righteousness.” Only trees of righteousness bear fruit worthy of Christ’s Kingdom. Jesus said,

“Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad, for the tree is known by its fruit. 34 You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. 35 The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil. 36 I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, 37 for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” (Matthew 12:33-37, ESV)

These words place responsibility upon each one of us. It is easy to say, “I am of a sinful nature and will always sin. I cannot be perfect.” It is hard to say, “I am of a sinful nature, but I will exercise my will in order to keep my flesh from sinning.” Paul said, “I beat my body and make it my slave.” Does your body enslave you, or do you enslave it? Of course I long for the glorification of my flesh so that I will no longer be subject to the vanities and weaknesses of it, but I cannot allow myself to become enslaved by it. One of Jesus’ most well known parables, the parable of the seeds, deals with these very issues. Consider it afresh in this light.

And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow; And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up: Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth: And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away. And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them: But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear. (Matthew 13:3-9 KJV)

And what does the parable mean? Jesus explained,

Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower. When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side. But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it; Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended. He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful. But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. (Matthew 13:18-23 KJV)

Perhaps you have heard the word of the kingdom, but never understood it until now. You did not realize that YOU, yes YOU, were the seed that Jesus spoke about here. You did not realize that YOU were to become a “planting of the LORD” and that YOU were to bring forth the fruit of righteousness. The wicked one had been successful in blinding you to that truth. Now, though, you begin to see. Now you can begin to establish roots of faith which will draw upon the water of life (Jesus), and bear fruit to eternal life.

Or, perhaps YOU once walked in the way of the truth, the narrow road toward the Kingdom. But, tribulation or persecution came. Your wife or husband committed adultery and divorced you, you were fired from your job for your faith, etc. In fact life became so difficult after you came to faith that you became offended by the teachings of faith. Consequently your spiritual roots shriveled up and you became as if you were dead grass instead of a living tree. But now, suddenly, faith stirs again, just as “dead” grass stirs after long periods of drought when the rains come again. Now your roots too will begin to grow as you draw upon living water and begin to bear the fruit of righteousness.

And then there are YOU who once walked in the power of the Spirit, but fell into the cares of this world and sinned by indulging in the lusts of the flesh, the lusts of the eyes, or the pride of your life, whatever form that pride took. Some of you divorced the wife of your youth as you continued to pursue your “ministry” for the LORD. You had not realized that you a poor, pitiful, blind, and naked until now. But now you know that your lusts and proud fornications have utterly entangled your roots and choked the Word of God from becoming fruitful in your life. Even YOU, YOU who knew better, YOU who fell away from the truth (but still believed you were walking in truth), yes even YOU can repent and return to your first love.

God calls each one of us to become trees of righteousness. Even now, even before the great glorification for which we long, we should be bearing fruit. Let your roots grow deep into the Water of Life and before long, just as prophesied, you will begin to bear fruit, even a new crop each month!

And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. (Revelation 22:1-2 KJV)

Very little Scripture (the Bible) has to do with getting one to believe in Jesus Christ in order to “be saved.” Rather, the majority of holy writ concerns preparing ourselves to one day see God face to face. David believed, “As for me, I will see Your face in righteousness; I shall be satisfied when I awake in Your likeness.” (Ps. 17:15) Does this same faith and hope to one day awake in Christ’s likeness dwell within each one of us? This present series of writings will focus on this idea in depth.

You may believe that the idea or doctrine of one day awakening in God’s likeness is simple and expected for all Christians, but stop and think about it. God used sixty-six different books to convey this message and he primarily used prophetic stories called parables as his mode for presenting this truth. The New Testament says that Jesus never taught anything unless he spoke in parables. So, consider, did his method differ with the Israelites in the previous age? I don’t think so. I believe God’s method of presenting truth remained consistent from age to age. Just as Jesus expressed God’s ways through his many stories that we call parables so I believe that the historical accounts of the Old and New Testaments, although factually true, were his sovereignly orchestrated parables designed by him in order to teach prophetic, or spiritual, truth.

Parables themselves represent God’s application of the theological principle known as “first the natural, then the spiritual.” Paul states this concept three different ways to the Corinthians.

1. 1 Corinthians 2:14
   The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.
2. 1 Corinthians 15:44
   It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.
3. 1 Corinthians 15:46
   But it is not the spiritual that is first but the natural, and then the spiritual.

The Old Testament,  except for the prophetic writings, basically conveys natural, historical events. Rarely in ancient Israel do we come into contact with men filled with God’s Holy Spirit. The natural thus appears as the norm in Old Testament writings, not the spiritual. The New Testament, however, differs radically from the Old Testament in that most of the writings concern spiritual doctrine rather than historical facts. This does not mean that the Old Testament writings are not spiritual, far from it. God simply hid the spiritual from us by couching it in natural language and historical facts. 

Why do you think that Jesus used parables in order to teach? Do you think that he used the vehicle of a story in order to make his meaning more clear? No, I tell you that he used parables in order to hide the truth, so that he might fulfill the word of Isaiah,

Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me. And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear you indeed, but understand not; and see you indeed, but perceive not. Make the heart of this people dull, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and return, and be healed. (Isaiah 6:8-10 KJ2000)

Isn’t this interesting? God sends his preacher, Isaiah, to go tell his people that they will hear but will not understand God’s word. And isn’t that the way history has unfolded? We could fill countless libraries with all the books which have been written trying to explain the Bible. And most of those books would be filled with false doctrine because men have heard God’s words, but have not understood them.

Why, then, did Jesus use mysterious stories most people could not understand to teach his truth? Because truth is costly and it is his truth which ultimately qualifies us to partake of the greatest prize of all, oneness with God, or as David says, awakening in God’s likeness. Consider his admonition to the Laodiceans.

Because you say, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and know not that you are wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: I counsel you to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that you may be rich; and white clothing, that you may be clothed, and that the shame of your nakedness does not appear; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see. (Revelation 3:17-18 KJ2000)

Laodicea describes much of Christianity in this present time. Most Christians believe they are rich in terms of their spiritual possessions. But Jesus says they “are wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked.” They hear the Bible, but they do not understand it. Their teachers teach it, but even their teachers do not understand it. And why? Because they have not obeyed their Savior’s command to “buy of me gold tried in the fire, that you may be rich; and white clothing, that you may be clothed, and that the shame of your nakedness does not appear; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see.”

“But I thought salvation was free!” you say. Yes, your spiritual salvation is free, but this talks about your soul’s salvation.” And you reply, “I thought the salvation of my soul was by faith and was free too!” Yes, it is. We “buy” from Jesus by asking him in faith for that which we need as Isaiah explains,

Ho, everyone that thirsts, come you to the waters, and he that has no money; come you, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Why do you spend money for that which is not bread? and your labor for that which satisfies not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat you that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in richness. Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David. (Isaiah 55:1-3 KJ2000)

God began to teach us the way to become like him long ago in the books of Moses. He laid down the Law for Israel and commanded they obey it.  This law, though, was natural, or “carnal” as the writer of Hebrews describes it in Hebrews 7:16. Because it was carnal it could “make nothing perfect.” (Hebrews 7:19)  It is now, though, through the Holy Spirit that we can re-examine God’s Law and all the Old Testament and discern that the natural laws and history presented there were actually parables which tell a prophetic story. The natural parables, then, point to a spiritual reality. It is this spiritual reality which God now wants his people to understand.

Scripture itself is as a seamless garment. Once we understand this we learn to affirm with the Hebrews’ writer that the “gospel [was] preached … [to Israel], but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.” (Hebrews 4:2) The way for us now, then, is not to return to the natural laws of do’s and don’t's prescribed for ancient Israel (I except here the moral laws which the New Testament constantly reaffirms), but to seek to understand the spiritual implications of those manifold laws, to learn to interpret the parabolic importance of each law and each story, for the laws and stories all foretell the same thing… man awakening in God’s likeness!

A Song of ^(A)Ascents. Of David.

A song of ascents. Of David.[a]

124 “If it had not been Yahweh who was on our side,”
do let Israel say,
2 “If it had not been Yahweh who was on our side,
when men rose up against us,
3 then they would have swallowed us alive,
when their anger was kindled against us.
4 Then the waters would have flooded over us,
the torrent would have passed over our soul.
5 Then over our soul would have passed
the raging waters.”
6 Blessed be Yahweh,
who has not made[b] us prey for their teeth.
7 Our soul has escaped like a bird
from the snare of fowlers.
The snare is broken, and we have escaped.
8 Our help is in the name of Yahweh,
maker of heaven and earth. (Psalm 124 Lexham English Bible)

As we continue to ascend to the throne of God we must realize that our hope does not rest in men at all, but in God alone. I believe a companion passage which sheds light on this psalm is chapter 2 from Isaiah, which says,

Isaiah 2
English Standard Version (ESV)

1 The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.

2 It shall come to pass in the latter days
that the mountain of the house of the Lord
shall be established as the highest of the mountains,
and shall be lifted up above the hills;
and all the nations shall flow to it,
3 and many peoples shall come, and say:
“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
to the house of the God of Jacob,
that he may teach us his ways
and that we may walk in his paths.”
For out of Zion shall go the law,[a]
and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
4 He shall judge between the nations,
and shall decide disputes for many peoples;
and they shall beat their swords into plowshares,
and their spears into pruning hooks;
nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
neither shall they learn war anymore.
5 O house of Jacob,
come, let us walk
in the light of the Lord.

6 For you have rejected your people,
the house of Jacob,
because they are full of things from the east
and of fortune-tellers like the Philistines,
and they strike hands with the children of foreigners.
7 Their land is filled with silver and gold,
and there is no end to their treasures;
their land is filled with horses,
and there is no end to their chariots.
8 Their land is filled with idols;
they bow down to the work of their hands,
to what their own fingers have made.
9 So man is humbled,
and each one is brought low—
do not forgive them!
10 Enter into the rock
and hide in the dust
from before the terror of the Lord,
and from the splendor of his majesty.
11 The haughty looks of man shall be brought low,
and the lofty pride of men shall be humbled,
and the Lord alone will be exalted in that day.
12 For the Lord of hosts has a day
against all that is proud and lofty,
against all that is lifted up—and it shall be brought low;
13 against all the cedars of Lebanon,
lofty and lifted up;
and against all the oaks of Bashan;
14 against all the lofty mountains,
and against all the uplifted hills;
15 against every high tower,
and against every fortified wall;
16 against all the ships of Tarshish,
and against all the beautiful craft.
17 And the haughtiness of man shall be humbled,
and the lofty pride of men shall be brought low,
and the Lord alone will be exalted in that day.
18 And the idols shall utterly pass away.
19 And people shall enter the caves of the rocks
and the holes of the ground,[b]
from before the terror of the Lord,
and from the splendor of his majesty,
when he rises to terrify the earth.
20 In that day mankind will cast away
their idols of silver and their idols of gold,
which they made for themselves to worship,
to the moles and to the bats,
21 to enter the caverns of the rocks
and the clefts of the cliffs,
from before the terror of the Lord,
and from the splendor of his majesty,
when he rises to terrify the earth.

22 Stop regarding man
in whose nostrils is breath,
for of what account is he?

First, notice how many themes this passage from Isaiah mentions that we have already discussed in the first four steps of ascent: 1) the latter days (these days), 2) the mountain of the LORD (the mountain we are now ascending just as Moses ascended the fiery mountain long ago), 3) the House of the LORD (we are God’s house), 4) Zion,  5) Jerusalem (like many Old Testament prophesies this refers to New Jerusalem), and 6) Separation (in this chapter verses 2-5 relate to God’s Overcomers in the House of Jacob (believers in the One God) while verses 6-22 concern believers who instead rely upon the world and the ways of the world. This is why it ends with the stark warning, “Stop regarding man in whose nostrils is breath, for of what account is he?”

It is verse 22, just quoted, which really ties Isaiah 2 to Psalm 124 for this song makes it clear that the sojourner relies upon God and only upon God for his deliverance. Had he relied upon man then he would have been caught in man’s snare. But, because he made God his refuge, God delivered him from man’s evil plans.

Anyone watching current events knows that man has now devised and implemented evil plans for the faithful followers of God. These schemes have been secretly conceived and brought to birth for many years now. America, once considered to the be the Christian land of the free, has now become the haunt of every evil demon and human perpetrator of vile deeds. Laws have now been enacted which will allow for our indefinite detention without trial. The stage is set to totally destroy the faithful from the land, but God has another plan.

I choose to trust God for my deliverance from today’s ever-present evil. I choose to take the fifth step up the mountain into God’s consuming fire. And like Isaiah I say to those who would hesitate, ”Stop regarding man in whose nostrils is breath, for of what account is he?”