THE JUDGES, Part 1
By Dr. Stephen Jones
Moses
warned Israel that if they cast aside His law in rebellion against God (who was
their King), He would bring judgment upon the nation. The list of judgments is
seen clearly in Deuteronomy 28, wherein we are given the laws of tribulation.
Such judgment was to be progressive in nature, for if they persisted in their
rebellion, the tribulation would increase. In the end, they would be placed
under an “iron yoke” (Deuteronomy 28:48), which meant that they would
be exiled to foreign lands where they would serve other gods (Deuteronomy 28:64).
Deuteronomy
28:48 NET instead in hunger, thirst, nakedness, and poverty you
will serve your enemies whom the LORD will send against you. They will place an
iron yoke on your neck until they have destroyed you.
Deuteronomy
28:64 NET The LORD will scatter you among all nations, from one
end of the earth to the other. There you will worship other gods that neither
you nor your ancestors have known, gods of wood and stone.
The
lesser judgments, as we learn later through Jeremiah, were pictured as a
“wooden yoke,” that is, a lighter sentence. A wooden yoke assumed that the
people would accept God’s judgment and submit to the rule of foreigners that
God raised up to enslave them for a season. We are given many examples of this
wooden yoke captivity in the book of Judges and 1 Samuel. These were Israel’s
captivities during the three centuries between the death of Joshua and the death
of King Saul.
Moses’
warning was based on his prophetic knowledge that Israel would indeed rebel,
violate their covenant with God, and ultimately be exiled to foreign lands. So
he told them plainly in Deuteronomy 31:29,
29 For I know that after my death you will act corruptly and turn from
the way which I have commanded you; and evil will befall you in the latter
days, for you will do that which is evil in the sight of the Lord, provoking
Him to anger with the work of your hands.
Moses’
words proved to be true. Just 42 years after their Jordan crossing, they
experienced their first captivity. This was just 14 years after the death of
Joshua. It is hard to believe that they could fall so quickly into rebellion.
During the next three centuries, they spent more than a third of their history
in captivity to a variety of foreign nations.
Yet
the Israelites were allowed to remain in their land as they paid tribute to
their foreign masters. Such is the nature of a wooden yoke. But these wooden
yokes ended later, first when Israel was deported to Assyria and a century
later when Judah was deported to Babylon. The era of the iron yoke brought both
Israel and Judah into a long-term captivity of “seven times” (i.e., 7 x 360
years), which did not end until 2017. Babylon is now being brought into divine
judgment for refusing to relinquish dominion over the world, as prophesied in Jeremiah 50:33, 34.
Jeremiah
50:33-34 NET The LORD who rules over all says, "The people of
Israel are oppressed. So too are the people of Judah. All those who took them
captive are holding them prisoners. They refuse to set them free. (34) But the
one who will rescue them is strong. He is known as the LORD who rules over all.
He will strongly champion their cause. As a result he will bring peace and rest
to the earth, but trouble and turmoil to the people who inhabit Babylonia.
The Deliverers, or Saviors
The
book of Judges gives us the history of the captivities and the manner in which
God raised up judges to deliver the Israelites after they repented. Each of
these are types of Christ in the sense that they delivered the people from
bondage. They “saved” the nation from captivity, which made them “saviors,”
foreshadowing a greater salvation that was to come through Jesus. His Hebrew
name, Yeshua, literally means “Salvation.”
Later,
the ninth chapter of Nehemiah recounts those days wherein Israel was delivered
from captivities. Nehemiah 9:27 reads,
27 Therefore Thou didst deliver them into the hand of their oppressors
who oppressed them. But when they cried to Thee in the time of their distress,
Thou didst hear from heaven, and according to Thy great compassion Thou didst
give them deliverers [yasha] who delivered them from the hand of their
oppressors.
Yasha is the root of the name Yeshua.
It can also be translated “savior.” In fact, the KJV translates this
word as “saviours.” Though Yeshua-Jesus is the ultimate Savior, there are many
types of Christ who are also saviors that play an essential role in the history
of the Kingdom.
Obadiah 21 prophesies about the deliverance in
the latter days from the descendants of Esau,
21 The deliverers [yasha] will ascend Mount Zion to judge the
mountain [kingdom] of Esau, and the kingdom will be the Lord’s.
The
NASB again renders yasha as “deliverers,” but again, the KJV translates yasha
as “saviours.” Both are correct, but I prefer saviours, because it
suggests that these Judges are types of Christ.
Obadiah
shows that Esau-Edom was to hold dominion in the latter days. The implication
is that when Edom is brought into judgment, then “the kingdom will be the
Lord’s.” Thus, one must know the history of Esau-Edom and how he would come
to hold dominion in the latter days if one hopes to understand what is going on
today in the latter days.
Though
it is Mystery Babylon that gets the most attention, we must also understand
that Esau’s descendants have taken the top positions in Babylon. Hence, Esau
too is slated for divine judgment for refusing to release the people and to
implement the law of Jubilee.
I
gave that history in my book, The Struggle
for the Birthright.
Obadiah
also shows that there is more than one deliverer in the latter days, for his
term is plural. In other words, in the latter days God will raise up Judges
once again who will act in some way as deliverers and saviors in the overthrow
of both Babylon and Esau.
The Early Judges
There
are seven or eight judges in the first few centuries of Israel’s history in the
Promised Land. Taken together as a group, they represent a body of saviors
whose collective feats more closely resemble the final Savior, Yeshua the
Messiah. Their names are prophetic as well, and when we study those names, a
hidden message emerges to reward our efforts with greater understanding.
We
will study each of these names in turn, but here is the overall revelation in
their names, which we will prove afterward:
“The
voice of God united in His sons (in an orderly manner that is subject to God’s
Word) will fell the enemy and open the Ark to show forth the light of the Sun.”
The list of Judges are as
follows:
1.
Othniel
2.
Ehud
3,
4. Barak and Deborah
5.
Gideon
6.
Jephthah
7.
The Ark (with Samuel)
8.
Samson
We
will describe each of their ministries in their turn.
First Captivity Patterns
Israel’s
first captivity was to “Chushan-rishathaim, king of Mesopotamia,” the
old name of Babylon which means “land between the two rivers.” (Judges 3:8). By the Law of First Mention, the
first captivity is the pattern-setter for all the other captivities. It is most
important because it was a captivity to a king of Babylon (under its old name).
Babylon, of course, figured very prominently in a later captivity in the time
of Daniel and Jeremiah. Mystery Babylon is the final form of captivity before
the great deliverance at the end of the age.
Israel’s
captivity to the king of Mesopotamia lasted just eight years, but these years
established a more long-term pattern in terms of eight cycles of Cursed Time (8
x 414 years). If you study my book, Secrets of Time, chapter 10, you will see that this captivity
was dated from the year 2530 to 2538 (years from Adam). Israel had crossed the
Jordan in 2488, and the captivity came 42 years later in 2530.
By
converting the years from Adam to our present way of reckoning on our modern
calendar, the captivity began in 1365 B.C. Two cycles of 414 years later came
to 537 B.C., the year that Babylon fell in Daniel 5.
Another
six cycles of 414 years brings us to the year 1948 A.D., the year that the
Israeli state was founded. From the fall of old Babylon until 1948 the dominion
mandate was passed down to Medo-Persia, Greece, Rome, and the extensions
(“horns”) in various forms until 1948, when Esau was given the dominion mandate
to fulfill Isaac’s prophecy in Genesis 27:40 KJV. Since Jacob had taken the
dominion mandate from Esau by lying and by identity theft, Esau had a valid
case against Jacob in the divine court. Hence, the dominion had to returned to
him at some point in history in order for justice to be done.
Genesis
27:40 NET You will live by your sword but you will serve your
brother. When you grow restless, you will tear off his yoke from your
neck."
The
descendants of Esau-Edom were later conquered and absorbed by the Judeans under
John Hyrcanus in 126-125 B.C., as we read in virtually all history books that
deal with that topic. The first-century Jewish historian, Josephus, tells us in
Antiquities of the Jews, XIII,
ix, 1,
“Hyrcanus took also Dora and Marissa, cities of
Idumea [the Greek name for Edom], and subdued all the Idumeans, and permitted
them to stay in that country, if they would be circumcised and make use of the laws
of the Jews; and they were so desirous of living in the country of their
forefathers, that they submitted to the use of circumcision and the rest of the
Jews’ ways of living; at which time therefore, this befell them, that they were
hereafter no other than Jews.”
The
New Standard Jewish Encyclopedia states more plainly on page 587,
“The Edomites were conquered by John Hyrcanus who
forcibly converted them to Judaism, and from then on they constituted a part of
the Jewish people.”
The
Jewish Encyclopedia, under Edom, says further,
“From this time the Idumeans ceased to be a separate
people.”
Hence,
the descendants of Esau, who was called “Edom” (Genesis 36:8), was later known by the Greek name Idumea.
They ceased to be a nation separate from the Jews in 125 B.C. This merger had
huge prophetic implications, for at that point the Jews themselves had two sets
of prophecies to fulfill—one for Judah itself and the other for Edom.
Of
course, if either group had come under the New Covenant through Jesus Christ,
they could have become a new creation, avoiding the judgments written in
Scripture. But as long as they remain under the Old Covenant, they are subject
to the prophecies of the cursed fig tree and the prophecies in Obadiah, Isaiah 34:6-10, and Malachi 1:1-4 regarding Edom. Fortunately, many
individuals among them have come to Christ and have thereby reversed the
curses, at least on their own behalf.
The
year 1948, being the end of 8 x 414 years dating back to Israel’s first
captivity, was an extremely important turning point in prophetic history. It
marked the point where Esau-Edom received the dominion mandate from Babylon,
carrying on the secretive policy of “Mystery” Babylon. The dominion mandate
itself dated back to Genesis 1:26 and was the
divine right to rule the earth. Hence, from 1948 to the present time, Esau has
had dominion even over Mystery Babylon.
By
understanding the big picture and how Israel’s first captivity to the king of Mesopotamia
set the pattern even for the latter days, we are able to see through the
“mystery” of secret governments in the latter days. The rise of Othniel as the
first judge, deliverer, or savior, also instructs the overcomers in our time
about how we ourselves may be types of Christ in bringing deliverance to the
world.
In
part 2 we will look at the prophecy inherent in Othniel and the other judges.
THE JUDGES, PART 2, EHUD
The
first Judge to set Israel free from captivity was Othniel. The eight-year
captivity began 42 years after Israel crossed the Jordan, and it lasted 8
years, concluding with their first Jubilee in the 50th year.
Essentially, Othniel’s deliverance of Israel established the first pattern of a
Jubilee.
Of
course, keep in mind that if Israel had entered the land at their first
opportunity, at the 50th Jubilee from Adam, their Jubilee calendar
would have aligned with the Creation Jubilee Calendar. Their first Jubilee
would have been the 51st from Adam. However, they entered the land
38 years late, so their Jubilee calendar was out of alignment, and this problem
would have to be resolved in the centuries ahead. The Babylonian captivity
disrupted their calendar, and when it was reinstated through Daniel’s seventy
weeks, the calendar was only seven years out of alignment. In 1996 the calendar
was fully restored through the Hezekiah Factor.
The Meaning of Othniel
Lexicons
give the meaning of Othni-El as “Lion of God,” but the word othni comes
from a root word that means “to force.” Hence, it refers to the force or power
of God (as displayed in the power and roar of a lion).
Without
some context, it is difficult to know more than this, but when we combine it
with the next two Judges, Ehud and Barak, a picture begins to
emerge. Ehud means “united,” and Barak means “lightning,” which, as we will see
shortly, is a representation of the sons of God. Thus, the phrase should be
understood as the power (voice) of God united with (or in) His sons.
The
word picture is of a son of God roaring as a lion, as if the lion is within
him, or united with him. Essentially, it is the voice of God coming through the
sons of God in a display of power. In that context, Acts 1:8 comes to mind,
8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon
you; and you will be My witnesses both in Jerusalem and in all Judea and
Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.
This
is the power of the Lion of the tribe of Judah (Revelation 5:5) being displayed when the sons of
God become Christ’s witnesses in the earth.
The Captivity to Moab
In
the story in Judges 3:12-30, Israel
again forsook the law of God, so God strengthened Moab to cross the Jordan and
to occupy Jericho, the “city of the palm trees” (Judges 3:13). Israel remained under the dominion
of Moab for 18 years, which was 10 years longer than their first captivity.
This is significant because 18 is the biblical number for oppression or
bondage. See my book, The Biblical Meaning of Numbers from One to Forty.
Captivities
meant that the people had to pay yearly tribute (taxes) to a foreign king, in
this case, Eglon, king of Moab. Eglon’s name comes from egel, “calf,
bull, heifer.” It reminds us of the molten calf which Aaron made for Israel in
the wilderness (Exodus 32:4). There again
the word for “calf” is egel.
This
captivity, then, suggests that God had put Israel into bondage to the golden
calf which they had desired to worship. In general, when the Israelites desired
to worship foreign gods, God responded by putting Israel under the dominion of
the “chosen people” of those false gods. In this case, it appears that the
Israelites wanted to worship the god of the Moabites. But that god had “chosen”
the Moabites as His people, and so the Moabites were given dominion over
Israel.
We
seldom truly understand the detrimental effects of worshiping false gods. In
our ignorance, we think that we can retain dominion given to us by the true God
and still worship false gods. But Yahweh does not allow this, and so He whips
us with the rod of our own choosing to show us that those false gods only bring
us into bondage.
Ehud,
the Second Judge
Ehud’s
name means “united, undivided, joining together.” It is the same as Ohad,
Simeon’s son (Genesis 46:10).
By
contrast, the name Moab was given to them on account of their origins (Genesis 19:32, 37). Recall that Moab was one of the sons of Lot
that was conceived through incest. Moab means “water (seed) of father.” Moab
was the result of an unholy union not sanctioned by God (Leviticus 18:7).
The
lesson here is to show that if an Israelite thought he could worship a false
god and still be considered a son of God, he was portraying an unholy union
that was unqualified. One must be begotten by our true heavenly Father to be a
son of God. In fact, all fleshly conceptions from our earthly fathers cannot
make us sons of God. As sons of God, we are begotten by incorruptible and
immortal seed (1 Peter 1:23), or, as John 1:13 puts it, “not by blood(line), nor of
the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”
As
we will see in this study, the main theme in the story of the Judges is the
message of Sonship. The story of Ehud (“united”) tells us that sonship must be
attained, not through an unholy union (Moab), whose seed is corruptible, but
through the true union with Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit. Any
unlawful union (marriage) will fail to bring forth the sons of God.
This
story, therefore, is rooted in the principle of New Covenant marriage found in Genesis 2:23, as revealed in greater detail
throughout the rest of Scripture. In the end, the entire divine plan to unify
heaven and earth is built upon the marriage principle. As individual sons of
God, we too are children of a heavenly Father and an earthly mother, resulting
in a kingdom of priests who have access to heaven and earth. We may minister to
God in our linens and to people on earth in our woolens, to put it in Ezekiel’s
terms (Ezekiel 44:17, 19).
Ehud,
then, provides us with a very important principle of marriage and lawful unity,
without which we cannot become the sons of God. When the Holy Spirit comes upon
us as “the power of God” (Acts 1:8), we are given the
exousia (authority, right) to become the sons of God (John 1:12). Eventually, all of creation will be
brought into this same liberty (Romans 8:21).
The
Judges, Part 3, Barak and Deborah
The
third Judge to deliver Israel in the book of Judges is generally believed to be
Barak, but, as we will see shortly, Deborah was a judge before him and cannot
be ignored in this prophetic story. Deborah means “a bee,” with implications of
being “orderly.” Her name comes from the Hebrew dabar, “to put words in
order, to speak.” This name fits well with her prophetic gift, for she was
called to speak the word of God to bring order and understanding in her
judgments.
Barak’s
name means “lightning, a flashing sword.” In the context of the list of the
Judges’ names, he represents two main ideas: the sword of the Spirit, which is
the word of God (Ephesians 6:17) and the
sons of God. So Barak and Deborah both represent the word of God in similar
ways.
The Canaanite Captivity
The
deliverance story itself is found in the fourth chapter of Judges, followed by
the Song of Deborah in Judges 5. In Judges 4:1-3 we read,
1 Then the sons of Israel again did evil in the sight of the Lord, after
Ehud died, 2 and the Lord sold them into the hand of Jabin king of
Canaan, who reigned in Hazor… 3 and he oppressed the sons of Israel
severely for twenty years.
The
name Jabin means “whom He (God) observes.” The name is derived from bene,
“to discern, perceive, consider, understand.” The implication is that God
discerned his heart and knew his motives. Canaan means “merchant, banker,
lowlander,” so from a prophetic standpoint, this implies that the intents of
the merchant banker’s heart may be hidden, but that God discerns all things. So
Hebrews 4:12 says,
12 For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any
two-edged sword [Barak], and piercing as far as the division of soul and
spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge [discern] the thoughts and
intentions of the heart.
When
Barak defeated Jabin, then, he pictured the word of God discerning “the
thoughts and intents of the heart” and thus bringing perfect divine
judgment upon the merchant bankers. Because the rulers of Mystery Babylon are
mostly merchant bankers and industrialists owning most of the large
corporations, this has relevance to us today as the sons of God move to expose
and overthrow the modern Canaanites.
Jabin’s
general was Sisera, “a field of battle, battlefield.” How that actually plays
out in later prophecy is obscure, unless it refers to the courts. Under an iron
yoke, the battlefield is usually the site of a war zone, but under today’s
wooden yoke, the battlefield is the court room. As sons of God involved in this
battle, we find ourselves doing battle in the divine court, where the sword of
the Spirit discerns the hearts and conquers all.
Barak, the Son
As
I wrote earlier, Barak means “lightning.” Lightning is seen to be God’s arrows,
for we read in Psalm 77:17, 18,
17 The clouds poured out water; the skies gave forth a sound; Thy
arrows flashed here and there. 18 The sound of Thy thunder was
in the whirlwind; the lightnings [barak] lit up the world; the
earth trembled and shook.
Here
we see that lightning is God’s arrows, for they appear to shoot from heaven to
earth with great flashes. But arrows are also children, as we see in Psalm 127:3-5,
3 Behold, children are a gift
of the Lord; the fruit of the womb is a reward. 4 Like arrows in
the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one’s youth. 5 How
blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them; they shall not be ashamed when
they speak with their enemies in the gate.
Children
are like arrows, and flashes of lightning are God’s arrows. Therefore, Barak,
or “lightning,” represents the sons of God.
Barak and Deborah
Deborah
was a judge and a prophetess, as we read in Judges 4:4, 5,
4 Now Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth, was judging Israel
at that time. 5 And she used to sit under the palm tree of Deborah
between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim; and the sons of Israel
came up to her for judgment.
Deborah’s
husband was Lappidoth, which is a plural word meaning “torches, lamps, or even
lightnings.” He appears to suggest a personal relationship that parallels her
professional relationship with Barak, “lightning.”
The
“palm tree of Deborah,” where she judged disputes, was her open air
court room. A palm tree represents authority that is derived from the feast of
Tabernacles, for they are in the list of trees whose branches were used to
build booths at the time of the feast (Leviticus 23:40).
Deborah
was the one who first received the word of the Lord that it was time to throw
off the yoke of Jabin and to set Israel free from that captivity. Judges 4:6 says,
6 Now she sent and summoned Barak, the son of Abinoam from
Kedesh-naphtali, and said to him, “Behold the Lord, the God of Israel, has
commanded, ‘Go and march to Mount Tabor, and take with you ten thousand men
from the sons of Naphtali and from the sons of Zebulun.’”
She
understood that Israel’s sentence was to serve for twenty years. When that time
ended, she sent for Barak and instructed him of his calling to deliver Israel.
Nothing is said this time about Israel repenting prior to their deliverance,
but this is implied. Barak responded in Judges 4:8, 9,
8 Then Barak said to her, “If you go with me, then I will go; but if you
will not go with me, I will not go.” 9 And she said, “I will surely
go with you; nevertheless, the honor shall not be yours on the journey that you
are about to take, for the Lord will sell Sisera into the hands of a woman.”
Then Deborah arose and went with Barak to Kedesh.
This
established a partnership between Deborah and Barak, linking them together in
this deliverance ministry. Though some have taken Deborah’s response as a
rebuke upon Barak for not doing his manly duty, it actually draws our attention
to the importance of the feminine role in our deliverance from the merchant
bankers of Mystery Babylon today. This builds upon the overall revelation of
the Judges’ names and the marriage principle established in the earlier story
of Ehud, whose name means united.”
Male
and Female in Sonship
Barak,
in this case, is united with Deborah, as suggested (on another level) by
Deborah’s marriage to Lappidoth, whose name can also refer to “lightning.”
Prophetically speaking, it sets forth the important truth that it takes both
male and female to bring forth the sons of God, and that this must also be a
New Covenant marriage relationship, where, in a sense, “there is neither
male nor female” (Galatians 3:28).
Paul
was not telling us that there was an absence of male and female, but that there
was an equality and importance between the two. We must learn to transcend
gender so that we may ensure that both are able to fulfill their callings in
bringing forth the sons of God. Men beget; women bring forth. Alone, one cannot
fulfill the calling of sonship.
Perhaps
the biggest hindrance to the message of sonship in the past few decades has
been that the men preaching sonship failed to recognize the importance of the
female’s role in this. By not granting New Covenant equality to the female,
they have begotten but have not allowed the woman to bring to birth.
New
Covenant marriage was the original arrangement in the Garden prior to their
sin. When they sinned, God put the man in authority over the woman, saying to
her, “he will rule over you” (Genesis 3:16). What is usually missed, however,
is that authority always comes with an equal measure of responsibility. In this
case, the man became responsible to ensure that his wife was set free to
fulfill her calling and destiny.
Unfortunately,
the men usually used that authority to enslave their wives and limit their role
to that of servants (“Hagar”).
The
full birthright is having the authority of the dominion mandate and using it to
bring forth fruit (the fruitfulness mandate). The authority of Kingdom
government is to be used to set people free through the law of Jubilee, not to
bring others into slavery or bondage. The penalty for sin may be to enslave for
a season, but this was never meant to be a permanent condition. The master’s
responsibility was to teach his slave to be obedient to Christ so that he might
ultimately be set free of his own carnal soul that has bound him through sin.
It
took both Deborah and Barak to overthrow the Canaanite king. So also, it takes
both sons and daughters of God, working in unity, to overthrow the present
bondage of the merchant bankers of Mystery Babylon and to see the manifestation
of the sons of God.
Deborah’s
specific role (as a “bee”) was to bring in the divine order through the word of
God. To arrange words is to bring understanding of the word—in this case,
seeing the word through New Covenant eyes, which was the original order in the
Garden. See my book, Old and New
Covenant Marriage.
The
Victory Credited to Jael
Though
Barak defeated the Canaanites in battle, Sisera, the Canaanite general, was
killed by Jael, the wife of Heber. Judges 4:17 and 21 says,
17 Now Sisera fled away on foot to the tent of Jael the wife of Heber the
Kenite, for there was peace between Jabin the king of Hazor and the house of
Heber the Kenite…. 21 But Jael, Heber’s wife, took a tent peg and
seized a hammer to him and drove the peg into his temple, and it went through
into the ground; for he was sound asleep and exhausted. So he died.
Here
again the names of the players involved hold prophetic keys. Jael’s name means
“mountain goat,” because the root word ya-al, means “to ascend, hold as
valuable or useful.” Mountain goats were known to have the ability to ascend to
mountain heights. So also Jael represents a woman who has been allowed to
ascend to great heights in her calling. Her husband has recognized her value.
He was named after the original Heber, or Eber (Genesis 11:14), from whom is derived the
designation of Hebrew people.
Heber
means “immigrant,” one has crossed over (avar). The New Testament book
of Hebrews is the road map to guide those who are immigrating from the Old
Covenant into a New Covenant understanding. The main portion of the name Heber
is bar, “a son.” It is preceded by the letter ayin, “an eye,”
which signifies seeing, watching, or manifesting. Hence, in its ultimate sense,
a Hebrew is a manifested son of God, made possible by New Covenant thinking.
See
my commentary on Hebrews: Immigrating from the Old Covenant to the New.
The
fact that Jael is the wife of Heber speaks volumes, for it is another example
in this story of a New Covenant relationship that is necessary in bringing
forth the sons of God. Hence, in this story the emphasis is on the importance
of the role of the woman, without whom the enemy cannot be slain, nor can the
sons of God be manifested.
Our
conclusion, then, is that sonship is not simply a male phenomenon. Sonship is
not possible apart from a female role being united with the male role. The word
of God is the incorruptible and immortal seed that begets us as the sons of God
(1 Peter 1:23). The “Deborah” role is to bring
divine order as it was at the beginning in the Garden before the advent of sin.
When Deborah and Barak are united, the enemy can be defeated and the sons of
God can be manifested.
So
the Judges so far reveal the power (voice) of God (Othniel) united (Ehud) in
His sons (Barak). The power of God has to do with the voice of the Lion of the
tribe of Judah speaking by the Holy Spirit. When the Holy Spirit comes upon us,
we are united with that word, for it enters our ears and lodges in our hearts,
where Christ is begotten in us. Inasmuch as we are begotten by the Spirit, we
play the role of the woman (bride of Christ), collectively speaking. Deborah is
a company of people who have been begotten through Passover, mature through
Pentecost, and are finally birthed through the feast of Tabernacles.
THE JUDGES, PART 4, LEGAL
IMPLICATIONS OF CAPTIVITY
I
want to pause briefly in our study of the Judges to comment on the legal
background of Israel’s captivities. In other words, what hidden things are
accomplished by putting Israel into captivity? What happens to the dominion
mandate during a captivity? How does God view this shift in authority?
The Birthright and Dominion
First,
it is important to understand that the Birthright originated in the first
chapter of Genesis, even though it was not actually mentioned until Esau sold
it to Jacob in Genesis 25:31, 32. There were two main provisions in the
Birthright: the dominion mandate (Genesis 1:26 KJV), which gave authority and the
right to rule, and the fruitfulness mandate (Genesis 1:28), which specified the responsibility
that was to be accomplished.
Many
miss this, because they see the idea of being fruitful and multiplying only in
terms of increasing the population of the earth. But when this mandate was
given, Adam had not yet sinned, and so he was truly a “son of God,” as Luke 3:38 describes him.
Because
like begets like by the law of biogenesis, if Adam had brought forth
children prior to his sin, he would have brought forth sons of God in his image
and likeness. But when he sinned, he lost that pristine condition as a son of
God, and when he later begat children, they were born in his imperfect and
mortal image.
The Responsibility to be
Fruitful
For
this reason, the divine revelation from that point on was really designed to
show us how to become the sons of God. John 1:12 thus says,
12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right [exousia,
“authority”] to become children of God, even to those who believe in His
name.
We
see here that the children of Adam are no longer sons of God but must “become
children of God” by faith in Christ. Their genealogy from Adam does not
make them sons of God, because they lost God’s “likeness” when Adam sinned. So
John goes on to explain that this right to become children of God are those “born
not of blood,” or better, “begotten not of physical bloodline.”
The
point is that the Birthright, or Right of Birth, comes on two levels: physical
and spiritual. Being physically a first-born son of the Birthright holder gave
him certain legal rights, but those rights were conditional upon his spiritual
character. Such rights were not absolute. So Ishmael was disqualified on
account of his mother’s status as a slave, and Reuben was disqualified because
“he defiled his father’s bed” (1 Chronicles 5:1; Genesis 35:22).
Ultimately,
all the descendants of Adam were disqualified through sin, and so we must all
become sons of God in another way—by a second begetting by faith through
hearing the word and receiving the immortal seed of the New Covenant gospel.
Sin
brings slavery and captivity, where men lose their freedom and are stripped of
the authority inherent in the Birthright. This happened universally when Adam
sinned, bringing us all into slavery to Sin (personified as the slave master),
whose “law of sin” (Romans 7:23) we are forced
to obey through the weakness of human nature. Hence, “all have sinned” (Romans 3:23).
In
a national application of this principle, Israel as a nation held the
Birthright, including the dominion mandate to rule the earth. In other words,
they were “chosen” as a nation to bring forth the sons of God and thus fulfill
their responsibility to be fruitful and multiply. Their mandate was primarily
to beget children of God. However, they failed to do so through sin.
Giving the Birthright to
Other Nations
Because
the law allows a first-born son to be stripped of the Birthright if he proved
himself to be unworthy, Israel as a nation was also stripped of the Birthright.
God convicted Israel in the divine court, and because the nation lacked the
spiritual resources to pay restitution, God “sold” them to the king of
Mesopotamia (Judges 3:8).
Again,
God “sold” Israel to Jabin, king of Canaan (Judges 4:2). This sale came through the law found
in Exodus 22:3, which says that if a man cannot pay
restitution, he was to be sold as a slave. In other words, he would lose his
freedom and be forced by law to serve his master for a specified time.
This
is what God did with Israel. The dominion mandate was taken away from Israel
and given to foreign nations. The legal implication of this is that Israel lost
its “chosen” status temporarily. The dominion mandate was given to various
foreign nations, and God then treated them as being “chosen.” But those foreign
nations, being largely ignorant of God’s law and His ways, used the dominion
mandate for their own carnal advantage, rather than to seek to bring forth the
sons of God. They were given opportunity to hold the scepter for a short
season, but they did not understand the responsibility that went with it.
In
this way, God “chose” other nations, each in turn, giving them opportunity to
experience the Birthright. Yet the sovereign plan of God had determined ahead
of time that these nations would not fulfill the terms of the Birthright, nor
would they bring forth the sons of God. Flesh is always given the first
opportunity to do the work, if only to prove its insufficiency and
unworthiness.
So
throughout the book of Judges, we can see how God chose Mesopotamia
(i.e., Babylon), then Moab, then Canaan, then Midian, then the Philistines, and
so on. All of them proved to be unworthy of the Birthright, and so all of them
were stripped of it at their appointed times. The dominion mandate continued to
revert back to Israel when they repented, but unfortunately, Israel always fell
into sin again.
Finally,
in the time of Isaiah, God cast Israel out of the land and put them into
captivity to Assyria. This turned out to be a very long captivity, and they
never returned to the old land. A century later, Judah too was taken captive to
Babylon. They returned after 70 years, but even then they remained under the
dominion of the Persians—followed by the Greeks and Romans and then the “little
horn” that was an extension of Rome. (See Daniel 7.)
As
long as they were in captivity, the dominion mandate was held by foreign nations.
That means the Birthright itself—and the right to be “chosen”—was held by
foreign nations who could never bring forth the sons of God to fulfill the
fruitfulness mandate. During this long captivity, neither Israel nor Judah were
“chosen,” for they were still in “the dispersion” and not in the Kingdom of
God.
The Final Phase
In
1948 Esau, aligned with the remnant of Judah (the cursed fig tree that came
back to life), was given the Birthright in order to satisfy Esau’s claim on
account of Jacob’s sin against him in Genesis 27. Yet because Babylon’s time
was not yet complete, Esau’s claim had to be fulfilled within the overall
context of the Babylonian captivity. Otherwise, Babylon might complain in the
divine court that its time was being curtailed. God solved this problem by
having Esau-Edom take control of Babylon, so that both claims could be
fulfilled concurrently in the final 70 years of the dominion of the beast
nations.
Of
course, neither Edom nor Babylon have fulfilled the terms of the dominion
mandate, for both were carnal. Neither had any intention of bringing forth the
sons of God. Both sought slaves, rather than sons, and we know that slaves are
not inheritors of the Birthright. Hence, these nations all followed in the
footsteps of Hagar, the bondwoman, who could only produce slaves as her
offspring.
Who are the Saints?
In
the end, Daniel 7:21, 22 KJV says that when the final beast has reached
the end of its time, the dominion will be passed down to “the saints of the
Most High.” Daniel does not define this term, leaving room for many to
think that he was referring to physical descendants of Israel or Judah. But the
New Testament shows clearly that there is no “saint” apart from Jesus Christ.
A
“saint” is one who is holy, pure, or clean. Under the Old Covenant, such
cleanliness was achieved by ceremonial washings (baptisms), which the priests
performed at the laver before entering into the sanctuary. But Hebrews 9:8-10 says,
8 The Holy Spirit is signifying this, that the way into the holy place
has not yet been disclosed, while the outer tabernacle is still standing, 9
which is a symbol for the present time. Accordingly both gifts and sacrifices
are offered which cannot make the worshiper perfect in conscience, 10
since they relate only to food and drink and various washings [baptismos,
“baptisms”], regulations for the body imposed until a time of reformation.
We
read in 1 John 1:7, “the blood of Jesus His Son
cleanses us from all sin.” Jesus Himself said in John 15:3, “You are already clean because of
the word which I have spoken to you.” Men are not cleansed by physical
water but by the washing of the word—that is, by believing the word of Christ
and applying His blood, which cleanses us from all sin.
That
is how a “saint” is defined under the New Covenant. That, then, is how we must
define the word used in Daniel 7:22. These are the
ones who are have received the Birthright that has been stripped from both
Babylon and Esau on October 12, 2017. And while those carnal nations have yet
refused to release their slaves and give up the dominion mandate, God has
allowed them to hold it beyond their time limit in order to establish lawful
cause to take it from them and to enslave them to the Kingdom of God.
The
Birthright goes to the inheritors of the Kingdom. Paul explains this in 1 Corinthians 15:48-54,
48 As is the earthy, so also are those who are earthy; and as is the
heavenly, so also are those who are heavenly. 49 And just as we have
borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly. 50
Now I say this, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of
God; nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable… 53 For this
perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on
immortality.
Paul
was comparing Adam with Christ. Adam’s name means “earthy,” and we have all
borne his fleshly mortal and corruptible image. But through a second begetting
and new birth, we are being changed into the immortal and incorruptible image
of Christ, so that we may inherit the Birthright and the Kingdom. The
Birthright will no longer be given to carnal people who remain in the image of
the earthy man. Those who are “chosen” at the end of the time of beast dominion
will be those who are in Christ’s image.
Conclusion
In
conclusion, we see that Israel and Judah proved themselves to be unworthy, so
God gave other nations the opportunity to hold the dominion and to fulfill its
responsibility. All failed, of course, because all of them remained in the
image of the earthy man, Adam, and so they followed his example of sin and
corruption.
The
time of the Kingdom was yet afar off, because Adam and his estate were sold
into slavery for “six years” (Exodus 21:2), which prophetically was 6,000
years. So the beast nations were given the dominion until the time appointed
for the saints of the Most High to become the manifested sons of God. These
saints will include those who have died in the past, because Paul says that
they will be raised from the dead first.
The
bottom line is that the saints of the Most High are those who not only are
given the dominion mandate but who also are birthed as sons of God who. These
are to be presented to God on the eighth day of Tabernacles and then manifested
to the people on earth.
This
will mark the beginning of new era of evangelism, where the kingdom of God
grows exponentially during th
THE JUDGES, PART 5A, GIDEON
After
the Canaanite captivity, the land of Israel had rest for 40 years (Judges 5:31).
But during that time, the Israelites again used their liberty as “an
opportunity for the flesh” (Galatians
5:13). So we read in Judges 6:1,
1 Then the sons of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord;
and the Lord gave them into the hands of Midian seven years.
This
captivity was characterized mainly by foreign immigration by Midianites and
Amalekites, for many Israelites found themselves displaced from their own land.
Judges 6:4,
5
says,
4 So they would camp against them [Israel] and destroy the produce of
the earth as far as Gaza, and leave no sustenance in Israel as well as no
sheep, ox, or donkey. 5 For they would come up with their livestock
and their tents, they would come in like locusts for number, both they and
their camels were innumerable; and they came into the land to devastate it.
It
appears that the Midianite population had increased to the point where their
own land was insufficient to support their flocks and herds. Needing more land,
they came into Israel and left no land for the Israelites’ animals. They even
took over the Israelites’ houses in some cases, causing the Israelites to find
refuge in “the dens which were in the mountains and the caves and the
[mountain] strongholds” (Judges 6:2).
The
Israelites then “cried to the Lord on the account of Midian” (Judges 6:7).
This time, instead of sending a deliverer, God sent them a prophet to teach
them a history lesson. Judges 6:8-10 says,
8 that the Lord sent a prophet to the sons of Israel, and he said to
them, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘It was I who brought you up from
the land of Egypt, and brought you out from the house of slavery. 9
And I delivered you from the hands of the Egyptians and from the hands of all
your oppressors, and dispossessed them before you and gave you their land, 10
and I said to you, “I am the Lord your God; you shall not fear the gods of the
Amorites in whose land you live.” But you have not obeyed Me’.”
The
written record of that prophet’s message ends here, but it implies that the
people listened to him and repented. God had dispossessed the Amorites on
account of their sin, and the Israelites had suffered a similar judgment by
their impartial God. Deuteronomy 6:10-12 says,
10 Then it will come about when the Lord your God brings you into the
land which He swore to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give you,
great and splendid cities which you did not build, 11 and houses
full of good things which you did not fill, and hewn cisterns which you did not
dig, vineyards and olive trees which you did not plant, and you will eat and be
satisfied, 12 then watch yourself, lest you forget the Lord who
brought you from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.
However,
the following verses warn the Israelites that if they were to follow other
gods, “He will wipe you off the face of the earth.”
Surely
this was part of the message of the prophet sent to Israel during the Midianite
captivity, for the people had forgotten the true God, much like the Canaanites
had forgotten God prior to their judgment at the hands of Israel. Just as God
gave Israel the fruit of the Canaanites’ labor, so also would God give others
the fruit of the Israelites’ labor.
Such
was the divine judgment when God raised up the Midianites to take land, houses,
fruit, and crops that the Israelites had labored to produce. The same judgment
that God brought upon Canaan was visited upon Israel. This shows that God did
not simply give the Israelites the labor of others, as if to put other nations
into slavery to Israel. Slavery is a divine judgment, and when men or nations
sin against God, they incur a debt to the law. If they are unable to pay that
debt, God sells them into slavery and takes their labor as payment.
This
should not be viewed as the right to enslave others nor as the right to steal
others’ labor. It should be viewed in terms of God’s impartial judgments for
sin, for when the Israelites themselves were guilty, God treated them as He had
treated the Canaanites earlier.
The
prophet was thus sent to Israel to teach them history, and (hopefully) to teach
them the laws and principles of their impartial God.
Gideon’s Call
The
biblical account goes abruptly from the message of the prophet to the call of
Gideon in Judges
6:11,
11 Then the angel of the Lord came and sat under the oak that was in
Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite as his son Gideon was beating out
wheat in the wine press in order to save it from the Midianites.
Wooden-yoke
captivities are mainly characterized by paying tribute (taxes) to those in
dominion. Gideon was an ancient tax protester, not wanting to pay the high,
unjust taxes to the Midianites. Hence, he was threshing wheat in a wine press.
Prophetically
speaking, wheat harvest comes at the feast of Pentecost, and so this is a
reference to Pentecost. The incongruity of threshing wheat in a wine press is
as glaring as using a sickle to harvest grapes in Revelation
14:18. When we see such incongruities, we ought to take notice and look for
spiritual meaning and prophetic significance.
Wheat
is a prophetic type of the church under Pentecost (i.e., during the Age of
Pentecost between the two comings of Christ). Hence, threshing wheat represents
the church in tribulation. The divine purpose of tribulation, then, is to
remove the chaff from the wheat, as John the Baptist proclaimed in Matthew 3:12.
The wheat itself is saved, while the chaff is burned by the fire of the Holy
Spirit.
Threshing
wheat in a wine press suggests that this “wheat” represented those
Spirit-filled believers who were being prepared for the feast of Tabernacles,
the feast where they were to pour out the drink offering of new wine for seven
days (Numbers
29:12, 16 KJV).
There
were three first fruits offerings each year at the main feast days. The
Passover first fruits offering was of barley, Pentecost’s offering was wheat,
and at Tabernacles, they offered wine for seven days. Gideon’s unusual actions
linked Pentecost to Tabernacles by threshing wheat in a wine press. When he
finally delivered Israel, we again see the pattern of feast days emerge in
prophetic symbolism.
Those Chosen to Deliver
Israel
In
Judges 7 we read a lengthy account about how God chose His army to deliver
Israel. The initial call to battle brought 32,000 volunteers. Judges 7:2,
3
says,
2 And the Lord said to Gideon, “The people who are with you are too many
for Me to give Midian into their hands, lest Israel become boastful, saying,
‘My own power has delivered me’. 3 Now therefore come, proclaim in
the hearing of the people, saying, “Whoever is afraid and trembling, let him
return and depart from Mount Gilead’.” So 22,000 people returned, but 10,000
remained.
Those
32,000 first responders represent those who believe the (new) covenant, because
32 is the biblical number of covenant. Such New Covenant faith is the
first thing that qualifies a person to be in the end-time army of God.
Second,
they must be without fear, because fear undermines faith and is evidence that
one’s faith is immature or imperfect. It is interesting that 22,000 men were
fearful and returned home, because that is the number of Levites who redeemed
the first-born sons of Israel in Numbers 3:39.
The number 22 is the biblical number denoting the sons of God, or “sons of
light.”
In
Judges 7 we see these 22,000 as fearful sons. According to the laws of war,
anyone who was afraid or who did not have faith were to be given opportunity to
leave the battlefield (Deuteronomy 20:8). The priests were called to “perform
the service” (Numbers 4:23 KJV), which literally means “to war the
warfare.” Their job was to win the battle ahead of time in the spirit in
order to ensure victory for the troops on the ground (Deuteronomy
20:2, 3, 4).
However,
if any soldier was doubtful about the spiritual victory, or if he had doubts
about the righteousness of the battle that Israel was facing, he was allowed to
leave without penalty. In the story of Gideon, even those representing the sons
of God were not qualified to fight that battle, and only 10,000 remained.
But
God said in Judges
7:4, “the people are still too many.” So He brought them down to the
brook to see how they would drink the water of the word. Those who bowed and
kneeled down to drink were disqualified. Those who scooped up the water with
their hands and put it to their mouth were qualified (Judges 7:6,
7).
Only 300 men then remained.
The
number ten is the number of the law which brings things into divine order.
Putting it all together, we see that Gideon’s army, prophetically speaking, had
three main tests to see who was qualified. First, they had to believe in the
New Covenant, which made them sons of God; second, they had to be lawful.
Third, they had to be discerning in how they drank the word of God.
Each
test sent many good people home. It did not mean that they were unsaved or that
they were not genuine sons of God. It was just that not all New Covenant believers,
or sons of God, or even lawful believers were qualified to fight that battle.
This is a prophetic story of our own end-time deliverance through the second
set of feast days (as we will see shortly), so it is plain that very few today
are called to engage directly in the spiritual warfare that is delivering the
world from the present slavery.
Next
time we will show how the battle of Gideon prophesied of the manner in which
God is presently delivering the world through the second set of feasts: Trumpets,
Atonement, and Tabernacles.
THE JUDGES, PART 5B, GIDEON
The
battle of Gideon was unusual, not only because they fought with just 300 men
but also because of their weapons of choice. Judges
7:16-18 says,
16 And he
divided the 300 men into three companies, and he put trumpets and empty
pitchers into the hands of all of them, with torches inside the pitchers. 17
And he said to them, “Look at me, and do likewise. And behold, when I come to
the outskirts of the camp, do as I do. 18 When I and all who are
with me blow the trumpet, then you also blow the trumpets all around the camp
and say, ‘For the Lord and for Gideon’.”
The
trumpet, the (broken) pitchers, and the torches (light) were Gideon’s main
weapons. These three represent the second set of feast days: Trumpets,
Atonement, and Tabernacles. Hence, they were subduing the enemy and bringing
deliverance through the message of the feast days. We know from other studies that
Trumpets is the day of resurrection (1
Corinthians 15:52) and thus begins a new year or era.
Ten
days later is the Day of Atonement, which is a day of repentance (breaking the pitchers).
So Paul says in 2 Corinthians 4:6, 7,
6 For
God, who said, “Light shall shine out of darkness,” is the One who has shone in
our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face
of Jesus Christ. 7 But we have this treasure [i.e., the light of Christ]
in earthen vessels, that the surpassing
greatness of the power may be of God and not from ourselves.
Paul
here compares the light of Christ in our own earthen vessels (or bodies) with
the torches in Gideon’s pitchers. When the flesh is broken, the light shines
forth. Today we crucify the flesh in order that the light of Christ may shine
forth from us, but the historic fulfillment of the Day of Atonement is the
prophesied day that this occurs on a collective scale at the end of the age.
The
Day of Atonement is also the preparation day for the feast of Tabernacles,
wherein the living overcomers will be “changed”
(1
Corinthians 15:51). From Trumpets to the first day of Tabernacles is a
two-week period, so the dead will be raised two weeks before the transfiguration
and change will manifest in those “who are
alive and remain” (1
Thessalonians 4:17).
The
main lesson to be learned from this is that the main weapons of the overcomers
is the light of God’s presence, or “the
knowledge of the glory of God” that resides within them. Gideon’s
weapons show more specifically that the overcomers are fulfilling the second
set of feast days which reveal the events surrounding the second coming of
Christ at the end of the age.
The Barley Loaf
Before
the battle, Gideon went down to the camp of the Midianites to discern what he
could. Judges
7:13-15 says,
13 When
Gideon came, behold, a man was relating a dream to his friend. And he said,
“Behold, I had a dream; a loaf of barley bread was tumbling into the
camp of Midian, and it came to the tent and struck it so that it fell, and
turned it upside down so that the tent lay flat.” 14 And his friend
answered and said, “This is nothing less than the sword of Gideon the son of
Joash, a man of Israel; God has given Midian and all the camp into his hand.” 15
And it came about when Gideon heard the account of the dream and its
interpretation, that he bowed in worship. He returned to the camp of Israel and
said, “Arise, for the Lord has given the camp of Midian into your hands.”
Gideon
was the loaf of barley bread. I have shown in other studies that barley
represents the overcomers, even as wheat represents the church and grapes
represent the rest of creation. (See Creation’s Jubilee, chapter 6.) This story
makes it clear that it is the overcomers—the barley company—which will fulfill
the story of Gideon in the last days.
The Battle of Gideon
The
300 men in Gideon’s army defeated a massive coalition of “the Midianites, and the Amalekites, and all the
sons of the east” (Judges
7:12). The number of them killed in that battle was 120,000, leaving just
15,000 that were defeated later (Judges
8:10). This seems to suggest that Gideon’s army of 300 was facing an army
of at least 135,000.
The
two Midianite generals, Oreb and Zeeb, were captured and executed east of the
Jordan River (Judges 7:25). Oreb was executed at “the rock of Oreb,” and Zeeb was
executed at “the wine press of Zeeb,”
both places named after the fact in remembrance of the occasion.
This
execution, along with the battle as a whole, became the model of an end-time
prophecy about the Remnant which was to deliver Israel from the Assyrians after
their long captivity came to an end. Isaiah
10:5 begins this prophecy, saying, “Woe to
Assyria, the rod of My anger,” which God had raised up to bring
judgment upon “a godless nation”
(Israel).
Isaiah
personally witnessed the Assyrian conquest of Israel and its attempted conquest
of Judah and Jerusalem. (The story is told in Isaiah 36, 37.) So the prophet
saw the beginning of this long captivity but prophesied also of its end. Isaiah
10:12, 13 says,
12 So it
will be that when the Lord has completed all His work on Mount Zion and on
Jerusalem, He will say, “I will punish the fruit of the arrogant heart of the
king of Assyria and the pomp of his haughtiness.” 13 For he has
said, “By the power of my hand and by my wisdom I did this…”
God
was the One who took credit for bringing judgment upon Israel and Judah, but
the king of Assyria took the credit for himself, as if he were sovereign over
God. We know, of course, that the Assyrian empire lasted just over one century
before falling to the Babylonians. But the fall of Assyria did not end Israel’s
captivity, for they never returned to their old land—nor could they, because
they had been divorced and sent out of the house (Jeremiah
3:8).
After
the empire’s collapse, “Assyria” took on a new prophetic definition, for it
became one of many prophetic names of Israel’s captors. Assyria was no longer
literal, for the captivity far outlasted the Assyrian empire and was passed
down to its successors, much like a slave is sold or claimed by others who kill
or conquer his previous master.
The Returning Remnant
The
story of Gideon in the book of Judges describes Gideon in terms of barley.
Isaiah uses the term remnant,
for that was his own revelation (Isaiah
37:31). Isaiah indicates that the Remnant will act as Gideon’s army at the
end of the age, as we will see shortly from Isaiah
10:26. The prophet thus draws the parallel between Gideon’s army and the
Remnant. Isaiah 10:20-23 says,
20 Now it
will come about in that day that the remnant of Israel, and those of the house
of Jacob who have escaped, will never again rely on the one who struck them [Assyria], but will truly rely on the Lord, the Holy One
of Israel. 21 A remnant will return, the remnant of Jacob, to the
mighty God. 22 For though your people, O Israel, may be like the
sand of the sea, only a remnant within them will return; a destruction is
determined, overflowing with righteousness. 23 For a complete
destruction, one that is decreed, the Lord God of hosts will execute in the
midst of the whole land.
More
than any other, Isaiah is the prophet of the remnant. His son, Shear-jashub (Isaiah
7:3), literally means “the remnant will return.” He was named prophetically
as one of Isaiah’s major themes, prophesying of the day when the remnant will “return… to the mighty God” at the
end of the long captivity.
Hence,
Isaiah prophesied of us today, those who are qualified as Gideon’s army. The
remnant is not the only group that is saved, of course. Their job is to deliver
the rest of the nation and the world itself from the last beast in the long
series of empires. For this reason, it is very helpful to understand the story
of Gideon in the light of Isaiah’s prophecy of the remnant.
Isaiah
10:24-27 prophesies of this great deliverance, saying
24
Therefore thus says the Lord God of hosts, “O My people who dwell in Zion, do
not fear the Assyrian who strikes you with the rod and lifts up his staff
against you, the way Egypt did. 25 For in a very little while My
indignation against you will be spent, and My anger will be directed to their
destruction.” 26 And the Lord of hosts will arouse a scourge against
him like the slaughter of Midian at the rock of Oreb; and His staff will be
over the sea, and He will lift it up the way He did in Egypt. 27 So
it will be in that day, that his burden will be removed from your shoulders and
his yoke from your neck, and the yoke will be broken because of fatness [shemen, “oil, fat”].
The
prophet calls our attention to both Moses and Gideon here. Moses lifted up his
rod and parted the Red Sea to deliver Israel from Pharaoh’s army, while Gideon
destroyed Midian at the rock of Oreb, where the general was executed.
The
“yoke” of captivity is to be “broken
because of fatness.” Gesenius’ Lexicon says that this is “a
metaphor taken from a fat bull that casts off and breaks the yoke.” A similar
metaphor can be found in Deuteronomy 32:15, “But Jeshurun grew fat and kicked,”
implying that he (Israel) would become so big and prosperous that he would use
his weight to break away from his Master.
Yet
this also has a double meaning, as the KJV recognizes when it reads, “the yoke shall be destroyed because of the
anointing.” The shemen
is fat or oil, and the oil can also represent the anointing of the Holy Spirit
or one’s calling. So the implication is that when Israel’s captivity comes to
an end, the Assyrians will lose control and “the yoke
will be broken.” God will use the remnant to accomplish this
deliverance, for they have both the spiritual weight and the anointing to
succeed.
The Kings and Princes of Midian
The
two main generals of Midian (Judges
7:25) were Oreb, “raven,” and Zeeb, “wolf.” The KJV calls them “princes.”
It appears that they were captured and killed first. The “two kings of Midian” (Judges
8:12) were Zebah, “sacrifice,” and Zalmunna, “shade, covering, defense.”
The death of Zalmunna suggests that his defense or covering had been removed.
If
we link this king to Prince Oreb (“wolf”), we may discern the exposure of a
wolf in sheep’s clothing. If we link King Zebah (“sacrifice”) to Prince Zeeb
(“raven”), we might discern the sacrifice of a raven, which is an unclean bird
that is a counterpart to a clean dove or pigeon.
We
must also take into account the three-fold coalition Midian, Amalek, and the
sons of the east, which represent Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. Midian
means “brawling, contentious,” which well describes the church. Amalek was the
grandson of Esau-Edom, and Edom was later absorbed into Judaism (126 B.C.). The
children of the east came from Arabia and appear to represent the forces of
Islam today.
All
three are Old Covenant religions, whether they realize it or not. None of them
seem to know the difference between the Old and New Covenant. The remnant has
the anointing to overthrow all three religions, for they have this treasure in
earthen vessels and are able to shine the light of Christ into the darkness of
this world.
Gideon, the Feller
Gideon’s
name means “feller,” that is, a wood cutter, or lumberman. Trees were a
metaphor for men (Deuteronomy 20:19 KJV and Mark
8:24). Hence, it is said that Gideon means “warrior,” one who cuts down men
as if they were trees.
In
the sequence of the Judges’ names, Gideon’s name contributes to the overall
revelation:
“The voice of God united in His sons (in an
orderly manner that is subject to God’s Word) will fell the enemy and
open the Ark to show forth the light of the Sun.”
The
word of God, which is the light in these earthen vessels, is that which will
“fell the enemy,” as in the days of Gideon.
THE JUDGES, PART 6, ISRAEL'S
FIRST KING
After
Gideon subdued the Midianites, he remained their leader until “a ripe old
age” (Judges 8:32). The land of Israel rested, but
after Gideon died, the people again turned to false gods (Judges 8:33, 34). So after 40 years of rest, a civil war
divided Israel.
Gideon
had many wives who bore him seventy sons (Judges 8:30). One of them was Abimelech, whose
name is translated in various ways: “My father is king,” or “father-king,” or
“father of the king.” No doubt either Gideon or his mother gave him this name,
which suggests that Gideon was seen in some way as a “king” at the time of
Abimelech’s birth. At the very least, Abimelech’s name seems to have instilled
in him a growing sense that he himself was destined to be king—as if he were
descended from royalty.
Gideon
himself is not to be blamed for this, for Judges 8:22, 23 says,
22 Then the men of Israel said to Gideon, “Rule over us, both you and
your son, also your son’s son, for you have delivered us from the hand of
Midian.” 23 But Gideon said to them, “I will not rule over you, nor
shall my son rule over you; the Lord shall rule over you.”
From
this we see the beginnings of the monarchist party in Israel, which desired to
be ruled by a king. The desire for a king came to fruition in the time of Saul,
who became Israel’s first well-established king, but as we will see shortly,
Abimelech ruled a portion of Israel for three years.
The Curse of Jotham
When
Gideon died, Abimelech, whose mother was from the town of Shechem, desired to
be the first king of Israel. Abimelech went to his mother’s relatives in
Shechem and convinced them that it was better for one man to rule Israel than
to have seventy sons of Gideon divide the nation among themselves. In the guise
of uniting Israel, he brought division and strife.
His
relatives agreed, “and they gave him seventy pieces of silver from the house
of Baal-berith” (Judges 9:4) to finance his
plan. Abimelech then hired seventy ruffians to kill Gideon’s sons—excluding
himself, of course. The plan succeeded, except for the youngest son, Jotham,
who managed to escape.
Shechem
(now called Nablus) was situated between Mount Gerazim and Mount Ebal. In the
last days of Moses, Mount Gerazim had been the place where half of the tribes
of Israel had stood to bless Israel, while Mount Ebal is where the other
six tribes stood to curse Israel for disobedience (Deuteronomy 27:12, 13).
After
Jotham escaped, he hid for a time and then returned to the top of Mount Gerazim
and laid a curse upon Abimelech for murdering his brothers. Jotham essentially
removed the blessing of Gerazim and replaced it with the curse from Mount Ebal.
One of those curses was directly applicable to actions of Abimelech, for Deuteronomy 27:16 says, “Cursed is he who dishonors his father or mother.”
Jotham
told a parable in his speech on Mount Gerazim (Judges 9:7-15). He told how the trees wanted to
anoint a king, so they asked the olive tree to reign over them. The olive tree
did not want to leave its “fatness” (i.e., oil), so they asked the fig tree. The
fig tree did not want to leave its sweetness, so they asked the vine. But the
vine did not want to leave its new wine which brought cheer, so they finally
asked the bramble, which accepted their offer.
15 And the bramble said to the
trees, “If in truth you are anointing me as king over you, come and take refuge
in my shade; but if not, may fire come out from the bramble and consume the
cedars of Lebanon.”
This
parable insulted Abimelech, calling him a bramble (atad). The bramble
was a buckthorn, a thorny bush that had strong roots but which could also
pierce those who brushed up against it. The olive tree represented Israel (Jeremiah 11:16); the fig tree represented Judah (Matthew 21:19), and the vine represented the
unified house of Israel which God (through Joshua, or Yeshua) had planted in
the “vineyard,” that is, the Promised Land (Isaiah 5:2).
Abimelech
was none of these, Jotham said, for he was unworthy of the throne of Israel. As
a son of Gideon, Abimelech was of the tribe of Manasseh (Judges 6:15), which had not been given the
promise of the scepter. Manasseh means “forgetful,” and his name prophesied of
two things: that the Israelites would forget their father’s household (Genesis 41:51). That is, they were to forget
their identity as Israelites after the tribes of Joseph were sold into
captivity to the Assyrians. Secondly, they were to forget the true God during
their captivity and adopt other gods during their long tribulation period (Deuteronomy 28:64).
In
the days of Abimelech, the Israelites forgot God and turned to idols (Judges 8:33). Abimelech himself was paid from the
treasury of Baal-berith (Judges 9:4), which put him
in an alliance with Baal. Baal-berith literally means “Covenant with Baal.”
Hence,
Jotham’s curse upon Abimelech was very real, and we soon learn from the rest of
the story that God took it seriously. By going to Mount Gerazim, where the six
tribes of Israel had stood in the divine court to bless Israel when they were
in obedience to the law of God, Jotham essentially appealed to the divine court
for justice to be done. His case was heard, and justice was indeed meted out
upon Abimelech’s head, for we read later in Judges 9:53-57,
53 But a certain woman threw an upper millstone on Abimelech’s head,
crushing his skull. 54 Then he called quickly to the young man, his
armor bearer, and said to him, “Draw your sword and kill me, lest it be said of
me, ‘A woman slew him’.” So the young man pierced him through, and he died… 56
Thus God repaid the wickedness of Abimelech, which he had done to his father,
in killing his seventy brothers. 57 Also God returned all the
wickedness of the men of Shechem on their heads, and the curse of Jotham
the son of Jerubbaal [i.e., Gideon] came upon them.
The
curse of Jotham was based on “the wickedness of Abimelech, which he had done
to his father,” according to the curse of the law in Deuteronomy 27:16. It is interesting to see how
prophecies can be fulfilled in different ways at different times in history. In
this case, the prophecy of Joseph in naming his son, Manasseh, prophesied that
Abimelech would forget God; Mount Gerazim and Ebal provided the foundations of
divine judgment according to the curse of the law; and finally, Shechem itself
provided the finishing touches on the prophecy, for it was the site of an
earlier act of violence, when the sons of Jacob slaughtered all the men of that
city in Genesis 34:26, 27, and 30.
These
stories all provide background to understand the spiritual and prophetic
implications of Abimelech’s murderous attempt to become king of Israel.
Tola, the Judge in Israel
After
the death of Abimelech, Israel reverted back to its system of deliverers, or
Judges appointing Tola, who judged them for 23 years (Judges 10:1, 2). His name referred to a worm that was used to
make scarlet dye. The scarlet worm, is known scientifically as the coccus
ilicis. Of this we read,
When
the female of the scarlet worm species was ready to give birth to her young,
she would attach her body to the trunk of a tree, fixing herself so firmly and
permanently that she would never leave again. The eggs deposited beneath her
body were thus protected until the larvae were hatched and able to enter their
own life cycle. As the mother died, the crimson fluid stained her body and the
surrounding wood. From the dead bodies of such female scarlet worms, the
commercial scarlet dyes of antiquity were extracted. What a picture this gives
of Christ, dying on the tree, shedding his precious blood that he might 'bring
many sons unto glory' (Heb 2:10)! He died for us,
that we might live through him! Psa 22:6 describes such a worm and gives us this
picture of Christ. (cf. Isa 1:18)" (Henry
Morris. Biblical Basis for Modern Science, Baker Book House, 1985,
p. 73)
We
see from this that the scarlet worm represents Christ, who shed His blood for
the remission of sin and who died that we might have life. Furthermore, because
red dye was extracted from these worms and used to dye royal garments, the name
Tola prophesies of the royal garments given to the deliverers, or
saviors, who are called to reign with Christ.
In
the progression of judges’ names, we must insert Tola into our
sequence—something I did not do earlier. In that Tola is the Judge that follows
Gideon, “feller,” we can now read the prophecy:
“The
voice of God united in His sons (in an orderly manner that is subject to God’s
Word) will fell the enemy by the power of the blood of Christ and open
the Ark to show forth the light of the Sun.”
Tola,
then, tells us the power by which the enemy is to be “felled.” We see that it
is the power of the scarlet worm, which in turn prophesies of Christ in His
shed blood on the cross. It is also significant that Tola judged Israel for 23
years, for this is the biblical number of death and resurrection. (See my book,
The Biblical
Meaning of Numbers from One to Forty.)
Tola
was then replaced by Jair, whose name adds yet another dimension to this
prophecy of the Judges.
THE JUDGES, PART 7, JAIR
The
battle of Gideon shows prophetically how the feast days give us revelation
about the end-time overthrow of God’s enemies through the feast days—in
particular, the second set of feasts, Trumpets, Atonement, and Tabernacles. The
revelation of the feasts is the specific “sword of the Spirit” that will
send confusion into the ranks of the ungodly and will overcome them.
However,
lest some should misunderstand, let it be clear that we are not advocating any
kind of violent overthrow of God’s enemies (real or perceived). The physical
sword was used under the Old Covenant only because the Israelites had rejected
the sword of the Spirit when they refused to hear the word at Mount Horeb under
Moses (Exodus 19:18-21). By failing to experience
Pentecost, they were left only with a physical sword that conquers enemies by
killing them.
Our
weapon is the sword of the Spirit (Ephesians 6:17), for “our struggle is not
against flesh and blood” (Ephesians 6:12). The results are far different
and give much greater glory to God, because instead of killing enemies, we ask
them to “crucify the flesh,” so that a new self (identity) may come forth
according to the New Covenant. Enemies are destroyed by turning them into
friends of God.
The
main battle of Gideon killed 120,000 Midianites and their allies, but under the
New Covenant we see 120,000 being saved by putting to death the “old self” (Romans 6:6). The number 120,000 is an important
prophetic number as well, for it was also the number of citizens living in
Nineveh who repented in Jonah 4:11. The number 120
is the biblical number associated with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit (2 Chronicles 5:12; Acts 1:15; 2:1, 2).
When
we step back and put Gideon into the context of the sequence of Judges and
determine the prophecy of their names, we see that Gideon’s name indicates a
“feller” of men, or a warrior who subdues enemies. The battle of Gideon itself
is the prime illustration of what it means to “fell the enemy,” which we today
apply with a New Covenant understanding.
“The
voice of God united in His sons (in an orderly manner that is subject to God’s
Word) will fell the enemy by the power of the blood of Christ and open
the Ark to show forth the light of the Sun.”
In
the context of the name sequence, the enemy being “felled” is that which
prevents the opening of the Ark. It turns out that the revelation of the feast
days is the primary word that defeats the enemy and opens the Ark of God’s
presence. Judge Tola is the scarlet worm, suggesting that this battle must be
fought “by the power of the blood of Christ.” Furthermore, Tola judged the
people 23 years, and this number speaks of Christ’s death and resurrection.
The Revelation of Jair
The
name Jair comes from the Hebrew word owr, “light.” Jair can mean “he
enlightens,” or “he who is enlightened,” or “one who enlightens.” The central
meaning has to do with portraying light. That, of course, ties back to the
battle of Gideon, which was won by breaking the pitchers (Atonement) and
shining forth the light (Tabernacles).
In
fact, both Jair and Gideon were from the tribe of Manasseh. Jair was from
Gilead (Judges 10:3) in the territory of Manasseh. The
original man named Gilead was the grandson of Manasseh, the son of Joseph,
for we read in Numbers 26:29,
29 The sons of Manasseh: Of Machir, the family of the Machirites; and
Machir became the father of Gilead: of Gilead, the family of the Gileadites.
Jair's
tribe may suggest also that the feast of Tabernacles was to be a forgotten
feast. Manasseh means "forgetful," and Jair's name adds the
revelation of Tabernacles to the sequence of Judges' names.
The
purpose of Christ’s first coming was to shed His blood on the cross for the sin
of the world to fulfill the feast of Passover and prepare for Pentecost. Yet
the purpose for His second coming is to fulfill the second set of feasts that
will culminate with the transfiguration, bringing us into the fullness of our
inheritance in Christ. This was foreshadowed when Jesus was transfigured on
Mount Hermon in Matthew 17:2, for then “His
face shone as the sun, and His garments became white as light.”
As
we will see later, this progression sets us up for the revelation of Samson,
“like the sun,” whose name is derived from shemesh, “the sun.” Shemesh
comes from an unused Hebrew root word that means “to be brilliant.” This is
precisely how Matthew describes the transfiguration of Jesus, when “His face
shone as the sun.”
Tola
and Jair, then, contribute their names to the sequence of Judges in order to
portray the purpose of the two comings of Christ. Tola speaks of His death,
while Jair speaks of His transfiguration. By extension, we too, as members of
His body, must also be crucified with Christ in order that we may be
transfigured at the time of His second coming.
Twenty-Two Years
Judges 10:3 says,
3 And after him, Jair the Gileadite arose and judged Israel twenty-two
years.
THE JUDGES, PART 8, JEPHTHAH
After
the death of Jair, Israel again “did evil in the sight of the Lord” (Judges 10:6), by
following the gods of the surrounding nations—including the gods of the
Philistines and the Ammonites. So God “sold them into the hands of the
Philistines and into the hands of the sons of Ammon” (Judges 10:7).
The Philistines assaulted Israel from the west, and the Ammonites from the east
beyond the Jordan River. This lasted eighteen years (Judges 10:8), and then Jephthah was
raised up to deliver them.
When
the Israelites complained to the Lord about their oppression, He told them in Judges 10:14,
14 Go and cry out to the gods which you have chosen; let them deliver you
in the time of your distress.
The
people knew that the gods of Ammon and the Philistines would never deliver
them. After all, the Ammonites and Philistines were the “chosen people” of
those gods. If those gods had any power, would those gods work against the
interests of their own people? The people knew, of course, that they would only
be enslaved more rigorously if they increased their devotion to those false
gods. So Judges 10:15 says,
15 And the sons of Israel said to the Lord, “We have sinned, do to us
whatever seems good to Thee; only please deliver us this day.” 16 So
they put away the foreign gods from among them, and served the Lord; and He
could bear the misery of Israel no longer.
When
word of Israel’s revolt reached the ears of the Ammonite king, he gathered an
army and marched to Mizpah in Gilead to put down the revolt. The Israelites
then had to decide who to choose a general to lead them in battle (Judges 10:17, 18).
Jephthah the Gileadite
Like
Jair in the previous generation, Jephthah was from Gilead. In fact, his father
was named Gilead, no doubt a common name on account of their ancestor, the
patriarch of that family. There was just one big problem—his social status. Judges 11:1
says,
1 Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a valiant warrior, but he was the
son of a harlot. And Gilead was the father of Jephthah.
In
other words, Jephthah’s father, Gilead, had a moral problem. We are not told
the extent of Gilead’s lawlessness, but the underlying implication here is that
he represented the lawless condition of his generation. In other words, his
tribe, Manasseh, had forgotten the true God in favor of false gods who set
forth their own laws and standards of morality (or immorality). Because the
nation of Ammon itself was founded by incest through Lot and his daughter, the
tribe of Manasseh had put itself under that curse by worshiping the gods of the
Ammonites.
The
main god of Ammon was Moloch, to whom men sacrificed infants.
The
family of Gilead were quite religious, nonetheless. The religious spirit
inevitably follows the traditions of men, attempting to change impure hearts by
the power of flesh. As we see in the New Testament, the traditions of men
attempt to follow the law without truly understanding the spirit of the law—the
intent of the Lawgiver. Such fleshly religion tries to enforce morality by law
enforcement rather than having God change hearts from the inside by the power
of the Holy Spirit. Failings and lapses in morality then bring judgment without
mercy.
In
the case of Jephthah, we read in Judges 11:2 and 3,
2 And Gilead’s wife bore him sons; and when his wife’s sons grew up,
they drove Jephthah out and said to him, “You shall not have an inheritance in
our father’s house, for you are the son of another woman.” 3 So
Jephthah fled from his brothers and lived in the land of Tob; and worthless
fellows gathered themselves about Jephthah, and they went out with him.
It
appears that Jephthah was the oldest son of Gilead. When he begat legitimate
children, they were fearful that their older illegitimate half-brother might
claim the family inheritance on the grounds that he was the oldest son. So they
drove him away, and he fled to Tob, “fruitful land,” east of Syria in the land
of Haran, where Abraham’s relatives had settled.
Nothing
is said about their treatment of Jephthah’s mother, the harlot, but we may
assume that she was not treated well, nor did she come to live in Gilead’s
house.
The Art of the Deal
Jephthah,
however, was also a “valiant warrior,” and when the Israelites needed a capable
general to lead them in battle against the Ammonites, they realized that they
needed his help. Jephthah’s half-brothers probably objected to this, but the
alternative was unacceptable. When they sent for Jephthah, he did not
immediately accept their offer. Judges 11:7 says,
7 Then Jephthah said to the elders of Gilead, “Did you not hate me and
drive me from my father’s house? So why have you come to me now when you are in
trouble?”
Jephthah
then made a deal with the men of Gilead. If they would agree to make him their
leader (after winning their independence, of course), then he would lead them
in battle. The Israelites agreed to this, and so Jephthah returned to
Gilead—specifically to the army base at Mizpah (Judges 10:17).
Mizpah
was the place where Jacob and his uncle Laban had made a covenant of peace (Genesis 31:48-53).
Jacob was returning to the land of Canaan after spending 20 years in Haran
working for his uncle. Recall that Jacob had to flee to Haran after being
threatened by his brother Esau. This forms the backdrop of the story of
Jephthah, who too had to flee to Haran after being threatened by his brothers.
Likewise, Mizpah once again became the scene of a covenant or agreement, where
the parties called upon God as their witness.
There
seems to be a direct parallel also between God’s first response to the
Israelites’ plea for divine help and Jephthah’s first response to their plea
for military help. God had questioned their sincerity, saying, “Go and cry
out to the gods which you have chosen; let them deliver you in the time of your
distress” (Judges 10:14). Now Jephthah questioned
them in the same manner, saying, “Did you not drive me from my father’s house?
So why have you come to me now when you are in trouble?” (Judges 11:7).
The
implication is that the Israelites had wronged Jephthah even as they had
wronged God Himself. They had rejected both God and Jephthah, and yet now they
wanted their help. First God made a deal with them, telling them in essence: I
will help you if you make Me your Head. Then Jephthah made the same deal
with them. In that manner, Jephthah was a type of Christ.
He
then established his house in Mizpah and brought his wife and daughter to live
there.
Jephthah’s Deliverance
After
negotiations broke down with the Ammonites, we read in Judges 11:29,
29 Now the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jephthah, so that he passed
through Gilead and Manasseh; then he passed through Mizpah of Gilead, and
Mizpah of Gilead he went on to the sons of Ammon.
There
were many places called Mizpah, and the term Mizpah of Gilead appears to
make it clear that it was not the same Mizpah where the Israelite army had
gathered earlier. (In 1 Samuel 22:3 we read of Mizpah of
Moab, which was still another Mizpah.)
Before
the battle with the Ammonites, Jephthah made a rash vow, which later came back
to haunt him. Judges 11:30, 31 says,
30 And Jephthah made a vow to the Lord and said, “If Thou wilt indeed
give the sons of Ammon into my hand, 31 then it shall be that
whatever comes out of the doors of my house to meet me when I return in peace
from the sons of Ammon, it shall be the Lord’s, and I will offer it up as a
burnt offering.”
The
Lord did indeed give Jephthah victory over the Ammonites. Then Judges 11:34, 35 says,
34 When Jephthah came to his house at Mizpah, behold, his daughter was
coming out to meet him with tambourines and with dancing. Now she was his one
and only child; besides her he had neither son nor daughter. 35 And
it came about when he saw her, that he tore his clothes and said, “Alas, my
daughter! You have brought me very low, and you are among those who trouble me;
for I have given my word to the Lord, and I cannot take it back.”
Jephthah
did not actually offer her up to God as a burnt offering but gave her to the
tabernacle to serve God as a perpetual virgin. He gave her two months return to
her friends (in Tob) to mourn the fact that she would never be married, that
is, to “weep because of my virginity.” Note that she did not weep for
her life but for her virginity. Verses 39, 40 conclude, saying,
39 And it came about at the end of two months that she returned to her
father, who did to her according to the vow which he had made; and she had
no relations with a man. Thus it became a custom in Israel, 40
that the daughters of Israel went yearly to commemorate the daughter of
Jephthah the Gileadite four days in the year.
Nothing
is said about her becoming a literal burnt offering. In fact, such an offering
would have been unacceptable to God. Christ alone could fulfill the prophecy
inherent in all of the sacrifices, including the burnt offerings. Even Christ
Himself did not have to be a literal burnt offering to fulfill that prophetic
type. He was crucified, not burnt. The fire in the law represented the judgment
of the “fiery law” (Deuteronomy 33:2 KJV), not “hell” that
many envision.
The
prophetic meaning of this rash vow, in fact, points to the Church itself and is
a lesson to all of us to be careful what we vow. When the Church met in various
Councils to vote on doctrinal disputes, their decisions essentially took the
form of vows to enforce their creeds. This led ultimately to the Church burning
people at the stake for “heresy,” in essence, turning them into burnt offerings
which they thought were acceptable to the Lord.
War with Ephraim
After
the Ammonites were defeated, the men of Ephraim came with an army to Jephthah,
for they were offended that they had not been invited to fight in the battle.
They even threatened him, saying, “We will burn your house down on you”
(Judges 12:1). Jephthah told them that
he had called to them for help, but because of the Ammonite threat, they were
forced to fight the battle before the Ephraimites could arrive.
The
men of Ephraim were not appeased by his explanation, so a battle erupted, where
42,000 Ephraimites were killed (Judges 12:6).
The
prophetic meaning of this appears to be an extension of the problem of
Jephthah’s daughter, who was to be a “burnt offering” as well. I take it as a
prophetic warning to the Church about their unjust doctrines of hell-fire.
Everyone was quick to consign people to a fiery judgment.
In
this case, 42,000 Ephraimites were killed, which (to me) suggests the duration
of the final age of judgment. The Great White Throne judgment comes at the end
of 7,000 years of Adamic history, leaving another 42,000 years (or six “weeks”)
until the Creation Jubilee.
Likewise,
42 is a number associated with tribulation, as we see in Revelation 13:5.
This number is based upon “the time of Jacob’s distress” (Jeremiah 30:7),
because Jacob himself experienced two times of distress, each lasting 21 years,
for a total of 42 years. See my book, Secrets of Time,
chapter 14 for more details.
Jephthah’s Name in the Prophetic Sequence
Jephthah
had an illegitimate birth but was a Judge who delivered Israel. As such, he was
unique and provides an interesting prophetic picture as set forth in the
message of the Judges’ names. His name, Jephthah, means “He will open,”
or “he opens.”
In
the sequence of names, we find his name signifying the opening of the Ark.
“The
voice of God united in His sons (in an orderly manner that is subject to God’s
Word) will fell the enemy by the power of the blood of Christ and by the light
of transfiguration and will open the Ark to show forth the light of the
Sun.”
One
had to be qualified to open the Ark, because anyone who touched it might be
killed (by electrocution). A man named Uzzah made the mistake of touching the
Ark and died as a result (2 Samuel 6:6, 7). Likewise,
the men of Beth-shemesh opened the Ark when the Philistines sent it back to Israel
(1 Samuel 6:19). We will have more to
say about that story later for the Ark of the Covenant was the final Judge that
delivered Israel in the sequence of the Judges.
In
those days, the Ark was not to be approached except by authorized priests. In
the tabernacle of Moses and later in the temple of Solomon, even the high
priest had access to the Ark just once a year, and it was doubtful if even he
dared to touch the Ark.
The
fact that the men of Beth-shemesh opened the Ark and were killed relates
directly to the story of Jephthah. 1 Samuel 6:13 tells us that the Ark
was returned at the time of wheat harvest (i.e., Pentecost). Hence, it is a
Pentecostal story, and the men of Beth-shemesh played a prophetic role as
Pentecostals. Pentecostals are not yet qualified to open the Ark, for Pentecost
is only the training ground for imperfect people, and for this reason it was
established as a leavened feast (Leviticus 23:17). Only the overcomers
who have experienced the fullness of the Spirit through Tabernacles may open
the Ark.
The
parallel, then, is between Jephthah and the men of Beth-shemesh. Jephthah was
illegitimate, the son of a harlot, and the men of Beth-shemesh were acting as
illegitimate priests by opening the Ark. The lesson is that the full presence
of the glory of God cannot be “touched” through the feast of Pentecost but only
through the feast of Tabernacles. Anything less than Tabernacles is spiritually
“illegitimate.”
In
the broader prophecy in the Judges’ names, the procedure is given in the rest
of the sequence whereby the Ark may indeed be opened. It starts with the blood
of Jesus, which established the first work of Christ (Passover and Pentecost).
When this work is completed in us, we will be transfigured and come into the
light and glory of the feast of Tabernacles. Those who follow this sequence
will indeed “open” the Ark and live to tell about it.
THE JUDGES, PART 9, IBZAN,
ELON, AND ABDON-BEDAN
Jephthah
judged Israel for just six years and then died (Judges 12:7). After him came three
minor judges in succession before the rise of Samson.
Ibzan
judged Israel seven years (Judges 12:8, 9); Elon judged
Israel ten years (Judges 12:11), and Abdon judged Israel
eight years (Judges 12:13, 14). So from
Jephthah to Samson there was a total of 25 years.
To
put these Judges into context, we should know that Samson judged Israel for 20
years (Judges 16:31) and that he died shortly
before the 40-year Philistine captivity ended. Hence, Samson judged Israel
during the last half of the Philistine captivity.
By
working backward, we can see that Ibzan was probably the Judge in the years
leading up to the captivity, while Elon and Abdon judged Israel for 18 years
(total) during the first half of that captivity while Samson was growing up. It
is likely that Samson was born about the first year of the captivity and that
he was about 20 when he was chosen as the Judge in the middle of the Philistine
captivity.
In
my series of novels, which are set in the time of the Philistine captivity,
Book 2, Through Timeless
Mountains, makes Ibzan the Judge when the elders had to
decide whether or not to submit to captivity. In Book 3, My Father’s Tear,
we meet Elon and Abdon. In the story, I explain why Abdon had two names, the
second being Bedan.
Judges 12:13 calls him “Abdon the son
of Hillel,” but 1 Samuel 12:11 calls him Bedan,
saying,
11 Then the Lord sent Jerubbabel [i.e., Gideon] and Bedan and Jephthah,
and Samuel, and delivered you from the hands of your enemies all around, so
that you lived in security.
It
was common in those days to have more than one name. Gideon himself was known
as Jerubbabel to commemorate his father’s defense after Gideon had “torn
down the altar of Baal” (Judges 6:30, 31, 32). His father
convinced the outraged Israelites to let Baal himself handle the insult
himself, if he really had the power to do so. So Jerubbaal means “Let Baal
contend.”
In
my own novel, I portray Abdon, “servile,” as originally a devout follower of
God, serving Him with all His heart. But then he contracts leprosy, which
shatters his faith and forces him to be separated from his family and friends.
While traveling to Shiloh with Elon to keep the feast of Tabernacles, we encounter
Abdon and heal him of his leprosy. He would later succeed Elon as the Judge,
and so his name was changed to Bedan, or b’dan, which means “in
judging.” (The main part of his name is Dan, “judge.”)
The Message of Ibzan
Ibzan’s
name means “whiteness, splendid.”
By
inserting his name into our sequence of Judges’ names, we can now add a further
detail:
“The voice of God united in His sons (in an orderly
manner that is subject to God’s Word) will fell the enemy by the power of the
blood of Christ and by the light of transfiguration and will open the splendid
Ark to show forth the light of the Sun.”
We
also have the added detail that Ibzan was from Bethlehem, and so we see that he
was of the tribe of Judah and was from the town where Jesus was later born.
Jesus, of course, was the earthly manifestation of the glory and presence of
God. It takes little imagination to see that the splendor of God’s presence on
the Ark is being pictured in Ibzan, the Judge, when we view him in the context
of the Judges as a whole.
The Message of Elon
Elon
was from Zebulun, so named in Genesis 30:20 because his mother Leah
believed that Jacob would favor her by “dwelling” with her. Jacob’s main tent
was with Rachel, whom he loved, causing Leah to feel rejected. When we factor
Zebulun into the sequence of Judges’ names, the picture emerges of the splendor
of the glory of God indwelling the Ark.
Elon’s
name means “mighty,” as in a terebinth tree.
His
name is derived from the Hebrew word ayil, usually translated “ram.”
Therefore,
his name pictures the Lamb sitting on the throne (Ark). A ram is a fully grown
lamb. Christ is pictured as the Lamb of God who was sacrificed for the sin of
the world and who was later seated upon the throne (Hebrews 1:8). So Revelation 7:9-11
says,
9 After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude, which no
one could count, from every nation and from all tribes and peoples and tongues,
standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes,
and palm branches were in their hands; 10 and they cry out with a
loud voice, saying, “Salvation [Yeshua-Jesus] to our God who sits on
the throne, and to the Lamb.” 11 And all the angels were
standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures;
and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God.
The
passage continues to speak of Christ in Revelation 7:17, saying, “the Lamb
in the center of the throne shall be their Shepherd.”
Hence,
the addition of Elon to the sequence of Judges’ names broadens the picture for
us.
“The voice of God united in His sons (in an orderly
manner that is subject to God’s Word) will fell the enemy by the power of the
blood of Christ and by the light of transfiguration and will open the Ark,
revealing the splendor of the indwelling Christ, the Lamb of God, seated on
His throne, showing forth the light of the Sun.”
The Message of Abdon-Bedan
The
next Judge is Abdon (“servile”) or Bedan (“in judging”). The message of his
name gives us the ministry of Christ as He sits upon His throne. In all of His
Splendor and glory and honor, He still ministers to us as a Lamb. The name
Abdon has to do with service or ministry. He told His disciples that they were
not to judge as men judge. Matthew 20:25-28 says,
25 But Jesus called them to Himself, and said, “You know that the rulers
of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over
them. 26 It is not so among you, but whoever wishes to become great
among you shall be your servant, 27 and whoever wishes to be first
among you shall be your slave; 28 just as the Son of Man did not
come to be served but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”
So
we find that the Ark is the throne of Christ, where the Lamb is seated in all
His glory, judging the world as its greatest Servant. He is also pictured as
the Great Shepherd in Hebrews 13:20,
20 Now the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great
Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant, even Jesus
our Lord…
A
good shepherd serves the sheep and has their best interests in mind as he leads
them to green pastures and still waters and as he defends them from predators.
We too are called to do as our Example has done. We are to do as He did and to
be as He was. This is not possible without serving others and having their best
interests in mind.
Paul
says in 1 Corinthians 6:2, “do you not know
that the saints will judge the world?” Even so, God will not place anyone
upon the throne of His glory who has not learned to be a servant, for such
people have yet to learn the purpose of authority. The names of Abdon and Bedan
are vital in the prophecy of the Judges’ names, for these present to us the
ministry of Christ the Judge.
There
are some who think that Christ came the first time as a servant but will rule
as a king in His second coming—as if these are somehow separate. But no, Christ
is not presented as the King on a throne, but as the Lamb on the throne. It is
the great Servant who has been given all authority in heaven and in earth (Matthew 28:18).
He
did not become a servant in order to earn the right to be served later. He
proved His worthiness as the King by proving His love for all mankind as the great
Servant and Shepherd of the sheep. He will never stop being the Lamb of God,
even while He is the Lion of God. He is the Lion with all power, who is as
gentle as a Lamb.
By
inserting Abdon-Bedan’s name to the sequence of Judges, the revelation is expanded
to read:
“The voice of God united in His sons (in an orderly
manner that is subject to God’s Word) will fell the enemy by the power of the
blood of Christ and by the light of transfiguration and will open the Ark,
revealing the splendor of the indwelling Christ, the Lamb of God, seated on His
throne, judging the nations as the great Servant, showing forth the
light of the Sun.”
This
takes us to the story of Samson.
THE JUDGES, PART 10, SAMSON
Though
Samson was a Judge in Israel, his story gives no indication that he judged
Israel. Samson judged the Philistines in the sense that he brought judgment
upon the Philistines.
A
Judge is a deliverer, but Samson never delivered Israel from the Philistine
captivity. In fact, neither did Ibzan, Elon, or Abdon, all of whom were Judges
in Israel during the Philistine captivity. Deliverance did not come until after
Samson was dead, and it was accomplished through the Ark itself, as we will see
shortly.
This
is appropriate, because Samson was a Pentecostal type, which cannot bring
deliverance, but the Ark represents Jesus Christ Himself.
Samson’s Calling
Samson’s
name (Hebrew) is shimshown, “like the sun.” It is derived from shemesh,
“the sun.”
And
so the addition of his name to the sequences of the Judges reveals that the
deliverers will shine like the sun, even as Jesus was transfigured on the
Mount.
Matthew 17:2 says,
2 And He was transfigured before them; and His face shone like the sun,
and His garments became as white as light.
Therefore,
the revelation of the Judges is now as follows:
“The voice of God united in
His sons (in an orderly manner that is subject to God’s Word) will fell the
enemy by the power of the blood of Christ and by the light of transfiguration
and will open the Ark, revealing the splendor of the indwelling Christ, the
Lamb of God, seated on His throne, judging the nations as the great Servant, showing
forth the light of the Sun.”
This
pictures the transfigured Christ and the overcomers judging the nations. It is
not surprising, then, that virtually all of Samson’s ministry as a Judge
focused upon the Philistines, which, in this case, was representative of the
nations.
Yet
Samson’s story is long and tragic. The revelation of his name alone gives us
the final result, but the rest of his story shows us the tortuous path by which
the overcomers must achieve this authority and use it successfully. Samson
himself was unsuccessful, for he himself was overcome by his moral lapses,
blinded by his enemies, and in the end died with the Philistines.
Pentecost
His
story was dominated by Pentecostal signs and stories, and his moral lapses
reveal why Pentecost was a leavened feast. Leviticus 23:16, 17 says,
16 You shall count fifty days to the day after the seventh sabbath; then
you shall present a new grain offering [of wheat—Exodus 34:22] to the Lord. 17
You shall bring in from your dwelling places two loaves of bread for a
wave-offering, made of two-tenths of an ephah; they shall be of fine flour,
baked with leaven, as first fruits to the Lord.
Pentecost
was celebrated seven weeks after the wave-sheaf offering of barley, the day
commonly known today as Easter, the first Sunday after Passover. Inclusively,
this was the fiftieth day. It came at the time of wheat harvest, because wheat
ripened later than barley. In the Old Testament, this day was called the feast
of harvest in Exodus 23:16 and the feast of weeks in
Exodus 34:22. It was not called
Pentecost until a thousand years later when the Greek word Pentecost was
used. Pentecost is Greek for “fiftieth day.”
The
Pentecostal offering of wheat was the only offering that had leaven (yeast) in
it. In all other offerings, leaven was banned, for Leviticus 2:11 says,
11 No grain offering, which you bring to the Lord, shall be made with
leaven, for you shall not offer up in smoke any leaven or any honey as an offering
by fire to the Lord.
And
yet God commanded that the Pentecostal offering be made of wheat “baked with
leaven.” This apparent contradiction is resolved when we understand the
nature of Pentecost itself. In the Old Testament, the offering had to be “baked”
in the fire. In the New Testament, Pentecost came with tongues of fire (Acts 2:1, 2, 3). John the
Baptist himself prophesied in Matthew 3:11, “He will baptize you
with the Holy Spirit and fire.”
It
was the fire that made the Pentecostal offering acceptable to God according to
the law, for the fire killed the leavening action in the bread and in those
receiving that baptism. The ultimate offering, of course, is that which comes
from the heart. Because all have sinned, every heart has been leavened, but the
baptism of fire has been designed to purify hearts so that you may “present
your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God” (Romans 12:1).
All
of the biblical prophecies, types, and shadows dealing with Pentecost show that
this feast was designed to purify hearts and to train us by the leading of the
Spirit during our wilderness journey. If we indeed continue to follow the
pillar of fire by night and the cloud by day, Pentecost will take us to the
brink of the Jordan River. There Pentecost is superseded by the feast of
Tabernacles, the greater feast that brings us into our inheritance in the
Promised Land.
However,
Scripture shows that only two of the original Israelites that left Egypt
actually entered the Promised Land. Most died in the wilderness. First, they
refused to hear God’s voice and receive the rest of the law at Mount Horeb (Exodus 20:19).
They were too fearful to draw near to God in the midst of the fire (Exodus 20:20, 21). Hence, that
first Pentecost failed to fulfill its underlying purpose, and it was deferred
1480 years until a small group of 120 disciples went up the mount (“the upper
room,” Acts 1:13, 15) to meet God in the fire.
Samson the Pentecostal
The
main turning point in Samson’s life was when he burned the wheat of the
Philistines (Judges 15:1, 5). This
occurred about the time of Pentecost, as the wheat was then ripe and ready for
harvest. Burning their wheat was a disaster to their economy, but it also
prophesied of a great outpouring of the Holy Spirit that was yet to come upon
all nations as a baptism of fire. This great baptism is to be administered by
the deliverers and “saviors” (Obadiah 21 KJV) whom God is even now
raising up for this purpose.
After
burning the Philistines’ wheat, Samson found refuge in the cave at the rock of Etam
(Judges 15:8), a cave that can still be
seen today. It was not far from his home town of Zorah. When the Philistines
came to bind him, he killed a thousand of them with the jawbone of a donkey (Judges 15:15).
Donkeys and wheat are the primary symbols of Pentecost in Scripture. The
jawbone of a donkey thus represents the gift of tongues, which is designed to
kill the flesh in a New Covenant setting.
After
the slaughter, Samson became very thirsty, and when he prayed, a spring of
water suddenly came to the surface of the ground. It was named En-hakkore,
“the spring of one who calls” upon the Lord. This is the spring, or fountain,
of the water of life that springs up from one’s innermost being (John 4:14; 7:37, 38).
Samson, the Blind Servant
In
spite of Samson’s great strength, he was overcome by the seduction of Delilah (Judges 16:18).
The leaven in his life had grown when he ceased to follow the pillar of fire.
By rejecting the word of the Lord, he was blinded to the understanding of the
word, and so the Philistines put out his eyes (Judges 16:21). Thus, he prophesied of
Israel’s blindness, for the prophet says, “Who is blind but My servant?”
(Isaiah 42:19). Isaiah 29:10
says,
10 For the Lord has poured over you a spirit of deep sleep; He has shut
your eyes, the prophets; and He has covered your heads, the seers.
Again,
the prophet says in Isaiah 44:3,
3 For I will pour out water on the thirsty land and streams on the dry
ground; I will pour out My Spirit on your offspring.
And
yet in the same passage he says later in Isaiah 44:18,
18 They do not know, nor do they understand, for He has smeared over
their eyes so that they cannot see and their hearts so that they cannot
comprehend.
Men
have always had difficulty maintaining the presence of God in Pentecost. It
seems that the leaven in men’s hearts, given enough time, grows as the fire of
God wanes and grows cold. Though Pentecost is a good feast and divinely
ordained, it is fully dependent upon the fire of God to act against the leaven
that is in it. In the end, only the overcomers, following the pattern of Caleb
and Joshua, are able to endure to the end (Hebrews 12:1).
In
the overall picture, Samson is listed as a man of faith (Hebrews 11:32),
because in spite of his moral weakness and blindness, he was humbled and
brought to repentance in the end. So in the sequence of the Judges’ names,
Samson’s story reveals how the overcomers will judge the nations. But on closer
scrutiny, we find that his Pentecostal journey was full of failure that
portrayed the leaven of Pentecost. His life serves as a lesson and a warning to
all who aspire to judge the world.
The Law of Blind Servants
Exodus 21:26 says,
26 And if a man strikes the eye of his male or female slave, and destroys
it, he shall let him go free on account of his eye.
After
Samson was blinded by the Philistines, he had a lot of time to ponder, pray,
and repent as he worked at the mill grinding wheat. He came to understand God
and Truth itself in those months. The day came when the Philistines took him to
the temple of Dagon as a trophy proving the superiority of Dagon to Yahweh.
There Samson prayed his final prayer in Judges 16:28,
28 Then Samson called to the Lord and said, “O Lord God, please remember
me and please strengthen me just this time, O God, that I may at once be
avenged of the Philistines for my two eyes.”
I
believe that Samson appealed to God and His law in Exodus 21:26, knowing that the
Philistines had been God’s agents when they had destroyed his two eyes. Later,
Isaiah makes it clear that God took responsibility for blinding Israel, in
order that the law in Exodus 21:26 might apply to them. By
taking such responsibility, God made Himself responsible to set them free.
This
principle, therefore, would also apply to Samson, who was a type of shadow of
the blind servant. At any rate, God answered his prayer and gave him the
strength to destroy the temple of Dagon. Samson was killed, along with 3,000
Philistines (Judges 16:27, 30), and so
ended the life of this Judge.
The
story is both tragic and victorious. For Samson personally, it was victory in
the midst of tragedy, enlightenment in the midst of blindness, and strength in
the midst of weakness. All of these principles and more, I attempted to reveal
in Book 4 of my series of novels, Power of the Flame,
which focuses primarily on the life of Samson.
That
which is death under the Old Covenant is life under the New Covenant. Hence,
the 3,000 would-be Pentecostals who died under the Mount in the time of
Moses (Exodus 32:28) were like the 3,000 who
were given life on the day of Pentecost in Acts 2:41).
In
the same manner, the 3,000 Philistines who died in the temple disaster in Judges 16:27
must be viewed through New Covenant eyes today. The scene of death came in the
context of the Old Covenant, but we are now in a New Covenant era, where the
judgment upon the nations is the death of the flesh. Paul says in Romans 6:7 says,
literally, “he who has died is justified from sin.” Justification
requires one to be crucified with Christ, not literally, but through the
principle of legal identification with Him in His death (Romans 6:3, 6).
If
we view the story of Samson through Old Covenant eyes, we will see divine
judgment as a destructive force, rather than as a restoration. We will see the
fire of God as something to be feared, rather than as a fire to be embraced. We
will see death as evil, rather than as the requisite for resurrection life. Our
perspective, then, is important, because it determines whether or not we are
blind.
Paul
makes it clear that the Old Covenant acts as a veil over one’s eyes (2 Corinthians 3:14).
Veils blind us partially. Paul tells us that Moses put a veil over His face in Exodus 34:30, 33, 34, because the
people were afraid to see the glory of God in Moses’ face. Paul explains that
as long as men remain under the Old Covenant, or have an Old Covenant view of
things, a veil remains over their faces. Let us embrace the New Covenant
and behold His glory without fear.
If
we view the story of Samson through Old Covenant eyes, we will see divine
judgment as a destructive force, rather than as a restoration. We will see the
fire of God as something to be feared, rather than as a fire to be embraced. We
will see death as evil, rather than as the requisite for resurrection life. Our
perspective, then, is important, because it determines whether or not we are
blind.
THE JUDGES, PART 11, ELI AND
SAMUEL
There
is no biblical evidence that Samson went to Shiloh to worship God at the
tabernacle where Eli and his sons were ministering. Samuel was there as well,
for he was the son of a priest and had been dedicated to God at an early age.
No doubt they all knew each other well, and for this reason, I wrote My Father’s Tear
and Power of the Flame
in a way that portrayed the friendship between Samson and Samuel, and I also
showed the antagonism between Samson and Eli.
The
Philistine captivity essentially defined the entire ministry of Eli, for his
ministry lasted 40 years, and he died just as the 40-year captivity was ending.
Both Samuel and Samson were born around the beginning of the same captivity.
Samson was probably about 20 when he was elected Judge, and he died 20 years
later in the temple of Dagon.
The 40-Year Types and
Antitypes
The
40-year Philistine captivity itself was a type and shadow of the Church during
the 40 Jubilees of Church history. That captivity was thus similar to Israel’s
40 years in the wilderness under Moses, as well as Israel’s kingdom under the
40-year reign of King Saul. Each of these 40-year cycles give us insights, in
different ways, to later Church history.
Israel’s
40 years in the wilderness under Moses shows us the rebellious nature of the “church
in the wilderness” (Acts 7:38 KJV). It shows us why both
Israel and the church had to wander in the wilderness before they could enter
the Promised Land. Since faith comes by hearing (Romans 10:17), their refusal to hear
God’s voice at Mount Horeb resulted in weak faith—too weak for them to face the
giants in the Promised Land. So Hebrews 3:19 says,
19 And so we see that they were not able to enter because of unbelief [apistian,
“lack of faith”].
This
set the pattern for the church in later years, ending only recently after 40
Jubilees of wilderness wandering.
Likewise,
the 40 years of Saul’s reign portrays the same cycle in terms of the Kingdom in
a political sense. It tells us that the Kingdom began with Pentecost in Acts 2:1, when
the Holy Spirit crowned the church, even as Saul himself had been crowned king
on the day of wheat harvest, or Pentecost, in 1 Samuel 12:17. Yet that kingdom was
again characterized by rebellion, for Samuel chided Saul for his disobedience
in 1 Samuel 15:23,
23 For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and insubordination is as
iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He has
also rejected you from being king.
This
tells us that the church kingdom that began on the leavened feast of Pentecost
has been a leavened kingdom. The problem began as soon as men began to reject
the baptism of fire, and it progressed as men began to assume that the baptism
of the Holy Spirit was only for the first century. Some teach that when John
died in 100 A.D. that the gifts of the Holy Spirit ceased. Such teachers are
known as Cessationists.
The
church, then, ruled as Saul, not as David. Samuel said that Saul was guilty of
“insubordination” (1 Samuel 15:23). The Hebrew word is patsar,
“to be stubborn.” Though it is a different Hebrew word from that which is used
in the law of stubborn sons (Deuteronomy 21:18, 20), the meaning
is the same. The point is that a stubborn son may be disinherited when he
proves himself to be unworthy.
Saul
was a stubborn son, and so his family lost the right to rule when God replaced
him with David. So also, in church history, the Roman popes have been insubordinate
to Christ, thinking that the throne was theirs to rule according to their own
will. Hence, they have already been replaced by the overcomers (“David”), whom
God has been raising up in this generation. That replacement process began on
Pentecost, May 30, 1993, on the 40th Jubilee of the church.
The High Priesthood of Eli
The
40 years of Eli’s rule, wherein he refused to correct his corrupt and lawless
sons, is a picture of the church as well. Like Saul, Eli was in rebellion
against God. But whereas Saul pictured the church’s political role as king of
the Kingdom, Eli was a priest and therefore represented the church in its
priestly capacity. Eli’s line was ultimately replaced by Zadok in the early
years of Solomon’s reign (1 Kings 2:27, 35).
Zadok
was a type of Melkizedek, and his appointment prophesied of the change of
priesthood that was to occur later. Hebrews 7:9-12 says,
9 And, so to speak, through Abraham even Levi, who received tithes, paid
tithes, 10 for he was still in the loins of his father when
Melchizedek met him. 11 Now if perfection was through the Levitical
priesthood (for on the basis of it the people received the Law), what further
need was there for another priest to arise according to the order of
Melchizedek, and not be designated according to the order of Aaron? 12
For when the priesthood is changed, of necessity there takes place a change of
law also.
The
author of Hebrews shows that the Levitical priesthood was flawed and inadequate,
and so it had to give way to an older order of priests whose head was
Melchizedek, rather than Aaron. So also Eli, who was of Levi (and specifically
of Phinehas) was replaced by Zadok. This replacement, however, only prophesied
of a greater fulfillment yet to come, for even Zadok was of the line of Aaron,
though not of Phinehas. The Zadok line ended with the Hasmonean dynasty of
king-priests when Antigonus was put to death by Herod in 34 B.C.
When
the last of the Hasmonean kings had passed, Jesus was sent to replace not only
Zadok specifically but also the entire Aaronic priesthood of Levi. The church,
however, reverted back to Old Covenant thinking, rebelled against the laws of
God, and proved itself once again to be unworthy of the priesthood. In more
recent years the Roman church has been shown to be as Eli in that it has
refused to depose its rebellious sons (pedophile priests).
Samuel
himself was a prophet sent by God to minister as a true priest in the
tabernacle at Shiloh. In his youth, a man of God was sent to Eli to tell him
that because he had refused to hear the word of the Lord in regard to his
rebellious sons (1 Samuel 2:29), and so God was going
to replace him. 1 Samuel 3:11-13, we read what God
told the prophet:
11 And the Lord said to Samuel, “Behold, I am about to do a thing in
Israel at which both ears of everyone who hears it will tingle. 12
In that day I will carry out against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his
house, from beginning to end. 13 For I have told him that I am about
to judge his house forever, for the iniquity which he knew, because his sons
brought a curse on themselves, and he did not rebuke them.”
This
prophecy was fulfilled only gradually. It took some years before Samuel grew to
maturity. Finally, Eli and his sons died on the same day, but even then his
grandson Ahitub succeeded him as the high priest, and when he died, his son
Ahijah wore the ephod (1 Samuel 14:3). Ahimelech was next in
line, and finally his son Abiathar succeeded him (1 Samuel 22:20). Abiathar was the last
of Eli’s line to hold the high priesthood, for he was replaced by Zadok, who
was from a different family of priests.
Even
then, as we said earlier, this only replaced that particular family of Levi and
Aaron.
It
would be a thousand years later when Jesus, who was of the Melchizedek Order,
replaced Aaron and Levi altogether.
The
church was supposed to follow the pattern of Melchizedek, and indeed, it did so
in a small way. The priests were no longer of a particular lineage. However, as
time passed, they reverted to Old Covenant methods of worship, complete with
priestly robes, incense, physical temples, and (unfortunately) the traditions
of men.
Samson Brings Down the House
Samson
died in the temple of Dagon after toppling the main pillars holding up the roof
(Judges 16:29, 30). That final
act as a Judge angered the Philistines, who soon mustered an army to punish the
Israelites as a whole. Most people miss this fact, because the narrative ends
in Judges 16:31 with the death and burial
of Samson.
The
final chapters in the book of Judges seem to be misplaced, chronologically
speaking, because it gives a story of a much earlier time shortly after Israel
had entered the land of Canaan. The territory allotted to the tribe of Dan was
mostly Philistine territory in the plain, but they were unable to conquer that
portion of the land. A few of the Danites, including Samson’s ancestors,
occupied the hills overlooking the plain, but the Philistines had chariots of
iron and were able to defend the plains.
So
a group of Danites went north and conquered Laish, renaming it the city of Dan.
The story in Judges 17-21 is about the apostasy that occurred among the Danites
in Laish (Dan). Samson himself, however, was born in Zorah that overlooked the
plain where the Philistines lived. These last chapters in Dan are inserted at
the end of the book of Judges in order to give us some background leading to
the story of Samson himself. So these chapters were not really misplaced.
The
story picks up again with the birth of Samuel in the first chapter of 1 Samuel.
He was born about the same time that Samson was born and were about the same
age. Samuel himself was the author of both books, so there is no doubt that he
knew Samson personally. Samuel’s early life is set forth in the first three
chapters of 1 Samuel. Then the story picks up where Judges 16 ended, and we
find that the Philistines had sent an army against Israel. 1 Samuel 4:1
says,
1 Thus the word of Samuel came to all Israel. Now Israel went out to
meet the Philistines in battle and camped beside Ebenezer while the Philistines
camped in Aphek.
The
initial battle saw about 4,000 Israelites killed (1 Samuel 4:2). The second battle was
more significant, and 30,000 Israelites were killed, including the two sons of
Eli (1 Samuel 4:10, 11). The Ark was
also taken and brought to the temple of Dagon in Ashdod (1 Samuel 5:1).
When word came to Eli in Shiloh, he fell backward from his perch and broke his
neck (1 Samuel 4:18). Tradition says that it
was actually Saul who was the runner bringing the bad news to Eli.
The
point is that Samson’s final act of judgment upon the Philistines indirectly
brought about the death of Eli and his sons, thus fulfilling the prophecy of
the man of God many years earlier.
In
the big picture, this history lesson shows us the role of the Ark at the end of
the period of the Judges, for it is the Ark that ultimately sets Israel free
from their Philistine captivity. The Philistines took the Ark at the time of
the feast of Tabernacles, and they returned it seven months later (1 Samuel 6:1) at
the time of Pentecost, while men were harvesting wheat (1 Samuel 6:13).
The
presence of the Ark in the temple of Dagon in Ashdod had overthrown their god (1 Samuel 5:3, 4), and the
people were smitten with “tumors” (1 Samuel 5:6). The KJV correctly
reads, “emerods” (hemorrhoids). Why would God do such a thing?
Philistine
religion was based upon a male god (Dagon) and a female god (Atargatis). Dagon
was a fish god (merman), while Atargatis was a fish goddess (mermaid).
Together,
they portrayed a bad marriage, wherein each competed against the other for
power and influence. In the courtyard of the temple of Atargatis, worshipped in
the Philistine city of Askelon, there was a pond holding sacred fish. It was
said that if anyone stole one of them, he would be afflicted with hemorrhoids.
Thus,
when God smote the Philistines with hemorrhoids for stealing the sacred Ark,
they understood the meaning of this divine judgment. That was how God induced
them to give the Ark back to the Israelites.
I
learned this while doing historical research for my book on the life of Samson,
Power of the Flame.
Alas, I learned this particular detail too late to include it in that book.
When
the Ark was returned, the oxen took it to Beth-shemesh, (House of the Rising
Sun) a small community on the ridge overlooking the valley and the road to
Timnah and Ashdod. Shemesh means “the sun,” and it is also the root of
Samson’s name. The wheat harvesters there were not qualified to open the Ark,
and when they did so, they were struck down (electrocuted). This all plays into
the message in the sequence of the Judges’ names, as we saw earlier.
The
actual end of the Philistine captivity came shortly after the Ark was returned
to Israel. Then Samuel led Israel into battle against the Philistines and
defeated them (1 Samuel 7:10, 11). Samuel,
being the one that God had anointed as the “faithful priest” (1 Samuel 2:35)
to replace Eli, fulfilled the role of the overcomers at the time of the end, as
the captivity of the church ends in our time.
THE JUDGES, PART 12 FINAL,
SAMUEL AND THE ARK
As
we have seen already, Samson’s ministry as a Judge was fulfilled almost
exclusively among the Philistines, not in Israel itself. In doing so, he
prophesies of the end-time Judges of the latter days, who will minister beyond
borders to the nations of the world. The primary difference, of course, is that
Samson ministered in the context of the Old Covenant, which brought much death
and destruction through divine judgment. The end-time Judges now minister under
the New Covenant, which brings death to the flesh so that men may be justified
(Romans 6:4, 7).
This
end-time ministry properly began on the day of Pentecost in Acts 2:1, when the Holy Spirit and the tongues of
fire descended upon the disciples in the upper room. Samson’s real ministry as
a Judge came at the time of Pentecost as well, when he burned the ripe wheat of
the Philistines (Judges 15:1, 4, 5). After that, he faced one battle after
another.
Samson
overcame the male Philistine god, Dagon, who was portrayed as a god of strength
and power, but he himself was overcome by the female Philistine goddess,
Atargatis, who proved to be more powerful through her seduction than her male
counterpart with his strength. Samson was a man of great strength, but I
believe that his inner bitterness against Eli and his corrupt sons in Shiloh
seeded him with an inner weakness for their female goddess.
When
the Philistines took the Ark to Ashdod and put it in their temple, it was a
disaster to Israel on the surface, but in the long-term divine plan, it
represented the day when the glory of God would be sent beyond borders to
overthrow the false gods of the nations. This idea coincides well with Samson’s
entire ministry which was spent among the Philistines. The fulfillment of this
prophecy actually began with the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19, 20) under the power of Pentecost, but it
concludes in our time under the power of Tabernacles.
Pentecost
was allotted 40 Jubilees (1,960 years) in which to fulfill the Great Commission
and bring righteousness to the earth. It started out well but failed to
complete the mission, as all of the Pentecostal types and shadows predicted.
The 40 years of Israel in the wilderness ended with the death of all but Caleb
and Joshua. The 40 years of King Saul ended with his death at the hands of the
Philistines. The 40 years of the high priest Eli ended with his death, along
with his corrupt sons that he refused to correct.
Finally,
the 40 Jubilees of the church in the Age of Pentecost also failed to bring
righteousness to the earth, for in the end it has succumbed to the same
rebellious spirit of Israel in the wilderness, the half-hearted obedience of
Saul, and the corruption of Eli. The modern Philistines have blinded the church
and enslaved it to grind their wheat, as with Samson. The Saul church has been
killed by the Philistines once again.
Opening the Ark Under
Tabernacles
Many
good Pentecostals are hoping for a second Pentecost to renew their attempts to
establish righteousness in the earth. However, something greater is coming. It
is a new outpouring of the Holy Spirit that is greater than what was seen in
Acts 2. The Age of Pentecost must give way to a new anointing that is on the
horizon—the anointing of Tabernacles, led by the overcomers.
The
sequence of Judges’ names thus portrays the Ark being opened to release the
light of the sun as it transfigures the overcomers. It is possible that the Ark
of glory will return on Pentecost of some year, for that is when the Ark
returned to the men of Beth-shemesh as they were harvesting their wheat. But it
comes with a warning, as the story shows, for only the overcomers are qualified
to open the Ark and to behold the glory of God.
We
are told in 1 Samuel 7:1, 2 that the Ark was taken to nearby Kiriath-jearim
after it was sent back to Israel, because Shiloh had been destroyed by the
Philistines (Psalm 78:59-64).
Furthermore, the glory had departed from Shiloh (1 Samuel 4:22), never to return to that place
again. Years later, David moved the Ark to Jerusalem, and Solomon placed it in
the temple that he built. But the priests in Jerusalem later corrupted
themselves, and so that city met a similar fate (Jeremiah 7:12, 14).
Centuries
later, the glory of God was seen in Jesus, and after He ascended to heaven, His
glory was sent to earth to abide in a temple made of living stones (1 Corinthians 3:16; 1 Peter 2:5; Revelation 22:4). That temple has been built
during the interim between the two comings of Christ, for we read in Ephesians 2:21,
21 in whom the whole building, being fitted together is growing
into a holy temple in the Lord.
That
temple, I believe, was completed in 2006, which was “seven times” (2,520 years)
after the completion of Jerusalem’s second temple in 515 B.C. After that time,
our revelation says that the vessels of the temple—ministries of Melchizedek
priests—began to be brought to completion. Our revelation from 2001 told us that
God was about to build “effective apostleship.” We were given no time frame for
this, but we know that this “effective apostleship” is still ongoing today.
Israel Repents on the Day of
Atonement
After
the Ark was returned and secured in the Gibeonite town of Kirjiath-jearim,
Samuel gathered the Israelites at Mizpah, where the people repented of the sin
which had caused their captivity 40 years earlier (1 Samuel 7:5, 6). We are given no clue as to when this
gathering occurred. Some may think it occurred 20 years later, based on the
statement in 1 Samuel 7:2 that the Ark
remained in Kirjiath-jearim for the next 20 years. However, that 20-year period
describes only the length of time the Ark remained in that town. It did not
refer to the last half of Israel’s 40-year captivity.
In
my view, which certainly cannot be proven by any biblical text, the gathering
took place as the feast of Tabernacles was approaching. This was a few months
after the Ark had been sent back at Pentecost. It is possible that the people
were at Mizpah for the Day of Atonement and that this is the occasion for their
fast in 1 Samuel 7:6. At the very least, their fast
prophesied of the Day of Atonement, which was a day prophesying repentance.
We
are also told specifically that “Samuel judged the sons of Israel at Mizpah,”
which indicates that Samuel was elected as Israel’s next Judge to replace the
late great Samson. Because a Judge was also a military commander to set Israel
free from captivity, it is plain that the people expected Samuel to act in that
role in addition to being a priest and a prophet.
When
the Philistines heard of the gathering at Mizpah and got wind of the talk about
revolt, they themselves gathered an army to put down the revolt. 1 Samuel 7:7 says,
7 Now when the Philistines heard that the sons of Israel had gathered to
Mizpah, the lords of the Philistines went up against Israel. And when the sons
of Israel heard it, they were afraid of the Philistines.
But
God brought deliverance through Samuel, because the presence of God had
returned to them. Because the people had repented at the word of the prophet,
they were now eligible for deliverance, and the captivity was about to end.
Deliverance at the Feast of
Tabernacles
We
read in 1 Samuel 7:10,
10 Now Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, and the Philistines
drew near to battle against Israel. But the Lord thundered with a great thunder
on that day against the Philistines and confused them, so that they were routed
before Israel.
Notice
the comparison between this rain and the rain that came on the day of Pentecost
when Saul was soon to be anointed as king. 1 Samuel 12:17, 18 says,
17 Is it not the wheat harvest today? I will call to the Lord, that He
may send thunder and rain. Then you will know and see that your wickedness is
great which you have done in the sight of the Lord by asking for yourselves a
king. 18 So Samuel called to the Lord, and the Lord sent thunder and
rain that day; and all the people greatly feared the Lord and Samuel.
Notice
that on both occasions, the people were afraid. The two rainstorms speak of the
early and latter rains prophesied in Joel 2:23. The early rains came in October and
November to prepare the soil for planting, while the latter rains came in April
and May to ripen the wheat for harvest. These rains prophesy of the outpouring
of the Holy Spirit on two occasions.
On
Pentecost in Acts 2, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit was the latter rain at
the time of wheat harvest. The 120 disciples represented the first fruits of
the wheat harvest, and after they were offered to God, the general harvest
began in order to fulfill the Great Commission.
The
second outpouring of the Holy Spirit is the early rain that is associated with
the feast of Tabernacles. The timing of the two rains appear to be inverted
chronologically, for it seems strange that the latter rain would come before
the early rain. However, because Moses had changed Israel’s calendar in Exodus 12:1, 2, the first month was shifted from September to
April, that is, from the month of Tabernacles to the month of Passover.
The
Pentecostal rain that God sent at the coronation of Saul was designed to cause
the Israelites to repent of their desire for a man to displace God’s direct
rule. That rain was poured out upon the church to teach them that having a
vicar of Christ is not the same as being ruled directly by Jesus Christ. The
Tabernacles rain, however, was directed at the Philistines after the church had
repented.
What does this tell us in
prophecy?
The
latter-day outpouring of the Holy Spirit will be for the benefit of the
nations. They will lose control of the last beast empire, which will appear to
be a disaster to their carnal minds, but in reality, it will be the extension
of God’s mercy to them. They too will be brought into the Kingdom, for the
great Stone Kingdom will grow until it fills the whole earth (Daniel 2:35). This rain, when interpreted through
New Covenant eyes, builds upon the earlier prophecy that the Ark (glory of God)
was to go beyond borders to overthrow idols and false gods.
Recall
that the Ark was taken by the Philistines seven months before it was returned
at Pentecost (1 Samuel 6:1). That
indicates that the Ark had been taken at the feast of Tabernacles, which was
seven months before the next Pentecost. One year later, then, at the feast of
Tabernacles, the early rain hit the Philistines as they marched toward Mizpah
to subdue the Israelite revolt. This rain caused great “confusion” among the
Philistines, because that is what happens when the carnal mind encounters the
Spirit of God.
Samuel the Last Judge
Samuel’s
name is derived from two Hebrew words: shama and el. The word shama
means “to hear or obey.” El is “God.” As a child, Samuel heard the word
of the Lord and obeyed (1 Samuel 3:10). His
obedience should be seen in contrast to Eli, who refused to obey God.
Hence,
in the sequence of the Judges’ names, we must view Samuel as representing the
overcomers who hear and obey God’s voice. They are the ones who have the
promise of transfiguration as the body of the transfigured Christ. They are the
ones through whom the glory of God will be revealed and through whom the rain
of the Holy Spirit will be sent forth. These are “the priests of God and of
Christ” who will reign with Christ for a thousand years in the great
Tabernacles Age, the Sabbath Millennium that is soon to come (Revelation 20:6).
So
we may now make the final addition to the revelation of the Judges’ names:
“The
voice of God united in His sons (in an orderly manner that is subject to God’s
Word) will fell the enemy by the power of the blood of Christ and by the light
of transfiguration and will open the Ark, revealing the splendor of the
indwelling Christ, the Lamb of God, seated on His throne, judging the nations
as the great Servant, working through the overcoming priests of God who hear
and obey His voice, and showing forth the light of the Sun.”
No comments:
Post a Comment