1Kings, chapter 16, comments, the decline of ancient Israel continues

 

1Kings 16:1 ¶  Then the word of the LORD came to Jehu the son of Hanani against Baasha, saying, 2  Forasmuch as I exalted thee out of the dust, and made thee prince over my people Israel; and thou hast walked in the way of Jeroboam, and hast made my people Israel to sin, to provoke me to anger with their sins; 3  Behold, I will take away the posterity of Baasha, and the posterity of his house; and will make thy house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat. 4  Him that dieth of Baasha in the city shall the dogs eat; and him that dieth of his in the fields shall the fowls of the air eat. 5  Now the rest of the acts of Baasha, and what he did, and his might, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? 6  So Baasha slept with his fathers, and was buried in Tirzah: and Elah his son reigned in his stead. 7  And also by the hand of the prophet Jehu the son of Hanani came the word of the LORD against Baasha, and against his house, even for all the evil that he did in the sight of the LORD, in provoking him to anger with the work of his hands, in being like the house of Jeroboam; and because he killed him. 8  In the twenty and sixth year of Asa king of Judah began Elah the son of Baasha to reign over Israel in Tirzah, two years. 9  And his servant Zimri, captain of half his chariots, conspired against him, as he was in Tirzah, drinking himself drunk in the house of Arza steward of his house in Tirzah. 10  And Zimri went in and smote him, and killed him, in the twenty and seventh year of Asa king of Judah, and reigned in his stead. 11  And it came to pass, when he began to reign, as soon as he sat on his throne, that he slew all the house of Baasha: he left him not one that pisseth against a wall, neither of his kinsfolks, nor of his friends. 12  Thus did Zimri destroy all the house of Baasha, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake against Baasha by Jehu the prophet, 13  For all the sins of Baasha, and the sins of Elah his son, by which they sinned, and by which they made Israel to sin, in provoking the LORD God of Israel to anger with their vanities. 14  Now the rest of the acts of Elah, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

Jehu will be mentioned again in 2Chronicles 16, 19, and 20. He prophesies against Baahsa. Baahsa’s son, Elah, rules for two years after him before a coup by Zimri who then killed Elah and murdered Baahsa’s posterity. Israel’s decline proceeds with these constant interruptions of dynastic succession and usurpation of the throne.

1Kings 16:15 ¶  In the twenty and seventh year of Asa king of Judah did Zimri reign seven days in Tirzah. And the people were encamped against Gibbethon, which belonged to the Philistines. 16  And the people that were encamped heard say, Zimri hath conspired, and hath also slain the king: wherefore all Israel made Omri, the captain of the host, king over Israel that day in the camp. 17  And Omri went up from Gibbethon, and all Israel with him, and they besieged Tirzah. 18  And it came to pass, when Zimri saw that the city was taken, that he went into the palace of the king’s house, and burnt the king’s house over him with fire, and died, 19  For his sins which he sinned in doing evil in the sight of the LORD, in walking in the way of Jeroboam, and in his sin which he did, to make Israel to sin. 20  Now the rest of the acts of Zimri, and his treason that he wrought, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? 21  Then were the people of Israel divided into two parts: half of the people followed Tibni the son of Ginath, to make him king; and half followed Omri. 22  But the people that followed Omri prevailed against the people that followed Tibni the son of Ginath: so Tibni died, and Omri reigned. 23  In the thirty and first year of Asa king of Judah began Omri to reign over Israel, twelve years: six years reigned he in Tirzah. 24  And he bought the hill Samaria of Shemer for two talents of silver, and built on the hill, and called the name of the city which he built, after the name of Shemer, owner of the hill, Samaria. 25  But Omri wrought evil in the eyes of the LORD, and did worse than all that were before him. 26  For he walked in all the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and in his sin wherewith he made Israel to sin, to provoke the LORD God of Israel to anger with their vanities. 27  Now the rest of the acts of Omri which he did, and his might that he shewed, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? 28  So Omri slept with his fathers, and was buried in Samaria: and Ahab his son reigned in his stead.

In the confusion that is the Northern Kingdom of Israel Zimri will reign only a week in Tirzah before Omri, made the leader of by the men of Israel, will lay siege to his forces in the city. Zimri then committed suicide in a most dramatic fashion. The traitor, Zimri, out of the way, half of Israel follows Omri and half Tibni so there are two so-called kings vying for control. Tibni is defeated and dies so the way is clear for Omri to reign. He rules for 12 years and is noteworthy for building the city of Samaria. But he was evil and worse than all those before him, being like Jeroboam. Finally, his son Ahab reigns.

Jeroboam reigned 22 years over Israel after the insurrection against Rehoboam. His son reigned 2 years. He died in Baasha’s coup, who then reigned 24 years. Elah, his son, reigned 2 years, before the coups engineered by Zimri took place. Then, we have Omri for 12 years until his son, Ahab. 62 years have passed since the taking of the northern tribes by Jeroboam. We will see that Ahab will reign 22 years from Samaria. 84 years will have passed since the division of Israel before another king reigns after Ahab. Think of this when you lament how far your own country has fallen to see how long a degeneration can take place before a final judgment.

Rehoboam, Solomon’s son, reigned 17 years over Judah and Benjamin. Abijam, his son, reigned 3 years. Asa, after him, reigns 41 years. So, Ahab’s reign starts 62 years after Jeroboam takes the northern kingdom. The question I ask myself is how far into the reign of Rehoboam did the events of 1Kings, chapter 12, happen? This will help us adjust the timelines to make them match as the upcoming reign of Jehosaphat will require. These years and reigns as listed are very specific so there is no benefit in questioning them but there is in our trying to understand.

Many scholars have worked to reconcile the reigns including notably Edwin R. Thiele in his The Mysterious Numbers of the Hebrew Kings and the counter to his research in Dr. Floyd Jones’ The Chronology of the Old Testament. However, I think that rather than all of the shenanigans about arguing over a year here or a year there we must take into account that these are always general numbers and subject to events not mentioned in the text as they were not considered important like was Rehoboam’s tax collector killed and he threatened with death right away in the first year of his reign or did he manage to hold the entire nation together for a time. It’s just not too meaningful to quibble over discrepancies like this considering how the reigns, for instance, of the kings of England were disputed in some cases. I would tend to give more credence to Ussher, in his chronology but would not lose any sleep over it.

We’ll address this more when we get to Jehoshaphat.

1Kings 16:29 ¶  And in the thirty and eighth year of Asa king of Judah began Ahab the son of Omri to reign over Israel: and Ahab the son of Omri reigned over Israel in Samaria twenty and two years. 30  And Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the LORD above all that were before him. 31  And it came to pass, as if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, that he took to wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Zidonians, and went and served Baal, and worshipped him. 32  And he reared up an altar for Baal in the house of Baal, which he had built in Samaria. 33  And Ahab made a grove; and Ahab did more to provoke the LORD God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel that were before him. 34  In his days did Hiel the Bethelite build Jericho: he laid the foundation thereof in Abiram his firstborn, and set up the gates thereof in his youngest son Segub, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake by Joshua the son of Nun.

It is clearly said here that Ahab of the northern kingdom of Israel begins his notorious reign late in reign of King Asa of Judah. The son of Omri, a usurper, he would reign for 22 years. He was evil. He also took to wife, Jezebel, a wicked woman and both worshipped Baal. Ahab even made a grove to this devil.

Genesis 10:15 ¶  And Canaan begat Sidon his firstborn…

1Chronicles 1:13  And Canaan begat Zidon his firstborn…

Sidon/Zidon is known as a city of Phoenicia, whose merchants will spread the alphabet from what is called Proto-Canaanite script, that plays such a part in the Exodus, as in God giving His Law, creating the writing that contrasted with the pictograms of hieroglyphics and cuneiform writing that dominated the ancient world. The basic units of writing, the letters, become symbols for ideas rather than pictures representing things to be worshipped as idols. ‘A’, instead of a symbol for a bull or an ox, is Aleph in Hebrew and Alpha in Greek, and ‘A’ for modern purposes. A good study for this is Marc A. Ouaknin’s Mysteries of the Alphabet.

The Phoenicians spread the alphabet, and their pernicious religious practices even to the sacrificing of 300 babies to Baal in one day in Carthage as a plea to that devil to end a Roman siege, probably started during their sojourn in Babel or Babylon, sailing around the world, trading from England to Somalia to Australia, and perhaps even the Americas based on some limited archaeological evidence of Phoenician coins and other things. Early American Christians believed that the Native Americans of the east coast, at least, were descendants of Canaanites, as some of them wrote.

Isaiah 23:2  Be still, ye inhabitants of the isle; thou whom the merchants of Zidon, that pass over the sea, have replenished.

 

In verse 34 we have the fulfillment of a prophecy from Joshua, chapter 6, hundreds of years ago.

Joshua 6:26  And Joshua adjured them at that time, saying, Cursed be the man before the LORD, that riseth up and buildeth this city Jericho: he shall lay the foundation thereof in his firstborn, and in his youngest son shall he set up the gates of it.

 

 

 

 

 

Revelation 4, verses 1 to 7, part 8, classifications

 

Verse 7 shows God’s taxonomic classification; flying creatures, domesticated, wild, and man. Man’s connection to the other animals is through these living creatures.  All creatures were made after their kind as it says in Genesis.

Genesis 1:21  And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good…25  And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

Genesis 6:20  Of fowls after their kind, and of cattle after their kind, of every creeping thing of the earth after his kind, two of every sort shall come unto thee, to keep them alive.

Genesis 7:14  They, and every beast after his kind, and all the cattle after their kind, and every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind, and every fowl after his kind, every bird of every sort.

Obviously, this is a very general classification and has nothing to do with the dozens of species that Darwin and modern scientists use to classify different living creatures. Much is made by the creationist minded and the fundamentalist about the phrase after their kind in Genesis 1:21,25; 6:20; & 7:14. The word kind contrary to what is said often, does not refer to an individual species, whichever of the many definitions of species you use[1], whether it be a local, isolated group of finches or something like the, “breed,” of Animal Husbandry’s dog breeding. (Although there are significant differences between breed and species they are also not from the same disciplines so the issue is basically one about definition of terms that refer to similar but not identical things.)

One of the things Charles Darwin was against was the popularly preached by clerics and many pre-Darwin biologists view that every species of animal that existed in his day was said to have come down from an original ancestor just like them in a doctrine called, “the immutability of species.” If there are a hundred species of a type of bird today then those species would have existed back to Noah’s Ark, goes the idea. This is, of course, absurd as mankind created many breeds of dogs in the last two hundred years alone. If you regarded a breed and a species as having similar meanings but under different types of scientific disciplines, Zoology versus Animal Husbandry, then you can imagine speciation, the process where different breeds or species of dogs, cats, horses, or birds came about taking place rather quickly in history.

 But the word kind doesn’t mean species at all. It is more like a general type of creature. Many species of cats came from the first cat creatures on Noah’s Ark. The problem with evolution is that the cat never became a dog, the pea never became a chrysanthemum, and an ape-like creature never became a man. There is no evidence of such a thing occurring without twisting the evidence into knots and the whole popularly understood concept of evolution in that regard, called macroevolution, is a fairy tale for atheists and in complete opposition to the Bible and reality.

Modern taxonomic classifications of living things are purely man-made and are totally subjective to what man chooses to include as a characteristic of the creature being named. God classifies animals differently based on characteristics that would be understood by men without microscopes. For instance, fowls fly, so the bat is a fowl in Leviticus 11:19 and Deuteronomy 14:18 and the Hebrew could not eat fowl with certain characteristics. The words reptile and mammal were classifications created by man for his own convenience and study. The Bible speaks of beasts of the field domestic animals, and beasts of the forest wild animals. It speaks about animals in the way of their usefulness generally to agricultural man or military man, not their peculiarities to the curious, modern man. Trying to force man’s definitions of everything from beasts to sin on the Bible’s definitions is futile and arrogant. When you argue allowing your opponent to control the definitions of words you are surrendering all leverage to them. Finally, a whale is a large creature that swims in the sea and therefore can be called a great fish, because fish are creatures that swim in the sea. Compare Jonah 1:17 and Matthew 12:40. The order, Cetacea, for whales, is not a concern of the Bible. A whale simply signifies a Leviathan, a large creature which, like all creatures, came first from the sea and then other creatures from the earth. (Genesis 1:20-24) Human taxonomic classifications are different language for a different purpose.

Don’t read your own definitions, preferences, or opinions any more than your own personal fears, hatreds, or bigotry back into the Bible.

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[1] John S. Wilkins, “A List of 26 Species “Concepts”, Science Blogs: Evolving Thoughts, http://scienceblogs.com/evolvingthoughts/2006/10/01/a-list-of-26-species-concepts/ (accessed 1.14.2015).

 

Genesis 4, verse 8, the beginning of all religious violence

 

Genesis 4:8 ¶  And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him.

Jews killed Christians. Christians killed Jews. Catholics killed Anabaptists and Protestants. Protestants killed Catholics and Anabaptists. Catholics killed Muslims. Muslims killed Catholics and Protestants. Hindus killed Buddhists. Muslims killed Hindus. Buddhists killed Hindus. Buddhists killed Muslims. It just goes on and on throughout history. False religion not only kills true followers of God, trying to worship God’s way, and not only them but even other false religions as they try to justify themselves before God without following God. We have a false belief today that if two parties are fighting and we know one is wrong the other must be right. Of course, both can be wrong.

John 16:2  They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.

Mark 15:9  But Pilate answered them, saying, Will ye that I release unto you the King of the Jews? 10  For he knew that the chief priests had delivered him for envy.

The Roman Catholic Church viewed itself as Christ’s kingdom on earth, ruling the earth in His name and in His place, following manmade tradition, political violence, and religious-inspired carnage. The British Empire believed it was put in place by God with the King or Queen as head of the Anglican Church, God’s representative on earth, spreading Christianity around the globe with cannon and shot. Evangelicals in America had tremendous influence in foreign policy in the disastrous events after World War One that set us up for World War Two and even today push the government to support Israel and gloat about that support, even though the American government works at odds with what is in Israel’s best interests and tells that country what to do even pressuring Israel to give up Gaza two decades ago causing the situation today where Israel’s very existence is under threat. False religion murders, bombs, shoots, stabs, incinerates, and whether they are Christians, Muslims, Hindus, or what, they then walk into their self-made temples, mosques, or churches with heads held high proud of their service for God.

And so, Cain killed Abel in the beginning of all religious violence.

Psalm 113 comments, Praise ye the LORD

 

Psalm 113:1 ¶  Praise ye the LORD. Praise, O ye servants of the LORD, praise the name of the LORD. 2  Blessed be the name of the LORD from this time forth and for evermore. 3  From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same the LORD’S name is to be praised. 4  The LORD is high above all nations, and his glory above the heavens. 5  Who is like unto the LORD our God, who dwelleth on high, 6  Who humbleth himself to behold the things that are in heaven, and in the earth! 7  He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth the needy out of the dunghill; 8  That he may set him with princes, even with the princes of his people. 9  He maketh the barren woman to keep house, and to be a joyful mother of children. Praise ye the LORD.

Here is a magnificent Psalm we can all pray aloud, praising the Creator of all things. According to John Gill this was sung at Jewish festivals and possibly by the Lord Jesus Christ after the Lord’s Supper.

Psalm 33:2  Praise the LORD with harp: sing unto him with the psaltery and an instrument of ten strings.

Psalm 134:1 ¶  «A Song of degrees.» Behold, bless ye the LORD, all ye servants of the LORD, which by night stand in the house of the LORD.

Some have said that this repeating of praise three times in verse 1 is a veiled reference to the three parts of God, popularly called the Trinity. So that has also been said of the following verses.

Numbers 6:24  The LORD bless thee, and keep thee: 25  The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: 26  The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.

Psalm 96:1 ¶  O sing unto the LORD a new song: sing unto the LORD, all the earth. 2  Sing unto the LORD, bless his name; shew forth his salvation from day to day.

The Lord’s name is to be praised at all times and in all places as it was at the beginning, as early commentators pointed out.

Job 38:4 ¶  Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding. 5  Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it? 6  Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the corner stone thereof; 7  When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?

 

We shall praise Him forever for our salvation.

Revelation 5:8  And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints. 9  And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; 10  And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth. 11  And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands; 12  Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing. 13  And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever. 14  And the four beasts said, Amen. And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever.

 

Praise Him all the day long. Praise Him while you have breath in your body. He is beyond our comprehension greater than all things He has created.

 

Psalm 97:9  For thou, LORD, art high above all the earth: thou art exalted far above all gods.

 

Isaiah 40:17  All nations before him are as nothing; and they are counted to him less than nothing, and vanity.

 

Job 5:9  Which doeth great things and unsearchable; marvellous things without number:

 

Psalm 145:3  Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable.

 

Verse 6 reminds me of Christ, who being God, humbled Himself to live as one of us, to see things from both above and from below.

 

Hebrews 10:5  Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me:

 

Hebrews 2:16  For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham.

 

The blessings of God are made apparent in verses 7 through 9 in His miraculous control over human events and so-called natural events. Neither the happenings of men or the workings of the natural world are beyond His power. He is merciful.

 

We should pray this Psalm back to God and be grateful and joyful to the Lord for His magnificent mercy and for His mercy and for His plan for our lives. Praise Him!

Revelation 4, verses 1 to 7, part 7, a sea of glass like unto crystal

 

Verses 6 – 8: In front of the throne was a sea of glass like a crystal. Can you picture it? Here are some other references to the terrible beauty of God’s throne.

Ezekiel 1:22  And the likeness of the firmament upon the heads of the living creature was as the colour of the terrible crystal, stretched forth over their heads above.

Exodus 24:10  And they saw the God of Israel: and there was under his feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven in his clearness.

These four beasts with eyes in front and in back, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come, are like the four beasts referred to in Ezekiel’s two visions.

Ezekiel 1:4 ¶  And I looked, and, behold, a whirlwind came out of the north, a great cloud, and a fire infolding itself, and a brightness was about it, and out of the midst thereof as the colour of amber, out of the midst of the fire. 5  Also out of the midst thereof came the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance; they had the likeness of a man. 6  And every one had four faces, and every one had four wings. 7  And their feet were straight feet; and the sole of their feet was like the sole of a calf’s foot: and they sparkled like the colour of burnished brass. 8  And they had the hands of a man under their wings on their four sides; and they four had their faces and their wings. 9  Their wings were joined one to another; they turned not when they went; they went every one straight forward. 10  As for the likeness of their faces, they four had the face of a man, and the face of a lion, on the right side: and they four had the face of an ox on the left side; they four also had the face of an eagle. 11  Thus were their faces: and their wings were stretched upward; two wings of every one were joined one to another, and two covered their bodies. 12  And they went every one straight forward: whither the spirit was to go, they went; and they turned not when they went. 13  As for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance was like burning coals of fire, and like the appearance of lamps: it went up and down among the living creatures; and the fire was bright, and out of the fire went forth lightning. 14  And the living creatures ran and returned as the appearance of a flash of lightning.

    15 ¶  Now as I beheld the living creatures, behold one wheel upon the earth by the living creatures, with his four faces. 16  The appearance of the wheels and their work was like unto the colour of a beryl: and they four had one likeness: and their appearance and their work was as it were a wheel in the middle of a wheel. 17  When they went, they went upon their four sides: and they turned not when they went. 18  As for their rings, they were so high that they were dreadful; and their rings were full of eyes round about them four. 19  And when the living creatures went, the wheels went by them: and when the living creatures were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up. 20  Whithersoever the spirit was to go, they went, thither was their spirit to go; and the wheels were lifted up over against them: for the spirit of the living creature was in the wheels. 21  When those went, these went; and when those stood, these stood; and when those were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up over against them: for the spirit of the living creature was in the wheels. 22  And the likeness of the firmament upon the heads of the living creature was as the colour of the terrible crystal, stretched forth over their heads above. 23  And under the firmament were their wings straight, the one toward the other: every one had two, which covered on this side, and every one had two, which covered on that side, their bodies. 24  And when they went, I heard the noise of their wings, like the noise of great waters, as the voice of the Almighty, the voice of speech, as the noise of an host: when they stood, they let down their wings. 25  And there was a voice from the firmament that was over their heads, when they stood, and had let down their wings.

    26 ¶  And above the firmament that was over their heads was the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone: and upon the likeness of the throne was the likeness as the appearance of a man above upon it. 27  And I saw as the colour of amber, as the appearance of fire round about within it, from the appearance of his loins even upward, and from the appearance of his loins even downward, I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and it had brightness round about. 28  As the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness round about. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. And when I saw it, I fell upon my face, and I heard a voice of one that spake.

Ezekiel 10: 1 ¶  Then I looked, and, behold, in the firmament that was above the head of the cherubims there appeared over them as it were a sapphire stone, as the appearance of the likeness of a throne. 2  And he spake unto the man clothed with linen, and said, Go in between the wheels, even under the cherub, and fill thine hand with coals of fire from between the cherubims, and scatter them over the city. And he went in in my sight. 3  Now the cherubims stood on the right side of the house, when the man went in; and the cloud filled the inner court. 4  Then the glory of the LORD went up from the cherub, and stood over the threshold of the house; and the house was filled with the cloud, and the court was full of the brightness of the LORD’S glory. 5  And the sound of the cherubims’ wings was heard even to the outer court, as the voice of the Almighty God when he speaketh. 6  And it came to pass, that when he had commanded the man clothed with linen, saying, Take fire from between the wheels, from between the cherubims; then he went in, and stood beside the wheels. 7  And one cherub stretched forth his hand from between the cherubims unto the fire that was between the cherubims, and took thereof, and put it into the hands of him that was clothed with linen: who took it, and went out.

    8 ¶  And there appeared in the cherubims the form of a man’s hand under their wings. 9  And when I looked, behold the four wheels by the cherubims, one wheel by one cherub, and another wheel by another cherub: and the appearance of the wheels was as the colour of a beryl stone. 10  And as for their appearances, they four had one likeness, as if a wheel had been in the midst of a wheel. 11  When they went, they went upon their four sides; they turned not as they went, but to the place whither the head looked they followed it; they turned not as they went. 12  And their whole body, and their backs, and their hands, and their wings, and the wheels, were full of eyes round about, even the wheels that they four had. 13  As for the wheels, it was cried unto them in my hearing, O wheel. 14  And every one had four faces: the first face was the face of a cherub, and the second face was the face of a man, and the third the face of a lion, and the fourth the face of an eagle. 15  And the cherubims were lifted up. This is the living creature that I saw by the river of Chebar.

Lion, calf or ox or cherub, eagle, and man’s are the faces of these creatures. There are two curious things here.  The first is that Satan was a cherub. The reference in the following verses begins talking about the King of Tyre likening him to Satan, which gives us more important information about Satan than it does Tyre’s king. This is a way the Bible uses one description to describe two individuals. You describe how one is like the other and you have a prophecy of both.

Ezekiel 28:11 ¶  Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 12  Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty. 13  Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created. 14  Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. 15  Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee. 16  By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire. 17  Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee. 18  Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee. 19  All they that know thee among the people shall be astonished at thee: thou shalt be a terror, and never shalt thou be any more.

As you can see, Satan is a cherub, a living creature, in the form of a beast. He is, in Job, chapter 41, in another multi-layered description of a dinosaur, or dragon in pre-1800’s terminology, and a king over all the children of pride.

Satan is called a dragon as you can see by cross-referencing;

Isaiah 27:1  In that day the LORD with his sore and great and strong sword shall punish leviathan the piercing serpent, even leviathan that crooked serpent; and he shall slay the dragon that is in the sea.

Revelation 12:9  And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

Satan is a dragon, what we today call a dinosaur, in appearance, but can appear as an angel of light to deceive us.

2Corinthians 11:13  For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. 14  And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. 15  Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.

The second curious thing is that one of these creatures has the face of a man. So, God could have made a beast with a man’s face but instead He made man to be very different although made of similar materials. We live longer than most creatures. We take longer to mature. Most creatures have lived their life cycle long before we are adults. We are helpless physically and need to manipulate our environment to protect ourselves and make weapons to fight against other predators. Our brains consume 60% of our available energy, I’ve read, although I have not confirmed this and that’s why I’m not citing the source. Just putting it out there for conversation purposes.  Anyway, one of the prototypes for beasts has the face of a man. It is not the face of an ape as God could have said that easily.  We were originally made in God’s image, in His likeness, as Genesis 1:26.

Adam, being the first man, was a son of God. He was created to look like God.

Luke 3:38  Which was the son of Enos, which was the son of Seth, which was the son of Adam, which was the son of God.

Genesis 1:26  And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

After Adam’s sin mankind began to degenerate and Adam’s descendants were made in his image, lacking the perfection that God intended.

Genesis 5:3  And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, after his image; and called his name Seth:

From this scientific fact we can make a prediction. All humanity has and will experience genetic decay as long as we exist in this physical existence. I refer you to Alexey Kondrashov’s 1995 article in the Journal of Theoretical Biology entitled, “Contamination of the Genome by very Slightly Deleterious Mutations: Why Have We Not Died 100 Times Over?”[1] Another example is James F. Crow’s “The High Spontaneous Mutation Rate: Is it a Health Risk?” for the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science. [2] There has been nothing since these papers to indicate the opposite idea, that mankind is genetically improving.

Image and likeness have to do with how you look, not your mental character or spiritual state. Adam walked upright like God.

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[1] Alexey Kondrashov, “Contamination of the Genome by very Slightly Deleterious Mutations: Why Have We Not Died 100 Times Over?” Journal of Theoretical Biology 175 (1995): 583-594.

[2] James F. Crow, “The High Spontaneous Mutation Rate: Is it a Health Risk?” Proceedings of the National Academy of Science Vol. 94 (August 1997): 8380–8386.

Genesis 4, verses 6 and 7, if thou doest well

 

Genesis 4:6 ¶  And the LORD said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen? 7  If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.

            There at two streams flowing here. One has to do with worship that is pleasing to God and the other has to do with sin itself. We need to consider everything that has happened until now. Adam and Eve sinned following Satan’s deception disobeying the one command that we know of that their Creator had given them. Abel offered up the sacrifice that God required for without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sins (Hebrews 9:22). “Why are you angry, Cain? Do what is required and your offering will be accepted. If you do right, you will conquer sin and sin will not rule over you, but you over him.” See how sin is personified as having a desire toward Cain in the right circumstance as the woman is to desire her husband and submit to him? See 3:16 for the definition of what it means for Eve to desire her husband and submitting to him as a consequence.

3:16  Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.

            But if Cain or we will not obey God’s word then sin awaits to control or dominate us.

Romans 6:5  For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: 6  Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.

 

            You may not have thought of yourself as a servant to sin but just ask any alcoholic, drug addict or someone addicted to porn and they will tell you who their boss is. Ask someone engaged in an illicit affair with another person and they might tell you they feel compelled to do what they are doing, drawn like a moth to a flame, without any ability to say no.

With regard to religious expression Christians have the Bible definition of religion, the outward expression of our inner faith.

James 1:27  Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.

We do not offer up animal sacrifices as Christ was our sacrifice once and for all.

Ephesians 5:2  And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.

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

 

Hebrews 10:10  By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

1Peter 3:18  For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:

Christians have the Bible definition of the proof or fruit of the Spirit of God dwelling inside of us.

Galatians 5:22  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23  Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. 24  And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. 25  If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

Are our lives and our worship pleasing to God or simply pleasing to ourselves, our own fears, our own bigotry, or our own paranoia and self-justification? Are we Cain or are we Abel? Obedience to God is tied into our ability to overcome sin. While we have been saved from the penalty of sin, have the power to be saved from the power of sin, and will be saved from the presence of sin we still must deal with our flesh.

These verses link the state of our relationship to God and our obedience to His word, what He has said He wants or requires, to our ability to resist sin. We come to God on His terms not ours. He came to us on His terms not ours. Whether it be the nature of our worship or the way we live, sin waits to control us if we will not obey Him. Again, are you a Cain doing things your way or are you an Abel doing things God’s way?

Revelation 4, verses 1 to 7, part 6, lightnings and thunderings and voices

 

Verse 5 – Now, get the frightening picture here of lightning and thunder and voices coming from the throne. Note the repeat of this later in Revelation;

Revelation 8:5  And the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire of the altar, and cast it into the earth: and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake.

…and in the parallel passage…

Revelation 16:18  And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great.

…and see how God’s presence manifested itself to the Hebrews, escaped from Egypt…

Exodus 19:16 ¶  And it came to pass on the third day in the morning, that there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud; so that all the people that was in the camp trembled.

Exodus 20:18 ¶  And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood afar off.

The seven lamps in front of the throne are the seven Spirits of God.

Ezekiel 1:13  As for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance was like burning coals of fire, and like the appearance of lamps: it went up and down among the living creatures; and the fire was bright, and out of the fire went forth lightning.

Daniel 10:6  His body also was like the beryl, and his face as the appearance of lightning, and his eyes as lamps of fire, and his arms and his feet like in colour to polished brass, and the voice of his words like the voice of a multitude.

Revelation 3:1 ¶  And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write; These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead.

Revelation 5:6 ¶  And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.

I’ve already explained how spirit and mind are synonymous. Notice that the spirits, lowercase s, in Isaiah 11:2, even if you could stretch it out to say there were seven, are attitudes, wisdom, and knowledge, not entity or entities.

Isaiah 11:1 ¶  And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: 2  And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD; 3  And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears: 4  But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.

God can send you a spirit or mind, lowercase s….

Exodus 28:3  And thou shalt speak unto all that are wise hearted, whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom, that they may make Aaron’s garments to consecrate him, that he may minister unto me in the priest’s office.

Exodus 31:3  And I have filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship,

…or His own Spirit, uppercase S.

Judges 6:34  But the Spirit of the LORD came upon Gideon, and he blew a trumpet; and Abiezer was gathered after him.

John 14:17  Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.

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

Genesis 4, verses 3 to 5, Cain and Abel and their offerings

 

Genesis 4:3 ¶  And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD. 4  And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering: 5  But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.

The process of time is used several times in the Bible to indicate the passage of time. For instance, 2Chronicles 21:19 begins with, And it came to pass, that in process of time, after the end of two years.

Cain gave a plant offering, a vegetable or fruit offering, to God, as the Hindus do today in the Prasada, a vegetable offering to a god. It is important to them that their god accepts only a strict vegetable offering, so that nothing experiences pain or suffering. Prasada means mercy in Sanskrit, the grace of the god they invoke.

Abel offered up the firstling of his flock. Something living was sacrificed and died. Blood was shed. The issue here is this;

Hebrews 9:22  And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.

Leviticus 17:11  For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.

There is no remissions of sins, no forgiveness for sins, without the shedding of blood. Animal sacrifices, as clearly animals are important to God, were substitutions for His own flesh which He sacrificed on the Cross at Calvary and His own blood which He shed for our sins.

Acts 20:28  Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.

Ephesians 5:2  And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.

Hebrews 9:12  Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.

Hebrews 13:12  Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate.

Revelation 1:5  And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,

And here, very clearly, regarding the law given to Moses;

Hebrews 10:1 ¶  For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect. 2  For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins. 3  But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year. 4  For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins. 5  Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me: 6  In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure.

Animal sacrifices were a remembrance and an acknowledgement of the sinful state of mankind. But, God Himself put our sins away from us so that we would neither be held accountable for them nor would we have to bring them to remembrance at established times. This possibility was hinted at in the Old Testament;

Psalm 103:12  As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.

Read Revelation 1:5 above again. God did not regard Cain’s offering but He did regard Abel’s. This made Cain angry, but did not lead him to repent and do what God demanded. This reminds me of the religionist today who will not so much as even acknowledge his own sinful state but insists that reciting such things as The Lord’s Prayer, taking communion, or rushing to the church building whenever the doors are open should be good enough to justify himself or herself before God. I’ll do it my way, they think in their hearts, and you ought to accept me because of my effort. We Christians, because of Christ, do not offer animal sacrifices, but are to offer sacrifices pleasing to God in regard to His sacrifice of Himself, Christ.

Psalm 141:2  Let my prayer be set forth before thee as incense; and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.

Hosea 14:2  Take with you words, and turn to the LORD: say unto him, Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously: so will we render the calves of our lips.

Hebrews 13:15  By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.

Revelation 4, verses 1 to 7, part 5, a throne in Heaven

 

The voice John heard sounds like a trumpet, which is shortened to trump elsewhere.

1Corinthians 15:52  In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

1Thessalonians 4:16  For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:

Come up hither or come up here is said two other times in the Bible as such; Revelation 11:12 and Proverbs 25:7.

At this point there is no more mention of the church, named as such, in the Book of Revelation. This voice is going to tell John of things that are coming about hereafter, after the church is gone.

Verse 2 - In chapter one, verse ten, John was in the Spirit, uppercase S, which is the Holy Spirit of God. Here, in verse 2 he is in his own spirit and carried up. Paul saw the third heaven, as well, but was not sure if he was in his body or, presumably, in his spirit. I want to read about this experience again.

2Corinthians 12:1 ¶  It is not expedient for me doubtless to glory. I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord. 2  I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven. 3  And I knew such a man, (whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) 4  How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.

In any event, this is John seeing this for himself and it is not a vision shown to him in a trance or mystical state. He saw a throne in heaven that had someone seated on it.

Verse 3 – The image is one of a jewel-like beauty.

Exodus 24:10  And they saw the God of Israel: and there was under his feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven in his clearness.

Ezekiel 1:26 ¶  And above the firmament that was over their heads was the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone: and upon the likeness of the throne was the likeness as the appearance of a man above upon it.

Verse 4 – Who are the twenty four elders? Are they the twelve Hebrew patriarchs and the twelve Apostles, including Paul? Or, are they, being elders, twenty four elders of the early church, representing those seven churches mentioned previously? If so, would Antipas be among them? We don’t know because the Bible doesn’t say and you can’t make an argument from silence. Here is evidence for at least twelve of them being Jewish.

Matthew19:28  And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

Does this represent all Old Testament Jewish believers? And does the following mean that twelve of these elders represent all Christian believers?

2Timothy 4:8  Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.

Crowns imply kingship and authority, the ability to judge.

1Corinthians 6:3  Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?

Also, they are clothed in white raiment.

Revelation 19:8  And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.