When Israel turned away from serving God while encamped in the wilderness at Shittim, right before crossing over into the Promised Land, they “played the harlot with the daughters of Moab” (see The Scourging Of Shittim Bible study; It’s also in Book 5, The Final Healing). The NIV says, “they indulged in sexual immorality with Moabite women.” Because of this “unholy alliance” with the wicked, a plague broke out among God’s people and 24,000 Israelites died (Numbers 25:9).
With God’s jealousy (a zeal for God’s honor), one Israelite in particular would rise up and deal with the issue by spearing an Israelite man and a Moabite woman who were apparently having sex without shame or fear of God in the camp. Their joint death represents something very significant for us today. This sensual spirit is now rampant within the church. God’s righteous judgment will soon destroy her (Revelation 18:7-8).
Provoking God To Jealousy/Anger
Numbers 25:1-3 – The Moabites enticed the Israelites to worship their gods with them. In so doing they joined themselves together in idolatry thereby provoking the Lord to jealousy and anger (see 1 Corinthians 10:22 right below). To be joined is by definition “to attach oneself to, to be bound.” (See the Bible studies Joined Together and Binding And Loosing.)
1 While Israel remained at Shittim, the people began to play the harlot [“idolatry, to be unfaithful”] with the daughters of Moab.
2 For they invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and bowed down to their gods.
3 So Israel joined themselves [6775] to Baal of Peor, and the Lord was angry against Israel.
NASU
OT:6775 tsamad (tsaw-mad')
(Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance)
a primitive root; to link, i.e. gird; figuratively, to serve, (mentally) contrive:
KJV - fasten, frame, join (self).
(Brown Driver Briggs Hebrew Lexicon)
to bind, to join, to fasten
a) (Niphal) to join, to join or to attach oneself to
b) (Pual) to be fastened, to be bound
c) (Hiphil) to combine, to fit together, to hitch up
1 Corinthians 10:16-22 – To partake of another god in idolatry is to partake of the demons that are behind them. You are brought into “fellowship” with them when you join together with them in their pagan “worship” rituals. Without repentance and separation from them we then come under their oppressive rule instead of Christ’. A Christian cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons without being bound (see the Bible studies Binding And Loosing and Samson And The Binding Of God’s Anointed). We cannot be set free while willfully participating in that which is opposed to Christ (i.e. the spirit of antichrist). It provokes the Lord to jealousy or anger. (See the Bible study Fellowship Partners With Demons.)
16 Is not the cup of blessing which we bless a sharing [2842] in the blood of Christ? Is not the bread which we break a sharing [2842] in the body of Christ?
17 Since there is one bread, we who are many are one body; for we all partake [3348] of the one bread.
18 Look at the nation Israel; are not those who eat the sacrifices sharers [2844] in the altar?
19 What do I mean then? That a thing sacrificed to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything?
20 No, but I say that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons and not to God; and I do not want you to become sharers [2844] in demons.
21 You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake [3348] of the table of the Lord and the table of demons.
22 Or do we provoke the Lord to jealousy [3863]? We are not stronger than He, are we?
NASU
NT:2842 koinonia (koy-nohn-ee'-ah)
(Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance)
from NT:2844; partnership, i.e. (literally) participation, or (social) intercourse, or (pecuniary) benefaction:
KJV - (to) communicate (-ation), communion, (contri-) distribution, fellowship.
(Thayer’s Greek Lexicon)
fellowship, association, community, communion, joint participation, contact
1. the share which one has in anything, participation; with the genitive of the thing in which he shares:
pneumatos (Philippians 2:1)
2. contact, fellowship, intimacy:
3. a benefaction jointly contributed, a collection, a contribution, as exhibiting an embodiment and proof of fellowship (2 Corinthians 8:4)
NT:3348 metecho (met-ekh'-o)
(Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance)
from NT:3326 and NT:2192; to share or participate; by implication belong to, eat (or drink):
KJV - be partaker, pertain, take part, use.
(Thayer’s Greek Lexicon)
to be or become partaker; to partake (1 Corinthians 9:10)
NT:2844 koinonos (koy-no-nos')
(Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance)
from NT:2839; a sharer, i.e. associate:
KJV - companion, fellowship, partaker, partner.
(Thayer’s Greek Lexicon)
a. a partner, associate, comrade, companion (2 Corinthians 8:23)
b. a partaker, sharer, in anything; with the genitive of the thing (2 Corinthians 1:7)
NT:3863 parazeloo (par-ad-zay-lo'-o)
(Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance)
from NT:3844 and NT:2206; to stimulate alongside, i.e. excite to rivalry:
KJV - provoke to emulation (jealousy).
(Thayer’s Greek Lexicon)
to provoke to
a. to provoke to jealousy or rivalry (Romans 11:11, 14)
b. to provoke to anger (1 Corinthians 10:22)
Exodus 20:2-6 – When the Lord gave Moses the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai, He said that He was a jealous God, “visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.” Idolatry provokes God.
2 "I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.
3 "You shall have no other gods before Me.
4 "You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth.
5 "You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me,
6 but showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.
NASU
Revelation 9:18-21 – In the final plagues on earth, one third of mankind will be killed by three plagues. John says that the rest did not repent of the works of their hands “so as not to worship demons…” Would the plagues include God’s children who have wandered from Him in rebellion? See the next verses below, and the Bible study Elul; The Season Of Preparation And 40 Days Of Favor).
18 A third of mankind was killed by these three plagues, by the fire and the smoke and the brimstone which proceeded out of their mouths.
19 For the power of the horses is in their mouths and in their tails; for their tails are like serpents and have heads, and with them they do harm.
20 The rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands, so as not to worship demons, and the idols of gold and of silver and of brass and of stone and of wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk;
21 and they did not repent of their murders nor of their sorceries nor of their immorality nor of their thefts.
NASU
Revelation 18:1-5 – The Lord warns His people to come out of Babylon, the spiritual whore that has joined together with demons, so that they will not be partakers of her sins and then receive the plagues of death, mourning, and famine that will be poured out on her (Revelation 18:8). The amount of torment and mourning she will receive will be according to the degree that she glorified herself and lived sensuously, or luxuriously (Revelation 18:7). See Revelation 2:12-16 below regarding the judgment of God on those who hold to “the teaching of Balaam”, as well as Revelation 2:24-29 below and the judgment of those who tolerate “the woman Jezebel” and her teachings which are similar to Balaam’s.
1 After these things I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was illumined with his glory.
2 And he cried out with a mighty voice, saying, "Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! She has become a dwelling place of demons and a prison of every unclean spirit, and a prison of every unclean and hateful bird.
3 "For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the passion of her immorality [“harlotry, idolatry”], and the kings of the earth have committed acts of immorality with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich by the wealth of her sensuality [“excessive strength which longs to break forth, over-strength; luxury”]."
4 I heard another voice from heaven, saying, "Come out of her, my people, so that you will not participate [4790] in her sins and receive of her plagues;
5 for her sins have piled up as high as heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities. [See the Bible study The Nephilim And The End Of All Flesh.]
NASU
NT:4790 sugkoinoneo (soong-koy-no-neh'-o)
(Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance)
from NT:4862 and NT:2841; to share in company with, i.e. co-participate in:
KJV - communicate (have fellowship) with, be partaker of.
(Thayer’s Greek Lexicon)
to become a partaker together with others, or to have fellowship with a thing: with a dative of the thing (Ephesians 5:11)
Executing The Leaders Of The Rebellion
Numbers 25:4-5 – The Lord commanded Moses to execute all the leaders who joined themselves to the idolatrous worship of Baal of Peor. It would turn away His “fierce anger.” God commanded Moses to do this in broad daylight. They were to be slain in broad daylight, for all to see, for what they did in broad daylight (i.e. without shame or even hiding it), for all to see. (See Numbers 25:6-9 below.)
4 The Lord said to Moses, "Take all the leaders of the people and execute [3363] them in broad daylight [see 2 Peter 2:13] before the Lord, so that the fierce anger of the Lord may turn away from Israel."
5 So Moses said to the judges of Israel, "Each of you slay [“to smite with deadly intent”] his men who have joined themselves to Baal of Peor."
NASU
OT:3363 yaqa` (yaw-kah')
(Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance)
a primitive root; properly, to sever oneself, i.e. (by implication) to be dislocated; figuratively, to abandon; causatively, to impale (and thus allow to drop to pieces by rotting):
KJV - be alienated, depart, hang (up), be out of joint.
(Brown Driver Briggs Hebrew Lexicon)
to be dislocated, to be alienated
a) (Qal) to be dislocated, to be torn away, to be alienated
b) (Hiphil)
1) to execute slowly (by exposure or impalation)
2) to hang
c) (Hophal) to be executed
The Zeal Of Phinehas
Numbers 25:6-9 – While Moses and others were weeping before the Lord over what was occurring among them, a man openly, with no shame, brought in a Midianite woman for all to see. Phinehas then arose and stuck a spear through both of them. Because of his actions, carrying out the righteous judgment of God among God’s people (John 7:24, Psalm 72:2), the plague was stopped by the Lord. (See the Bible study Urim And Thummim.)
6 Then behold, one of the sons of Israel came and brought to his relatives a Midianite woman, in the sight of Moses and in the sight of all the congregation of the sons of Israel, while they were weeping at the doorway of the tent of meeting.
7 When Phinehas [6372 – “mouth of brass” or “mouth of a serpent”] the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he arose [6965 – “to rise up, to stand, to come on the scene”] from the midst of the congregation and took a spear in his hand,
8 and he went after the man of Israel into the tent and pierced both of them through, the man of Israel and the woman, through the body. So the plague on the sons of Israel was checked.
9 Those who died by the plague were 24,000.
NASU
Numbers 25:10-13 – Phinehas was filled with the jealousy of God, bringing honor to His name. It stopped God from killing all of the Israelites. Because of his zealous actions which made atonement for the sons of Israel, the Lord gave him a covenant of peace which would result in a “perpetual priesthood” for him and his descendants.
By definition of the Hebrew words, the covenant of peace is a covenant of “completeness, soundness, welfare, peace, health.” A perpetual priesthood is an everlasting priesthood, much like that pictured through Melchizedek (Genesis 14:8, Hebrews 7:1-3; see the Bible study Melchizedek The King Of Salem). It’s interesting too that he made atonement for the sons of Israel by shedding the blood of the guilty. In other words, because of his actions against the sin in the camp, the sins of others that could have died in the plague were covered.
10 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,
11 "Phinehas the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, has turned away My wrath from the sons of Israel in that he was jealous [7068] with My jealousy among them, so that I did not destroy the sons of Israel in My jealousy.
12 "Therefore say, 'Behold, I give him My covenant of peace [7965];
13 and it shall be for him and his descendants after him, a covenant of a perpetual [5769] priesthood, because he was jealous for his God and made atonement [3722] for the sons of Israel.'"
NASU
OT:7068 qin'ah (kin-aw')
(Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance)
from OT:7065; jealousy or envy:
KJV - envy (-ied), jealousy, sake, zeal.
(Brown Driver Briggs Hebrew Lexicon)
ardor, zeal, jealousy
a) ardor, jealousy, jealous disposition (of a husband); sexual passion
b) ardor of zeal (used of religious zeal)
1) used of men for God
2) used of men for the house of God
3) used of God for His people
c) ardor of anger
1) used of men against adversaries
2) used of God against men
d) envy (of a man)
e) jealousy (resulting in the wrath of God)
OT:7965 shalowm (shaw-lome') or shalom (shaw-lome')
(Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance)
from OT:7999; safe, i.e. (figuratively) well, happy, friendly; also (abstractly) welfare, i.e. health, prosperity, peace:
KJV - do, familiar, fare, favour, friend, great, (good) health, (X perfect, such as be at) peace (-able, -ably), prosper (-ity, -ous), rest, safe (-ty), salute, welfare, (X all is, be) well, wholly.
(Brown Driver Briggs Hebrew Lexicon)
completeness, soundness, welfare, peace
a) completeness (in number)
b) safety, soundness (in body)
c) welfare, health, prosperity
d) peace, quiet, tranquility, contentment
e) peace, friendship
1) used of human relationships
2) with God especially in covenant relationship
f) peace (from war)
g) peace (as adjective)
OT:5769 `owlam (o-lawm'); or `olam (o-lawm')
(Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance)
from OT:5956; properly, concealed, i.e. the vanishing point; generally, time out of mind (past or future), i.e. (practically) eternity; frequentatively, adverbial (especially with prepositional prefix) always:
KJV - alway (-s), ancient (time), any more, continuance, eternal, (for, [n-]) ever (-lasting, -more, of old), lasting, long (time), (of) old (time), perpetual, at any time, (beginning of the) world (+without end). Compare OT:5331, OT:5703.
(Brown Driver Briggs Hebrew Lexicon)
long duration, antiquity, futurity, forever, ever, everlasting, evermore, perpetual, old, ancient, world
a) ancient time, long time (used of the past)
b) (used of the future)
1) forever, always
2) continuous existence, perpetual
3) everlasting, indefinite or unending future, eternity
OT:3722 kaphar (kaw-far')
(Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance)
a primitive root; to cover (specifically with bitumen); figuratively, to expiate or condone, to placate or cancel:
KJV - appease, make (an atonement, cleanse, disannul, forgive, be merciful, pacify, pardon, purge (away), put off, (make) reconcile (-liation).
(Brown Driver Briggs Hebrew Lexicon)
to cover, to purge, to make an atonement, to make reconciliation, to cover over with pitch
a) (Qal) to coat (to cover) with pitch
b) (Piel)
1) to cover over, to pacify, to propitiate
2) to cover over, to atone for sin, to make atonement for
3) to cover over, to atone for sin and persons by legal rites
c) (Pual)
1) to be covered over
2) to make atonement for
d) (Hithpael) to be covered
Psalm 106:28-31 – See the note below.
28 They joined themselves also to Baal-peor, and ate sacrifices offered to the dead. [NIV; “They yoked themselves to the Baal of Peor and ate sacrifices to lifeless gods.”]
29 Thus they provoked Him to anger [3707] with their deeds, and the plague broke out among them.
30 Then Phinehas stood up [5975- “to stand, to take one’s stand, to arise, to come on the scene”] and interposed [6419], and so the plague was stayed.
31 And it was reckoned to him for righteousness, to all generations forever.
NASU
OT:3707 ka`ac (kaw-as')
(Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance)
a primitive root; to trouble; by implication, to grieve, rage, be indignant:
KJV - be angry, be grieved, take indignation, provoke (to anger, unto wrath), have sorrow, vex, be wroth.
(Brown Driver Briggs Hebrew Lexicon)
to be angry, to be vexed, to be indignant, to be wroth, to be grieved, to provoke to anger and wrath
a) (Qal)
1) to be vexed, to be indignant
2) to be angry
b) (Piel) to provoke to anger
c) (Hiphil)
1) to vex
2) to vex, to provoke to anger
TO PROVOKE (ANGER)
ka`ac [OT:3707] - “to provoke, vex, make angry.” This word is common throughout the history of Hebrew and is used in modern Hebrew in the sense of "to be angry, to rage." It occurs some 55 times in the Hebrew Old Testament.
A word that is characteristic of the Book of Deuteronomy, it seems fitting that ka`ac is found for the first time in the Old Testament in that book: “...to provoke him to anger” Deut. 4:25. The word is characteristic also of the books of Jeremiah and Kings. A review of the uses of this verb shows that around 80 percent of them involve Yahweh's “being provoked to anger” by Israel's sin, especially its worship of other gods. One such example is in 2 Kings 23:19: “And all the houses also of the high places that were in the cities of Samaria, which the kings of Israel had made to provoke the Lord to anger, Josiah took away....”
(from Vine's Expository Dictionary Of Biblical Words, Copyright © 1985, Thomas Nelson Publishers.)
OT:6419 palal (paw-lal')
(Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance)
a primitive root; to judge (officially or mentally); by extension, to intercede, pray:
KJV - intreat, judge (-ment), (make) pray (-er, -ing), make supplication.
(Brown Driver Briggs Hebrew Lexicon)
to intervene, to interpose, to pray
a) (Piel) to mediate, to judge
b) (Hithpael)
1) to intercede
2) to pray
Phinehas “interposed” alright. He stuck a spear through two people among God’s people, which held back the plague from killing anymore Israelites, appeasing the anger of the Lord. In fact, his killing of these two wicked people was “reckoned to him for righteousness, to all generations forever.” (The truth regarding “thou shall not kill” in Exodus 20:1. It really means “thou shall not murder.” It’s a matter of innocence or guilt in God’s eyes. To kill a guilty person is God’s justice. To kill an innocent person is murder. There are many instances written in the Bible, in both the New and Old Testaments, where God killed the wicked. He will not go against His own command. In the end He will kill most on earth. See the Bible study The Nephilim And The End Of All Flesh.)
The Hebrew definition for “interposed” is “to intervene, to intercede, to mediate, to judge.” You hear people say that we shouldn’t judge which is right if you are talking about those outside the church. But we have been given a command by God in 1 Corinthians 5:9-13 to judge those within the church, per His order (see the Bible studies Church Discipline and Urim And Thummim). Due to our lack of obedience in this area the church has been leavened by all the unchecked wickedness among us.
Regarding the wickedness among His people, the Lord declared to the prophet Jeremiah;
“For wicked men are found among My people, They watch like fowlers lying in wait; They set a trap, They catch men. Like a cage full of birds, so their houses are full of deceit; therefore they have become great and rich. They are fat, they are sleek, they also excel in deeds of wickedness; they do not plead the cause, the cause of the orphan, that they may prosper; and they do not defend the rights of the poor. Shall I not punish these people?” declares the Lord, “On a nation such as this shall I not avenge Myself?”
(Jeremiah 5:26-29/NASU; also see Ezekiel 14:7-11)
Because of our disobedience in dealing with the wicked among God’s people through church discipline, justice in our midst has been neglected on a regular basis. The result is a sick body that has been easily overpowered by the devil and his demons.
Holding Fast To The Lord (This is also a separate study.)
Deuteronomy 4:1-4 – As with Israel who is our example (1 Corinthians 10:1-13), all Christians who fall away from following Christ, in particular at the end of this age (2 Thessalonians 2:1-3), not holding fast to Him, will be destroyed. To hold fast is defined as “clinging, adhering to.” It is “to remain in Me and I will remain in you.” (John 15:4-10) To remain is “to abide, to stay (in a given place, state, relation or expectancy), not to depart, not to leave, to continue to be present, to remain as one is, not to become another or different.” (See the Bible study The Test for more clarity on remaining IN Christ.)
1 "Now, O Israel, listen to the statutes and the judgments which I am teaching you to perform, so that you may live and go in and take possession of the land which the Lord, the God of your fathers, is giving you.
2 "You shall not add to the word which I am commanding you, nor take away from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you.
3 "Your eyes have seen what the Lord has done in the case of Baal-peor, for all the men who followed Baal-peor, the Lord your God has destroyed [8045- “to be annihilated, to be exterminated”] them from among you.
4 "But you who held fast [1695] to the Lord your God are alive today, every one of you.
NASU
OT:1695 dabeq (daw-bake')
(Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance)
from OT:1692; adhering:
KJV - cleave, joining, stick closer.
(Brown Driver Briggs Hebrew Lexicon)
clinging, adhering to
1 Corinthians 15:1-2 – As with Israel and the Baal of Peor, all who “hold fast” to Christ, remaining near Him through obedience with a submissive heart, will be saved in the end. The Lord said to Jeremiah, “And you will, even of yourself, let go of your inheritance that I gave you; And I will make you serve your enemies in the land which you do not know; For you have kindled [“to inflame”] a fire in My anger which will burn forever.” (Jeremiah 17:4/NASU)
1 Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received [“to receive near, to take with oneself, to join to oneself”], in which also you stand [“to be of a steadfast mind”; see Isaiah 26:3 and Chapter Twenty Eight, The Steadfast Of Mind in my book Babylon’s Counterfeit Glory; The Seduction Of God’s People. Also see the Bible study The Gospel Word Of Truth.]
2 by which also you are saved, if you hold fast [2722] the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain [1500].
NASU
NT:2722 katecho (kat-ekh'-o)
(Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance)
from NT:2596 and NT:2192; to hold down (fast), in various applications (literally or figuratively):
KJV - have, hold (fast), keep (in memory), let, make toward, possess, retain, seize on, stay, take, withhold.
(Thayer’s Greek Lexicon)
1. to hold back, detain, retain
a. tina, from going away, followed by tou mee with an infinitive (Luke 4:42)
b. to restrain, hinder (Romans 1:18)
c. to hold fast, keep secure, keep from possession of: with the accusative of the thing, ton logon
(Luke 8:15)
2. equivalent to Latin obtinere
a. to get possession of, take (Matthew 21:38)
b. to possess (1 Corinthians 7:30)
NT:1500 eike (i-kay')
(Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance)
probably from NT:1502 (through the idea of failure); idly, i.e. without reason (or effect):
KJV - without a cause, (in) vain (-ly).
(Thayer’s Greek Lexicon)
1. inconsiderately, without purpose, without just cause (Matthew 5:22)
2. in vain; without success or effect (1 Corinthians 15:2)
Hebrews 3:5-6 – This is a conditional statement. We are part of God’s house IF we “hold fast” or retain “our confidence [see definition below] and the boast of our hope firm until the end.” (See Matthew 10:22 and 24:13 which say, “the one who endures to the end will be saved.”)
5 Now Moses was faithful in all His house as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken later;
6 but Christ was faithful as a Son over His house — whose house we are, if we hold fast [2722] our confidence [3954] and the boast of our hope firm until the end.
NASU
NT:3954 parrhesia (par-rhay-see'-ah)
(Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance)
from NT:3956 and a derivative of NT:4483; all out-spokenness, i.e. frankness, bluntness, publicity; by implication, assurance:
KJV - bold (X -ly, -ness, -ness of speech), confidence, freely, openly, plainly (-ness).
(Thayer’s Greek Lexicon)
1. freedom in speaking, unreservedness in speech (Acts 4:13)
2. free and fearless confidence, cheerful courage (Philippians 1:20)
3. the deportment by which one becomes conspicuous or secures publicity (John 7:4)
Hebrews 3:13-19 – This is one more big, conditional IF verse from the writer of Hebrews. Continued sin without repentance causes a Christian “to become obstinate or stubborn” against the leading of the Holy Spirit. It provokes God to jealousy and anger and will keep you out of the Promised Land of your eternal inheritance. Holding fast our “assurance” in Christ “until the end” assures our entering into eternal life with Him (see 1 Timothy 4:16). Jesus told His disciples, “He that stands firm [“to remain (i.e. abide), to endure”] until the end will be saved.” (Matthew 10:22, 24:13)
13 But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called "Today," so that none of you will be hardened [“to become obstinate or stubborn”] by the deceitfulness of sin.
14 For we have become partakers [3353] of Christ, if we hold fast [2722] the beginning of our assurance [5287] firm until the end,
15 while it is said, "TODAY IF YOU HEAR HIS VOICE, DO NOT HARDEN YOUR HEARTS, AS WHEN THEY PROVOKED [“irritation”] ME."
16 For who provoked Him when they had heard? Indeed, did not all those who came out of Egypt led by Moses?
17 And with whom was He angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness?
18 And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who were disobedient?
19 So we see that they were not able to enter because of unbelief [570- “unfaithfulness, faithlessness, lack of faith”]. [See the Bible studies Cultivate Faithfulness, and Unbelieving Believers.]
NASU
NT:3353 metochos (met'-okh-os)
(Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance)
from NT:3348; participant, i.e. (as noun) a sharer; by implication an associate:
KJV - fellow, partaker, partner.
(Thayer’s Greek Lexicon)
1. sharing in, partaking of, with the genitive of the thing (Hebrews 3:1)
2. a partner (in a work, office, dignity) (Hebrews 1:9)
NT:5287 hupostasis (hoop-os'-tas-is)
(Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance)
from a compound of NT:5259 and NT:2476; a setting under (support), i.e. (figuratively) concretely, essence, or abstractly, assurance (objectively or subjectively):
KJV - confidence, confident, person, substance.
(Thayer’s Greek Lexicon)
1. a setting or placing under; thing put under, substructure, foundation:
2. that which has foundation, is firm;
a. that which has actual existence; a substance, real being:
b. the substantial quality, nature, of any person or thing (Hebrews 1:3)
c. steadiness of mind, firmness, courage resolution
Hebrews 4:14-16 – The writer of Hebrews encourages us “to continue to hold” our confession of Christ, looking to Him who was tempted in all things, just like us but without sin, when we need His help to stand firm.
14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast [2902] our confession.
15 For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.
16 Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
NASU
NT:2902 krateo (krat-eh'-o)
(Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance)
from NT:2904; to use strength, i.e. seize or retain (literally or figuratively):
KJV - hold (by, fast), keep, lay hand (hold) on, obtain, retain, take (by).
(Thayer’s Greek Lexicon)
1. to have power, be powerful; to be chief, be master of, to rule:
2. to get possession of
a. to become master of, to obtain:
b. to take hold of (Matthew 9:25)
c. to lay hold of, take, seize: tina, to lay hands on one in order to get him into one's power
(Matthew 14:3)
3. to hold
a. to hold in the hand:
b. to hold fast (Revelation 2:25)
c. to continue to hold, to retain
Hebrews 10:23-31 – This one passage alone should place the fear of God and the need to not willfully sin after receiving Christ in every Christian’s heart. To turn away from Him, indulging in willful sin and insulting the Spirit of grace, is to reckon Jesus’ sacrifice as null and void on your behalf. To insult the Spirit of grace “suggests the insulting disdain of one who considers himself superior.” (Thayer’s Greek Lexicon)
23 Let us hold fast [2722] the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful;
24 and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds,
25 not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.
26 For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins,
27 but a terrifying expectation of judgment and THE FURY OF A FIRE WHICH WILL CONSUME THE ADVERSARIES.
28 Anyone who has set aside the Law of Moses dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses.
29 How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under foot [2662] the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace?
30 For we know Him who said, "VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY." And again, "THE LORD WILL JUDGE HIS PEOPLE."
31 It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
NASU
NT:2662 katapateo (kat-ap-at-eh'-o)
(Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance)
from NT:2596 and NT:3961; to trample down; figuratively, to reject with disdain (to treat with rudeness and insulting neglect)
(Thayer’s Greek Lexicon)
to tread down trample under foot (Matthew 5:13)
1 Timothy 6:12-16 - Why “take hold” of eternal life if we already possess it? (See the Bible study The Right To Possess.) Because by not keeping the command to be diligent to be found in Christ without spot or blame at the appearing of Christ we will have forfeited the salvation that could have been ours but was lost due to careless neglect and sinful presumption. The Lord is now reminding us of this so as to be a people who are made ready when He soon comes.
You may say, “No one is perfect. The Bible declares that he who says he is without sin is a liar.” This is true. But as I have discovered in my own struggles with sin, I believe the Lord looks at the desire of the heart. The difference between the one who has no concern for laying aside the sin that so easily entangles them, and those who hate the sin and desire to be loosed from it will be the determining factor in the end of those whose chains will fall off in the final shaking (Acts 16:25-26; see the Bible study Shaking), and those who will not. (For a biblical understanding of what God defines as being perfect see the Bible study Be Perfect.)
12 Fight the good fight of faith; take hold [1949- “to lay hold of, take possession of”] of the eternal life to which you were called, and you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.
13 I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who testified the good confession before Pontius Pilate,
14 that you keep [5083- see def. in Rev. 2:24-29 below] the commandment without stain or reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ,
15 which He will bring about at the proper time — He who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords,
16 who alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see. To Him be honor and eternal dominion! Amen.
NASU
Revelation 2:12-16 – See the note below.
12 "And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write: The One who has the sharp two-edged sword says this:
13 'I know where you dwell, where Satan's throne is; and you hold fast [2902] My name, and did not deny My faith even in the days of Antipas, My witness, My faithful one, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells.
14 'But I have a few things against you, because you have there some who hold [2902] the teaching of Balaam, who kept teaching Balak to put a stumbling block [4625- “any impediment placed in the way and causing one to stumble or fall”] before the sons of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols and to commit acts of immorality.
15 'So you also have some who in the same way hold [2902] the teaching of the Nicolaitans.
16 'Therefore repent; or else I am coming to you quickly, and I will make war against them with the sword of My mouth.
NASU
In the Lord’s rebuke of the Christian’s in Pergamum, He begins by commending them for holding fast His name, not denying His faith. One of the things He had against them, though, was that some held to “the teaching of Balaam” who put a stumbling block (see Matthew 13:41 below) before the sons of Israel, causing them to fall away from devotion to Him. His teaching included eating things sacrificed to idols, which is to participate in idolatry/idol worship (Numbers 25:1-3 and 1 Corinthians 10:16-22), and to commit acts of immorality. His teaching is alive and well today in the church. It’s a doctrine that says, after turning to Christ by “receiving the knowledge of the truth”, that you can continue to sin willfully and still retain your right to the inheritance in Christ (i.e. eternal life). This is where we began our study, when Phinehas rose up in the zeal of the Lord and physically stopped the irreverent trampling under of God’s word and His honor.
In Numbers, chapter thirty one, the Lord told Moses to take full vengeance on the Midianites for what they did in the matter of Peor. Israel then made war against them and killed every male, as well as the five kings of Midian. They also killed Balaam, the son of Beor, with the sword.
When Moses found out that they did not kill the women he became angry and said to them;
“Behold, these caused the sons of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to trespass against the Lord in the matter of Peor, so the plague was among the congregation of the Lord.” (Numbers 31:16/NASU)
Moses then told them to kill all the women who were not virgins, along with every male child.
In Revelation, chapter two, “The One who has the sharp two-edged sword” declared that He was going to make war against those in the congregation of the church in Pergamum who held to Balaam’s teaching (doctrine) with “the sword of My mouth.” I believe this is His word of judgment coming through the mouth of His prophets.
The psalmist speaks of “the godly ones” carrying out “the judgment written” with a “two-edged sword in their hand”;
“Let the godly ones exult in glory; Let them sing for joy on their beds. Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a two-edged sword in their hand, to execute vengeance on the nations and punishment on the peoples, to bind their kings with chains and their nobles with fetters of iron, to execute on them the judgment written; this is an honor for all His godly ones. Praise the Lord!”
(Psalm 149:5-9/NASU)
To have a two-edged sword in your hand is to be empowered with the authority of Jesus Christ over the nations, ruling them with “a rod of iron” (see Revelation 2:26-27 below). This passage declares that the judgment of God written in the Bible will be carried out by His godly ones. Jude declares the same thing, calling them God’s “holy ones”;
“It was also about these men that Enoch, in the seventh generation from Adam, prophesied, saying, ‘Behold, the Lord came with many thousands of His holy ones, to execute judgment upon all, and to convict all the ungodly of all their ungodly deeds which they have done in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.’ These are grumblers, finding fault, following after their own lusts; they speak arrogantly, flattering people for the sake of gaining an advantage.”
(Jude 14-16/NASU)
Isaiah declared;
“He has made My mouth like a sharp sword, In the shadow of His hand He has concealed Me; And He has also made Me a select arrow, He has hidden Me in His quiver. He said to Me, ‘You are My Servant, Israel, In Whom I will show My glory.’”
(Isaiah 49:2-3/NASU)
Hebrews 4:12 says;
“For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” (NASU)
It is very rare today for this word from God to come forth. When it does appear, with great authority at the end of this age, the fear of the Lord will fill the church.
The “way of Balaam” is also referred to in the New Testament. In Peter’s warning regarding false prophets he says that;
“Many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of the truth will be maligned; and in their greed they will exploit you with false words.” (2 Peter 2:2-3/NASU)
This is a perfect description of today’s so-called prosperity preachers (see Chapter Nine, The Prosperity Gospel, in my book Babylon’s Counterfeit Glory; The Seduction Of God’s People). In their greed they have picked the pockets of many in the name of Christ, all to bolster their extravagant, self-glorifying lifestyles. They have made for themselves a reservation in the “black darkness” of hell. The demons can’t wait to receive them into their midst (see the Bible study Outer Darkness).
The Greek for “sensuality” is defined as “unbridled lust, excess, licentiousness, lasciviousness, wantonness, outrageousness, shamelessness, insolence.” Because of these false teachers that now lead many churches, Christianity is spoken evil of by the world, and rightly so. Thankfully, the time of their exposing has already begun and will only intensify as we get closer to the day of the Lord’s righteous judgment (see the Bible study Urim And Thummim).
While further describing these false prophets that will infiltrate the church, Peter says;
“…They count it a pleasure to revel in the daytime [as did Zimri with Cosbi, in broad daylight!]. They are stains and blemishes, reveling in their deceptions, as they carouse with you, having eyes full of adultery that never cease from sin, enticing unstable souls, having a heart trained in greed, accursed children; forsaking the right way, they have gone astray, having followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness; but he received a rebuke for his own transgression, for a mute donkey [KJV; “dumb ass”], speaking with a voice of a man, restrained the madness of the prophet. These are springs without water and mists driven by a storm, for whom the black darkness has been reserved. For speaking out arrogant words of vanity they entice by fleshly desires, by sensuality, those who barely escape from the ones who live in error, promising them freedom while they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by what a man is overcome, by this he is enslaved.”
(2 Peter 2:13-19/NASU)
Peter says that they “revel in the daytime.” This sounds like the shameless act of Zimri with the Midianite woman Cozbi.
Jude 1:11-13 – See the note below.
11 Woe to them! For they have gone the way of Cain, and for pay they have rushed headlong into the error of Balaam, and perished in the rebellion of Korah.
12 These are the men who are hidden reefs in your love feasts when they feast with you without fear, caring for themselves; clouds without water, carried along by winds; autumn trees without fruit, doubly dead, uprooted;
13 wild waves of the sea, casting up their own shame like foam; wandering stars, for whom the black darkness has been reserved forever.
NASU
The Balaam’s of our day are hidden reefs that shipwreck many believer’s faith in Christ. Jude says that, besides having no fear of God, being self-absorbed, dry in spirit, and carried here and there by varying winds (of doctrine), that they are “doubly [twice] dead, uprooted.” An unbeliever cannot be twice dead. The Bible declares that before a person turns to the Lord that, as an unbeliever they are dead in their sins and trespasses (Ephesians 2:1, 5; Colossians 2:13). Jude, on the other hand, is referring to someone who came alive in Christ and then fell away from Him, becoming dead again. Their last state of being “doubly dead” is worse than if they had never turned (2 Peter 2:20-22). (See Revelation 20:6, 14, 21:8 about “the second death.” Also see the Bible study The Second Death.)
Matthew 13:24-30 - At the end of the age many people will be uprooted from the Lord’s kingdom.
24 Jesus presented another parable to them, saying, "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field.
25 "But while his men were sleeping [see the Bible study The Sleeping Bride], his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went away.
26 "But when the wheat sprouted and bore grain, then the tares became evident also.
27 "The slaves of the landowner came and said to him, 'Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?'
28 "And he said to them, 'An enemy has done this!' The slaves said to him, 'Do you want us, then, to go and gather them up?'
29 "But he said, 'No; for while you are gathering up the tares, you may uproot the wheat with them.
30 'Allow both to grow together until the harvest; and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, "First gather up the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them up; but gather the wheat into my barn."'"
NASU
Matthew 13:36-43 – See the note below.
36 Then He left the crowds and went into the house. And His disciples came to Him and said, "Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field."
37 And He said, "The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man,
38 and the field is the world; and as for the good seed, these are the sons of the kingdom; and the tares are the sons of the evil one;
39 and the enemy who sowed them is the devil, and the harvest is the end of the age; and the reapers are angels.
40 "So just as the tares are gathered up and burned with fire, so shall it be at the end of the age.
41 "The Son of Man will send forth His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all stumbling blocks [4625], and those who commit lawlessness [458- see Matthew 7:21-23],
42 and will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
43 "Then THE RIGHTEOUS WILL SHINE FORTH AS THE SUN in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear. [See the Bible study Arise And Shine.]
NASU
NT:4625 skandalon (skan'-dal-on) ("scandal")
(Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance)
probably from a derivative of NT:2578; a trap-stick (bent sapling), i.e. snare (figuratively, cause of displeasure or sin):
KJV - occasion to fall (of stumbling), offence, thing that offends, stumbling block.
(Thayer’s Greek Lexicon)
a. properly, the movable stick or tricker (“trigger”) of a trap, trap-stick; a trap, snare; any impediment
placed in the way and causing one to stumble or fall (Romans 9:33)
b. metaphorically, any person or thing by which one is ("entrapped") drawn into error or sin
1. of persons (Matthew 13:41)
2. of things (Romans 14:13)
NT:458 anomia (an-om-ee'-ah)
(Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance)
from NT:459; illegality, i.e. violation of law or (genitive case) wickedness:
KJV - iniquity, transgress (-ion of) the law, unrighteousness.
(Thayer’s Greek Lexicon)
1. properly, the condition of one without law; either because ignorant of it, or because violating it
2. contempt and violation of law, iniquity, wickedness (Matthew 23:28)
Jesus explains His parable to those who asked. It’s the same today. There are some who want more than just knowledge, they desire to gain understanding. Jesus explains that the devil sowed tares, which are his own sons, while the Lord’s sons were sleeping (see the Bible study The Sleeping Bride). They are allowed to both grow together until the end of the age. This explains the issue that we have today within the church. The tares are empty, dry, and void of the Spirit. Because of this they have no spiritual discernment and are open to any spirit while constantly fighting those led by the Spirit of God.
Jesus said that His angels will be sent out at the end of the age to gather “out of His kingdom all stumbling blocks, and those who commit lawlessness, and will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” The stumbling blocks are those who hold to the teaching of Balaam. Those who commit lawlessness have been seduced by the stumbling block influencers within the church. They have forsaken God’s law, justifying the indulgence of their wicked desires (2 Thessalonians 2:10-12). Together they will be thrown into the furnace of fire where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth (see the Bible study Outer Darkness).
The binding of the tares will finally result in the full release of the wheat. Having gained God’s glory they will then “shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father” (see the Bible study Wholly Illumined No Dark Part). As with Noah, the judgment of the wicked will only serve to elevate the righteous. Like the “bent double” woman in Luke 13:10-17, Jesus is about to set His willing servants free from all that hinders them from rising up;
“Through the bondage caused by an evil spirit, this woman in a synagogue could not “straighten up,” which means “to raise or lift oneself up.” One meaning for sugkupto [soong-koop'-to], the Greek word interpreted into English as “bent double,” is “to be completely overcome by.” It is taken from the Greek word sun [soon] which is defined as “denoting union; with or together, i.e. by association, companionship, process, resemblance, possession.” [Oppression] by an evil spirit kept her from rising up. Jesus’ power broke the union with wickedness that had overcome her, keeping her bound for years. All those who answer His call to draw near at the end of this age, cleansing their hearts by faith, will experience the same touch.”
(See Chapter Nine, The Bent Double Woman, p.43 in my book [Book 2] called The Womb Of The Dawn / The Bent Double Woman.)
“Isaiah 40:29-31 says, He gives strength to the weary, and to him who lacks might He increases power. Though youths grow weary and tired, and vigorous young men stumble badly, yet those who wait for the LORD will gain new strength; they will mount up [“to go up, to ascend, to climb”] with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary.
According to Strong’s Concordance, the Hebrew for “wait” means “to bind together, perhaps by twisting; i.e. collect.” In Luke 13:16 the bent-double woman was said to be “released” from the bondage that held her captive (see the Bible study Binding And Loosing). If you recall, one of the definitions is “to dissolve anything bound, tied, or compacted together.” The strongholds of the enemy within our hearts that keep us bound to “bad company” (1 Corinthians 15:33) must be dissolved first so that God’s children can be collected and joined together with other brothers and sisters who desire to stand up in righteousness, ascending the place where their Lord is summoning them.
Presently, most Christians in America are being held captive in a religious prison ruled by “hypocrites.” This is why the Lord is in the process of cleansing His house from all that is not of Him. “For it is time for judgment to begin with the household of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God?” (1 Peter 4:17)
This is what’s here. If I believe this revelation, I will prepare my heart by faith, repenting and separating with the help of the Holy Spirit where necessary (1 John 3:2-3). Seeing these truths, but not being where you and I desire to be like Paul in Romans, chapter seven, can be very frustrating. As Jesus told His disciples in Matthew 26:41, “Keep watching and praying that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Watching and praying are essential disciplines for all who desire to overcome their fallen nature.
We need the Holy Spirit to lead us up the mountain of God’s choosing, like Abraham and Isaac in Genesis 22. It’s the place where God desires our living sacrifice to be willingly placed on His altar. This is the sacrifice that pleases the Lord and receives His blessing. If we are willing, He is able.”
(See Chapter Eleven, Preparing The Levites, p.57-58 in my book [Book 2] called The Womb Of The Dawn / The Bent Double Woman.)
Jude 1:14-16 - Like Phinehas, the Lord came with many thousands of His holy ones “to execute judgment upon all,” binding the tares and all who commit lawlessness in the Lord’s kingdom.
14 It was also about these men that Enoch, in the seventh generation from Adam, prophesied, saying, "Behold, the Lord came with many thousands of His holy ones,
15 to execute judgment upon all, and to convict all the ungodly of all their ungodly deeds which they have done in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him."
16 These are grumblers, finding fault, following after their own lusts; they speak arrogantly, flattering people for the sake of gaining an advantage.
NASU
Revelation 2:24-29 – See the note below.
24 'But I say to you, the rest who are in Thyatira, who do not hold [2192] this teaching, who have not known the deep things of Satan, as they call them — I place no other burden on you.
25 'Nevertheless what you have [2192], hold fast [2902- see def. above] until I come.
26 'He who overcomes, and he who keeps [5083] My deeds [“works”] until the end, TO HIM I WILL GIVE AUTHORITY OVER THE NATIONS;
27 AND HE SHALL RULE THEM WITH A ROD OF IRON, AS THE VESSELS OF THE POTTER ARE BROKEN TO PIECES, as I also have received authority from My Father;
28 and I will give him the morning star.
29 'He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.'
NASU
NT:2192 echo (ekh'-o)
(Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance)
including an alternate form scheo (skheh'-o); used in certain tenses only); a primary verb; to hold (used in very various applications, literally or figuratively, direct or remote; such as possessions; ability, continuity, relation, or condition):
KJV - be (able, hold, possessed with), accompany, begin to amend, can (+-not), conceive, count, diseased, do eat, enjoy, fear, following, have, hold, keep, lack, go to law, lie, must needs, of necessity, need, next, recover, reign, rest, return, sick, take for, tremble, uncircumcised, use.
(Thayer’s Greek Lexicon)
to have
I. Transitively
1. to have equivalent to hold
a. to have (hold) in the hand (Revelation 1:16)
b. in the sense of wearing of garments, arms and the like (Matthew 3:4; 22:12)
c. tropically, to have (hold) possession of the mind
d. to hold fast, keep (Luke 19:20)
e. to have (in itself or as a consequence), comprise, involve (James 1:4; 2:17)
f. to regard, consider, hold as
2. to have equivalent to own, possess
a. external things such as pertain to property, riches, furniture, utensils, goods, food, etc. (Luke 21:4)
b. Under the heading of possession belongs the phrase echein tina as commonly used of those joined to
anyone by the bonds of nature, blood, marriage, friendship, duty, law, compact, and the like:
c. of attendance or companionship (Matthew 15:30)
d. to have a thing in readiness, have at hand, have in store (Matthew 14:17)
e. a person or thing is said echein those things which are its parts or are members of his body:
f. one is said to have the diseases or other ills with which he is affected or afflicted:
g. one is said to have intellectual or spiritual faculties, endowments, virtues, sensations, desires,
emotions, affections, faults, defects, etc. (Revelation 17:9)
h. of age and time:
i. echein ti is said of opportunities, benefits, advantages, conveniences, which one enjoys or can make
use of:
j. echein ti is used of one on whom something has been laid, on whom it is incumbent as something to
be borne, observed, performed, discharged:
k. echein ti is used of one to whom something has been entrusted:
l. in reference to complaints and disputes the following phrases are used:
m. phrases of various kinds:
n. echoo, with an infinitive
1. with the subjunctive, equivalent to be able (Matthew 18:25)
2. is used of what there is a certain necessity for doing:
II. Intransitively
a. to hold oneself or find oneself so and so, to be in such or such a condition:
b. impersonally (1 Timothy 5:25)
III. the middle voice to hold oneself to a thing, to lay hold of a thing, to adhere or cling to; to be closely
joined to a person or thing
NT:5083 tereo (tay-reh'-o)
(Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance)
from teros (a watch; perhaps akin to NT:2334); to guard (from loss or injury, properly, by keeping the eye upon; and thus differing from NT:5442, which is properly to prevent escaping; and from NT:2892, which implies a fortress or full military lines of apparatus), i.e. to note (a prophecy; figuratively, to fulfil a command); by implication, to detain (in custody; figuratively, to maintain); by extension, to withhold (for personal ends; figuratively, to keep unmarried); by extension, to withhold (for personal ends; figuratively, to keep unmarried):
KJV - hold fast, keep (-er), (pre-, re-) serve, watch.
(Thayer’s Greek Lexicon)
to attend to carefully, take care of
a. properly, to guard: tina, a prisoner (Matthew 27:36,54)
b. metaphorically, to keep: tina, one in that state in which he is (1 Corinthians 7:37)
c. to observe: namely, poos k.t.l., (Revelation 3:3)
d. to reserve: to undergo something (2 Peter 2:4)
In Jesus’ word to the church in Thyatira, He begins by letting them know that He knows of their works, love, faith, service, and perseverance, and that their works of late were greater than at first, but He had something against them; “that you tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, and she teaches and leads My bond-servants astray so that they commit acts of immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols.” (Rev. 2:20) This “woman Jezebel” has the same teaching as Balaam. It’s obviously a very effective doctrine of demons against the church.
Jesus warns us to hold fast to what we have until He returns. If we keep His deeds (works) until the end we will be given His authority over the nations, as well as “the morning star.” (See the Bible study Satan’s Fall for more on this.)
To “keep” in the Greek means “to guard from loss or injury, to attend to carefully, to take care of.” There are many Christians who, once again, wish that Jesus had not referred to works in this manner, but He did. Without the continued “doing” of His works, not ours, we will not receive any of Christ’ authority. (See my book Works And Salvation for a much greater understanding of works. There is a difference between what the Bible refers to as works of the law, and the works of faith. One is led by the will of man, the other by the Spirit of God. Jesus has much to say about both.)
The following excerpt is from my book, The Womb Of The Dawn/The Bent Double Woman, about the authority of Joseph over the nations;
“Last but not least, notice Joseph’s dominion in verse 17 [of Deuteronomy, chapter 13] over all nations, driving them to the ends of the earth. The word “horns” comes from the Hebrew word qeren [keh'-ren] which is defined as “a horn, a peak of a mountain, a ray of light; figuratively, power.”
To push means to war against. Again, on the mountain of the Lord the Son’s rays of light will fall upon His consecrated ones, granting them power and authority. As the army of the Lord they will then wage war with the nations, driving them to ‘the ends of the earth.’”
(p.6-8)
“Like Jacob, we are to “hold fast,” or “hold on,” remaining close to the Lord in faithfulness so as to become an overcomer who will receive the Lord’s authority over the nations, ruling over them with a rod of authoritative iron, as Psalm 110:1-7 said. (See the Bible studies Holding Fast To The Lord, and Cultivate Faithfulness.)
Holding fast is also defined as “to be master of, to rule.” As with Cain, the Lord warns all of His children, at one time or another, when sin is crouching at the door, desiring to rule over us, that we must master it. We cannot rule over the nations until we know how to rule over our own spirit. Holding fast to Christ is to seize, or retain His power over our own sin and the power of the enemy.
The definition for “hold fast” in Revelation 2:25 uses the phrases to have and to hold which, as you know, is a common phrase used in wedding vows. Interestingly enough, one of the definitions for “sit” in Psalm 110:1 is “to marry.” The promise of this verse is that IF we will remain close to Him as a faithful spouse (i.e. His bride), He will grant us His authority over our enemies, within and without. The Bride of Christ will rule with her Bridegroom’s authority.
The Lord also promises in this Scripture to give us the morning star which I referred to in chapter 13 of Satan’s Fall. The Greek for it pertains to the dawn, early in the morning. This is another reference to the light of Christ that we will gain early on the third day, which represents the third thousandth since He was resurrected (2 Peter 3:8; “a day is as a thousand years…” We are now early in the third thousandth, or third day, since Christ died and rose again.).
As the grass is covered with the dew in the dawning of a new day, so will His obedient children be covered with His refreshing, revitalizing Spirit of glory in the very near future. Amen!”
(p.12)
(Continued in part 2...)
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