Undisturbed Vessels
Jeremiah 48:11-12 – By definition of the Hebrew words, to retain your “flavor” can mean to retain your judgment (i.e. God's decree) which is revealed through the definitions of the original Hebrew words. This is a picture of the Lord’s children who were careless in their walks with Him. They have fought against the inner working of the Holy Spirit so as to not be “emptied” of the self-life. Therefore, their aroma of death (i.e. the fleshly nature) has not been changed to the aroma of life (i.e. the nature of Christ; see 2 Corinthians 2:14-17). This is the judgment of God that is declared over His people, whether it be good or bad, figuratively speaking on the Feast of Trumpets, per Jewish tradition. Vessel tippers and jar shatterers are a picture of the disciplinary actions of the Lord. This is about to occur, en masse, within our nation. We have been living with ease for so long now within our borders that we have fallen asleep. This “midnight shout” season in particular is to awaken the virgins of the Lord who have been, seemingly, resting securely (i.e. “at ease”) in Christ, in order to be made ready for His coming again to them.
11 "Moab [“of his father”] has been at ease [7599- “to be at peace, to rest securely, to be quiet”] since his youth; He has also been undisturbed [8252], like wine on its dregs, and he has not been emptied from vessel to vessel, nor has he gone into exile. Therefore he retains his flavor [2940- “taste, judgment, a decision, decree”; see 1 Peter 4:17], and his aroma has not changed.
12 "Therefore behold, the days are coming," declares the Lord, "when I will send to him those who tip [6808] vessels, and they will tip him over, and they will empty his vessels and shatter his jars.
NASU
Jeremiah 48:11-12
11 Moab hath been at ease from his youth, and he hath settled on his lees, and hath not been emptied from vessel to vessel, neither hath he gone into captivity: therefore his taste remained in him, and his scent is not changed.
12 Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will send unto him wanderers, that shall cause him to wander, and shall empty his vessels, and break their bottles.
KJV
OT:8252 shaqat (shaw-kat')
(Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance)
a primitive root; to repose (usually figurative):
KJV - appease, idleness, (at, be at, be in, give) quiet (-ness), (be at, be in, give, have, take) rest, settle, be still.
(Brown, Driver, Briggs Hebrew Lexicon)
to be quiet, to be tranquil, to be at peace, to be quiet, to rest, to lie still, to be undisturbed
a) (Qal)
1) to be quiet, to be undisturbed; to be at peace (used of land)
2) to be quiet, to be inactive
b) (Hiphil)
1) to show quietness; quietness, a display of quietness (a substantive)
2) to quiet, to be quiet
3) to cause quietness, to pacify, to allay
OT:6808 tsa`ah (tsaw-aw')
(Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance)
a primitive root; to tip over (for the purpose of spilling or pouring out), i.e. (figuratively) depopulate; by implication, to imprison or conquer; (reflexive) to lie down (for coitus):
KJV - captive exile, travelling, (cause to) wander (-er).
(Brown, Driver, Briggs Hebrew Lexicon)
to stoop, to bend, to incline
a) (Qal)
1) to stoop, to bend
2) to incline, to tip
b) (Piel) to tip over
Ezekiel 16:48-50 – See the note below.
48 "As I live," declares the Lord God, "Sodom [“to scorch,” it also means “burning” (see the Bible study The Spirit Of Judgment And Burning)], your sister and her daughters have not done as you and your daughters have done.
49 "Behold, this was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had arrogance [1347- “pride, exaltation”], abundant [7962] food [overfed, not just our nation but the church] and careless ease [8252], but she did not help [2388- “to be strong, strengthen, harden, take hold of”] the poor and needy. [Instead of helping, or strengthening the poor and needy they strengthened the hands of evildoers (Jeremiah 23:14, Ezekiel 13:22), the self-exalting Laodiceans! These are the evildoers among the Lord’s children that the Lord will say to, “Depart from Me, all you evildoers.” [Luke 13:27, Psalm 6:8])
50 "Thus they were haughty and committed abominations before Me. Therefore I removed [5493] them when I saw it.
NASU
OT:7962 shalvah (shal-vaw')
(Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance)
from OT:7951; security (genuine or false):
KJV - abundance, peace (-ably), prosperity, quietness.
(Brown Driver Briggs Hebrew Lexicon)
OT:5493 cuwr (soor); or suwr (Hosea 9:12) (soor)
(Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance)
a primitive root; to turn off (literal or figurative):
KJV - be [-head], bring, call back, decline, depart, eschew, get [you], go (aside), grievous, lay away (by), leave undone, be past, pluck away, put (away, down), rebel, remove (to and fro), revolt, be sour, take (away, off), turn (aside, away, in), withdraw, be without.
(Brown Driver Briggs Hebrew Lexicon)
to turn aside, to depart
a) (Qal)
1) to turn aside, to turn in unto
2) to depart, to depart from way, to avoid
3) to be removed
4) to come to an end
b) (Polel) to turn aside
c) (Hiphil)
1) to cause to turn aside, to cause to depart, to remove, to take away, to put away, to depose
2) to put aside, to leave undone, to retract, to reject, to abolish
d) (Hophal) to be taken away, to be removed
When the Lord saw within Sodom the “arrogance, abundant food and careless ease, but she did not help the poor and needy,” He removed them (i.e. killed them) by fire. When the Lord told the prophet Jeremiah to break the potter’s vessel in Jerusalem, the capital city, as a sign of what He would do to them and the city because of their abominations against Him which included worshipping other gods and shedding the innocent blood of their children (i.e. abortion; see Jeremiah 19), He said in Jeremiah 19:6, “behold, days are coming” declares the Lord, “when this place will no longer be called Topeth [“a place of fire”] or the valley of Ben-Hinnom [“son of lamentation”], but rather the valley of slaughter” (Jeremiah 19:6; also see Jeremiah 12:3, Zech. 11:4, 7 which refers to “the flock marked for slaughter”, and James 5:1-6 below).
I believe the Lord is saying to His people that if we do not repent of our idle (i.e. idol) lifestyles, living a self-centered life (self-exaltation) with careless ease (“lovers of pleasure” in 2 Timothy 3:4) and no concern for others less fortunate, that our “flavor/taste,” or our judgment (Jeremiah 48:11 above) will remain and we will be like the inhabitants of Sodom who were removed by fire (see Revelation 18:1-10 below). This is a perfect description of the American church as a whole! In other words, “I will depopulate you!” (See the Bible study Outer Darkness.)
There is a point of no return, when individually or corporately you have filled your cup to the brim with sin and rebellion and there is no other remedy but judgment (see the Bible study The Nephilim And The End Of All Flesh). Our nation has crossed this line long ago. The only reason that Lord has not carried out His declared justice over America by now is to give His people time to separate from all wickedness (Revelation 18:4-5) lest they be judged along with the world (1 Corinthians 11:32). We must understand that God's justice is impartial. Presently, many American Christians sit carelessly at ease with a false sense of security while living in rebellion against the Lordship of Jesus Christ over them. Without repentance they will escape God’s justice.
The Torment of The Wicked
Revelation 9:1-6 – In these verses John describes the extreme tormenting of those who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads. Is having the seal of God on your forehead the same as having the mind of Christ? (See the Bible study Tav; The Cross-Mark Of God.)
1 Then the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star from heaven which had fallen to the earth; and the key of the bottomless pit was given to him.
2 He opened the bottomless pit, and smoke went up out of the pit, like the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by the smoke of the pit.
3 Then out of the smoke came locusts upon the earth, and power was given them, as the scorpions of the earth have power.
4 They were told not to hurt the grass of the earth, nor any green thing, nor any tree, but only the men who do not have the seal [4973] of God on their foreheads [see Rev. 7:3, 13:16, 14:1,9, 17:5, 20:4, 22:4].
5 And they were not permitted to kill anyone, but to torment [928] for five months; and their torment [929] was like the torment [929] of a scorpion when it stings [3817- “to strike or smite; with fists, with a sword, or to sting”] a man.
6 And in those days men will seek death and will not find it; they will long to die, and death flees from them.
NASU
NT:4973 sphragis (sfrag-ece')
(Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance)
probably strengthened from NT:5420; a signet (as fencing in or protecting from misappropriation); by implication, the stamp impressed (as a mark of privacy, or genuineness), literally or figuratively:
KJV - seal.
(Thayer’s Greek Lexicon)
a seal
a. the seal placed upon books
b. a signet-ring (Rev. 7:2)
c. the inscription or impression made by a seal (Revelation 9:4)
d. that by which anything is confirmed, proved, authenticated, as by a seal (Romans 4:11)
NT:929 basanismos (bas-an-is-mos')
(Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance)
from NT:928; torture
KJV - torment.
(Thayer’s Greek Lexicon)
1. a testing by the touchstone or by torture
2. torment, torture
a. the act of tormenting (Revelation 9:5)
b. the state or condition of those tormented (Revelation 18:7,10,15)
Revelation 18:1-10 – God warns His people, Christians, to come out of/separate from Babylon the harlot’s sin before He judges her with fire (like Sodom in Ezekiel 16:48-50 above). He speaks of her self-exaltation and luxurious/sensuous living (see James 5:1-5 below); “to the same degree give her torment [929] and mourning.” She believes that she sits as a queen, not a widow, and will never see mourning. In other words, “I’m the King’s Bride. I will never lose my husband!” And yet she will because of her close association with wickedness (i.e. unfaithfulness in the covenant). She will not be protected when God acts, there will be no “pre-trib rapture” for her, but a certain expectation of hell on earth.
1 After this I saw another angel coming down from heaven. He had great authority, and the earth was illuminated by his splendor.
2 With a mighty voice he shouted: "Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great! She has become a home for demons and a haunt for every evil spirit, a haunt for every unclean and detestable bird.
3 For all the nations have drunk the maddening wine of her adulteries. The kings of the earth committed adultery with her, and the merchants of the earth grew rich from her excessive [1411- “strength, ability, power, force”] luxuries [4764- “excessive strength, over-strength, luxury, wantonness”]."
4 Then I heard another voice from heaven say: "Come out of her, my people, so that you will not share in her sins, so that you will not receive any of her plagues;
5 for her sins are piled up to heaven, and God has remembered her crimes.
6 Give back to her as she has given; pay her back double for what she has done. Mix her a double portion from her own cup.
7 Give her as much torture [929- see def. above] and grief [3997- “sorrow, mourning”] as the glory and luxury [4763- “to be wanton, to live luxuriously”] she gave herself. In her heart she boasts, 'I sit as queen; I am not a widow, and I will never mourn.'
8 Therefore in one day her plagues will overtake her: death, mourning and famine. She will be consumed by fire, for mighty is the Lord God who judges her.
9 "When the kings of the earth who committed adultery with her and shared her luxury [4763] see the smoke of her burning, they will weep and mourn over her.
10 Terrified at her torment [929], they will stand far off and cry: "'Woe! Woe, O great city, O Babylon, city of power! In one hour your doom has come!'
NIV
The Destruction Of Those Who Are “At Ease”
Daniel 8:20-25 – Daniel is given a vision of the destruction of many “holy people” who are “at ease.” To be at ease is, by definition, to have a false sense of security, in particular through prosperity and abundance. Currently, America is the highest contributor of this number.
20 "The ram which you saw with the two horns represents the kings of Media and Persia.
21 "The shaggy goat represents the kingdom of Greece, and the large horn that is between his eyes is the first king.
22 "The broken horn and the four horns that arose in its place represent four kingdoms which will arise from his nation, although not with his power.
23 "In the latter period of their rule, when the transgressors have run their course, a king will arise, Insolent and skilled in intrigue.
24 "His power will be mighty, but not by his own power, and he will destroy to an extraordinary degree and prosper and perform his will; He will destroy mighty men and the holy people.
25 "And through his shrewdness He will cause deceit to succeed by his influence; and he will magnify himself in his heart, and he will destroy many while they are at ease [7962]. He will even oppose the Prince of princes, but he will be broken without human agency.
NASU
Daniel 8:25
25 He will cause deceit to prosper, and he will consider himself superior. When they feel secure [7962], he will destroy many and take his stand against the Prince of princes. Yet he will be destroyed, but not by human power.
NIV
Daniel 8:25
25 "Through his cunning He shall cause deceit to prosper under his rule; and he shall exalt himself in his heart. He shall destroy many in their prosperity [7962]. He shall even rise against the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken without human means.
NKJV
OT:7962 shalvah (shal-vaw')
(Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance)
from OT:7951; security (genuine or false):
KJV - abundance, peace (-ably), prosperity, quietness.
(Brown Driver Briggs Hebrew Lexicon)
quietness, ease, prosperity
James 5:1-5 – See the note below.
1 Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries which are coming upon you.
2 Your riches have rotted and your garments have become moth-eaten.
3 Your gold and your silver have rusted; and their rust will be a witness against you and will consume your flesh like fire. It is in the last days that you have stored up your treasure!
4 Behold, the pay of the laborers who mowed your fields, and which has been withheld by you, cries out against you; and the outcry of those who did the harvesting has reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth.
5 You have lived luxuriously [5171] on the earth and led a life of wanton pleasure [4684 – “to live luxuriously, lead a voluptuous life, (give oneself to pleasure)”]; you have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter.
NASU
James 5:5
You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter.
NIV
NT:5171 truphao (troo-fah'-o)
(Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance)
from NT:5172; to indulge in luxury:
KJV - live in pleasure.
(Thayer’s Greek Lexicon)
to live delicately, live luxuriously, be given to a soft and luxurious life (James 5:5)
In these verses James is rebuking the rich who have kept their wealth to themselves, living a life of hedonistic, self-indulgence. To live luxuriously is to live with “careless ease.” The Greek for it is defined as “to live delicately, live luxuriously, to be given to a soft and luxurious life.” The Greek for “wanton pleasure” means, “to live luxuriously, lead a voluptuous life, (give oneself to pleasure).”
In Paul’s second letter to Timothy he said that “in the last days difficult times will come.” (2 Timothy 3:1) The Greek for “difficult” is chalepos (khal-ep-os') which means, “hard to bear, hard to do or deal with, troublesome, dangerous, perilous.” If we believe these are the last days then we shouldn’t be surprised by what is currently happening around us.
Paul then goes on to describe what people will be like. One of their descriptions was that they would be “lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these.” (2 Timothy 3:4-5)
A dictionary definition of voluptuous is “full of, characterized by, or ministering to indulgence in luxury, pleasure, and sensuous enjoyment.” It is derived from gratification of the senses (dictionary.com). The result of this type of luxurious lifestyle is a spiritually dull heart, or as James said, a “fattened” heart that has been made ready for slaughter in the day of God’s wrath. If not guarded from carefully, prosperity breeds apathy. This is the present state of many within the church of America that has begun to be exposed by the Lord through the pressure that we are now faced with. It will continue to build.
Deuteronomy 32:15-19 – When Israel became comfortable, “filled with food,” they became dull and unreceptive toward the Lord, even abandoning Him for other gods. Like many Christians have in the American church today, they forgot the God who gave them birth (James 1:18). Because of their deserting and forgetting Him, He then rejected His own sons and daughters. He loosed Himself from those of His children who loosed themselves from Him (i.e. forsook Him). We arrogantly believe this could never happen to us today. Notice that one of the definitions for “kicked” is “to trample down.” (See the section Trampling Under Foot The Son Of God in the Bible study The Dominion Mandate.)
15 Jeshurun [“upright one,” symbolic name for Israel] grew fat [8080- “to be or become fat (dull, unreceptive)”] and kicked [1163- “to trample down, i.e. (figuratively) despise”]; filled with food, he became heavy [8080] and sleek [5666- “to be dense, to be thick, to be fat, to be gross”]. He abandoned [5203- “to leave, to forsake, to abandon, to be loosed”] the God who made him and rejected [5034- “to wilt, to fall away, to sink or to drop down, to treat with contempt (disrespect)”] the Rock his Savior.
16 They made him jealous with their foreign gods and angered him with their detestable idols.
17 They sacrificed to demons, which are not God — gods they had not known, gods that recently appeared, gods your fathers did not fear.
18 You deserted the Rock, who fathered you; you forgot the God who gave you birth.
19 The Lord saw this and rejected [5006- “to spurn, to contemn, to despise, to abhor”] them because he was angered by his sons and daughters.
NIV
Amos 6:1 – Throughout all these passages you see the carelessness of Israel in regards to their relationship with God that would result in God’s decrees against them. As in this case, the word “woe” usually precedes a declaration from God of judgment. Jesus declared this in His decree against the teachers of the law and the Pharisees (Matthew 23:13-39), the religious leaders of His day. In their arrogance they felt secure, but in actuality were not. The same thing can be said for many religious leaders in the church in America.
1 Woe to those who are at ease [7600] in Zion and to those who feel secure [982] in the mountain of Samaria, The distinguished men of the foremost of nations, to whom the house of Israel comes.
NASU
OT:7600 sha'anan (shah-an-awn')
(Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance)
from OT:7599; secure; in a bad sense, haughty:
KJV - that is at ease, quiet, tumult. Compare OT:7946.
(Brown Driver Briggs Hebrew Lexicon)
as an adjective:
1) at ease, quiet, secure
a) at ease, secure
b) at ease, careless, wanton, arrogant
as a substantive:
2) security, pride, arrogance
a) one at ease
b) arrogance
OT:982 batach (baw-takh')
(Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance)
a primitive root; properly, to hie for refuge [but not so precipitately as OT:2620]; figuratively, to trust, be confident or sure:
KJV - be bold (confident, secure, sure), careless (one, woman), put confidence, (make to) hope, (put, make to) trust.
(Brown Driver Briggs Hebrew Lexicon)
1) to trust
a) (Qal)
1) to trust, to trust in
2) to have confidence, to be confident
3) to be bold
4) to be secure
b) (Hiphil) to cause to trust, to make secure
2) Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament: to feel safe, to be careless
Jeremiah 12:3 – We read in this passage of Jeremiah’s complaint concerning the wicked who are at ease. He actually asks the Lord to set them apart for the day of slaughter!
1 You are always righteous, O Lord, when I bring a case before you. Yet I would speak with you about your justice: Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why do all the faithless live at ease?
2 You have planted them, and they have taken root; they grow and bear fruit. You are always on their lips but far from their hearts.
3 Yet you know me, O Lord; you see me and test my thoughts about you. Drag them off like sheep to be butchered! Set them apart for the day of slaughter!
NIV
Proverbs 24:11 – Solomon’s cry of mercy must be mine!
11 Deliver those who are being taken away to death, and those who are staggering to slaughter, oh hold them back.
NASU
The “One” Who Will See And Receive The Prize
The following verses define the one(s) who are in the first “snatching away” (1 Thessalonians 4:17) and will see the Lord at the last trumpet. They are the pure and spotless Bride Company revealed at Trumpets. They are the “one” who will “receive the prize” (1 Corinthians 9:24; see the Bible study Eve; The Life Giving Bride for more insight on the “one.”) As we’ll see, not all who were at one time given eyes to see will be able to see/perceive what the Holy Spirit is saying to the church in these final moments of mercy. Because of rebellion, they did not prepare their hearts as the pure and spotless Bride, and will therefore not be able to see the salvation of the Lord in the day of His final trumpet blast.
(See the section The Last Trumpet in the Bible study The Sound Of His Coming. Also see the Bible study Simeon And The Consolation Of Israel regarding those who are “looking for” the return of Christ and will be gathered together with His people.)
1 Corinthians 9:24 – Paul refers to the “one” who “receives the prize” in this verse. As I read this the question came to my mind “Who is the one?” I was then led to the following verses.
24 Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one [1520] receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win [2638- “to lay hold of, to obtain, to seize upon, take possession of”].
NASU
John 11:47-53 – Jesus had just raised Lazarus from the dead in the preceding verses. Caiaphas prophesied that Jesus, through His death, would “gather together into one the children of God who are scattered abroad.” His death guarantees this because He now possess ALL authority in heaven and on earth (Matthew 28:18).
47 Therefore the chief priests and the Pharisees convened a council, and were saying, "What are we doing? For this man is performing many signs.
48 "If we let Him go on like this, all men will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation."
49 But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, "You know nothing at all,
50 nor do you take into account that it is expedient for you that one man die for the people, and that the whole nation not perish."
51 Now he did not say this on his own initiative, but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus was going to die for the nation,
52 and not for the nation only, but in order that He might also gather together into one [1520] the children of God who are scattered abroad.
53 So from that day on they planned together to kill Him.
NASU
John 17:19-24 – This is part of Jesus’ prayer to the Father. In it He asked that we might be one just as He and the Father were one. That is very one! It is only through this oneness in Christ that we can be perfected. Jesus also desires for us to see His glory.
19 "For their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they themselves also may be sanctified in truth.
20 "I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word;
21 that they may all be one [1520]; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me.
22 "The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one [1520- “in opposition to a division into parts; one, in contrast to many”], just as We are one [1520];
23 I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected [5048] in unity [1520], so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me.
24 "Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory which You have given Me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.
NASU
NT:5048 teleioo (tel-i-o'-o)
(Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance)
from NT:5046; to complete, i.e. (literally) accomplish, or (figuratively) consummate (in character):
KJV - consecrate, finish, fulfil, make) perfect.
(Thayer’s Greek Lexicon)
1. to carry through completely; to accomplish, finish, bring to an end (Acts 20:24)
2. to complete (perfect), i. e. add what is yet lacking in order to render a thing full
3. to bring to the end (goal) proposed: ouden (Hebrews 7:19)
4. to accomplish, i. e., bring to a close or fulfillment by event (John 19:28)
Song Of Solomon 6:8-10 – Solomon describes the complete, unified, perfect, lacking nothing Bride Company of saints that are one in Christ (see the Bible study The Trinity). They’re pure in heart and will therefore possess eyes to see the Lord return (Matthew 5:8) to “snatch” them away (1 Thess.4:17), first (see “one” def.), at the final trumpet (Feast of Trumpets). (See more “snatching away” verses below.) (See chapter 4, Not Lacking Anything in my book Many Are Called But Few Are Chosen. Lacks nothing is part of the Hebrew definition for “perfect one” in S.O.S. 6:9.)
8 "There are sixty queens and eighty concubines, and maidens without number;
9 But my dove, my perfect one [8535], is unique [259- “united, one, first”]: She is her mother's only daughter [259]; She is the pure [1249] child of the one who bore her. The maidens saw her and called her blessed, the queens and the concubines also, and they praised her, saying,
10 'Who is this that grows like the dawn, as beautiful as the full moon, as pure as the sun, as awesome as an army with banners?'
NASU
Song Of Solomon 6:9
9 My dove, my undefiled [8535] is but one [259]; she is the only one [259] of her mother, she is the choice one [1249] of her that bare her. The daughters saw her, and blessed her; yea, the queens and the concubines, and they praised her.
KJV
OT:8535 tam (tawm)
(Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance)
from OT:8552; complete; usually (morally) pious; specifically, gentle, dear:
KJV - coupled together, perfect, plain, undefiled, upright.
(Brown, Driver, Briggs Hebrew Lexicon)
perfect, complete
a) complete, perfect; one who lacks nothing in physical strength, beauty, etc.
b) sound, wholesome; an ordinary, quiet sort of person
c) complete, morally innocent, having integrity; one who is morally and ethically pure
OT:1249 bar (bar)
(Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance)
from OT:1305 (in its various senses); beloved; also pure, empty:
KJV - choice, clean, clear, pure.
(Brown, Driver, Briggs Hebrew Lexicon)
1) pure, clear, sincere
2) clean, empty
as an adverb:
3) purely
Isaiah 52:8-12
8 Listen! Your watchmen lift up their voices, they shout joyfully together; For they will see with their own eyes when the Lord restores Zion.
9 Break forth, shout joyfully together, you waste places of Jerusalem; For the Lord has comforted His people, He has redeemed Jerusalem.
10 The Lord has bared His holy arm in the sight of all the nations, that all the ends of the earth may see the salvation of our God.
11 Depart, depart, go out from there, touch nothing unclean; Go out of the midst of her, purify yourselves, you who carry the vessels of the Lord. [The “tipped” vessels of the Lord.]
12 But you will not go out in haste, nor will you go as fugitives; for the Lord will go before you, and the God of Israel will be your rear guard.
NASU
To Snatch Away or Not To Snatch Away
(See the sections The Escaped Remnant and Those Who Will Not Escape in the Bible study The Nephilim And The End Of All Flesh.)
Psalm 50:22-23 – See note below.
22 "Now consider this, you who forget [7911] God, Or I will tear you in pieces [see Luke 12:46, Hosea 6:5], and there will be none to deliver [5337- see def. below, one of which is “to snatch away”].
23 "He who offers a sacrifice of thanksgiving [8426- “confession, praise, thanksgiving, a thank-offering”] honors Me; And to him who orders [7760] his way [1870] aright I shall show [7200- “to see, to perceive, to be visible”] the salvation [3468- “liberty, deliverance, rescue, safety, victory”] of God."
NASU
OT:7911 shakach (shaw-kakh'); or shakeach (shaw-kay'-akh)
(Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance)
a primitive root; to mislay, i.e. to be oblivious of, from want of memory or attention:
KJV - at all, (cause to) forget.
(Brown Driver Briggs Hebrew Lexicon)
to forget, to ignore, to wither [see the Bible study The Withered Hand Restored]
a) (Qal)
1) to forget
2) to cease to care
b) (Niphal) to be forgotten
c) (Piel) to cause to forget
d) (Hiphil) to make or cause to forget
e) (Hithpael) to be forgotten
(Vine's Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words)
shakach [OT:7911] – “to forget.” The common word meaning “to forget” appears in all periods of the Hebrew language; this term is also found in Aramaic. It occurs just over 100 times in the Hebrew Bible. Shakah is found for the first time in the Old Testament in Gen. 27:45, when Rebekah urges Jacob to flee his home until Esau “forget that which thou hast done to him.”
As the people worshiped strange gods, Jeremiah reminded Judah that “all thy lovers have forgotten thee; they seek thee not” (Jer. 30:14). But God does not “forget” His people: “Can a woman forget her suckling child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee” (Isaiah 49:15). In spite of this, when destruction came, Judah complained: “Wherefore dost thou forget us forever...?” (Lam. 5:20). Israel would often “forget” God's law (Hosea 4:6) and God's name (Jer. 23:27).
OT:5337 natsal (naw-tsal')
(Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance)
a primitive root; to snatch away, whether in a good or a bad sense: - at all, defend, deliver (self), escape, without fail, part, pluck, preserve, recover, rescue, rid, save, spoil, strip, surely, take (out).
(Brown Driver Briggs Hebrew Lexicon)
to snatch away, to deliver, to rescue, to save, to strip, to plunder
a) (Niphal)
1) to tear oneself away, to deliver oneself
2) to be torn out or away, to be delivered
b) (Piel)
1) to strip off, to spoil
2) to deliver
c) (Hiphil)
1) to take away, to snatch away
2) to rescue, to recover
3) to deliver (from enemies or troubles or death)
4) to deliver from sin and guilt
d) (Hophal) to be plucked out
e) (Hithpael) to strip oneself
OT:7760 suwm (soom); or siym (seem)
(Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance)
a primitive root; to put (used in a great variety of applications, literal, figurative, inferentially, and elliptically):
KJV - any wise, appoint, bring, call [a name], care, cast in, change, charge, commit, consider, convey, determine, disguise, dispose, do, get, give, heap up, hold, impute, lay (down, up), leave, look, make (out), mark, name, on, ordain, order, paint, place, preserve, purpose, put (on), regard, rehearse, reward, (cause to) set (on, up), shew, steadfastly, take, tell, tread down, ([over-]) turn, wholly, work.
(Brown Driver Briggs Hebrew Lexicon)
to put, to place, to set, to appoint, to make
a) (Qal)
1) to put, to set, to lay, to put or to lay upon, to lay (violent) hands on
2) to set, to direct, to direct toward; to extend (compassion) (figurative)
3) to set, to ordain, to establish, to found, to appoint, to constitute, to make, to determine, to fix
4) to set, to station, to put, to set in place, to plant, to fix
5) to make, to make for, to transform into, to constitute, to fashion, to work, to bring to pass, to
appoint, to give
b) (Hiphil) to set or to make for a sign
c) (Hophal) to be set
OT:1870 derek (deh'-rek)
(Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance)
from OT:1869; a road (as trodden); figuratively, a course of life or mode of action, often adverb:
KJV - along, away, because of, by, conversation, custom, [east-] ward, journey, manner, passenger, through, toward, [high-] [path-] way [-side], whither [-soever].
(Brown Driver Briggs Hebrew Lexicon)
a way, a road, a distance, a journey, a manner
a) a road, a way, a path
b) a journey
c) a direction
d) a manner, a habit, a way
e) used of the course of life (figurative)
f) used of moral character (figurative)
This Psalm of Asaph describes the heart of those who obediently prepare their hearts by faith, fearing the judgment of God that is about to occur. Because they put their lives in order per God’s commands, hearing the midnight shout to prepare themselves in anticipation of the return of the Bridegroom (Matthew 25:6), and then repent and forsake sin where necessary, they will see the salvation of God (the first deliverance of God’s faithful who are ready; seen in type through the Jewish traditions at the Feast of Trumpets). This is the Bride Company of believers that will be “caught up/snatched away” into the presence of God during the extremely difficult days on earth when His wrath will be poured out. They will be delivered, which means “snatched away” by definition of the Hebrew (also see the Greek definition for “caught up” in 1 Thessalonians 4:17). The opposite will occur for those who “forget God” (see James 1:25 which refers to a “forgetful hearer”).
The “way” (v.23) has to do with your destiny. If we do not “order our way aright” we will miss our destiny in Christ. The way of God’s salvation will not be shown to us and we will not, therefore, see Him when He comes to gather His obedient children.
Also, there is an extremely strong warning to God’s people in this passage regarding the dire consequences of forgetting God. The Hebrew for “forget” is shakach (shaw-kakh'). It’s defined as “to forget, to ignore, to wither, to cease to care.” To the careless Christian God declares, “I will tear you in pieces, and there will be none to deliver.” When was the last time you heard this preached? Most likely never which is why there is so little fear of the Lord within the church.
As I said, one of the definitions for “deliver” just happens to be “to snatch away.” From this you can understand that it was a VERY serious offense to forget God. And if you are thinking that this was “the angry, Old Testament God,” as someone once said to me, who would never act in this manner anymore since we are now “under grace,” you need to take a closer look at Luke 12:35-48.
In this parable of Jesus’ return, He spoke of our being “dressed in readiness,” to be alert like men who are waiting for their master when he returns from the wedding feast so that they may immediately open the door for him when He returns and knocks. When Peter asked if He was addressing this to the disciples, or everyone else, Jesus responded with a seemingly extreme response in the next few verses.
He started by saying;
“Who then is the faithful and sensible steward [“manager of a household or estate, overseer”], whom his master will put in charge of his servants, to give them their rations at the proper time? [KJV- “meat in due season”; NKJV- “food in due season”] Blessed is that slave whom his master finds so doing when he comes. Truly I say to you that he will put him in charge of all his possessions.”
(Luke 12:42-44/NASU)
To be a faithful and sensible steward of the Lord is to be proven as “faithful, trustworthy, and reliable.” As such they are feeding other servants with food in due season, in accordance with the “appointed season” we are currently in. In other words, they are giving the proper teaching and word for the moment. Many preachers and teachers are proclaiming a fine sounding message from the Bible, but it’s not a word from the Lord for the time we now find ourselves in. Unfortunately, their timing is off.
Jesus then declared what few preachers, due to its harsh message, are willing to;
“But if that slave says in his heart, ‘My master will be a long time in coming,’ and begins to beat the slaves, both men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk; the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know [because he is no longer paying attention to the spiritual time/season he is in], and will cut him in pieces, and assign him [the Christian leader of God’s people] a place with the unbelievers. And that slave who knew his master's will and did not get ready or act in accord with his will, will receive many lashes, but the one who did not know it, and committed deeds worthy of a flogging, will receive but few. From everyone who has been given much, much will be required; and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more.”
(Luke 12:45-48/NASU)
Yes, Jesus said that when He returns and finds one of His servants in leadership (i.e. a Christian) unprepared because they did not guard and prepare their heart, or others under their care, in a state of readiness for His return, that He will “cut him in pieces, and assign him a place with the unbelievers.” In other words, you will lose your place at His table, die in a horrific manner, and be cast out of His kingdom, transferred to the place of unbelievers. So much for the apathetic inducing injection of the “once saved, always saved” doctrine of demons (1 Timothy 4:1).
I see within the next couple verses confirmation of this revelation. In verses 47-48, Jesus, I believe, lays out what will occur to the rest of His church. This includes those of His servants who hear this word of truth and do not prepare themselves appropriately, as well as those who did not know this word, but are still held responsible for their lack of preparation. They both, as foolish virgins, will be held accountable for their indifference and cast into the exceedingly difficult time on earth with the unbelievers where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. The difference, though, is that those who knew more and did not prepare will go through more difficulties then the latter who did not hear this “food in the appointed season.” Either way, as the Lord spoke to my wife, when things do not occur as they had hoped and believed for, many within the church will simply “curse God and die.” This is the greatest tragedy to ever occur on earth.
2 Kings 20:1-7 – See the note below.
1 In those days Hezekiah [“strengthened of Jah/Jehovah (Yahweh) is my strength”] became mortally ill [literally “sick to the point of death”; see the Bible study To The Point Of Death and my entry on 9-6-20 in My Journal Of Healing]. And Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came to him and said to him, "Thus says the Lord, 'Set your house in order, for you shall die and not live.'"
2 Then he turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, saying,
3 "Remember now, O Lord, I beseech You, how I have walked before You in truth and with a whole heart and have done what is good in Your sight." And Hezekiah wept bitterly.
4 Before Isaiah had gone out of the middle court, the word of the Lord came to him, saying,
5 "Return and say to Hezekiah the leader of My people, 'Thus says the Lord, the God of your father David, "I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; behold, I will heal [7495] you. On the third day you shall go up to the house of the Lord.
6 "I will add fifteen years to your life, and I will deliver [5337- “snatched away”; see Psalm 50:22 above for full def.] you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria; and I will defend this city for My own sake and for My servant David's sake."'"
7 Then Isaiah said, "Take a cake of figs." And they took and laid it on the boil, and he recovered.
NASU
OT:7495 rapha' (raw-faw'); or raphah (raw-faw')
(Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance)
a primitive root; properly, to mend (by stitching), i.e. (figuratively) to cure:
KJV - cure, (cause to) heal, physician, repair, thoroughly, make whole. See OT:7503.
(Brown Driver Briggs Hebrew Lexicon)
to heal, to make healthful
a) (Qal) to heal
1) of God
2) a healer, a physician (of men)
3) used of the hurts of nations involving restored favor (figurative)
4) used of individual distresses (figurative)
b) (Niphal) to be healed
1) literal (used of persons)
2) used of water, pottery
3) used of national hurts (figurative)
4) used of personal distress (figurative)
c) (Piel) to heal
1) literal
2) used of national defects or hurts (figurative)
d) (Hithpael) in order to get healed (infinitive)
Within this Scripture is another hidden picture, in type, of the repentance that is necessary after the decree of judgment from God (the Jewish tradition on Trumpets) for it to be changed resulting in your being delivered (“snatched away” in v.6).
This is the breakdown of the passage; the decree of judgment from God (v.1); King Hezekiah’s humble plea of repentance, calling upon God to remember his past obedience (v.2-3); God’s response of mercy and deliverance (v.4-7). This is a picture of the final act of God’s mercy toward His own who did not listen and were left behind from the first deliverance (the type in the Feast of Trumpets). It will occur during the ten days between Trumpets when the decree is made (per Jewish tradition), and the Day of Atonement when it will be carried out.
The ten “Days of Awe” will be days of great trouble that will be the final persuasion of God on mankind to repent. To miss this last time to return to the Lord is to miss out on His eternal salvation, even after receiving His invitation but then choosing to “neglect [272- “to be careless of”; see Matthew 22:5] so great a salvation” (Hebrews 2:3, 12:25).
(This revelation will be continued, and finished in part 5.)
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