An Unholy Alliance
Psalm 45:9 – See the note below.
9 Kings' daughters are among Your noble ladies; At Your right hand [3225- “the right hand or side”] stands [5324] the queen in gold [3800] from Ophir [211].
NASU
OT:5324 natsab (naw-tsab')
(Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance)
a prim root; to station, in various applications (literally or figuratively):
KJV - appointed, deputy, erect, establish, Huzzah [by mistake for a proper name], lay, officer, pillar, present, rear up, set (over, up), settle, sharpen, establish, (make to) stand (-ing, still, up, upright), best state.
(Brown Driver Briggs Hebrew Lexicon)
to stand, to take one's stand, to stand upright, to be set (over), to establish
a) (Niphal)
1) to station oneself, to take one's stand
2) to stand, to be stationed
3) to stand, to take an upright position
4) to be stationed, to be appointed
5) deputy, prefect, appointed, deputed (substantive)
6) to stand firm
b) (Hiphil)
1) to station, to set
2) to set up, to erect
3) to cause to stand erect
4) to fix, to establish
c) (Hophal) to be fixed, to be determined, to be stationary
OT:3800 kethem (keh'-them)
(Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance)
from OT:3799; properly, something carved out, i.e. ore; hence, gold (pure as originally mined):
KJV - ([most] fine, pure) gold (-en wedge).
(Brown Driver Briggs Hebrew Lexicon)
gold, pure gold
OT:211 'Owphiyr (o-feer'); or (shortened) 'Ophiyr (o-feer'); and 'Owphir (ofeer')
(Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance)
of uncertain derivation; Ophir, the name of a son of Joktan, and of a gold region in the East:
KJV - Ophir.
(Brown Driver Briggs Hebrew Lexicon)
Ophir = “reducing to ashes”
1) the eleventh son of Joktan
2) a land or city in southern Arabia along Solomon's trade route where gold evidently was traded for
goods
3) characteristic of fine gold
4) fine gold
This Psalm is a wedding song, describing the location and covering of the queen, the bride of the king. It is a picture of the Bride of Christ. The right hand represents the authority of God that she will reign with in the coming age. The “gold from Ophir” which was known for its purity represents the glory of God that she, “the pure child of the One who bore her” has received.
Jesus said to the compromised Laodicean church, “I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire…” (Revelation 3:18). Ophir means “reducing to ashes.” Ashes are the result of fire. What I see in this is that the “gold from Ophir” is “gold refined by fire.” It refers to purity in the Christian that comes from the fiery trials we are put through by the Holy Spirit in the refining process called sanctification (1 Peter 1:6-7). As we stand firm by faith in them, proving the genuineness of our faith, we are then clothed/covered in Christ (see the section below called Gold Refined By Fire).
Through the type revealed by Solomon, the bride of Christ is declared by God as “my dove, my perfect [8535- “complete, perfect, sound, wholesome”; see the Bible study Be Perfect] one [259- “one; properly, united”], is unique “: She is her mother's only [259] daughter; She is the pure [1249- “pure, clean, sincere”] child of the one who bore her.”(Song of Solomon 6:9/NASU; see the Bible study Eve; The Life Giving Bride) The faithful servants of God will be the perfected “one” of the Lord (i.e. joined together as one in true unity of the Holy Spirit) that He has given birth to (i.e. those who have been “born again”; see James 1:18). She is the “blameless” one among God’s children with whom He is well pleased (Genesis 6:9; see the Bible studies Noah; A Sign Of The End and Well Pleased). Because they have loved righteousness and hated wickedness, the Lord has anointed them with the oil of joy above others in the body (Psalm 45:7). They have kept themselves pure in eager anticipation of their Lord’s appearing and are therefore dressed in readiness (Luke 12:35).
Notice that the queen stands at the King’s “right hand.” This is the place Christ is now seated at near the Father. Within Scripture, it represents the power and authority of God. The Hebrew for this phrase can also mean “right side” which caused me to think of when God created the first woman.
After creating Adam and placing him in the Garden of Eden, the Lord said, “It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him.” (Genesis 2:18/NASU) He then caused Adam to fall into a deep sleep and removed one of his ribs. After re-forming the rib into a woman, the Lord brought her back to him. This means she was the first reformation in history.
The Hebrew we interpret as rib is tsal`ah (tsal-aw'). It means “a side, a rib, a beam.” In other words, Eve came from Adam’s side. Was it his right side? The Bible doesn’t say, but I see in this a picture of the bride of Christ who has been taken out of the body of the second Adam (i.e. Jesus Christ; 1 Cor. 15:45) who has also been put into a Divinely induced deep sleep. Like Eve, she has been in the process of being fashioned/rebuilt (i.e. sanctification) by God in order to be re-presented back to Himself/His body as His “helper.” As the exalted “queen in the gold of Ophir,” she is seated at the right hand side of the King who has granted her His authority and power (see the Bible study Eve; The Life Giving Bride).
The Unholy Alliance
(This was part of a prophecy placed on my heart that I posted on Facebook on Saturday, March 10, 2018. See My Journal Of Healing.)
2 Chronicles 20:35-37 – See the note below. An unholy alliance is seen through the alliance of King Jehoshaphat with King Ahaziah.
35 Later, Jehoshaphat king of Judah made an alliance [2266] with Ahaziah king of Israel, who was guilty of wickedness [7561- see Daniel 11:32- “…those who act wickedly [7561] toward the covenant…”].
36 He agreed with him to construct a fleet of trading ships. After these were built at Ezion Geber [“backbone of a man”],
37 Eliezer son of Dodavahu of Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat, saying, "Because you have made an alliance [2266] with Ahaziah, the Lord will destroy what you have made." The ships were wrecked and were not able to set sail to trade.
NIV
OT:2266 chabar (khaw-bar')
(Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance)
a primitive root; to join (literally or figuratively); specifically (by means of spells) to fascinate:
KJV - charm (-er), be compact, couple (together), have fellowship with, heap up, join (self, together), league.
(Brown Driver Briggs Hebrew Lexicon)
1) to unite, to join, to bind together, to be joined, to be coupled, to be in league, to heap up, to have
fellowship with, to be compact, to be a charmer
a) (Qal)
1) to unite, to be joined
2) to tie magic charms, to charm
b) (Piel)
1) to unite with, to to make an ally of
2) to unite, to join, to ally
c) (Pual)
1) to be allied with, to be united
2) to be joined together
d) (Hiphil) to join together, to pile up (words)
e) (Hithpael) to join oneself to, to make an alliance, to league together
OT:7561 rasha` (raw-shah')
(Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance)
a primitive root; to be (causatively, do or declare) wrong; by implication, to disturb, violate:
KJV - condemn, make trouble, vex, be (commit, deal, depart, do) wicked (-ly, -ness).
(Brown Driver Briggs Hebrew Lexicon)
to be wicked, to act wickedly
a) (Qal)
1) to be wicked, to act wickedly
2) to be guilty, to be condemned
b) (Hiphil)
1) to condemn as guilty (in civil relations)
2) to condemn as guilty (in ethical or religious relations)
3) to act wickedly (in ethics and religion)
Right after the Lord had given a great delivery for Judah by destroying their enemies through confusion, King Jehoshaphat made an ill-advised alliance with Ahaziah, the king of Israel who was “guilty of wickedness.” He just happened to be the unfortunate offspring of King Ahab and his wicked wife Jezebel whom God destroyed.
The Lord then destroyed the ships they had worked together on. Interestingly, Psalm 48:7 says; “With the east wind You break the ships of Tarshish.” (NASU) An east wind from God was used to destroy the ships.
Within the Bible, the east wind is a picture of God’s judgment (see the Bible study The East Wind.) In an article entitled What Is So Bad About The East Wind? by Jonathan Lipnick (https://blog.israelbiblicalstudies.com/holy-land-studies/wind/), the author makes the following statements;
In the Land of Israel, winds normally blow from the Mediterranean Sea inland, in an eastward direction. This has the positive effect of bringing cool moist air (and rain during the winter months) to the entire country. However, the opposite can also happen. When the winds blow from the Arabian desert region westwards, the result is very unpleasant. Hot dry winds distribute a caustic blanket of dust across the entire country. The minute grains of desert dust kill crops and get into every crevice making breathing very difficult… The prophets of the Hebrew Bible knew this phenomenon well, and alluded to it as part of their visions of catastrophe.
1 Kings 22:48-49 – We are told in this passage why he made the ships with Ahaziah. It was for the gold of Ophir. They were not just broken, they were shattered, they were smashed, they were crushed!
48 Jehoshaphat made ships of Tarshish to go to Ophir [“reducing to ashes”] for gold, but they did not go for the ships were broken [“to break, shatter, smash, crush”] at Ezion-geber [“backbone of a man”].
49 Then Ahaziah the son of Ahab said to Jehoshaphat, "Let my servants go with your servants in the ships." But Jehoshaphat was not willing.
NASU
(From the Bible study Perpetual Priesthood.)
Numbers 25:14-18 – The Israelite man who was a son of “a leader of a father’s household among the Simeonites”, and the Moabite woman who was “the daughter of a leader of Midian” represent the leadership of God’s people who have joined together with the wicked in an unholy alliance (2 Chronicles 20:35-37). Both will die. We must separate from all that would defile us, cleansing ourselves “from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God” (2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1) in order to be joyfully welcomed by God.
14 Now the name of the slain man of Israel who was slain with the Midianite woman, was Zimri [“my music”] the son of Salu [“weighed”], a leader of a father's household among the Simeonites.
15 The name of the Midianite woman who was slain was Cozbi [“false, my lie”] the daughter of Zur [“rock”], who was head of the people of a father's household in Midian.
16 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,
17 "Be hostile to the Midianites and strike them;
18 for they have been hostile to you with their tricks, with which they have deceived you in the affair of Peor and in the affair of Cozbi, the daughter of the leader of Midian, their sister who was slain on the day of the plague because of Peor."
NASU
Isaiah 30:1, 7-15 – The Lord cries out against His rebellious children who carried out plans that were not His, and formed an alliance that was not by His Spirit.
1 "Woe to the obstinate children," declares the Lord, "to those who carry out plans that are not mine, forming an alliance, but not by my Spirit, heaping sin upon sin;
7 …Therefore I call her Rahab the Do-Nothing. [NASU; “…Therefore, I have called her “Rahab who has been exterminated.” KJV; “…therefore have I cried concerning this, Their strength is to sit still.”]
8 Go now, write it on a tablet for them, inscribe it on a scroll, that for the days to come it may be an everlasting witness. [So far this is a 39 page witness against them.]
9 These are rebellious people, deceitful children, children unwilling to listen to the Lord's instruction.
10 They say to the seers, "See no more visions!" and to the prophets, "Give us no more visions of what is right! Tell us pleasant things, prophesy illusions.
11 Leave this way, get off this path, and stop confronting us with the Holy One of Israel!"
12 Therefore, this is what the Holy One of Israel says: "Because you have rejected this message, relied on oppression and depended on deceit,
13 this sin will become for you like a high wall, cracked and bulging, that collapses suddenly, in an instant.
14 It will break in pieces like pottery, shattered so mercilessly that among its pieces not a fragment will be found for taking coals from a hearth or scooping water out of a cistern."
15 This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says: "In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it.
NIV
The New Revelation From God (4-3-20)
In 1 Kings 22:48-49 and 2 Chronicles 20:35-37 above, we see the reason for Jehoshaphat’s partnership with Ahaziah. Their common desire and the reason behind their unholy alliance was the gold of Ophir which the Queen is said to be covered in and standing in (see the Bible study Babylon’s Counterfeit Glory). The Lord revealed to me that this represents His glorious covering that man attempts to gain by his own strength and wisdom through all the wrong motives and means (see Genesis 3:1-7), including unholy alliances with the wicked. It is a cursed work of their own hands that God will destroy. As we will see, it is a gospel with no suffering or trials, like Christ. We do not apply through faith His sacrifice, His covering for our sin (Genesis 3:21, 1 Peter 1:3-9 below).
Ephesians 5:5-10 – See the note below.
5 For this you know with certainty, that no immoral or impure person or covetous man, who is an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.
6 Let no one deceive you with empty [“vain, fruitless, without effect, empty handed, without a gift”] words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience [543].
7 Therefore do not be partakers [“a co-participant, a joint-partaker”; Eph. 3:6] with them;
8 for you were formerly darkness, but now you are Light in the Lord; walk as children of Light
9 (for the fruit of the Light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth),
10 trying to learn what is pleasing [2101] to the Lord.
NASU
10 finding out what is acceptable [2101] to the Lord.
NKJV
NT:543 apeitheia (ap-i'-thi-ah)
(Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance)
from NT:545; disbelief (obstinate and rebellious):
KJV - disobedience, unbelief.
(Thayer’s Greek Lexicon)
disobedience, obstinacy, obstinate opposition to the divine will (Romans 11:30, 32)
NT:2101 euarestos (yoo-ar'-es-tos)
(Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance)
from NT:2095 and NT:701; fully agreeable:
KJV - acceptable (-ted), well-pleasing.
(Thayer’s Greek Lexicon)
well-pleasing, acceptable (Romans 12:2)
Paul’s warning and exhortation to the believers in Ephesus, and us, is very clear. As a Christian we are not to be “partakers” with the “sons of disobedience” (like Ahaziah) upon whom the wrath of God will fall. To say we can join with them in disobedience and sin and have it not affect us is to speak “empty words.” Empty words produce empty hands, without a gift, or should I say the loss of a gift. To “walk as children of light” is to not participate in that which is not pleasing to the Lord, but rather to find out what is pleasing to Him, and then do it (see the Bible study Well Pleased).
The Greek for “disobedience” is apeitheia (ap-i'-thi-ah). It’s defined as “disobedience, obstinacy, obstinate opposition to the divine will.” The “sons of disobedience” represent those among God’s children who fight His will without repentance. Like the children of Israel in the wilderness who rebelled against the Lord’s leading during their journey, they will not enter into the Promised Land of their eternal inheritance in Christ. Hebrews 4:6 declares, “…those who formerly had good news preached to them failed to enter because of disobedience [543].” They have become filled with the spirit of antichrist (see the Bible study The Spirit Of Antichrist, also see the section The Unfaithful Children Of God; From Savior To Enemy in the Bible study Cultivate Faithfulness).
When we, God’s children, join together with darkness, it causes the light within us to become dark, hidden from the view of others through us. This is what has happened to the Lord’s own “sons of disobedience” within our town. Jesus said, “The eye is the lamp of your body; when your eye is clear, your whole body also is full of light; but when it is bad, your body also is full of darkness. Then watch out that the light in you is not darkness.” (Luke 11:34-35/NASU) Matthew recorded the same teaching as, “If then the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!” (Matthew 6:22-23/NASU) (See the Bible study The Light Becoming Darkness.)
Gold Refined By Fire
Revelation 3:14-18 – In this letter to the church in Laodicea, the Lord rebukes them for being “lukewarm,” stating that He would spit them out of His mouth. Further on He declared, “I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich…” How do you “buy” from God!? (See Math. 13:44-46, Luke 14:25-30.) I believe it has to do with our responsibility to the right of possession (see the Bible study The Right To Possess). We are to, by faith, redeem that which we were redeemed for. It is the exchange of our life in order to possess the life of Christ. It is an act of obedient submission to the will of Christ when placed in fiery trials “intentionally” by the Holy Spirit. One day, while in prayer, the Lord said to me, “I need all of you so that I can give you all of Me. It’s an even exchange” (see 2 Cor. 6:11-13).
14 "To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: The Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God, says this:
15 'I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot.
16 'So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit [1692- “to vomit”] you out of My mouth.
17 'Because you say, "I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing," and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked,
18 I advise you to buy from Me gold refined [4448] by fire so that you may become rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself, and that the shame of your nakedness will not be revealed; and eye salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see.
NASU
NT:4448 puroo (poo-ro'-o)
(Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance)
from NT:4442; to kindle, i.e. (passively) to be ignited, glow (literally), be refined (by implication), or (figuratively) to be inflamed (with anger, grief, lust):
KJV - burn, fiery, be on fire, try.
(Thayer’s Greek Lexicon)
to burn with fire, to set on fire, to kindle
a. to be on fire, to burn: properly (2 Peter 3:12)
b. perfect participle made to glow (Rev. 1:15)
1 Peter 1:3-9 – Peter refers to “a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” We are now receiving this revelation for the way of salvation because it is time for our crossing over, alive (see the article Last Time Salvation). He says that the “proof of our faith” is “more precious than gold.” A faith that has not been tested cannot be trusted. (See the Bible study Silver And Gold Sons And Daughters.)
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
4 to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,
5 who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
6 In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials [3986],
7 so that the proof [1383] of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ;
8 and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory,
9 obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls.
NASU
NT:3986 peirasmos (pi-ras-mos')
(Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance)
from NT:3985; a putting to proof (by experiment [of good], experience [of evil], solicitation, discipline or provocation); by implication, adversity:
KJV - temptation, try.
(Thayer’s Greek Lexicon)
an experiment, attempt, trial, proving
a. universally, trial, proving (Galatians 4:14)
b. specifically, the trial of man's fidelity, integrity, virtue, constancy, etc. (1 Peter 4:12)
c. "temptation" (i. e., trial) of God by men, i. e. rebellion against God, by which his power and justice
are, as it were, put to the proof and challenged to show themselves (Hebrews 3:8)
NT:1383 dokimion (dok-im'-ee-on)
(Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance)
neuter of a presumed derivative of NT:1382; a testing; by implication, trustworthiness:
KJV - trial, trying.
(Thayer’s Greek Lexicon)
1. equivalent to to dokimazein, the proving (James 1:3)
2. that by which something is tried or proved, a test
3. equivalent to dokimee
1 Peter 4:12-14 – Peter encourages us, saying not to be surprised at the fiery trials in your life as a Christian. Their purpose is to test our faith, to prove the depth of it. One of the definitions for purosis (poo'-ro-sis), interpreted into English in this passage as “fiery ordeal” (“fiery trial” in KJV/NKJV) is “the burning by which metals are roasted or reduced.” If you remember, the definition for Ophir is “reducing to ashes.” It is by standing firm in the Lord during the fiery trials that we face that we obtain the “gold of Ophir” to cover our nakedness before Him (Rev. 3:17-18) and become His beloved Bride. This is how we are to “buy from me gold refined by fire” (Rev. 3:18). (See the Bible study The Right To Possess.)
12 Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal [4451- KJV/NKJV; “fiery trial”] among you, which comes upon you for your testing [3986], as though some strange thing were happening to you;
13 but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation.
14 If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.
NASU
NT:4451 purosis (poo'-ro-sis)
(Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance)
from NT:4448; ignition, i.e. (specifically) smelting (figuratively, conflagration, calamity as a test):
KJV - burning, trial.
(Thayer’s Greek Lexicon)
a burning (Rev. 18:9,18); the burning by which metals are roasted or reduced [this is part of the definition for Ophir]; by a figure drawn from the refiner's fire (on which cf. Proverbs 27:21), calamities or trials that test character (1 Peter 4:12)
NT:3986 peirasmos (pi-ras-mos')
(Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance)
from NT:3985; a putting to proof (by experiment [of good], experience [of evil], solicitation, discipline or provocation); by implication, adversity:
KJV - temptation, try.
(Thayer’s Greek Lexicon)
an experiment, attempt, trial, proving
a. universally, trial, proving (Gal. 4:14)
b. specifically, the trial of man's fidelity, integrity, virtue, constancy, etc. (1 Peter 4:12)
c. "temptation" (i. e., trial) of God by men, i. e. rebellion against God, by which his power and justice are, as it were, put to the proof and challenged to show themselves (Hebrews 3:8)
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