The final shaking that is coming to the entire earth at the end of this age will reveal where we all stand, whether that be close by the Lord in faithfulness or turned away from Him in unfaithfulness with an apostate heart. To turn away from allegiance to God is to fall away from Him in the great apostasy at the end of this age, right before His return
(2 Thessalonians 2:1-12).
Hebrews 12:25-29 – See the note below.
25 See to it that you do not refuse Him who is speaking. For if those did not escape when they refused [3868- “to refuse, decline, avoid”] him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape who turn away [654- “to turn oneself away from, to turn away from allegiance”] from Him who warns from heaven. [See the Bible study Swept Away Or Snatched Away.]
26 And His voice shook [4531] the earth then, but now He has promised, saying, "YET ONCE MORE I WILL SHAKE NOT ONLY THE EARTH, BUT ALSO THE HEAVEN."
27 This expression, "Yet once more," denotes the removing of those things which can be shaken [4531], as of created things, so that those things which cannot be shaken [4531] may remain [3306- see John 15:4-11 below].
28 Therefore, since we receive [3880- “to take, to receive from another”] a kingdom which cannot be shaken [761- “unshaken, immovable”], let us show [2192] gratitude [5485- terrible interpretation!], by which we may offer to God [“to minister to God”] an acceptable service [“in a manner well-pleasing to one”] with reverence and awe; [see the Bible study Well Pleased]
29 for our God is a consuming fire.
NASU
28 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have [2192] grace [5485], by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear.
29 For our God is a consuming fire.
NKJV
NT:4531 saleuo (sal-yoo'-o)
(Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance)
from NT:4535; to waver, i.e. agitate, rock, topple or (by implication) destroy; figuratively, to disturb, incite:
KJV - move, shake (together), which can [-not] be shaken, stir up.
(Thayer’s Greek Lexicon)
a. properly, of the motion produced by winds, storms, waves, etc.; to agitate or shake (Matt. 11:7)
b. to shake down, overthrow, i.e. tropically, to cast down from one's (secure and happy) state (Acts 2:25)
NT:3306 meno (men'-o);
(Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance)
a primary verb; to stay (in a given place, state, relation or expectancy):
KJV - abide, continue, dwell, endure, be present, remain, stand, tarry (for), thine own.
(Thayer’s Greek Lexicon)
to remain, abide
I. intransitively
1. to place
a. to sojourn, tarry (Luke 8:27)
b. tropically
1. equivalent to not to depart, not to leave, to continue to be present (1 John 2:19)
2. to be held, or kept, continually: in the state of death (1 John 3:14)
2. to time; to continue to be, i. e., not to perish, to last, to endure: used of persons, to survive, live
3. to state or condition; to remain as one is, not to become another or different: with a predicate
nominative monos (John 12:24)
II. transitively; tina, to wait for, await (Acts 20:5)
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 to hold
a. to have (hold) in the hand (Rev. 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 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,
motions, affections, faults, defects, etc. (Rev. 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
a. with the subjunctive, equivalent to to be able (Matthew 18:25)
b. 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:5485 charis (khar'-ece)
(Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance)
from NT:5463; graciousness (as gratifying), of manner or act (abstract or concrete; literal, figurative or spiritual; especially the divine influence upon the heart, and its reflection in the life; including gratitude):
KJV - acceptable, benefit, favour, gift, grace (-ious), joy, liberality, pleasure, thank (-s, -worthy).
(Thayer’s Greek Lexicon)
grace
1. properly, that which affords joy, pleasure, delight, sweetness, charm, loveliness: grace of speech
2. good-will, loving-kindness, favor (Luke 2:52)
3. what is due to grace
a. the spiritual condition of one governed by the power of divine grace,
b. a token or proof of grace (2 Cor. 1:15)
4. thanks (1 Cor. 10:30)
In this passage, the author of Hebrews gives a warning “from Him who warns from heaven.” It is directed toward God’s people, cautioning us to be careful to not turn away from Him in rebellion and think that we will escape His judgment.
In a devotional for April 8 from Spurgeon in which he was speaking of the crucifixion of Jesus, he made the following statement;
“When God saw Jesus in the sinner's place, He did not spare Him; and when He finds the unregenerate without Christ, He will not spare them. O sinner, Jesus was led away by His enemies [they “bound Him and led Him away”; see the Bible study Binding And Loosing]: so shall you be dragged away by fiends to the place appointed for you. Jesus was deserted of God; and if He, who was only imputedly a sinner, was deserted, how much more shall you be?”
I would take that even further and ask, per what is written in the Word of God, that when He finds His people “in the sinner’s place,” jointly participating in their sins, will He spare them? The Lord said to John in His final Revelation regarding the destruction of Babylon, the spiritual harlot;
“Come out of her, my people, so that you will not share [“co-participate in, to become a partaker together with others”] in her sins, so that you will not receive any of her plagues [“a blow, stripe, a public calamity, heavy affliction”].”(Revelation 18:4/NIV)
The Lord has clearly declared that, “No!”, He will not spare those of His people that stubbornly refuse to listen to Him and come out from her (i.e. Babylon, the religious harlot) by not participating with her in her sinful practices against Him. Because of their choice to remain with the “unregenerate” instead of Christ in obedience to His will, they too will receive of her “plagues” which by definition is “a public calamity” and “a heavy affliction.”
Regarding the separation of God’s people from those who practice lawlessness, Paul said to the Christians in the city of Corinth;
“Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? Or what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever? Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said, ‘I will dwell in them and walk among them; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.’ Therefore, ‘Come out from their midst and be separate,’ says the Lord. ‘And do not touch what is unclean; and I will welcome you. And I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to Me [sonship],’ says the Lord Almighty. Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.”
(2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1/NASU)
What we all need, and will receive, is a good dose of the fear of the Lord in our land, so as to move us out from the place of His judgment.
As with the children of Israel during their wilderness journey from Egypt to the Promised Land, rebellion among those in the church will be dealt with for His namesake, and the sake of those who, like Joshua and Caleb, have remained faithful to the Lord during the great falling away from the faith (2 Thess. 2:3; the “apostasy, the defection from the truth”; see the Bible study The Sons Of Jephunneh). The removing of the wicked found among God’s people will cleanse us, His body, from all defilement, resulting in a pure and spotless people who have been made ready for His return (see the Bible study Wholly Illumined No Dark Part). They heard the word of the Lord to “Get ready!” and then did what was spoken, preparing their hearts by faith, working together with the Holy Spirit rather than against Him.
The Greek for “turn away” is defined as “to turn oneself away from, to turn away from allegiance.” We have doctrines of demons that say Christians will escape judgment even when walking in stubbornness and rebellion toward the Lord (i.e. “Eternal security”/“Once saved, always saved”). Like the children of Israel in the wilderness, continued unfaithfulness and the testing of God will cause many to forfeit their “reward of the inheritance” from the Lord (Col. 3:24). (See the Bible study Cultivate Faithfulness.)
The final shaking that is coming to the entire earth at the end of this age will reveal where we all stand, in particular God’s own people. It will make public whether that be close by the Lord in faithfulness or turned away from Him in unfaithfulness with an apostate heart. To turn away from allegiance to God is to fall away from Him (2 Thess. 2:1-4), to not be in a position to be loosed from all that binds us in the flesh. It is to be a covenant breaker that did not “continue in His kindness” and will therefore be cut off from Him (Romans 11:17-22).
Let Us Have Grace (see the Bible study Have Grace)
In verse 28, the NAS version says “let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God [“to minister to God”] an acceptable service [“in a manner well-pleasing to one”] with reverence and awe; for our God is a consuming fire.” The NKJV version says “let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. For our God is a consuming fire.” These two versions say two seemingly different things; “show gratitude” and “have grace.”To help make it clearer what is being said we have to look at the original Greek words from which we obtained our English interpretations.
The Greek interpreted in English as “show” and “have” is echo (ekh'-o). It means “to have, to hold, to hold fast, keep, to own, possess.” The first two definitions are very similar to vows in the covenant of marriage.
The Greek for “gratitude” and “grace” is charis (khar'-ece) which is defined as “grace, goodwill, lovingkindness, favor; the divine influence upon the heart, and its reflection in the life.” From these definitions I understand this phrase to mean let us hold fast/keep/possess the goodwill and lovingkindness of the Lord toward us by remaining/abiding (v.27) in Him, staying near Him through obedience with a steadfast spirit “by which” we then minister to God in a manner that is acceptable/well-pleasing to Him (see the Bible studies Holding Fast To The Lord and Well Pleased).
To not keep the favor/grace of the Lord is to turn away from allegiance to our covenant with Him in unfaithfulness/unbelief. As we’ll see through other verses, it is to fall away to destruction from Him with an apostate heart (2 Thessalonians 2:3). According to Paul, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, this will happen among the Lord’s followers in particular right before His return (2 Thess. 2:1-4).
Like the Israelites in the wilderness who defected from the Lord after being set free from the bondage of Egypt, many will not cross the finish line and enter in but will instead be disqualified (1 Cor. 9:27). Only those who remain loyal to the Lord, as seen in type through Joshua and Caleb, will remain alive. They, along with those new children who have turned to Christ in the final revival (Numbers 14:28-31), will enter into the promised land of eternal life in Christ at His return (Numbers 13:38).
(The following passage was taken from the Bible study 2020 The Dawning Of The Light.)
Exodus 19:16-19 – See the note below.
16 So it came about on the third day [see the Bible study The Third Day], when it was morning [1242], that there were thunder [6963- “to call aloud, a voice or sound”] and lightning flashes and a thick cloud upon the mountain and a very loud trumpet sound [6963], so that all the people who were in the camp trembled.
17 And Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain.
18 Now Mount Sinai was all in smoke because the Lord descended upon it in fire; and its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked [2729] violently [3966].
19 When the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke and God answered him with thunder. [See the Bible study The Sound Of His Coming.]
NASU
OT:1242 boqer (bo'-ker)
(Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance)
from OT:1239; properly, dawn (as the break of day); generally, morning:
KJV - (+)day, early, morning, morrow.
(Brown Driver Briggs Hebrew Lexicon)
morning, the break of day
a) morning
1) used of end of night
2) used of coming of daylight
3) used of coming of sunrise
4) used of beginning of day
5) used of bright joy after a night of distress (figurative)
b) the morrow, the next day, the next morning
OT:2729 charad (khaw-rad')
(Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance)
a primitive root; to shudder with terror; hence, to fear; also to hasten (with anxiety):
KJV - be (make) afraid, be careful, discomfit, fray (away), quake, tremble.
(Brown Driver Briggs Hebrew Lexicon)
to tremble, to quake, to move about, to be afraid, to be startled, to be terrified
a) (Qal)
1) to tremble, to quake (used of a mountain)
2) to tremble (used of people)
3) to be anxiously careful
4) to go or to come trembling (with preposition)
b) (Hiphil)
1) to cause to tremble
2) to drive in terror, to rout (an army)
OT:3966 me`od (meh-ode')
(Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance)
from the same as OT:181; properly, vehemence, i.e. (with or without preposition) vehemently; by implication, wholly, speedily, etc. (often with other words as an intensive or superlative; especially when repeated):
KJV - diligently, especially, exceeding (-ly), far, fast, good, great (-ly), louder and louder, might (-ily, -y), (so) much, quickly, (so) sore, utterly, very (+much, sore), well.
(Brown Driver Briggs Hebrew Lexicon)
as an adverb:
1) exceedingly, much
as a substantive:
2) might, force, abundance
as a masculine noun:
3) muchness, force, abundance, exceedingly
a) force, might
b) exceedingly, greatly, very (idioms showing magnitude or degree)
1) exceedingly
2) up to abundance, to a great degree, exceedingly
3) with muchness, muchness
In this passage, Moses leads the children of Israel out of the camp to meet God at Mount Sinai, in the dawning of a new day. We too must come out of our denominational encampments early on the “third day” (see the Bible study The Third Day). As when Jesus arose from the grave, again, early on the third day, there was a “violent shaking” (see the Bible study 2020 The Dawning Of The Light). The sound of the trumpet, the voice of those calling God’s people to repent and return to the Lord, is now growing louder by the day. I believe that the majority of the church in America will, like the children of Israel, also have to be in a state of exceedingly great trembling before they will be willing to come out and separate themselves from that which has become corrupt and filled with the ways of man (see Exodus 32:7-8).
In fact, Hosea declares that Israel, in the last days, will once again come trembling to the Lord;
“For the sons of Israel will remain for many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or sacred pillar and without ephod or household idols. Afterward the sons of Israel will return and seek the Lord their God and David their king; and they will come trembling to the Lord and to His goodness in the last days.” [See the Bible study The Goodness Of God.]
(Hosea 3:4-5/NASU)
Further on the prophet declares; “He will roar like a lion; Indeed He will roar and His sons will come trembling from the west.” (Hosea 10:11/NASU) I believe that it will be the “roar” (i.e. thunder) of the Lion from the tribe of Judah in our land that will cause the children of Israel to flee the current safety of America. If this is the case, then the violent shaking will not only be used to purify His Gentile children, but also to regather His Jewish children (see the Bible study The Third Day Gathering).
John 8:27-30 – Jesus says that because He does the things that are pleasing to the Father (a “doer” of the word), He is not left alone (see the Bible study Well Pleasing). This was spoken and written for us, His followers, to understand the importance of walking in obedience. Disobedience in my life always results in my not sensing His Presence. It’s because I have walked away from Him which means I have turned my back on Him. This is what it means to forsake the Lord. Repentance is the only way to restore our relationship and return. Keeping His word is the way to remain/abide in Him (1 John 2:3-6).
27 They did not realize that He had been speaking to them about the Father.
28 So Jesus said, "When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and I do nothing on My own initiative, but I speak these things as the Father taught Me.
29 "And He who sent Me is with Me; He has not left Me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing [701] to Him."
30 As He spoke these things, many came to believe in Him.
NASU
Acts 16:22-26 – See the note below. (This was taken from the Bible studies 2020 The Dawning Of The Light, and Binding And Loosing.)
22 The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten. [NAS- “…tore their robes [outer garments] off them…”; see the Bible study The Inner Tunic]
23 After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison [5438- “to guard or watch, imprisonment”; a place of bondage; see Rev. 2:10], and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully [806- “securely”; see Matthew 27:65-66].
24 Upon receiving such orders, he put them in the inner cell [NAS- “inner prison”] and fastened [805- “to make firm, to make secure”] their feet in the stocks.
25 About midnight [Matthew 25:6] Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.
26 Suddenly there was such a violent [3173] earthquake [4578] that the foundations of the prison were shaken [4531]. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everybody's chains came loose [447].
NIV
NT:4531 saleuo (sal-yoo'-o)
(Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance)
from NT:4535; to waver, i.e. agitate, rock, topple or (by implication) destroy; figuratively, to disturb, incite:
KJV - move, shake (together), which can [-not] be shaken, stir up.
(Thayer’s Greek Lexicon)
a. properly, of the motion produced by winds, storms, waves, etc.; to agitate or shake (Matthew 11:7)
b. to shake down, overthrow, i.e. tropically, to cast down from one's (secure and happy) state (Acts 2:25)
NT:447 aniemi (an-ee'-ay-mee)
(Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance)
from NT:303 and hiemi (to send); to let up, i.e. (literally) slacken or (figuratively) desert, desist from:
KJV - forbear, leave, loose.
(Thayer’s Greek Lexicon)
to send back; to relax; to loosen Acts 16:26
Within this passage we see why the Lord is going to shake things up. It is for the good of His people, as well as the lost who are near them, to set us free from that which has imprisoned us, that which has bound us and kept us from walking as we ought to, in the same manner as Jesus walked (1 John 2:6, Eph. 4:1, 22, Phil. 1:27, Col. 1:10, 1 Thess. 2:12).
The verses that precede these (v.14-21) reveal why Paul and Silas had been thrown into prison (see Rev. 2:10 which refers to some Christians being thrown into prison by the devil for ten days for their testing). As they were heading toward the place of prayer, a slave girl possessed by a “spirit of divination” met them. The Greek for divination is puthon (poo'-thone). Per Vine's Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words;
“…puthon (poo'-thone), (Eng., “python”), in Greek mythology was the name of the Pythian serpent or dragon, dwelling in Pytho, at the foot of mount Parnassus, guarding the oracle of Delphi, and slain by Apollo. Thence the name was transferred to Apollo himself. Later the word was applied to diviners or soothsayers, regarded as inspired by Apollo. Since demons are the agents inspiring idolatry (1 Cor. 10:20), the young woman in Acts 16:16 was possessed by a demon instigating the cult of Apollo, and thus had ‘a spirit of divination.’”
It’s interesting to see that, as she followed them, she seemed to be declaring that which was good, but something about her annoyed/troubled Paul. Her constant proclamation had become a distraction from Christ instead of an attraction to Him. There are many within the church who possess the same spirit. They’re proclaiming that Jesus is the way of salvation, but inside you sense a different spirit coming through that doesn’t sit right within your spirit. Jesus isn’t being exalted or glorified through them. I’ve learned to listen to this prompting. If I’m not sure, I’ll wait for the Lord to confirm it one way or another which He always does.
The Greek for “met” is hupantao (hoop-an-tah'-o). It’s made up of two words, one being anti (an-tee') which is defined as “over against, opposite to, instead of, in place of.” It is also used as a prefix that forms the word antichrist. What you see through this is that, even though she was proclaiming that Jesus was the way, this girl was possessed with a spirit that stood opposed to Him. It is a deceptive form of Christianity that is in actuality controlled by the spirit of antichrist.
This same word is used with similar implication in Luke 8:26-39 where Jesus cast out many demons from a man. He and His disciples had sailed to the country of the Gerasenes where they were “met [hupantao] by a man from the city who was possessed with demons; and who had not put on any clothing for a long time, and was not living in a house, but in the tombs.” The spirit of antichrist that fights against the Lord, is opposite to His will and has become so prevalent in the leadership of the body of Christ has kept many from putting on the Lord Jesus Christ (see the Bible study The Spirit Of Antichrist). Most of God’s people are unaware that they are naked, uncovered and unprotected from God’s wrath at the end of this age (Rev. 3:17). They have been living in the tombs, in places of death, including dead places of worship for so long that the place of bondage has become their familiar place of comfort.
When those filled with the presence of the Lord show up they too will be met by those possessed with demons who oppose/fight against the Lord’s will. They have a form of godliness but have denied its power (which is to receive the grace of God in vain) to conform them into the image of Christ, thereby becoming a son and daughter of God and gain the right of possession of their eternal inheritance (see Jer. 32:7-8, Ezekiel 46:16-18). We are commanded by God to
“Avoid such men as these. For among them are those who enter into households and captivate weak women weighed down with sins, led on by various impulses, always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses [see Exodus 7:11, 22), so these men also oppose the truth, men of depraved mind, rejected in regard to the faith.”
(2 Timothy 3:5-8/NASU)
Jannes and Jambres are not mentioned by name in the Old Testament but, traditionally speaking, are thought to be the magicians referred to in Exodus 7:11 who opposed Moses. The possible meaning of their names is “he who seduces” and “he who makes rebellious.” Either way, they represent those who oppose God’s truth and have been “rejected in regard to faith.”
The carefully guarded intent of the enemy of our souls, who always works in the cover of darkness, is to once again, as we were before turning to the Lord, place and keep God’s servants in the shackles of bondage within the “inner prison” of our spirit. Like Paul and Silas whose feet were fastened in the stocks, we cannot move in the will and desire of God from there. The shaking that is coming at the end of this age will be so great that it will loose those who can be loosed from alltheir bondages. This is the completion of our faith, the final perfecting of the Saints.
The great shaking will either destroy us, as in the days of Noah, or loose us. Only that which cannot be shaken, that which has been built upon the sure foundation of truth by the Spirit of God within us through our working together with Him (2 Cor. 6:1), will remain. All else will be cast down, never to rise up again.
The good news is that the enemy’s “carefully” guarded strongholds will be cast down. His chains of oppression within those of God’s people who truly desire to be fully released will once and for all be completely leveled! This is our hope of glory, of finally being loosed from the bondage of this mortal flesh, of this mortal putting on the immortality of Christ (1 Cor. 15:50-58).
At the end of this age when Christ appears, all those whose walk with God is “well-pleasing” in His sight will be translated/transformed/changed (Heb. 11:5-6). John said;
“Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is. And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.”
(1 John 3:2-3/NASU)
Again, as what happened with Paul and Silas, there is a violent and severe shaking that is coming on earth in the midnight hour of this age (Matthew 25:5-6) that will shake the foundation of our place of bondage. It will be used to wake up God’s people that have a “spirit of deep sleep” over them, breaking them loose them from their bondage to “this body of death” that Paul refers to in Romans 7:24 (see the Bible study The Sleeping Bride which is about Jonah sleeping as he was running from God’s call), whether that be the prison of our physical body, the spiritual body we stubbornly cling to, or both if necessary. To resist this final shaking is to resist God’s last offer to the church (see my book 911; God’s Last Offer To The Church).
As it was per the first coming of Christ, we are being warned from heaven in this midnight hour through the forerunner ministry like John the Baptist to “prepare the way of the Lord” within us, purifying our hearts by faith so as to be a people made ready for the coming of the King of kings and Lord of lords. May we hear what the Spirit is saying to the church in this critical moment of history.
Hebrews 10:23 – Through this passage we understand that to “hold fast the confession of our hope” is “to retain” our confession of Christ as our Lord and Savior. It’s to “hold down” and “keep secure” what we profess, without wavering. To not waver means “not leaning, firm, unmoved.” In the Greek, “confession” is defined as “confession by acknowledgment of the truth.” To acknowledge God is to confess God, in deed and word (see the Bible study Acknowledging God). To deny Christ is, again by definition, to disown Him (2 Timothy 2:12). This is the person who began the journey of salvation but along the way turned off the path of His will (see the article Shelley’s Dream). They turned away/moved away from Him in apostasy, defecting from the truth (see the Bible study The Door for more on the dangers of moving away from Christ, “outside the door,” right before His final judgment on earth). This is what the Bible refers to as forsaking/forsook the Lord.
23 Let us hold fast [2722] the confession [3671- “confession by acknowledgment of the truth”] of our hope without wavering [186], for He who promised is faithful [4103- “trustworthy”]; [see the Bible study Cultivate Faithfulness]
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:3671 homologia (hom-ol-og-ee'-ah)
(Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance)
from the same as NT:3670; acknowledgment:
KJV - con- (pro-) fession, professed.
(Thayer’s Greek Lexicon)
profession
a. subjectively (Hebrews 3:1)
b. objectively, profession (confession) i. e. what one professes (confesses) (Hebrews 4:14)
NT:186 aklines (ak-lee-nace')
(Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance)
from NT:1 (as a negative particle) and NT:2827; not leaning, i.e. (figuratively) firm:
KJV - without wavering.
(Thayer’s Greek Lexicon)
not inclining, firm, unmoved (Hebrews 10:23)
1 Kings 18:21 – Elijah confronted the Israelites at a time when they were “wavering” (hopping back and forth) between serving God and Baal. It culminated in a confrontation between him and 450 prophets of Baal, as well as 400 prophets of Asherah who ate at Jezebel’s table.
21 Elijah went before the people and said, "How long will you waver [6452] between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him." But the people said nothing.
NIV
OT:6452 pacach (paw-sakh')
(Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance)
a primitive root; to hop, i.e. (figuratively) skip over (or spare); by implication, to hesitate; also (literally) to limp, to dance:
KJV - halt, become lame, leap, pass over.
(Brown Driver Briggs Hebrew Lexicon)
1) to pass over, to spring over
a) (Qal) to pass over
b) (Piel) to skip, to pass over
2) to limp
a) (Qal) to limp
b) (Niphal) to be lame
c) (Piel) to limp
John 15:4-11 – Jesus gives us a warning in these verses that the devil has removed in his false doctrines. The condition of the Lord remaining/abiding in us is that we remain in Him and His love by obeying His commands, not moved away from Him and His love with an unfaithful heart (see the Bible study The Door in regards to not going “outside of” Christ when the angel of death passes over). Jesus also gave us a prayer promise that if we remain in Him, and His words remain in us (which means we are doers of His word), that we may ask whatever we wish and it will be given us. The reason is because if we are close to Him we will not ask anything that is outside of His will. The very strong warning is that if we do not remain in Him we will be thrown into the fire and burned! The fear of the Lord and His judgments (which the devil removes) are to keep our wayward, drifting, fallen nature near Him.
4 Remain [3306- see def. in Heb. 12:25-29 above] in me, and I will remain [3306] in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain [3306] in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
5 "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains [3306] in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.
6 If anyone does not remain [3306] in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.
7 If you remain [3306] in me and my words remain [3306] in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you.
8 This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
9 "As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain [3306] in my love.
10 If you obey my commands, you will remain [3306] in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain [3306] in his love.
11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.
NIV
Matthew 24:29-31 – The coming of the Lord and the shaking of the powers of heaven.
29 "But immediately after the tribulation of those days THE SUN WILL BE DARKENED, AND THE MOON WILL NOT GIVE ITS LIGHT, AND THE STARS WILL FALL from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken [4531- see def. in Heb. 12:25-29 above].
30 "And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the SON OF MAN COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF THE SKY with power and great glory. [See Daniel 7:13, Rev. 1:7, 1 Thess. 4:13.]
31 "And He will send forth His angels with A GREAT TRUMPET and THEY WILL GATHER TOGETHER His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.
NASU
Luke 21:25-28 – Luke’s account of the fearful return of Christ.
25 "There will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth dismay [“straits, distress, anguish, figuratively anxiety”] among nations, in perplexity [“at a loss for a way, at a loss how to proceed, at wits end”] at the roaring of the sea and the waves,
26 men fainting from fear and the expectation of the things which are coming upon the world; for the powers of the heavens will be shaken [4531].
27 "Then they will see THE SON OF MAN COMING IN A CLOUD with power and great glory.
28 "But when these things begin to take place, straighten up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near." [See the Bible study The Bent Double Woman.]
NASU
Isaiah 24:1-6, 18-20 – Isaiah prophecies of judgment on the earth when it is “shaken violently.”
1 Behold, the Lord lays the earth waste, devastates it, distorts its surface and scatters its inhabitants.
2 And the people will be like the priest, the servant like his master, the maid like her mistress, the buyer like the seller, the lender like the borrower, the creditor like the debtor.
3 The earth will be completely laid waste and completely despoiled, for the Lord has spoken this word.
4 The earth mourns and withers, the world fades and withers, the exalted of the people of the earth fade away.
5 The earth is also polluted by its inhabitants, for they transgressed laws, violated statutes, broke the everlasting covenant.
6 Therefore, a curse devours the earth, and those who live in it are held guilty. Therefore, the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men are left…
17 Terror and pit and snare confront you, O inhabitant of the earth.
18 Then it will be that he who flees the report of disaster will fall into the pit, and he who climbs out of the pit will be caught in the snare; for the windows above are opened, and the foundations of the earth shake.
19 The earth is broken asunder, the earth is split through, the earth is shaken violently.
20 The earth reels to and fro like a drunkard and it totters like a shack, for its transgression is heavy upon it, and it will fall, never to rise again.
21 So it will happen in that day, that the Lord will punish the host of heaven on high, and the kings of the earth on earth.
NASU
Jonah 2:8 –This passage tells us the means by which we move away from God (see the Bible study The Door), loosing ourselves from His grace and mercy with an unfaithful heart. What is being described here is the condition of a covenant breaker. See the note below.
8 "Those who cling [8104] to worthless [7723] idols [1892] forfeit [5800] the grace [2617] that could be theirs.
NIV
Jonah 2:8
8 "Those who regard [8104] vain [7723] idols [1892] forsake [5800] their faithfulness [2617],
NASU
Jonah 2:8
8 They that observe [8104] lying [7723] vanities [1892] forsake [5800] their own mercy [2617].
KJV
Jonah 2:8
8 "Those who regard [8104] worthless [7723] idols [1892] forsake [5800] their own Mercy [2617].
NKJV
OT:8104 shamar (shaw-mar')
(Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance)
a primitive root; properly, to hedge about (as with thorns), i.e. guard; generally, to protect, attend to, etc.:
KJV - beward, be circumspect, take heed (toself), keep (-erself,), mark, look narrowly, observe, preserve, regard, reserve, save (self), sure, (that lay) wait (for), watch (-man).
(Brown Driver Briggs Hebrew Lexicon)
to keep, to guard, to observe, to give heed
a) (Qal)
1) to keep, to have charge of
2) to keep, to guard, to keep watch and ward, to protect, to save life; watch, a watchman (participle)
3) to watch for, to wait for
4) to watch, to observe
5) to keep, to retain, to treasure up (in memory)
6) to keep (within bounds), to restrain
7) to observe, to celebrate, to keep (sabbath or covenant or commands), to perform (a vow)
8) to keep, to preserve, to protect
9) to keep, to reserve
b) (Niphal)
1) to be on one's guard, to take heed, to take care, to beware
2) to keep oneself, to refrain, to abstain
3) to be kept, to be guarded
c) (Piel) to keep, to pay heed
d) (Hithpael) to keep oneself from
OT:7723 shav' (shawv); or shav (shav)
(Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance)
from the same as OT:7722 in the sense of desolating [see Daniel 8:13, 9:27, 11:31, Rev. 17:16]; evil (as destructive), literally (ruin) or morally (especially guile); figuratively idolatry (as false, subjective), uselessness (as deceptive, objective; also adverbially, in vain):
KJV - false (-ly), lie, lying, vain, vanity.
(Brown Driver Briggs Hebrew Lexicon)
emptiness, vanity, falsehood
a) emptiness, nothingness, vanity
b) emptiness of speech, lying
c) worthlessness (used of conduct)
OT:1892 hebel (heh'bel); or (rarely in the abs.) habel (hab-ale')
(Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance)
from OT:1891; emptiness or vanity; figuratively, something transitory and unsatisfactory; often used as an adverb:
KJV - altogether, vain, vanity.
(Brown Driver Briggs Hebrew Lexicon)
a vapor, a breath
a) breath, vapor
b) vanity (figurative)
as an adverb:
2) vainly
BREATH
hebel [OT:1892] - "breath; vanity; idol." Cognates of this noun occur in Syriac, late Aramaic, and Arabic. All but 4 of its 72 occurrences are in poetry (37 in Ecclesiastes).
First, the word represents human "breath" as a transitory thing: "I loathe it; I would not live always: let me alone; for my days are vanity [literally, but a breath]" (Job 7:16).
Second, hebel means something meaningless and purposeless: "Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity" (Eccl 1:2).
Third, this word signifies an "idol," which is unsubstantial, worthless, and vain: "They have moved me to jealousy with that which is not God; they have provoked me to anger with their vanities..." (Deuteronomy 32:21) — the first occurrence.
(from Vine's Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words, Copyright © 1985, Thomas Nelson Publishers.)
OT:5800 `azab (aw-zab')
(Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance)
a primitive root; to loosen, i.e. relinquish, permit, etc.:
KJV - commitself, fail, forsake, fortify, help, leave (destitute, off), refuse, surely.
(Brown Driver Briggs Hebrew Lexicon)
1) to leave, to loose, to forsake
a) (Qal) to leave
1) to depart from, to leave behind, to leave, to let alone
2) to leave, to abandon, to forsake, to neglect, to apostatize
3) to let loose, to set free, to let go, to free
b) (Niphal)
1) to be left to
2) to be forsaken
c) (Pual) to be deserted
2) to restore, to repair
(Qal) to repair
TO FORSAKE
`azab [OT:5800] - "to leave, forsake, abandon, leave behind, be left over, let go." This word occurs in Akkadian and post-biblical Hebrew and Aramaic. Similar words appear in Arabic and Ethiopic. The word occurs in biblical Hebrew about 215 times and in all periods.
Basically `azab means "to depart from something," or "to leave." This is the meaning of the word in its first biblical appearance: "[For this cause] shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife..." (Genesis 2:24). A special nuance of the word is "to leave in the lurch," or to leave someone who is depending upon one's services. So Moses said to Hobab the Midianite (Kenite): "Leave us not [in the lurch] I pray thee; forasmuch as thou knowest how we are to encamp in the wilderness, and thou mayest be to us instead of eyes" (Numbers 10:31).
The word also carries the meaning "forsake," or "leave entirely." Such passages convey a note of finality or completeness…
(from Vine's Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words, Copyright © 1985, Thomas Nelson Publishers.)
OT:2617 checed (kheh'-sed)
(Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance)
from OT:2616; kindness; by implication (towards God) piety: rarely (by opposition) reproof, or (subject.) beauty:
KJV - favour, good deed (-liness, -ness), kindly, (loving-) kindness, merciful (kindness), mercy, pity, reproach, wicked thing.
(Brown Driver Briggs Hebrew Lexicon)
1) goodness, kindness, faithfulness
2) a reproach, shame
checed [OT:2617] - "loving-kindness; steadfast love; grace; mercy; faithfulness; goodness; devotion." This word is used 240 times in the Old Testament, and is especially frequent in the Psalter. The term is one of the most important in the vocabulary of Old Testament theology and ethics.
(from Vine's Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words, Copyright © 1985, Thomas Nelson Publishers.)
This passage tells us the means by which we move away from God, loosing ourselves from His grace and mercy with an unfaithful heart (see the Bible studies Cultivate Faithfulness and Have Grace). What is being described here through Jonah’s prayer of confession and repentance is the extreme danger of becoming a covenant breaker with God.
Based upon the four versions of the Bible listed above, grace, mercy, and faithfulness are all related. The five Hebrew words in this verse that Jonah spoke in his prayer while in the belly of the fish must be understood by Christians today who, like Jonah, are running from their call.
The first is shamar (shaw-mar') which is interpreted into English within these four versions as “cling”, “regard” (2x), and “observe”. It’s defined as “to hedge about, to keep, to guard, to retain.” The next two Hebrew words from Jonah reveal what exactly it is that’s being guarded, kept or retained. They’re interpreted as “worthless idols” (2x), “vain idols”, and “lying vanities” within our versions.
The Hebrew for “worthless,” “vain,” and “lying” is shav' (shawv) or shav (shav) which means “emptiness (of speech), vanity, falsehood, lying, worthlessness (used of conduct).” The other, hebel (heh'bel), is defined as “breath, vanity, idol.” It refers to something meaningless and purposeless, also as “an idol, which is unsubstantial, worthless, and vain.” From these two definitions we can understand that Jonah is praying with a repentant heart from inside the great fish about what he has come to understand, the hard way. Those of God’s people who continue to refuse to let go of falsehood or meaningless idols when convicted by the Holy Spirit, choosing instead to keep or guard them in their life, are in great danger of being chastised, severely if necessary, by their loving and impartial Father. The purpose of producing the reverential fear of the Lord in us when we go too far is to keep us from moving away from Him to destruction in unfaithfulness. As we already have seen in Hebrews 12:27, to move away from God is to be in a place where we can be shaken and overthrown, literally “to be cast down from one's (secure and happy) state.”
When understood in truth, the last two Hebrew words should produce the fear of the Lord in His followers so as to keep us from continuing to retain that which God says is worthless, whether that be in heart or conduct. Either way, it is rebellion against the Lordship of Jesus Christ over us. There are times when God will take drastic measures in order to get the full attention of His prodigal sons and daughters so as to keep them from self-destruction.
The last phrase to look at in the different versions is “forfeit the grace that could be theirs”, “forsake their faithfulness”, and “forsake their own mercy”. The Hebrew interpreted into English as “forfeit” and “forsake” is `azab(aw-zab') which means “to leave, to loosen, to forsake, to abandon, leave behind, be left over, let go.” What is it that by holding on to our meaningless idols and falsehood we are loosening ourselves from with an apostate heart? (See the Bible study Binding And Loosing.)
The next Hebrew word, checed (kheh'-sed), which we interpret in English as “grace”, “faithfulness”, and “mercy” is defined as “loving-kindness, steadfast love, grace, mercy, faithfulness, goodness, devotion.” Jonah is saying that we, by refusing to let go of that which He says is not from Him, can actually loosen ourselves from and let go of God’s grace granted to those who have turned to Him!
You might say, “Yes, but Paul said in the New Testament, ‘Who shall separate us from the love of God?’” (Romans 8:35-39) You have to look at the verses preceding this verse to understand why he was encouraging us with this statement.
In the first verse of this chapter Paul says, “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”(NASU) The KJV says, “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” That last phrase is often dismissed among Bible teachers. It’s stated in all the versions in verse 4;
“For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.”
(Romans 8:2-8/NASU)
A Christian can, and does to one degree or another at different times, live according to the leading of the flesh (i.e. our fallen natures that oppose God). In this state of mind we “cannot please God” (see the Bible study Well Pleased to see what will happen to those who willfully continue in the flesh and are not pleasing to God).
What we see in this passage is that even when we let go of the Lord, forfeiting the grace that is ours, His love reaches out to us. Per the word of God, therefore, the only thing that CAN separate us from Him is us, not any outside force. It is our not letting go of sin that results in our not being adopted, receiving through perseverance the redemption of our body at the end of this age (v.18-25). This is what it means to “receive God’s grace in vain” (2 Corinthians 6:1).
2 Chronicles 29:1-6 – The unfaithful (see the Bible study Cultivate Faithfulness) turn their face away from God, they have forsaken [5800] Him which means “to loose, to leave, to depart, to let go, to abandon.” The unfaithful loosethemselves from the Lord. They let go of him (Jer. 17:4). (See the Bible study Binding And Loosing.)
1 Hezekiah became king when he was twenty-five years old; and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Abijah, the daughter of Zechariah.
2 He did right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his father David had done.
3 In the first year of his reign, in the first month, he opened the doors of the house of the Lord and repaired them.
4 He brought in the priests and the Levites and gathered them into the square on the east.
5 Then he said to them, "Listen to me, O Levites. Consecrate yourselves now, and consecrate the house of the Lord, the God of your fathers, and carry the uncleanness out from the holy place.
6 "For our fathers have been unfaithful [4603] and have done evil in the sight of the Lord our God, and have forsaken [5800] Him and turned their faces away from the dwelling place of the Lord, and have turned their backs.
NASU
OT:4603 ma`al (maw-al')
(Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance)
a primitive root; properly, to cover up; used only figuratively, to act covertly, i.e. treacherously:
KJV - transgress, (commit, do a) trespass (-ing).
(Brown Driver Briggs Hebrew Lexicon)
to act unfaithfully, to act treacherously, to transgress, to commit a trespass (Qal) to act unfaithfully or treacherously
1) against man
2) against God
3) against devoted thing
4) against husband
OT:5800 `azab (aw-zab')
(Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance)
a primitive root; to loosen, i.e. relinquish, permit, etc.:
KJV - commitself, fail, forsake, fortify, help, leave (destitute, off), refuse, surely.
(Brown Driver Briggs Hebrew Lexicon)
1) to leave, to loose, to forsake
a) (Qal) to leave
1) to depart from, to leave behind, to leave, to let alone
2) to leave, to abandon, to forsake, to neglect, to apostatize
3) to let loose, to set free, to let go, to free
b) (Niphal)
1) to be left to
2) to be forsaken
c) (Pual) to be deserted
2) to restore, to repair
(Qal) to repair
TO FORSAKE
`azab [OT:5800] - "to leave, forsake, abandon, leave behind, be left over, let go." This word occurs in Akkadian and post-biblical Hebrew and Aramaic. Similar words appear in Arabic and Ethiopic. The word occurs in biblical Hebrew about 215 times and in all periods.
Basically `azab means "to depart from something," or "to leave." This is the meaning of the word in its first biblical appearance: "[For this cause] shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife..." (Genesis 2:24). A special nuance of the word is "to leave in the lurch," or to leave someone who is depending upon one's services. So Moses said to Hobab the Midianite (Kenite): "Leave us not [in the lurch] I pray thee; forasmuch as thou knowest how we are to encamp in the wilderness, and thou mayest be to us instead of eyes" (Numbers 10:31).
The word also carries the meaning "forsake," or "leave entirely." Such passages convey a note of finality or completeness…
(from Vine's Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words, Copyright © 1985, Thomas Nelson Publishers.)
Psalm 78:5-8 – The psalmist declares the need to teach their children about the importance of placing their confidence/faith in God. They were to warn them to not be like their fathers in the wilderness, “a stubborn [“to turn away, apostatize”] and rebellious generation, a generation that did not prepare its heart and whose spirit was not faithful to God.” To be stubborn is to turn away with an apostate heart (see the note below for Hab. 2:4 below about turning away from the Lord, and see the Bible study Cultivate Faithfulness). As Paul warned, this is what is occurring in these last days before the return of Christ (2 Thess. 2:3).
Interestingly, one of the definitions for “prepare” is “to be secure.” Again, for the stubborn and rebellious among God’s people who break covenant with Him through unfaithfulness (v.10), there is no eternal security, “but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God.” (Hebrews 10:27/NIV) (To see how a Christian can become an enemy of God, see the section “The Unfaithful Children Of God; From Savior To Enemy” in the Bible study Cultivate Faithfulness.)
5 For He established a testimony in Jacob and appointed a law in Israel, Which He commanded our fathers that they should teach them to their children,
6 That the generation to come might know, even the children yet to be born, That they may arise and tell them to their children,
7 That they should put their confidence in God and not forget the works of God, but keep His commandments,
8 And not be like their fathers, a stubborn [5637- “to turn away, apostatize”] and rebellious generation, a generation that did not prepare [3559- “to be firm, to be stable, to be established (see Gen. 6:18), to prepare, to be ready, to be secure”] its heart and whose spirit was not faithful [539] to God.
NASU
OT:539 'aman (aw-man')
(Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance)
a primitive root; properly, to build up or support; to foster as a parent or nurse; figuratively to render (or be) firm or faithful, to trust or believe, to be permanent or quiet; morally to be true or certain; once (Isa 30:21; interchangeable with OT:541) to go to the right hand:
KJV - hence, assurance, believe, bring up, establish, fail, be faithful (of long continuance, steadfast, sure, surely, trusty, verified), nurse, (-ing father), (put), trust, turn to the right.
(Brown Driver Briggs Hebrew Lexicon)
to support, to confirm, to be faithful
a) (Qal)
to support, to confirm, to be faithful, to uphold, to nourish
1) foster father (a substantive)
2) foster mother, nurse
3) pillars, supporters of the door
b) (Niphal)
to be established, to be faithful, to be carried, to make firm
1) to be carried by a nurse
2) to made firm, to be sure, to be lasting
3) confirmed, established, sure
4) verified, confirmed
5) reliable, faithful, trusty
c) (Hiphil)
to stand firm, to trust, to be certain, to believe in
1) to stand firm
2) to trust, to believe
2 Chronicles 20:20
20 They rose early in the morning and went out to the wilderness of Tekoa; and when they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, "Listen to me, O Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem, put your trust [539] in the Lord your God and you will be established [539]. Put your trust [539] in His prophets and succeed [6743]."
NASU
OT:6743 tsalach (tsaw-lakh'); or tsaleach (tsaw-lay'-akh)
(Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance)
a primitive root; to push forward, in various senses (literal or figurative, transitive or intransitive):
KJV - break out, come (mightily), go over, be good, be meet, be profitable, (cause to, effect, make to, send) prosper (-ity, -ous, -ously).
(Brown Driver Briggs Hebrew Lexicon)
1) (Qal) to rush
2) to advance, to prosper, to make progress, to succeed, to be profitable
a) (Qal) to prosper
b) (Hiphil)
1) to make prosperous, to bring to successful issue, to cause to prosper
2) to show or experience prosperity, to prosper
(This is also from the Bible study Cultivate Faithfulness.)
Unfaithfulness In The Covenant
The lack of a steadfast spirit within God’s people, the children of Israel, as they journeyed through the wilderness, not believing in and trusting in Him to guide them to the Promised Land, was why He killed some along the way. Psalm 78 records their unfaithfulness in the covenant and God’s mercy even in judgement;
“And in their heart they put God to the test by asking food according to their desire. Then they spoke against God; They said, ‘Can God prepare a table in the wilderness? Behold, He struck the rock so that waters gushed out, and streams were overflowing; Can He give bread also? Will He provide meat for His people?’ Therefore the Lord heard and was full of wrath; and a fire was kindled against Jacob and anger also mounted against Israel, because they did not believe [539] in God and did not trust [982] in His salvation [3444].”
(Psalm 78:18-22/NASU)
The Hebrew for “believe” is 'aman (aw-man'). It’s defined as “to build up or support, to foster as a parent or nurse, to be firm or faithful, to trust or believe, to be established [see Genesis 6:18 in the Bible study Noah; A Sign Of The End; we must first be established in the covenant before being allowed to enter into the ark of God’s deliverance].” The definitions are very similar to that of “cultivate”. To not believe, therefore, is to be unfaithful. It does not mean that you do not believe He exists, but rather that you do not nurture, or foster your relationship with Him.
The Hebrew for “trust” is batach (baw-takh') which means “to trust in, to be confident, to be bold, to be secure, to make secure, to feel safe.” “Salvation” is interpreted from the Hebrew word yeshuw`ah (yesh-oo'-aw) which means “something saved, deliverance, welfare, prosperity, victory.” This word is the Old Testament type/picture (and origin) of the name of Jesus Christ which is Iesous (ee-ay-sooce') in the Greek (New Testament).
From the meaning of these Hebrew words we can clearly recognize what this verse is saying. The children of Israel, who are a picture of the Christian’s journey today, were not careful to foster their relationship with God (believe), but instead became careless/unfaithful (unbelief), not showing confidence in God’s ability to safely lead them (trust; the place of security), so as to safely deliver them from death in His victory (salvation). This is a well-defined picture of what it means to put our trust/belief in Jesus Christ who will deliver/save us in His victory. Again, this is the truth regarding what it means to be secure in Christ (eternal security) rather than a covenant breaker who, through careless neglect, dissolved their union with God; “For their heart was not steadfast toward Him, nor were they faithful in His covenant.” (Psalm 78:37/NASU, also see Psalm 78:8-10.)
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