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****** SO WHAT GOOD ARE THOSE OLD TESTAMENT PROPHECIES TODAY?? *****

In the last chapter we briefly showed that the prophecies in Ezekiel 
26 through 32 were references to actual historical events that took 
place many hundreds of years ago. I am sure that this will cause 
some people to wrongfully form the opinion that those texts 
therefore have no meaning for us today. The actual FACT is that 
those texts of scripture, and ALL OTHERS are very important to us 
today, but we must know how to "rightly divide" them and "compare 
spiritual with spiritual" (1 Corinthians 2:13) if they are to 
benefit us. It would require hundreds of pages to detail the 
spiritual prophecies concerning false religion which are contained 
in Ezekiel 26 through 32, so instead we will use a much more SIMPLE 
prophecy that we can cover rather quickly. It will give us an 
example as to how these texts that are at least partially fulfilled 
LITERALLY, can still provide us with understanding of even MORE 
important things. Please study this chapter very carefully.

WHY does the Bible tell us many details about some ancient 
historical accounts, and yet shows us very little about many other 
major events?

WHY is it that God caused some seemingly minor events to be written 
down, while other MAJOR events are totally omitted from scriptural 
coverage?

WHY are some events of Jesus' life described several times in the 
gospels, while vast areas of his life are not mentioned at all?

WHY are many of the scriptural accounts in the Old Testament 
writings written in such an hard to understand manner?

In this study, we are going to give you a brief glimpse into the 
answers to these and many other questions that will help you to know 
how to tell if someone is "rightly dividing the word of truth", and 
therefore properly interpreting the scriptures. During the course of 
this study, I am going to strive to CHALLENGE the reader's beliefs 
and manner of studying the scriptures. Unfortunately, most people 
today are basing at least 90% of the doctrines that they believe on 
verses of scripture that have been taken completely out of context. 
Many times, when people DO study a few of the Biblical "TYPES" 
(allegorical or symbolic pictures representing spiritual truths), 
they study them as ISOLATED pictures rather than as parts of a very 
large, single picture which consists of thousands of pieces just 
like an extremely large JIGSAW PUZZLE.

Do you know that there are thousands of MAJOR "TYPES" in the Bible, 
and that every major historical event in the scriptures is used by 
God to both conceal as well as to reveal deep and prophetic 
spiritual truths? These SPIRITUAL PICTURES are placed in the Bible 
in a totally scrambled fashion. In a way, you could say that God has 
inspired the scriptures in such a way that they are given to us in 
CODED FORM. I'm sure that you are familiar with the usage of coded 
messages throughout man's history. Many different methods have been 
used (especially during war-times) to prevent the enemy from 
deciphering messages sent to the soldiers in battle. Even so, the 
Bible shows us that God's people are spiritual soldiers, and God 
sends His messages to us in such a manner that we must have someone 
who can interpret the code and bring forth the message to lead us in 
our spiritual warfare.

Perhaps you are thinking, "why would God want to hide His word from 
anyone?" The answer to that question is answered in many texts of 
scripture. Let us look at just a couple of those.

MATTHEW 13:10-15     And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why
     speakest thou unto them in parables?  He answered and said 
     unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries 
     of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.
     For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have 
     more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken
     away even that he hath.  Therefore speak I to them in parables:  
     because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither 
     do they understand.  And in them is fulfilled the prophecy  of 
     Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not 
     understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive:    
     For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull 
     of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time 
     they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and 
     should understand with their heart, and should be converted, 
     and I should heal them.

JOHN 12:36-40  
     While ye have light, believe in the light, that ye may be the  
children of light. These things spake Jesus, and departed, and  did 
hide himself from them. But though he had done so many  miracles 
before them, yet they believed not on him: That the saying of Esaias 
the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spake, Lord, who hath 
believed our report? and to whom hath the arm of the Lord been 
revealed? Therefore they could not believe, because that Esaias said 
again, He hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart; that 
they should not see with their eyes, nor understand with their 
heart, and be converted, and I should heal them.

If the reader will notice the context in John 12 very carefully, the 
people in the crowd asked two questions of Jesus and he did not give 
a direct answer to either one. The reason is stated in the text, and 
that is because he did not want them to believe in him! Verses 39 
and 40 state that "THEY COULD NOT BELIEVE" because God blinded them 
and did not allow them to understand the word of God which is the 
means of salvation. We do not have sufficient space in this study to 
cover the reasons for God doing this, but we have other studies that 
deal with that subject in detail.

For the time being suffice it to say that God purposely HIDES HIS 
WORD from some people while revealing it to others. Notice Jesus' 
words in MATTHEW 11:25-27:
         
At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee Father, Lord of 
heaven and earth because thou hast hid these things from the wise 
and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes. Even so, Father; for 
it seemed good in thy sight. All things are  delivered unto me of my 
Father: and no man knoweth the son, but the Father, neither knoweth 
any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the son will 
reveal him.

I CORINTHIANS 2:7&14
     But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden      
wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory:
     But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of      
God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, 
because they are spiritually discerned.

Paul is stating very plainly that God does not want the natural or 
fleshly man to be able to understand His word.  God has reserved 
that privilege for His children and especially those who are grown 
enough spiritually to be able to grasp many of the hidden details. 
Surely this will be enough to enable us to recognize that God has 
put even the Bible together in such a manner as will HIDE the real 
meanings of His precious TRUTH.
  
Now we would like for you to examine the main text of scripture that 
we will use for this study. 

ISAIAH 7:14-16.
Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold a virgin 
shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.    
Butter and honey shall he eat, that he may know to refuse the 
evil, and choose the good.  For before the child shall know to 
refuse the evil, and choose the good, the land that thou abhorest 
shall be forsaken of both her kings.

Most people who read this passage of scripture seem to realize that 
IMMANUEL is a prophetic reference to Jesus, and that the mention of 
the virgin conception is a reference to the conception of Jesus 
Christ by Mary who was a virgin and was with child through the 
miraculous means of God's Spirit. I CERTAINLY AGREE THAT JESUS 
FULFILLED EVERY DETAIL OF VERSE 14, BUT I CHALLENGE THE READER TO 
CONSIDER THE CONTEXT AND TO DETERMINE IF JESUS DID INDEED LITERALLY 
FULFILL THE OTHER DETAILS OF THE TEXT.

Please consider the following questions:

(1) DID JESUS ACHIEVE VICTORY OVER GOOD AND EVIL AS THE RESULT OF 
LITERALLY EATING BUTTER AND HONEY? SURELY IF HE DID, THEN YOU AND I 
MUST FOLLOW HIS EXAMPLE TO ACHIEVE SPIRITUAL PERFECTION.

(2) SINCE ALL VERSES OF SCRIPTURE MUST BE CONSIDERED IN THE LIGHT OF 
THEIR CONTEXTS, THEN WHY ARE THE EVENTS OF JESUS' BIRTH AND 
CHILDHOOD DESCRIBED RIGHT IN THE MIDST OF A PROPHECY CONCERNING THE 
EVENTS WHICH TOOK PLACE OVER 700 YEARS BEFORE JESUS WAS BORN?

  Notice for example that the two kings mentioned in verse 16 are 
  Rezin and Pekah who are mentioned in the first few verses of the 
  chapter. They were the kings of Syria and Israel in the days of 
  Ahaz, the king of Judah and Jerusalem. A study of II Kings 16 will 
  show you that the king of Assyria mentioned in Isaiah 7:17 is 
  Tiglathpileser.
(3) WHY DOES GOD SAY THROUGH THE PROPHET THAT HE WILL GIVE AHAZ A 
SIGN, THEN DESCRIBE THE DETAILS ABOUT JESUS AS THE SIGN, AND FINALLY 
STATE THAT BEFORE JESUS KNOWS HOW "TO REFUSE THE EVIL AND CHOOSE THE 
GOOD, THE LAND THAT THOU ABHORREST SHALL BE FORSAKEN OF BOTH HER 
KINGS".

(4) HOW COULD A PROPHECY OF JESUS' MIRACULOUS CONCEPTION FIT INTO 
SUCH A CONTEXT AS THIS?

In order to answer these and other questions that may come to the 
reader's mind, I must ask you to consider the following possibility 
with me which I shall strive to prove to at least a small degree in 
this study. There is not enough space or time allotted to us here to 
be able to expound this subject to any great depths. WOULD YOU 
CONSIDER THE POSSIBILITY THAT EVEN THOUGH JESUS FULFILLED THE TEXT 
IN ISAIAH 7:14 AND THE VARIOUS KINGS AND OTHER HISTORICAL FIGURES 
FULFILLED THE SURROUNDING CONTEXT IN A LITERAL SENSE, THAT THERE IS 
A SPIRITUAL MEANING AND PROPHECY WHICH COMBINES  ALL THE HISTORICAL 
ACCOUNTS INTO A "TYPE" and WHICH PORTRAYS DETAILS OF EVENTS WHICH 
PERTAIN TO THE  SPIRITUAL BODY OF CHRIST (not Jesus' FLESHLY LIFE)?

If this is the case, then the people to whom God does not want to 
reveal His word would only see the LITERAL fulfillments, while those 
who God wants to understand could have the truth of this and all 
other Bible texts revealed to them as God sees fit to allow someone 
to decipher the "spiritual codes".

Consider this thought; Jesus COULD have come into this world a full 
grown man. That would have been no more difficult than the virgin 
birth. Surely then, his conception and birth as well as his growing 
up must have been for "types" of spiritual things. This becomes 
obvious when we consider the following:

(1) Paul spoke of the church as a "virgin" in II Corinthians 11:2.

(2) Paul referred to "Jerusalem which is above" ( i.e. "heavenly 
places in Christ Jesus", Ephesians 2:6 ) which is a symbol of the 
BRIDE, THE LAMB'S WIFE (the church - Revelation 21) as "the mother 
of us all" (i.e. all of God's children) in Galatians 4:26. See the 
earlier chapter in this book for more details on this subject.

(3) The church of God at Corinth is called "the body of Christ" in I 
Corinthians 12:27.

(4) Bethlehem means "HOUSE OF BREAD" in the Hebrew language and is 
of course the place where Jesus was born.

If we put these details together to get a complete picture, we are 
made to realize that SPIRITUALLY speaking, if we are true children 
of God, we have been conceived through the work of our father God in 
His miraculous SPIRITUAL relationship with our SPIRITUAL mother, HIS 
TRUE CHURCH. Since the church is spoken of as being a VIRGIN, THEN 
EVERY TRUE CHILD OF GOD HAS HAD A SPIRITUAL VIRGIN CONCEPTION AND 
BIRTH. DOESN'T IT STAND TO REASON THAT IF OUR SAVIOR WAS BORN OF A 
VIRGIN, IF WE ARE TO BE HIS SPIRITUAL BODY AS THE CHURCH ("the 
body of christ"), THAT WE TOO MUST HAVE A SPIRITUAL VIRGIN BIRTH? 
ALSO, SINCE JESUS IS THE BREAD OF LIFE, AND WE ARE TO FEED ON HIM  
(JOHN 6:48-63), AND SINCE THE CHURCH IS GOD'S HOUSE (I TIMOTHY 3:15) 
BETHLEHEM IS A PICTURE OF THE CHURCH AS OUR PLACE OF BIRTH AND 
OUR FEEDING GROUNDS ("THE HOUSE OF BREAD").  

IF THE CHURCH WE ATTEND DOES NOT FULFILL THE TASK OF SPIRITUALLY 
FEEDING US, THEN WE MAY NOT HAVE BEEN TRULY BORN OF A "VIRGIN" IN 
SPIRITUAL "BETHLEHEM". IT IS EXTREMELY URGENT THAT WE MAKE CERTAIN 
THAT THE CHURCH WHERE WE ATTEND IS WELL EQUIPPED WITH PLENTY OF 
SPIRITUAL FOOD !  

How can we tell if such is the case? IF IT IS A TRUE CHURCH, THE 
MAIN EMPHASIS WILL BE UPON STUDYING TO LEARN AND "FEED" UPON THE 
DEEPER THINGS OF THE WORD OF GOD RATHER THAN TO JUST "PLAY CHURCH" 
BY PREACHING TO ENTERTAIN, AND PLACING THE EMPHASIS UPON SOCIAL 
FUNCTIONS.IF ALL THE PREACHER BRINGS FORTH TO "SERVE" THE 
CONGREGATION IS "MILK" (i.e. basic truths), THEN THE CONGREGATION 
WILL STARVE SPIRITUALLY BECAUSE THEY NEED A MUCH MORE "WELL-ROUNDED" 
SPIRITUAL "DIET".

These statements will surely bring a question to the reader's mind 
as to HOW we are "saved" in the light of the spiritual symbolism 
that we have just mentioned. Please notice the following scriptures:

JAMES 1:18
     Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we      
should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.

1 PETER 1:23
     Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible
     by the word of God which liveth and abideth forever.

I WANT TO MAKE VERY CLEAR AT THIS POINT THAT I KNOW VERY WELL WHAT 
MOST PEOPLE ARE TAUGHT AS TO THE METHOD OR MEANS OF OBTAINING GOD'S 
GRACE. I also realize that most people are told salvation begins 
when they are "born" again. However, our concern in this study is to 
find out what the Bible is actually teaching and not what the common 
false theories are. 

Notice in the scripture above, James says that God "begats" (i.e. 
generates the seed of His word which is the means of conception) 
according to HIS WILL. Surely you will agree that the father's job 
in the bringing forth of life is putting forth the seed while the 
BIRTH process is primarily the MOTHER'S LABOR. This same truth is 
evident in Peter's writings as he is referring to God's part in 
bringing to pass spiritual life. This is obvious because Peter is 
speaking of the "SEED". 

The word translated from the Greek language as "born" means to 
generate and would have been better rendered "being CONCEIVED, not 
of corruptible seed.....". The subject matter in both of these 
contexts is definitely conception and not BIRTH. 

Many other commonly unnoticed texts speak of the beginnings of our 
spiritual life as being at conception and not at birth. Certainly 
this thought is born out when we recall Paul's words in Romans 1:20 
that spiritual things are revealed through the symbolism of the 
things that God has made (i.e. the creation). All life begins at 
conception physically and is intended by God to portray a picture of 
the beginnings of spiritual life. 

THE REASON THAT PEOPLE DO NOT WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE THIS FACT IS 
BECAUSE THEY ARE DESPERATE TO HOLD ON TO THEIR FALSE TEACHINGS OF 
VARIOUS MEANS OF WORKS THAT ONE MUST PERFORM IN ORDER TO OBTAIN 
INITIAL SALVATION. THEY MISUSE MANY PASSAGES OF SCRIPTURE BY PULLING 
THEM OUT OF THEIR CONTEXTS AND BY NOT "RIGHTLY DIVIDING" THEM AS TO 
THEIR PROPER APPLICATION.  THE FACT IS, LIFE IS THE RESULT OF THE 
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN A MAN AND A WOMAN (physically) and the same is 
true SPIRITUALLY.  

JESUS  literal  body  was  conceived  as  the  result  of  the 
virgin Mary having a miraculous relationship with God as his chosen 
vessel. JESUS spiritual body (the TRUE CHURCH OF GOD - ACTS 20:28, 1 
CORINTHIANS 12:27) IS BROUGHT INTO BEING AND GIVEN LIFE BY THE 
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN GOD AND THOSE WHO ARE OLDER IN THE FAITH AND 
ADMINISTER THE WORD OF RECONCILIATION (II CORINTHIANS 5:19). They 
perform the work of spiritual MOTHERHOOD in the church. Since we as 
spiritual children of God must learn to "refuse the evil and choose 
the good" (Isaiah 7:15), then we can truly say that verses 14 and 15 
of Isaiah 7 apply spiritually to true Christians as much as they 
apply to Jesus.

NOW FOR A BIG CHALLENGE FOR US ALL....WE MUST SEARCH THE CONTEXT OF 
ISAIAH 7 AND DETERMINE WHETHER GOD INSPIRED THE PROPHESIES IN THAT 
PASSAGE OF SCRIPTURE TO PRIMARILY POINT TO JESUS IN HIS MORTAL BODY, 
OR IF THE LITERAL FULFILLMENT IN THE LIFE OF CHRIST WAS ONLY FOR THE 
PURPOSE OF PROVIDING A KEY TO UNDERSTANDING OTHER THINGS THAT 
PERTAIN TO HIS SPIRITUAL BODY.  

Although the Lord will not allow me to cover it in this writing, 
there are a number of DEEP spiritual prophesies for our times which 
are hidden in the principles covered by Isaiah 1-9. Understanding 
chapter 7 provides a major key to the interpretation of the 
surrounding chapters. Let us examine the chapter more closely.

ISAIAH 7:15
     Butter and honey shall he eat, that he may know to refuse the      
evil, and choose the good.

I AM CERTAIN THAT THOSE WHO TAKE TIME TO READ THIS STUDY WILL HAVE 
ENOUGH UNDERSTANDING TO REALIZE THAT THERE ARE NO FOODS THAT ONE CAN 
EAT LITERALLY WHICH WILL ENABLE THEM TO REFUSE EVIL AND CHOOSE GOOD. 
This verse then is a key to help us to know whether or not this text 
is primarily a reference to Jesus PERSONALLY, or rather a symbolic 
prophecy concerning the BODY OF CHRIST, THE TRUE CHURCH. Obviously, 
the prophecy is about the church and therefore is symbolic. The 
butter and honey mentioned are not to be understood as literal, but 
rather as spiritual symbols. We must search the scriptures for the 
meanings of these two symbols.

Honey is a common symbol in the Bible. It is of course made from the 
nectar that bees gather from flowers. We could say that the 
beautiful flowers are capable of producing a very nutritious source 
of energy for us to feed upon. Consider these thoughts:

(1) Jesus is symbolized as a rose (Song of Solomon 2:1-2) and as a 
lily (Song of Solomon 6:3) and we can be certain that all flowers 
were created to reveal his SPIRITUAL beauty.

(2) Bees are best known for three major characteristics; BUSY; 
WORKING HARD AS A TEAM; and IF ONE INTERFERES WITH THEIR LABOR..A 
STING!!!

SURELY WE CAN SEE HOW WELL BEES PICTURE GOD'S TRUE PEOPLE AS THEY 
LABOR FOR HIM. INDEED, GOD'S TRUE PEOPLE DO BUSILY LABOR TOGETHER AS 
A TEAM, EACH ONE DOING THEIR PART TO HELP TO PRODUCE THE YOUNG AND 
TO PRODUCE THE HIGH ENERGY FOOD WHICH IS DERIVED FROM JESUS WHO IS 
THE TRUE SPIRITUAL FLOWER. In order to produce this tremendous 
spiritual honey which will provide great spiritual energy, many tiny 
particles must be gathered and put together in the "hive" (i.e. the 
place where all the BUSY spiritual "bees" gather together to 
manifest their unity of spirit. We are of course speaking of the 
fellowship of a TRUE church where we as God's people are able to 
come together to unite our labors together, that we may produce the 
"honey" food which is part of our diet as we feed upon the word of 
God. 

There are many people who do not believe it is needful for them to 
regularly enter in to the efforts of the "spiritual hive", the 
church. They seem to feel that they can have their own little "hive" 
and their own little "honey- comb". Anyone who studies God's plan as 
it is pictured in the "types" seen in the natural world will have to 
admit that in order to fulfill the work God intended for a bee to 
do, they must regularly gather with the rest of the bees in their 
"congregation" to work together in the production of "baby bees" and 
of HONEY.

Most people realize that a single bee or even "two or three bees 
gathered together" cannot produce a honeycomb and fill it with 
honey. It is necessary to have a number of bees gather together in 
order to fulfill the tasks that must be accomplished for the 
survival of the group. How much honey do you think that you could 
buy in the store today if bees just got together in very tiny groups 
of two or three or even a dozen or so? If we as God's people are to 
learn to refuse the evil and to choose the good, we must assemble 
together regularly with a solid congregation of hard working TRUE 
CHRISTIANS so that we can work together to produce the butter and 
HONEY necessary to feed us and to provide for us the spiritual 
energy that we stand in need of.

THE BUTTER SYMBOL reemphasizes one very important part of the 
"type". Proverbs 30:33 tells us that "the churning of the milk 
bringeth forth butter ". Even though that truth seems to be very 
common knowledge, it is stated in order to provide a scriptural 
"key" for us to use in interpreting the meaning of Isaiah 7:15. 
Consider these thoughts:

(1) Milk symbolizes the most simple parts of the word of God which 
are used by the Lord to feed the brand new spiritual "babies" 
(Hebrews 5:11-14 and I Corinthians 3:1).

(2) Within the structure of the milk there are much RICHER portions 
which can be caused to collect or adhere together through much labor 
in churning and shaking  of the container in which the milk is being 
converted to butter. Once again we are shown symbolically the 
picture that through much effort, rich food can be produced that 
will nourish the people of God if all the little HIDDEN PARTICLES of 
the word of God are properly blended together.

(3) When we combine the truth of these texts with the fact that we 
have already mentioned about Bethlehem (means "THE HOUSE OF BREAD"), 
we can see the "SPIRITUAL SANDWICH" that God has to feed His true 
people with. It consists of the "bread of life" spread generously 
with rich, genuine BUTTER, and delicious natural HONEY.

It is so common today to talk to professing "Christians" who feel 
that they MUST be feeding on proper spiritual food since they feel 
that they KNOW how to refuse the evil and to choose the good. What 
is so sad is that most people are SO BLINDED that they only label as 
sin the obvious deeds of immorality, and fail to realize that there 
are SO MANY THINGS THAT ARE EVEN MUCH MORE SINFUL THAN THINGS SUCH 
AS DRINKING LIQUOR, ADULTERY, MURDER, CUSSING, INCEST, DRUGS, AND 
MANY OTHER THINGS THAT EVEN THE LOST WORLD KNOWS ARE WRONG WITHOUT 
EVER "FEEDING ON THE BUTTER AND HONEY ". IF GOD'S PEOPLE ARE TO EVER 
LEARN THE REAL DIFFERENCE BETWEEN GOOD AND EVIL AND HAVE MORE 
UNDERSTANDING ON THOSE LINES THAN THE LOST WORLD,  THEY MUST FEED ON 
THE TRUE BUTTER AND HONEY.

Multitudes of people today claim to be God called and sent preachers 
to deliver the butter and honey of God's word to the people of God. 
However, it should be obvious that most of the preachers are FALSE, 
and therefore are not "feeding" the TRUE BUTTER and HONEY. We must 
look to the scriptures to show us the means by which we can 
determine WHO ARE TRULY SENT BY GOD TO MINISTER HIS WORD. Many are 
preaching today because they want to preach for an occupation, 
because they like to be a leader of people, or because they want to 
serve God and they interpret the call to serve God as a call to 
preach.

The context of our main verses of study in Isaiah 7 shows that there 
would be someone who would be able to supply the milk from which the 
butter could be made, and therefore there would be butter and honey 
available for God's true people. THIS COMES TO PASS AS THE RESULT OF 
A MAN (symbolically) NOURISHING A YOUNG COW AND TWO SHEEP, and the 
resulting LARGE supply of milk. Notice the words of ISAIAH 7:21-22:
     
     And it shall come to pass in the day, that a man shall nourish      
     a young cow, and two sheep; And it shall come to pass, for the 
     abundance of milk that they shall give he shall eat butter: for 
     butter and honey shall every one eat that is left in the land.

These verses speak of PLENTY of butter and honey for those who are A 
PART OF THE REMNANT WHO ARE LEFT IN THE LAND.  This may seem very 
strange, but it is no more so than the rest of the context. Notice 
for example the statements made in verses 24 and 25.
     
     With arrows and with bows shall men come thither; because all      
     the land shall become briers and thorns.   And on all hills      
     that shall be digged with the mattock, there shall not come      
     thither the fear of briers and thorns: but it shall be for the      
     sending forth of oxen, and for the treading of lesser cattle.

Doesn't it seem very strange that men would move into a place with 
the weapons mentioned just because the land was grown up in briers 
and thorns? Also, the description in verse 25 is saying that 
wherever a hill was cultivated with a mattock, that no one there 
would need to fear briars and thorns. To understand this picture, we 
must look at the manner in which Jesus himself used this same 
symbolism in the THIRTEENTH CHAPTER OF MATTHEW, verses 3 and 7.
     
     And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, 
     a sower went forth to sow; ........ And some fell among thorns;    
     and the thorns sprung up, and choked them:

After having given the parable of four types of ground to illustrate 
the four different types of people in the world, Jesus explained to 
his disciples the meaning of the thorny ground. He taught them that 
there would be some people who would NEVER experience the gift of 
salvation, and he referred to them as wayside ground because the 
seed of the gospel was never given opportunity to sprout and bring 
forth life in those individuals. He also spoke of STONY GROUND, 
which would experience the spiritual life which would sprout forth 
as the seed of the gospel germinated, and pushed its way to shine 
forth in those individual's lives. However, when the persecutions 
came upon them because of their new-found life in Christ, they would 
"burn up" and be killed spiritually. That was because there were so 
many "stones" in their life preventing them from building a deep and 
strong spiritual "root system". Jesus spoke of the GOOD GROUND as 
those who would prove true and faithful throughout the course of 
their Christian life. Those are God's "chosen or elect" ones. He 
foreknew them before the beginning of this world and wrote their 
names in the Lamb's Book of Life at that time (Revelation 17:8, 
Ephesians 1:4-11, 1 Pet 1:2, Romans 8:29-39, Acts 13:48, Romans 
9:23, John 10:27-28, John 15:16, etc.).

The other type of ground that Jesus used as a symbol is THORNY 
GROUND. It also pictures some who like the stony ground, spring 
forth with the manifestation of life. This type of person actually 
outlives (spiritually) those who are stony ground. They definitely 
have life for a time, but that is choked out by the things of their 
fleshly life which become idols to them. Jesus said that the means 
of their destruction are the CARES, RICHES, AND PLEASURES OF THIS 
LIFE (Luke 8:14). In other words, such people allow the every day 
cares or activities to so engulf them and take up their time and 
interests, that those common activities of life "choke" out their 
spiritual life just like weeds would choke out little plants growing 
in their midst. This then is the basis for the symbolism used in 
Isaiah 7. That text speaks symbolically of a remnant in a certain 
land that would be spiritually well fed.  It shows they would be 
spiritually cultivated so that they would not be destroyed like so 
many others by the thorns and briers growing up and choking them to 
death (spiritually). The reader should constantly keep in mind the 
fact that one cannot be choked to death by weeds unless they DO HAVE 
LIFE!

Summarising thus far we have a spiritual picture of a remnant of 
God's people who would be allowed to survive a terrible onslaught of 
circumstances. They would be TRUE CHRISTIANS who were begotten by 
God through the word of God, and therefore brought to spiritual life 
through the relationship of the Lord with His virgin wife (the true 
church). They would be born spiritually in the HOUSE OF BREAD 
(Bethlehem), and would be well fed spiritually with "butter and 
honey" from the word of God. This would teach them to refuse the 
evil and to choose the good. They are kept safe from the dangers of 
spiritual death (which result from the briers and thorns which 
are constantly trying to spring up in their lives) by the constant 
cultivation of the "MATTOCK" OF THE WORD OF GOD. This comes to pass 
as the Lord gives them a man to lead them who will keep using the 
"mattock" (notice it is singular: one mattock) in order to protect 
them, and who will keep nourishing the cow and sheep so that all who 
are a part of the remnant will have plenty of butter and honey. 

MANY TIMES PEOPLE WILL GET UPSET BECAUSE THE MATTOCK IS DIGGING AT 
THEIR EARTH (FLESH). THE FACT IS, IF THE PASTOR DOES NOT KEEP 
DIGGING AT THEM, THEY WILL BE CHOKED WITH THORNS AND SLAIN 
SPIRITUALLY. THAT IS WHY THE LORD WILL NEVER ALLOW THE PASTOR TO 
"LET UP" ON AN HONEST HEART (good ground).

The picture in our text will become more clear to us if we notice 
where this incident takes place, and therefore know what it pictures 
to us in the "type". If you will read in your Bible the entire 
seventh chapter of Isaiah very carefully, you will notice that the 
prophecy is about the city of Jerusalem and the land of Judah. This 
occurs in the days of King Ahaz who ruled in Jerusalem. In this 
context, God pictures this land being over-run by the Assyrians (a 
kingdom which later became the kingdom of Babylon), and also by the 
Egyptians (See why a person needs to learn the meaning of the texts 
in Ezekiel 26-32 which we looked at briefly in the last chapter? 
They deal symbolically with Assyria and Egypt as well). In fact, in 
Isaiah 7:18 God has inspired some very strange terminology:    

"And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall hiss for 
the fly that is in the uttermost part of the rivers of Egypt, and 
for the bee that is in the land of Assyria."

This text is telling us that God would "hiss" (i.e. whistle) for the 
fly that is in the "uttermost part of the rivers of Egypt". Most 
Bible students realize that Egypt is a type of the sinful world, and 
therefore the description in this verse would have to refer to the 
most "way out" (i.e. polluted water sources) that this sinful world 
has to offer. Since this water in the type would have to be a 
contrast to the pure water of life that God provides His people, 
then we know that this symbol has to be a reference to the polluted 
"water supplies" of FALSE RELIGION. 

REMEMBER, MUCH OF WHAT CLAIMS TO BE CHRISTIAN CHURCHES ARE FALSE, 
AND PREACH POLLUTED DOCTRINES (water) which they claim are FROM THE 
BIBLE (see Matthew 7:13-23 for an example of Jesus' words concerning
this subject).  Actually, their teachings are just twistings of 
Biblical writings, and in reality are derived directly from the 
polluted, filthy waters of the old sinful world. 

You may be thinking at this point, "but God was going to hiss for 
the FLY in the uttermost rivers". That is very true, and it ties in 
precisely with what we have stated. If you will look up the meaning  
of the name of the chief of the devils, "the god of this world" 
(which is spiritually called Egypt), you will learn that BEELZEBUB 
MEANS "LORD OF THE FLIES" AND THEREFORE THE TEXT IS SYMBOLIZING THE 
FACT THAT GOD "WHISTLES" OR CALLS FOR THE OLD DEVIL TO COME AND TAKE 
UP HIS DWELLING AMONG THE FALSELY PROFESSING "CHRISTIANS". They are 
living (spiritually speaking) in the realm which is descended from 
that spiritual land which was once the "heavenly Jerusalem" 
(Hebrews. 12:22) of the church of God which Jesus built in the first 
century A.D. 

From the context of Isaiah 7 we should be able to see that the 
scripture is prophetic of these last days during which the professed 
church has apostatized to such a degree that even the very messages 
that are being preached out of the Bible are actually polluted and 
filthy waters from the "uttermost rivers of Egypt". The teachings 
which are commonly accepted by most people today as the truth of 
God's word are actually some of the most WAY OUT DOCTRINES (rivers) 
THAT HAVE EVER COME INTO THIS WORLD. 

For example, as we have studied with you in depth in some of our 
other Bible studies, almost everyone today preaches that God LOVES 
every person in the world. They twist the meaning of John 3:16 and a 
few other scriptures by not noticing the contexts, and by totally 
ignoring the very plain verses of scripture which clearly state that 
God loves His ELECT, His "world" (from Greek word "cosmos " which 
means an arrangement of things), AND ALSO "HATES ALL WORKERS OF 
INIQUITY (Psalms 5:5). This includes the multitudes who are like 
Esau, whom God HATED before he was born or had done any good or evil 
(see Malachi 1:3, Romans 9:11 to 14, etc.) because God saw through 
His foreknowledge that Esau would not use the gift of salvation 
properly if it were given to him. The reader would do well to notice 
the words of Paul to the Hebrews in chapter 12 and verses 5-13.  The 
following quotes are from that text of scripture:

     "For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every       
son whom he receiveth."
     "But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers,       
then are ye bastards, and not sons.  "

If we summarize these thoughts we have the following facts:

(1) GOD LOVES ALL HIS CHILDREN.

(2) GOD CHASTISES ALL THOSE WHOM HE LOVES.

(3) ANYONE WHO IS NOT CHASTISED (and therefore not loved) IS A 
"BASTARD" AND NOT A SON.
(4) THEREFORE, GOD LOVES HIS CHILDREN AND DOES NOT LOVE THOSE WHO 
ARE NOT HIS CHILDREN.            
  
I SINCERELY HOPE THAT YOU CAN SEE HOW THAT THIS DOCTRINE OF GOD 
LOVING EVERYBODY IS FROM THE WATERS IN THE "UTTERMOST PARTS OF 
EGYPT", AND WAS BROUGHT TO THE RELIGIOUS WORLD TODAY BECAUSE GOD 
CALLED IN THE DEVIL TO PREACH AND TO DECEIVE PEOPLE WHO DO NOT LOVE 
THE TRUTH. NOTICE II THESSALONIANS 2:9-12,    

Even him whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power 
and signs and lying wonders,  And with all deceivableness of 
unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the 
love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God 
shall send them strong delusion, that they should  believe lie: That 
they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had 
pleasure in unrighteousness.

Some might think that such a doctrine does no harm, but what do you 
think causes so many today to feel they can live as they please un- 
til the last moment of their life and then try to call on a "loving 
God who doesn't want to send them to Hell" to save them at that last 
minute. 

USUALLY SOME FALSE PREACHER IS CALLED IN WHO WILL "PREACH THEM INTO 
HEAVEN" BECAUSE OF SOME LAST MINUTE "DECISION" THAT PEOPLE SUPPOSE 
HAS SAVED THE INDIVIDUAL. Such teachings are abominations to God and 
originate in the "uttermost rivers of Egypt". Sadly enough, there 
are thousands more false doctrines being preached in the many realms 
of false professing "Christianity" which are just as bad or worse 
and which originated in the same place. 

So we see how and why that God turns the Devil and his demonic 
spirits loose in the very land (spiritually) which at one time was a 
place of genuine service to God. He "whistles" for the Devil 
because in their hearts, that is what the people really want. 

However, what is this other power that God "whistles" for? It is 
described as the "bee" in the land of Assyria. Since we studied 
earlier about the "bee" symbol, we should be able to see that 
even the land of Assyria, which we know was the very foundation of 
the Babylonian empire, had its own bees making its own type of 
counterfeit "honey". 

IN OTHER WORDS, JUST AS GOD HAS TRUE MINISTERS TO WHOM HE GIVES 
UNDERSTANDING OF THE TRUTH TO BE DELIVERED TO HIS PEOPLE, even so, 
False Christianity (called "Babylon" in Revelation) is as BUSY AS 
BEES creating their own form of food to serve in their false church 
systems. Probably NO ONE in the world works any harder or keeps any 
busier than Babylon's (i.e. the Assyrian) bees, but they are busy 
for their own purposes and not to serve the true and living God.

I would like to briefly stress that the region to which God was 
dispatching the "fly" and the "bee" was the land of JUDAH and 
Jerusalem. There are many hundreds of types and prophesies which 
point to the fact that God will cause the same thing to happen 
SPIRITUALLY in spiritual Jerusalem today what He caused to come to 
pass literally in literal Jerusalem in the last days of the Old 
Covenant. This Old Covenant was brought to a full end after the 40 
year transition period in A.D. 70 when God brought full destruction 
on the JEWISH nation because they rejected the Messiah He had sent 
to them.

In the same manner, God will bring spiritual destruction upon those 
who claim to be His people in these last days of the New Covenant 
because they will reject the "SPIRITUAL BODY OF CHRIST" WHICH HE HAS 
SENT TO DECLARE HIS TRUTH FOR TODAY. The professing "christians" of 
today will reject the "BODY OF CHRIST" for the same reason that the 
LITERAL JEWS rejected the LITERAL body of Christ. JEALOUSY!!! They 
will assume that if it were really truth, God would have given it to 
them personally, and without the need of "getting it from any man". 
The Jews in Jesus day thought they knew more about the scriptures 
than did Jesus. Even so, today we are seeing the multitudes reject 
the idea of even considering the TRUTH that God is sending for His 
true people today. There is no hope for such people!!!

         HOW CAN AN HONEST HEART FIND THE BODY OF CHRIST? 

They will have to follow the example of the wise men. They found 
Jesus LITERALLY by following the brightest star in the heavens. THE 
ONLY WAY YOU AND I CAN FIND THE TRUE "BODY OF CHRIST" TODAY WILL BE 
IF WE SEARCH THE SPIRITUAL STARS (i.e. symbols of the "angels" or 
as the Greek word signifies, the "messengers" or PASTORS of the 
churches). The men whom we label as "wise men" are known as such 
because of their wisdom which they exercised in their search for the 
Christ. They were wise enough to find the BRIGHTEST STAR, and they 
followed it to the place where Jesus was living at that time. They 
had to travel a great distance, but it was important to them.
We must follow the same principle if we are to find where the "BODY 
OF CHRIST" is manifest today. WE MUST BE WISE MEN WHO SEARCH FOR THE 
BRIGHTEST STAR IN THE HEAVENS, AND THEN WE CAN BE PART OF THOSE WHO 
ENJOY THE PLENTIFUL SUPPLY OF SPIRITUAL BREAD, BUTTER, AND HONEY, 
THAT GOD HAS PROVIDED FOR HIS TRUE ELECT. We can also have the 
spiritual "mattock" applied regularly to prevent "weeds" and 
"thorns" from growing up in our spiritual lives which would destroy 
us spiritually. 

Remember friend, Isaiah 7:24-25 shows that "ALL THE LAND" or in 
other words, everyone who is not regularly "cultivated" with the 
"mattock" of the TRUE word of GOD will grow up in "briers and 
thorns". Our spiritual lives are at stake. Though many people have 
been taught false doctrines which make such a thing appear 
impossible, IT IS THE VERY MESSAGE JESUS WAS TEACHING HIS DISCIPLES 
IN MATTHEW 13. IF A PERSON WON'T BELIEVE MATTHEW 13, THEY SHOULD AT 
LEAST "LOOK" AT THE "GOSPEL" IN THE "CREATION". What happens to a 
field if it isn't kept cultivated? IT GROWS UP IN WEED AND THORNS. 
NO MATTER HOW MUCH SATAN'S FALSE PREACHERS TRY TO DECEIVE US, WE 
NEED TO REMEMBER THE VERY SIMPLE LESSONS THAT JESUS TAUGHT AND THAT 
HE REVEALED ABOUT HIS PRINCIPLES IN THE THINGS THAT HE CREATED. 

MAY GOD HELP US TO URGENTLY SEEK THE BRIGHTEST "STAR" (where we can 
receive the greatest amount of light) AS ONLY GOD CAN GIVE SUCH 
GREAT LIGHT AS IS BEING REVEALED IN THESE LAST DAYS.