Bible Study Seattle

“Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son, and he took in his hand the fire and the knife. So the two of them walked on together.”  Genesis 22:6

Abraham took in his hand the fire?  Did he carry the fire?

When the tabernacle was built, there was a golden altar just outside the most holy place.  It had no fire burning on it, only the fire that the priest brought by censor.  There must have been something similar with Abraham.

After Abraham would slay Isaac with the knife, he would burn him up on the altar.  This whole story was a precursor to God offering his Son Jesus on the altar.  Some say that after Jesus was killed, the priests intended to burn him and the tree with fire so that all evidence of him would be removed.

If it’s correct that the presence of Jesus will be as the days of Noah, what does the dryness represent?  Just before Noah and family exited the ark to repopulate the earth, it is found dry from the flood.  In other places in the bible, people walk on dry ground to a new beginning.  What exactly that dryness of Noah’s flood represents future seems a mystery.  Will the population be seriously reduced?

“O Lord, who may abide in Your tent?
Who may dwell on Your holy hill?
He who walks with integrity, and works righteousness,
And speaks truth in his heart.
He does not slander with his tongue,
Nor does evil to his neighbor,
Nor takes up a reproach against his friend;
In whose eyes a reprobate is despised,
But who honors those who fear the Lord;
He swears to his own hurt and does not change;
He does not put out his money at interest,
Nor does he take a bribe against the innocent.
He who does these things will never be shaken.”  Psalm 15

This is a psalm of David, who will live again to see its fulfillment.  The tent was the tabernacle.  This will be fulfilled when all people have been resurrected and are required to keep the Feast of Tabernacles.  None will be allowed to come near unless they are clean, not just outwardly but inwardly as well.  “Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter by the gates into the city. Outside are the dogs and the sorcerers and the immoral persons and the murderers and the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices lying.  “I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.”  Revelation 22:14-16

“When he finishes atoning for the holy place and the tent of meeting and the altar, he shall offer the live goat.  Then Aaron shall lay both of his hands on the head of the live goat, and confess over it all the iniquities of the sons of Israel and all their transgressions in regard to all their sins; and he shall lay them on the head of the goat and send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a man who stands in readiness.  The goat shall bear on itself all their iniquities to a solitary land; and he shall release the goat in the wilderness.”  Leviticus 16:20-22

Some have said that the two goats in the day of Atonement sacrifice are part of the same sacrifice and how could Satan be an offering?

“Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and he cried out with a loud voice, saying to all the birds which fly in midheaven, “Come, assemble for the great supper of God, so that you may eat the flesh of kings and the flesh of commanders and the flesh of mighty men and the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them and the flesh of all men, both free men and slaves, and small and great.”  And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies assembled to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army.  And the beast was seized, and with him the false prophet who performed the signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image; these two were thrown alive into the lake of fire which burns with brimstone.  And the rest were killed with the sword which came from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse, and all the birds were filled with their flesh.”  Revelation 19:17-21

Here we have a picture of an offering composed of evil kings and the commanders of mighty men. Jesus is pictured as the high priest in white linen but spotted with blood from the day of Atonement sacrifice:

“He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God.  And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses.  From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty.”  Revelation 19:13-15

But how can it be that the offering in this sacrifice are evil kings?  Yet that’s what it is.  Satan is represented in the Azazel goat.  This goat could also represent Jesus taking our sin away, as far as east is from west.  Some Jewish commentary:  http://jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/2203-azazel

“Then the angel of the Lord went out and struck 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians; and when men arose early in the morning, behold, all of these were dead.  So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed and returned home and lived at Nineveh.”  Isaiah 37:36-37

No doubt this is a picture of what will happen in the future.  It is probably more representative of the disaster at the end of the 1,000 years than the beginning.  In the beginning of the 1,000 years right before the Day of Atonement, we see:

“Behold, a day is coming for the Lord when the spoil taken from you will be divided among you.  For I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle, and the city will be captured, the houses plundered, the women ravished and half of the city exiled, but the rest of the people will not be cut off from the city.  Then the Lord will go forth and fight against those nations, as when He fights on a day of battle.  In that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which is in front of Jerusalem on the east; and the Mount of Olives will be split in its middle from east to west by a very large valley, so that half of the mountain will move toward the north and the other half toward the south.  You will flee by the valley of My mountains, for the valley of the mountains will reach to Azel; yes, you will flee just as you fled before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Then the Lord, my God, will come, and all the holy ones with Him!”  Zechariah 14:1-5

Here we see women ravished and other horrible atrocities of war.  But in the Sennacherib example, the army never gets to even touch the Israelites.  Like this:

“When the thousand years are completed, Satan will be released from his prison, and will come out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together for the war; the number of them is like the sand of the seashore.  And they came up on the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, and fire came down from heaven and devoured them.  And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone,”  Revelation 20:7-10

One of the great things about God is that he doesn’t leave us in the dark.  He gives us many hints in the scriptures about what he’s doing and what’s coming.  But you have to pay careful attention.  God values a searcher of truth;

“Keep asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep seeking, and you will find. Keep knocking, and the door will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.”  Matthew 7:7-8

Regarding the end of the world:

“However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?”  Luke 18:8

Clearly, there is still much faith in our day.  This is powerful evidence that Jesus will not appear now.  No, conditions will have to get much worse, comparable to Sodom and Gomorrah when he appears.  Just as then, he will have to intervene to save the elect (Mostly living around Jerusalem at that time.)

“Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord.” Malachi 4:5

The days from Tishri 1 to 10 are called the days of awe or terrible days.  Tishri 10 is Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement.  Elijah will be resurrected before the great and terrible day of the Lord which is The Yom Kippur.  The battle that rages up to that day will be terrible.  It is just before the grand Jubilee starts.  Those days will be terrible.  Parts of the world will have descended into immorality comparable to Sodom and Gomorrah.  At that point God will rescue the righteous and burn the wicked as he did with Lot.  And then, “He will restore the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, so that I will not come and smite the land with a curse.”  Malachi 4:6

“Now the Lord appeared to him by the oaks of Mamre, while he was sitting at the tent door in the heat of the day.  When he lifted up his eyes and looked, behold, three men were standing opposite him; and when he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them and bowed himself to the earth, and said, “My Lord, if now I have found favor in Your sight, please do not pass Your servant by.  Please let a little water be brought and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree; and I will bring a piece of bread, that you may refresh yourselves; after that you may go on, since you have visited your servant.” And they said, “So do, as you have said.”  So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah, and said, “Quickly, prepare three measures of fine flour, knead it and make bread cakes.”  Abraham also ran to the herd, and took a tender and choice calf and gave it to the servant, and he hurried to prepare it.  He took curds and milk and the calf which he had prepared, and placed it before them; and he was standing by them under the tree as they ate.  Then they said to him, “Where is Sarah your wife?” And he said, “There, in the tent.”  He said, “I will surely return to you at this time next year; and behold, Sarah your wife will have a son.” And Sarah was listening at the tent door, which was behind him.”  Genesis 18:1-10
“Then the men rose up from there, and looked down toward Sodom; and Abraham was walking with them to send them off. The Lord said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do, since Abraham will surely become a great and mighty nation, and in him all the nations of the earth will be blessed?” Genesis 18:16-18

Are the birth of Isaac and destruction of Sodom linked? Abraham was 100 and Sarah was 90 when Isaac was born. They were both past child bearing years. How old will the heavenly church be when she has children? That the church (and resurrected people) will have children is hinted at:

“Shout for joy, O barren one, you who have borne no child; Break forth into joyful shouting and cry aloud, you who have not travailed; For the sons of the desolate one will be more numerous Than the sons of the married woman,” says the Lord.” Isaiah 54:1

After the destruction of Sodom (Armageddon), children will be born. These will likely be earthly children born to those who survive Armageddon. The church will have had children before Armageddon, but more children will be born after, and there will be lots of laughing in those days because of the abundant joy (Isaac means He laughs).

“For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth;
And the former things will not be remembered or come to mind.
“But be glad and rejoice forever in what I create;
For behold, I create Jerusalem for rejoicing
And her people for gladness.
“I will also rejoice in Jerusalem and be glad in My people;
And there will no longer be heard in her
The voice of weeping and the sound of crying.
“No longer will there be in it an infant who lives but a few days,
Or an old man who does not live out his days;
For the youth will die at the age of one hundred
And the one who does not reach the age of one hundred
Will be thought accursed.
“They will build houses and inhabit them;
They will also plant vineyards and eat their fruit.
“They will not build and another inhabit,
They will not plant and another eat;
For as the lifetime of a tree, so will be the days of My people,
And My chosen ones will wear out the work of their hands.
“They will not labor in vain,
Or bear children for calamity;
For they are the offspring of those blessed by the Lord,
And their descendants with them.
It will also come to pass that before they call, I will answer; and while they are still speaking, I will hear. The wolf and the lamb will graze together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox; and dust will be the serpent’s food. They will do no evil or harm in all My holy mountain,” says the Lord.” Isaiah 65:17-25