SHEEP DON’T SPEAK, BUT THEIR SHEPHERDS DO,

WITH POWER!!

04-11-21 This message may be viewed live streaming video at youtube.com and tabernacleofmoses.org today Sunday at 11:00 am, and repeated 24/7 thereafter. The video, audio, and study notes are archived.

 

THE PROPHECY OF SEVEN YEARS OF TRIBULATION

(Judg 6:1-6) And the children of Israel [Heb: he will rule as God, prince with God] did evil in the sight of the LORD: and the LORD delivered them into the hand [Heb: power] of Midian [Heb: brawling, contentious, discord, strife] [unsaved peoples] seven years. And the hand of Midian prevailed against Israel: and because of the Midianites the children of Israel made them the dens which are in the mountains, and caves, and strong holds [to hide from the unsaved Midianites for safety]. And so it was, when Israel had sown [crops], that the Midianites came up, and the Amalekites [Heb: descendants of Esau (the evil twin brother of Jacob)], and the children of the east [nomadic Arabs], even they came up against them; And they encamped against them [the Israelites], and destroyed the increase [Heb: produce, fig. wealth] of the earth [consumed the crops, standard of living], till thou come unto Gaza, and left no sustenance for Israel, neither sheep, nor ox, nor ass. For they came up with their cattle and their tents, and they came as grasshoppers [Heb: locusts] for multitude [like millions of undocumented immigrants, many with evil intent]; for both they and their camels were without number: and they entered into the land to destroy it. And Israel was greatly impoverished because of the Midianites; and the children of Israel cried [Heb: shrieked (from anguish or danger)] unto the LORD.

 

GOD RESPONDS TO THE CRIES OF HIS CHILDREN

(Prov 22:6) Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

1.    (2 Tim 2:1-4) Thou therefore, my son, be strong [Gk: empowered: enabled] in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things [of God] that thou hast heard of me [the Apostle Paul] among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also. Thou therefore endure hardness [Gk: undergo hardships: be afflicted, suffer troubles], as a good soldier [Gk: warrior] of Jesus Christ. No man that warreth [Gk: that serves in a military campaign, that goes to war] entangleth himself [Gk: entwines, involves himself] with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier [Gk: warrior].

 

(Judg 7:1-8) Then Jerubbaal [Heb: will contend with Baal], who is Gideon [Heb: feller (warrior) /// to fell a tree] [a type and shadow of Jesus Christ], and all the people that were with him [the 32,000 warriors who answered the call, i.e., who came to church], rose up early, and pitched [their camp] beside the well of Harod [Heb: fountain of trembling]: so that the host of the Midianites [Heb: brawling, contentious, discord, strife] were on the north side of them, by the hill of Moreh [Heb: teaching], in the valley [of decision]. And the LORD said unto Gideon, The people that are with thee [the 32,000] are too many for me to give the Midianites [135,000 enemy warriors] into their hands, lest Israel vaunt [Heb: boast] themselves against me, saying, Mine own hand hath saved me. Now therefore go to, proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, Whosoever is fearful and afraid [i.e., whosoever who does not believe God for the victory], let him return [to his home] and depart early [soon, in the morning] from mount [i.e., something that effort must be expended upon to climb up] Gilead [Heb: heap of testimony, mass of testimony, mound of stones, rolling forever /// a witness] [a type and shadow of the OT brasen altar of burnt offerings (sacrifices), and the NT wooden cross]. And there returned [to their homes] of the people twenty and two thousand [22,000 who did not believe God, and therefore continued to be “unsaved”]; and there remained ten thousand [10,000 who did believe God, and were therefore “saved”]. And the LORD said unto Gideon, The [10,000 saved] people are yet too many [lest they vaunt themselves against me]; bring them down [humble them down] unto the water [a biblical symbol of the Holy Spirit], and I will try [Heb: to fuse (metal), refine: melt, purify, purge] [purge out the dross (impurities, pollutions) from] them for thee there [“with the washing of water by the word” (rhema = revelations) Eph 5:26]: and it shall be, that of whom I say unto thee, This [group] shall go with thee [into the battle (combat)], the same shall go with thee; and of whomsoever I say unto thee, This [group] shall not go with thee [into the battle (combat)], the same shall not go. So he brought down [a humbling process] the people unto the water: and the LORD said unto Gideon, Every one that lappeth of the water with his tongue, as a dog lappeth [discrimately (discernly), so he can still bark, i.e., vocalize, talk], him shalt thou set by himself; likewise every one that boweth down [humbles himself] upon his knees to drink [by putting his face and eyes toward the water and indiscriminately slurping, sucking up the water, thereby taking his eyes off the enemy [1], and also becoming no longer able to warn or speak, fig. wield (use) his weapon]. And the number of them that lapped, putting their hand to their mouth [in an alert position, keeping their eyes upon the enemy], were three hundred [300] men: but all the rest of the people [9,700] bowed down [in a submissive position] upon their knees to drink water [willfully blinding themselves to the enemy]. And the LORD said unto Gideon, By the three hundred men that lapped [by the 300 combat troops, shepherds] will I save you, and deliver the Midianites into thine hand: and let all the other people go every man [the 9,700 support troops, sheep] unto his place. So the people [the 300 combat soldiers] took victuals [took food from the 9,700 support troops, sheep] in their hand, and their trumpets [voices (weapons), the Sword of the Lord, the Bible, (POWER)]: and he sent all the rest of Israel [the 9,700] every man unto his tent [a temporary field station, but still in the arena of action, whereas he sent the 22,000 unbelievers home unto inaction], and retained [Heb: seized] [2] those three hundred [300] men: and the host of Midian [135,000 enemy soldiers] was beneath him in the valley [of decision].

1.    (1 Pet 5:8) Be sober [Gk: abstain from wine] [i.e., drugs], be vigilant [Gk: keep awake, be watchful]; because your adversary [Gk: enemy] the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

2.    (1 Thes 4:17) Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up [Gk: seized] together with them [“the dead in Christ” who are now angels] in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

 

(Judg 7:16-22) And he divided the three hundred men [300] into three companies [under God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit], and he put a trumpet [symbol of the voice of God (POWER)] in every man's hand, with empty [Heb: fig. worthless] pitchers [formed of “the dust of the ground” Gen 2:7], and lamps [Heb: torches] within the pitchers [i.e., he filled the worthless pitchers with the fire of the Holy Spirit]. And he said unto them [the command], Look on me, and do likewise: and, behold, when I come to the outside of the camp, it shall be that, as I do, so shall ye do. When I blow with a trumpet, I and all [the angels] that are with me, then blow ye the trumpets also on every side of all the camp, and say, The sword of the LORD [i.e., the Bible, Eph 6:17; Heb 4:12, (POWER)], and of Gideon. So Gideon, and the hundred men that were with him, came unto the outside of the camp in the beginning of the middle watch [guard duty, about 10 pm]; and they had but newly set the watch [and were very jumpy]: and they [the 300] blew the trumpets, and brake the pitchers that were in their hands. And the three companies blew the trumpets, and brake the pitchers, and held the lamps in their left hands, and the trumpets in their right hands to blow withal: and they cried [Heb: preached, proclaimed], The sword of the LORD, and of Gideon [POWER]. And they stood every man in his place [“Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” James 4:7] round about the camp: and all the host ran, and cried [Heb: shouted for alarm], and fled. And the three hundred blew the trumpets [channeling THE POWER of God], and the LORD set every man's sword against his fellow [i.e., they killed each other in the darkness of fear, as they shall today], even throughout all the host: and the host fled to Bethshittah in Zererath, and to the border of Abelmeholah, unto Tabbath.

Amen