BEING SET APART / MORE TYPES AND SHADOWS IN THE BOOKS OF THE PROPHETS…. 

One clear truth brought out in the “Major and Minor” Prophets is that Israel, at some great and final point, will be purged of iniquity, and then found to be righteous in a restored kingdom. The specific great time of this restorative purging of Israel is greatly articulated in two Books; Daniel and in the Book of Revelation. That righteous kingdom ultimately will be realized after the Great Tribulation Period referred to by Jeremiah as, “Jacob’s Trouble”.[Jeremiah 30:7] 

The End Times Book of Revelation prophetically lays out the End Time events in perfect harmony with the Old Testament Prophets. “And I will turn my hand upon thee, and purely purge away thy dross, and take away all thy tin: And I will restore thy judges as at the first, and thy counselors as at the beginning: afterward thou shalt be called, The city of righteousness, the faithful city. Zion shall be redeemed with judgment, and her converts with righteousness. [Isaiah 1:25:27] 

In the time of ancient Babylon’s King Nebuchadnezzar, God gave to Isaiah a Word of Prophecy for the people of Israel. It was a message that darkened their understanding due to their persistent resistance towards keeping the Covenant of His priesthood in the earth. See Acts 28:25-27, “...after that Paul had spoken one word, Well spake the Holy Ghost by Esaias the prophet unto our fathers, Saying, Go unto this people, and say, Hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and not perceive: For the heart of this people is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes have they closed; lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.”  

GOING AGAIN TO THE BEGINNING TO SEE THE END…. (And momentarily straying away from the historical background of the prophets and Israel’s destiny and the entire Church seen in prophecy.) 

Let us not lose sight of the big picture, the End Times, which is seen from the Beginning, or Re-Creation, and is simply the Salvation Plan of God as it relates to man and “the restitution of all things” universally throughout His Creation. The Salvation of man speaks to that which was lost in the Garden; that being “Life”.  (“..in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.”)  That “Life” ultimately represented in the “Tree of Life”, discovered in Garden of Eden, which is hardly mentioned again until the Book of Revelation. That certain kind of glorious quality “Life” is realized and perpetuated in the Tree of Life, (Genesis 3:22-24, Revelation 22:14) that being the finality and that fullness of Salvation for Man, conceived before re-creation and in view in the promise of Genesis 3:15.  

Built into this Salvation Plan was the eventuality of Adam breaking the commandment, and eating of the Tree of the knowledge of good and evil. God made provision in the pronouncement of the sentence of death upon Adam, as it relates to that part of the Curse wherein his body was to be subject back to the dust. This return to the dust was not to be instantaneous, but it was pronounced to be in the “day” that he sinned and not in the moment or second of his disobedience. (A day being within 1000 years.) For had it been in the moment of sin there would have been, first of all, no race of human beings on the earth to further God’s Greater Plan, nor that Plan that reaches beyond this World into the Universal spirit realm, in the “restitution of all things.” Nor would it not have been possible to see His desire come to fruition to have a certain kind of “Son(s)” which goes beyond the “life” seen in the material or physical life condition in the creation of Adam and Eve. (See 1 Corinthians 15:45.) 

God had made provision according to His Mercy and Justice for “time” in His Salvation plan for Man and for His Holy constitution in the “restitution of all things.” So it is, that in saying, “in that “day” thou shalt surely die.…” meant that God would extend to man a certain length of time which he would need in the pursuit of faithfulness. That period of time being in which he would be allowed to live in his body and to then later at death to be judged according to what he did in that period of time. That being the initial allotment of a “day” not to exceed 1000 years. That “day“ being defined for us in 2 Peter 3:8. “But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.”  Thus it is understood that the oldest a man lived was Methuselah, who was 969 years old, (Genesis 5:27) but then later Man’s allotted time was reduced to that ample time of 70-80 years, within which to show forth an aptitude, or tendency to evil or to humble faithfulness. For God showed a weariness and intolerance for a man to live that long in perpetual wickedness. 

See Psalm 90 where Moses wrote, “Thou turnest man to destruction; and sayest, Return, ye children of men. For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night. Thou carriest them away as with a flood; they are as a sleep: in the morning they are like grass which groweth up. In the morning it flourisheth, and groweth up; in the evening it is cut down, and withereth. For we are consumed by thine anger, and by thy wrath are we troubled. 

Thou hast set our iniquities before thee, our secret sins in the light of thy countenance. For all our days are passed away in thy wrath: we spend our years as a tale that is told. The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away. Who knoweth the power of thine anger? even according to thy fear, so is thy wrath. So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.” [Psalm 90:3-12]….That wisdom set forth from the beginning in the story of Adam, being to find the meaning behind God’s sentence of death on Man, but yet his body continues to live for a period of time. That wisdom also being seen in the light of Deuteronomy 8:3, “AND HE HUMBLED THEE, AND SUFFERED THEE TO HUNGER (why?)….that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord doth man live.” These few Words speak to Adam’s expulsion into the barren wilderness that God’s purposes may be realized in that short extension or probation of a life here in a material body, before God’s Curse takes final hold on his body, and he ultimately returns to the dust. 

Those Words of Moses, although applicable to all time, were Prophetic, and had in view, that moment in time when the beguiling serpent spoke unto the 2nd Adam, Jesus Christ when He hungered, with those tempting words, “If thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread.” The Second Adam quoted that verse in Deuteronomy saying, “…man doth not live by bread only, but every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord doth man live.” That being the Word’s declared formula of Overcoming unto a certain type of worthy “sonship” of God and joint heirs with Christ!  

See the exhortations in Revelation chapters 1-3 that speak to the necessity of overcoming. It’s given to His Church, and to those predicted worthies of Revelation 12:11, “And they overcome him (the serpent) by the blood of the Lamb (personal application of His propitiating example), and by the word of their testimony (of Him in that they incorporated His LIFE into their lives) and they loved not their lives (the life and time God allotted for them to discover and walk in that Wisdom in this World) unto death (that of the body back to the dust).”  

Now all mankind being the offspring of Adam, are born into this World with the curse of death being passed upon them, meaning on a spiritual level our spirits are inanimate, and physically our bodies are condemned to die. This is what Paul means when he declares, “….death passed upon all men, for that (in Adam) all have sinned…” [Romans 5:12] But in parenthetical explanation, he goes on to say, before the Law, (specifically he speaks of the Law of Moses) that “sin and sinning” were common to fallen man’s nature, and was ever present in the fallen World, but was not imputed, from Adam to Moses. For without the Law or commandment from God, “common sin” is not imputed. (Even murder was not imputed, as was the case of Cain, up until the day after the flood when God’s Covenant set out the Law of shedding blood). Nevertheless, even though that common sin and sinning was not imputed, death reigned. That is to say the death sentence from the Garden reigns over man, and will continue to until the Catching up and Resurrection. [1st Corinthians 15:12-58] And though man may receive Atonement for that sin of Adam and receive the promise of eternal life and the reanimation/rebirth of his spirit, his soul and body are yet subject to the effects of death associated with Adam’s “sin” until resurrection. [Romans 5:12-14]  

So this begs the question: Why would God give all the additional Law or Commandments, in that, as a result now “common” sin of the fallen nature will then be imputed? Christ said, “Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little.” [Luke 7:47]  

The principle found within this statement (but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little) is that without law there was no common sin….and the forgiveness for the inherent sin of Adam, for which we ourselves “…had not sinned after the similitude of…” (Romans 5:14b)  In that one law that was given was broken; that of eating of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, defines for us that sentence of eternal death Adam realized and is now passed on to every human. For which Adam’s forgiveness and redemption equates to to that one sin he committed, and what he lost as a result: restoration of life eternal. And if we can see and receive it; that which Christ refers to as “little” forgiveness as it relates to capacitating to love.  

Paul continues in Romans 5:15, “But not as the offense (that might seem unfair, having not committed that sin, death yet came upon me), so also is the free gift.(Neither in any way do you now earn eternal life.) For if through the offense of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many.” This forgiveness and gift by grace being “free” speaks to the Graciousness of God and to the shallowness of comprehension of sin in unregenerate man under conviction, and so the depth of understanding in the repentance. This thereby equates to the “little” is forgiven, not that the sin of Adam was little, but woefully grievous, but the comprehension is little, and so the depth of the Work on the soul “little.” This is our state in the gift of being merely born again with eternal “life.” Its result is little love, baby love, honeymoon love,…as is not mature. In that initial shedding abroad of the love of God in our hearts by the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:5) leaves room for the increasing of it. “And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you: To the end he may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints.” [1st Thessalonians 3:12] This brings us to the positive side of that Scripture….“Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much.” 

The principal of being established in holiness is the increasing of our capacity of love. So it may simply be stated that the giving of more Law brought about more sin that “sin (first discovered in Adam’s sin) might be found (by the increasing of Laws wherein sin finds its power, 1st Corinthians 15:56) exceedingly sinful”. [Romans 7:13] See also Galatians 3:24. “Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a school master. For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.” (Where a deeper comprehension of sin and forgiveness may be found now free from the law of sin with its eternal death sentence). “But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound.” [Romans 5:20]  

The higher principal discovered, comes only with that promised outpouring of the Holy Spirit from the Father in answer to Jesus Christ’s Atonement. Which was a further work on the soul, wherein beholding Christ and His Commandments and minding the things of the Holy Spirit, in the weight of sin being increased and felt most acutely in the enlivened conscience, with a great awareness now of the need to crucify the Old Nature within. This makes one exceedingly ashamed in heartfelt sorrow, and thereby in the greatest exponential method, creates a truly deep desire to overcome the flesh and be cleansed and forever changed.  

The Blood and Cross–bearing in the light of His Word in the power of the Holy Spirit is the means by which we access and draw nigh in inexhaustible forgiveness as we are being led into the sounding out of the depths of the nature of sin within and without. Being no longer in fear of eternal death, but reaching forward for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus, that being that of glorious resurrected LIFE. As we continually access His Throne for forgiveness, in the provision of the “2nd blessing” of the indwelling Holy Spirit, in the dynamic capacitating of our heart unto love much, that “…to the end HE may establish your hearts unblameable in holiness before…our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ…”  (Romans 5:5 with John 7:37-39) 

This Work goes far beyond the little forgiveness of justification, seen in the 5 unwise virgins who being found foolishly presumptuous were un-capacitated, whose vessel of “first love” grew empty of oil. They grew cold, thereby excluding themselves from the inner chamber of the Bridegroom. Here can we say the reward for capacitating is higher than the little forgiveness and little love of mere regeneration (as they all 10 were virgins). But the shunning of that Greater Work of His Atonement is more severely judged, for they were locked out.  

A great sin is when we, being regenerate, enter into dialogue with the serpent, as he argues the harmlessness and unavoidability of sin. We join in friendly conversation with him rather than practice the true approach testified in the Lord’s response, “Get thee behind me, satan; thou are an offense unto me.” Another great sin is that we refuse to be capacitated even when confronted and convicted with the exceedingly sinfulness of sin and even though we are aware that we are given the means by which we may overcome. In that, we choose the World instead of the Work of the Holy Spirit upon our heart.  

This is how we know the love of God is both shed abroad and increasing in us, “if we love our brethren”. “Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth. And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him. For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things. Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God. And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight. And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment. And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us. [1st John 3] 

This awareness, repentance and forgiveness with promise brings hope, and causes the love of God to increase in our heart. Our “fear” of God and His disciplines is good in that they point our soul back in line with our conscience back into the process of love capacitating, and the resulting peace of conscience within. But the persistence in sinning after regeneration eventually brings us under that religious stupor Isaiah spoke of concerning the unbelief of Israel, that which makes shame and fear depart, hiding themselves with the fig leaves of religious reasoning, such as, “hath God really said?”  

MORE TYPES AND SHADOWS 

In symbolic drama, these first chapters of Genesis are revelatory, in that all acts and Words of God are all orchestrated from the beginning and have Jesus the Christ in view. In type, the first Adam is Christ, the 2nd Adam. And Eve is a type for mankind in possession of the Kingdom. This being understood from Paul’s Words, “For a man (Son of Man) is the (express/exact Hebrews 1:3) image and glory of God  but the woman (the Bride of Jesus) is the glory of the man. For the man is not of the woman; but the woman of the man.” [1 Corinthians 11:7,8] This in the type plays out as satan approached the woman, being in the type, mankind, and being more easily deceived than Adam, who being the type for Jesus Christ, was not deceived. 1st Timothy 2:14 tells us that “Adam was not deceived, but the woman, being deceived, was in the transgression….” 

He then mercifully instituted the “life for life” blood covering, wherein it is shown that Adam and Eve’s shame and vain attempt in covering was not groundless. And it answers to God’s Holiness in Love, in that He will not just arbitrarily forgive sin. “And the Lord passed by before him, and proclaimed, The Lord, The Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children’s children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.” 

Man, seen in Adam and Eve’s expulsion from that place of intimacy, was forgiven and their spirits being again regenerated, but this Atonement blood and forgiveness did not have the means by which they might re-enter the Garden. Now forever separated from it, they lost their daily provided sustenance, and must now by the sweat of the brow, work out their spiritual full salvation in fear of daily death and suffering toil.  

Adam and Eve were the first of those “translated” out of the kingdom of satan, into the Church of God, in the God-given right of redemption through propitiation in the bloody “substitution” offering, that which must be accompanied by a contrite heart. [Leviticus 23:29] For this purpose, Satan, knowing the prophesy in Genesis 3:15 which told of God’s prescribed means by which the seed of the woman would be his demise, was threatened by the priesthood of the first born and was key in the corruption of Cain in his dedication unto the Lord of bloodless offering. [Genesis 4:1-7] (This would be the first of many attempts to thwart God’s Words of prophecy.)   

That offering, with required blood, was the heart of the subject of discussion of Genesis 4:1-7. “If thou doest well (that is the “drawing nigh” in the prescribed offering; “if you hear his voice, harden not your hearts”), shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire (to rule over you see Romans 6:16) and thou shalt rule over him…” (How? In the grace of my favor, out of the grasp of sin, in order that God’s purposes and the promoting of His will in the earth would be thereby represented to mankind, through the mediation afforded in the faithful, an avenue of deliverance or redemption, through blood and faith, out of the kingdom of satan into the Church of God.)  

Satan, was now aware of the process of God’s Redemptive Plan, but ignorant of the full intent and means by which God would perpetuate a full deliverance of his subjects into and unto another Kingdom. He had a determined will to thwart this God’s “seed”, having seen the directed blood offerings God had instructed Adam in, and now by counterfeit he convolutes the spiritual principals of redemption when men begin to increase in the Earth. That being in the institution of a false priesthood and blood sacrifices in the appeasement of fallen and demonic Beings, accompanied with ritual and doctrines appealing to man’s fallen nature. This Religious counterfeit system of satan, instituted shortly after the Great Flood, when man was multiplying, was Satan’s answer to the expanding threat of that seed of woman.  

Through Nimrod, he established the first City Babel (Babylon) from where all counterfeit religion of yesteryear and today, unto the End Time was initiated. (See Genesis 10:8-10, 11:1-9.) John, in the Book of Revelation, opens the eyes of the New Testament Church to this hidden spiritual reality…“MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH” [Revelation 17:1-5, Jeremiah 51:7]. The theme of Genesis 3:15, and on through all Scripture, is the restoration of things versus the counter– measures of satan in the continuation of things. 

(What is being written is intended to bring out the past, present and future condition of the Body of Christ. This can be seen from two perspectives; that from the beginning in the Garden of Eden, and then from the past, present and future of the Nation of Israel (which includes these Last Days) by figurative illustration, primarily from the Old Testament. The theme of this lesson is to show forth particular “spiritual” realities that were set out in Scripture from the beginning in order for the one who reads it to see the end. 

The 1st Perspective being that life and blood substitution propitiates for the remission of sin and redemption out of the condemned state of eternal death into eternal life, those being the states of Adam and Eve, before and after the blood offering of certain animals which was instituted in Eden. They thereby became the first  “born-again” and were translated out of the kingdom of satan, being the first Members in the Church/Called Out assembly of God. In that the blood of animals preceded and had in view that Blood Atonement of Christ is well understood by Christians. What has not been understood is that there was efficacy in the animal blood to effect regeneration of the spirit but it took the Blood of the Savior to effect a purging of the soul unto God’s prescribed holiness in sonship, the essence of Hebrews 9:13,14.  So it is that the Blood of Christ may be accessed on 2 levels; like that of the Old Testament blood unto forgiveness of sin, and translation out of the kingdom of satan into the Church/Assembly/called out ones, now being a born–again child of God and set apart. This Access on this first level, Scripture holds to be a gift; a gift of  re-birth and eternal life to whosoever from God. Then there is that very great difference in the Blood of Christ from that of animals. His Blood affords a Second Level access, that of the ability to purge the soul IN THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. This has to do with ongoing progressive works of our will, submitting to and cooperating with the indwelling Holy Spirit, and overcoming the flesh, the devil, and the World in holiness, for which there is great reward.  (John 7:37-39, Acts 1) 

The 2nd Perspective being that now God’s Assembly (Called Out Ones) refers to two different Nations. First there are the Old Testament believers who accessed His Assembly by the blood of certain animals, who are primarily the seed of Abraham. And the other being New Testament believers who accessed that same Assembly of Called Out Ones of God, although maintaining a certain distinctness in that they came in by the Blood Offering of Jesus Christ. They are Scripturally known as the Nation of the New Man/ the Body of Christ (neither Jew nor Gentile).  Now within both those groups of One Assembly, there has always been two types of character, depending on the attitude of the individuals to the extent they allowed the Word to impact them. Scripture distinguishes between the two. There are those who are merely redeemed and born again with the promise of merely resurrected eternal life and those who are redeemed but have seen the Heart of the Father and are pursuing, as in a race, further sanctification, unto the reward of the promised eternal Glorious Life as the Bride of Jesus Christ in the Resurrection out from among the dead.  

In this lesson Aholah and Aholibah are two distinguished characters, sisters of the same mother. The Nation of the 12 Tribes separated into two kingdom groups. These two groups are set forth as an Old Testament type for the two different characters found in the Body of Christ. Now the analogy shows that which they both have in common. This being that the flesh nature (of Egypt) was still a part of all 12 Tribes although they were  “Redeemed” out of Egypt, (born–again and translated out of satan’s kingdom) they were confronted with the same flesh/ knowledge of good and evil in the same manner the entire Body of Christ is confronted with the same flesh/ knowledge of good and evil. The distinction is the attitude and response to the flesh, as the Spirit of God exposes it, which is a process. Aholah types the New Testament believer with a willing attitude of compromise. That which Aholibah represents is a desire to hold onto God’s Words of promise until they are realized. And although Ahoilbah holds on for better than a hundred years, she eventually follows her sister into even worse Apostasy! The instructive analogy is to warn of the spiritual realities that redeemed Christians face today. It shows how very real and threatening Christian religiosity is to the few sincere Holy Spirit–led believers who are among the Body of Christ, which is seen in Aholibah’s being drawn into even a worse Apostasy.) 

Now in historic Scriptural understanding we discern that mankind on a spiritual level is held captive as a result of Adam’s sin, and are called out of satan’s kingdom the god of this World by a Loving Creator. It is Israel, the seed of faithful Abraham, being the chosen vessel to accomplish this purpose, and the ministry of God in the earth. We have paused in our pursuit to overlay Old and New Testament Prophecy to see another example of how our God has told the end from the beginning in dramatic symbol. We are discovering the 2 parts/phases of those Redeemed in Church of God. The one being the merely justified/born again and the second being the sanctified/reconciled. At the same time, we are also building the historical foundation of understanding for the Prophecies of the Prophets as it relates to the only 3 classes of human beings on the Earth; the Jews and the Nation of Israel, Gentiles and the rest of the Nations, and the Regenerated/Born-Again Christian, the Nation of the New Man. 

Now having been Redeemed out of Egypt, and having partially destroyed the enemy and possessing a portion of the Promise Land, the 12 Tribes insist on a king. This shows that vast majority of the Nation was of that mind, of not entirely turning away from the God, who had redeemed them, but were looking for another means by which they might be ruled besides Him, that they might be like other nations. This led to the first three kings being Saul, David and Solomon. And after King Solomon’s reign the Nation of Israel (the 12 Tribes) became fractured and separated into two groups, that of Judah with its two tribes being Judah and Benjamin (with the Levites) and Israel/Samaria being the other 10 Tribes. Now in type and shadow we can discern that Judah is representative of the Lord’s Church, intent upon maintaining His means, purposes and order (those being humbly sanctified) and the Northern other 10 Tribes being representative of the merely justified and un-sanctified, their desired service being mixed with “babylon-ism”, and void of humility. [1 Kings Chapters 12-15] 

In like manner, after the death of the last Apostle of Christ, it was not long before the “Nation” of the New Man was divided. The vast majority followed in the type of the 10 Northern Tribes (*about 5/6ths) in abandoning their Hebraic roots, wherein is found the source and meanings of God’s true appointed place of worship, Jerusalem, (for the New Man then having the New Jerusalem in view) and from where the true source of living waters sprang (in the out-pouring and anointing of the Holy Spirit). And Judah and Benjamin, consisting of about *1/6th, desperately tried to hold onto, against great opposition and persecution, the source by which one might attain knowledge of worship, that being true worship in Spirit/spirit and in Truth, which is shadowed in the Torah, Prophets and Psalms. The 5/6ths of the 10 Northern Tribes type the merely justified of the New Testament Church. The type being that they were merely Jews by blood but not truth-seeking, and were willing to set up a mixed religion of convenience under Jeroboam. Constantine being Jeroboam then in the anti-type. And the Nation of the New Man being the full body of Redeemed  “Christians”, the majority not wanting to subject themselves to the “rigors” in the service of the King. (1st Kings 12:14,15a) They, being discouraged and determined to remain “merely born again”, abandoned their first love spoken of in the Word. These were that part of the Assembly that were the first to separate themselves, as the mustard seed so clearly depicts, out of their called place, into the field of the World. That humble mustard seed then became mixed and perverted “Christendom”. It was mixed with the manure of false religion, and of convenience, and then grew into a massive unnatural, but popular tree; the lodge of defiling religious demonic birds. This is also seen in the next parable as the attitude of the merely born again who were the first to be susceptible to be leavened by Mystery Babylon, as in the type of the Northern Tribes (Aholah). But the parable predicts the subsequent leavening of the sanctified (Aholibah) as there is further stealth planting of leaven over time. [Matthew 13:31-33, Revelation 17:5] 

The 10 tribes separated themselves from the original Kingdom and would not serve God’s anointed seed of King David. “What portion have we in David? Neither have we inheritance in the son of Jesse: to your tents O Israel: now see to thine own house, David.” [1 Kings 12:16] They aligned themselves where there was no promise of God of a perpetual King and Kingdom of the seed of David, and they relinquished their God-given rights to the promises in the house of David, to which Judah was clinging. 

In spiritual fact let it be understood that the 10 Tribes of Israel represent the great majority of Christendom today. After hearing the sure Word on the God-ordained and promised and God-required ministry of the Holy Spirit in His sanctifying power, they have (like the 10 Tribes) aligned themselves with the kings and false religions of the World and have effectively said: “What portion have we in overcoming power, and what have we to do with these exceeding great and precious promises?” (See 2nd Peter 1:4). They choose another way, another system of theology, another method and manner of evangelism, another so-called Gospel. That of the Gospel of “One Blessing only” and resisting the Spirit of God’s further Work in preparation for inheritance. It is the Calling of the Son of David and the Kingdom of heavens, by the sanctifying power of the executive hand of the Holy Spirit, that in this in type, the 10 Tribes rejected and Judah hung onto.  

Jeroboam, the king of the 10 Northern Tribes, set up “gods” of convenience for the chosen people; “It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem: behold thy gods!” Many today, eliminate the Cross-bearing, and death to the flesh, that they may serve God more easily. That Israel, the 10 Tribes, was (after about 240 years) carried off into Assyria, and represents the carnally-minded, merely regenerated Christians who have chosen another king and kingdom. They have chosen a religious form of idol worshiping, and have been assimilated in the World and have no part in the Millennial Kingdom of Christ. “The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” [Matthew 24:50-51]  

Now we might ask, “But didn’t Judah follow in the footsteps of the 10 Tribes? Did they not also fall under the weight of their own iniquity?” Judah here is being typed as those wholeheartedly Spirit/spirit-led of the Church. We must look deeper to see the spiritual implications. Look at Ezekiel 16 to see God’s description of the idolatry of both wayward kingdoms. We are speaking of spiritual fornication, whoredom and adultery. Now let us look at Ezekiel 23 where again the Spirit speaks of these two kingdoms figuratively, as two women.  

“There were two women, the daughters of one mother.” Judah and Israel, those 12 tribes, are represented here as having been corrupted from their youth. That is to say, while they were yet in bondage in Egypt, 700 years before the division of these two sisters, distinct parts of the Old Testament Church, Judah and Samaria. What is revealed here by God is that, though they were one people, their distinctness was present decades before. That is to be compared to the two distinct heart conditions reflective in Christendom today; the merely born again and the wholehearted Spirit/spirit pursuers of God.  

This contrast is set forth again and again in Scripture type; in Hagar and Sarah, Leah and Rachel, Peninnah and Hannah, Vashti and Esther, as well as Orpah and Ruth, and Martha and Mary. And here in Ezekiel 23 in Aholah (the 10 Tribes) being the elder sister representing that regeneration must come before sanctification, which is represented here in Aholibah.  The meaning of the names is significant; Aholah means: His tent or tabernacle, the Church as a whole. But Aholibah means: MY TABERNACLE IS IN HER, as well as MY TABERNACLE EXALTED. That is a specified group, set apart, BY REGENERATION to be set apart IN SANCTIFICATION. That is to say holy people unto the most holy people, from within the Church/Body. The progressiveness in spirituality is the aim from the beginning. To go on from glory to glory, and being changed into his image. [2nd Corinthians 3:18] 

But the type in the Old Testament wherein Judah follows Israel into apostasy holds true as being understood in the many warning Words of Jesus Christ to all His Servants. “Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?” [Luke 18:8] “Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition…” [2nd Thessalonians 2:3] “For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.” [2nd Thessalonians 2:7] This, taken out of the way has much to do with this taking away, in this End Time great act of God before the Second Coming of the Lord Revelation 12. “And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne.” 

In that Judah had a special affinity with Jerusalem is indicative of God’s fullness in His Salvation Plan for man, which is declared throughout Scripture and to be realized in New Jerusalem. (Revelation 22) The significance of that place Salem meaning peace has Aholah in view, and Jeru-salem meaning settled or grounded in Peace has Aholibah in view. The explanation of Ezekiel in that Judah went into spiritual lewdness, idolatry and wickedness as a result or because of her elder sister, (the 10 Tribes) in that she set the example, and then induced her younger sister Judah to follow in her footsteps. This being the sad case in Christendom. 

*Note: Northern Kingdom = 10 tribes out of 12  (10/12 or 5/6) 

Southern Kingdom = 2 Tribes (2/12 or 1/6)