The wild man of Gad

#5: THE WILD MAN OF GAD (THAT’S MOST OF US), AND THE SWINE (THAT’S THEM)

07-23-17 This message may be viewed live streaming video at www.tabernacleofmoses.org commencing today Sunday at 11:00am, and repeated 24/7 for one week; thereafter, the video, audio, and study notes are archived.

The brightness of our revelations depends upon the correctness of our doctrines (our building blocks)

UNCLEAN FOUL DEFILED AND DEFILING ANIMALS (A METAPHOR OF CERTAIN MEN)

THE SWINE

(Luke 8:30,31) And Jesus asked him, saying, What is thy name? And he said, Legion: because many devils were entered into him. And they besought him that he would not command them to go out into the deep.

(Luke 8:30) And Jesus asked him [the “wild man” of Gad], saying, What is thy name? And he said, Legion [ref: a Roman legion of about 6,000 soldiers]: because many devils [i.e., an indefinite but very great number of devils, i.e., many fallen angels, demons, unclean spirits, many unclean thoughts] were entered into him. (Luke 8:31) And they [the many fallen angels (thoughts)] besought [urgently implored, begged] him that he would not command [Gk: order: charge /// assign: appoint, ordain] them to go out into the deep [Gk: the depthless, abyss: bottomless pit].

(Luke 8:32) And there was there an herd of many swine feeding on the mountain: and they besought him that he would suffer them to enter into them. And he suffered them.

(Luke 8:32) And there was there an herd of many swine [Gk: hogs (pigs)] [1] feeding on the mountain [a picture metaphor of natural men feeding in the wilderness of the world]: and they besought [pleaded to] him that he would suffer them [Gk: allow, permit] [“suffer” v.32 is contrasted to (opposite) “command” v.31] to enter into them. And he suffered [Gk: allowed, permitted] them [an example of God’s “permissive will”].

1. (Lev 11:7) And the swine, though he divide the hoof, and be clovenfooted [Heb: split (footed)], yet he cheweth not the cud [a] [he does not regurgitate his food, i.e., figuratively, they do not consider, contemplate, think things over]; he is unclean [Heb: foul: defiled, polluted] to you. [b,c]

a. cud = Dict: a mouthful of previously swallowed food regurgitated from the first stomach of cattle and other ruminants back to the mouth, where it is chewed slowly a second time – chew the cud to recall and think over something; ruminate, ponder. [staff writing notes for messages]

b. (Eccl 3:18) I said in mine heart concerning the estate [circumstances, life-style] of the sons of men, that God might manifest [make apparent to] them, and that they might see [understand] that they themselves are beasts [Heb: animals].

c. (2 Pet 2:22) But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow [Gk: hog (swine)] that was washed [by the rhema word of God] [Rom 10:17; Eph 5:26] to her wallowing [Gk: rolling in filth] in the mire [Gk: mud].

2. Commentary: “swine” = are hogs also called pigs who are biblically unclean defiled and defiling animals; those same unholy characteristics are also descriptive of unclean defiled and defiling fallen angels, which are in actual spiritual reality, fallen thoughts, i.e., thoughts of sin, sinful thoughts, the thoughts (messages, messengers) of Satan. Swine have split (cloven) hooves. Interestingly, humanly conceived drawn and/or painted full-body pictures of Satan (specifically “the Devil” Rev 12:9; 20:2) almost always show him “goat-ish,” with horns, goatee, and tail, with two legs and split (cloven) hooves. Figuratively, swine are men attempting to walk in two worlds (as is Satan) heaven and earth (signified by the split hooves), but they do not chew the cud, i.e., they do not meditate (they do not consider, contemplate, think things over) [a]. Swine/pigs/men are known to indiscriminately eat [b], to take into themselves anything and everything, symbolically not discerning the difference between good and evil – the flaw (error) of Adam and Eve.

a. (Josh 1:8) [the LORD speaking to Joshua] This book of the law [the Bible] shall not depart out of [be separated from] thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate [Heb: ponder: mutter, speak, study, talk, utter] therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success [Heb: be intelligent: consider, prosper, instruct, teach, have understanding, make to understand, wisdom, guide wittingly].

b. indiscriminate = Dict: 1. not based on careful selection or a discerning taste; confused, random, or promiscuous. 2. not discriminating; not making careful choices or distinctions.

3. Commentary: Be sure, “examine yourselves” (2 Cor 13:5 & 1 Cor 11:28), that you are not eating, taking into yourself, the myriad empty “husks” (Luke 15:16), the empty seed pods (coverings) that the world, “a citizen of that country” (Luke 15:15), abundantly and purposely provides for your consumption.

4. Commentary: The latter description of indiscriminant consuming swine/men relates to the reprobate [Gk: rejected; worthless: castaway] persons living “on stony ground” (e.g., Penuel) (Mark 4:16 & Judg 8:9) who are not saved, for they have “no root” of Jesus Christ (Matt 13:6; Mark 4:6,17; Luke 8:13), and are therefore rejected from heaven. The “many swine” are a metaphor most directly representing men and women “on the rock” (Luke 8:13) who receive (feed upon, take in) the word (“the seed” Luke 8:11) of God “with gladness, And have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time” (Mark 4:16,17), “and in time of temptation [Gk: testing] fall away [Gk: remove themselves, instigate to revolt, desert: depart, withdraw self]” (Luke 8:13). Further, “many swine” is also a grandly inclusive but much less direct (inferred) description of those persons “by the way side” who ultimately represent all the remaining unbelievers in the world.

5. Commentary: Why do the swine withdraw themselves from God’s word? Strangely for hogs (pigs) who are noted by farmers for being self-centered and gluttonous (characteristics exemplified by our current politicians, and indeed all natural men), they can find “no satisfaction” (as the, ironically, Rolling Stones song goes) in God’s heavenly food because their hearts are too hardened (worldly) to digest the rhema food (the revelations) of God’s sacrificial love, i.e., His inherent softness; they are hard-hearted persons.

6. Commentary: “many swine feeding on the mountain” = is a symbolic picture of unsaved men feeding (being sustained) upon the all encompassing mountain of pride. That mountain is composed of dry (no Holy Spirit) hard stones, symbols of pride, and in this context a symbol of “stony places, stony ground, on the rock” – e.g., Penuel (ref: “this tower”: Heb: castle: Judg 8:9,17). Conceptually, “the mountain” of pride represents the all encompassing “strong hold” (2 Cor 10:4) of Satan’s fallen angels (i.e., Satan’s fallen thoughts) dwelling inside all earthly unsaved men and women, a composite mountain of unholy prideful thoughts, the opposing opposite of Mount Zion, the Mountain of God, i.e., Holy Thoughts, and the moving Mountain (OT = Sinai; NT = Zion) of the composite Body of Jesus Christ.

a. (Judg 8:9) And he [Gideon: Heb: feller (warrior) /// to fell a tree, hew down] [a type and shadow of Jesus Christ] spake also unto the men of Penuel, saying, When I come again in peace [a clear prophecy of His second coming], I will break down [Heb: destroy, pull down] this tower [Heb: tower (from its size or height): a castle] [that has been built up, stone upon stone (fallen angel upon fallen angel – fallen thought upon fallen thought)].

b. (Judg 8:17) And he [Gideon] beat down [Heb: destroyed, pulled down] the tower [castle, strong hold] of Penuel, and slew [Heb: destroyed, killed, slaughtered] the men of the city.

i. Commentary: After Gideon had made captives of “Zeba and Zalmunna, kings of Median” (Judg 8:5) (Heb: brawling, contentious, discord, strife) he returned [i.e., His second coming], first to Succoth (“judgment must begin at the house of God” 1 Pet 4:17) where he “taught (with Great Tribulation) the men of Succoth” (Judg 8:16), and then he went on farther eastward into the wilderness to Penuel in Judgment.

c. (2 Cor 10:4,5) (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds [Gk: fortified; a castle (fig. argument)];) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing [i.e., the stone “tower” of Penuel] that exalteth itself [clearly pride] against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought [bringing into captivity (“temperance” Gal 5:23: self-control) every fallen angel (thought)] to the obedience of Christ;

Amen