ARE YOU CHOSEN BY JESUS CHRIST TO BE A SOLDIER IN THE ARMY OF GOD?
10-22-17 This message may be
viewed live streaming video at www.tabernacleofmoses.org commencing today
Sunday at 11:00 am, and repeated 24/7 for one week; thereafter, the video, audio,
and study notes are archived.
The brightness of our
revelations depend upon the correctness of our doctrines (our building blocks)
(2 Tim 2:1-4) Thou
therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And
the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit
thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.
Thou therefore endure hardness [Gk: affliction, suffer trouble],
as a good soldier [Gk: warrior] of
Jesus Christ. No man that warreth [Gk: to serve in a military compaign] entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him
who hath chosen him to be a soldier [Gk: warrior].
NOT EVERYONE WHO ANSWERS THE
RECRUITMENT CALL (the trumpet) FOR SOLDIERS IN THE ARMY OF GOD (the church)
QUALIFIES FOR ENLISTMENT AND IS SAVED FOR DUTY
THE RECRUITMENT CALL
(Judg
6:33-35) Then all the Midianites [Heb:
brawling, contentious, discord, strife] [a type and shadow of all unaved men] and the Amalekites and the children of the
east were gathered together [totaling
135,000 invading warriors], and went
over, and pitched [their camp] in the
APPLYING FOR ENLISTMENT
(Judg 7:1-3) Then Jerubbaal [Heb: Baal will contend with],
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 [32,000 Isrealite
(professing Christian) applicants for Gideon’s army], rose up early, and pitched beside the well of Harod [Heb: fountain of trembling]: so that the host of the Midianites were
on the north side of them, by the hill of Moreh, in the valley. And the
LORD said unto Gideon, The people that are
with thee are too many
for me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest
YOU’RE IN THE ARMY NOW
(Judg
7:4)
And the LORD said unto Gideon, The people [the 10,000 saved soldiers] are
yet too many; bring them
down unto the water [the running
water in the valley; moving water is a symbol of the Holy Spirit], and I will try [Heb: refine: purge (purify)] them for thee there: and it shall
be, that of whom I say unto
thee, This shall go with thee
[to fight the Midianites (unsaved peoples)], the same shall go with thee; and of whomsoever I say unto thee, This
shall not go with thee [to fight
the Midianites], the same shall not
go.
FURTHER TESTING FOR
ASSIGNMENT OF AN ETERNAL OCCUPATION
(Judg
7:5-8)
So he [Gideon] brought down the people [the 10,000 saved soldiers] unto the water [of the Holy Spirit]: and
the LORD said unto Gideon, Every one that lappeth of the water with his
tongue, as a dog lappeth, him shalt thou set by himself [in one group]; likewise every one that boweth down upon his knees to drink [set by himself in a second group]. And the number of them that lapped [with their tongue], putting their [discriminating examination by feel, touch,
taste, sight] hand to their mouth,
were three hundred men [300
saved soldiers]: but all the rest
of the people [the remaining 9,700
saved soldiers] bowed down upon
their knees to drink water. And the LORD said unto Gideon, By the three
hundred men that lapped will I save you [i.e., 300 combat troops],
and deliver the Midianites into thine hand: and let all the other people [i.e., the 9,700 support troops] go every man unto his place [“a place prepared of God” Rev 12:6]. So the [300] people took [from the supporting 9,700 troops; unlike the unsupporting Isrealite
(Christian) people of Succoth that shall be “taught,” i.e., suffer the Great
Tribulation] victuals [Heb: food] in their hand, and their trumpets [the inspired Word of God]:
and he sent all the rest of
Israel every man unto his tent [Gk:
tabernacle], and retained [Heb: seized, caught] [“caught up” 1 Thes
4:17; Rev 12:5, i.e., raptured the Spirits of] those three hundred men: and the host of Midian was beneath him in
the valley.
1. Commentary: the physical act
of the 9,700 saved soldiers bowing down upon their knees symbolizes
an unintentional act touching on subconscious fear; it is an act of homage,
reverence, or submission. To drink the water of the stream of the Holy Spirit
in this position without bringing
hand to mouth, i.e., discernment, requires one to also place his arms-hands
into the water for support, and then bend
his head down placing his face toward and mouth into the water and begin to
indiscrimitately suck up all
the water, and significantly, also any harmful destructive defiling foreign particles or fragments afloat on or in the water
(i.e., false doctrines, miracles, deceptions, “lying wonders... “strong
delusion” 2 Thes 2:9-11). A soldier that kneels down supporting himself upon
his two knees and two hands to drink water is effectively and very efficiently
taking his legs (symbol of his “walk”) and his hands (symbol of his “work”) out of ready action, neutralizing
himself. Additionally that soldier’s face is to the water, sucking (as a child) water up with his mouth thereby blinding himself by taking his eyes off
any threatening potential enemy around or across the way. Consider that 135,000
very hostile Midianite soldiers assembled for war in the valley were standing
directly across the stream, but where were the faces and eyes, the attention, of the 9,700 saved soldiers in the Army of God
focused? After this test, the 9,700 saved soldiers who were believers but
lacked a certain necessary degree of
discernment, were assigned to the many “support troops” occupations.
a. (1 Pet 5:8) Be sober [Gk: abstain from wine: watch],
be vigilant [Gk: keep awake, watch: be watchful];
because your adversary the devil, as
a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking
whom he may devour [Gk: to drink down, gulp entire: swallow up]:
2. (Rev 12:5,6) And she brought forth a man child [Christians;
the 300 combat troops: Judg 7:8], who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron [as “kings and priests” Rev 1:6; 5:10]: and her child was caught up [1 Thes 4:17] [spiritually but not physically, like Paul: 2 Cor
12:1-4] unto God, and to his throne. And the woman [Christians; the 9,700 support troops] fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place [Judg 7:7
& Rev 12:14] prepared of God,
that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days [3 ½
years].
COMBAT
(Judg
7:16-18) And he divided the three hundred men into three companies [God
the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Ghost], and he put a trumpet [the Word
of God] in every man's hand [Heb: power], with empty pitchers [composed
of earthware clay symbolizing human bodies], and lamps [Heb:
fire] [symbolizing their holy Spirits]
within the pitchers. And he said unto them, Look on me [Jesus Christ], 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 that are with me, then blow ye the
trumpets also on every side of all the camp, and say, The sword of the LORD, and of Gideon.
(Judg
7:19-23) So Gideon, and the hundred
men that were with him,
came unto the outside of the [Midianite] camp in the beginning of the middle
watch [about 10:00 pm]; and they [the Midianites] had but newly
set the watch [and were therefore
extremely jumpy]: and they [the 300 men] blew the trumpets
[with their right hands], and brake
the pitchers that were in
their [left] 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 [thereby
forming a “cross” with their body] to
blow withal: and they cried, The
sword of the LORD, and of Gideon. And they stood every man in his place
[unified, with one mind, the mind of
Christ] round about the camp: and
all the host ran, and cried, and fled. And the three
hundred blew the trumpets, and the LORD set every man's sword against his
fellow [a prophecy now clearly unfolding of world-wide chaos, death, destruction], even throughout all the host [of all unsaved mankind]: and the host fled to Bethshittah [Heb: house of the acacia /// the acacia
from its scourging thorns] in
Zererath [Heb: to pierce,
puncture], and to the border of Abelmeholah , unto Tabbath. And the men of
(Judg
7:24,25)
And Gideon sent messengers throughout all