Good evening, and welcome to EBible Fellowship’s Bible study in the book of Genesis.  Tonight is study #25 of Genesis, chapter 28, and we are reading Genesis 28:15-19:

And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of. And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely JEHOVAH is in this place; and I knew it not. And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place! this is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven. And Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put for his pillows, and set it up for a pillar, and poured oil upon the top of it. And he called the name of that place Bethel: but the name of that city was called Luz at the first.

We were discussing verse 15 where God said, “I will bring thee again into this land.”  He was speaking to Jacob, but, spiritually, He was speaking to the elect that would leave the churches and congregations at the time of the end when those that professed to be our brothers in the churches rose up and sought to kill us, spiritually.  And to be killed spiritually, according to John 16:2, is to be driven out of the congregations.  And due to their errors, false teachings and other kinds of gospels, they did “push” the elect out of the churches at the time of the end and, thereby, killing them, spiritually speaking. 

We also know that this is happening over a 40-year period, from the official end of the church age in 1994 until 2033, which according to the Biblical evidence points to the end of this world, is a 40-year inclusive period.  And Jacob would spend 40 years in the land of Haran.

God was promising him that He would bring him again into this land, which is also a promise to all God’s elect that when we left the outward representation of the kingdom of God, the churches, He would bring us again to the land, the eternal church in the new heaven and new earth.  We will be restored to the eternal habitation of the kingdom of God, but it is not the outward representation that typified it, but that which is the essence and reality of it, and that will come after the completion of this 40-year period at this time of the end.

In our last study, we were looking at a couple of very interesting verses in Jeremiah 16, and I will read it again, in Jeremiah 16:14-15:

Therefore, behold, the days come, saith JEHOVAH, that it shall no more be said, JEHOVAH liveth, that brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt; But, JEHOVAH liveth, that brought up the children of Israel from the land of the north, and from all the lands whither he had driven them: and I will bring them again into their land that I gave unto their fathers.

We discussed this a little bit.  Remember, when we set one against the other in comparison, there is no comparison between the deliverance of Israel out of Egypt and the deliverance of Israel out of the land of the north, the land of Babylon.  On the one hand, Israel had been bondservants and slaves to Pharaoh and the Egyptians in the land of Egypt, and Pharaoh would not let the people go.  So God sent Moses to plague the house of Egypt or house of bondage.  And after repeated judgments and plagues that God brought upon them, Pharaoh still would not let the people go until, finally, God struck all the firstborn of Egypt dead.  It was only the blood upon the doorposts of the houses of the Israelites that protected their firstborn.  So Pharaoh relented.  And we have this great Biblical historical account of the deliverance of God’s people from Egypt, and it is really unprecedented in all Biblical history.  There is really nothing like it.  It was really a tremendous record of the power of God in delivering His people.

Then, following that, there were even greater acts of wonderworking power as God opened up the Red Sea and Israel passed over as on dry land.  Then He caused the water to collapse upon the Egyptians that were following them, and they were all drowned in the depths of the Red Sea.  Then there followed the works of God raining down manna from heaven and providing water to drink from rocks in the wilderness over the course of their sojourning there for 40 years.

Then when we come to the deliverance of Egypt from Babylon…yes, it was a tremendous thing in its own right, as God stirred up the heart of the evil king of the Medes and the Persians (Cyrus aka Darius), and he took the kingdom of Babylon.  Then he issued a proclamation that the Jews could go forth.  That was it.  There was no resistance.  Cyrus was made willing by God, and God did not have to plague Babylon and force the release of Israel.  And once they were released, there was no miraculous manna from heaven or water from a rock.  None of those things happened physically and historically, so when we compare the exodus from Egypt to the exodus from Babylon, there is no comparison.  Certainly, the greater event was the deliverance of Israel out of Egypt, when compared to the release of the captives from Babylon after seventy years.

However, these verses indicate that the deliverance from Babylon was greater than the deliverance from Egypt.  Let me read it again, in Jeremiah 16:14-15:

Therefore, behold, the days come, saith JEHOVAH, that it shall no more be said, JEHOVAH liveth, that brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt; But, JEHOVAH liveth, that brought up the children of Israel from the land of the north, and from all the lands whither he had driven them: and I will bring them again into their land that I gave unto their fathers.

The deliverance from the land of the north, which we know to be Babylon, would replace the former saying: “JEHOVAH liveth, that brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt.”  And the only way you can replace it is if it is a greater occurrence or mightier happening, but, historically, it was not.  But we must understand that Babylon and the 70-year period of the oppression of Israel was a type and figure of the Great Tribulation at the time of the end of the world and a time when God saved the great multitude of sinners (of Jew and Gentile, male and female) from every nation, tribe and tongue, according to Revelation 7:9, and they were made white and washed by the blood of the Lamb and delivered from their sins.  The number delivered was far greater than any previous “deliverance,” spiritually speaking, in God’s salvation program.

Therefore, the coming out of Babylon was the completion of the salvation of the great multitude at the time of the end, which took place during the sending forth of the Gospel in the Latter Rain period during the second part of the Great Tribulation.  It was tremendously more glorious and brought God more honor because more were saved in that short little season than in all the history of the world.  And this is why the saying was changed: “But, JEHOVAH liveth, that brought up the children of Israel from the land of the north.” 

Now we do find additional references to this.  This does not stand alone.  Let us go to Jeremiah 3:18:

In those days the house of Judah shall walk with the house of Israel, and they shall come together out of the land of the north to the land that I have given for an inheritance unto your fathers.

Again, this would be the coming out of the land of Babylon and coming back to the land of Canaan, historically,  But, remember, it is always the deeper spiritual truth that carries far greater weight than the historical or literal statements in the Bible.  (We have talked about this before.)  So the deeper spiritual meaning here is the coming out of the world or the kingdom of Satan into the eternal kingdom of God, which is our inheritance that the land of Canaan typified, because the promise to Abraham was that He would give him the land of Canaan for an everlasting possession.  And, again, that means that this statement in Genesis 17:8, a literal reference to the land of Canaan, is of lesser significance because it cannot possibly be in view.  It could  not be given to Abraham or to anyone else for an everlasting possession because it is part of this world, and this world will be destroyed.  So it is only possible for it to be true on the deeper spiritual level regarding what it pointed to, the eternal kingdom of God that is given to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and their seed, or Christ and all those that are counted for the seed in Him.  It is the new heaven and new earth.  And, ultimately, that is what this is referring to, where it says, “In those days the house of Judah shall walk with the house of Israel, and they shall come together out of the land of the north to the land that I have given for an inheritance unto your fathers.” 

And notice that it says, “In those days,” and that is a clue phrase that ties in with the Great Tribulation or Judgment Day.  It can point to the Great Tribulation, but we find in Mark 13:24 where it says, “In those days after that tribulation,” it applies to Judgment Day.  So the phrase, “In those days,” can apply to the Great Tribulation and to the time after that Tribulation.  It is a phrase that identifies with “tribulation,” and there are “two tribulations” that apply to God’s overall judgment program.  Keep in mind that the word “tribulation” is a synonym for “judgment.”   The tribulation on the churches is what the Bible calls Great Tribulation and there is the judgment on the world, which is spoken of as a repayment or “recompense of tribulation.”  So, “In those days,” is when God would cause His people to come out of Babylon (the land of the north) and return to the Promised Land.

Also, in Jeremiah 23 our present time period is in view, beginning in Jeremiah 23:5:

Behold, the days come, saith JEHOVAH, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth.

The “righteous Branch,” of course, is the Lord Jesus, and He is also the King that shall reign.  But notice where it is said He will reign and prosper and execute judgment and justice.  It is in the earth where He is reigning or sitting upon the judgment throne, and from there He rules the earth with a rod of iron.  So that is the setting here, and remember that prior to Judgment Day, Jesus was King over His people or over Zion.  He was the King upon the holy hill of Zion, but He was not the King of the earth.  The earth was ruled over by Satan.  Satan was ruling the earth throughout the history of the world, up until the Great Tribulation when his rule was increased to include the corporate church.  And he also ruled the nations like never before, and he ruled for 23 years, but May 21, 2011 ended the Great Tribulation, and Christ arose and put down Satan.  The Lord Jesus began to reign as KING of kings – King over Satan and all earthly rulers: “KING of kings and LORD of lords.”  I believe that declaration is made three times in the New Testament, and it can be shown that Judgment Day is the context in each case, and that is when Christ began to reign.  Again, we have spent time in past studied looking at this, but let us go to Revelation 11:15:

And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.

He shall reign for ever and ever, which should say, “to ever and ever.”  It is the time of the dead and the nations are angry, and so forth. 

So in Jeremiah 23:5, where the Lord says, “I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth,” it goes on to say in Jeremiah 23:6:

In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely…

That is, the salvation of the elect is accomplished.  They have already been brought into the kingdom.  That is what happened on May 21, 2011.  God saved everyone whom He intended to save, everyone whose name was written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.  They have been found and brought safely into the fold, and that is the reason that God could shut the door (of heaven) and turn out the light of the Gospel.  He dried up the Gospel waters so there could be no further salvation of souls because Christ was now reigning upon the throne of judgment after “Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely.”  And that is Hebrew parallelism, because to dwell safely indicates that they have been saved.  Then it says in Jeremiah 23:6-7:

… and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS. Therefore, behold, the days come, saith JEHOVAH, that they shall no more say, JEHOVAH liveth, which brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt; But, JEHOVAH liveth, which brought up and which led the seed of the house of Israel out of the north country, and from all countries whither I had driven them; and they shall dwell in their own land.

Do you see how it fits together?  We find these Biblical themes that we have been noticing as we have continued to study the Scriptures that have to do with Judgment Day and the end of time and the end of the world.  And they are things like Satan being put down, and Christ being exalted and ruling as King on earth.  Of course, it is Judgment Day and it signifies the completion of the body of the elect.  We find those themes to be consistent in these verses in Jeremiah 23 with the coming out of Babylon out of the north country.  And notice that it says, “…the seed of the house of Israel out of the north country.”  The seed, according to Galatians 3:29, are all those in Christ and counted for the seed.  He is the seed (singular), and we are the seed (plural) in Him.  We are the fulfilment of the promise to Abraham that his seed would be as the stars of heaven for multitude, and, of course, that is all the elect that are in Christ and counted for the seed.  And it involves coming out of Babylon.

If we go to Jeremiah 31, it says in Jeremiah 31:7-8:

For thus saith JEHOVAH; Sing with gladness for Jacob, and shout among the chief of the nations: publish ye, praise ye, and say, O JEHOVAH, save thy people, the remnant of Israel. Behold, I will bring them from the north country, and gather them from the coasts of the earth, and with them the blind and the lame, the woman with child and her that travaileth with child together: a great company shall return thither.

That is a reference to the great multitude.

Then it says in Jeremiah 31:9-10:

They shall come with weeping, and with supplications will I lead them: I will cause them to walk by the rivers of waters in a straight way, wherein they shall not stumble: for I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn.  Hear the word of JEHOVAH, O ye nations, and declare it in the isles afar off, and say, He that scattered Israel will gather him, and keep him, as a shepherd doth his flock.

The great multitude are the sheep, are they not?  And we are to feed the sheep.  And Christ is our guide.  He is leading us every step of the way, and He is directing us to feed the sheep because He is the Shepherd that watches over and cares for His flock.

Let us go to Micah 4:10:

Be in pain, and labour to bring forth, O daughter of Zion, like a woman in travail: for now shalt thou go forth out of the city, and thou shalt dwell in the field, and thou shalt go even to Babylon; there shalt thou be delivered; there JEHOVAH shall redeem thee from the hand of thine enemies.

You see, here we have some spiritual direction.  First, it is speaking of the elect, the daughter of Zion as a woman in travail:  “…for now shalt thou go forth out of the city, and thou shalt dwell in the field.”  The field is the world, according to Jesus definition in one of His parables.  And then it says, “and thou shalt go even to Babylon,” because Babylon is the equivalent of the field or world.  And there in Babylon of the world, outside the churches, “…there shalt thou be delivered; there JEHOVAH shall redeem thee from the hand of thine enemies.”  Then it goes on to speak of the elect that would arise and thresh, as it says in verse 13, and be involved in the reaping process.   But, here again, we see that Babylon figures in with “deliverance,” and that is also the idea we see in Zechariah 2:6-11:

Ho, ho, come forth, and flee from the land of the north, saith JEHOVAH: for I have spread you abroad as the four winds of the heaven, saith JEHOVAH. Deliver thyself, O Zion, that dwellest with the daughter of Babylon. For thus saith JEHOVAH of hosts; After the glory hath he sent me unto the nations which spoiled you: for he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of his eye. For, behold, I will shake mine hand upon them, and they shall be a spoil to their servants: and ye shall know that JEHOVAH of hosts hath sent me. Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion: for, lo, I come, and I will dwell in the midst of thee, saith JEHOVAH. And many nations shall be joined to JEHOVAH in that day, and shall be my people: and I will dwell in the midst of thee, and thou shalt know that JEHOVAH of hosts hath sent me unto thee.

Again, it says, “flee from the land of the north…Deliver thyself, O Zion.”  You see, the coming out of Babylon identifies with salvation and being delivered from bondage to sin and to Satan, just as pictured by Israel coming out of Egypt, the house of bondage.

We will have to continue this, Lord willing, in our next study.