Chronological Study (009/365)

Genesis 25:27 – 28:9

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DESPISED BIRTHRIGHT
(Genesis 25:27-34)

Genesis 25:27-28 begins by informing us that when the twins grew up, Esau became an outdoorsman and skillful hunter whereas Jacob became a mild person of quiet temperament who preferred to stay inside the comfort of his tent. Isaac loved and favored Esau because he enjoyed eating the wild game Esau brought home; however, Rebekah loved and favored Jacob. And so this information immediately sets the stage for conflict due to a divided house out from favoritism.

As a side note, it is written that Isaac favored Esau due to him being an outdoorsman and hunter. It is also written that Ishmael was an archer who was accustomed to living life in the wilderness (21:20). Therefore, Isaac’s admiration for outdoorsmen might also be another reason why Isaac and Ishmael managed to work together to bury Abraham (25:9).

Returning to the twins, 25:29-30 informs us that at some point on some day, Esau returned from an apparent unsuccessful hunt. Exhausted and hungry, he begged Jacob for the red stew he made. This emphasis on the stew being red becomes the reason for Esau’s other name, Edom, which means “red”; however, it is also most likely the reason why Esau was described as “red” when he was born (25:25). The word “red” used to describe Esau at birth is the Hebrew אַדְמֹנִי [H132] ‘aḏmōnî (ad-mo-nee’). The word “red” used to describe Jacob’s stew is אָדֹם [H122] ‘āḏōm (aw-dome’). The nickname “Edom” is אֱדֹם [H123] ‘ĕḏōm (eh-dome’). And all three of these words come from the root word אָדַם [H119] ‘āḏam (aw-dam’), which means to be or appear red. And if you remember, the name “Adam” derives from that word as well and is the word אָדָם [H120] ‘āḏām (aw-dahm’). But what does Adam have to do with the color red? Well, blood is red, and as we already saw in 9:4, the Lord told Noah and his family that blood is equated with life and so they were not to consume the blood. In fact, later in Leviticus 17:11,14 and Deuteronomy 12:23, the Israelites will be told and reminded not to consume blood because the blood is life. Further, if you remember, after Cain murdered Abel, in Genesis 4:10, GOD said to Cain, “The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to Me from the ground.” Therefore, blood is life, blood is red, Adam (man) describes the red life within the body, and Esau’s nickname, Edom, is a play on words, which means red. Why? Well, it is written in 25:31-34 that after Esau begged for the red stew, Jacob, seeing a rare opportunity to take advantage of his brother, told Esau he could have the red stew only if he sold/transferred his birthright to him in a trade. Esau, claiming to be famished to the point of being near death, swore an oath to Jacob, ate a good meal, and then went on his way. And thus “Esau despised his birthright.”

But what exactly is a birthright? The birthright consists of the material blessings of a father being passed on to his sons. By right, the oldest son received a double portion of the inheritance received by the children (Deuteronomy 21:15-17; Luke 15:11-32). This birthright is often connected to, but needs to be distinguished from, ‘the blessing’. The blessing generally involved more of a focus on a spiritual allotment, but it crossed paths with the birthright with respect to future leadership and authority of the person (Genesis 27; 49). Royal succession was also a birthright, though GOD could countermand this privilege (2Chronicles 21:3; 1Samuel 23:17; 1Kings 2:15).

In Genesis 25:29–34, Esau willingly sold/transferred his birthright to Jacob, which, as we will soon see, forfeits his blessing (Genesis 27). Esau made an impulsive decision to give Jacob his birthright (a double portion of the family inheritance and position of future family leader) for some red stew—even though his birthright was never his to give away. By trading his birthright for some stew, Esau displayed contempt for the blessing GOD had given to him. What Esau despised is they very thing Jacob desired because he recognized its value. Esau did not grasp the significance of all that GOD had promised to fulfill through the unique line descended from Abraham, of which he was the natural heir as the firstborn. Esau did not appreciate that his birthright was linked to GOD’s plan of redemption for the whole world. So, Jacob grasped at his heel.

Consequently, Esau traded a long-term benefit/blessing for short-term pleasure, and it negatively affected his life. Although he will later swear at Jacob (27:41), here in this story he is content to swear to Jacob. Now, it’s easy for people to read Esau’s story, to look down on him, and believe themselves to be better than Esau, but is this situation really so uncommon? It would be wise to take the Lord’s advice for us to first examine ourselves before we make a quick judgment about Esau (Matthew 7:1–5; Luke 6:37–42). Have you ever traded a long-term blessing for short-term pleasure? Have you ever indulged in sexual relations prior to marriage in order to appease a short-term appetite in your pursuit of pleasure? If so, you traded a long-term benefit/blessing (keeping your virginity and purity sacred and holy for your partner in marriage) for a short-lived thrill. Have you ever spoken terrible words in the heat of the moment to satisfy your pride, only for those words to cause lasting damage to the relationship and for you to live in regret of those words later on? Have you ever given in to your desire for destructive drugs? Even if you haven’t yet experienced the long-term consequences of your decision to secure short-term satisfaction, you most assuredly will sooner or later. Many people have lived out the “Esau syndrome.” We can avoid making this mistake by comparing short-term satisfaction with its long-range consequences prior to making a decision and putting that decision into action. Our desires can demand our attention so much that we often magnify them in our field of focus. I call this the “Aperture Appetite.”

In photography, four main factors will determine if the background is blurry, leaving the focus solely on the foreground:

1. Aperture: A wide aperture equals a narrow or shallow depth of focus.
2. The distance from subject to background: The greater the distance between the subject and the background, the blurrier the background will be.
3. The distance between the lens and the subject: The closer the lens is to the subject, the blurrier the background will be.
4. The optical length of your lens (but all humans have the same “lens”).

So, putting everything together, if a person’s focus on a specific item or person is shallow and narrow, the details of the surrounding scenario will be difficult to ascertain. The distance from the subject to the background will always be great because the distance between a person’s life here on Earth is a great distance away from the new life in eternity. If a person is literally too close to a subject, the surroundings will not be in the frame and will thus be unknown. Esau’s focus narrowed to the shallowness of the surface situation, and he did not consider the surrounding scenario. The distance between Esau’s future and his present situation was great. Not taking that great distance into account, he made the mistake of allowing his lens to get too close to the subject. Because Esau was too close to the temptation and allowed himself to have a narrow focus on that temptation, the background of eternal consequences became blurred. The unfortunate part about a blurred background is that deception blends in with the rest of the blurred details. Therefore, Jacob’s deceitfulness went undetected because Esau’s desire dominated over his discernment. This is the Aperture Appetite.

But what about you? Is your temptation in your frame at all? If it is, do you start to make it the point of focus? Do you draw closer to your temptation while keeping your focus on it? Imagine this example of an Aperture Appetite in action: Within a man’s frame, there exists multiple items and people in a particular place. In this frame, an attractive female with flirtatious facial features exists. The man narrows his focus onto the specific depth of field for the female’s features. The man then draws closer and closer to the female until the man’s frame consists of only the female in focus and everything else is just a blurred background. Unfortunately for the man, in that blurred background is that female’s innocent yet ignorant husband. The female might be married, but because her husband isn’t in the man’s field of focus, that husband’s feelings and future will not be considered to be important. In fact, what I just described is what we will later see in 2Samuel 11 when David’s focus on Bathsheba leaves her husband, Uriah, in the blurred background to be buried. Acts of adultery are examples of the Aperture Appetite in action. Consider this: also, in the blurred background, let’s say there was a homeless woman sitting on the curb, hungry and cold. But because that woman was in the blurred background, her feelings and future will not be considered to be important either.

Sometimes it’s good to narrow our focus in order to examine something or someone closely; however, we should be able to see the bigger picture most of the time. In fact, both are necessary for Bible study. So, while it’s important for us to obtain precise focus on a particular word, verse, passage, or story, we also need the ability to zoom out to see how each word, verse, passage, or story fits into the entire salvation story. Ultimately, we need to set our sights on the Lord and keep our focus on heavenly things rather than the ways of this world (Matthew 5:27–29; 16:26; John 17:14; 18:36; Philippians 3:8–11,20; Colossians 3:2; Titus 3:7; Hebrews 13:14; 1Peter 5:10). And so for this particular story of Esau despising his birthright, the details help us to realize the bigger picture of how and why Jacob will take center stage in the genealogical line from Abraham so that we will eventually see how this will lead to Jesus.

• What are you willing to trade for the thing or person you desire? Will it truly be worth the trade?
  
• Do you ever find yourself willing to negotiate anything for immediate pleasure?
• Does your spouse, children, integrity, body, or soul get included in these damning deals?
• Do you sometimes feel that the important parts of life escaped while you were grabbing for your desire(s)?
• Who or what is in your frame? Where is your focus?
• How many important things or people might be in your blurred background that need to come into focus?
• How many things or people are in focus that actually belong in your blurred background?

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WELL, WELL, WELL…
(Genesis 26)

Genesis 26:1-2 says “¹ Now there was a famine in the land, besides the previous famine that had occurred in the days of Abraham. So Isaac went to Gerar, to Abimelech king of the Philistines. ² The Lord appeared to him and said, ‘Do not go down to Egypt; stay in the land of which I shall tell you.’ ”

A famine in the land? What land? Well, 25:11 says “Isaac lived by Beer-lahai-roi.” So, this chapter begins by referring us back to the famine Abraham experienced in 12:10, which had forced him to go down to Egypt. Yet with the famine in this story, The Lord instructs Isaac not to go to Egypt but to stay in the land which He tells him (Gerar). That is the same command GOD gave Abraham in 12:1 when he was first called, except Abraham was told to “go” whereas Isaac was told to “stay”. And in 26:3-5, the Lord says that if Isaac stays in the land, He will bless him, repeating the blessings Abraham heard in 12:2-3. Since Isaac had been present when GOD had again declared that oath (22:15-18), he would easily recall that occasion. And after GOD emphasized faithful obedience (26:5), it is written in 26:6 that Isaac acted in faithful obedience and stayed in Gerar. So, yet again, GOD’s chosen vessel meets up with king Abimelech.

In 26:7-11, copying his father’s mistakes from 12:11-20 and 20:1-13, Isaac lies about Rebekah, telling the men of the land that she is his sister. Whereas Abimelech tried to take Sarah to be his wife, he does not try to take Rebekah to be his wife, indicating that he is most likely too old at this point in the story. Instead, it is written that “the men of the place” are the ones interested in Rebekah. Eventually, Abimelech confronts Isaac about his lie and he then confesses. Isaac explains how he was afraid for his own life whereas Abimelech explains his care and concern for all people not to fall into sin. Therefore, it is evident that Abimelech is still a man of GOD just as he proved to be while interacting with Abraham and Sarah (20:3-4,11,14-16). In fact, in 26:11, Abimelech issues a public proclamation that anyone who touches Isaac or his wife will be put to death.

Eventually, 26:12-14 informs us that the Lord, fulfilling His promise from 26:3, blesses Isaac so much that he became wealthy. However, because he became wealthy, the Philistines envied him and then filled up all of his wells with dirt (26:14-15). The same thing happened to Abraham until he made a covenant with Abimelech; and the place at which they made their covenant was called Beersheba (21:25-31). And so a picture is already being painted to show how the Philistines are becoming a wicked people. But all of this also showcases the reasons why GOD raised Abimelech up to be king – others, including Abraham and Isaac, were blessed by his leadership over the land at that time. If not for Abimelech having the fear of the Lord, it is likely the Philistines would have murdered both Isaac and Abraham. So, GOD strategically positioned Abimelech to shield Abraham and Isaac from death as if a chess player had strategically positioned any one of his/her pieces as a shield for the king. And if you think about it, because the King of kings (Jesus) comes from the line of Abraham and Isaac, the King had literally been strategically shielded from Satan and all demons.

However, because the Philistines were so envious and wicked, Abimelech said to Isaac in 26:16, “Go away from us, for you are too powerful for us.” And so in 26:17, “Isaac departed from there and camped in the valley of Gerar, and settled there.” In 26:18-22, Isaac reopened his father’s wells of water, which the Philistines filled in after Abraham’s death, and gave them the same names which his father had given them. However, when Isaac’s servants dug in the valley and found flowing water, nearby herdsmen argued over that location, and so he moved on from there. Then they dug another well, but herdsmen argued over that location as well, and so he moved on again. On his third attempt at digging a well, no one argued with him over that location; “so he named it Rehoboth, for he said, ‘At last the Lord has made room for us, and we will be fruitful in the land’ ” [for “Rehoboth” means “open space” or “room”].

Thus, the Lord told Isaac to stay in the land, knowing that Abimelech would issue a public proclamation for his protection, so that Isaac could become wealthy. However, when it was time for the Lord to guide Isaac away from there, the Lord used wicked people to steer Isaac in the direction He desired him to go. And so Isaac might have felt as if things weren’t going right for him due to his plight, but GOD permitted that persecution as part of His divine guidance. But if the Lord was guiding Isaac, where was He guiding him to go? Well 26:23 says Isaac then left there and went to Beersheba. But what is the significance of that place? Well, in 21:31-33, Abraham and Abimelech had made a covenant with each other and then that location was called Beersheba. And 22:19 informs us that Beersheba is where Abraham lived and returned to after passing his test of faith with Isaac. And now Isaac once again finds himself in Beersheba, almost to signify that he had passed yet another test and returned to that place. While there, 26:24-25 says, “²⁴ The Lord appeared to him the same night and said, ‘I am the God of your father Abraham; Do not fear, for I am with you. I will bless you, and multiply your descendants, For the sake of My servant Abraham.’ ²⁵ So he built an altar there and called upon the name of the Lord, and pitched his tent there; and there Isaac’s servants dug a well.”

This location is where it all began for Isaac, and now he is at this location once again, and with the same GOD as before. The fact that Isaac built an altar and called upon the name of the Lord is significant because that is what his father had done as well (12:7-8; 13:18; 21:33). Therefore, the Lord orchestrated everything so that Isaac would realize that the Lord is with him just as He was with his father, and that the promise regarding countless descendants would continue through Isaac and Rebekah.

In 26:26-27, after an unknown amount of time had passed, Abimelech came to Isaac from Gerar with his adviser and commander of his army, and “²⁷ Isaac said to them, ‘Why have you come to me, since you hate me and have sent me away from you?’ ”

If you remember, Isaac’s father, Abraham, had also assumed the worst about Abimelech in 20:11 when he told him he thought they were all godless. Yet in 21:22-23, Abimelech said to Abraham, “God is with you in all that you do”, and then asked Abraham to make a covenant of peace with them. So, what is Abimelech’s response to Isaac? In 26:28, he says, “We see plainly that the Lord has been with you”, and then he asks Isaac to make a covenant of peace with them, concluding in 26:29 saying, “You are now the blessed of the Lord.” Therefore, the entirety of chapter 26 showcases Isaac not only following in his father’s footsteps, but also filling his shoes just as Rebekah filled the tent of Sarah (24:67).

Noteworthy is the fact that in 21:22, Abimelech stated that “God” was with Abraham, using the Hebrew אֱלֹהִים [H430] ‘ĕlōhîm (el-o-heem’); however, in 26:28-29, Abimelech now uses GOD’s name, יְהֹוָה [H3068] YHWH. Therefore, I believe it is reasonable to infer that between the timeframe of Abraham and Isaac, Abimelech came to know the one true GOD. Over time, Abimelech matured from believing in a god to believing in the one and only true GOD.

It is written in 26:32-33, “³² Now it came about on the same day, that Isaac’s servants came in and told him about the well which they had dug, and said to him, ‘We have found water.’ ³³ So he called it Shibah; therefore the name of the city is Beersheba to this day.”

And as a cliffhanger, 26:34-35 ends with, “³⁴ When Esau was forty years old he married Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Basemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite; ³⁵ and they brought grief to Isaac and Rebekah.”

Esau not only married Hittite women, but he took for himself two wives, falling into the same sin that the wicked Lamech had fallen into (4:19). If you remember, Abraham had instructed his trusted servant, Eliezer, that it was important that his son Isaac not marry a Canaanite woman (24:3). And if you remember, Hittites are descendants from Canaan (10:15) and so are technically Canaanites. Isaac himself knows that Esau’s marriages were not good (28:1), and yet Esau made two poor decisions in the form of Hittite women.

In conclusion, Esau, by his own free will, disqualified himself from being the rightful successor of Isaac’s blessing because he chose to not only despise his birthright (25:34), but he also chose to disregard GOD’s design for marriage and to disregard the specific lineage from which GOD promised the blessing would come. Therefore, the stage is now set for Jacob to grasp at Esau’s heel (25:26).

• Apparently, neither Abraham nor Sarah taught Isaac the lesson about lying that they learned from their own experiences. And because they seemingly never talked about it, Isaac made the same mistake. Parents need to confess their mistakes to their children as they mature so that their children will not repeat their mistakes. If you have an opportunity to help your child(ren) learn from your mistakes, it would be loving of you to teach those lessons. What kind of example are you setting for your children? Children know that parents aren’t perfect. Therefore, you might as well swallow your pride, share your mistakes, tell them how to avoid your failures, and then set your children up for success. Or would you rather remain prideful simply because you don’t want them to view you as someone who makes mistakes even though they already know you do? So, are you willing to confess your mistakes to your children so that you can save them from making the same mistakes?
• The Philistines filled up Isaac’s wells with dirt! In those ancient days, wells were sources of life! That was a declaration of war! The enemy essentially told Isaac, “I’m not interested in your life and I don’t care if you die!” But what about you? Are there people in your life who want to cover your life with the dirt of death? Figuratively, is anyone in your life throwing dirt in your well? This act of wicked warfare happened after Isaac received blessings from the Lord. Understand this: the blessings of GOD will attract the attention of the Adversary. If you find yourself under attack, it’s probably because the enemy sees GOD’s love for you and realizes your potential. So, in your plight, are you still grateful for GOD’s divine guidance? Do you remain faithfully obedient to the Lord even while the enemy comes against you? Do you remain thankful that the Savior is still steering you to safety in your salvation story? And knowing that the difficult times are for our sanctification, do you still trust in the Lord and praise Him for all the good He is doing behind the scenes that you don’t even know about?
• Abimelech told Isaac to leave because the Philistines became too envious of Isaac and Abimelech didn’t want trouble because of him. He told Isaac that he was too big for their small-minded situation. When GOD works in your life and you become anointed for greater things, you will become too big to stay where you are currently at in your present scenario. You will no longer wear size ‘small.’ When you grow, you need something larger to fit in. In the 2003 movie, Big Fish, young Edward (Ewan McGregor) says, “Kept in a small bowl, the goldfish will remain small. With more space, the fish can grow double, triple, or quadruple its size.” Now, is it the size of the bowl that prevents the growth of the fish? Or does the size of the bowl dramatically affect the quality of water within the bowl thereby depleting the life of the fish within the bowl? There are many factors that need to be considered, not just one or two. Regardless, humans do need room to ‘swim’ and grow, but we also need fresh water and not stagnant water – we need the Living Water, Christ Jesus (Jeremiah 2:13; 17:13; Zechariah 14:8; John 4:7-14; 7:37-39; Revelation 7:17)! We are designed to grow (1Corinthians 13:11)! Just as a child outgrows his/her clothes and environment, we spiritually outgrow our childish ways of selfish living and immature thinking. And if we refuse to leave our comfort zones that are too small for our futures, GOD will sometimes allow things to happen to us that will force us to leave so that we may grow. So, what about you? Are you currently going through difficulties that are forcing you to grow? While you may not enjoy the process or the growing pains, it is imperative that we maintain proper perspective in that process. Do you realize that GOD loves you through the process? What recent events in your life forced you to grow in your spiritual maturity? Are you thankful for that growth?
• When the Philistines ruined Isaac’s wells, he chose not to retaliate; instead, he chose to keep the peace by moving forward in faith. Isaac dug another well; however, he lost that well over arguments. So, he dug another well. But then he lost that well over hostility. So, he dug another well. And in his third endeavor, his efforts worked in his favor. It’s important to note that Isaac had to dig many wells before he was ever able to build the altar. Likewise, we will need to do a lot of work before our efforts are finally rewarded. But it’s also important to note that Isaac dug another well after building the altar. Isaac’s work in life wasn’t done when he decided to praise the Lord after one success. We can praise GOD even while we are still digging more wells. Understand this: creating wells required sufficient knowledge of hydrology to identify the location of aquifers and the ability to dig down to them, but also sufficient knowledge of the construction process of the lining to stabilize the shaft and prevent seepage from the sides or collapse altogether. The significant amount of labor necessary for such an undertaking makes it obvious why wells were worth fighting over, and yet Isaac did not choose the path of revenge and violence. But what about you? When people wrong you, do you set your focus on going in reverse to seek revenge or on moving forward in faith, trusting in the Lord? Creating a well required a lot of digging for a long period of time! So, what about you? Figuratively, how much digging are you willing to do in life to get to where GOD wants you to be? How long are you willing to dig? How deep are you willing to go to receive the Living Water? How many different wells are you willing to dig? In that ancient time, those people realized the hard truth that they would need to seek water along their journeys and so they dug as many wells as was necessary. It is the same for us in our journey of this chronological study of the Bible. As we continue throughout this journey, we will dig deep throughout every chapter so that the Living Water can sustain us and help us get to the next book. And so it is with life in general as well – we will not be done digging until the Lord calls us Home. So, are you willing to keep digging and moving forward in faith? And are you ensuring to build altars of praise and worship along the way?

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THE BLESSING
(Genesis 27:1 – 28:9)

Genesis 27:1 begins by informing us that Isaac is now old and blind. Typically, whenever Scripture provides us with minor details that do not seem to matter, it’s because those details actually do matter. In this story, GOD’s Word is setting the stage with the intent of equating blindness with something specific. In 27:4, Isaac, nearing the time of his death, summons Esau – the firstborn – because he desires to impart ‘the blessing’ upon him. This link between the firstborn, the birthright, and the blessing is emphasized in a wordplay involving all three terms. In Hebrew, “birthright” is בְּכוֹרָה [H1062] beḵôrâh (bekh-o-raw’), whereas “firstborn” is בְּכוֹר [H1060] beḵôr (bekh-or’), and “blessing” is בְּרָכָה [H1293] berāḵâh (ber-aw-kaw’). Immediately, as the reader, we should remember that while Esau was technically born first, he had despised his birthright and traded it to Jacob for some red stew in 25:31-34 because he had Aperture Appetite. Therefore, Scripture sets the stage that blindness is somehow connected to the blessing. But because blindness is a defection from GOD’s design of vision, linking blindness with the blessing informs us that the blessing is going to be a defection from the design of how the blessing is typically imparted.

In 27:5-10, Rebekah heard Isaac’s plan to bless Esau and so she quickly devised a plan of deception so that Jacob would receive Isaac’s blessing rather than Esau. But why would Rebekah do such a thing, especially knowing that her plan went against her husband’s wishes? Well, if you remember, in 25:22-23, the Lord told Rebekah that “the older shall serve the younger.” Thus, it is evident that Rebekah believed what she was doing was the right thing to do even though it required deception to achieve the goal. But why did she feel that deception was necessary? Wasn’t Isaac also aware that the older shall serve the younger? Did she not share that message from the Lord with Isaac, her husband? Or did she share with Isaac and yet he rejected the message she told him? Was either Isaac or Rebekah aware of the fact that Esau traded his birthright to Jacob for some red stew? We don’t know. All we know is that Rebekah believed what she was doing was right even though it required deception to achieve the goal. Consequently, we now have the blessing connected with both blindness and deception. Rebekah used her knowledge of both Isaac’s weakness and his desire against him. Isaac’s weakness was his blindness and his desire was tasty food. If you remember, Esau was Isaac’s favorite son because Esau hunted and Isaac got to eat the game Esau brought home (25:28). In fact, Isaac’s weakness and desire may have been intertwined in that his love for food might have made him blind to Esau’s character flaws, which might have influenced his decision to impart the blessing on Esau. Again, this is all conjecture because we only know what Scripture tells us.

In 27:11-27, an examination of the events that unfold reveals that Jacob had 12 opportunities to abandon the mission of deception. First, Jacob tried to excuse himself with a logical truth that Esau was hairy, but he was not hairy, and Isaac was smart enough to know the difference even from his sense of touch (27:11-12). So, it is this moment that helps us understand that the minor details of Esau’s descriptions at birth of being “red, all over like a hairy garment” (25:25) were indeed important to notate even though those details seemed insignificant at the time. The description of being red led to the red stew and Esau despising his birthright due to lack of vision, and the description of being hairy led to this moment of deception regarding the blessing. Thus, the descriptions of “red” and “hairy” connects the blessing with blindness and deception.

In Jacob’s second and third opportunities to abandon the mission of deception, he had been instructed to go to the flock and get two young goats (27:13). Jacob “went and got them, and brought them to his mother; and his mother made savory food such as his father loved” (27:14). But how much time passed between those events in which Jacob could have chosen not to deceive his father? Jacob’s second opportunity was when he walked to the flock and his third was during the period of time it took for Rebekah to make the meal.

In his fourth opportunity, Rebekah convinced Jacob to put on Esau’s clothes (27:15). Unfortunately, by doing this, he assumed a false identity. In his fifth opportunity, Rebekah put the skins of the goats on his hands and neck (27:16). Yikes! Who was Jacob now? He was losing his identity! Jacob’s sixth opportunity was when he served the meal to his father (27:17-18). Jacob’s seventh opportunity came when Isaac asked Jacob to identify himself, and then Jacob lied and told his father that he was Esau (27:18-19). Noteworthy is the fact that Jacob’s deceptive lie regarding his identity was on the seventh opportunity because seven is often equated with completeness. Essentially, Jacob had been provided every moment possible to abandon the mission of deception, but then his decision to deceive was made complete in his lie. Who had Aperture Appetite now? Just as Esau had Aperture Appetite for the red stew, Jacob had become oblivious to the blurred background details of the devil at work because he narrowed his focus on the blessing he desired. Jacob’s weakness was his insecurity in his own identity as the one who grabs at the heel (25:26); his desire was to have the identity of the one with the birthright and the blessing. Consequently, Jacob was willing to lie, assume someone else’s identity, and even deceive his own father. However, within this lie lies a good desire because Jacob’s desire to receive his father’s blessing was good. Again, what Esau despised, Jacob desired; the birthright Esau had been blind to see as being valuable is the very thing Jacob saw clearly to be of great value. For this reason, in Jacob’s eighth opportunity to abandon the mission of deception, Isaac asked him how he was able to bring him the meal so quickly and Jacob responded by saying, “Because the Lord your God caused it to happen to me” (27:20). Now, in this response, Jacob told his father a half-lie and a half-truth. He lied because the Lord did not help him to successfully hunt and bring home any game, as Isaac had assumed to be the case; however, he told the truth because the Lord did in fact provide the two young goats for the meal. Further, his statement was true in that the Lord did cause this to happen for Jacob because Esau had despised his birthright. For that reason, Jacob receiving the blessing had been foretold by the Lord in 25:23.

Jacob’s ninth opportunity came when Isaac asked him to come close so he could feel him (27:21-23). The tenth opportunity was when Isaac asked him if he were truly Esau, but Jacob chose to lie again and claimed to be someone he was not (27:24). At this moment, Jacob could have confessed or even conjured up another lie to play his actions off as if it was all a joke, telling his father he just wanted to trick him for fun. But his Aperture Appetite caused him to focus on his desire for the blessing. Jacob’s eleventh opportunity came when Isaac told him that if he brought the meal to him, then he would bless him (27:25). And then Isaac ate the meal; however, in doing so, he also swallowed Jacob’s deception. And finally, after Isaac consumed a meal of deception, Jacob’s twelfth and final opportunity came when Isaac asked him to come closer and kiss him (27:26). Later on, we will see that Judas Iscariot, “one of the twelve”, will betray Jesus with a kiss (Luke 22:47-48). Interestingly, Jacob betrays his father with a kiss on his twelfth opportunity to confess the truth. And Isaac, now convinced after smelling Esau’s scent on the clothes, gives Jacob the blessing (Genesis 27:27-29), thus fulfilling the Word of the Lord that the older would serve the younger (25:23).

In 27:29, Isaac imparts his blessing, “May peoples serve you, And nations bow down to you; Be master of your brothers, And may your mother’s sons bow down to you. Cursed be those who curse you, And blessed be those who bless you.”

While it is true that this blessing is for Jacob, we will later see that this blessing seems to match more precisely with Jacob’s son, Joseph (37:5-8; 41:40-44; 42:6). In fact, it will become evident later on that this blessing clearly builds on the divine promise to Abraham that kings will be among his descendants (17:6). And not only does the promise that those who curse will be cursed and those who bless will be blessed echo the promise GOD had given to Abraham in 12:3, but it also sets the stage for a later scene between Balak and Balaam in Numbers 24 when the Israelites will be cursed and yet instead will receive a blessing.

In Genesis 27:30-33, Esau returns, provides a meal for his father, Isaac becomes confused and asks Esau to identify himself, Esau identifies himself as the “firstborn”, and then Isaac trembles violently and informs Esau that he already blessed someone else and that the blessing must stand. But why did Esau identify himself as the “firstborn” when he traded away his birthright to Jacob (25:31-34)? This seems to imply that Isaac had been unaware of the fact that Esau had despised his birthright. Even if that is true, nothing can be hidden from the Lord and the truth was known (Psalm 33:13-15; Ecclesiastes 12:14; Luke 8:17; 12:2-3; Hebrews 4:13). But why did Isaac tremble violently? Because that was a natural consequence of devouring deception. He got deceived and ended up giving the blessing to someone whom he never intended to bless.

In 27:34-38, Esau cried out bitterly and asked his father to also bless him. Isaac told Esau that Jacob deceitfully took his blessing. But how did he know it was Jacob? He simply returned to his initial instinct when he had heard Jacob’s voice (27:22). In response, Esau became exceedingly angry toward Jacob and blamed him for the loss of his blessing and then asked his father if he had reserved any blessing for him. Isaac said that he had already given the good blessings to Jacob and there was nothing he could do. And in a final anguished plea, Esau said to his father, “Do you have only one blessing, my father? Bless me, even me also, O my father.”

Was Esau justified in blaming Jacob that he lost out on Isaac’s blessing? Again, Esau willingly chose to despise his birthright and therefore forfeited his blessing as the firstborn. So, while Jacob’s actions were deceitful in acquiring the blessing from his father, his desire was good because he valued what Esau despised and took for granted. Some Jewish scholars even go so far as to say that GOD sovereignly placed this zeal for the birthright and blessing within Jacob, that the Bible does not criticize Jacob for desiring the birthright and blessing, and so neither should anyone else criticize Jacob. In fact, some think that Jacob might not have attempted to take the blessing had Esau never traded away his birthright to Jacob.

But why did Isaac say that the blessings he gave to Jacob must stand and could not be revoked? Because in those ancient days, men of GOD held to the belief that their word was binding, not only to the human with whom they made the oath or agreement, but also with GOD. For this reason, people said such statements as, “The Lord is witness between us; surely we will do as you have said” (Judges 11:10). But why couldn’t Esau also receive a blessing? Because the blessings connected with the birthright had already been given, and the blessing, much like an oath, could not be revoked because it was binding with GOD as the witness. By involving the Lord, the one who broke the promise/agreement would be held accountable by the Lord.

But, after an unspecified amount of time, Isaac then said in 27:39-40, “³⁹ Behold, away from the fertility of the earth shall be your dwelling, And away from the dew of heaven from above. ⁴⁰ By your sword you shall live, And your brother you shall serve; But it shall come about when you become restless, That you will break his yoke from your neck.”

As this story will unfold, we will see that Jacob works off debt to his uncle Laban for 20 years (31:38). So, how is it that Esau will serve Jacob if Jacob will be busy serving Laban? And how is it that he would break free? And from what would he break free? When? Well, 27:41 says, “So Esau bore a grudge against Jacob because of the blessing with which his father had blessed him; and Esau said to himself, ‘The days of mourning for my father are near; then I will kill my brother Jacob.’ ”

Esau’s sinful desire to murder his brother should remind us of Cain when he desired to murder his brother, Abel. If you remember, in 4:7, GOD said to Cain, “If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it.” Thus, I believe it is reasonable to infer that Scripture refers to the period of time it would take Esau to break free from the bondage of unforgiveness and hatred in his heart. So, whenever Esau will be able to roam about free from thoughts of vengeance and violence against his brother, then he would truly be set free. Later on, Jesus will say in Matthew 5:22-24, “²² But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever says to his brother, ‘You good-for-nothing,’ shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell. ²³ Therefore if you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, ²⁴ leave your offering there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering.” And again, in 6:14-15, Jesus will say, “¹⁴ For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. ¹⁵ But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions.” Also, in 1John 3:15, the disciple whom the Lord loves will say, “Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer; and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.”

However, it will become evident that Isaac’s words in Genesis 27:39-40 also refers to Esau as a nation, which will be referred to as “Edom”. At first, the nation of Edom will become hostile toward Israel, and then they will become subjugated to Israel, and then they will break free from Israel (25:30; 36:1-19; Numbers 20:18-21; 2Samuel 8:14; 2Kings 8:20-22). So, as we will see all throughout our chronological journey, GOD’s Word is often so powerful that it has more than one meaning and even becomes mirrored in the New Testament.

In Genesis 27:42, it is written that Esau’s murderous words were reported to Rebekah. But who would have reported those words to her? Most likely, it was a servant of their household. Ponder on that for a moment. That servant could have decided to remain silent or even help Esau to murder Jacob, but he/she chose instead to inform Rebekah about Esau’s wicked plan. So, I believe it is reasonable to infer that the unknown servant was not only righteous, but also loved the family enough to bring a warning of potential disaster and division. And yet the informant remains anonymous in Scripture. This reveals how someone who might be considered to be insignificant could actually be someone of great significance even if that person never receives any recognition for the significant acts he/she did.

In 27:42-43, Rebekah then informs Jacob of Esau’s plan and then tells him to flee to her brother in Haran, concluding in 27:44-45 by saying, “⁴⁴ Stay with him a few days, until your brother’s fury subsides, ⁴⁵ until your brother’s anger against you subsides and he forgets what you did to him. Then I will send and get you from there. Why should I be bereaved of you both in one day?”

Bereaved of both? Who was the second person referred to by Rebekah? And why would she bereave that person in addition to Jacob? One possible interpretation is that she was referring to Esau. In 9:6, the Lord commanded, “Whoever sheds man’s blood, By man his blood shall be shed, For in the image of God He made man.” Further to this command, later in our chronological journey, we will learn about the duty of an “avenger of blood”, which is someone who acts in revenge on behalf of a kinsmen who was unjustly murdered (Numbers 35:9-27; Deuteronomy 19:11-13; Joshua 20). And so an “avenger of blood” would hunt down the murderer and exact justice by killing the murderer. This will all be connected to the principle of “eye for an eye” (Exodus 21:24; Leviticus 24:20; Deuteronomy 19:21). However, because Isaac and Rebekah were too old to be avengers and they lacked the kinsmen necessary to have an avenger, it is unlikely this text is referring to Esau’s death due to an avenger of blood. Another possible interpretation is that if Esau murdered Jacob, Esau would essentially have been written off as a son and thus Rebekah could have referred to her bereavement as if mourning over two dead sons even though Esau would not have literally died. However, because Esau had plainly stated that his intention was to murder Jacob on the day Isaac died (Genesis 27:41), it is more likely that Rebekah was referring to that future day of when she would bereave both Isaac and Jacob. She has already accepted the fact that she is going to lose her husband, but she does not want to also bereave over a dead son on the same day.

Sadly for Rebekah, she thought the son she favored would only be gone for a few days until Esau’s anger subsided, but as we will later see, Jacob is going to be stuck in servitude to Laban for 20 years in order to work off debt to marry his daughter, Rachel (31:38). Rebekah’s last words to Jacob was that she would send for him to return once Esau’s anger subsided. But what did she know about the future? As we will later discover, it is likely that Rebekah dies while Jacob is gone and never gets to see Jacob again. For this reason, the brother of Jesus will later say in James 4:14-15, “¹⁴ Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. ¹⁵ Instead, you ought to say, ‘If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that.’ ”

In Genesis 27:46, after conjuring up another plan, Rebekah puts on a dramatic performance for Isaac, stating that Hittite women make her tired of living and it would be utterly devastating if Jacob ever took one of them to be his wife. Now, it’s not clearly stated in this chapter, but her words only add fuel to Esau’s fire. How do we know this? Well, not only does 28:8 inform us of this, but if you remember, 26:34 informed us that Esau had taken two Hittite women as his wives. And so adding fuel to the fire, in 28:1-5, Isaac comes into agreement with Rebekah, charges Jacob to go to Haran and find a wife from one of Laban’s daughters, and then he blesses him as he sends him on his way. Therefore, Esau lost his birthright, lost his blessing, heard his parents badmouth his wives, and then heard his father bless Jacob yet again before sending him away.

Now, it is at this point in the story that critics like to point out an apparent contradiction, claiming that 28:2 states that Jacob’s reason for going to Haran is to find a wife, whereas 27:42-45 states that Jacob’s reason for going to Haran is to flee from his brother. So, which is it? Both are true. The critic presents a fallacy of a false dilemma when claiming I have to choose one or the other. It’s not a genuine contradiction because it’s not an either-or scenario. At first, the most urgent reason for Jacob going to Haran is to flee from his brother. However, because Rebekah wants him to go there, she uses Jacob’s need for a wife as an excuse for him to go. And because Isaac agrees that the plan is good for Jacob to find a wife, that becomes the new plan; consequently, both reasons merge together into one plan.

Interestingly, in 24:3, Abraham charged his faithful servant Eliezer to ensure that Isaac did not acquire a Canaanite wife. And then in 28:1, Isaac charges Jacob with the same warning. Also, in 24:6-7, Abraham charged Eliezer to see to it that he never took Isaac back to his homeland because the Lord promised that his descendants would be given the land currently inhabited by the Canaanites. And then in 28:2-4, though Isaac sends Jacob back to the homeland, he blesses Jacob, saying, “may [you] possess the land of your sojournings, which God gave to Abraham.” Therefore, this sets the stage for Jacob to eventually return to the land promised to Abraham. But when will he return? Well, Rebekah believes his return will be sometime in the near future, but as we will soon see, his return will not be anytime soon.

After Jacob departs for his journey, it is written in 28:6-9 that Esau, knowing that the daughters of Canaan displease his father Isaac, he visits Ishmael and marries his daughter Mahalath in what seems to be a belated attempt to gain his parents’ approval. Ironically, Esau’s link with the family of Ishmael – Nebaioth (Esau’s brother-in-law) is Ishmael’s firstborn son (25:13) – further signals that GOD will not fulfill His promises through Esau because GOD passed over Ishmael in favor of Isaac (21:12). And with Esau now being passed over, Jacob will now receive favor and take center stage in the story.

• Esau was blind and unable to see the value of his birthright. Isaac was blind and unable to see he was being deceived by Jacob. Jacob was blind and unable to see that his actions would lead to Esau desiring to murder him. Rebekah was blind and unable to see that her favoritism of Jacob would lead to her never seeing him again. And yet GOD’s blessing was given despite their blindness. But what about you? In what ways has GOD given you His blessing despite your blindness? And how many times has He blessed you despite your blindness?
• Esau had been deceived because he believed food of the physical realm was more important than the blessing of the spiritual realm. Jacob had been deceived because he believed that he could deceive his father without any consequences. Isaac had been deceived because he believed he could rely upon his physical senses to discern spiritual matters. Rebekah had been deceived because she believed she could help Jacob deceive Isaac without any consequences. But what about you? What past experiences do you have of when you had been deceived? What were the consequences that came from those incidents of deception? What have you learned from them?
• Did Rebekah ever tell Isaac that the Lord said the older would serve the younger or did she keep that a secret? Secrets only keep spouses separated. Two are designed to be one, remember (Genesis 2:24; Matthew 19:5-6)? If you’re married, are you keeping any secrets from your spouse? If you are, I admonish you to prayerfully consider breaking down those walls of secrets that separate and choose instead to be bonded in transparent love. A secret can easily slide down the slippery slope into becoming sin. Sin is a parasite that takes over its host. So, are you willing to share your secrets with your spouse?
• Both Isaac and Rebekah played favorites and the favoritism created a divided house. Do you have children? If you do, do you play favorites? Should you? If you do play favorites, are you blind to the consequences of such a divisive act? Are you deceived into believing there will be no consequences?
• Jacob sought to be blessed while he was actively sinning. How could Jacob possibly ask to receive a blessing while sinning? But what about you? Have you ever desired to receive a blessing from the Lord while living in sin? What was your focus on at the time? How did the Lord respond to your desire?
• Jacob got what he desired. He received the blessing. But at what cost? Although Jacob got the blessing he desired, assuming a false identity and deceiving his dad cost him greatly. Some of the consequences are as follows: (1) It is likely he never saw his mother again; (2) the relationship with his brother was damaged and Esau wanted to murder him; (3) he will soon be deceived by his uncle Laban and used for labor; (4) his own family will become torn by strife; (5) Esau will became the founder of the enemy nation “Edom”; and (6) he becomes exiled from his family for 20 years. Now, at a quick glance, it seems as if one wrong decision will lead to years of pain and suffering; however, upon closer examination, we can clearly see that Jacob had 12 opportunities to escape from one wrong decision. But what about you? Think back at all the times when you had made a wrong decision. How many opportunities did you have to escape prior to making that one wrong decision?
• How many times has GOD blessed you despite the fact that you made a wrong decision?
• Are you seeking to receive the blessing? Who has lost out on being blessed so that you can receive the blessing? What about the One who might be referred to as the “the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation” (Colossians 1:15)? The One crucified on the cross? Sure, Jacob received the blessing even while he was a sinner, but what is written in Romans 5:8? “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Indeed, Jesus died so that we might receive the blessing.

Contradiction? No One Has Ever Heard The Voice Of GOD?

A fellow Christian wrote to me and asked, “Can you please explain to me how in Matthew 3:17 God spoke at Jesus’ baptism but in John 5:37 Jesus says no one has ever heard God’s voice? Having a hard time with this one.”

Now, before I explain this apparent contradiction in regards to all other human beings, this first needs to be explained from the perspective of Jesus. Whenever Scripture states that Jesus heard and saw the Father, it is because Jesus is GOD, the second person within the one essence of the Triune GOD — this is the doctrine of the Trinity. So, of course the Son is going to hear and see the Father and receive divine special revelation from the Holy Spirit. There absolutely cannot be any contradiction of Jesus seeing the Father or hearing from the Father because Jesus is GOD. What applies to average, sinful, finite, and fallible human beings does not apply to the infinite and infallible incarnation of GOD who dwelled in bodily form and lived a sinless life. To understand this in its fullness, please see the two articles I’ve already published: “Jesus is GOD” and “The Trinity”

So, of course Jesus is going to see the Father and hear from the Father. But how are these passages explained if other humans also heard the voice of GOD? Matthew 3:17 says that a voice out of the heavens spoke, but it doesn’t explicitly say whether only Jesus heard the voice or if others heard it as well. However, because of the way it’s written, it seems as if the voice had been spoken for the benefit of those listening, not for Jesus. So, if the people heard this voice out of the heavens, what did they hear and how can it be explained due to what is written in John 5:37?

Well, rather than listening to what critics say about John 5:37 and accepting what they say at face value, let’s first investigate what is actually written. In John 5:37-38, Jesus said, “the Father who sent Me, He has testified of Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time nor seen His form. You do not have His word abiding in you, for you do not believe Him whom He sent.”

Now let’s examine the text we just investigated. In proper context, Jesus is talking to the religious Jews who were seeking to kill Him for making Himself equal with GOD (John 5:18). Thus the context makes it evident that those specific Jews whom Jesus addressed had never heard GOD’s voice nor seen His form because they didn’t have His Word abiding in them (John 1:10-11; 12:37). The religious Jews accepted the Word via written Scripture yet rejected the Word who became flesh and tabernacled among them (John 1:1,14; 5:39) even though Jesus backed His claims with miracles of GOD (Matthew 11:2-6; 12:28; John 10:32-33; 14:11). And due to their pride, they listened as mere natural men rather than in the Spirit (John 5:40; 1Corinthians 2:14). It is for this reason Jesus eventually said in John 8:43, “Why do you not understand what I am saying? It is because you cannot hear My word.” But if they could not hear His Word, then how could they have responded to what He spoke? Again, they were listening as mere natural men because they were spiritually deaf (Acts 28:25-28). Therefore, this passage does not say that no one has ever heard the voice of GOD. This passage specifically targets spiritually deaf religious leaders, whom Jesus later identifies as children of the devil (John 8:44). In fact, in John 8:47, Jesus says, “He who is of God hears the words of God; for this reason you do not hear them, because you are not of God.”

Therefore, the children of GOD should hear the words of GOD. And this is why prophets were able to hear from GOD. However, some people had/have a hard time hearing from GOD. For example, passages from Exodus 19:16-19; 20:18 might help you to better understand what others (who were not Jesus or prophets) heard. Some translations state that GOD answered or spoke to the Israelites as two distinct sounds: thunder and the sound of the trumpet. However, the Hebrew word for “thunder” comes from its root word  קוֹל  6963 qol (kole), which means, “a sound.” And in this passage, it is paired with two distinct sights: lightning and smoke. The word translated as “lightning” is the Hebrew word לַפִּיד 3940 lappid (lap-peed’), which means “a torch,” and thus fire by implication. Therefore, when GOD “spoke” to Moses and the Israelites, the sounds were very loud and the people saw fire and smoke. In addition, the mountain trembled/shook/quaked violently (Exodus 19:18) and it caused the people to stand at a distance out of fear (Exodus 20:18-19). And in Exodus 20:22 the Lord said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘You yourselves have seen that I have spoken to you from heaven.’ ”

Indeed, GOD spoke to them and they saw it, but what did the Israelites hear? They heard thunder and the sound of the trumpet. They were unable to hear GOD’s voice because they had been unwilling to listen. It is for this reason that after 40 years of wandering in the wilderness, GOD said to the Israelites in Deuteronomy 29:2-4, “You have seen all that the Lord did before your eyes in the land of Egypt to Pharaoh and all his servants and all his land; the great trials which your eyes have seen, those great signs and wonders. Yet to this day the Lord has not given you a heart to know, nor eyes to see, nor ears to hear.”

The Israelites heard noises, saw fire and smoke, most likely smelled smoke, and also felt the earth shake and the rumbling of the thunder. Thus the Israelites, as natural men, had all senses stimulated when GOD spoke, except the sense of taste. And that’s most likely because they did not taste and see that the Lord is good (Psalm 34:8). They were spiritually blind and deaf.

However, that’s just one example of how GOD speaks to us. Another example can be seen in 1Kings 19:9-18 when GOD has a calm and kindhearted conversation with Elijah, who was ready to give up because he believed he was the only man of GOD left on earth. GOD showed Elijah wind that broke pieces of rocks off the mountain, an earthquake, and even fire. But it is written that the Lord was not in those things. But then GOD revealed Himself to Elijah in a קוֹל  6963 qol (kole) “sound” that was דְּמָמָה  1827 demamah (dem-aw-maw’) “quiet/gentle” and דַּק  1851 daq (dak) “small.”

So, take a moment to imagine what Elijah hears while he is sitting alone in the cave.

Now, why was Elijah able to hear the gentle, quiet, small sound? Because he had spiritual ears to hear GOD’s voice. And this “sound” (qol) is the same Hebrew word used to describe the “sound” of GOD moving in the Garden which caused Adam and Eve to hide after sinning (Genesis 3:8-10). And in Genesis 3:17, GOD tells Adam that because he listened to the “sound” (qol) of his wife and did what GOD told him not to do, he brought a curse upon himself and thereby to all mankind (Romans 5:12). However, in Genesis 22:18, GOD told Abraham that because he obeyed the Lord’s “sound” (voice), all the nations of the earth would be blessed from his seed. Therefore, it is of utmost importance that we hear from GOD and know His “sound” (voice).

And it is for this reason Jesus said in John 10:27-30, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.” And of course, the Jews wanted to stone Jesus to death yet again for Jesus making Himself equal with GOD (John 10:31-33). Why did they want to stone Him to death? Because they were spiritually deaf and unable to hear GOD’s “sound” (voice). Therefore, the only people who are able to hear GOD’s voice are those who have “ears to hear” (Deuteronomy 29:4; Jeremiah 25:4; Ezekiel 12:2; Matthew 11:15; Mark 4:9,23; Luke 8:8; 14:35; Romans 11:8; Revelation 2:7,11,17,29; 3:6,13,22; 13:9).

Another helpful passage is found in John 12:28-30 when Jesus prayed, “ ‘Father, glorify Your name.’ Then a voice came out of heaven: ‘I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.’ So the crowd of people who stood by and heard it were saying that it had thundered; others were saying, ‘An angel has spoken to Him.’ Jesus answered and said, ‘This voice has not come for My sake, but for your sakes.’ ”

Those people said it thundered. Does that sound familiar? It should— that’s what the spiritually deaf Israelites had said after GOD spoke to them. But Jesus said the voice was for their sake, not His own. Therefore, the voice out of the heavens in Matthew 3:17 (when Jesus got baptized) was most certainly for the sake of the people, not Jesus — GOD intended for them to hear it. In fact, this is why, when Jesus prayed after Lazarus died, He said in John 11:41-42, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. I knew that You always hear Me; but because of the people standing around I said it, so that they may believe that You sent Me.”

When Jesus had been transfigured before Peter, James, and John, it is written in Matthew 17:3-8, “And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him. Peter said to Jesus, ‘Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, I will make three tabernacles here, one for You, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah.’ While he was still speaking, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and behold, a voice out of the cloud said, ‘This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased; listen to Him!’ When the disciples heard this, they fell face down to the ground and were terrified. And Jesus came to them and touched them and said, ‘Get up, and do not be afraid.’ And lifting up their eyes, they saw no one except Jesus Himself alone.”

Peter, James, and John all heard the voice of GOD and understood what GOD said because GOD wanted them to understand His vitally important message and He knew they were not spiritually deaf like the religious leaders who wanted to kill Jesus. GOD most certainly desires for His children to know His voice so they will be able to understand His voice when He speaks to them. GOD doesn’t want us to be like the Pharisees who only listened as mere natural men due to their pride. In addition, GOD doesn’t want us to be like the Israelites who became confused and frightened, not wanting to hear from GOD themselves, but desiring to put that responsibility on Moses alone. It is for this reason when the Holy Spirit fell on 70 leaders in Numbers 11:16-25, and a young man got upset because people were prophesying (Numbers 11:27), Moses said in Numbers 11:29, “Are you jealous for my sake? Would that all the Lord’s people were prophets, that the Lord would put His Spirit upon them!”

Moses wanted everyone to be filled with the Holy Spirit! And that event foreshadowed Pentecost when people got filled with the Holy Spirit (Acts 2) — which is exactly what Moses wanted for his people. It is for this reason GOD not only gave us His Word (the Bible), but GOD also gave to us the Holy Spirit in whom we are sealed for salvation, who teaches us all things, translates and discloses to us GOD’s Word, brings to remembrance what GOD has said, guides us, comforts us, and even intercedes for us on our behalf according to the will of GOD (John 14:16-17,23,26; 15:26; 16:7-15; Romans 8:26-27; Ephesians 1:13; 4:30).

Listen! You need to know GOD’s voice so that you will be able to hear from GOD and act in faithful obedience according to His Word. Otherwise, like Adam, you will listen to your wife; like Eve, you will listen to the devil when he says, “Did GOD really say that?” (Genesis 3:1), or “No, GOD didn’t say that — this is what GOD really meant by what He said…” (Genesis 3:4). If you’re unable to hear from GOD, you’ll be like the Pharisees who were deceived into being disciples of the devil (Matthew 23:15; John 8:44)! Without knowing GOD’s voice, you will be like most people of our society who have been conformed to this world, listening to celebrities, pseudo-scientists, and fake news media outlets, only doing what the culture convinces them to do. You need to hear from GOD. This “no one has ever heard from GOD” claim is a lie straight from the devil who desires to sow twisted Scripture into your mind in order to contradict the Word of GOD. The Bible doesn’t contradict itself! The devil and demons conjure up contradictions and then convince critics to contradict GOD’s Word! There’s nothing new under the sun (Ecclesiastes 1:9)! The devil tried to twist Scripture even while tempting Jesus in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-11)! To say that no one has ever heard the voice of GOD is a blatant boldfaced lie! Every person who has ever been filled with the Holy Spirit has heard from GOD.

But someone might ask, “How then do I hear from GOD?” Well, first and foremost, like being tuned in to the right radio station in order to listen to the desired music already being played, we must position ourselves so that our hearts and minds are tuned in to the holy frequency of desiring to know GOD and to hear from GOD. Investigate what is written in Exodus 3:1-4: “Now Moses was pasturing the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian; and he led the flock to the west side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. The angel of the Lord appeared to him in a blazing fire from the midst of a bush; and he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, yet the bush was not consumed. So Moses said, ‘I must turn aside now and see this marvelous sight, why the bush is not burned up.’ When the Lord saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, ‘Moses, Moses!’ And he said, ‘Here I am.’ ”

Now examine the text. Moses was tuned in to the holy frequency, he had been where he was supposed to be, and he had been doing what he was supposed to be doing. GOD initiated communication and then Moses took notice. When GOD saw that Moses took notice and that he was paying attention, then GOD spoke. And because Moses was listening with spiritual ears to hear, he heard GOD speak to him. However, unlike Moses, the majority of all people in this world have their stations tuned in to the ways of this world. 1John 2:15-17 says, “Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.”

James 4:8 says, “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.” And we draw near to GOD because He first loved us (1John 4:19). GOD initiates communication. But are you tuned in? Are you where you’re supposed to be? Are you doing what you’re supposed to be doing? Will you take notice and pay attention? And when GOD speaks, will you be listening with spiritual ears to hear? Is your heart and mind in the right place? Is pride preventing you from hearing GOD’s voice? Is your mind even sober enough to hear from GOD and understand what He is trying to tell you (1Corinthians 15:34; 1Peter 5:8)? Is your body where it should be? It’s going to be extremely difficult to hear from GOD if you’re listening to all the voices of this world while pursuing pleasure, seeking after sin, dining with demons, and sleeping with Satan. Do you remember king Saul? 1Samuel 15:24 tells us that Saul sinned against the Lord because he feared the people and listened to their voices instead of GOD’s voice, which caused him to be where he should not have been, doing what he should not have been doing. All voices of all wicked people of all evil agendas from the ways of this world are competing against GOD for your spiritual ears. You must filter out the world’s noise! The only way you’re going to have ears to hear GOD’s gentle, quiet, small sound is to be tuned in to His holy frequency, desiring to hear from Him alone. And when you do hear from GOD, respond, “Here I am.”

1Peter 4:7 tells us to “be of sound judgment and sober spirit for the purpose of prayer.” That is a great description of a woman in 1Samuel 1:10-18 named Hannah. Where was she at? The temple of the Lord. Why? She was pouring out her soul before the Lord, tuned in to the holy frequency of desiring to be heard by GOD and desiring to hear from GOD. And because she had been where she was supposed to be, doing what she was supposed to be doing, the Lord heard her prayer and blessed her with a child named Samuel (1Samuel 1:19-20). And from a young age, Samuel was exactly where he was supposed to be, doing what he was supposed to be doing, in order to hear from GOD (1Samuel 2:18; 3:3) — just like his mother! And even though a word from the Lord was rare in those days and visions were infrequent (1Samuel 3:1), Samuel was tuned in to the holy frequency, able to hear from the Lord if a message happened to come to him. And one day, GOD did speak to Samuel. Now, at first Samuel didn’t know GOD’s voice (1Samuel 3:4-8), but then Eli helped him to recognize GOD’s voice (1Samuel 3:9), and then as he matured, he knew GOD’s voice as well as he knew Saul’s voice or even  his own voice (1Samuel 3:19-20; 15:32-33).

In Acts 10, both Cornelius and Peter had been tuned in to the holy frequency and had been exactly where they should have been in order to hear from the Lord. And the end result from them knowing and hearing from GOD was that “While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who were listening to the message” (Acts 10:44). Why? Because they had been where they should’ve been, doing what they should’ve been doing. They were ready to hear from GOD, having ears to hear!

As a final example, consider John — the one whom Jesus loved. Even in his old age, he remained faithful and stayed in tune with GOD. Because of this, he heard from GOD while exiled on the island of Patmos, and then he wrote the book of Revelation through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

So, how does one hear from GOD? We need to:

• be tuned in to the holy frequency of desiring to know GOD and to hear from GOD; this is drawing near to GOD (James 4:8).
• be listening always so that we can hear from GOD when He does speak (Genesis 22:1,11; 31:11; 46:2; Exodus 3:4; 1Samuel 3:10; Acts 9:10).
• be where we’re supposed to be, doing what we should be doing (Acts 10:44)
• continually study His Word so that we can test every spirit and know if what we’re hearing is in alignment with GOD’s Word (Matthew 4:4,10; John 6:45; Acts 15:15; Romans 3:4; Galatians 1:6-8; 1John 4:1)
• allow the body of Christ to share what they’ve heard from GOD so we can learn from each other; in fact, you’re only receiving this message that I received from GOD because I’m sharing it with you (1Samuel 3:9; Acts 10:45; 18:26; 1Corinthians 14:3,26)
• be willing and able to act in faithful obedience when GOD does speak to us (Genesis 22:18; Isaiah 6:8; Matthew 4:19-22).

So, do you know the Good Shepherd’s voice? Are you listening to GOD’s voice? Are you so prideful that you won’t listen to anyone except yourself? Or are you listening to anyone of this world who will simply tell you what you want to hear (2Timothy 4:3)? To whom are you granting access to your spiritual ears? Whose voice is guiding you through the valley of the shadow of death (Psalm 23)? I pray that the Lord is guiding you in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.

What Is Love?

The following article is Lesson 3 from my book, Superhero University: The Ultimate Superhero Training Manual:

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Superheroes, having the correct understanding of what is good and right, are full of love, and they are compelled to act out from love. This is the only reason we can distinguish the hero from the villain. Spider-Man doesn’t save a falling person from splatting on the ground because he hates the person he saves, right? The superhero saves someone from danger/death because he/she has love for the person he/she is saving. In stark contrast, the villain performs acts of evil, not love. Again, evil is merely a privation of what is good; hatred is a privation or lack of love. It is written in James 2:8 that we are doing right by living a life of love toward others. But what is love? 

Love is not something we can have or hold like materialists would like us to believe. Not everything in life can be boiled down to materialism. Think about it: Can you describe the physical features of love or even the thought about love? How much does love weigh? Of what is the love molecule comprised? There is no infinity stone of love we can possess that can be contained in a gauntlet. In fact, of all the infinity stones Thanos (from the Avengers) had been able to collect that provided him with seemingly unlimited power and ability, it is evident that he lacked love, and that is why he had no qualms about murdering half of the created creatures in the universe—including his own daughter! In fact, Thanos had to sacrifice love in order to be able to obtain one of the infinity stones. Ultimately, Thanos traded love for power because he could not possess both. 

But what is love? And why do humans possess the capability to love? If love is not a material that can be weighed, or measured, how are humans able to possess love? How do we even know that love exists? Does love exist? We know that love exists—not because humans have defined the term—but because the Creator provided the definition of love and humans live by that defined divine design. 

Think about this: Oxygen—the air we breathe—exists whether humanity believes in it or not. In fact, oxygen exists even if humans call it something else. Humanity never created or invented oxygen; we merely discovered it. Likewise, love exists whether humanity believes love exists or not. Love exists even if humans call it something else. In fact, the definition of love is so confused by many humans because they believe it to be something it is not. Many people misuse the word love when they are actually referring to something else that love is not. And this is why it is important that the word love be clearly defined. 

(1 John 4:7–8, NLT)
“Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God. But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love.”

(1 John 4:19, ESV)
“We love because he first loved us.”

Scripture makes sense. If GOD is love, then we would love because GOD first loved us because GOD created us. We are able to love because GOD is love and we are from GOD. If love is GOD, then we must know who GOD is so we can better understand what love is. So who is GOD? We will examine that in detail in Lesson 32, but for now suffice it to say that GOD is love and the absolute moral standard and therefore provides the definition of love (which we will soon examine and define). But we can also better understand love by examining what love is not. 

Love Is Not An Emotion 

Many people in the world claim that love is an emotion, but that simply isn’t true. Love affects our emotions and even causes us to produce emotions within us, but love is not an emotion in and of itself. You may claim that you can feel as if someone loves you, but love is not a feeling. 

Love Is Not Sexual Intercourse 

It is unwise to confuse sex for love and love for sex. Sex needs love to be relevant and meaningful; however, love does not need sex to be relevant and meaningful. A person can have sex with another person simply for the pleasure all while possessing no love for that individual. Examples of this, of course, is prostitution or rape. Such acts of sexual intercourse are meaningless because there is no love in the act of sex. That kind of sex serves a selfish purpose, but has no ultimate meaning. And of course, sex isn’t necessary for love to exist, to be relevant and be meaningful (I will expound upon this later when I define love). Now sex may be found in one of the definitions of love (Eros—I’ll get to this soon), but Eros is within the definition of love; love is ultimately selfless, sacrificial, and unconditional. A distorted desire is often misconstrued, mistaken as love. It is unwise to confuse lust for love. 

Even if love is not an emotion, a feeling, or even the act of sexual intercourse, does it matter if love can be clearly defined? If so, why does it matter? Consider what is written: 

(1 Corin. 13:1–3, NLT)
“If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing. If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing.”

The definition of love matters because GOD is love and GOD created us in His image (Gen. 1:27). For without GOD, love would not matter because life would ultimately be meaningless and purposeless. And if we are to be loving beings, it is important that we understand the definition of love. 

What Is Love? 

(1 Corin. 13:4–8, NLT)
“Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. Prophecy and speaking in unknown languages and special knowledge will become useless. But love will last forever!”

Love Is an Action 

Though it is not specifically and solely the act of sexual intercourse, love is definitely an action; it is something we do. Read verses 4–7 again and take notice of the fourteen different active descriptions the Holy Spirit (via Paul) uses to define love (patience, kindness, etc.). It’s important to note that this is not Paul’s definition of love, but the definition of love written by Paul while he was inspired by the Holy Spirit. 

Love Is a Choice 

The fourteen active descriptions are actions that we choose to do or not to do. There’s a nonsensical saying that states, “You can’t help who you love.” But yes—you can! We get to decide if we love and who we will love if we decide to love. And this is because we have free will (discussed in Lesson 41). 

Also, there’s a saying that states, “I fell in love.” It sounds so romantic, but this is also nonsense. Love is not a hole or trapdoor we can fall in. You don’t fall in love any more than you fall out of love. Love is a choice. You choose to love. You choose not to love. People do not fall in love; people decide to love. People do, however, fall into the trapdoor of lust. When people talk about love at first sight, what they really mean is lust at first sight. Now is it possible to possess love for someone at first sight? General love? Yes. Complete love? No. Love in the sense that you want the best for someone? Yes. Love in the sense that you desire the best for someone despite all his/her flaws and mistakes? No. It’s not possible to love someone so deeply at first sight because you wouldn’t know the flaws and mistakes associated with the person. And how is it possible to truly love someone unless you love despite the flaws and mistakes? 

Love, in a nutshell, is the good you will show toward someone and/or others. It’s treating someone else with the qualities described in 1 Corinthians 13:4–7. Take the Supreme Superhero (Jesus) as an example (after all, the Savior is the definition of love and the ultimate example of love): 

(John 15:12–13, NLT)
“This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you. There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”

However, the Supreme Superhero goes even further by commanding us to love our enemies (Matt. 5:43–48). And then the Savior did exactly that—Jesus went out and laid down His life for us by dying on the cross as our atoning sacrifice while being mocked, spat on, beaten, lacerated, and murdered by those who hated Him for no good reason. Love is caring more for others than for self because love is selfless. Love is sacrificial. Love is unconditional. 

Love Defined 

Unlike the English language, which uses the one word of love ambiguously, the ancient Greek language used different words to define the one word of love so that people wouldn’t be confused as to which definition of love should be inferred. Examine the four following words and their associated definitions: 

• Storge/stergo—This is a familial love such as the love of a parent toward offspring and vice versa. Devotion can be a key word associated with this type of love.

• Phileo—This love is companionable and relational. It means brotherly/sisterly love or friendship. It carries the idea of two or more people who feel compatible with each other.

• Eros—This is the word for sexual or romantic love. In fact, this is where we get the word erotic. This word implies a sexual demand. And because it is unwise to confuse lust for love, it is imperative that we not confuse lust for Eros. The passion and intimacy of Eros is to be confined within the covenant bond between husband and wife, as was designed by the Designer. Lust is only about the pelvic thrust, to seek pleasure and fulfill a selfish desire. Lust is committed only to fulfilling a distorted desire whereas love (eros) is committed to fulfilling the needs of the partner within the covenant union. Therefore, be wise: pursue love and reject thoughts produced from the lustful lair of the Liar—they are lies created in the cave of the contemptible con artist and Counterfeiter, the Salesman that is Satan. Don’t buy the lies. Even a lustful look is adultery in the heart (Matt. 5:28). Money can’t buy you love. And no—that’s actually not from the Beatles—it’s from the Song of Solomon 8:7.

• Agape—This is the highest and deepest level of love. This is the ultimate love and is selfless, sacrificial, and unconditional. This is the love of GOD. This is the type of love all superheroes should possess. 

(1 Pet. 4:8, NLT)
“Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins.”

Love covers a multitude of sins? Is that true? Yes! In fact, that is exactly what Jesus did for us:

(Rom. 5:6–8, NLT)
“When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.”

For love, compassion is the key and empathy is everything: 

(Luke 23:34, NLT)
“Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.”

Jesus is able to see us as His precious people, not a pervasive problem such as a plague. The Savior sees us as eternal beings, not mortal enemies. The Supreme Superhero sees us as family who belong in His heavenly home, not failures to be flung in the fiery furnace. Hell is where evil belongs and will ultimately be quarantined, but GOD doesn’t desire for us to go to that awful place. In fact, the Lord desires for everyone to be saved and doesn’t take any delight in the destruction of the wicked (Ezek. 18:21–23; 33:11; 1 Tim. 2:4; 2 Pet. 3:9). 

Jesus is our awesome, ardent advocate who absorbed for us the penalty of sin. Apostle Paul assists us by providing an important reminder that helps us put people into proper perspective: 

(Eph. 6:12, NLT)
“For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.”

It is of the utmost importance that all superheroes remember this: we are to hate evil/sin, but we are to love people. 

Conclusion 

1. Love never fails. 

(Song of Sol. 8:7, NLT)
“Many waters cannot quench love, nor can rivers drown it. If a man tried to buy love with all his wealth, his offer would be utterly scorned.”

2. Love perfects us. 

(1 John 4:12–18, NLT)
“No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is brought to full expression in us. And God has given us his Spirit as proof that we live in him and he in us. Furthermore, we have seen with our own eyes and now testify that the Father sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. All who declare that Jesus is the Son of God have God living in them, and they live in God. We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them. And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can face him with confidence because we live like Jesus here in this world. Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love.”

3. Love is supreme. 

(1 Corin. 13:13, NLT)
“Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.”

Reflection 

If you want to be a superhero, you must possess love and choose to love others. A superhero can only be a superhero if the hero first and foremost possesses love for others. Do you possess love for others? If not, you resemble a villain. But wait—is that a fair statement? Consider the words of the Supreme Superhero:

(Matt. 12:30, ESV)
“Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.”

The late and great Martin Luther King Jr. once posed a powerful question to the clergymen of Alabama in his renowned letter, “Letter from Birmingham Jail.” He asked, “So the question is not whether we will be extremists, but what kind of extremists we will be. Will we be extremists for hate or for love?” 

And that’s not a fallacy of false dilemma—if we’re not loving others, then…we’re not loving people. Therefore, I implore everyone to examine the motives and intentions of each and every choice/decision you make. Are you able to recognize good from bad? Right from wrong? Are you living a life of love or hate? For if you’re not living a life of love, what are you doing and what is your life? I choose to live an extreme life of love (not lust), and I urge you to do the same. Don’t scatter. Be a gatherer. Ironically, the best way to be a gatherer of people is to scatter seeds of love. How many seeds of love can you sow today? 

So ask yourself, do you love others? From where did you get this desire to love? Do you feel compelled to act out from love? If so, why do you think that is? All superheroes possess love for people. If you love people, then you possess one of the qualities of a superhero and you just might be one someday! 

A Vision: Apostasy, Antichrist, and Aftermath

VISION:

GOD gave me a vision last night / this morning. In my dream, I was in my grandma’s house. Yet I was alone. No others were in this house with me. Suddenly I became become aware of potential danger, alerted to suspicious activity. I also became bold and went to the back door and went outside, scanning the horizon for any signs of danger. It was dark. I looked around, at first seeing nothing suspicious. But then a wolf came out from the wooded area. And then I saw another, and then hundreds of them. I stared at them without fear. I then calmly went back inside the house. After I closed the door (which has a glass section in the middle I could see through), I saw what appeared to be the alpha male (very large); it ran toward me aggressively, also without fear. Emboldened, I stood my ground and barked (yelled) at the alpha male, so as to let him know I am not afraid of him. Undeterred by my confidence, the alpha male came right up to the door and we stared at each other for a little while. The transition is blurry, but I left there, going toward the front door of my grandma’s house. Looking through the door, I saw two dogs. They wanted to be let inside. I did not feel compelled to let them in because I didn’t know them. I then saw the dog’s breath and realized that it was freezing cold outside. And then the dog’s face and arm and paw started to lock up as if it were freezing to death. By the time I realized this and began to feel compassion for them, the second dog attacked the first dog with intent to kill. But the first dog somehow managed to get the better of the second dog and bit it’s lip, and then tore that dog in half, exposing its insides. And suddenly I did not feel compassion for the dog anymore. And then I woke up.

INTERPRETATION:

After I woke up, I prayed about this vivid dream and asked GOD to reveal to me the meaning of this dark and gruesome scene. The Holy Spirit instructed me to write (as He so often does when I ask for answers). As I wrote, the Holy Spirit gave me revelation, one small section at a time. 

The house represented my body and that is why I was alone. The house/body is the temple (1Corinthians 6:19). Each individual believer is going to be responsible for who they allow within (the Holy Spirit or the Deceiver). There is a reason GOD used my grandma’s house for the layout, but I’ll explain that later. 

I was on the alert, being faithful to live in obedience to Jesus’s command to be on the alert (Matthew 24:42-44; 25:13; Mark 13:33-37; Luke 12:35-40; 21:34-36). Both Paul and Peter also urged believers to be on the alert (Acts 20:31; 1Corinthians 16:13; Ephesians 6:18; 1Peter 5:8).

All of this took place when it was dark outside. We will soon be living in a period of darkness. 

The wolves coming was a clear message to me of the coming apostasy, but also of the coming tribulation. There are many false teachers who are ravenous wolves (Matthew 7:15; Acts 20:29) and they are specifically coming after the true children of GOD while also trying to deceive others. There are many workers of lawlessness. The alpha male was a clear message that there is one who is truly in charge of the wolves and leading the way: Satan. Always the imposter and trying to copy GOD in order to distort GOD’s Truth, Satan claims to be the true alpha even though the Lord is the true Alpha and Omega (Isaiah 41:4; Revelation 1:8; 21:6; 22:13). 

Not only did I go outside as if I were a watchman (Isaiah 52:8; 62:6; Jeremiah 6:17; Ezekiel 3:16-21; 33:1-9), but I also boldly defied the alpha wolf, staring into his eyes without backing down. What I saw was pure evil as it is written in the Word (John 8:44; 10:10; 1Peter 5:8). The Holy Spirit led me to go back inside and close the door, not allowing the enemy within. I was inside my grandma’s house. While I was inside, none of the wolves were able to enter, not even the alpha. 

But why was it my grandma’s house? The Holy Spirit has helped me realize two reasons. First, because it was my grandma’s house, the coming attack is against everything of the old: Truth, morals, values, ethics, etc. And second, the floorpan of my grandma’s house is set up in such a way that everyone considers her back door to be her front door and her front door as her back door. The wolves approached from the back, but to me it was a full frontal assault and I saw them coming. The apostasy might creep up “through the back door” for many people, but not for the true children of GOD who are on the alert. 

The two dogs, then, at the front door, were actually in the background. But because the background was the front door, it means that this is so common that it’s right in the foreground yet is viewed as mere background noise. But who are the dogs? They are the ones who always return to their vomit, the fools who repeat their folly. 2Peter 2:22 came to mind. Peter spoke about people who learned about Christ and how to be saved but then rejected the truth and returned to their sins. Luke 12:52-53 says that family will be against family. Matthew 10:21-22 says “Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death. You will be hated by all because of My name, but it is the one who has endured to the end who will be saved.” And interestingly enough, only a few verses earlier, in 10:16, Scripture warns about sheep in the midst of wolves. The two dogs are the people of the world who will tear each other apart. They too, are “outside” because they will not enter the Kingdom (Luke 13:25). In fact, Matthew 12:46-50 tells us that Jesus was informed that His family were standing outside wanting to speak with Him. Jesus responded by informing His audience (and us) that true family are those who do the Father’s will. And it is for this reason I realized that having compassion on them would be in vain just as the Lord told the prophet not to mourn or lament over certain people because the Lord decreed judgment upon them for their wickedness (Jeremiah 7:16; 11:14; 14:11; 16:5). They were not wolves, but neither were they sheep; they were the dogs written about by John in Revelation 22:15: “Outside are the dogs and the sorcerers and the immoral persons and the murderers and the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices lying.”

The apostasy is already upon us and the tribulation will not be far away. The apostasy sets up the arrival for the Antichrist. The Antichrist will bring about the great tribulation. 

*** Disclaimer: when I write that the tribulation “will not be far away,” this must be viewed within the understanding of GOD’s timing, which is not our timing. It may be soon according to us, or it may be soon according to GOD’s timing. Be ready always.

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