the ax and the hammer

MoJo · Posted: Wed Nov 09, 2005 1:29 pm Post subject: the ax and the hammer

some awesome stuff here Wink

Jer 51:17: Every man is brutish by his knowledge; every founder is confounded by the graven image: for his molten image is falsehood, and there is no breath in them.
18: They are vanity, the work of errors: in the time of their visitation they shall perish.
19: The portion of Jacob is not like them; for he is the former of all things: and Israel is the rod of his inheritance: the LORD of hosts is his name.
20: Thou art my battle axe and weapons of war: for with thee will I break in pieces the nations, and with thee will I destroy kingdoms;
21: And with thee will I break in pieces the horse and his rider; and with thee will I break in pieces the chariot and his rider;
22: With thee also will I break in pieces man and woman; and with thee will I break in pieces old and young; and with thee will I break in pieces the young man and the maid;
23: I will also break in pieces with thee the shepherd and his flock; and with thee will I break in pieces the husbandman and his yoke of oxen; and with thee will I break in pieces captains and rulers.

Two points to make here; 1. the mention of Israel and 2; Israel as the Lord's axe and hammer or IOW, his instuments of war. It becomes evident then, that the Israel mentioned here must be spiritual Israel and not natural Israel as natural Israel was made desolate and hardly could be called the Lord's weapons. These weapons were to break in pieces the nations.

The timing is borne out in Matt 3:10 and Luke 3:9 by John the Baptist concerning the coming of Jesus.

Luke 3:7: Then said he to the multitude that came forth to be baptized of him, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
8: Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and begin not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, That God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.
9: And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: every tree therefore which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.

Although the Lord weilds the axe, it's the axe that is used to cut down the trees and the axe is Israel. Israel must therefore be interpreted to mean spiritual Israel as the trees which were cut down were the high and lofty of natural Israel.

Psalms 80:14: Return, we beseech thee, O God of hosts: look down from heaven, and behold, and visit this vine;
15: And the vineyard which thy right hand hath planted, and the branch that thou madest strong for thyself.
16: It is burned with fire, it is cut down: they perish at the rebuke of thy countenance

Isaiah 10:33: Behold, the Lord, the LORD of hosts, shall lop the bough with terror: and the high ones of stature shall be hewn down, and the haughty shall be humbled.
34: And he shall cut down the thickets of the forest with iron, (axe) and Lebanon shall fall by a mighty one.

Looking at the similitudes

1 Chron 20:1: And it came to pass, that after the year was expired, at the time that kings go out to battle, Joab led forth the power of the army, and wasted the country of the children of Ammon, (symbolic of idol worshippers) and came and besieged Rabbah. But David tarried at Jerusalem. And Joab smote Rabbah, and destroyed it.
2: And David took the crown of their king from off his head, and found it to weigh a talent of gold, and there were precious stones in it; and it was set upon David's head: and he brought also exceeding much spoil out of the city.
3: And he brought out the people that were in it, and cut them with saws, and with harrows of iron, and with axes. Even so dealt David with all the cities of the children of Ammon. And David and all the people returned to Jerusalem.

The crown was removed from the king of Ammon, making Ammon one of the spiritual names of Israel, but there were left some precious stones which David took to himself. The saws and iron an axes are clarified in 2 Sam 12:31 meaning the people were made to labour in bondage and to pass through the bick kiln or IOW, the furnace. Jerusalem was made the Lord's furnace.

Ezek 22:17: And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
18: Son of man, the house of Israel is to me become dross: all they are brass, and tin, and iron, and lead, in the midst of the furnace; they are even the dross of silver.
19: Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Because ye are all become dross, behold, therefore I will gather you into the midst of Jerusalem.

Isaiah 48:9: For my name's sake will I defer mine anger, and for my praise will I refrain for thee, that I cut thee not off.
10: Behold, I have refined thee, but not with silver; I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction.
11: For mine own sake, even for mine own sake, will I do it: for how should my name be polluted? and I will not give my glory unto another.
12: Hearken unto me, O Jacob and Israel, my called; I am he; I am the first, I also am the last.

It's evident that Jacob and Israel are defined as those who are called and that Jesus Christ is the first and the last. The ones who are first called are the apostles. There's lots more on this, but it's enough for now. However, one of the main points to be gotten from this is to recognize that the OT and its prophecies apply to the time of the coming of Jesus and forward and that there's a wealth of information in them for us.

Very Happy

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matt 6: 34 "Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof."

lone-traveler · Posted: Fri Nov 11, 2005 12:08 pm Post subject:

Jdg 9:48 And Abimelech gat him up to mount Zalmon, he and all the people that [were] with him; and Abimelech took an axe in his hand, and cut down a bough from the trees, and took it, and laid [it] on his shoulder, and said unto the people that [were] with him, What ye have seen me do, make haste, [and] do as I [have done].

Jdg 9:49 And all the people likewise cut down every man his bough, and followed Abimelech, and put [them] to the hold, and set the hold on fire upon them; so that all the men of the tower of Shechem died also, about a thousand men and women.

Mat 10:34 Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.
Mat 10:35 For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.
Mat 10:36 And a man's foes [shall be] they of his own household.
Mat 10:37 He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.

Mat 10:38 And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.

Mat 10:39 He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.

Maybe cutting down the tree with the axe has something to do with taking up the cross?

Lone
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Joh 15:14 Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.
Joh 15:12 This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.

davanthony79 · Posted: Thu Dec 29, 2005 2:01 am Post subject: Saint Anthony

Saint Anthony was a humble servant of God who God did marvels through.
One day, he was preaching in a fishing village by the sea. Now the fishermen came home empty handed and remarked that there were no fish out today. Where was God, they wondered? Where were their fish?
Anthony showed them both answers by preaching. While he spoke, he turned to the sea, and behold! the fish leapt forth and listened to him preach in the view of all. The sea from beach to horizon were filled with the eyes intently gazing to the Word and Anthony, the mouth that uttered it.

In this day and age, a fan of Saint Anthony, the saint of finding what is lost, had prayed that Anthony carry out a miracle for him, to find her a husband so she would not be lonely any more. She gave him a deadline, and it passed. So did her patience. She angrily took up her statue of Anthony, and told him that his time was up, and threw Anthony out of her apartment window.
A few minutes later, a knock came to her door, and there, a handsome man held her Anthony in one hand, and a bruised noggin in the other. He returned her Anthony, and God provided her answer through Anthony.

Anthony died a painful death by disease. He desired in his heart to be a martyr in the Holy land controlled by the Islamic conquerors. Instead, he traveled and was saved by grace from the perils of his adversaries, eating poisoned food after praying over it, and announcing his knowledge of it's poison to his treacherous hosts, who witnessed how he was unscathed by the poison.

I am no saint, but I too desired to die a proud death, of a soldier serving the cause of Liberty. I instead am disabled, and will never have the opportunity to fulfill that desire. I have seen a fraction of the Glory of heaven, and hope to be a pleasing servant to God, who has been very good to me.
I never expected to find as wonderful a woman as my Wife, and would never have if I'd have gotten my Heroic end. I have survived many adversaries, not by valour, but by endurance, and God's mercy. I could be dead many times by now, but my purpose is not fulfilled, and my angels are nowhere near retirement. I think i'll owe God and them a couple dozen works and a lifetime of Thankfulness.

Peace be with you all
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Here I am, Lord!
"Speak, for your servant is listening." 1 SAM 3; ver 11, NIV

davanthony79 · Posted: Thu Dec 29, 2005 2:04 am Post subject:

Saint Anthony was dubbed The Hammerer of Heretics. He never hammered anyone, yet his deeds struck Evil a heavy blow, and God's mercy through his life bore light into dark hearts.

Peace be with us all
_________________
Here I am, Lord!
"Speak, for your servant is listening." 1 SAM 3; ver 11, NIV