The Great Image

Catch the Wave Ministries 1

The Great Image

We have spent our lives believing the traditions of man’s interpretation of God’s word that when we read the word for ourselves we do not read God’s word we read with interpretation already in play. So, we lack knowledge because our notions are the driving force behind our understanding. Interpretations must be revealed not passed on as a notion or traditional way of thinking. Old notions are often done away with because prophecy is something that is not really clear until the time approaches because we do see in a glass darkly and prophetic imagery does not appear as they ought until the time of fulfillment.

The Imagery in the Book of Revelation befuddles us because those things that are common to John are not common to us and those things that are to come were not common to John but are to us. We must also be able to sift through those things that were familiar to the person relating the prophetic and see them in the time of relevance. We should also consider the fact that the bearer of the prophetic is not always given the interpretation of the vision or dream and so therefore they speak in a glass darkly and they prophecy in part. Prophecy must be grouped together for a clear understanding. For example, the prophecy of Jesus is found through out the entire Old Testament and all must be read and studied for a clear understanding of the Messiah. Further, trying to understand prophecy by studying one text will not give a clear understanding. Also, if you go back to the first occurrence of the mention of a word or phrase it helps in comprehending prophecy. Prophecy is like a road that one travels on; at each juncture more is revealed. If we miss a turn or a sign we can lose our way. If we try to interpret prophecy on our preconceived notions we miss the mark. To understand God’s word we must come at it with a fresh mind and clear thoughts.

We must remember that the prophetic comes from God and so must the interpretation. Anything short of God giving the interpretation is divination and sorcery. History shows us that when individuals in the Bible had dreams and visions they would often call upon magicians, astrologers and sorcerers to give them the interpretation of the dreams. We have several incidences in the Bible that relates to us, stories of kings that had dreams and no one in they pool of wise men were able to convey to them the interpretations. Yet among them were often found Hebrews that God revealed dreams and visions to. Joseph was one of those men.

In Genesis 40:8b Joseph declares to the Pharaoh’s cup bearer and baker, “Do not interpretations belong to God?” And in Genesis 41:15-16 “And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, I have dreamed a dream, and there is none that can interpret it: and I have heard say of thee, that thou canst understand a dream to interpret it. And Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, It is not in me: God shall give Pharaoh an answer of peace.” “It is not me,” notes Joseph, it is God. Joseph was wise enough to know that only the giver of the dream or vision is capable of interpreting His meaning.

This same scenario was repeated again in the Book of Daniel when Nebuchadnezzar had his vision of a great image. Daniel 2:27-30 states, “Daniel answered in the presence of the king, and said, The secret which the king hath demanded cannot the wise men, the astrologers, the magicians, the soothsayers, shew unto the king; But there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets, and maketh known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days. Thy dream, and the visions of thy head upon thy bed, are these; As for thee, O king, thy thoughts came into thy mind upon thy bed, what should come to pass hereafter: and he that revealeth secrets maketh known to thee what shall come to pass. But as for me, this secret is not revealed to me for any wisdom that I have more than any living, but for their sakes that shall make known the interpretation to the king, and that thou mightest know the thoughts of thy heart.” Daniel also knew that God was the only one capable of revealing secrets and giving the interpretations thereof.

Everyone else can only guess or surmise what the author of the dream meant. Some in times pass and still today try to use the stars and even tea leaves to give interpretations of God’s secrets. But none of that is necessary as God can still reveal and does, and His word has been established and we only need to do as Timothy told us to do, study to show ourselves approved unto God. As we study God makes His word clear. Sometime we can read a passage and not remember having read the passage until all of a sudden it leaps out at us and finally revelation comes. This happens when we have learned to put aside our preconceived notions and when the fullness of time comes. If it is not the appointed time for us to comprehend then we can try all that we desire and all we are doing is spinning our wheels. We come up with suppositions and conclusions that becomes our traditional way of thinking. We try to figure God out by walking in the natural. We try to apply reason without revelation to come up with interpretation. Too often we assume things that are not because we do not think that what God means is plausible or possible. Most often we do not follow the trail that has been laid out for us in the Bible. Things become mush clearer as we get on the right trail.

I have been studying for some time now on the subject of the sons of God and their descendants, the giants of renown in Genesis 6:1-7, I found it strange at first that the Bible stated that the giants who were descendants of the sons of God (angels, watchers) and the daughters of men were all destroyed in the flood. Yet as I read through the Bible I found that even after the flood the giants, these descendants of angels and the daughters of man appeared on the earth again in astounding numbers. There were cities built by giants through out the Old Testament.

GIANTS

Nephilim (those who descend)

nephiyl, Hebrew 5303, Strong’s

nephiyl, nef-eel'; or nephil, nef-eel'; from Hebrew 5307 (naphal); properly, a feller, i.e. a bully or tyrant :- giant.

rapha', Hebrew 7497, Strong’s

rapha', raw-faw'; or raphah, raw-faw'; from Hebrew 7495 (rapha') in the sense of invigorating; a giant :- giant, Rapha, Rephaim (-s). See also Hebrew 1051 (Beyth Rapha').

Genesis 6:4

There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.

Numbers 13:33

And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.

Deut. 1:28

Whither shall we go up? our brethren have discouraged our heart, saying, The people is greater and taller than we; the cities are great and walled up to heaven; and moreover we have seen the sons of the Anakims there.

Deut. 2:10-11

The Emims dwelt therein in times past, a people great, and many, and tall, as the Anakims; [11] Which also were accounted giants, as the Anakims; but the Moabites call them Emims.

Deut. 2:20

(That also was accounted a land of giants: giants dwelt therein in old time; and the Ammonites call them Zamzummims;

Deut. 3:1

Then we turned, and went up the way to Bashan: and Og the king of Bashan came out against us, he and all his people, to battle at Edrei.

Deut. 3:11

For only Og king of Bashan remained of the remnant of giants; behold, his bedstead was a bedstead of iron; is it not in Rabbath of the children of Ammon? nine cubits was the length thereof, and four cubits the breadth of it, after the cubit of a man.

Deut. 3:13

And the rest of Gilead, and all Bashan, being the kingdom of Og, gave I unto the half tribe of Manasseh; all the region of Argob, with all Bashan, which was called the land of giants.

Joshua 12:4

And the coast of Og king of Bashan, which was of the remnant of the giants, that dwelt at Ashtaroth and at Edrei,

Deut. 9:1-2

Hear, O Israel: Thou art to pass over Jordan this day, to go in to possess nations greater and mightier than thyself, cities great and fenced up to heaven, A people great and tall, the children of the Anakims, whom thou knowest, and of whom thou hast heard say, Who can stand before the children of Anak!

Joshua 13:12

All the kingdom of Og in Bashan, which reigned in Ashtaroth and in Edrei, who remained of the remnant of the giants: for these did Moses smite, and cast them out.

Joshua 15:8

And the border went up by the valley of the son of Hinnom unto the south side of the Jebusite; the same is Jerusalem: and the border went up to the top of the mountain that lieth before the valley of Hinnom westward, which is at the end of the valley of the giants northward:

Joshua 17:15

And Joshua answered them, If thou be a great people, then get thee up to the wood country, and cut down for thyself there in the land of the Perizzites and of the giants, if mount Ephraim be too narrow for thee.

Joshua 18:16

And the border came down to the end of the mountain that lieth before the valley of the son of Hinnom, and which is in the valley of the giants on the north, and descended to the valley of Hinnom, to the side of Jebusi on the south, and descended to En-rogel,

1 Samuel 17:4

And there went out a champion out of the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span.

2 Samuel 21:19

And there was again a battle in Gob with the Philistines, where Elhanan the son of Jaare-oregim, a Bethlehemite, slew the brother of Goliath the Gittite, the staff of whose spear was like a weaver's beam.

1 Chronicles 20:5

And there was war again with the Philistines; and Elhanan the son of Jair slew Lahmi the brother of Goliath the Gittite, whose spear staff was like a weaver's beam.

The question is asked whether or not sons of God refers to the angels? We need only look at the reference to the term sons of God as noted in the Bible to see that in the Old Testament it always referred to angel although we see the term in the New testament referring to the believers in Christ Jesus.

Genesis 6:2

That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.

Genesis 6:4

Job 1:6

Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan came also among them.

Job 2:1

Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan came also among them to present himself before the Lord.

Job 38:7

When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?

John 1:12 states, “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.” The reference “sons of God’ refers to those that believe on Jesus’ name as well. This is true because we sit in heavenly places with Christ “in whom we have boldness and access with confidence by faith of him” Ephesians 3:12. Being in Christ puts us in heavenly places along with the angels. Romans 8:14 continues this thought, “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.” The angels that did not leave their habitation to go with Satan and his followers are referred to as sons of God. This is clear in Job 2:1 noted above when we see a distinction between the angels who came to present themselves before God “and Satan came also.” Satan is clearly no longer a son of God. He is the renegade angel that sought to usurp God’s throne.

Angels are also referred to in the Bible as stars. Take a closer look at each of these verses.

STARS

Job 38:7

When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy? (The angelic choir and the sons of God, angels)

Daniel 8:10

And it waxed great, even to the host of heaven; and it cast down some of the host and of the stars to the ground, and stamped upon them. (Reference to the angelic host)

Matthew 24:29

Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: (Finally the fallen angels shall be shaken out of heaven once and for all. Luke 10:18 “And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven”)

Mark 13:25

And the stars of heaven shall fall, and the powers that are in heaven shall be shaken. (In Job we see that Satan still presented himself in heaven with the sons of God Job 1:6)

Jude 13

Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever. (Wandering stars – the fallen)

Rev. 6:13

And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. (The fallen are finally shaken out of the heavens to do harm no more)

Rev. 9:1

And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit. (This star is personified)

Rev. 12:4

And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born. (A third part of the angels which fell)