Speaker 1Welcome to the Dr. Obedovinga Day podcast. Dr. Obed is a thought leader and apologist who speaks to life's great existential questions of origin, purpose, faith, and destiny with fluency and grace. He is an author and the president of the Christ Cosmopolitan Incorporated, a vibrant apostolic commission that heralds the message of the fullness of Christ. Dr. Obed has seen his ministry soar to great heights over several years, touching the lives of many across the globe through his various ministry platforms. May you grow in grace and the knowledge of Christ as you listen to mind-renewing and heart-enlightening messages by Dr. Obed. Do enjoy this teaching. God bless you.
Speaker 2This morning we ask that you would give us just a little bit of who you are. Package in words for human understanding. Grant us the ability to comprehend even the little you show us. Give us insight, O God, we pray. Bring us to the level of true inspiration. The echad, the oneness with your spirit. Bless our listeners. And our viewers, we pray. In Jesus' name, everyone said amen. This morning, I want to touch on a very interesting subject matter to me. Very, very interesting. That I believe that if you would make time to listen attentively, you would so be blessed and it might even transform your depth. In the spirit of biblical understanding and Bible studies. You remember last week, I picked up on questions that had come from the previous week's transmission on the matter of the calling of God and the separation of men when it comes to his servants and the ministry. Two weeks ago, I was emphasizing that the ministry has its work and has its offices. The Bible says in the book of Ephesians, the chapter four, that he gave some apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers. The Bible says, for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, and for their defense. I realized the distinction I brought in the work of the ministry and its various offices of the ministry in dealing with ministering spirits. I was laying the plumb line to the fact that it doesn't matter who you are. You will surely need men to separate you from the church. for what God has called you. We establish this truth in the book of Acts where we read that Paul and Barnabas were together with prophets and apostles and teachers in Antioch. And the Bible says in that place, in the verse 2, the Holy Ghost said, And I was showing that the calling is different from the separation. And the Bible says, There is a protocol of ministry established by God as a church. And the authority that God has given to the church, is the authority of God. Because the Bible says that all authority as given by God, granted in exousia, in reference to the governing powers, is of God. All authority is of God. And that whoever resisted the power, resisted the ordinance, and resisted God himself. Now, for this reason, a lot of people have gone wayward, and I spoke concerning the way of Cain in the era of Balaam, and in the gainsayings of Korah. So, you would have a couple of people who would want to do their own thing. He said, Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God. The powers that be are ordained of God. The verse 2 of Romans 13. He said, He said, This is the reason why you have to be very careful when you're dealing with the authority of the church. The authority of the church is not personal. The authority of the church is divine. It's not human. Because it is Christ that is building his church. And I showed emphatically that in as much as many people would think to themselves that the church is in Christ, being the body of Christ, the church is also geographical. In as much as it is spiritual. So, the Bible talks about the churches in Judea, which is in Christ Jesus. Once he never said the churches of God in Christ Jesus only. But now says the churches of God in Judea, location, in Christ Jesus, divine, spiritual. 1 Thessalonians 2.14 So, do not think to yourself that the church is not geographic. The church is only in Judea. The church is only divine, spiritual, and we meet in the spirit. The Bible says that we should not forsake the assembling of ourselves. So, the assembly, which we refer to as church, is not only divine, is not only spiritual, is also geographic. I think that I have established the authority of the church when it comes to the workers of the church. You cannot do the work of the ministry outside of the church. Outside of a geographic location. Because the work of the ministry, though, is toward God, is essentially a ministry to people. So, if you claim that you're doing the work of the ministry and you do not have an assembly that you are part of, or do not draw people to and through the church, or do not do the assembly for their growth, then you are actually missing the mark. It's actually a corruption in your heart. And it is very important that you deal with that cancer before it eats into all the parts of the body of Christ, metastasizing, and creating deep rottenness. I've taken two ways to establish the protocol of the church and of the ministry and the power that God has given to the church. An interesting question comes that I've had many preachers, I mean, many, many, many preachers say them, maybe out of ignorance, or maybe out of exaltation, but we would pardon them. And if you're one of those who have ever said or made that statement after today, you must desist. The Bible says that the days of ignorance, God winged that. And now he calls on men to repent. Somebody comes to the timeline and says, man of God, Pastor Obed, you're saying that in the whole of the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, there is not one man that was saved. There is not one man that was saved. There is not one man that was ever sent out to do the work of God who had no human reference. And I said, yes, that is true. Not one man. There is not one. Now, when I made that statement, permit me to say, I very much knew what I was saying because I have gone page after page looking for one man who was sent of God only without any doubt. Without any kind of human laying hands on them. Without any kind of human. contribution towards their growth and towards their introduction even to men there is not one man people there is not one man then the question that comes into my timelines which gets me to want to talk on this matter very well is somebody saying that what of Elijah that Elijah the Tishbite what of Elijah the Tishbite who laid hands on Elijah who sent Elijah because there's no reference to in quotes where Elijah came from the Bible only says Elijah the Tishbite you see when I hear things like that I get very sorry for the church in how we relate to our Bibles because seated right in the pages is where Elijah came from the Bible does not say and Elijah he just appeared he gives you his origin the Tishbite geographic location Elijah from Tishbe that even answers the question but then to drive the revelation and to bring you to a place of understanding I'm drifting off totally to teach you something very important and to bring you to a place of understanding I'm drifting off totally to teach you something very important to come and answer the question of who and how Elijah was sent the Bible says in to Timothy the verse 15 that we should steady to show ourselves approved unto God a white man that needed not to be ashamed rightly dividing the word of truth to come and answer the question of who and how Elijah was sent the Bible says in 2 Timothy the verse 15 that we should steady to show ourselves approved unto God a white man that needed not to be ashamed rightly dividing the word of truth How do we divide the word of truth? How are we able to achieve surgical precision when we begin to go into the division of the word of truth? When Paul was talking about rightly dividing the word of truth, he was not talking, please, about westernized theology. Because at this point in time, the West, being America emphatically, was nowhere on this planet. There was no America. When Paul was writing the book of Timothy, 2 Timothy, there was no Americanized gospel. There was no Europeanized gospel. The West had no structure or protocol for theological exposition and exploration, examination. The West wasn't. So what did Paul mean when he said, divide the word of God or the word of truth rightly? We would need to go to the days of Paul. To understand how they steadied the scriptures and how they divided the scriptures. Because to Pastor Timothy, he understood what Paul was talking about. But the present day church, we are so clueless sometimes about how biblical writing, what the Bible says, puts the revelation of the things that they knew, communicated, and saw. What am I saying? You know that Rav Shaul, or Rabbi Saul, number one, he was a rabbi. Number two, you know that all the apostles steadied under rabbis. Rav, or Rabboni, Yeshua. Jesus was a rabbi. Our Lord Jesus Christ was actually from a rabbinic tree or ancestry. And at the appropriate time, not here because I'm not here to explain the rabbinic roots of Jesus. There are lots of rabbinic schools. Once you are referred to as a rabbi, it was an accolade and a stature of theology. The study of God. Then Jesus turned in John 1.38 and saw them following and said unto them, what's the key? They said unto him, rabbi, which is to say being interpreted master, rabbi, master. And this master. It's not like just anybody around that you refer to as master. You remember that when Jesus woke up, Mary called him Rabboni. That is actually a class. Because they were the rabbi and Rabboni. They are not the same. We don't have all that time to go into all that hierarchy within rabbinic stature and structure. Jesus said unto him, Mary. She turned herself and said unto him, Rabboni, which is to say master. But this Rabboni, rabbi, rab, they are not all the same. There are hierarchical structures within rabbinic hierarchy. I'm not dealing with that. I want to answer Elijah the Tishbite. But you see, I could just show you two or three scriptures just to clear it off. But I want you to be so settled because of some of the things I will be sharing with you. And why I'll be saying what I'm saying. In understanding that Paul was a rabbi. And Jesus was a rabbi. And the rabbi trained his apostles who penned down the scriptures. It means that the entire New Testament is rabbinic. It was written by masters of the word. Doers of the word. Men who understood how the words of scripture is chosen. How were they applying that surgical precision in dividing the word of truth? There is an interesting rabbinic law that governs how scripture is to be interpreted. This rabbinic law is to be interpreted. This rabbinic law or the law of the masters of scripture has been way before Jesus Christ arrived here on earth. And Jesus applied himself to this rabbinic law of teaching and preaching the word of God to the dots. Jesus Christ himself when he was here on earth. He applied himself to the rabbinic laws. That govern the teaching of scriptures. This was known as Pardes. P-A-R-D-E-S. Just for your information. That word Pardes is made up of in the Hebrew. Pe, Resh, Dalet, Yod, and Samech. Now, in. Just to titillate your understanding. Those of you who love Hebrew just a little bit. Pe speaks of the mouth. Resh speaks of the teeth of fire. Or the head. Dalet speaks of the door. Yod speaks of the hand. And Samech speaks of the infinite things. Or protection. So, when we speak of Pardes, what are we saying? We are talking about the speaking mouth of fire. Through the door of the hand of divine protection. Or divine infinite protection. When a person speaks as a master. He must utter fire. Yeah. He must utter spirit. He must speak from the head. Through a door of revelation. That comes by the hand of divine inspiration. This is Pardes. What are the laws that govern Pardes? Keep listening. When you read the book of Nehemiah chapter 2, the verse number 8. Ecclesiastes 2. Verse 5. Songs 4, the verse 13. There is a Hebrew word. It's a Hebrew word. that is interpreted as pardis. And a letter unto Asaph, the keeper of the king's forest. When you check the word used for forest, it means pardis, the king's pardis. That he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the palace, which are pertained to the house and for the wall of the city and for the house that I shall enter into. The king granted me according to the good hand of my God that was upon me. Now, when you now turn to Ecclesiastes 2, the verse number 5, the word of God also uses the same Hebrew word pardis for gardens and orchards. He said, I made me gardens and orchards and I planted trees in them of all kinds of fruits. Check that Hebrew word for garden and it is the same word forest and it is the same word pardis. Now, then we go to something. Song of Songs, chapter 4, the verse 13. The Bible says, thy plants are an orchard. They are a pardis of pomegranates with pleasant fruits, campfire with spikenard. Okay, so this word pardis in Hebrew is now grationized from which we have the word paradisos. In Luke 23, verse 43, when Jesus said, Verily I say unto you today, you will be with me in pardis. You will be with me in paradise. It was the same thing. So, pardis, a garden, a forest, an orchard, a place of heights. Yes. Waters, wind, trees in general, a place of pleasure, a place of fruits bearing. Then, watch here. The garden of Eden, which is paradise, we find in Revelation, chapter 2, the verse number 7, that the tree of life. It's in the midst of the pardis of God, the pardis of God. Let him hear what the Spirit say unto the churches. To him that overcometh, will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the pardis of God, the pardis of God. Finally, pardis is not only a place of trees. It is a realm of worship. It is a realm of words that have governing rules and laws to be uttered and not to be uttered. How do I say that? 2 Corinthians, the chapter 12, the verse 2 to the verse 4, the apostle says, I knew a man in Christ above 14 years ago, whether in the body I cannot tell, whether out of the body I cannot tell. God knoweth. Such an one caught up to the third heaven, verse 3. I knew such a man, whether in the body or out of the body, I cannot tell. God knoweth, verse 4, how that he was caught up into paradise and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter. So what is paradise? Paradise is not only a place of trees and pleasure. It's a place. It's a place of words that have governing laws. He said, which is not lawful for a man to utter. I heard unspeakable words. Unspeakable words. The experience of paradise is not only trees. It's not only water. It's not only moving wind. The experience of paradise is also unspeakable. It's unspeakable words. Then number three, paradise is also the place of the right of access. When you read the revelation of Jesus, the chapter 2, the verse number 7 in the NIV, he said, Hear that I don't hear. Let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give the rights to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God. Paradise. Paradise. Paradise. Paradise is not a place that anybody can just walk into. You already know that in the Genesis, the Bible says that God now placed cherubs to guard the way to the tree of life. So paradise is a place of protocol. Paradise is a place of trees. Paradise is a place of fellowship. A place where God comes in the cool of the day to have fellowship with man. The Bible says, The Bible said in the cool of the day, the voice of the Lord came walking through the garden. What then is the fullness of paradise? The fullness of paradise is the revelations of God as this out to man, as God unveils himself. It is not only a place of fiscal trees. It is a place of fellowship, relationship. It is a place where we hear the words of God. It is a place where. Where the protocol of the words that we hear, we are divinely instructed where to speak them, how to speak them, what to say, what not to say. So now, when you pick up the word of God and you want to go into surgical precision of the word, you are actually going into realms of paradise. And so, the rabbis of old understood that when it comes to dividing the word of truth, Rav Shaul was not saying, pick up your Bible and just read about Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob on the literal level and pick the lessons. What can we learn from what we read today? What didn't he do? What did he do well? What will you apply to your life as you are stepping out today? What promise would you want to make to God based on what you have read? Oh, church of God. So, this is how you read your Bible. Having what is referred to in evangelical ariness as a very good quiet time. So, you now answer the seven blocks after you have read, oh, we've done that many, many, many years ago. Especially when we're in SU. Whenever you read, how do we call it? Was it our. What was the book? What was the book? SU. The Daily Devotional. I wish I could just remember. Our daily something. Daily Guide. Daily Guide. Very good. Very good. There's nothing wrong with that. Then, after you are done reading, there are seven questions you have to answer beneath it. And I know that a lot of you maybe who are watching me are still doing the same thing with your devotionals. What you refer to as quiet time. When you wake up in the morning, you pick up your Bible, you get a devotional, a guide that will help you. You read a story. Then now you ask the seven questions. What did you learn today? What are the lessons? Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. The seven questions in the daily. Daily Guide. Then you apply it to yourself. Good. But brother, you are only reading on the surface level. You will not get into the realms of God's bliss reading your word and the Bible like that. Somebody says, why? Now, in rabbinic interpretation of the word of God. And this is all because somebody just says, who is the father of Elijah? Where did Elijah come from? Elijah was of Tishbite and we don't know where he came from. We don't even know who he was. I'm sure you have heard that before, haven't you? I'm sure somebody has even used it to justify why he doesn't need anybody to lay hands on him because his ministry is after the order of Elijah. Falsehood, deception, wickedness in the pulpit. What you are saying is not true. You just want to have your own way. You want to run in the way of Cain. You want to run after the greed and in the error of Balaam. And you want to go and perish in the gainsayings of Korah. Elijah the Tishbite, that statement alone is enough to let you know who Elijah is. Now, to go back. In paradise, the P has a meaning. The R has a meaning. The D has a meaning. And the S has a meaning. It has a meaning. They are actually the four realms of interpretation. And this paradise, P-R-D-S, is an acronym for biblical interpretation. And how Bible writers expounded biblical truths. And how we, as believers and as Christians, must approach the word of God. The first one is known as Peshat. Peshat. in Hebrew. Which means reading the Bible literally, making a moral lesson out of your Bible. So when you read a Bible, you pick up the lessons from the Bible. You are now looking at historical literature in a grammatical sense. So what then? It is just like what we do in Christian religious studies. So if a person picks up his Bible and now looks at a character in the Bible, who are we talking about? King David. What did he do? He slept with Bathsheba. Why did he sleep with Bathsheba? It was time to go to war. He was lazy at home. What happened to him? The judgment of God fell on him. Okay. Based on this. What are the lessons you have learned on the historical David? His act with Bathsheba. How it ended and how you do not want to find yourself in the same shoes of David ending up like David did. Please, that thing that you have done. It is for children in Sunday school. It is for. Somebody who just got born again. And he must not stay there after three months of being born again. He has to stop that thing. After three months. If this is how you read your Bible. And you have been a believer for 40 years. I do not want to say anything that would grieve your heart. But it is a very unfortunate incident that has happened to the body of Christ. You as a person. The thing that you are experiencing. And how you are reading your Bible. It is a very unfortunate incident that has happened to the body of Christ. You read the Bible historically. So for you. Jesus is a historical Jesus. So that is how come you love to read Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. And then you look at where did Jesus go. And Jesus healed a blind man. And how do we call it. And Jesus said he should pick and clay. Apply it to his eyes. The guy came back seen. And so what are the lessons? The lessons to be learned is that Jesus is a miracle worker. If you too. You are sick. Jesus will be able to heal you. Whatever he tells you to do. Do it. Believe Jesus. He is a powerful man. He is sure to his word. And so from now. Oh Lord Jesus. This glaucoma that I am having. Please. Just heal me. Like the way. Oh. This is how you are reading your Bible. It is good. But you will get nowhere. You are at the surface of biblical. Biblical studies. Biblical interpretation. Can you imagine. That on television. On social media. 90% of pastors. Preach at Peshat. So it is no fault. That you are a church member. You are still at that level. I am not. Retracting this statement. A lot of pastors. Pastors. In churches. Preach at the level of Peshat. A lot. They take their story. Then they use it for exhortation. Historical. Grammatical. Stories. And then they make. Moral lessons out of them. Then church closes. I remember one time. I met a woman. At a doom. And she asked me. What do I do? I said I am a man of God. She said. Young man like you. You are a pastor. I said. Oh why? She said. Why do I use all my time. Pastoring. I said. Hey. Mama. Why? What is wrong with pastoring? Using all my time. She said. As for pastoring. It is the very easiest thing to do. You just wake up on a Sunday morning. This big book. You just look for a certain story. You come. Tell us. A story. Then. You now. Give us moral lessons. He said it in three. This way. That's how. So. You did. The NM. You may worry. I see. You may have. One. One. I saw. One. I was. Ah. Mommy. I did. She said. Nothing. We see. Other. Yeah. Oh. Sorry. No. I pay. And I see. Same. Be. A. What. Bible. No. Bitch. Now. Okay. We are. No. Two. Four. Two. Four. We are. I said. Really. Then. I said. Mommy. Oh. Sorry. Let's. Ah. Baby. Oh. Sorry. Let's. Ah. Now. So. Food. Yes. Say. Who. Be. A. Bible. No. I pay. Verse. Or. Scripture. No. I can. Kind. Not. You. Two. Four. Oh. See. Now. So. Food. Here. Number. Here. And. Your. Food. Number. Two. According. To. The. Woman. The. Work. Of. A. Pastor. Is. To. Just. Get. Stories. In. The. Bible. Scriptural. Verses. And. Then. Use. It. To. Give. Counsel. And. Then. Take. Our. Collections. And. Then. We. Close. It. Is. The. Laziest. Work. On. Earth. I. Was. Like. Wow. I. Think. That. You. Have. A. Problem. With. Your. Pastor. Say. No. No. The. Pastor. Me. Can. Say. It. Me. Can. Copy. I. Send. Me. Out. A. One. Bible. Me. Find. Your. Pastor. Me. Come. On. Now. My. Kick. Come. Me. Kick. Come. On. My. Kick. Come. My. Kick. Come. My. Kick. Come. My. Kick. Come. My. Kick. Come. My. Kick. Two. Four. Now. Say. Sir. My. My. Look. For. A. Story. Read. It. Pick. The. Lessons. You. Can. Pick. Out. Of. The. Story. And. Apply. It. To. Your. Life. No. Pay. Shots. That's. One. Surface. And. It. Is. On. The. Surface. Level. Then. Now. A. Typical. Example. Is. To. Look. At. Zechariah. Chapter. Eight. Verse. Seventeen. Who. Is. Your. Neighbor. And. How. Do. You. Relate. To. Your. Neighbor. When. Jesus. Said. Love. Your. Neighbor. As. Yourself. He. Was. Actually. Quoting. From. The. Ten. Laws. Of. Torah. One. Of. The. Ten. Laws. Of. Torah. And. Was. Making. Emphasis. To. The. Book. Of. Zechariah. Now. You. Remember. That. The. Bible. Says. With. The. Ten. Laws. That. Moses. Gave. That. You. Shall. Love. The. Lord. Your. God. Then. Too. You. Shall. Love. Your. Neighbor. As. Yourself. Which. Is. The. Second. Commandment. Now. In. Zechariah. Eighteen. He. Said. And. Let. None. Of. You. Imagine. Evil. In. Your. Heart. Against. His. Neighbor. And. Love. No. False. Oath. As. Simple. As. That. For. These. Are. The. Things. That. I. Hate. Say. The. Lord. And. This. Is. What. Jesus. Was. Explaining. In. Matthew. Twenty. Two. Three. Seven. Two. Forty. If. You. Love. Your. Neighbor. As. Yourself. You. Will. Not. Hate. Him. In. Your. Heart. And. You. Will. Come. Swearing. Falsely. About. Him. You. Won't. Say. Things. You. Have. Not. Said. Or. Things. You. Have. Not. Seen. About. Him. So. Jesus. Said. In. The. Verse. Thirty. Eight. Of. Matthew. Twenty. Two. That. This. The. First. And. Great. Commandment. To. Love. The. Lord. Your. God. Then. The. Verse. Thirty. Nine. Says. And. The. Second. Commandment. Is. Like. Unto. It. Thou. Shall. Love. Thy. Neighbor. As. Yourself. Ye. Ye. Nothing. More. Love. Your. Neighbor. As. Yourself. Just. Love. Your. Neighbor. Don't. Hate. Your. Neighbor. And. Don't. Come. Loving. False. Oath. As. Simple. As. That. That's. How. You. Love. Your. Neighbor. As. Yourself. There. Is. No. Deep. Truth. To. Say. About. This. There. Is. Nothing. More. It. Is. As. Historical. And. As. Grammatical. And. As. Literal. As. Can. Be. Very. Nice. Now. Let's. Go. To. The. Second. Level. The. Remes. In. Remes. This. Is. Where. A. Lot. Of. People. Here. Preach. And. Say. That. Guy. Is. Deep. That. Guy. Is. Very. Deep. And. In. Ghana. Here. A. Lot. Of. The. People. Ghanians. Cheer. As. Teachers. They. Are. Not. Even. At. Remes. They. Are. Unliteral. The. Peshat. A. Lot. Of. The. Motivational. Speakers. Are. Peshat. The. People. We. Hail. The. Most. As. Preachers. Powerful. Preachers. They. Preach. Three. Point. System. Five. Points. Seven. Steps. Peshat. Preaching. It's. Very. Good. And. This. Is. As. A. Result. Of. That. Simple. Question. Elijah. The. Tishbite. So. Now. If. A. Person. Now. Goes. Into. The. Law. Of. First. Mention. He's. Actually. Around. The. Realms. Of. Remes. So. You. Realize. The. Person. Will. Talk. About. Types. And. Shadows. And. Show. You. That. Jesus. Christ. He. Was. And. He. Is. The. Lamb. That. Was. Slain. A. Person. Will. Begin. To. Show. You. The. Walk. Of. Elijah. And. Elisha. The. Various. Places. They. Went. To. And. How. Those. Names. Mean. In. Hebrew. Then. Now. He. Goes. Back. To. Apply. Into. Your. Life. In. Your walk towards the anointing. Remains. The person is walking and exploring the word of God. He has gone to the second surface. He now looks for hints, types and shadows in the Bible that the New Testament opens up, which the Old Testament has hidden. So you hear them usually say, what the New Testament reveals is what the Old Testament conceals. They will be clapping, hey, that guy is good, right man? Hey, this guy, oh my God, this guy, he's very good. Then before he says or expounds his revelation to you, he will start from there. Then how you begin? He begins to show you the chalice or the tabernacle and tell you the revelation behind the chalice. The animals from which those coverings were sourced and tell you how those animals typologically are showing the church in its work or Christ as his body. Remains. Jesus. Sold and preached on that level. To tell us that as Jonah was buried three days and three nights in the belly of the whale, that is the same way he, Jesus, would also be buried in the belly of the earth three days and three nights. Powerful typology hints. So when you see any preacher who preaches on types, he's not gone anywhere. He's just on the second level. On the third level of Bible interpretation. When you see a preacher, he doesn't bring types, he never brings hints, he never shows you paradise in Genesis chapter one and paradise in Revelation chapter two. He doesn't show you the mystery of the rivers, the four rivers in Genesis, and how they answer to the rivers that is flowing from the threshold of the throne. He doesn't speak to you the mystery of the tree of life that we find in Genesis and the mystery of the tree of life in Revelation chapter two. He doesn't speak to you about the mystery of the word of God that came to Adam and how that same word came to John. Please, it's all a mess. Using types, shadows, hints to expound on biblical truth. Very good. There's nothing wrong with that, but it's at the second level. Then now we come to the third level. The third level of expounding Bible truths. This is what Paul said, rightly dividing. So if you have the Bible and you don't divide it, you have not started your Bible studies. If you think that reading the Bible grammatically is dividing the Bible rightly, it is not true. You haven't because you have not even opened the Bible. You are the surface. You are dealing with the outer parts of the word of God. Because when you rightly divide the Bible, that page that you are reading, you have to look at it literally. You have to look at it typologically. Then you have to look at it exegetically by literature. What do we mean? A lot of times I hear people say exegesis. And when I see what they mean by exegesis, they are actually making reference to westernized mindsets. Now, a lot of preachers, when they read the Bible and say, read it in context, they are actually talking about, read from the chapters above to the verse concerned and then the verses beneath. Please, that is not context. Let's not waste our time. That is not reading in context. We will make some time and then explain these things. Please, pretext. Posttext is not reading context. Please, it is far from the truth. If that is how you think, let's read the Bible in context. It means let's go to the verses above and let's come down and read the verses beneath. Please, that is not contextual reading of the Bible. I will make time and explain all of these things if you have any further questions. Please, reading in context is not exegesis. And so for most people, if they are reading the Bible exegetically, they read pretext, posttext, and then the text under consideration. Once they have done that, they have read the Bible exegetically, and for which reason they claim that they have not done exegesis, but they did exegesis. Please, that is not exegesis. To read the Bible exegetically, it means, number one, you use the idiomatic expressions according to the native who wrote the Bible. This is exegetically reading your Bible. Number two, you are actually reading the Bible by the laws of biblical literature. Number three, you are reading the Bible sourcing the parables as they were derived from the Bible. Number four, you are reading the Bible sourcing the parables as they were derived from the Bible. Number five, you are reading the Bible sourcing the parables as they were derived from the Bible. Number six, you are reading the Bible through what is known as Middot, M-I-D-D-O-T. In this, we use the rules of rabbinic interpretation. We look at patterns. We read what is known as the Midrash. We look at typology. We look at the parables and the essential meaning of the names that have been mentioned in those parables. If they could be found in the Old Testament, to make meaning, to make meaning to the true story. What do I mean? For instance, the Bible talks about the parable of Lazarus and the rich man. Very interesting story. There is no way you will be able to understand what Jesus was saying if you don't read it according to the derash. Oh boy. Assembia bekebianye nukreda. Anything that you say on the parable of Lazarus, the rich man and Lazarus, my friend, who is Lazarus? Lazarus is Eliezer. The Hebrew word for Lazarus is Eliezer. Who is the rich man? The nation of Israel. The Bible said this particular guy had five brothers. Jesus was actually talking about things concerning Israel and the life of Israel hereafter. That is how come he makes reference to father. Father Abraham. That Lazarus died and was found in the bosom of father Abraham. Did Abraham have Lazarus when he was alive? Yes. Eliezer, who is grationized as Lazarus and then anglicized into English as Lazarus is the same Eliezer who was a servant of Abraham. How are you able to get this? Unless you know the derash. There is no plain reading. Remains reading. That can give you that understanding. You are now digging. You are rightly dividing the word of truth. Who is this rich man? The nation of Israel who had committed the lively oracles of God. He was clothed in purple. What is purple? He was a king and fine linen. What is fine linen? He was a priest. He fed sumptuously every day. What is that sumptuous feeding every day? The word of God. Friend, the Bible is not like the way you pick it, the rich man and Lazarus. And Lazarus was crying. And Lazarus was eating like a dog of the crumbs that fell from the rich man's table. No. And Lazarus was full of sauce. All of these things are speaking about that which was committed to Abraham and his household. The promise of God to Abraham and his house. So in derash, first of all, there is an easy way of approaching the derash. I'll teach on that soon. So remember we spoke on Prades, and we said P-R-D-S, Peshat, Remez, derash, then we come to the last portion, which very few enter those realms. The Sardis. Sardis. The mystical secret interpretation of the word of God. For instance, Jesus said, the light of the body is the eye. And that if thine eye be single, your body will be full of light. There is no way you break that thing unless you go into Sardis. The light of the body is the eye. If therefore thine eye be single, and the moment you hear, if therefore thine eye be single, this eye being single is actually an idiomatic expression, which means if you are generous. If therefore thine eye be single, this eye being single is actually an idiomatic expression, Because a single eye is a Hebrew expression, which means somebody who is a giver. How would you be able to get this if your eye is single? It doesn't matter how you read it in English grammar. You wouldn't get it. Jesus, how would you be able to get this? So there are certain idiomatic expressions. There are certain parables that unveil the truth of the word of God. Israel, when is Israel a fig tree? When is Israel a vine tree? How is the church divine? My father is a husband man. I am the vine. You are the branches. What is Jesus saying? Jesus was preaching at the level of the rash. And do you know what? When people say that. The words of Jesus, they are the easiest to comprehend. I just shake my head. I say, are you sure you know what you are talking about? You know, Jesus, he was such a very simple preacher. He would use parables. He would talk about beds, talk about trees, talk about. How do we call it? Wayside stones. Are you ready? Help us. Once a person is preaching with parables, he intends to hide something. So when he is done preaching to the public, his disciples will come to him and say, Master, what did you mean by this that you said in the parable? Then now Jesus will begin to expose to them. This means this. This means that the rash was the means by which rabbis hid biblical truths from the masses and explained what they meant to actually communicate to their in-house followers. House disciples. The derash. So a preacher may be speaking, covering the truths, hiding the true meaning of what he wanted to say. The Bible says, and without a parable, Jesus will never speak. He never opened his mouth unless he was going to preach at the derash. So if Jesus was preaching at that level and needed to interpret it, interpret what he was saying to his disciples in-house, then you have to be very careful. Thinking that when you read Jesus, you can read him plainly. Never. Then, the mystical dimension now looks at the sordid, the secrets, the hidden truths of divine reality. Let's do a quick one. The preacher looks and answers to the outer courts of the word of God. The remiss answers to the holy place of the word of God. Types and shadows. I don't know if you get me. That's when you now enter into the shadow, the place of darkness, the holy place, where you have the candlestick giving you light and showing you the shadows of yourself. Then now, the derash. We go into the most holy place. This is where the word of God is now covered with the rules of rabbinic interpretation, the midrots. We cover it with idiomatic expressions as well as comparative parables that we derive through the midrash patterns of things and all that has to do with it. Then now, we come to the mercy seat of God's divine presence. We come to the mercy seat of God's divine presence. at two covenants, the covenant of the flesh, the covenant of the spirit which all proceeded from the mother of us all Jerusalem above all right now if you got everything that we are saying and this is just in the exodus so Mount Sinai alone has brought so much confusion in the exodus they went through Egypt came through the Riti came through Mount Sinai and in Mount Sinai there are two covenants as it happened in the mount in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost when Pentecost happened in Mount Sinai and when Pentecost happened to adore the first covenant and when Pentecost happened to adore the second covenant the covenant of the of the two churches to begin the process of their walk because right from Egypt into Mount Sinai there were no laws governing the people it was in Mount Sinai that now there was no laws governing the people it was in Mount Sinai that now there was no laws governing the people it was in Mount Sinai that now there was no laws governing the people it was in Mount they now became a people with a law who could be governed it was just a flowing people who were going nowhere claiming that they were going to sacrifice but then the structure of governance was built in Mount Sinai that is the same way the structure of governance was built on the day of Pentecost by the church you see it then these two covenants they all came from God the Jerusalem above which is the mother of us all and which is the new Jerusalem the ultimate place where all of the covenants will be gathered together in one under one headship where all humanity regardless of where they are coming from will become one the Pantei the Panteistic revelation of God in all things the rash that is the level we are talking at now where we are looking at the husband and the wife and his children so we are looking at Abraham and we are looking at Sarah and we are looking at Hagar we are looking at the legalized wife and the wife that was given to Abraham by his legal wife Hagar an arrangement for the moment the rash hope you got it all right now let's deal with the drash alone because that's where the matter is a quick one whenever we are talking about the drash there are two forms of the drash very interesting there is what is known as the drash halakha when we talk about drash we know by the word of God that the Hebrew word drash is the way to seek people who are going deeper they are not just on the surface level do you know that when Jesus says seek he fears the kingdom of God he was actually talking that the rash now for instance let me just give you something in the book of Deuteronomy look at this look at this one in the book of Deuteronomy the chapter 4 the verse 29 pen these down chapter 11 the verse 12 chapter 12 the verse 5 1 Chronicles 16 11 28 verse 9 and Matthew 6 the verse 33 the Hebrew word that is used for seek is the word drash now the word drash actually means to seek that now when we now speak of the midrash we are talking about that action of seeking so I said there are two kinds the drash and the midrash they are one in the same I don't have all the time he said but if from then thou shalt seek the Lord thy God check it out and you see that it is drash now so when a person is seeking he's not superficially on the surface to search to examine to explore you are going into the depths of the word of God there are two laws that govern a midrash first of all there is a midrash halakha this is to interpret the word of God literally to speak of the commandments and how they are applied through rabbinic interpretation legal so for instance do you know that the 10 commandments no Jew would ever apply the 10 commandments by thinking that when he read it he understood it for instance thou shalt not sleep with thy thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife the Israeli would not think he knows a wife and think that he understands covert no even though the word is written thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife which is a law the Jew would go to church and ask a question what does he mean to covet and who is a wife then the rabbi will come now to explain who a wife is and what it means to covet and who is a wife and who is a wife you don't sit at home reading your bible thinking that you understand how not to covet your neighbor's wife unless there is a midrash and the midrash has laws the first way of looking at a midrash is to look at the word of God under the midrash with a halakha that is to say a legal interpretation and the rabbi is the one that would give you the understanding of what you are reading then on the second level there is a midrash agada agada which means a prophetic symbolic imaginative narrative interpretation of the word of God which fills the gaps between verses so if you have a verse a verse might state something like this but that verse can only be understood if you make a reference to another verse explaining that other verse here a little there a little is actually midrash agada and you cannot read that one chapter and be able to understand what the word of God is saying actually midrash agada is the way by which Hebrew people read the word of God in context it is the way by which the apostles read the bible in context it is the way by which Jesus read the bible in context the agada of the scriptures now so you would see that whenever a rabbi was teaching he came to fill the gaps in the scriptures and there were laws that govern this so if somebody was asking me this question concerning Elijah the Testbite whatever i say if i don't sound like his present-day theologian he would say that no what i'm saying is wrong what i'm saying is not the case because the person does not understand the biblical rules to hermeneutics the biblical rule to bible interpretation the biblical rules to exploring the word of God for surgical precision and the matter of Elijah the Testbite can never be answered people on the plain level it can never be answered on the remiss level it is only answered in the derash and in the sordid how do we fill the gap when you are approaching Elijah the Testbite you will need to approach that matter by the agada that's how come i'm talking about the agada i taught you all of that because if i had just started oh Elijah the Testbite it is by the rabbinic rule of biblical interpretation which follows the midrash agada now then you'll be you'll be at sea what is he talking about that's how come i needed to study from getting into the paradise of the word of God this is where there are things you are not legalized to speak so what do you do you put them in proverbs even though you are talking about them i don't know if you're getting me you see the bible says that paul said i heard unspeakable words that is not lawful for a man to utter so if he must say it he will polish it up in parables and leave them after all the people didn't get him the people didn't understand him so he has not spoken whatever he was supposed to speak unspeakable words in paradise midrash the derash now if you want to be a very good scholar of the word of God please don't confuse extra canonicals with the midrash why am i saying so because the old testament has its accompanying books of interpretation it is called the midrash they are not seen as extra canonicals anybody who thinks that the midrash is an extra canonical the person is only interpreting the word of God from the Bible they are not seen as extra canonicals they are not seen as extra canonicals they are not seeing as extra canonicals they are not seen as extra canonicals From the West will never speak against the Midrash because they know, but they may not be able to use it very well because they don't understand Hebrew. So the Midrash are the accompanying commentaries of authoritative rabbis under the rule of rabbinic interpretation of the word of God. So I'm saying that Elijah the Tishbite had an ancestry and somebody laid hands on Elijah the Tishbite. How would I be able to prove that? You will never be able to prove this on the Peshat and on the Remez unless you come to the Midrash. And as a result of that, when we read Elijah the Tishbite, we need accompanying comments. Documents to show who Elijah the Tishbite is by Bible verses and also by explaining who he was according to rabbinic literature. Who are rabbis? Masters. According to the teachers of the Old Testament. Of which, do you know what? All the New Testament, if you care to know, is a Midrash. Why do I say? All the New Testament is a Midrash of the Old Testament. All the writings of Jesus that we have been reading, Jesus as a rabbi giving his commentary on what was written in the Old Testament and then adding his authority to it, he was actually speaking on the level of the Midrash. Paul picking up, now watch here, the entire book of Hebrews. Let me explain some more so that you can get it. Who is Melchizedek? You need Paul to tell you who Melchizedek is. You can only know that on the authority that Paul is a rabbi. If you are not a rabbi, I won't listen to you. That's how Hebrews thought he must be a master of the word to tell us who Melchizedek is. Without mother, without father, without genealogy, without beginning of days, no end of life, this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, who met Abraham, returning from the. Lord of the Kings, and blessing. To whom also Abraham gave a tight part of all. So, you see, there is Melchizedek in the Old Testament, but it takes Paul to write the book of Hebrews to fill the gaps on the identity of Melchizedek. Can you imagine that till today? People are arguing on who Melchizedek is. Even after Paul had explained to us why, because when Paul was explaining, who Melchizedek is, he came by the Midrash. And so, still, if you want to stay on the Perez, sorry, on the Peshat, and on the Remez, you will not be able to still get what the book of Hebrews is saying. For instance, some people think that every sin is expiated by the blood. So, once you sin, it will only take blood to expiate it. But the book of Hebrews says almost all things, the. The Bible does not say all things. Read the book of Hebrews. Then now you begin to understand how other sins in the Old Testament were expiated with water, with washings, with ashes, without blood. And almost all things are by the law purged with blood. And without shedding of blood is no remission. Almost all things. You see, yet, even though this has been explained, you will not still be getting it because it's on the level of the Midrash. So, the entire book of Hebrews is actually a Midrash explaining the tabernacles, the priesthood that was shifted, the, how do you call it, the disappearing of the law, and all of these things on the level of the Midrash. Filling the gaps in the Old Testament scriptures. Good. So, let's assume and agree that we are all on the same page. Concerning Elijah the Tishbite. And let me take you through rabbinic sources of who Elijah the Tishbite is. Number one, Elijah is Phinehas. Case closed. How can you tell me Elijah is Phinehas? Take your time. Elijah is Phinehas. So, until you know that Elijah is Phinehas, you start saying he came from nowhere. He came from nowhere. How do we call it? We don't know who Elijah's father is. Who anointed Elijah? Who laid hands on him? All we see is that Elijah the Tishbite. Please. The Hebrew who knows Tishbe knows that Tishbe actually is a place in Gilead. When you read the word of God, the Bible says, Elijah the Tishbite of the inhabitants of Gilead, 1 Kings 17, the verse number one. This is too sweet. This is too sweet. And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the inhabitants of Gilead, the moment you hear Gilead, said unto Ahab, oh, I know who Elijah is. Elijah the Tishbite, Tishbe. Tishbe was in Gilead. Oh, really? If Elijah was from Gilead, what was Gilead in the Bible noted for? It was, it was the town that was referred to as one of the cities of refuge in Joshua 20, the verse eight to the verse nine. Gilead was one of the cities of refuge, Joshua 20, the verse eight to the verse nine. This city of refuge held what was known as the priestly company and the prophetic company. Right in the Old Testament. Now watch this. And on the other side, Jordan by Jericho Eastward. They assigned Bezer in the wilderness upon the plain out of the tribe of Reuben and Ramoth in Gilead out of the tribe of Gad and Golan in Bashan out of the tribe of Manasseh. This where the cities appointed for all the children of Israel and for the stranger that subjugated among them that whosoever killeth any person at Onawai shall not be killed. At Onawai's might flee Deedah and not die by the hand of the avenger of blood until he stood before the congregation. So if you know just a little bit of the cities of refuge, you know that in the days of the Old Testament, if somebody killed another, there were portions of the land in Israel where a person will run to. Now of the tribe of Gad, there were portions of the land in Israel and there was that place in verse 8. The Bible said there was Gilead, Ramoth in Gilead out of the tribe of Gad. This Ramoth in Gilead was the place that was assigned as a city of refuge. Now in Hosea 6, the verse 8 to the verse 9, remember that Gad is now part of the northern kingdoms. So the Bible said Gilead is a city of them that work iniquity and is not good. Gilead is polluted with blood. Hold on. Gilead is a city of them that work iniquity and is polluted with blood. You see, you can read Hosea 6 verse 8. You will never be able to understand what he's saying because to you, Gilead is a city. Okay, it's a city, yes. Of them that work iniquity, okay, and is polluted with blood. Who is he talking about? He's talking about the guy who ran away to Gilead to go and seek refuge in the city of refuge. So Gilead is a city. Who were the dwellers in the city of Gilead? One, them that work iniquity. Two, them who are polluted with blood. Maminka ni kri. Abra obie kum obino. Nye epe ne kunon. The avenger of blood. Epe su okunon. No dimrikano e ra Gilead. Onye rea Gilead pe untu minko kunon. Aho ni efero city of refuge. Once a person killed another, he runs into Gilead. And that city called Gilead was the place of two kinds of inhabitants. Please get me. The workers of iniquity who have been polluted with blood. We kum obi. E no jani mo janu. Because obi ni nechi ipe ne kunon. He's killed somebody and he's run for his life into a city in God referred to as Gilead. Often referred to as Ramoth Gilead. Now we have seen that who are the inhabitants of Gilead? One. Workers of iniquity polluted with blood. Now let's look at verse 9 and see who else were in Gilead. And as troops of robbers wait for a man. Jehovah. So, just as the avenger of blood, you know, in the days of Israel, if a person felt that his life was being sought after because he had killed another, he would run to the city of refuge. So assuming your sister or your brother had been killed, what you do is that, you will now stay at the borders of the city of refuge. You cannot enter into a city of refuge and kill somebody over there for the sin that you have committed. Once a person committed the sin of manslaughter, slaying somebody and enter the city of refuge the avenger of blood will now wait by the borders of the city till this guy who killed his sibling or his neighbor or his friend or whoever steps out of the city of refuge then now he avenges the blood of the one that he killed. I hope you got it. Now, Hosea 6 verse 8 to 9 this has a very beautiful illustration and you see until you know the city of refuge and you know what Gilead is and you understand what Gilead represents in scripture you are at sea. Whatever you say in Hosea 6 verse 8 either you escape that scripture or you say nonsense. Either when you get there you just skip over but look at verse 9 and as troops of robbers wait for a man saw the company of priests murder in the way by consents for they commit lewdness. Who were in Gilead? Gilead was known as the city of priests. Elijah the Tishbite he came from a lineage a Levitical priesthood that had been divided into the various tribes of Israel dwelling in one of the cities of refuge. Let me show you another. In 1 Kings 22 Gilead was actually the place where the northern kings of Israel would go and seek the mind of God because Gilead was a city that was known as the city of prophetic inquisition. How do we know? Now watch this. In 1 Kings 22 from the verse 1 to the verse 9 and they continue three years with our between Syria and Israel. We are not talking about Judah because Judah is different from Israel and it came to pass in the third year that Jehoshaphat the king of Judah came down to the king of Israel. Did you see it? Judah came down to Israel. So I hope you understand it now. Please let's go back. Let's go back. They continue three years. There was no war between Syria and Israel. Please if you don't know the difference between Israel and Judah Israel is made up of the ten northern kingdoms and Judah is made up of the three southern kingdoms. Bin Hu Levi Benjamin and then Judah of the tribe of Judah. These three made up the southern kingdoms and Israel was made up of the ten northern kingdoms. It came to pass in the third year that Jehoshaphat the king of Judah came down to the king of Israel. So some of the people are how can there be a king in Judah and a king of Israel because there was a king of the northern kingdom and a king of the southern kingdom. But what was Gilead? I said Gilead was known as the town of the inquisition because it held the kingdom of Judah in the company of priests who were able to stand as prophets. Watch here. And the king of Israel said unto his servants Know ye that Ramoth in Gilead is ours. You see Ramoth, Ramoth, Ramoth in Gilead. And we bestill and take it not out of the hand of the king of Syria. And he said unto Jehoshaphat Would thou go with me to battle to Ramoth Gilead? And Jehoshaphat said to him I said to the king of Israel I am as thou art my people as thy people my horses as thy horses. And Jehoshaphat said unto the king of Israel Inquire, make an inquisition. I pray thee. At the word of the Lord today then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together about 400 men and said unto them Shall I go against Ramoth Gilead to battle or shall I forbear? And they said go up for the Lord shall deliver it into the hand of the king. Verse 7. And Jehoshaphat said Is there not here a prophet of the Lord besides this company of prophets that we might inquire of him? And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat There is yet one man Micaiah the son of Imlah by whom you may inquire of the Lord but I hate him for he doth not prophesy good concerning me but evil. And Jehoshaphat said Let not the king say so. Then the king of Israel called an officer and said Hasten hither Micaiah the son of Imlah. Let's read on. And the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah sat each on his throne having put on their robes in a void place in the entrance of the gate of Samaria. You know Samaria was actually of Dan which was the capital of the northern tribes and all the prophets prophesied before them. And Zedekiah the son of Kenanah made him horns of iron and he said That's here the Lord with this I'll have power push the Syrians until they have consumed them. And all the prophets prophesied saying Go up to Ramoth Gilead and prosper for the Lord shall deliver it into the king's hand. And the messenger that was going to come Micaiah spoke unto him saying My friend behold the words of the prophet declare good unto the king with one mouth. Let your word I pray thee be like the word of one of them and speak that which is good. And Micaiah said As the Lord leave it what the Lord sayeth unto me that will I speak. So he came to the king and the king said unto him Micaiah shall we go against Ramoth Gilead to battle or shall we forbear? He answered him Go and prosper for the Lord shall deliver it into the hand of the king. And the king said unto him How many times shall I adjure you that you should tell me nothing but that which is true in the name of the Lord. And he said I saw Israel scattered upon the hills as sheep that have not a shepherd. And the Lord said These have no master let them return every man to his house in peace. And the king of Israel said unto Joseph Didn't I tell you that he will not prophesy any good but evil? And he said Hear thou therefore the word of the Lord. I saw the Lord sitting on his throne and all the hosts of heaven standing by him on his right hand and on his left hand just by the way. So now you can see and the Lord said Who shall persuade Ahab that he may go up and fall at Ramoth Gilead and one said on this manner and the other said on that manner. You can go on and read the verse of scripture. But what I'm trying to show to you is that one the Lord said Tishbe in Gilead Gilead was the city of refuge of God made up of the company of priests and prophets. Okay. So if you wanted to know the inhabitants of Gilead there were two inhabitants of Gilead who were they? Men who had polluted themselves with blood workers of iniquity and let's say Levitical priests priests who lived in Gilead. Gilead was known as the city of refuge and also referred to as the city of the company of priests. Why were they called the company of priests? Because priests were sent in companies from one place to the other from one place to the other and shared amongst the cities of refuge. Elijah the Tishbite being a prophet had a school of the prophets and he was a prophet. I hope you know that. We don't need to waste our time on that. This Elijah the Tishbite started his journey from Gilead all the way to Jordan. I hope you know that one too. If that is clear to you then who is Elijah? He must be one of two things. Elijah must be a worker of iniquity or he must be a priest to live in that land. Can we go over it? Should I repeat myself for you again? There are two iniquities. There are two inhabitants in Gilead. The workers of iniquity and priests or the company of priests and prophets. How are we able to prove that? One, Gilead was a city of refuge. Number two, that city of refuge would have assigned priests, the company of priests and prophets. Gilead was known as the town of divine inquisition. Please get that. Why? Because of the prophets that lived in Gilead. Elijah actually started his journey with Elisha from Gilead all the way to Jordan. And it is known in scripture. No need to waste our time on that. If that was right, let us now look at Elijah according to what we have seen right now was a priest, a prophet or a worker of iniquity. Those are the inhabitants of Gilead. Whenever you say you are from Gilead, everybody knows that, oh, okay, you must either be a priest or a worker of iniquity. Somebody who has run to seek refuge in that city. Elijah the Tishbite. One of the inhabitants of the inhabitants of Gilead. Now you see, when I read things like that, 1 Kings 17.1, the Bible has given you so much clue about who Elijah is. But you are here saying that we don't know the source of the Elijah, please, we know the source of Elijah. Elijah was a priest. Elijah was a prophet. He was a prophetic priest. One that stood in the oracle of God as a priest. He said, Elijah the Tisbite, who was of the inhabitants of Gilead? Because Gilead has two inhabitants, the workers of iniquity and the priestly company. Who now stood in the office of the prophet? All right. As if that is not enough, let us look at the parallels. And I'm saying that Elijah is Phinehas. How do we know? In Numbers 25, the verse 11, look at something. The Bible said, and when Phinehas, the son of Eliezer, the son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he rose up from among the congregation and took a javelin in his hand. Let's go to verse 8. And he went after the men of Israel into the tent, thrust both of them through, the man of Israel and the woman through her belly. So the plague was stayed from the children of Israel. We are going all the way to verse 11. And those that died in the plague were 20 and 4,000, 10. And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, watch here. Phinehas, the son of Eliezer, the son of Aaron the priest, hath turned my wrath away from the children of Israel, while he was zealous for my sake among them, that I consume not the children of Israel, in my jealousy. Number one, Phinehas was the son of Eliezer, the son of Aaron the priest. He was one that the Bible said he was zealous for my sake. 1 Kings 19, 10. 1 Kings 19, 10. Who is Elijah then? Please, can you be snappy? And he said, I have been very zealous for the Lord God of hosts. For the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with a sword. And I, even I only, am left. And they seek my life to take it away. Verse 11. And he said, go forth and stand upon the mount before the Lord. And behold, the Lord passed by in a great and a strong wind, rained the mountains, and breaking pieces the rocks before the Lord. But the Lord was not in the wind. After an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. And you can carry on. You realize that Phinehas, look at the verse 10 of 1 Kings 19. The Bible said, in Numbers 25, verse 11, Phinehas was jealous for the Lord. 25, the verse number 11. He was jealous for the Lord. He said, that I consume not the children of Israel in my jealousy. For Phinehas hath turned my wrath away from the children of Israel, while he was zealous for my sake amongst them. Same thing, 1 Kings 19, 10. Elijah, zealous. Now, let's do another one. Numbers 25, the verse number 12. Verse 13. Look at this. Wherefore, say ye, behold, I give unto him my covenant of peace. Now, according to Hebrew expression, when a person had a covenant of peace, it actually means that the person had perpetuity to pass on priesthood from one generation to another. That's a covenant of peace. So, the Bible said, Phinehas, he has a covenant of peace. Okay. If that is true, and he shall have it. Oh, my word. And he seed after him. Even the covenant of an everlasting priesthood. Because he was zealous for his God. And made an atonement for the children of Israel. Okay. Let's go to 1 Kings 19, 15 to 16. About this time, to prove that Elijah is a priest, you should simply know, that the priesthood comes from one generation to another to another. So, you now know the source of Elijah. But I want to give you convincing proofs. And the Lord said unto him, Go, return on thy way to the wilderness of Damascus. And when thou comest, anoint Hazel to be king over Syria. Jehu, the son of Nimshi, shalt thou anoint to be king over Israel. And Elisha, the son of Shaphat of Ebel-Meholah, shalt thou anoint to be king over Israel. shalt thou anoint to be prophet in thy room. The prophetic must continue. Because when you read the word of God, the Bible talks about the company of prophets. Who were the company of prophets? Some of the time we attempted to think that they were just prophetic people. No, the company of prophets were the company of priests who were able to stand in the oracular dimension of the word of God. The school of the prophets, that you find, were actually the company of prophets who were under a head. Like the way Samuel was over the company of prophets. In Dan and in Ramoth Gilead, you can read all of that. So, we now see continuity of ministry. Elisha had to take over from who? Elijah. Phinehas had to him the covenant of peace. A perpetual priesthood, according to the word of God. Now, Malachi 4, the verse 5 to the verse 6. The Bible said, Behold, I send you Elijah, the prophet, before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. Hold on. Before we prove that this Elijah, the prophet, is a priest, Malachi 1. Come on, read downwards. Yes, Malachi 1, verse 1. Now, please be quick for me. The burden of the word of the Lord to Israel by Malachi. So, we are looking at the 10 northern kingdoms. Then now, the word of God in Malachi chapter 2. Let's go. Please be quick with me. And now, all ye priests. Get this. So, who was the book of Malachi written to? And say, to the priests. Then, this commandment is for you. Then, Malachi 3, the verse 1. Please be quick. Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me. Hold on. You know who he was talking about, right? John the Baptist. Can you get it? Can you get John the Baptist? Who was John the Baptist from? From who? Zechariah. Who was Zechariah? The priest. After the order of Abijah. Are we together in the same place now? So, John the Baptist, he was a priest. Now, somebody says, Jesus said, if you are able to receive it, John the Baptist is Elijah. How are you able to do that? Why? John the Baptist is Elijah because Elijah is Phinehas, and Phinehas is Aaron. Can't you get it? Because this is successive priesthood all the way from Aaron to John. And within that priesthood, Aaron was not compromised. He was not permitted perpetual priesthood. He was only appointed as the priest. It was Phinehas that stood in perpetual priesthood. Why? Because of his zeal for the Lord. Phinehas, the son of Eliezer, the son of Aaron, the priest, had turned my wrath away from the children of Israel. While he was zealous for my sake among them, that I consume not the children of Israel in my jealousy, verse 12, Wherefore, say, behold, I have given unto him my covenant of peace, verse 13. He now says, and he shall have it. Which priesthood was everlasting? Talk to me. Phinehas, not Aaron. You see, Aaron had a priesthood. It was in the days of Phinehas, his action of the zeal of the Lord, that the Aaronic priesthood now became an everlasting priesthood by covenant of peace. I am saying Elijah is Phinehas. I am saying John is Elijah. And I'm saying Elijah is Phinehas. And I'm saying Phinehas is from Aaron. Don't come saying, I'm free, baby. I am free. Don't come saying, we don't know where Elijah is from. Elijah is Tishbe from Gilead, the city. With the company of priests and prophets. No one laid hands on Elijah. Who told you? Elijah was a priest. This is the reason why he was the one that called the nation of Israel to order. He said, build an altar. Do you think that the nation of Israel will surround themselves around someone who will say, we are building an altar? No. That would be an overthrow of divine order. It will not be allowed. No person will walk towards Elijah. Once Elijah says, now, see what Elijah did. Elijah said, put up 12 stones. What do you think he was doing? The 12 stones represent who? The 12 tribes of Israel. He said, slay your brook. Do you know that the priest of Baal, in the contention with Elijah, was actually a contention between priesthood? And that is how come Elijah, now will do what? He will set up the fire. Now watch this. When Aaron set up the fire, in the days when he raised the altar fire came from heaven and consumed it some people think that Elijah was some strange person no no no no that thing was already in his lineage when Aaron set the fire according to the word of God whenever you set fire that fire that is divine had to come from heaven to come and consume whatever you have placed on the altar so the priest of Baal could not invoke fire why they didn't have that everlasting perpetual priesthood it was not with them I say again Elijah I hope by now you should be settled Elijah is Phinehas Phinehas is Aaron and John is Elijah can you understand how that thing flows so how by now you know the lineage of Elijah where he came from okay so I've shown it to you biblically now let us now go now that we've seen all of this bible verses bible verses bible verses now let us go into the midrash written by rabbinic authorities number one on exodus 625 doesn't miss words he said and Eliezer the son of Aaron took himself a wife he was commenting on exodus 625 see this and Eliezer Aaron's son took him one of the daughters of Putiel to wife and she bare him Phinehas these are the heads of the fathers of the Levites according to their families now here Tagum Jonathan on his writing concerning exodus 625 and please you can look me out and search me out and confirm Tagum Jonathan in commenting on exodus 625 said and Eliezer the son of Aaron took himself a wife and she bore to him Phinehas full stop here is commentary and Phinehas this is Elijah no beating around the bush and Phinehas this is Elijah and Phinehas this is Elijah you are the one who thinks you are the order of Elijah so nobody lays hands on you you have no lineage you have no father you have no mother you have uttered what you have said is sacrilege you you have uttered blasphemy you you have a ministry no father no mother no roots no there is no satin in the bible I hope by now you can get me I said from bring anybody in the bible that has no spiritual lineage there is not one Jesus had a lineage Jesus needed a man to separate him so people just wake up Elijah the tastebite he didn't come from anywhere so how do you prove that I remember when I finished the transmission one of my sons walked up to me said pastor listen I are saying yeah I think you didn't read this verse of scripture the one that easily comes to mind is Elijah the tastebite then I laughed I smiled I said you see when I'm teaching take your time let me finish slow it down only for me to get onto the comment session to see somebody asking what of Elijah the tastebite I was like wow Elijah the tastebite had no father had no mother he must be Melchizedek then he had no ancestry he really must be Melchizedek but we would also talk about Melchizedek another time without father without mother it you see the the statement Elijah the tastebite of the inhabitants of Gilead is the clue so much loaded in that verse of scripture okay let's read some more rabbinic literature on who Elijah is when you read Perkei the rabbi Eliezer 47 he goes straight he said Phineas is Elijah P-I-R-K-E-I then the rabbi D-E-R-A-B-B-I Eliezer 47 on the matter of Phineas he said Phineas is Elijah okay at the amount of two or three I'll give you four when now you also read Yaakut Shimoni Pinkas 771 please I'm giving you all the references please these are not referred to as extra canonicals they are rabbinic commentaries on the old testament who is what who is this you need the midrash to understand some of these things but if you were today I didn't just jump up to say oh Tagum Jonathan said that um how do you call it Phineas is Elijah no I took you with bible verses showed you what Gilead was the company of priests and prophets the city of refuge how Elijah was of teach me of the Gileadites how Elijah and I've shown to you how Elijah sacrificed how Elijah and how do you call it place a calf on the altar and fire from heaven came to consume that calf or that um how do you call it sacrifice that simply means he was a priest he was only a prophet then that settles it we could have just ended it this way but so somebody will still say that does not mean that he has a lineage it simply means we don't know who and where he came from we know who and where he came from he came from Gilead the place which is the city of refuge with two kinds of inhabitants the inhabitants of the workers of iniquity and the inhabitants who are priests and prophets okay now hear what Yalkut Shimoni says please before time and time again Jesus also came and repeated the same thing he said John is Elijah how I've told you already Elijah carried the perpetual priesthood but I say unto you that Elias is come already and they knew him not but I've done unto him whatsoever they listed likewise and also the son of man suffer of them hear what Yalkut Shimoni said he said Phinehas that is Elijah who is still alive and will retain Phinehas that is Elijah pre-care the rabbi said Phinehas is Elijah Tagum Jonathan said Phinehas this is Elijah Yalkut Shimoni says Phinehas that is Elijah who is still alive and will retain Phinehas that is Elijah who is still alive and will retain Phinehas that is Elijah who is still alive and will retain now Zohar 3 Zohar z-o-h-a-r 3 verse 2 1 5 a says Phinehas and Elijah are one and the same Phinehas and Elijah they are one and they are the same what do you think he's talking about he's talking about a lineage of prophetic and priesthood so I'm asking a question who is Elijah of Gilead who was he a priest how do you become a priest hands are laid on you who is your father I want to show you the ultimate father of Elijah is Aaron or Phinehas the ultimate father of John is Aaron how do we know his father is Zachariah go straight backward his great grandfather is Elijah his greatest grandfather is Phinehas his great great great great great great great great great great great great great you don't have any great great grandfather you are a pastor you have no lineage where did you come from you came from Boko even Boko there's a lineage there how I don't know how I can explain these things to you again but now finally do you know that when it comes to these issues Jesus said two things he said to him that wills to receive there are some people that think I preach even all the best I've given them and they will not receive it Matthew 11 40 he said if you will receive it this is Elias which was for to come let's start from verse 13 for all the prophets and the law prophesied until John if you will receive it this is Elias which was for to come powerful hear that at ears to hear let him hear if you will receive it then there is the second part where Jesus does not say if you receive it he said if you are able to receive it but I say unto you that Elias has come already and they knew him not but I've done unto him whatsoever they listed likewise shall also the son of man suffer of them then when Jesus was speaking about eunuchs I won't waste time on that he said if you can if you are able to receive so there are things that regardless of what we say people will not receive it and people cannot receive it you see whenever you are preaching there are two kinds of resistors people who will not receive they don't care about whether they can they will not receive it and yet I say we we won't receive it then there are another group of people they cannot not receive it because they have been indoctrinated their minds have been skewed once in a certain way that they are not able to receive it he said in matthew 9 12 for there are some eunuchs which were so born from their mother's womb and there are some eunuchs which were made eunuchs of men and there be eunuchs which are made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake he that is able to receive it let him receive it so in the truth of biblical reception there are those who will not receive and there are those who are not able to receive and there are those who are able to receive if you ever said or have ever preached on the fact that there is no genealogy no one laid hands on elijah please repent before god never make that statement again elijah the tishbite is of gilead and elijah is phineas and phineas is elijah zohar says phineas and elijah are one and the same i know somebody is going to come up let me just round up and say that but john the baptist said he is not elijah have you seen it why did john the baptist say he's not elijah because he was talking on peshat he was talking on peshat literally i'm not elijah but on madrash jesus said john is elijah which of them will you believe john said i'm not elijah jesus said john is elijah who do you want to believe who is lying here none of them none of them they are not lying i i heard some preacher from nigeria say that the report of john is elijah who do you want to believe john is a lie and the report of jesus is true john was lying about his lineage no john was not lying about his lineage you don't understand the surgical precision of the scriptures john was talking on the level of peshat literally i am not elijah madrash and sody i am elijah so at what level was jesus talking on madrash and sody this john is elijah for he will come in the spirit and in the power of elijah after today don't run away into ministry without fatherhood repent if you don't have a father pray about it and let god show you your spiritual lineage connect to divine source by men separating you to the work that you have been called i will say to you that you are not elijah you are not elijah you are not elijah you are not elijah i will say it again without repenting anybody doing ministry without a father without a spiritual lineage you are a fugitive and you are a vagabond repent for your true spiritual lineage exists pray about it if you ask me pastor who is your father ah without blinking my mother is madan alice my father is prophet kobus where do we hail from we hail from smith wigglesworth that is our lineage don't you understand successive patterns of priesthood mantles passed on i'm not confused i know where i came from i am not a mixer of streams i have a lineage i am not a mixer of streams i have a lineage and my mother were given better by lester sumrall my grandfather lester sumrall was given better by smith wigglesworth madan alice gave birth to me i have a lineage why do we work miracles with ease go and ask our great-grandfather smith wigglesworth the grace and the anointing has been passed on from generation to generation that is where we hail from somebody may be asking so who is the father of smith wigglesworth when you meet him you can ask him at least i've told you my lineage i know where i come from i'm still submitted to covering i'm still submitted to the perpetuity of the anointing man of god who is your father who is your mother children obey your parents in the lord for this is right if you don't have a parent in the lord that you are under answering to by divine obedience this is wrong today i end it this way ephesians chapter 6 verse 1 children obey your parents in the lord for this is right if you don't have a parent in the lord this is wrong w-r-o-n-g it's wrong i hope that all this exhaustive teaching has blessed you it was important that we start from the paradise of the word of god so that you're able to receive the revelation of the midrash the rabbinic commentaries and the revelation of gaps within scriptural verses say what you know and stick to what the scriptures say whatever and whoever you are look for your lineage submit and grow to me all authorities of god and let every man be subject to the higher powers for whosoever resisted the power resisted the ordinance of god
Speaker 1thanks so much for listening we trust that you've been blessed with truth for life be sure to subscribe to the doctor podcast to receive new messages every week until next time remain blessed shalom
PodcastTranscript AI