RIGHTEOUSNESS VS UNRIGHTEOUSNESS
Hello doves!!
A few weeks ago I presented my study into the TWO TREES in the Garden of Eden: The Tree of Life and the Tree of the knowledge of Good and Evil, this study will continue from there, as we look into the branches of good and evil, and the Serpent, before we go into the temptation of Eve.TWO BRANCHES from TWO TREES
The word “branch” is never used in the Book of Genesis, but, is used several times in the Old Testament. It is never used in the Book of Revelation either, but is used a few times in the New Testament. Therefore, this study will take us to other books of the Bible, where these two branches are clearly defined. In order that we completely understand the import of what God is telling us, we will need to explore the meaning of this word, as it applies to Christ and how it applies to Lucifer (Satan).I was surprised at how easy it was to find references to Christ when researching this word. God gives us two major clues here, which cannot be overlooked. First of all, in several chapters and verses, the word “branch” is capitalized, thus pointing us to its importance. But, even more telling, are the verses where this word is ALL CAPS! This is a very unusual occurrence in the Bible, as there are only a handful of words that are written this way, and most of them are in the Book of Revelation in reference to some major end-time players, including Christ.Christ
We will look into this BRANCH first, and see where it leads us. The two verses where this word is all capital letters are found in the Book of Zechariah. Let’s see what they tell us.
Zechariah 3:8“Hear now, O Joshua the high priest, thou, and thy fellows that sit before thee: for they are men wondered at: for, behold, I will bring forth my servant the BRANCH.”
Zechariah 6:12“And speak unto him, saying, Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, saying, Behold the man whose name is The BRANCH: and he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the Lord.”Wow! Even the word “the” is capitalized before the word BRANCH in this verse! This is a very special branch and could only be speaking of Jesus Christ. But, just to make this even more clearly understood; let’s look into the special meaning of the word, as used in these verses. The Hebrew meaning for this word is used only 5 times in the Old Testament, in the verses we are studying, and it is H-6780.
Strong’s Concordance, page 1564, H-6780 states:semah; from H-6779 meaning to “sprout” (usually concrete) literal or figurative:-- bring forth, cause to bud forth, cause to grow, make to grow, cause to spring forth, or spring up, branch, that which grew upon, where grew.
Clearly, this usage is pointing us to Christ and the Tree of Life. Yet, to make this understanding even more complete, let’s take a look at the other three verses where the word “branch”, though not all caps, begins with a capital B.
Isaiah 11:1-2“And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord.”Jeremiah 23:5-6“Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.”Jeremiah 33:15“In those days, and at that time, will I cause the Branch of righteousness to grow up unto David; and he shall execute judgment and righteousness in the land.”
Well that pretty well cinches it. This Branch is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ. We know that Jesus is from the seed line of Jesse, and also of the seed line of David, by reading the genealogy of Christ in the first chapter of the Book of Matthew. Yet, there can be no doubt, when the Lord uses all capital letters in describing this branch; he is “THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.
Lucifer
The findings about this “branch” are not as obvious, as the ones about Christ, but they are indicated, nicely, by the use of a different meaning for the word. As discussed before, the word/name Lucifer is used only once in the whole Bible, and this is to describe the fall of Satan. Therefore, upon researching the word “branch” we do find two places in the Old Testament where Satan is referred to in describing a particular type of “branch”. Could it be the lord of our unrighteousness? Let’s look at those verses and see what we can find.
Isaiah 14:19“But thou art cast out of thy grave like an abominable branch, and as the raiment of those that are slain, thrust through with a sword, that go down to the stones of the pit; as a carcass trodden under feet.”Malachi 4:1“For behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.”
The first quote, above, is taken from the same chapter of Isaiah that speaks of Lucifer and how far he has fallen. Therefore, the “abominable branch” is a direct reference to him. The verse in Malachi is speaking of the end-times and the Second Coming of Christ, when Satan shall be destroyed in the Lake of Fire. Now, let us look into the meaning of the word “branch” as used in these two verses.
Isaiah 14:19 uses H-5341-2, and Malachi 4:1 uses H-6057, so we will look at all three.Strong’s Concordance; page 1542, H-5341 and H-5342 state:
H-5341: nasar; a primitive root; “to guard” in a good sense (protect, maintain, obey etc.) or a bad one (conceal etc.):-- besieged, hidden thing, keeper, keeping, monument, observe, preserve, subtil, watcher, watchman.
H-5342: neser; from H-5341 in the sense of greenness as a striking color; a shoot; figuratively; a descendant: -- branch.
When we compare the meanings of the words that the Lord uses to describe these two branches, we are amazed how easy it is to see the very distinct differences that point directly to who they are. Although they are the same word, they have opposite meanings. The branch that is Christ is strikingly obvious, by the use of all caps, of course, but also by definition. Words such as “sprout, bring forth, cause to grow, cause to bud forth” are all about living and life and growth and revealing.
Whereas, the meaning of the word “branch”, used to describe Satan, are words such as “hidden thing, keeper, observe, watcher, watchman and SUBTIL”. Christ is all about revelation and growth, and Lucifer/Satan is all about concealing, and being the keeper of hidden things. Yet, the most striking word used to describe him is the word “subtil”, because that is the exact word that is used to describe the Serpent, in Genesis 3:1, and will prove that this “serpent” has much to do with the spirit of the anti-Christ, that will come again (in the flesh), to rule the world, in the last three and a half years of the Tribulation. Let us now turn our focus to this creature.The “Subtil” Serpent/Beast
“Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field that the Lord God had made.” (Gen.3:1)
This is the first time that we see the serpent mentioned, and from this initial description we can see, that whatever this serpent represents, he is the most “subtil beast” that the Lord created. Therefore, the intentions of such a “beast” would be most difficult to discern. What I find most fascinating about this verse is the use of the words serpent and beast together. What is the serpent in the Garden, will become the Beast in the end times. It is just amazing what the Lord is revealing in the first 3 chapters of the Holy Bible!
We will be looking into the definition of the three major words used in this verse, and we will do so in this order; serpent, beast, subtil.
Serpent
The first thing that we notice upon looking up this word, in the Concordance, is that there is only one meaning in the Old Testament and only one meaning in the New. We will take a look at the word in Hebrew first: H-5175 and H-5172.
Strong’s Concordance, page 1540; H-5175 and H-5172 state:H-5175 ‘nahas’; from H-5172; a snake (from its hiss):--serpent.
H-5172 ‘nahas’; a primitive root; properly to hiss, i.e. whisper a (magic) spell; generally to prognosticate:--certainly, divine, enchanter, enchantment, use enchantment, learn by experience, indeed, diligently observe.Wow! That description tells a great deal about the serpent in the Garden of Eden. Let’s look at some Bible verses that have the same meaning as in Genesis 3:1. Included in these verses will be the use of the word “serpent’s”, which will aid our understanding of this subtle beast.
Genesis 3:13“And the Lord God, said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.”Isaiah 14:29“Rejoice not thou, whole Palistina, because the rod of him that smote thee is broken: for out of the serpent’s root shall come forth a cockatrice, and his fruit shall be a fiery flying serpent.”Isaiah 65:25“The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock: and dust shall be the serpent’s meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith the LORD.These verses are definitely describing Satan, and we will look into this more as we go along. Now, let’s see if the definition in the New Testament can add anything to what we already know. We find that the definition in Greek is G-3789.
Strong’s Concordance; page 1655, states:H-3789: ophis; probably from G-3700 (through the idea of sharpness of vision); asnake, figuratively (as a type of sly cunning) an artful malicious person, especially Satan:--serpent.
Here are a few verses from the Book of Revelation that use this meaning, and will reinforce our understanding of this “sly cunning” beast.
Revelation 12:9“And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.”Revelation 20:2“And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years.”Can there be any doubt? The serpent in the Garden of Eden, in Genesis, is the same serpent in Revelation. Without a doubt, this serpent is the Devil, Satan. The word “devil” is not used in the Old Testament, so we will look into that later. Yet, one interesting thing is just like ‘evil’ is ‘live’ spelled backward, the ‘devil’ is ‘lived’ spelled backward. Like looking in a mirror, the reflection; the illusion, is just the opposite of reality.
We know that this serpent is Satan, but, to complete this study let’s now look into the word “beast”, and see if we can glean more informationBEASTHere we will examine the different definitions for the word “beast”, and the first thing we find is that there are two major definitions used in the Old Testament, and only two definitions in the New Testament.
The definition that suits our purposes, as it is the one used for the verse we are studying, is H-2416. But, before we look at that, let’s see what the most common usage is. We find that it would be H-929, which states that it is a mute, dumb beast, especially any quadruped or animal: such as cattle, beasts.
Now let’s compare the word usage found in Gen. 3:1, which is H-2416. This definition entails several others, therefore, I will list them simply, and we can get a grasp of what their combined meanings tell us.
Strong’s Concordance; pages 1495 and 1496,
H-2416 states; ‘hay’: raw (flesh); fresh (plant, water, year) strong, life, living thing, living creature, wild beast, old, quick, troop.
H-2421 states; ‘haya’: to live, revive, keep alive, suffer to live, quicken, repair, restore.
H-2331 states; ‘hawa’: to live intensely, declare or show.
H-2324 states; ‘hawa’: (Arabic) to show; shew.
Well, we can certainly see from these descriptions that this beast is no dumb, mute beast! He is made of flesh, strong and alive, living intensely, to declare or show his strength. This beast is an intelligent and somewhat arrogant beast, anxious to declare his physical aliveness.
The New Testament definitions are even more descriptive, and tell us exactly who this beast is. In fact, these two definitions are found in the Book of Revelation and one describes a “good” beast, and the other describes the “bad” beast. Let’s check it out. We will begin in the order of their mention, in the Book of Revelation, with the “good” beast, first.
Strong’s Concordance; page 1632, G-2226 and G-2198 states:
G-2226: ‘zoon’ neuter of a derivative of G-2198; a live thing:--beast.
G-2198: ‘zao’ a primary verb; to live (literally or figuratively):--life, lifetime, live, alive, lively, quick.
Now let us take a look at some of the passages in Revelation that reveals the identity of this “good” beast.
Revelation 4:7-8“And the first beast was like a lion, and the second beast was like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle. And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.”These “beasts” are in heaven, and they are worshiping the Lord. They are also the beasts that say “come and see” when Christ is opening the seven seals. They are “spiritually” alive beasts, as opposed to beasts of the flesh.
Let’s now, turn our attention to the “bad” beast of Revelation. We find that its definition is G-2342 and G-2339.
Strong’s Concordance; page 1634
G-2342 states: ‘therion’; diminutive from the same as G-2339; a dangerous animal:-- (venomous, wild) beast.
G-2339 states: ‘thera’ from ‘ther’ (a wild animal, as game); hunting, i.e. (figuratively) destruction: -- trap.
This is a beast of a different color! This beast is dangerous and wild and is the Beast that is hunting for human souls. We will see this is true as we examine some verses in Revelation that use this exact definition.Revelation 13:2“And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of as lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.”Revelation 20:10“And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.”We now know that the “beast” mentioned in these verses is controlled by Satan, the Lord makes that abundantly clear. The words God uses in the Book of Revelation are the same words he introduces us to in the Book of Genesis. The serpent/beast that is going to ‘beguile’ Eve is of the same “spirit” as the one that is thrown into the lake of fire; the spirit of the anti-Christ.
There is another quality of this “serpent/beast” that must be mentioned here, that has to do with its character. This beast was the most “subtil” (subtle) beast that the Lord God created. Let us look into that word and its meaning before we wander into the Garden, to see what happens next.SUBTIL/SUBTLE
First of all we see that the spelling is different in the Bible, than the spelling we use in modern times, but there meaning is the same. Interesting, this word is used only three times in the whole of the Bible, and all three times are in the Old Testament. We also find that there are three different meanings each time it is used. The specific meaning in Gen. 3:1 is H-6175 and H-6191 combined; we will look at that first.
Strong’s Concordance; page 1555H-6175 states: ‘arum’; passive particle of H-6191; cunning (usually in a bad sense):--crafty, prudent, subtil.
H-6191 states: ‘aram’; a primitive root; properly to be (or make) bare; but used only in the derivative sense (through the idea perhaps of smoothness) to be cunning (usually in a bad sense):-- very, beware, take crafty counsel, be prudent, deal subtilly.Briefly, this definition is different from the other two that we mentioned. Both the other two definitions have a positive spin on the word “subtil”, words like: wise, intelligent, artful, skillful, wise man, are used. The above definition is only used once and that is when the Lord is describing the subtil serpent beast that tempts Eve.From the above study we can see that this “serpent” is no ordinary snake, it is Satan himself. As we have already found out “the Serpent” is just one of Satan’s many names. The tree of knowledge of good and evil represents the spirit of Satan. Trees are known by their fruit and the fruit of this tree is the fruit of illusion and lies, just like the tree.
Satan is not an exalted creature. He is a creature of the ground. At one time he was exalted, he was the Lord God’s highest angel, but he fell when he sinned, and lost his position in heaven. Everything that we have studied so far has led up to this moment when flesh and bones becomes flesh and blood.What transpires in the Garden of Eden between the serpent and Adam and Eve, is the foundation for the whole of the Bible story. Everything can be traced back to this momentous event. We will refer back to what we already have learned as we venture into ….the temptation.############
Tomorrow I will post the chapter on the Temptation.I hope this is interesting and maybe something not all doves have studied. It makes for interesting discussion, if nothing else.ALL GLORY TO JESUS!!!Patti C.