Women Preachers - Ezekiel 13 - Zoe Group
Zoe is eilos or Helios (Heylil in Hebrew) or Lucifer. She is Eos or Aphrodite. She, in fact, "looks to the hills" gods and calls down fire. See Look to the Hills.
Be aware that those promoting the latter day return to ancient paganism are commercial enterprises who may "see godliness as a means of financial gain." This writer has not vested or conflict of interest.
5/11/03 Rubel Shelly and John York REPUDIATE Paul's clear statement on women oversight or non-sedentary roles. Their "proof person" is Deborah and therefore JUDGES must be inspired. However, Deborah was a judge and no one objects. She SHAMED the effeminate males into protecting their own nation (church?). However, another woman, Jael, violated the most fundamental ethic of hospitality to drive a tent peg (clapped) into the sleeping Sisera's head. This is the MOTIFF of all musical "worship."
Zoe was the daughter of Sophia and was the "Beast" or her son was the Beast. The method of women dominating men signified when they formed musical worship teams. While we are not under obligation to believe all of the ancient documents, there are none which we have found which do not associate music with Lucifer. See the Mark of the Beast
THE CORE OF OLD TESTAMENT PAGANISM
You should understand that the clergy was given to Israel to keep them out of God's presence at the Tabernacle. This happened when the Levi people were primarily responsible for falling back into Egyptian worship of Apis (representing Osiris) with singing, instruments, dance, and literal and spiritual nakedness. This is defined by the Hebrew word "play" as in "they rose up to play." This was repeated again as the worshipers of Dagon "polluted" Samson to force him to "play" and by David as he first attempted to move the Ark of the Covenant as he separated the Ark from the Tabernacle.
As a result, the faithful Levi people were forced to slay their brethren. Then, God gave Israel the Book of the Law which was no more spiritual than a law against murder written especially for murderers. The tribe of Levi kept the people away from God's presence in the Tabernacle and later in the temple. The clergy class was to bear the burdens. Women preachers, prophetesses or priests were not to bear this burden.
When Israel totally rejected God and demanded a king so they could worship like the nations they fell and were largely destroyed. God sent special Prophets to warn (but rarely convert) the kings and the priests who turned the spiritual worship of God into ceremonial legalism. Because these prophets, like Elijah, had supernatural powers, the pagan prophets from the high places saw an opportunity to sing, dance, play instruments and make pagan prophesying into an easy occupation. For a price they would "speak and sing in tongues" and tell you that the god was speaking to you -- even out of his musical instrument.
This musical prophesying was the occupation of women like the witch of Endor who got her message out of the echoing sound from an old wineskin. However, it was an easy occupation for the "soft" or effeminate men who flocked around the Canaanite high places taken over by professional Israelite "prophesiers" such as those who turned Saul into another man or "perverted him."
This ran counter to the priests who earned their own food while not on duty and were required to have an occupation. A "paid prophet" was about as low as you could go. And not even Paul allowed more than that due to threshing oxen while he was threshing or the temple servant while on duty.
For the professionals to justify their pay it was important that they adopt the methods of the pagan priests and priestesses. This, in Amos, was a form of extortion while allowing the people to hunger and thirst and die for lack of the Word of God.
Amos described how worship "in spirit" had turned to worship in the flesh. It was so much fun that the women drove the men to steal the food from the poor (the Word) so that they died spiritually. Satan's little boys and girls are being reactivated in the end times as Revelation 18 predicted:
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"Are you having difficulty discerning or receiving this "new revelation"? Then you have been interpreting your Bible in the "old way,"
comparing Scripture with Scripture, studying diligently to account for every jot and tittle and being careful to rightly divide the Word of truth.
If this describes you, then you belong to the "Old Generation"
which will not enter in to "possess the land" in the Latter Rain Revival.You may even be a member of a denominational church, with its dogmatic confession of faith and statement of doctrine.
These legalistic forms will be relics of the past in the up and coming "Postdenominational Church." Paul Cain advises that you "dump all that carnal stuff" (doctrine) and listen to what the "spirit" is saying to the churches through the Latter Rain Prophets and Apostles, who are dispensing many "new, sacred truths." More Details Here
Unfortunately, the "maleness" of the professional priest or prophet was not saleable. Therefore, the money-making professional was a woman or a male who had the "charisma" of a female. Or they were equally appealing to both male and female.
Contrary to Ezekiel 13, Rubel Shelly, in Faith Matters, from Woodmont Hills gives women the right to exercise the prophetic gift of revelation. A God-given talent which God needs for the assembly, of course, would be a supernatural gift of the Holy Spirit:
Rubel Shelly: "In the Old Testament tradition of Miriam (Ex. 15:20), Deborah (Judg. 4:4), Huldah (2 Kings 22:14), and Noadiah (Neh. 6:14), the New Testament acknowledges Anna as a "prophetess" (Luke 2:36). Both Priscilla and Aquila took the man Apollos into their home "and explained to him the way of God more adequately" (Acts 18:26). The evangelist Philip had "four unmarried daughters who prophesied" (Acts 21:9).
"The Bible is not against women ministering, using their God-given talents, standing up and speaking, administering church programs, singing (congregationally, small groups, or solo), reading.
Of course, standing up is a "non-sedantary" role not permitted by Paul, and speaking means women preachers with or without a tune.
While Dr. Shelly reserves some roles for men, he interprets the Corinthian Confusion as a model of "unity in diversity" and disputes Paul and said, in effect, that Paul did not prohibit but rather gave women permission to sing or speak in the assembly but not the authority to determine whether they were inspired or raving maniacs. Click Here for more details.
Most of the naba prophets warned the priestly class that they were doing just what Dr. Shelly and the Willow Creek model wants us to do. That is, Job, Isaiah, Ezekiel, Amos and others warned that the religious leaders who were ruling like the nations were involved with wine, women, song and musical instruments as a replacement for the revealed Words of God. From the Old Testament historical record we know that if we had a true prophetess (foreteller-forthteller) rather than a prophesier (sing with music) she would not be caught dead standing before the assembly, dressed for sexual authority, singing songs out of her own head. She would say: "Woe, Woe, Woe" to you faithless men just like Deborah.
God, through Isaiah, warned of worship services to make the mercenary worship ministers and teams visible. Then He promised that:
If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honorable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words: Isa 58:13
Then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it. Isa 58:14
Almost every deep truth of God is commentary and warning against pagan worship which had fallen into the hands of the professional prophets and prophetesses who sold the elite "ease in Zion" to the beat of musical worship teams. For instance, a powerful theme which the ancient Jews understood, tells the story of the Babylonian Genun who is a composite of Jubal, Jabal, Tubal-Cain and Naaman all of whom speak of the whispering bronze of the serpent's message of the Babylonians. Paul called it 'booming gongs and clanging cymbals" as they tried to "speak the unknown tongues of angels and men."
"Genun (Jubal) the Canaanite, son of Lamech the Blind, living in the Land of the Slime Pits, was ruled by Azael from his earliest youth, and invented all sorts of musical instruments. When he played these, Azael entered into them too, so that they gave forth seductive tunes entrancing the hearts of all listeners. Genun would assemble companies of musicians, who inflamed one another with music until their lust burned bright like fire, and they lay together promiscuously. He also brewed beer (for new wineskins), gathered great crowds in taverns, gave them to drink, and taught them to forge iron swords and spear-points, with which to do murder at random when they were drunk.
"It was the Cainite's punishment to have a hundred daughters borne them for each son; and this led to such husband-hunger that their women began to raid houses (2 Tim 3:6) and carry off men. One day it pleased them to seduce them Sethites, after daubing their faces with rouge and powder, their eyes with antimony, and the soles of their feet with scarlet, dyeing their hair, putting on golden earrings, golden anklets, bracelets, and many-colored garments.
In their ascent of the holy mountain, they twanged harps, blew trumpets, beat drums, sang, danced, clapped hands;
then, having addressed the five hundred and twenty anchorites in cheerful voices, each caught hold of her victim and seduced him.
These Sethites, after once succumbing to the Cainite women's blandishments, became more unclean than dogs (male prostitutes), and utterly forgot God's laws.
Even the "Sons of Judges" now corrupted the daughters of the poor. Whenever a bride was beautified for the bridegroom, one such would enter the nuptial chamber and enjoy her first. (THE SONS OF GOD AND THE DAUGHTERS OF MEN. From Hebrew Myths: The Book of Genesis By Robert Graves and Raphael Patai Chapter 18 p. 100-107)
You remember that Eli's sons got involved in these practices and the Danites caught wives here.
For the complete story of Genun (Jubal) and the Biblical parallel of Satan's use of musical worship teams Click Here.
Musical instruments with songs were always corrupting when turned toward God. Then and now people believed that the demons lived within musical instruments and inspired songsters and drama inventors. This dishonored God and helped lead Scripture-hungry people away from God's perfectly adequate Word.
Ezekiel speaks of these false male-female prophets where "prophesy" means to sing and play musical instruments to teach out of the preacher's own head:
The word of the LORD came to me: Ezekiel 13:1
"Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel who are now prophesying. Say to those who prophesy out of their own imagination: 'Hear the word of the LORD! Ezekiel 13:2
This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Woe to the foolish prophets who follow their own spirit ("Old Wive's Tales or self-composed songs or incantations with instruments) and have seen nothing! Ezek 13:3 (This was speaking out of their own spirit into the air 1 Corinthians 14:2, 9. Their "god" was Juno)
My hand will be against the prophets who see false visions and utter lying divinations. They will not belong to the council of my people or be listed in the records of the house of Israel, nor will they enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the Sovereign LORD. Ezek 13:9
Lucifer, light-bringing: itaque ut apud Graecos Dianam, eamque Luciferam, Junonem (Juno)
A. The morning-star, the planet Venus: stella Lucifer interdiu, noctu Hesperus ita circumeunt, Varr. R. R. 3, 5, 17 : stella Veneris, quae Phôsphoros Graece, Latine dicitur Lucife, Hesperos,
Aurora, ae, f. [acc. to Curtius, a reduplicated form for ausosa, from Sanscr. ush, to burn; cf. auôs êôs, dawn; hêlios, the sun; and Etrusc. Usil, the god of the sun; but its idea of brightness, splendor, easily connects it with the same group as aurum; v. aes] .
Eos Life
Zoe LifeB. Personified, the goddess of the morning, Gr. Êôs, daughter of Hyperion (hence Hyperionis, Ov. F. 5, 159), wife of Tithonus Tithonus Eos changed him into a cicada, or katydid the LOCUSTS or MUSES or musical performers in Revelation 18:22
(Eratô). One of the Muses, who presided over lyric, tender, and amorous poetry. She is said to have invented also hymns to the gods, and to have presided likewise over pantomimic dancing. She is represented as crowned with roses and myrtle, and holding a lyre in her hand.
Even as the merchants of musical worship try to break down the walls with Promise Keepers, Jubilee 98, the Willow Creek model and others, they know without a doubt that they are just building new walls within the fellowship which puts food in their trough:
Because, even because they have seduced my people, saying, Peace; and there was no peace; and one built up a wall, and, lo, others daubed it with untempered morter: Eze 13:10
Untempered mortar is:
Taphel (h8602) taw-fale'; from an unused root mean. to smear; plaster (as gummy) or slime; (fig.) frivolity: - foolish things, unsavoury, untempered.
We noted above that Genun came from the "Land of the Slime Pits." This word is closely related to drums, timbrels, the tabret, and contempt. Job called it "spitting in my face."
Tophel (h8603) to'-fel; from the same as 8602; quagmire; Tophel, a place near the Desert: - Tophel.
And her prophets have daubed them with untempered morter, seeing vanity, and divining lies unto them, saying, Thus saith the Lord God, when the Lord hath not spoken. Eze.22:28
Jesus understood these children:
But whereunto shall I liken this generation? It is like unto children sitting in the markets, and calling unto their fellows, Mt 11:16
And saying, We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced; we have mourned unto you, and ye have not lamented. Mt11:17
What has changed in THIS GENERATION which caused men like Rubel Shelly to declare that the Bible is hoplessly 'sifted' and is not usable for faith and practice? All REBELS repeat the same folly as those they DESTORY.
After condemning the false prophets who undoubtedly permitted the false prophetesses, Ezekiel is told by God:
Likewise, thou son of man, set thy face against the daughters of thy people, which prophesy out of their own heart; and prophesy thou against them, Eze 13:17
And say, Thus saith the Lord God; Woe to the women that sew pillows (seductive suggestion) to all armholes, and make kerchiefs upon the head of every stature to hunt souls Will ye hunt the souls of my people, and will ye save the souls alive that come unto you? Eze.13:18
Sewing pillows or decorating armholes and making special veils were unsophisticated ways of making themselves attractive and putting the "audience" at ease. Those trained in dramatic presentation and mental programming put these ancient witches to shame. Sewing pillows is from the Hebrew:
Taphar (h8609) taw-far'; a prim. root; to sew: - (women that) sew (together).
Musical instruments were a necessary part of all pagan prophesying. Therefore, a close word means to drum or "taber" the breast as the mourning women Jesus forcefully ejected so that he could heal the young girl:
Taphaph (h8608) taw-faf'; a prim. root; to drum, i. e. play (as) on the tambourine: - taber, play with timbrels.
Taphas (h8610) taw-fas'; a prim. root; to manipulate, i. e. seize; chiefly to capture, wield; spec. to overlay; fig. to use unwarrantably: - catch, handle, (lay, take) hold (on, over), stop, * surely, surprise, take.
And his brothers name was Jubal: he was the father of all such as handle the harp and organ. Ge.4:21
Peter warned the women using terms of vesture, hair plaiting as a magical sign, and performing corrupting rituals. He was not concerned with their dress in the privacy of their own homes:
LIKEWISE, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives; 1Pe 3:1
While they behold your chaste conversation coupled with fear. 1Pe 3:2
Whose adorning (worldly decoration) let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting (to enchant often with music) the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel (official robes or vesture) ; 1Pe 3:3
But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price. 1Pe.3:4
The JUDAS BAG carried the "mouthpieces of wind instruments." This bag--always attached to a flute case--is made up of "speaking in tongues" and "of the world." Therefore, anything WORLDLY used in religion is OF SATAN who is the MOTHER as Lucifer of string, wind and percussion instruments. As the king/queen of Tyre she is called "the harp playing prostitute."
This is very similar to Paul's put down of the wine induced music in Ephesus and his demand that the melody not be external but internal. The singing and melody is in the heart and the external act is speaking to teach and admonish with Biblical resources:
Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; Eph 5:19
Melody means to "twitch or twang" and it is from Psocho (g5597) pso'-kho; prol. from the same base as 5567; to triturate, i.e. (by anal.) to rub out (kernels from husks with the fingers or hand): - rub. The word sop is from the same source!!
Something corruptible is directly related to musical terms such as melody. For instance, melody in Hebrew is derived from a word meaning "to prune the vines" in order to "take one's inheritance." and cause it to wither.
Phtheiro (h5351) fthi'-ro; prob. strength. from phthio, (to pine or waste): prop. to shrivel or wither, i.e. to spoil (by any process) or (gen.) to ruin (espec. fig. by mor. influences, to deprave): - corrupt (self), defile, destroy
Phthoggos (h5353) fthong'-gos; from 5350; utterance, i.e. a musical note (vocal or instrumental): - sound.
And even things without life (lifeless or carnal instruments) giving sound, whether pipe or harp, except they give a distinction in the sounds, how shall it be known what is piped or harped? 1Co.14:7
Ezekiel continues the same warning by saying:
And will ye pollute me among my people for handfuls of barley and for pieces of bread, to slay the souls that should not die, and to save the souls alive that should not live, by your lying to my people that hear your lies? Eze 13:19
Again, we note that Pollute is from the Hebrew word:
Chalal (h2490) khaw-lal' to wound, to dissolve; figurative to profane (a person, place or thing), to break (one's word), to begin (as if by an "opening wedge"); denom. (from 2485) to play the flute): defile, eat as common things, gather the grape thereof, take inheritance, pipe, player on instruments, pollute, (cast as) profane (self), prostitute
Hebrew Dictionary linked to Strong Numbers Chalal (h2490) an instroctor/ of distance/space, start, commence; to redeem, to desecrate, make void, to create a cavity, vacuum, hollow, an empty space; a hollow/vacuum as a means to trap or bring together, nature; a vault, to make hollow: to wound, pierce, define, violate, make vulgar, wounded, slain, dead, the action of resisting: to break, disregard; violating instruction, to arrange/ an order of instruction; to assign, to pipe, play pipes
Wherefore thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I am against your pillows (clothing to conceal), wherewith ye there hunt the souls to make them fly (lift up), and I will tear them from your arms, and will let the souls go, even the souls that ye hunt to make them fly. Eze 13:20
Because with lies ye have made the heart of the righteous sad, whom I have not made sad; and strengthened the hands of the wicked, that he should not return from his wicked way, by promising him life: Eze 13:22
Therefore ye shall see no more vanity, nor divine divinations: for I will deliver my people out of your hand: and ye shall know that I am the Lord. Eze 13:23
These lifted up arms were the open hands lifting up and waving around. This was an affront to God because it was a display of the power of the prophetess:
Zerowa (h2220) zer-o'-ah; or (short.) zer-o-aw'; from 2232; the arm as stretched out, or (of animals) the foreleg; fig. force: - arm, / help, mighty, power, shoulder, strength
And "she" tried to get the whole "congregation" to flap their hands and fly with her the word was:
Parach (h6524) paw-rakh'; a prim. root; to break forth as a bud, i. e. bloom; gen. to spread; spec.
to fly (as extending the wings); fig. to flourish: - * abroad, * abundantly, blossom, break forth (out), bud, flourish, make fly, grow, spread, spring (up).
They would flap their little hands and fly into her traps. In time God would release them to allow them to "fly free" of ceremonial legalism
As I have watched the hands waving like a helicopter I have wondered if the man was actually going to fly, to take off. In time, God would free the "birds" so that they might fly free of the burden of ceremonial legalism
"Anath (Ishtar-like) came upon her divine brother Baal (Tammuz)
unawares when he was beating his timbrel and perhaps singing.
The goddess ate her brother's flesh 'without a knife and drank his blood without a cup'.
The timbrel also was the sacred musical instrument peculiar to the bacchic festivals." M. P. Blavatsky, Isis UnveiledOnly God has the authority to lift such holy hands in judgment against mankind:
As I live, saith the Lord God, surely with a mighty hand, and with a stretched out arm, and with fury poured out, will I rule over you: Eze.20:33
In another fragment we noted that the Willow Creek model promoted in some churches of Christ (who often reject the "Christ" part) uses alternative services to entice those with little religious inclination into musical praise services as a stepping stone to moving them into their coral. Click Here for full details.
Now, follow Matthew Henry's commentary on this message from Ezekiel and note the parallel: (In the following notes, our comments are in red:)
"As God has promised that when he pours out his Spirit upon his people both their sons and their daughters shall prophesy,
so the devil, when he acts as a spirit of lies and falsehood, is so in the mouth not only of false prophets, but of false prophetesses too,
and those are the deceivers whom the prophet is here directed to prophesy against; for they are not such despicable enemies to God's truths as deserve not to be taken notice of, nor yet will either the weakness of their sex excuse their sin or the tenderness and respect that are owing to it exempt them from the reproaches and threatenings of the word of God. No: Son of man, set they face against the daughters of thy people, v. 17. God takes no pleasure in owning them for his people. They are thy people, as Ex. 32:7.
Henry: "The women pretend
to a spirit of prophecy, and are in the same song with the men, as Ahab's
prophets were: Go on, and
prosper.
........They prophesy out of their own
heart
too;
........they say what comes uppermost
and what they know
nothing of.
Therefore prophesy against them from God's own mouth. The prophet must set his face against them, and try if they can look him in the face and stand to what they say.
Note, When sinners grow very impudent it is time for reprovers to be very bold. Now observe,
I. How the sin of these false prophetesses is described, and what are the particulars of it.
A. They told deliberate lies to those who consulted them, and came to them to be advised, and to be told their fortune: "You do mischief by your lying to my people that hear your lies (v. 19); they come to be told the truth, but you tell them lies; and, because you humour them in their sins, they are willing to hear you.''
Note, It is ill with those people who can better hear pleasing lies than unpleasing truths;
and it is a temptation to those who lie in wait to deceive to tell lieswhen they find people willing to hear them and to excuse themselves with this, Si populus vult decipi, decipiatur-- If the people will be deceived, let them.
2. They profaned the name of God by pretending to have received those lies from him (v. 19): "You pollute my name among my people, and make use of that for the patronising of your lies and the gaining of credit to them.'' Note, Those greatly pollute God's holy name that make use of it to give countenance to falsehood and wickedness. Yet this they did for handfuls of barley and pieces of bread.
They did it for gain; they cared not what dishonour they did to God's name by their lying, so they could but make a hand of it for themselves.
There is nothing so sacred which men of mercenary spirits, in whom the love of this world reigns,
........will not profane and prostitute,
........if they can but get money by the bargain.
But they did it for poor gain; if they could get no more for it, rather than break they would sell you a false prophecy that should please you to a nicety for the beggar's dole, a piece of bread or a handful of barley; and yet that was more than it was worth. Had they asked it as an alms, for God's sake, surely they might have had it, and God would have been honoured;but, taking it as a fee for a false prophecy, God's name if polluted, and the smallness of the reward heightens the offence.
For a piece of bread that man will transgress, Prov. 28:21.
Had their poverty been their temptation to steal, and so to take the name of the Lord in vain, it would not have been nearly so bad as when it tempted them to prophesy lies in his name and so to profane it.Again, look at the word "pollute"-
Chalal (h2490) khaw-lal' to wound, to dissolve; figurative to profane (a person, place or thing), to break (one's word), to begin (as if by an "opening wedge"); denom. (from 2485) to play the flute): defile, eat as common things, gather the grape thereof, take inheritance, pipe, player on instruments, pollute, (cast as) profane (self), prostitute
As ancient Seeker Services, they would do about anything to attact the masses:
Henry: 3. They kept people in awe, and terrified them with their pretensions: "You hunt the souls of my people (v. 18), hunt them to make them fly (v. 20), hunt them into gardens (so the margin reads it);
you use all the arts you have to court or
compel them into those places where you deliver your pretended predictions,
or you have got such an influence upon them that you make them do just as you would have them to do, and tyrannise over them.''The Britannica Agrees: In certain ancient Israelite prophetic groups, music was used to achieve the ecstatic state, in which the participants, in their accompanying dancing, were believed to have been seized by the hand of Yahweh, the God of Israel, as in the case of Saul, the 11th-century-bc king of Israel.
The Pythia (priestess) of the Greek oracle at Delphi often went into an ecstatic state during which she uttered sounds revealed to her by the python (the snake, the symbol of resurrection), after drinking water from a certain spring.
Her "words" were then interpreted by a priest to help a suppliant find a way to avoid calamities, especially death. In primitive religions, ecstasy was a technique highly developed by shamans, religious personages with healing and psychic-transformation powers, in their "soul," or "spirit," flights. (See Delphic oracle.) "ecstasy" Encyclopædia Britannica Online
And Chrysostom wrote:
[7.] Seest thou not how in king's palaces it is not those who have offended, but those who have been honorably distinguished, that are called to share especial favor, and are numbered among the king's friends.
A messenger has come to us from heaven, sent by God Himself, to speak with us on certain necessary matters,
........and you leave hearing His will, and the message He sends to you,
........and sit listening to stage-players.
What thunderings, what bolts from heaven, does not this conduct deserve!
For as it is not meet to partake of the table of devils, so neither is it of the listening to devils;
nor to be present with filthy raiment at that glorious Table, loaded with so many good things, which God Himself hath provided. Such is its power, that it can raise us at once to heaven, if only we approach it with a sober mind.For it is not possible that he who is continually under the influence of the words of God, can remain in this present low condition,
but he needs must presently take wing, and fly away to the land which is above, and light on the infinite treasures of good things; which may it be that we all attain to,
through the grace and lovingkindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom and with whom be glory to the Father and the All-holy Spirit, now and ever, and world without end. Amen.
Not to worry too much: people who have wounded their souls beyond redemption seek out men on Watchtowers to make them slaves:
"It was indeed the people's fault that they did regard them, but it was their fault by lies and falsehoods to command that regard; they pretended to save the souls alive that came to them, v. 18.
If they would but be hearers of them, and contributors to them, they might be sure of salvation;
thus they beguiled unstable souls that had a concern about salvation as their end but did not rightly understand the way, and therefore hearkened to those who were most confident in promising it to them.
But will you pretend to save souls, or secure salvation to your party?''
Those are justly suspected that make such pretensions.4. They discouraged those that were honest and good, and encouraged those that were wicked and profane: You slay the souls that should not die, and save those alive that should not live, v. 19. This is explained (v. 22):
You have made the heart of the righteous sad, whom I have not made sad; because
........they would not, they durst not, countenance your pretensions,
........you thundered out the judgments of God against them,
........to their great grief and trouble; you put them under invidious characters,
........to make them either despicable or odious to the people,
and pretended to do it in God's name, which made them go many a time with a sad heart;
........whereas it was the will of God that they should be comforted,
........and by having respect put upon them should have encouragement given them.
But on the other side, and which is still worse,
you have strengthened the hands of the wicked and emboldened them to go on in their wicked ways and not to return from them,
........which was the thing the true prophets with earnestness called them to.
........"You have promised sinners life in their sinful ways,
........have told them that they shall have peace though they go on,
........by which their hands have been strengthenedand their hearts hardened.''
Henry: Some think this refers to the severe censures they passed upon those who had already gone into captivity (who were humbled under their affliction, by which their hearts were made sad), and the commendations they gave to those who rebelled against the king of Babylon, who were hardened in their impieties, by which their hands were strengthened; or
by their polluting the name of God they saddened the hearts of good people who have a value and veneration for the word of God, and confirmed atheists and infidels in their contempt of divine revelation and furnished them with arguments against it. Note,
Those have a great deal to answer for who grieve the spirits, and weaken the hands, of good people, and
who gratify the lusts of sinners,
and animate them in their opposition to God and religion.Nor can any thing strengthen the hands of sinners more than to tell them that they may be saved in their sins without repentance, or that there may be repentance though they do not return from their wicked ways.
In the following statements it is important to understand that musical prophesying and prostitution always went together. For instance, the authority which Paul forbids in Corinth is "sexual authority." The female prophesiers (singing their own songs always with instruments, were female prostitutes and their mail companions were male prostitutes. This is why they tried to get Jesus to dance and hoped that John the Baptist wore "soft" clothing.
David, together with the commanders of the army, set apart some of the sons of Asaph, Heman and Jeduthun for the ministry of prophesying, accompanied by harps, lyres and cymbals. Here is the list of the men who performed this service: 1 Chr.25:1
Henry: 5. They mimicked the true prophets,
by giving signs for the illustrating of their false predictions (as Hananiah did, Jer. 28:10),
and they were signs agreeable to their sex; they sewed little pillows to the people's arm-holes, to signifythat they might be easy and repose themselves, and needed not be disquieted with the apprehensions of trouble approaching.
And they made kerchiefs upon the head of every stature, of persons of every age, young and old, distinguishable by their stature, v. 18.
These kerchiefs were badges of liberty or triumph, intimating that they should not only be delivered from the Chaldeans, but be victorious over them.
Some think these were some superstitious rites which they used with those to whom they delivered their divinations, preparing them for the reception of them by putting enchanted pillows under their arms and handkerchiefs on their heads,
to raise their fancies and their expectations of something great.
Or perhaps the expressions are figurative: they did all they could to make people secure, which is signified by
laying them easy, and to make people proud, which is signified by dressing them fine with handkerchiefs, perhaps laid or embroidered on their heads.
18 Woe. Eze 13:3, that sew. Rather, that fasten cushions; by which they intimated that they might indulge and repose themselves in security, for no enemy would disturb them. The apartments of the easterns are well supplied with cushions, on which they sit, lean, rest their heads, and prop up their arms. Eze 13:10,16 Jer 4:10, Jer 6:14, 2Ti 4:3, armholes. or, elbows. hunt souls. Eze 22:25, Eph 4:14, 2Pe 2:14.
Note: In First Corinthians, 11 Paul makes a distinction between the condemned, uncovered "prophesying" which was outside the assembly and the silence demanded when the church comes together. Lenski notes that:
"An issue has been made of the point that Paul speaks of a woman as prophesying as though it were a matter of course that she should prophesy just as she also prays, and just as the man, too, prays and prophesies. Paul is said to contradict himself when he forbids the women to prophesy in 14:34-36. The matter becomes clear when we observe that from 11:17 onward until the end of chapter 14 Paul deals with the gatherings of the congregation for public worship and with regulations pertaining to public assemblies. The transition is decidedly marked: 'that ye come together,' i.e., for public worship, v. 17; 'when ye come together in the church' (ekklpsia, no article), v. 18; and again: 'when ye assemble together,' i.e., for public worship, v. 20) In these public assemblies Paul forbids the women, not only to prophesy, but to speak at all, 14:34-36 and assigns the reason for this prohibition just as he does in 1 Tim. 2:11." (Lenski, 1 Cor. p. 437).
When Paul restricted the musical prophesiers in Corinth and in all of the churches he was commenting upon the clear message from the Law.
Kenneth Sublett
- Richland Hills Church of Christ and the Deaconess
- Huldah - Prophetess - Librarian?
- Ezekiel 13 - Women in Ministry - Rubel Shelly
- 1 Timothy 3:11 - Deaconesses
- Deacon in The Catholic Encyclopedia
- Deaconess in the Catholic Encyclopedia
- Deaconesses in the Council of Nicea A.D. 325
- Women Deacons (Deaconesses) - Didascalia
- Women Deacons (Deaconesses) - Tertullian
- Women in Worship - Deaconesses - Lifting Holy Hands
Counter added 4.26.05 12:15p 5651
1.30.07 1645
