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| 1 I saw My Lord stationed by the altar, and he said–Smite the capital–that the sills, may tremble, Yea break them off on the head of them all, and, the last of them, with the sword, will I slay,–He that fleeth of them, shall not flee away, and he that escapeth of them, shall not make good his escape. |
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| 2 Though they break through into hades, from thence, shall my hand fetch them,–and, though they ascend the heavens, from thence, will I bring them down; |
Though they – Israel, as a nation or individually. E374
Dig into hell – Sheol, oblivion, death--not torment. R828:6*; E374
A figurative expression, but certainly pits of earth are the only hells men can dig into. R2599:3
Israel, as a nation, did dig its way toward national oblivion. Yet God shall prevent this. E374
Shall mine hand – My power. E374
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| 3 And, though they hide themselves in the top of Carmel, from thence, will I search for them and take them,–and, though they conceal themselves from before mine eyes at the bottom of the sea, from thence, will I command the serpent and he shall bite them; |
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| 4 And, though they go into captivity before their enemies, from thence, will I command the sword, and it shall slay them,–So will I set mine eyes upon them for calamity, and not for blessing. |
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| 5 Now, My Lord, Yahweh of hosts, is he–who toucheth the earth, and it melteth, and all that dwell therein, mourn; and it cometh up like the Nile, all of it, and subsideth like the river of Egypt: |
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| 6 Who buildeth, in the heavens, his upper rooms, and, as for his vault, upon the earth, hath he founded it,–who calleth to the waters of the sea, and poureth them out over the face of the land, Yahweh, is his name. |
Stories – Chambers. (R.V.) R1812:2
Troop – Vault. (R.V.) Highly figurative and poetic language, as in the vaulted sky. R1812:2,3
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| 7 Like the sons of the Ethiopians, are not ye, unto me, O sons of Israel? Demandeth Yahweh: Was it not, Israel, I brought up out of the land of Egypt, and the Philistines out of Caphtor, and the Syrians out of Kir? |
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| 8 Lo! the eyes of My Lord, Yahweh, are on the sinful kingdom, and I will destroy it from off the face of the ground,–save only that I will not, utterly destroy, the house of Jacob, Declareth Yahweh. |
Will destroy it – As a kingdom. R2357:5
Not utterly destroy – The people of Israel would be preserved as a separate people from others. R2357:5
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| 9 For lo! I am giving command, and will sift, throughout all the nations, the house of Israel,–as grain is sifted in a sieve, yet shall there not fall a kernel, to the earth. |
I will sift – Disperse. R107:2*
The house of Israel – Though scattered throughout the whole earth, they have not lost their identity. R2357:5
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| 10 By the sword, shall die all the sinners of my people,–who say, The calamity, shall not overtake and close in before us. |
The evil – The evil the Lord creates and does is the calamities and judgment that he visits upon the ungodly nations in opposition to, and in condemnation of, the evil of sin, which is an abomination in his sight. R1299:6*
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| 11 In that day, will I raise up the pavilion of David, that is lying prostrate,–and wall up the breaches of them, and, his ruins, will I raise up, and will build it, as in the days of age-past times: |
In that day – In the dawning of the Millennial day. E374
The restitution times, under the terms of the New covenant. R2357:6
This prophecy is about to be fulfilled. R3425:4
Quoted by the Apostle James in Acts 15:16,17. R3425:4, R2357:6, R2124:3
Will I raise up – Permanently. C257
The rebuilding of the tabernacle of David, which fell after Jesus left their house desolate, takes place at the second advent. R107:2*
The tabernacle – The house, royalty, or dominion. A81; C257
The standard. R2357:6
Of David – Of David's posterity, The Christ. C257
The throne of David was over all the tribes, and here represents the throne of the greater David--the Beloved Son of God--to be established after the taking out of a people for his name. (Acts. 15:14) R2124:3
Raise up his ruins – The ruins of fleshly Israel. B86; R3425:4
And I will build it – "And so all Israel shall be saved." (Rom. 11:26) B217
After the establishment of Messiah's Kingdom. R5817:5
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| 12 That they on whom my name hath been called, may take possession, of the residue of Edom and of all the nations, Declareth Yahweh, who executeth this. |
That they may possess – Called to be members of the Body of Christ, the great Mediator, that through them the "residue of men might seek after the Lord." (Acts 15:17) R4512:2
To be no longer a house of servants under Moses, but the house of sons, under Jesus. R5817:5
The remnant of Edom – Christendom. D15
All the heathen – "All the Gentiles." (Acts 15:13-18) HG336:4
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| 13 Lo! days are coming, Declareth Yahweh, that, the plowman, shall overtake, the reaper, and, he that treadeth out the grapes, him that traileth the seed,–so shall, the mountains, drip sweet wine, and, all the hills, shall melt; |
The plowman – The great time of trouble that will prepare the world for the Millennial seed-sowing. C216; R1162:1, R5761:2; Q74:2
In the time of trouble the Lord will run the plowshare of truth in every direction throughout the world. R2627:5
In the Jewish Harvest Jesus was the plowman and the reaper. A double work was being accomplished--reaping the Jewish people and preparing for a new dispensation. Q74:2
Shall overtake – Shall follow close after. R2627:5
The time of trouble will overtake the reaping work and bring it to a close. R5761:2
The Harvest will hardly have accomplished its intention of gathering the Church and Great Company until the plowman of trouble will be running his furrows through the world. Q74:2
The plowman will keep on plowing after all our reaping efforts have ended. R5761:2[R5761:13 (Sep. 1915)]
The plowman is already beginning, and he is overtaking the reapers. Q74:2, R1162:1[R1161:18]
So accurately timed is every feature of the divine plan that part fits to part, and work to work, closely. SM187:2
The reaper – The Lord. R5761:2
Gathering God's elect. R1162:4
Began with the presence of the Lord of the Harvest, 1874 AD. R1161:6
Treader of grapes – The forces engaged in the final combat. R1162:4[R1162:2]
Drop sweet wine – Referring to the blessed reinvigorating influence of the Lord's Kingdom. R1162:4
Hills shall melt – The mountain (Kingdom) of the Lord's house shall be exalted above the melting hills (kingdoms) of the old dominion. R1162:4
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| 14 And I will bring back the captivity of my people Israel, and they shall build waste cities, and inhabit [them], and plant vineyards, and drink the wine thereof, and lay out gardens, and eat the fruit thereof: |
I will bring again – After spiritual Israel has been developed (verses 11 & 12) favor shall return to natural Israel. R2357:6, R2358:1, R5817:5
My people of Israel – A scattered, homeless, desolate and persecuted people, they are still a distinct and homogeneous people. C245
The waste cities – In which they formerly lived. C245
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| 15 So will I plant them upon their own soil,–and will not uproot them any more from off their own soil, which I have given to them, saith Yahweh thy God. |
I will plant them – Not yet fulfilled in the return of the Jews to Palestine. Referred to by James in Acts 15:16 "I will build again the tabernacle of David." R2124:3
From 1878 AD onward. C259, C258
Their land – The land that God says he had given them, the land that he promised to Abraham. (Gen. 13:14-17; Gen. 17:8) C245
No more be pulled up – This could not refer to the return from the captivity in literal Babylon, since after that return they were again pulled down and plucked up. C259
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