What Shall be the Signs...Part 2

f.      Revelation 6:1-2 - And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see.  And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.

§        The first seal opened in the Revelation of Jesus Christ portrays a rider on a white horse with a bow and no mention of arrows.

§        This appears to be one of many “2^nd but opposite” themes that run throughout the Bible going all the way back to Genesis.

§        This rider goes forth with the intention to conquer (this may not be evident) and he is successful in conquering

§        White has always been symbolic of peace or surrender, yet this rider is going forth conquering and to conquer.

§        This could be a reference to the conquering of nations through a deceptive false peace by playing on people’s natural desire for peace.

§        This would be a major deception that could usher in a world ruler that governs by the forced acceptance of this false peace, thus he conquers with an empty bow (and a lying tongue). 

§        Revelation 19:11 - And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him [was] called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.  His eyes [were] as a flame of fire, and on his head [were] many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself.  And he [was] clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.

o       Here we have the authentic Word of God returning with armies upon white horses and with white raiment, it seems that he who rides the white horse in Revelation 6:1-2 is an imposter that fits the bill described in Matthew 24:4-5

o       Clear distinction is made so that confusion can be avoided

g.     Deceive - πλανάω planaō, verb, to cause to stray, to lead astray, lead aside from the right way.  Used 51 times in 37 verses in the New Testament.

§        Matthew 18:13 - And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth more of that [sheep], than of the ninety and nine which went not astray.

o       The word that was translated to “astray” in this passage is πλανάω planaō, the same word translated to deceive in Matthew 24:4. 

§        Matthew 22:29 - Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God.

o       The word that was translated to “err” in this passage is πλανάω planaō, the same word translated to deceive in Matthew 24:4.  This passage could be read “Ye have been led astray…”

o       Being in error is being led astray

o       Who leads us astray?

§        1 John 2:26 - These [things] have I written unto you concerning them that seduce you.

o       The word that was translated to “seduce” in this passage is πλανάω planaō, the same word translated to deceive in Matthew 24:4.  This passage could be read “…concerning them that lead you astray…”

h.      Looking at the future from a historical perspective.

§        Revelation 18:21-24 - And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast [it] into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all.  And the voice of harpers, and musicians, and of pipers, and trumpeters, shall be heard no more at all in thee; and no craftsman, of whatsoever craft [he be], shall be found any more in thee; and the sound of a millstone shall be heard no more at all in thee; And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived.  And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth.

§        Describes the methods of deception employed by the merchants of the earth in order to gain power

§        Sorceries - φαρμακεία pharmakeia, feminine noun,

1.      the use or the administering of drugs

2.      poisoning

3.      sorcery, magical arts, often found in connection with idolatry and fostered by it

4.      metaph. the deceptions and seductions of idolatry

o       Root of the English word Pharmacy, which should give pause because we have become a world dependent upon drugs that treat the symptoms rather than the source of the problem.  We can see this at the micro level (being individuals) and metaphorically speaking at the macro level (government) we treat the symptoms when the problems (specifically in the USA) can be traced to one source, the lack of repentance and a right relationship with the Lord.

o       Additionally, we have the deception of parents with vaccinations that do children more harm than good.  Very credible professional have researched and documented the dangers of vaccinations, yet they are largely silenced.  What is the agenda of the pharmaceutical companies who push vaccinations?  Though vaccinations themselves are not very profitable for these pharmaceutical companies, the drugs used to treat the side effects can be extremely profitable, and serves as an incentive to sequester information that could lead to a reduction of mass vaccinations. 

o       This leads to generation after generation being completely dependent on the supply of drugs rather than God for our health and well-being.

o       We need scientists, researchers and doctors to be independent of the pharmaceutical companies to ensure that their research is reliable and not self-serving. The love of money is the root of all evil and when money is involved through federal or private funding of research projects, scientists have an incentive to skew results to achieve a desired result by those funding the grant.

II.            Beginning  of sorrows (Matthew 24:6-8, Mark 13:7-8, Luke 21:9-11)

Matthew 24:6-8	Mark 13:7-8	Luke 21:9-11
And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all [these things] must come to pass, but the end is not yet.  For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.  All these [are] the beginning of sorrows.	And when ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars, be ye not troubled: for [such things] must needs be; but the end [shall] not [be] yet.  For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these [are] the beginnings of sorrows.	But when ye shall hear of wars and commotions, be not terrified: for these things must first come to pass; but the end [is] not by and by. Then said he unto them, Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom:  And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.

 

a.      Wars and rumors of wars (Matthew 24:6, Mark 13:7, Luke 21:9)

§       Revelation 6:3-4 – And when he had opened the second seal, I heard the second beast say, Come and see.  And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth (wars and rumors of wars), and they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword.

b.     But the end is not yet (Matthew 24:6; Mark 13:7; Luke 21:9)

§       There is this partition between the 1) wars and rumors of wars where Jesus says see that ye are not troubled for the end is not yet.  Then…He proceeds into the next phase stating that 2) “nation shall rise against nation…” which he deems the beginning of sorrows or possibly the beginning of the end.

§       Thus we have two seals, one for the wars and rumors of wars (which has been going on for quite some time) and another for kingdom shall rise against kingdom (which can have spiritual as well as physical connotations) and seems to be an escalation of conflict.

c.      Nation against nation, Famines, pestilences and earthquakes (Matthew 24:7, Mark 13:8, Luke 21:11)

§       Revelations 6:5-6 - And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand. And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.

o      Ezekiel 4:10-17 - And thy meat which thou shalt eat shall be by weight, twenty shekels a day: from time to time shalt thou eat it. Thou shalt drink also water by measure, the sixth part of an hin: from time to time shalt thou drink. And thou shalt eat it as barley cakes, and thou shalt bake it with dung that cometh out of man, in their sight. And the LORD said, Even thus shall the children of Israel eat their defiled bread among the Gentiles, whither I will drive them. Then said I, Ah Lord GOD! behold, my soul hath not been polluted: for from my youth up even till now have I not eaten of that which dieth of itself, or is torn in pieces; neither came there abominable flesh into my mouth. Then he said unto me, Lo, I have given thee cow's dung for man's dung, and thou shalt prepare thy bread therewith. Moreover he said unto me, Son of man, behold, I will break the staff of bread in Jerusalem: and they shall eat bread by weight, and with care; and they shall drink water by measure, and with astonishment: That they may want bread and water, and be astonied one with another, and consume away for their iniquity.

-        Bread by weight ~ Scarcity

-        Matthew 20:2 - And when he had agreed with the labourers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard.

§  Penny = δηνάριον dēnarion = days’ wage

-        Entire daily wage used for food

o      Lamentations 4:4-9 - The tongue of the sucking child cleaveth to the roof of his mouth for thirst: the young children ask bread, and no man breaketh it unto them. They that did feed delicately are desolate in the streets: they that were brought up in scarlet embrace dunghills. For the punishment of the iniquity of the daughter of my people is greater than the punishment of the sin of Sodom, that was overthrown as in a moment, and no hands stayed on her. Her Nazarites were purer than snow, they were whiter than milk, they were more ruddy in body than rubies, their polishing was of sapphire: Their visage is blacker than a coal; they are not known in the streets: their skin cleaveth to their bones; it is withered, it is become like a stick. They that be slain with the sword are better than they that be slain with hunger: for these pine away, stricken through for want of the fruits of the field.

-        Visage - תאר to'ar, masculine noun, shape, form, outline, figure, appearance

-        Black associated with famine and hunge

What Shall Be the Signs...

What Shall Be the Sign of Thy Coming and of the End of the World?

An outline of Matthew 24, Mark 13 and Luke 21 

The question that everyone wants to know is the question that the disciples asked Jesus toward the end of his ministry on earth.  The gospels each give a consistent account yet each of them provides a different view.  This reply, when compared to other apocalyptic passages throughout scripture gives us a clear picture that this period of time will not be pleasant for the inhabitants of the earth.  How does this line up with the prevalent end times doctrines circulating the church today?  We are going to carefully study these scriptures and see where the Lord leads.   

I.               Take heed that no man deceive you (Matthew 24:4-5, Mark 13:5-6, Luke 21:8) 

Matthew 24:4-5	Mark 13:5-6	Luke 21:8
And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.  For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.	And Jesus answering them began to say, Take heed lest any [man] deceive you: For many shall come in my name, saying, I am [Christ]; and shall deceive many.	And he said, Take heed that ye be not deceived: for many shall come in my name, saying, I am [Christ]; and the time draweth near: go ye not therefore after them.

 

a.      2 John v.7 – For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh.  This is a deceiver and an antichrist.

§        Who is a deceiver? Amongst other things, a deceiver is one who does not confess that Jesus has come in the flesh.

§        Who can qualify as a deceiver? Anyone including ourselves

§        1 John 1:8 – If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

o       By saying we have no sins we are ourselves deceivers

o       Confession of sin and repentance acknowledges the God that has power over that sin, the God and the man Jesus Christ

§        1 John 1:9 – If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

o       Unless we are in a constant state of repentance, we can deceive ourselves into believing a lie.

-        Confession and repentance of sin clears the lines of communication, the Holy Spirit can then speak to us and through us

o       We cannot have access to the truth unless we have a right relationship with God, we can only have a right relationship with God when we repent of our sins.

b.     1 Timothy 4:1-2 – Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron

§        We are indeed in these latter times and can clearly see that these seducing spirits have had a devastating impact on humanity

§        Doctrines of devils have crept into several mainline denominations (as well as off shoots) and serve to turn the hearts of the people away from our Lord.

§        What does it mean to give heed to seducing spirits?

o       Deuteronomy 18:9-14 - When thou art come into the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations.  There shall not be found among you [any one] that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, [or] that useth divination, [or] an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch,  Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer.  For all that do these things [are] an abomination unto the LORD: and because of these abominations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee.  Thou shalt be perfect with the LORD thy God.  For these nations, which thou shalt possess, hearkened unto observers of times, and unto diviners: but as for thee, the LORD thy God hath not suffered thee so [to do].

o       Consulter, necromancer – one who evokes the dead

-        Wouldn’t praying to anyone other than Jesus Christ be evoking the dead?  Christ is alive

-        Wouldn’t praying to “saints” fall under this category?

-        Conducting a séance would definitely qualify

-        Doesn’t Hillary Clinton say that she speaks with Eleanor Roosevelt?

c.      1 John 4:1-3 – Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits, whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.  Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: and every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is the spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.

§        It’s not like we see spirits every day, what is Paul talking about?

o       John 6:63 - It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, [they] are spirit, and [they] are life.

-        Words - ῥῆμα rhēma, 1) that which is or has been uttered by the living voice, thing spoken, word 2) subject matter of speech, thing spoken of

§        We are given the template to avoid deception and are commanded not to believe every spirit (every word), but try them (The Holy Spirit welcomes the challenge)

§        We need to first repent of our sin so that we can hear clearly from the Holy Spirit, then apply this test to the source of every doctrine in question

§        How is the word spirit used in this context? Spirit - pneuma - the disposition or influence which fills and governs the soul of any one

d.     Matthew 7:15-16a – Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.  Ye shall know them by their fruits…

§        Christ is the Good Shepherd, His followers are often likened to His sheep.  By stating that these deceivers’ will come in sheep’s clothing is stating that they will come appearing to be one of us, but they are not

§        We need to be watchful, the fruit is key here, what kind of fruit does the source bear

§        We have false prophets in churches all across America, on TV, writing books

e.      Galatians 2:4 - And that because of false brethren unawares brought in, who came in privily to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage:

§        What is the purpose of deception? To bring us into bondage

§        Satan seeks to manipulate and control; Y’shuah HaMashiach, Jesus Christ, seeks to set us free and give us liberty

Genesis 34:8-31

C.     Genesis 34:8 - And Hamor communed with them, saying, The soul of my son Shechem longeth for your daughter: I pray you give her him to wife.

1.      We have a Canaanite asking to marry an Israelite, knowing what we know up to this point about the character and nature of God,

a)      Does this sound like something that would be pleasing to Him? Why or Why not?

b)     Why is it important that Israel retain a perfect geneology? Kinsman redeemer, Messiah will redeem Israel who will redeem the nations.

§         But all came from Noah aren’t all the bloodlines pure? Not necessarily, the Nephilim, offspring of the fallen angels from Genesis 6 were mixed in with the Canaanites and therefore corrupting their bloodline.

§        See the book of Ruth for in-depth look at the role of Kinsman redeemer which Christ fulfills.

c)      We continue to see this tactic employed by Satan, possess the land that is promised to Abraham, attempt to defile the promised “seed”. 

§        Happened to Sarah twice, Pharoah and Abimalech were both warned supernaturally not to take Sarah to wife.

§        Happened to Rebekah, Abimalech prevented from lying with Rebekah by means of supernatural intervention.

§        Here we have a successful assault on the seed of Abraham by attacking Jacob’s daughter Dinah who may have been the only daughter at this time. It would not have been out of the questions for one of her half-brothers to take her for a wife.

                                                                                                                i.     Satan knows God’s plan and tries to thwart it at every opportunity

                                                                                                              ii.     This was not just a chance act, but a carefully scripted assault

                                                                                                             iii.     Provides insight on how Satan attacks, he is very organized and tactical and uses our own choices against us, especially young people.

2.      Note here that Dinah is being held in the house of Shechem, so even though this appears to be a genuine “request”.  Shechem never relinquishes possession of Dinah, who does not belong to him.  He is attempting to negotiate from a position of strength giving limited options to Dinah’s family.

3.      This was not part of God’s Will, he wanted Israel to remain separate from the Canaanites.  Because he wanted the Messiah to be born of pure geneology traced directly back to Adam and Eve in order to fulfill the role of Kinsman Redeemer.

4.      The behavior of both Abraham and Isaac indicate that God intended them to remain separate, Esau, who married outside the appropriate genealogy, was displeasing to God and displeasing to his father Isaac.

5.      What about other races and cultures, should they intermingle? Argument for and against…

a)      God created the races distinct

§        Why would God create separate and distinct races if He intended them to eventually be blended into one?

§        Is it racist to ask the question?

§        Ultimately it’s an individual’s choice, just like finding any mate, the individual needs to act on convictions to determine what relationships are pleasing to the Lord.

b)     God also made it possible for inter-racial unions to produce offspring

§        Why would God make it possible to pro-create interracially if He intended humans to remain in separate and distinct races?

§        Seems that if he wanted races to remain separate and distinct He could have made them incompatible with each other.

c)      We have these conflicting questions that complicate this issue, along with the political rhetoric that once made this a major issue

d)     Is it a matter of individual convictions?

e)      What are the unknown factors?

§        Why did God create separate and distinct races?

§        What about the dilution of cultural identity?

§        Are there genetic ramifications?

§        Are there spiritual ramifications?

§        Others?

D.     Genesis 34:9 - And make ye marriages with us, [and] give your daughters unto us, and take our daughters unto you.

1.      Speaking of plural daughters, an indication that Jacob has other daughters? Or referring to future generations?

2.      The enemy always wants us to compromise and dilute God’s perfect plan, God did not want Israel intermingling with the Canaanites, the people of the land.  They were set apart for the purpose of redeeming all nations; this was a subtle suggestion of compromise. 

a)      Romans 1:3-6 - Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh; And declared [to be] the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead: By whom we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for his name: Among whom are ye also the called of Jesus Christ:

E.     Genesis 34:10 - And ye shall dwell with us: and the land shall be before you; dwell and trade ye therein, and get you possessions therein.

1.      What’s the problem with this offer? Hamor’s offer sounds genuine, but what he is offering God has already promised to Jacob

2.      Compare this to Satan in Matthew 4 taking Jesus up to a high mountain and showing Him all the kingdoms of the world and said he would give them to Him if only He would fall down and worship him.  God has already promised to place everything under His Son, why would He compromise and take a shortcut.

3.      Likewise, why would Israel consider compromise and take a shortcut.

4.      How often do we sacrifice the promises that God has made to us for a shortcut an easy means to achieve what we perceive in our own flesh eyes as the same end.

a)      God’s way is the best way, the narrow path.  Sometimes its hard to see the destination when you are traveling a narrow path

b)     A wide path allows you to see miles ahead and you walk by sight, a narrow path may need to take a machete (or a sword) to chop away the overgrown vegetation, you walk by faith that it leads to the desired destination.

c)      Which path are we walking?

F.    Genesis 34:11 - And Shechem said unto her father and unto her brethren, Let me find grace in your eyes, and what ye shall say unto me I will give.

1.      So when did Shechem show up?  Did he come with his father Hamor?  The previous verses indicate that Hamor is negotiating on behalf of Shechem who was absent. 

a)      Jasher 33:26 – And Hamor ceased speaking unto Jacob and his sons, and behold Shechem his son had come after him, and he sat before them.

2.      Up until this point Hamor has been doing all of the negotiating on behalf of his son Shechem.  It seems Shechem, possibly charged with emotions jumps into the fray and makes this additional offer.

a)      Did Shechem see something in Jacob’s face that would cause him to immediately follow-up with this offer?

b)     It seems like a plea of desperation

3.      It seems that the initial offer must not have been all that appealing to Israel.

G.     Genesis 34:12 - Ask me never so much dowry and gift, and I will give according as ye shall say unto me: but give me the damsel to wife.

1.      Matthew 4:9 – And saith unto Him, ‘All these things will I give thee, if Thou wilt fall down and worship me.’

2.      Mark 8:36 – For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his soul?

a)      Think about this verse for a moment…

b)     If you gain the whole world for a lifetime, you enjoy it for all of a whisper in eternity

c)      Could Shechem possibly offered Jacob anything worth the price of his daughter?

H.     Genesis 34:13 - And the sons of Jacob answered Shechem and Hamor his father deceitfully, and said, because he had defiled Dinah their sister:

1.      One sin leads to another, leads to another, leads to another…Dinah went where she shouldn’t have gone, Shechem did something he shouldn’t have done, the sons of Israel are plotting there revenge.

a)      A carefully scripted plot

2.      When we sin its rarely isolated, it usually snowballs, the subsequent sins may not even be committed by the initial sinner

3.      One quality that Jacob passed to his sons was his capacity to employ deception where it benefits him

I.    Genesis 34:14 - And they said unto them, We cannot do this thing, to give our sister to one that is uncircumcised; for that [were] a reproach unto us:

1.      Reproach - חרפה cherpah, scorn, taunt

2.      Here we have the sons of Jacob using the outward sign of their covenant with the Lord as a manipulative tool to exact their revenge

3.      Down through the years religious “requirements” have been used to manipulate behavior of individuals and groups of people to gain a desired result.  It’s about control, and using God’s Word as a means of control is against the Will of God for God is a God of Liberty and not a God of Control.

a)      The enemy seeks to control and manipulate

b)     God seeks to liberate

J.    Genesis 34:15 - But in this will we consent unto you: If ye will be as we [be], that every male of you be circumcised;

1.      Remember that circumcision normally takes place when the child is 8 days old, not grown adult males

2.      Would this bring them under the covenant of circumcision that God made with Abraham?

3.      Though this was an insincere effort, it is not enough to only signify an outward expression, but must be instructed of the meaning, understanding and power behind it.

K.       Genesis 34:16 - Then will we give our daughters unto you, and we will take your daughters to us, and we will dwell with you, and we will become one people.

L.      Genesis 34:17 - But if ye will not hearken unto us, to be circumcised; then will we take our daughter, and we will be gone.

M.    Genesis 34:18 - And their words pleased Hamor, and Shechem Hamor's son.

1.      Shechem must have really loved Dinah (or at least thought he did) and Hamor must have really loved his son

2.      Did the Hivites have any knowledge of the covenant?

3.      Why was Shechem so willing to go through with this without even attempting to negotiate? It appears that he views this as a good deal?

4.      What was the covenant

a)      Genesis 17:7-10 – And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee.  And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.  And God said unto Abraham, Thou shalt keep my covenant therefore, thou, and thy seed after thee in their generations.  This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcised.

b)     So by being circumcised were they brought into this covenant?

c)      Read on…

II.              The Circumcision of the Males of Shechem (v.19-24)

A.     Genesis 34:19 - And the young man deferred not to do the thing, because he had delight in Jacob's daughter: and he [was] more honourable than all the house of his father.

1.      If Shechem is more honorable than the rest of his father’s house, this doesn’t speak well for his father’s house.

a)      Could read that Shechem was the most respected among his father’s house

2.      Nonetheless, it does appear that Shechem is attempting to right a wrong in the best way he knows how

B.     Genesis 34:20 - And Hamor and Shechem his son came unto the gate of their city, and communed with the men of their city, saying,

1.      Gate of the city – place of judgment, city hall

C.     Genesis 34:21 - These men [are] peaceable with us; therefore let them dwell in the land, and trade therein; for the land, behold, [it is] large enough for them; let us take their daughters to us for wives, and let us give them our daughters.

D.    Genesis 34:22 - Only herein will the men consent unto us for to dwell with us, to be one people, if every male among us be circumcised, as they [are] circumcised.

E.     Genesis 34:23 - [Shall] not their cattle and their substance and every beast of theirs [be] ours? only let us consent unto them, and they will dwell with us.

1.      Shechem is himself being deceitful in that he is convincing his people to go through with this in order to possess the belongings of Israel.

2.      The men were only interested in being circumcised for the purpose of gaining material wealth.

F.     Genesis 34:24 - And unto Hamor and unto Shechem his son hearkened all that went out of the gate of his city; and every male was circumcised, all that went out of the gate of his city.

1.      Picture whats going on here, imagine the logistics…

2.      Was there a line, were these men standing in line for this?

3.      What were the wives of these men thinking? “I don’t think this is a good idea”

III.            Exacting of Revenge (v.25-31)

A.     Genesis 34:25 - And it came to pass on the third day, when they were sore, that two of the sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi, Dinah's brethren, took each man his sword, and came upon the city boldly, and slew all the males.

1.      Third day reference

2.      Simeon and Levi were full brothers to Dinah, acted as Kinsman redeemers

a)      What these brothers failed to determine was Dinah’s level of censent

b)     Why the entire city and not just Shechem?

3.      Was this act condoned by God?

a)      He allowed it to happen, just like He allows many things to happen that in our eyes seem so cruel and inhumane, but He has a higher purpose.

b)     There is no passage that provides any insight to God’s approval or disapproval in Genesis, we can clearly see though that Jacob strongly opposed and lived in fear because of it.

c)      Jasher 33:52 – And they circumcised Shechem and Hamor his father, and the five brothers of Shechem, and then every one rose up and went home, for this thing was from the Lord against the city of Shechem, and from the Lord was Simeon’s counsel in this matter, in order that the Lord might deliver the city of Scechem into the hands of Jacob’s two sons.

§        At least according to Jasher this seems to have been condoned by God.

4.      Even with all the males in the city in a delicate state, this act seems supernatural for two men to wipe out an entire city

a)      Draws similarities to the two angels that came to save Lot and his family before the destruction

b)     The two witnesses of Revelation 11 who will prophecy for 1,260 days before they are killed by the enemy

5.      Genesis 27:40 – And by the sword shalt thou live, and shalt serve thy brother…

a)      Words spoken by Isaac over his son Esau, these sons of Jacob have embraced that lifestyle.

B.     Genesis 34:26 - And they slew Hamor and Shechem his son with the edge of the sword, and took Dinah out of Shechem's house, and went out.

1.      Notice that Dinah was not returned to Jacob to await the marriage, she was living in the house of Shechem, possibly against her will

2.      Another similarity to what the angels did with Lot, took him and his family out of his house to safety

3.      Were Simeon and Levi wrong to do what they did?  This verse may provide justification for their actions, if Dinah was being held against her will and locked away in a stronghold then it seems that their actions as full blood brothers rescuing their sister by any and all means necessary was completely justified.

a)      Just like Abraham rescued Lot and his family when they were captured and carried away by the unified invasion force from Babylonia.

b)     Just like Simeon and Levi demonstrated that there is no length they would not go to rescue their sister, there is no length that the Lord will not go to rescue even one of his own “lost sheep”

C.     Genesis 34:27 - The sons of Jacob came upon the slain, and spoiled the city, because they had defiled their sister.

1.      Not only did they kill all of the men, they took all of their possessions

a)      Opposite of Shechem’s intentions in v. 23

2.      No indication that Dinah was unhappy with them for rescuing her, another indication she was being held against her will.

D.    Genesis 34:28 - They took their sheep, and their oxen, and their asses, and that which [was] in the city, and that which [was] in the field,

1.      That which the Hivites thought they would gain through the performance of ritual circumcision, became what they lost, including their very lives

2.      Sowing and reaping

E.     Genesis 34:29 - And all their wealth, and all their little ones, and their wives took they captive, and spoiled even all that [was] in the house.

1.      What did they do with all of the captive women and children?

2.      Likely they became servants

F.     Genesis 34:30 - And Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, Ye have troubled me to make me to stink among the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites and the Perizzites: and I [being] few in number, they shall gather themselves together against me, and slay me; and I shall be destroyed, I and my house.

1.      Jacob, in his flesh, shows his lack of faith in a righteous God who has made a covenant with him. 

2.      This signifies the beginning of “Jacob’s trouble” in the land a period of six years and foreshadows end times prophecy of Jeremiah

a)      Jeremiah 30:7 -  Alas! for that day [is] great, so that none [is] like it: it [is] even the time of Jacob's trouble; but he shall be saved out of it.

b)     God was with Israel, the other nations did not make any advances.

G.    Genesis 34:31 - And they said, Should he deal with our sister as with an harlot?

1.      Just because the answer to this question is obviously no, it does not necessarily justify the slaughter of the entire city.

2.      It doesn’t necessarily rebuke it either