The symbolic meaning of the fall ofJericho
Theauthor: Yao Lianghong
Thehistory of the Israelites in the Bible contains prophetic implications, most ofwhich are not accomplished in the Old Testament, but are about the end, whichtakes place centrally at the end of history. What happened in the past is apartial achievement.What happens in the end is a complete achievement.
Instudying the history of the exodus of the Israelites, one of the things weoften see is the fall of the city of Jericho. It is inconceivable that the impregnablecity of Jericho should have collapsed and been leveled without any physicalweapons, such as knives, guns, sticks, or ammunition. And one of the thingsthat the Israelites did, they just went around the city. They went around oncea day, for the first six days, then on the seventh day they went around seventimes, and then with a loud cry, the city collapsed! It's unbelievable – it'slike a fairy tale. But it does happen. It's confidence. Faith can movemountains and seas. It can turn the world upside down. This is how God's peopletrust the Word of God. Everything is possible to a man who depends on God! Forthe Lord is the Creator of the universe, and he can do it all!
Before theIsraelites could enter Canaan, they had to take the city of Jericho, afortified city. The mighty and strong Jericho is the symbol of Satan's power.And all that is in the city is to be destroyed (Jos 6:17), suggesting that thewhole world under Satan's hand is sinful and will be destroyed at the end,because "all the world lies under the hand of the evil one" (John1:5:19).Therefore, before the spiritual people of Israel, God's remnant, enterthe kingdom of Canaan, they must also take down a great obstacle, the moderncity of Jericho, the great city of Babylon, and then eliminate all that shouldbe destroyed in the city, the destruction of the earth!So how do we learn fromthe model of the fall of Jericho to promote the fall of the last great city ofBabylon?
【Jos 6:1-21 】 So Jericho wastightly shut up because of the Israelites.No one went out or came in.Then theLord said to Joshua, "See, I have given Jericho into your hand, along withits king and its mighty men of valor. March around the city once with all thearmed men . Do this for six days. And the seven priests shall carry the seventrumpets of rams’horns before the ark. On the seventh day march around the cityseven times, and the priests shall blow the trumpet. When you hear the sound ofthe trumpet, all the people will shout with a great shout, and the wall willfall down; every man will go straight forward." Joshua son of Nun called the priests andsaid to them, "Take up the ark of the covenant and let seven priests carryseven trumpets of rams‘horns before the ark of the Lord." And he said tothe people, "Go on, march around the city, and let the armed men go beforethe ark of the Lord." When Joshua had spoken unto the people, that theseven priests with the seven trumpets of rams 'horns went before the Lord, andblew with the trumpets; and the ark of the covenant of the Lord followed them.The armed men went ahead of the priests who blew the trumpets, and the rearguard followed the ark. The priest blew as he went. Joshua commanded thepeople, "Do not shout or make any noise. Do not let a word go out of yourmouth.Untilthe day I tell you to shout, then shout."So he brought theark of the Lord around the city, circling the city once, and they returned tothe camp and spent the night there. And Joshua rose early in the morning, andthe priests took up the ark of the Lord. And seven priests with seven trumpetsof rams 'horns went on before the ark of the Lord, blowing the trumpetscontinually, and the armed men went before them, and the rear guard went afterthe ark of the Lord. The priest blew as he went. On the second day they marchedaround the city once and returned to the camp. They did the same for six days.On the seventh day they arose early, at dawn, and marched around the city inthe same manner seven times. But on that day they circled the city seven times.At the seventh time, when the priests blew the trumpets, Joshua said to thepeople, "Shout, for the Lord has given you the city." This city and all that is in it will bedestroyed before the Lord.Only Rahab the harlot and all that is in her house shalllive, for she has hid the messengers which we have sent…And the peopleshouted, and the priests blew the trumpets. And when the people heard the soundof the trumpet, they cried with a great shout, and the wall fell; and thepeople went up into the city, every man straight forward, and took the city.And he utterly destroyed with the sword every man, woman, and child, ox, andsheep, and ass that was in the city.
This is God'spromise to the Israelites: "I have given into your hands the city and theking of Jericho (which presupposed the great city of Babylon and the papacy)and the mighty men of valour. Here is the result, and the siege method has beenshown to you. It’s easy to do. It all depends on your confidence, patience anddetermination!" This implies that the last great city ofBabylon has beengiven into the hands of the remnant , depending on whether we have faith ornot.
In thispassage we analyze the attack on Jericho infive ways similar to the attack on Babylon in modern times.
1 One is thebackgroundto the attack on Jericho: "thegates of Jericho were shut because of the Israelites, and no one came in orwent out." Here it says that Jericho, which the Israelites were going toattack, was shut up and no one came in or went out. It was easy to defend anddifficult to attack.Why is that? Because the Israelites were on the road thatled into Canaan, they attacked cities and plundered pools, and defeated ordestroyed many foreign nations. The people of Jericho had been terrified, andthey saw that they would soon enter the territory of Jericho. So the city wasimmediately put on full alert.Then let no one fromoutside enter, and no one from inside go out.
Today, thereform movement of the Eleventh Hour has great influence. The Informationof the trial of the living is ringing in the ears.The warnings are urgent. Allthese make Babylon churches moreworrying, nervous, as if they were faced with aformidable enemy.They keep respective churches strictlyclosed, forbiddingbelievers to contect the Last Revival church in which the modern spiritualIsraelistes has the perfect truth.They bound the believerstightly in the greatcity of Babylon, as in the days of the inhabitants of Jericho, they are notallowed to go in or out.This is the mode of administration of the universalBabylonian Church – the city of modern Jericho! We are now in the difficultbackground of the attack on Jericho by the Israelites.
2 The reasonfor the attack on Jericho: " You take up theark, and seven priests with seven trumpets of rams’horns will walk before theark of the Lord." We find that whether you cross the Jordan or fightagainst Jericho, the ark went ahead of the Israelites, and the Israelites followedit (Jos 3:14-17).This shows that the wars of the Israelites wereall about the ark of God (containing the Ten Commandments of God) – the war topreserve the power of God! It is God who leads the way before.Likewise, the ark of the Covenant is toappear before the last great spiritual battle of the earth to hasten the fallof the great city of Babylon. Look at (Revelation 11:19)Then the temple of God in heaven wasopened, and the ark of his Covenant was seen in his temple. And there wereflashes of lightning, rumblings, thunder, an earthquake and a great hailstorm.When the ark of God reappeared, that is,when Jesus entered the Holy Of Holies in 1844 to begin his trial, the fourthcommandment to restore the Sabbath truth, and the second commandment to abolishthe idol, the Message of the Judgment of the living, the truth of the Prophetswas given special importance.This is that the Sabbath truth and the Prophets'message about the judgment of the living drive the movement of the last greatcry, which is the only way to overthrow the modern city of Jericho, the greatCity of Babylon.This is the appearance of the ark of God at the end of time,and we will follow it in the battle to spread the warning of the three angelsand the warning of another mighty angel, to call the world to fear and observethe Sabbath, and to receive the Lord's message of the judgment of the living –the truth of the Prophets. This is thestruggle to defend the truth and the power of God.
Just as the Israelites went round and round the city of Jericho, so thepeople of God went round and round for the first six days without Shouting, andonly on the seventh day did they start Shouting. That is to say, the churchesof the seven historical periods of revelation, the first six of which were allin orderly circles without a cry, began to shout in the seventh church, theChurch of laodicea and the Adventist Church (to preach the message of the threeangels, that is to call men out of Babylon. And the truth of the Prophets whichwe preach is to bring the great cry to a climax and to intensify the urge tothe overthrow of the great city of Babylon.) The great cry will eventuallycause the waters of the Euphrates to dry up (Rev. 16:12-19). In the same waythat the Israelites crossed the Jordan and dried up as if they were walkingflat. Please see:
【 Joshua 3:14-17 】 When the peopleleft their tents to cross the Jordan, the priests carrying the ark of thecovenant were in front of them. And when they came to the Jordan, as soon asthey were come into the waters (for the Jordan had overflowed its Banks in thedays of harvest), the waters that came down from above stopped at the city ofAdam, which is by Zarethan, in a very far place, and set up a heap;The watersthat flow down to the sea of the Arabah, the salt Sea, are completely cut off.So the people crossed over opposite Jericho. And the priests that bare the arkof the COVENANT of the Lord stood firm upon dry ground in the middle of TheJordan, and all Israel passed over on dry ground, until all the people hadpassed over the Jordan.The most strikingwords recorded here are the lessons of the last age. When the priestscarriedthe arkby faith and first put their feet into the water, the river was cut off,and it became two high walls of water: and the children of Israel went over theriver as on dry ground: and these people passed over the river in theirturn.Today we are crossing the Jordan River and attacking the modern city ofJericho. What should we do? Let us go forth confidently with the ark of God(Sabbath truth + Prophets truth), and the waters of Euphrates (Babylonianerrors) will of course make way, and set up two high walls to the right and tothe left, and let us go unimpeded.One block is wrong theism, and the other isarrogant atheism. Today, it is because of ourLlast Revival that the ark of Godmarched boldly, fearlessly, and boldly, and forced these two walls to make wayfor us, that their swords are now a striking proof that they made way forus!When we have crossed the dry river, these two walls of water will closeagain, and the people behind will never have a chance to pass, once steppinginto the water, they will be swallowed up by the closed current. This meansthat at the end of the great cry, false theism and atheism will unite into theTen Kingdoms, and there will be no chance for anyone to follow theIsraelites(the true remnant). Together they will follow the current and drown!
This will be the event that the waters of Euphrates,which surrounds the great city of Babylon, will dry up and the great city willfall. This event was to prepare the way for the Kings from the rising of thesun (Rev 16:12-19), just as the fall of Jericho prepared the way for the peopleof Israel to enter Into Canaan. We are experiencing the same thing today.
Thescripture also says, "The first day goes round only once, but on theseventh day it goes round seven times." This means that the truth of theAdventist and the Eleventh Hour movements actually contains the sum total ofall the truths of the ages, that is, repeating the truth of the first sixtimes.Especially if the Prophets cover the whole truth of the Bible, when youknow the truth of the Prophets, it means that you have reached the level of aspiritual doctor, then elementary school knowledge is no problem!
And whenthey smote Jericho, the children of Israel, according to the commandment ofGod, marched about it seven days, and blew the trumpets seven times, and thecity fell. The propheciesof seven trumpetsand seven catastrophein Revelationare the steps of our victory. At the sound of the seventh trumpet, the sevenplagues will come, and the great Spiritual Babylon will fall and break intothree pieces. The fall of Jericho is therefore typical of the fall of the lastgreat city of Babylon.
In the bookof Revelation we can see that when the ark of the Covenant appears, it isfollowed by the image of women struggling to give birth to boys, which is thehard birth of the last Remnant church (144,000 people). Soon there is the imageof God's special remnant — 144,000 men following their commander, the Lamb ofChrist, standing on Mount Zion. It is the image of the glory of the 144,000 whohas toppled the great city of Babylon. So when we drain the waters of theEuphrates and pull down the great city of Babylon, Christ will return and leadus back to Canaan in heaven. And the way we drain the river and pull Babylondown is to carry the ark forward without looking back, with a great cry!
3The time of the fall of Jericho."Waituntil the day I bid you shout, then can shout". It has already been saidthat the first six days of the circle represent the first six periods of thechurch since the time of Christ.They are only carrying out the inplementationof a small amount of truth at that time.They are just laying the groundwork,only on a small scale to reform (the old European continent).This was themoment of the ferocity of Babylon’s rise.The people of God were not strongenough to bring Babylon to its full fall.But in the seventhChurch, the Adventist movement, the fountain of truth began to pour down, thewings of God's people began to harden, their bodies began to grow strong, toshout.And this cry was the force that brought about the fall of Babylon, thelast city of Jericho.So the influence of the Adventist movement — the wave ofSabbathtruth, started in the Americas and spread throughout the world.And themessage of the judgment of the living, which we preach today, is about toculminate in the great cry that forced the downfall of the modern city of Jericho- the great city of Babylon!Through the above analysis, we find that the way to pull down Jericho isone: carry the ark forward, and then shout. Do not do anything else! So how dowe shout today? God is giving us a much simpler, faster way to do it today –using modern, high-tech means of transmission — and the Internet can do it.WeChat, weibo,SMS, QQ, audio; Books, Gospel leaflets, etc. are the tools we use to shout.With the perseverance of an iron rod to a needle, with the courage to facedeath, we will continue to preach the Sabbath truth and the message of theProphets, and this is to carry the ark bravely forward. When everyone who hearsthe warning does so and more join in our cry, then we have enough power to pushdown modern Jericho-Babylon.The fall of the great city of Babylon is at hand!
4. Who will be savedwhen the city of Jericho falls?But Rahab the harlot shall live, andall that are in her house: for she has hid the messengers which we sent. Whoare these harlots? Please look at:
[Isa 23:15-18]…After seventy years Tyre will be like the song of an harlot. Take an harp, goabout the city, o forgotten harlot; play skillfully, sing many songs, that youwill be remembered. And it shall come to pass after seventy years, that theLord will visit Tyre, and she shall pay her hire for it, and shall trade withall the kingdoms of the earth. His merchandise and interest will be holy to theLord; it will not be accumulated or stored up. For his wealth will be for thosewho live before the Lord, to feed them fully and clothe them with durableclothing.
These are theharlots who judge The Times in the great city of Babylon. When they find outthat the People of Israel are weak, but the victory is sure to be theirs.Theprostitute believes that the God of Israel is the only true God and chooses tostand by the Israelites and help them. Such are those who hear our truth comingout of Babylon today to participate in our great cry. In fact, most of the trueremnant lived in Babylon. It is the truth (Jesus) that will save these poorspiritual harlots one by one from the pit of fire.
"She hidesthe messengers we send." Thecorrect interpretation is: these prostitutes are God's people hidden in theBabylonian church. They had hunger and thirst for righteousness, but Babylonhad not satisfied them with the truth, and they could only eat the errors thatforced them into spiritual harlots.Once the people of Israel (the truth)emerge,they seize the lifeline and are at once escaping from the prostitution cave(thenest of Babylon). They side with the people of Israel (truth) and join theoverthrow of Jericho (Babylon) team and become effective officers inGod'schurch and make the Lord's army gradually become neat as an army with banners.It is from these new fruits that the Last Revival church is now assembled!
How do the rest ofJericho end up, with the exception of prostitutes who joine the Israelite camp?
5. As for the restof Jericho, "all that is in the city, men and women, young andold, cattle, sheep and donkeys, will be put to the sword." There is nodoubt that the universal sons and daughters of Babylon (the waters) will bedestroyed.The universal people who do not take an independent stand in truthare buried at the fall of Babylon, the modern city of Jericho.
The city ofJericho fell after the trumpets sounded on the seventh day, just as the greatcity of Babylon fell when the seventh trumpet sounded and the seven bowls fell,breaking into three pieces and collapsing. This meant that those do not acceptthe seventh generation of church –the message of Adventist movement and theEleventh Hour movement–the truth of Sabbathand the truth of the prophets are part of the people of Jericho.(because of big shout contains three angels or another mighty angel information,therefore, the truth of the prophets also belongs to the seventh generation ofthe church's subsequent information).All the wicked of the world willeventually be cleared by God.Sinsare completely removed completely.
God's Revelationsare infallible, for he is just and loving, and his judgments do no wrong.He isso good for the salvation of mankind that even the last to perish will cry outand confess the righteousness of God. On the day of judgment, every fallen man will see the nature of his rejectionof the truth… And plead guilty before Calvary's ghastly scene and themysterious sufferer… In the judgment hall of the whole universe, people willsee that sin cannot be blamed on God… There is no fault in God'sadministration, nor any cause for injustice. When all thoughts are exposed, thefaithful saints and the rebellious wicked will cry out: "Just andtrue is your way, King of all ages!Who will not fear you, O Lord, and glorify your name? …For your righteous works have been manifested "(Rev. 15:3, 4)"!
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