Joshua 6. The Fall of Jericho shows the end. 

God hid a wonderful rehearsal of the end time in chapter 6 of Joshua which reveals all of the end-time events in order.  The details are so amazing  and the divine authorship and hidden revelations are marvelous.

Part 1

Joshua: the SIXTH chapter. 
Joshua (Joshua means Jesus)  is leading the saints. 
Jericho falls in chapter 6. (six is also the number of man) 

Jericho's fall foretold to Joshua. 
Joshua 6
(1   Now Jericho was straitly shut up because of the children of Israel:
(2   And the LORD said unto Joshua, See, I have given into thy hand Jericho, and the king thereof, and the mighty men of valor.
(3   And ye shall compass the city, all the men of war, going about the city once. Thus shalt thou do six days.
(4   And seven priests shall bear seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark:
and the seventh day ye shall compass the city seven times, and the priests shall blow the trumpets. 
5    And it shall be, that, when they make a long blast with the ram`s horn, and when ye hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall of the city shall fall down flat, and the people shall go up every man straight before him.
(6   And Joshua the son of Nun called the priests, and said unto them, Take up the ark of the covenant, and let seven priests bear seven trumpets of rams` horns before the ark of The Lord.

Let's take note of "seven times".
It is used in numerous places to indicate "years". 
The walls of Jericho would fall at the last trump after seven "times" around the city and 7 trumps sounded.
"Times"
The king of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar, was given the mind of the beast for 7 years: 
Daniel 4:16 let his heart be changed from man's, and let a beast's heart be given unto him; and let seven times pass over him. 

Here the word "time", "times" and "half a time" is used for 3-1/2 years:
Daniel 7:25 ..he shall speak words against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High; and he shall think to change the times and the law; and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and half a time.
and again,
Revelation 12:14 And there were given to the woman the two wings of the great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness unto her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.

Leviticus 26:18 And if ye will not yet for these things hearken unto me, then I will chastise you seven times more for your sins.
Leviticus 26:24 ...I also walk contrary unto you; and I will smite you, even I, seven times for your sins.

Just as OT Israel became a harlot and fell away into apostasy and was desolated by Jesus (behold, your house is made desolate..." Mat. 23:38),
so has NT Israel also fallen away into apostasy and is warned of "the abomination of desolation" (see Mark 13:14/ 2Thess 2:4/ Mat 24:15)  

"every man straight before him."
The double prophecy of the coming of the Lord. 
Luke 3:4 As it is written ...in Isaiah the prophet, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.

Jericho was burned with fire in its judgment. 
Joshua 6:24 And they burnt the city with fire.
After the saints go "up", the world will be burnt in judgment.
2Peter 3:7 But the heavens that now are, and the earth, by the same word have been stored up for fire, being reserved against the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.

A synopsis of the rapture: 
The last trump sounds, the Lord descends, He and the saints come to take the kingdom. 
In Revelation, the 7th trump follows the other 6 trumps of Rev. 8. 
The 7th trump is the last trump. 
1st Cor 15:52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 

From numerous verses "times" are shown as years, so when we read "seven times" we are able to see seven years in a later fulfillment.

With the foundation of terms and meanings in place, let's go to the thrilling prophecy hidden in the fall of Jericho!

(1) Jericho is shut up. Luke 21:26 men fainting for fear, and for expectation of the things which are coming on the world.
Jericho was in fear.  
God calls the world "a city of ... nations":
Isaiah 25:3 Therefore shall a strong people glorify thee; a city of terrible nations shall fear thee.
Now Jericho was straitly shut up because of the children of Israel:

(2) Joshua is leading the saints to glory.  (Joshua means Jesus who is "the captain of our salvation") 
Hebrews 2:10 ...in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.

Jericho the city is circled for 7 days:
(15) And it came to pass on the seventh day, they rose early at the dawning of the day
(the 7th day represents the 7th year of tribulation) 
"only on the day they compassed the city seven times." 
The Israelite people of God thus circled Jericho seven times and sounded seven trumpets, then the end  came. 
>>>Thus, on the "last day" the saints circle the world with the gospel of the kingdom seven "times" i.e., years. 

There is a smaller "snapshot" of the larger event given on the 7th day.
Jericho is a smaller "type" of the whole world, and this is a picture of the gospel of the kingdom being preached to the whole world before the end.
Matthew 24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world (i.e.around the world) for a testimony unto all the nations; and then shall the end come.

In the seven year tribulation, the saints will keep the feast of unleavened bread. 
This means the saints will ONLY eat the pure Word of God. No human reasoning, traditions, or manmade explanations will be permitted by the Lord. 

(10) And Joshua commanded the people, saying, Ye shall not shout, nor let your voice be heard, neither shall any word proceed out of your mouth, until the day I bid you shout; then shall ye shout.
The trumpet (the sound of the gospel being given by the NT priests) will give only the sound of the pure gospel of the kingdom by the breath of His Spirit.

(16)   And it came to pass at the seventh time, when the priests blew the trumpets,
The priests in the New Testament are shown in  Revelation 1:6 And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father. 
Romans 10:18 But I say, Did they not hear? Yea, verily, Their sound went out into all the earth, And their words unto the ends of the world. 

The "Shout"
(16) Joshua said unto the people, Shout; for the LORD has given you the city.
20   So the people shouted,
and the priests blew the trumpets; and it came to pass, when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, that the people shouted with a great shout, 

At Jericho there is a GREAT SHOUT. 
(5) "when they make a long blast with the ram`s horn, and when ye hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout   -then the walls of the city FELL!
1st Thess 4:16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven, with a shout

(20) ... the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city.
Here is Jericho, a foreshadowing, where the "city of terrible nations", the world, falls

Joshua: 6:16 And it came to pass at the seventh time, when the priests blew the trumpets, Joshua said unto the people, Shout; for The Lord hath given you the city.

Then:
4   And seven priests shall bear seven trumpets of rams` horns before the ark: and the seventh day ye shall compass the city seven times, and the priests shall blow the trumpets.
 Revelation 11:15 And the seventh angel sounded..there followed great voices in heaven, and they said, The kingdom of the world is become the kingdom of our Lord, and of his Christ:
1st Cor 15:52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound
Rev. 16:18 and ... there was a great earthquake, ..., so great an earthquake, so mighty. 19 And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell. 

At Jericho,  the last trump sounded, there was a great earthquake, the city walls fell, and the saints went up and took the city.
At the end of the seven years, the last trump of God sounds, there is a great earthquake, the saints go up in the rapture, and the Lord takes possession of the Kingdom. 

Rev. 11:15   The kingdom of the world is become the kingdom of our Lord, and of his Christ,
and Daniel shows the saints taking the kingdom: 
Daniel 7:18    But the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom, and possess the kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever.  ("God has given you the city")

(20)
 So the people shouted, and the priests blew the trumpets; and it came to pass, when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, that the people shouted with a great shout, and the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city. 

In Jericho there was a remnant saved from the house of the harlot. 
Joshua 6:25 But Rahab the harlot, and her father`s household, and all that she had, did Joshua save alive (Jesus saves an obedient remnant from the Rev. 18:4 spiritual house of the harlot church.) 

Rahab is a type of the "harlot church" who has received the "seed" of men, i.e. their traditions and leaven.
The harlot church is judged in Revelation 17 and 18 after God's  people come out of her:
17 only Rahab the harlot shall live, she and all that are with her in the house, because she hid the messengers that we sent.
Revelation 18:4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come forth, my people, out of her, that ye have no fellowship with her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues: 

Even the two witnesses of Revelation are there: 
Joshua 6:22 And Joshua said unto the two men that had spied out the land, Go into the harlot`s house, and bring out thence the woman, and all that she hath, as ye sware unto her. 
Rev. 11 3 And I will give unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.

 

I see solid evidence of 16 apostles up through these passages, perhaps there are others such as Apollos, Silas and Silvanus.
If Silas and Silvanus are two separate individuals (there is some uncertainty they may be the same man), then there may be more apostles.Apollos (18)
1 Corinthians 3:5 Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man?
1 Corinthians 3:6 I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.
1 Corinthians 3:22 Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are your's; 

Tychius ?
Acts 20:4 And there accompanied him as far as Asia, Sopater of Beroea, the son of Pyrrhus; and of the Thessalonians, Aristarchus and Secundus; and Gaius of Derbe, and Timothy; and of Asia, Tychicus and Trophimus.
Ephesians 6:21 But that ye also may know my affairs, how I do, Tychicus, the beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord, shall make known to you all things:
 Colossians 4:7 All my affairs shall Tychicus make known unto you, the beloved brother and faithful minister and fellow-servant in the Lord:
2nd Timothy 4:12 But Tychicus I sent to Ephesus.
Titus 3:12 When I shall send Artemas unto thee, or Tychicus, give diligence to come unto me

In our own personal study Revelation chapters 2 and 3,  we are seeing many exciting things as the Lord opens our understanding of the hidden manna found in the Word of scripture.
What follows we submit for your consideration, and edification. 
When the truth is shown, it becomes simple and obvious. Maybe I am only saying something here that is already known of you.  I know we were puzzled for many years by some of the sayings to the churches. 

The 7 churches are also a microcosm of the churches on earth now and during the 7 years of the Tribulation. If you will read this with your Bible open so you can look at the context, the following verses will come alive in a fresh way.

 Hidden Manna, a White Stone, and a New Name

Rev. 2: 17 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches. To him that overcometh, to him will I give of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, and upon the stone a new name written, which no one knoweth but he that receiveth it.    

What the Spirit saith:
God has hidden in His Word Holy Spirit-taught revelation.: Jn 14:26  "But the Comforter, even the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, "
and again,
1Jn2:27  And as for you, the anointing which ye received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any one teach you; but as his anointing teacheth you; concerning all things, and is true, and is no lie, and even as it taught you, ye abide in him.

The truth is hidden from carnal eyes and understanding. Those who see only the "letter" of the Word and do not see what the Spirit says, and will be blind to revealed truth. The religious leadership of Jesus' day were declared spiritualy blind by the Lord, and so were those who put their trust in them.

This is what the Holy Spirit taught from this passage.
To him that overcometh:

What must they "overcome" to eat of the "hidden manna", i.e. the hidden Word of Truth? 
According to other passages such as Rev. 18:4, God's people must separate from the apostate system that calls itself Christian and is headed by "false apostles"  (i.e. 'messengers'),
the Nicolaitane error (false church government which is the clergy over the laity rulership),
and the the married-to-the-world Balaam ministry that sold itself for hire, as given in previous verses in
Revelation 2: 2,6,14 , and other places such as 2Peter 3:2-3 and in Jude. 

We must overcome the ministry of the Nicolaitanes,  and Jezebel, i.e., the manipulating-controlling leaderdership that asserts carnal authority over God's people as did the pharisees and clergy of Jesus' day. As we overcome the typical church doctrines, creeds, statements of faith, and belief systems of our fathers traditions, then can God open our eyes to behold "what the Spirit saith to the churches".  As long as we look at the scripture through the "lenses" of past traditions learned in church,our spiritual vision will be obscurred.

 
When you overcome the Nicolaite error/ doctrine that Jesus said He "hates", you are on your way to understanding God's Word as the Holy Spirit teaches. 
 Galatians 1:12 For neither did I receive it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came to me through revelation of Jesus Christ.

A personal example of this was the question i had regard "the deeds of the Nicolaitanes which I hate" in Rev. 2:15. For 24 years I always wondered what that was. After all, if Jesus "hated" it, I certainly did not want to be doing that! But what was it? 

No one could tell me and I never heard anyone teach on that. Then one day the Lord had me read Revelation 2 and when I came to the "Nicolaitane error", I pondered again what it meant.  Suddenly the Lord imparted great understanding and I saw it revealed. The Nicolaitanes were all through the scriptures! They persecuted Jesus, king Saul was an early prototype, Diotrephes in 3John was one, Paul warned of them in Acts 20. It all fell into place and also the fact that the most common form of wrong church government is the Nicolaitane error.  This was all revealed from the Lord in a minute.   

     A white stone:
What do they that eat of that "hidden manna" receive?
Nothing less than the "white stone", i.e. the pure Jesus:  
"The Stone that the builders rejected who is become the Head of the corner". Acts 4:11
This is the stone which was set at nought of you (apostate) builders, which is become the head of the corner." 
-Indeed, set at nought by the builders then, and now, who substituted their version of Jesus as they built their churches, organizations, and personal ministries. 

The pure Jesus is not the denominational, sectarian church version which includes unscriptural terms such as "trinity", "Oneness", "second Person", "purgatory", "mass", and presented by titled church officials like "Reverend", "Pastor", "Apostle", "Rabbi", and a dozen other titles worn by men and women in the church.

How can we say that?
Jesus IS the Word and when you look at the "Not In Scripture List" on our home page, you will see some of what has been substituted for the pure Word ("another Jesus", i.e. another "Word")

a NEW name written:
The "new name" IS the Pure Jesus  (the white stone) of the "hidden manna" of the Word of God. Can "another Jesus slip in through the church door?
2 Corinthians 11:4 For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached.  

Thus not every "Jesus" preached is The "White Stone" Jesus that Paul preached and the writer John knew!  It is only after purging out the error and additions of "the seed of men" can we begin to see the pure unleavened Jesus of the scripture. 

How do you get that?
When we "renounce all that you have" in order to become a disciple, as Jesus commanded in Luke 14:33, it even includes our doctrine.  This is part of our becoming empty of ourselves in surrendering "all" that we have and believe in order for the Lord to renew our minds in His Word.
EVERY unscriptural word must be cast out of our belief. Every formula, every manmade list, creed, and statement.  Just believe the Word even when you do not understand it and what you do understand from the Lord, walk in it and do what He told us.

which no one *knoweth but he that receiveth it.:
What an awesome revelation to recognize the Pure Jesus of the Hidden Manna one may receive after overcoming the Nicolaitane error and the preach-for-reward ministry! 
The new name that only the overcomers have and know is the nature, character, and authority of an unleavened Jesus.

Knowing the "new name", in truth, cannot be learned from books or a man, it can only be imparted by the Spirit of God.
Men may teach and repeat their ideas, but the Lord God is the One who gives revelation.

 *knoweth: (G1097 γινωìσκω ginōskō ghin-oce'-ko  A prolonged form of a primary verb; to "know" (absolutely), in a great variety of applications and with many implications (as shown at left, with others not thus clearly expressed): - allow, be aware (of), feel, (have) known (-ledge), perceive, be resolved, can speak, be sure, understand.)  

What is CORRECT Church Government?

This was the first in a series of articles about New Testament Church government. 
If you are a new visitor to our site and are interested in this subject, we suggest the companion articles on The Nicolaitane Error, Clergy Titles, and Pauls' Leadership Conference.
Nepotism is an expose of the family-run church.
These articles point out and compare many of the artificial forms of church government invented by men and how they are contrary to what is given in God's Word to the church.