THE RIVERS – Part 3 – The Name of the FIRST –

THE RIVERS
Part 3

The NAME of the FIRST

The name of the first is Pison: that is it which compasseth the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold; (Genesis 2:11)
And the gold of that land is good: there is bdellium and the onyx stone.
(Genesis 2:12)

INTRODUCTION

If you haven’t read Part 1 and 2, I suggest that you read those articles BEFORE you venture into this third part. Most readers would think this first sentence unnecessary, but it is necessary. There are readers from all over this world, from different levels of education, and from a wide range of understanding of Scripture and of the English language, and I can safely speak for every Bible teacher, the responsibility can sometimes weight heavily on the heart.
The reader also bears a responsibility: first, prove what is written. Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. (1st Thessalonians 5:21). Secondly, do not merely believe everything that you hear or read or see, but try the spirits whether they are of God. (1st John 4:1) How can the Scriptures be proven? Prove Scripture WITH Scripture, NOT by what a person writes or says. For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little. (Isaiah 28:10) Scripture is NOT proven by gifts but Scripture is only proven through Scripture with Scripture. Now, brethren, if I come unto you speaking with tongues, what shall I profit you, except I shall speak to you either by revelation, or by knowledge, or by prophesying, or by doctrine? (1st Corinthians 14:6) To KNOW Scripture requires that one must first READ Scripture. Give attendance not to attendance first, but first to READING. Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine. (1st Timothy 4:13) Proving Scripture with Scripture leads to sound doctrine. Matthew 22:29 is my very favorite verse in the New Testament because it keeps me focused on what God has purposed for me . . . to KNOW the Scriptures AND to KNOW the power of God. It is through THE POWER OF GOD that the Scriptures KEEPS the Christian from erring. Our strength is IN the Living Word of God (the Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory) as our strength is also drawn from the written word of God. Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God. (Matthew 22:29) Seven times, the Lord Jesus said, Have ye not read? (Matthew 12:3, 5; 19:4; 22:31; Mark 12:10, 12;26; Luke 6:3) So, therefore, my children, my loves . . . . let us read and see what God has for us in Part 3.

—–♦—–
Our Current STUDY Section

✂ ———- ❖ ———- ✂
And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads. (Genesis 2:10)
The name of the first is Pison: that is it which compasseth the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold; (Genesis 2:11)
And the gold of that land is good: there is bdellium and the onyx stone.(Genesis 2:12)
And the name of the second river is Gihon: the same is it that compasseth the whole land of Ethiopia. (Genesis 2:13)
And the name of the third river is Hiddekel: that is it which goeth toward the east of Assyria. And the fourth river is Euphrates. (Genesis 2:14)
✂ ———- ❖ ———- ✂

Part 1 is about the WHY . . . Why we are in this particular section of Scripture. Part 2 is about the WHAT and the WHO . . . What is this river that went out of Eden and WHO and WHAT does the river symbolize. And now we advance on to the 11th and 12th verses of Genesis Chapter 2.

—–♦—–
THE NAME OF THE FIRST
IT IS PISON

The Holy Spirit didn’t waste any time getting right to the heart of the matter in the first phrase . . . The name of the first is Pison. The first what? The first river? The first head? The first land? THE FIRST WHAT? Strange, did you notice how the Holy Spirit of God introduced the rivers that became parted? The name of the first is Pison . . . And the name of the second river is Gihon . . . And the name of the third river is Hiddekel . . . . And the fourth river is Euphrates. The second, third and fourth were rivers, BUT the first was deliberately NOT called a river. WHY? I love a mystery, don’t you? We also have another interesting thing . . the word IS and not WAS. The Spirit of God has given us a time frame, not of the past, but a CURRENT and a FUTURE reference. Spiritual breadcrumbs drawing the reader into a rich geographical time frame (remember that Genesis Chapter 2 was BEFORE the flood and was recorded by Moses AFTER the flood of Noah).
The name of Pison means to spread, and/or to increase and also to scatter. Pison is ONLY mentioned ONCE in Scripture. All the other names from our study section (Havilah, Gihon, Hiddekel, Euphrates) are ALL mentioned more than once. Here is another WHY? When a word or phrase is only recorded ONCE, it usually takes on a reference to the GODHEAD bodily.

The FIRST DAY

➤ Let us consider the message of the first hidden within the name Pison in Genesis 2:11 . . . The name of the first [is] Pison: that [is] it which compasseth the whole land of Havilah, where [there is] gold. The MAIN point within the name of Pison IS the name of THE FIRST. The word first is mentioned only once in Genesis Chapter1:5. (Remember that the number five is the number of grace.)

In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. (Genesis 1:1)
And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. (Genesis 1:2)
And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. (Genesis 1:3)
And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. (Genesis 1:4)
And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day. (Genesis 1:5)

It was the grace of God BEFORE the creation of man that God displayed GRACE through His creation of time . . . the first day. However, God deliberately placed a specific time element into this first day. There are two different thoughts concerning this particular time. Isn’t this interesting that God uses the words the evening and the morning were the first day, instead of the way we describe day, we say, ‘morning to evening.’ We prefer to see our day as beginning with daylight, when actually our day begins at 12:01 AM, in the blackness of the night. God sees where man truly dwells, for man spiritually begins and ends his day in darkness; even in this, man is in denial of his true state. Mankind, through their father Adam, began their journey in the sphere of time in the DARKNESS of sin, AND mankind will come to the end of their journey in the DARKNESS of death. The Holy Spirit of God marked time well in the words . . . the evening and the morning were the first day.
The Jewish time frame is set according to Genesis 1; evening begins their measurement of time in the day; it goes from sundown to sundown; and that is where Israel is living now. They are living in the sundown still waiting for their Messiah. They too, as the Gentiles live in their denial of God, the Jewish nation is also existing in the place of denial of their rejected Messiah. There is much in the simple wording of, And the evening and the morning were the first day.

The FIRST NAME

➤ Let us consider the message of the first hidden within the name Pison in Genesis 2:11 . . . The name of the first [is] Pison: that [is] it which compasseth the whole land of Havilah, where [there is] gold. God introduced Himself to His creation as GOD . . . ‘elohiym, the plural of ‘el. CLICK HERE to discover more about God’s introduction. As the word first is mentioned only once in Genesis Chapter1:5, so also, first is mentioned only once in Genesis Chapter 2, verse 11. The word first does not appear again until AFTER the flood in Chapter 8, verse 5. Some may say, So what? Others may think that I am nit-picking, but EVERYTHING in Scripture has a reason and a purpose. Consider the numbers 8 and 5 and save them in your memory bank for what may appear later in this article regarding the number 8, a new beginning and resurrection, and the number 5, the number of grace.
Now back to . . . God introduced Himself to His creation as GOD . . . ‘elohiym. GOD is ONE GOD, however, He also desired that His creatures would understand that He had more than one aspect, more than one title, more than one crown, more than one name, more than one position, more than one office, and more than one means to speak to His creation, and that was only a small part for His reason to announce Himself as ‘elohiym the plural God through the plural of ‘el. As the Lord Jesus proclaimed in the gospel of Matthew 22:29, ye do err not knowing the Scripture nor the power of God. Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God. Mankind will never comprehend the reality of THE POWER OF GOD. We, mankind, tend to underestimate our CREATOR GOD. We also tend to put our CREATOR GOD in a box, built by our imaginations and lack of the knowledge of the Holy. The following reference verse is the FIRST verse in Scripture, the FIRST message from God, the FIRST contact to man from God, the FIRST name that God used to announce His presence to man . . . ‘elohiym. (Mankind has an obsessive quest to find other forms of intelligence in the universe: unable to realize that man erroneously considers humanity as having any form of intelligence. But, nevertheless, man believes that contact with other forms of life IS possible. Surprise, GOD, the Super Supreme Being of the UNSEEN and SEEN world has already made contact to our Earth, and most individuals REFUSE to acknowledge Genesis 1:1 as the contact that they are waiting for.)

In the beginning <re’shiyth> God <‘elohiym> created <bara’> <‘eth> the heaven <shamayim> and <‘eth> the earth. <‘erets>

re’shiyth ‘elohiym bara’ ‘eth shamayim ‘eth erets

Notice that this FIRST contact to mankind consisted of SEVEN words . . . the Holy Spirit of God never ceases to amaze me with His wondrous use of mixing words and numbers together to reveal more about our GREAT and WONDROUS GOD. The number seven is the number of God’s divine PERFECTION. God completes perfection in ALL that He does and in ALL that He is. His FIRST words to man through time resounds with His divine foreknowledge, for instance, Genesis 1:1 in Hebrew is SEVEN words and in the English language it is TEN words. Ten is the first of the double digits, it is the beginning of a new series of numbers. It is the beginning of what we call in the system of numbers, ‘decimals.’ It is the first of a new type of order of numeration. It denotes completion in another order. Ten, of course, is also the number of responsibility: God’s responsibility to His HOLINESS and RIGHTEOUSNESS and man’s responsibility to God as being subservient to His Creator. The number ten symbolizes God’s perfect order that nothing more can be added to make it more perfect, that all is complete, and no more can be done or fulfilled to make it more perfect. As the first dual number in two digits complete the end of the single digit, it also begins a new sequence of a double digit. Number 10 COMPLETES the cycle, and nothing more is necessary for its completeness. One example would be that the antediluvian period or age was finalized or completed in the tenth generation from God to Noah. (It would be nine (9) generations from Adam to Noah). Since ten is the number of man’s responsibility, we can understand that our fingers (10), and our ten toes (10) represent our work and our walk in action. We are responsible to God individually and collectively. BUT, in Genesis 1:1 through the TEN words it mainly deals with GOD’s DIVINE ORDER in the UNSEEN element of time to come. Nothing is done or completed outside of GOD’s PERFECT ORDER. Nothing is random in Scripture. Everything that God does is done decently and in order. Nothing is accidental in Scripture. Everything that God performs and says and writes is done decently and in order. Let all things be done decently and in order. (1st Corinthians 14:10) Acts 15:18 proclaims that ALL of God’s works from the beginning of the creation of the world, is KNOWN unto God because He alone is the Creator of ALL things. Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world. ALL His works takes in ALL of the UNSEEN world, the SEEN world, the Supernatural realm, the natural realm, and even nothingness is KNOWN unto God.
God’s planning was neither conditioned on man’s ability to understand nor on man’s comprehension of His plans and actions. Man seeks answers to questions that are beyond his purview. Man questions God instead of questioning himself. Why SIN? Why DEATH? Man’s spiritual vision is non-existent, man is born blind (John 9), man is born with a soul in need of restoration (Psalm 23:3). Man cannot see beyond himself. (Read the book of Job Chapter 38 and onward.)

Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said, (Job 38:1)
Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge? (Job 38:2)
Gird up now thy loins like a man; for I will demand of thee, and answer thou me. (Job 38:3)
Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding. (Job 38:4)
Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it? (Job 38:5)
Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the corner stone thereof; (Job 38:6)
When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy? (Job 38:7)

God perfectly planned creation. He perfectly planned all that would transpire within His creation. God not only planned creation, but He also planned another NEW creation to follow a previous creation of another NEW heaven and of another NEW earth specifically designed and suited for a NEW man also specifically made to dwell in righteousness.

● And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. (Revelation 21:1) And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. (Revelation 21:2)
● For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind. (Isaiah 65:17)
● Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. (2nd Peter 3:13)

In this NEW heaven and in this NEW earth there will be NO SEA (Revelation 21:1), there will be NO more curse (Revelation 22:3), there will be NO NIGHT, (Revelation 22:5), there will no SUN, nor MOON (Revelation 22:5) there will be NO TIME (Revelation 10:6), and here is the kicker, there will be no need for man’s RELIGION. Those who dwell in this NEW heaven and in this NEW earth will ALL worship, praise and honor GOD as the Lamb of sacrifice and as the GOD of Salvation. After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; (Revelation 7:9) And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb. (Revelation 7:9)

GOD IS FIRST
HIS FIRSTNESS
HIS PREEMINENCE

➤ Let us consider the message of the first hidden within the name Pison and in the numbers in Genesis 2:11 . . . The name of the first [is] Pison: that [is] it which compasseth the whole land of Havilah, where [there is] gold. Remember that the word first does not appear again in Scripture until Chapter 8, verse 5. (I told you to remember the numbers 8 and 5 together.) In God’s FIRST message to man He speaks through the SEEN and the UNSEEN things . . . nothing is left on the drawing board . . . HE IS THE FIRST. HE IS FIRST IN DIVINE PERFECTION, and HE IS FIRST IN DIVINE ORDER, and HE IS FIRST IN DIVINE GRACE. How do we know that He is FIRST in divine grace?
His name Pison, consists of five letters in English, the number of grace. Through this name of Pison God reveals more about Himself. Through the meaning of Pison, He spread His grace by FAITH first to Abel. Then faith and grace were spread and INCREASED in the line of Seth. When Seth’s line had become corrupted by the clan of Cain, the line of giants, ten generations later, Noah, the last man of the line of FAITH, received God’s GRACE. (But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD, Genesis 6:8. FAITH came to an end on planet Earth, and God’s GRACE waited on the wings of time for the man known as Abraham to appear in the land of Mesopotamia living in the midst of great idolatry. During that period of time when mankind existed without FAITH and GRACE, God SCATTERED man.

And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded. (Genesis 11:5)
And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do. (Genesis 11:6)
Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech. (Genesis 11:7)
So the LORD scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city. (Genesis 11:8)
Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the LORD did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the LORD scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth. (Genesis 11:9)

In Mary’s song of praise to God in Chapter 1 of the gospel of Luke, she, through the Holy Spirit of God, proclaimed God’s strength through His arm and because of the proud imaginations of men they were SCATTERED. He hath shewed strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. (Luke 1:51)
Through the meaning of Pison God deposits the history of faith, grace and truth in to spread, and/or to increase and also to scatter. There is also a dual theme built into the meaning of the name Pison. Through the meaning of Pison we see another spiritual theme, it is the negative or the opposition to this FIRST name. This opposition rests in the resistance, the conflict, against ALL that Pison, the FIRST name symbolizes. From the very beginning of Scripture, from the very first second when God physically and verbally reached out to His creation, He loudly proclaimed the GREAT CONFLICT of the universe: that Light and Darkness could not coexist with each other. That was and is The Law of the Spiritual and Natural Universe . . . good versus evil . . . the goodness of God versus all that is evil. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. (Genesis 1:3) And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. (Genesis 1:4)
Psalm 19 expresses how God uses creation and nature to reveal His Supernatural world to mankind. Sin is exposed as darkness, and God in Christ is seen as The GOOD Light. Daily God speaks to man, and even through the darkness of night the knowledge of God’s handywork is evident. All that God created is used to visibly reveal His glory. God supplied mankind with all forms of communication in order that man would be able to not only see but to have the understanding of His glory and to have the knowledge of the power and greatness of His GOOD Person. ALL of His creation speaks of WHO He is. Even the sun in our solar system speaks of a GREATER SUN (SON) that holds all around it together with an unseen force and power. Gravity is more than symbolic, the night is more than symbolic, the day is more than symbolic, and the sun is more than symbolic.

<<To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David.>> The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. (Psalm 19:1)
Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. (Psalm 19:2)
There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard. (Psalm 19:3)
Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun, (Psalm 19:4)
Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race. (Psalm 19:5)

There are thousands of verses through which God instructs the reader the essence of comparative themes: through Psalm 19, God draws a similarity between the natural world, a tabernacle for the sun, a system or dwelling place for the sun in our solar system to the spiritual world, as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and then continues this connection to the natural world, as a strong man to run a race. This is not a difficult concept to grasp that Scripture not only moves through time but Scripture moves through worlds: comparing one world with another world. It is the lazy mind and listless spirit that is void of the knowledge of the holy that desires to be continuously spoon fed by others also void of the knowledge of the holy.
Man views all of his SEEN world as the FIRST and the primary reason for everything within the UNSEEN world, but that is not true. It is the UNSEEN world that is FIRST and it is the UNSEEN world in God’s Supernatural realm that is PRIMARY to all other worlds. Again, I place before you our current study section of Scripture. God deliberately placed this section into His creation narrative to make the reader aware of what IS happening behind what man visibly sees. This exposes the UNSEEN world of God not merely as prophetic, but as a continuous flowing river sweeping mankind along through a time line, a channel chiseled by unseen hands, diverting man and his devious plans into other channels and into other streams. God the Holy Spirit laces together time, history, prophecy, nature, symbolism, typology and through progressive revelation He leads us into the land of gold and goodness where there is bdellium and the onyx stone.

✂ ———- ❖ ———- ✂

And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads. (Genesis 2:10)
The name of the first is Pison: that is it which compasseth the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold; (Genesis 2:11)
And the gold of that land is good: there is bdellium and the onyx stone.(Genesis 2:12)
And the name of the second river is Gihon: the same is it that compasseth the whole land of Ethiopia. (Genesis 2:13)
And the name of the third river is Hiddekel: that is it which goeth toward the east of Assyria. And the fourth river is Euphrates. (Genesis 2:14)

✂ ———- ❖ ———- ✂

This is where the Spiritual UNSEEN world becomes the SEEN world, and is parted from the SEEN world. This is where the unspiritual SEEN world seeks out and becomes parted from the UNSEEN world. Confused? God intentionally dropped Genesis verses 10 – 14 into Chapter 2 into the creation narrative so that the seekers of truth would be able to see the depth of evil and the power of the goodness of the Godhead: How one river of evil deepens the channel for the next river of evil to follow. And through it all, time flowed on. All that is written is symbolic of that which is greater.
And here we are again, back at the name of Pison . . . The name of the first [is] Pison: that [is] it which compasseth the whole land of Havilah, where [there is] gold. God is FIRST. He is THE FIRST in Scripture. He is THE FIRST as the UNSEEN GOD, the invisible GOD. The concept of FIRSTNESS is not new to man because mankind cherishes this concept and from an early age man competes for firstness. The desire to be first is historically tragic and at the same time hysterically funny for man will venture into deadly positions to achieve firstness. Many have died for firstness, and they continue to risk their lives and the lives of others to achieve firstness. Why? My thought is that man has to outdo, outperform, and out design, and outthink GOD because man is of his father, the devil.
The FIRSTNESS of God is a Biblical principle beginning with the very FIRST time that God spoke to man and to His creation in Genesis 1:1. When following the word first it leads us slowly from its first mention in Genesis 1:5 to 2:11 to 8:5 uniting the word first to GRACE, and then to the name of the first through Pison when God commanded mankind to spread, and to increase, and finally scattering, then to the first in Genesis 8:5, when Noah was first able to see the NEW EARTH and the mountain tops from the ark of salvation AFTER the universal washing of the Earth . . . the resurrection of an old world to a NEW world all because of the divine order and GRACE of God.
Through one little word . . . first . . . God reveals HIS FIRSTNESS. His FIRSTNESS is planted throughout the Old Testament.

● Who hath wrought and done [it], calling the generations from the beginning? I the LORD, the first, and with the last; I [am] he. (Isaiah 41:4)
● Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts; I [am] the first, and I [am] the last; and beside me [there is] no God. (Isaiah 44:6)
● Hearken unto me, O Jacob and Israel, my called; I [am] he; I [am] the first, I also [am] the last. (Isaiah 48:12)

As the reader follows the word first into the New Testament there are notable differences. The Old Testament presents the FIRSTNESS of the Godhead bodily historically and prophetically through the passing of time. In the New Testament, since Christ IS the divine FIRSTNESS of the Godhead bodily, there was no need for the Holy Spirit to re-emphasize the different aspects of His FIRSTNESS. Instead, the Holy Spirit used the word first not only to connect to resurrection, but to also disclose that the manifest visible image of the invisible God in Jesus Christ was as the sun, the CENTER of our solar system. Remember these verses in Psalm 19:4 and 5? Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun, (Psalm 19:4) Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race. (Psalm 19:4) Christ (the Bridegroom, our sun, the Man of strength) was and is the CENTER of our world, and the power within both the SEEN and UNSEEN world. Notice how the divine Wordsmith placed the earth and words as a dwelling place for the sun (the Son), and then our divine Wordsmith connected the bridegroom (Christ) as the sun (Son) coming out of His chamber (the heavenly supernatural realm). Chapter 16, verse 2 of the gospel of Mark connects the sun with the Son. And very early in the morning the first [day] of the week, they came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun. (Mark 16:2) Notice how the divine Wordsmith loves to play with words. . . they came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun . . . they came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the SON. Also in the book of Malachi in the Old Testament, Chapter 4, verse 2, (But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.) there is another melding together of the Sun of righteousness with the Son with the sceptre of righteousness. But unto the Son [he saith], Thy throne, O God, [is] for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness [is] the sceptre of thy kingdom. (Hebrews 1:8)
It is the LAST mention of the word first in the New Testament that draws from and into the FIRSTNESS in the Old Testament. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last. (Revelation 22:13)

The LAST book of the Bible SEALS the FIRSTNESS of Christ in a marvelous combination of digits . . . 22:13. Stay with me . . . the double witness 22 of the written word and the Living Word to 1 and 3 and 13. One (1) is symbolic of the ONLY ONE, the perfect ONE, the divine ONE (the GODHEAD) and three (3) the Father, Son and Holy Ghost (‘elohiym). But wait, hold on, why the number 13? Read what followed Revelation 22:13, I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last. In this LAST Chapter of Scripture there is a blessing and a warning. Within the number 22:13, there is also the double witness of what follows those who deny God, God denies. There is also the double witness of God’s refusal to accept the haters of God. There is no end to how the number 13 discloses the wrath of God to an ungodly world.

● Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. (Revelation 22:14)
● For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie. (Revelation 22:15)

ALL comes together through the small word first in Revelation 22:13. But, God’s FIRSTNESS did not end in this reference verse. God’s Sovereignty and Supremacy throughout the Old Testament is clearly attached to God only. I [am] the first, and I [am] the last; and beside me [there is] no God.
In the New Testament God’s Sovereignty and Supremacy and Firstness is contained in the Person of Jesus Christ. Remember, God is the source of all POWER, the divine River of eternal and everlasting life, and Christ is the well that contains and holds ALL power. The POWER of eternal life, the POWER to forgive sins, the AUTHORITY to execute judgment . . . and the HEIR of all things is contained IN the Person of Jesus Christ.

● And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. (Matthew 28:18)
● But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (he saith to the sick of the palsy,) (Mark 2:10)
● For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son: (John 5:22)
● And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man. (John 5:27)
● These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee: (John 17:1) As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him. (John 17:2)
● The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand. (John 3:35)
● Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet. For in that he put all in subjection under him, he left nothing that is not put under him. But now we see not yet all things put under him. (Hebrews 2:8)

There are many words that could be used to describe the FIRSTNESS of God and of His Son, Jesus Christ, but the Holy Spirit selected a particular word, the word preeminence. Three times this word is used in Scripture, and each time it discloses the mind of God and how He views preeminence.
Through the first and only mention of preeminence in Ecclesiastes 3:19 in the Old Testament, death is the equalizer among God’s creation. For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath; so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast: for all [is] vanity.
Through the second mention of preeminence in Scripture and the first mention in the New Testament in Colossians 1:18, because Christ is The HEAD of the church, and the beginning of creation as the Creator, and the firstborn and witness of resurrection, and the living evidence of LIFE, and above ALL things and in ALL things, He has preeminence. And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all [things] he might have the preeminence.
Then through the last and THIRD mention of preeminence in John’s third epistle, verse 1 in Chapter 9, the desire of man to be FIRSTNESS is stamped on the man of religion, Diotrephes. I wrote unto the church: but Diotrephes, who loveth to have the preeminence among them, receiveth us not. We have come full circle through the discontent of a religious man ranting with self-importance as a rabid dog foaming with malicious words to egotistically secure a place ABOVE others. There is nothing more deplorable than a person, male or female, using God’s word to gain a place of supremacy even in a small pond. The concept of firstness is deeply buried in the heart of mankind, and deeper still in the person of ‘the cloth.’ (Mark 9:35; Matthew 20:20 – 22) The prophet Balaam was a great example of man’s desire to acquire firstness. To sit at the highest table in so-called Christendom and to falsely take on the role of the Forgiver of sins, and through the position of power be the Determiner of eternal life is beyond ALL ego, vanity and sanity. No earthly man, no Spiritless authority on earth has God’s approval to cast anyone out of the church, nor can any person or authority accept anyone into the church. There is ONLY ONE way to enter into the Church which is the Body of Christ. There is ONLY ONE way to be accepted by God to become a son of God. Approved membership in the Body of Christ through man made rules is merely corporate policy wrapped in the robes of religious self-righteousness. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: (John 1:12) Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. (John 1:13)
Back to Diotrephes . . . .

I wrote unto the church: but Diotrephes, who loveth to have the preeminence among them, receiveth us not. (3rd John 1:9)
Wherefore, if I come, I will remember his deeds which he doeth, prating against us with malicious words: and not content therewith, neither doth he himself receive the brethren, and forbiddeth them that would, and casteth them out of the church. (3rd John 1:10)
Beloved, follow not that which is evil, but that which is good. He that doeth good is of God: but he that doeth evil hath not seen God. (3rd John 1:11)

Diotrephes means nourished by Jove. Jove is another name for Jupiter (Zeus). Satan really knows how to pick his guy. Remember that in Scripture names reveal the intents and thoughts of the parent and also there is the spiritual principle of existing in the nature of one’s name. 1st Samuel 25:52, for as his name [is], so [is] he.
Diotrephes had a father also cultivated, nurtured and encouraged by the gods of Greek mythology. Here is an example of the baby acorn and the daddy tree. Diotrephes, the baby acorn, rolled away from daddy tree into another field, but embedded into little baby acorn was the seed of controlled religion, and its need to rule over others. It is safe to write that an acorn is a ‘nut’ in the land of fruits and nuts. (Song of Songs 6:11)

—–♦—–
PISON
That is IT which Compasseth

The written word of God, Scripture, is the ultimate dictionary, an unparalleled thesaurus, and a grammatically enriched volume, Spirit breathed and Spirit filled. Within this one sentence there are many themes, many stops and many symbolic shades of revelation not only through words but also through grammar in the conjunctive semi-colon, the forceful meaning of the colon and the humble comma. The name of the first is Pison: <colon- STOP- meaning> that is it which compasseth the whole land of Havilah, <comma – STOP> where there is gold; <semi-colon HALF STOP> And the gold of that land is good: <colon STOP- meaning> there is bdellium and the onyx stone. <Period – STOP – The End > There is a reason for every stop. This is how Scripture should be read . . . s l o w l y . . . not merely reading every word, but meditating on every word, thinking at every STOP . . . asking, What is the connection to the previous phrase and what is the connection to the next phrase that follows? where have we been and where are we going?
Let us scout out our spiritual territory in the words from the Holy Spirit of God. Through this one sentence contained in two verses, the reader is provided with another aspect of Pison, that is it which compasseth the whole land of Havilah. Pison is not only FIRSTNESS, but Pison literally and figuratively surrounds, encircles, encloses and though these actions, Pison totally controls ALL within . . . this is SOVEREIGNTY. (How mankind detests that word. There are words in Scripture that man vehemently detests and considers ‘dirty’ words: SIN, SAVIOR (because Savior implies a need for Salvation, and SOVEREIGNTY.) First, the Spirit informs that Pison COMPASSETH the whole land of Havilah. He attaches another quality to the FIRSTNESS of Pison: SOVEREIGNTY. Pison is SOVEREIGN over the whole land of Havilah. What, where and who is Havilah? First, Havilah has a dual meaning: first, anguish as in travail pain and secondly, it means circular. Now what saith Scripture?

1. The name of the first [is] Pison: that [is] it which compasseth the whole land of Havilah, where [there is] gold; (Genesis 2:11)
2. And the sons of Cush; Seba, and Havilah, and Sabtah, and Raamah, and Sabtecha: and the sons of Raamah; Sheba, and Dedan. (Genesis 10:7)
3. And Ophir, and Havilah, and Jobab: all these [were] the sons of Joktan. (Genesis 10:29)
4. And they dwelt from Havilah unto Shur, that [is] before Egypt, as thou goest toward Assyria: [and] he died in the presence of all his brethren. (Genesis 25:18)
5. And Saul smote the Amalekites from Havilah [until] thou comest to Shur, that [is] over against Egypt. (1st Samuel 15:7)
6. And the sons of Cush; Seba, and Havilah, and Sabta, and Raamah, and Sabtecha. And the sons of Raamah; Sheba, and Dedan. (1st Chronicles 1:9)
7. And Ophir, and Havilah, and Jobab. All these [were] the sons of Joktan. (1st Chronicles 1:23)

Havilah is documented seven times. It is documented as a land (territory), as a son of Cush in the line of Ham, as part of the territory of Ishmael, and twice as a descendent from the line of Shem as one of the sons of Joktan. (This is all important stuff!) The number seven, of course, applies to the many perfections of the Almighty God and the GODHEAD of all PERFECTION. However, we also have negative numbers, seven can also be a negative number when it discloses sinful man and what he considers his perfection. Man places his survival not only on his physical strength, but also on his ability to carry the heavy load of being the HEAD of power, the HEAD over ALL of mankind. (Adam as the first Federal Head of the earth, had no trouble throwing away this God given position, however, men and women battle against each other and for each other in their attempt to be the LAST FEDERAL HEAD of all the earth. Nimrod was the first person recorded in the new world as the head of a united federation of a One World Government.) Man is BLIND to God’s PERFECTION, and therefore, he is also blind that within himself is NO GOOD THING. As the positive number seven represents the perfection of God in ALL things, so the negative number seven represents man’s total blindness to his sinful condition in all things.
It is one thing to list seven mentions of Havilah, but it is YOUR responsibility to read the complete context of these seven mentions. Through reading EACH Chapter that contains the name of Havilah you will understand the depth of evil that is within each mention.
Returning to the dual meaning of Havilah — we are led to the very beginning of anguish as in travail pain . . . this is birth pain . . . the first mention of Havilah is not of a person, but it is THE WHOLE LAND. The whole entire land became the birthplace of PAIN, and anguish, because every child born carried and carries the DNA of sin. Genesis Chapter 6 lays out that the WHOLE EARTH, the WHOLE LAND had become corrupted beyond reform, and beyond repair. The act of sin is the result of the inherited trait of sin transmitted from Adam onto every descendant thereafter. NO HUMAN BEING COMES into this world without the element of SIN melded into their being as they SCREAM grasping for their first breathe of life not yet aware that their journey is destined to end in death. The travail of birth pain is not only experienced by the mother, but the child born also begins its existence through birth pain. Herein, is the difference between the children of Adam being born with sin and in sin and the Sinless Seed sent from heaven above to bear the sin of Adamkind and to destroy sin. That is why the Holy Spirit of God specifically identified Christ as ‘the holy thing‘ in Luke 1:35, And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. Christ was NOT conceived by or through the species of man. But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. (Matthew 1:20) God used the womb of Mary to nurture, and to protect HIS HOLY SEED. Then notice the progression from holy thing, to holy child, to Holy One. Chapter 7, verse 26 of the book of Hebrews sets the definition of the Holiness of Christ: For such an high priest became us, [who is] holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens; (SEPARATE FROM SINNERS) But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: (Philippians 2:7) The following Side Note is taken from a previous article. CLICK HERE to read the full article.

Side Note: . . . and was made in the likeness of men: The primary attack AGAINST Christ was and still is based on His identity. If thou be the Son of God . . . If thou be the Son of God. IF . . . IF, not the word ‘Since’ but IF. And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. (Matthew 4:3) Satan KNEW exactly who this was, but he could not and would not allow himself to verbally recognize the Lord Jesus Christ as the LORD GOD. This has been the attack AGAINST Christ from the very beginning of the time space continuum of time and timelessness. Twice the Lord Jesus reminded Satan, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God . . . Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. Satan deliberately set up to question who Christ was, and Christ replied by stating that He was the Lord THY God.
By stating that the angels would bear Him up lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone was simply uttered to remove deity, divinity and Godhead from Christ and to place Christ as a mere man. This has been the same means that Satan has used from the beginning, and man has willingly fallen into believing that Christ was not God, but a man like other men that He could stumble, that He could lose His sure footing (His earthly purpose), that He could not see His path clearly (the cross before Him), that He could sin or that He could injure Himself by a stone of His own creation. What foolery!
This is how mankind has mocked God, they take the purple from Him by their words that Christ is NOT GOD, that He was merely a man, a descendant of Adam; this is taking the purple from him. This battle of taking the purple from him began at the beginning of the Church Age. Church councils argued over these issues: was Christ God AND man, or was Christ God OR man, or was Christ THE GodMan. We, Christians and non-Christians, are told to never delve into this mystery of the Godhead. We are told that Christ had both a human nature and a divine nature separate yet united. However, Scripture clearly teaches that Christ DID NOT HAVE A HUMAN NATURE. There was nothing HUMAN about Christ. There was a Body prepared for Him, a Body that could experience pain and suffering, a Body that could empathize with His creatures, a Body that could feel hunger, that could know tiredness, and a Body that could suffer death. Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me. (Hebrews 10:5) His Body was a SINLESS Supernatural Body specifically capable of bearing sin on the cross.
• And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. (Genesis 1:26)
• This [is] the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him; (Genesis 5:1)
• And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat [a son] in his own likeness, after his image; and called his name Seth: (Genesis 5:31)
Christ was MADE in the LIKENESS of human flesh. Here again The Law of First Mention comes into play. Follow the words in the likeness and see where it leads us. The first mention of in the likeness is in Genesis 5:1, This [is] the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him. This verse says that man (Adam) was made in the likeness of God. It does NOT say that because Adam was created in the likeness of God Adam was then ‘like God,’ or even that Adam became God. No Adam was not as God, nor like God, nor God; Adam was made in the likeness of God. Adam, mankind, was/is created a separate entity of a material tangible character and nature. And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. (Genesis 1:26) So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. (Genesis 1:27)
God SENT His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh . . . For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: (Romans 8:3) Being made in the likeness of God did not make Adam God, so too Christ being in the likeness of sinful flesh did not make Christ Adam (man). Christ did not come into the world by the carnal commandment given to Adam and Eve to go forth and to multiple. Hebrews 7:6, But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men. (Philippians 2:7) Christ was always separate FROM mankind in sin because there was no sin IN Him. The refusal to accept Christ as GOD, taking the purple from him, is not understanding that GOD IS A SUPERNATURAL ENTITY, that HE IS SPIRIT, He is beyond our level of comprehension, and that is why HE WROTE A BOOK, but this book was not just any book, but it was a book of the Supernatural, written by the Supernatural and kept by the Supernatural. As man has rejected this Supernatural book, so also, they have rejected its Author and its central character, the Lord Jesus Christ. ◆ End of Side Note: and was made in the likeness of men. Follow the 4 part series called ‘The Conflict of the Purple.’

Back to that holy thing . . . The Supreme Divine Light became the smallest spark of divine life and light when placed in a human womb as that holy thing. The Creator of ALL things humbly subjected Himself as that holy thing to give eternal life to as many as believe on His name.
And back to Havilah via the scenic route . . . : that [is] it which compasseth the whole land of Havilah. Through the seven reference points the whole land of anguish of the pain of birth, from the first born on earth, the first rebel (Cain) to all who followed in Cain’s path, none can escape being of the land of anguish, sorrow, misery and death. Sin follows all of mankind because as SIN is melded into the whole land of Havilah, so also anguish, pain, sin and death are melded into man’s genetical structure. Thus, we cannot escape from the meaning of Havilah, and herein is the second meaning of Havilah: circular. We, mankind, exist between two different worlds: spiritual and natural; two natures in conflict with each other, two contrary streams circling each other as a whirlpool. It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. (1st Corinthians 15:44)
Through our current study verse in Genesis 2:11, God provides a greater stream, a larger whirlpool, a bigger circle than what holds Havilah together. The name of the first [is] Pison: that [is] it which compasseth the whole land of Havilah, where [there is] gold. Pison COMPASSES the whole land of anguish, misery, pain and sin. A circle within a circle . . .a wheel within a wheel . . . takes in many meanings and many thoughts, and many characteristics of the GREATER CIRCLE also known as the wheels as burning fire . . . His wheels as burning fire in Daniel 7:9 (I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment [was] white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne [was like] the fiery flame, [and] his wheels [as] burning fire) which is the Ancient of days, the Supreme GODHEAD bodily as The Sovereign over ALL things. Yes, Pison, the FIRSTNESS compasses the whole land of Havilah is SOVEREIGN. None can escape His encirclement. But the Spirit of God adds another concept tied to Pison. What could this concept possible be? What could be added to FIRSTNESS and SOVEREIGNTY? It is in the word gold . . . where [there is] gold. In this land of Havilah, the land of pain, misery and sin there is gold.

—–♦—–
PISON
Where There is GOLD

The name of the first is Pison: <colon- STOP-meaning> that is it which compasseth the whole land of Havilah, <comma – STOP> where there is gold; <semi-colon HALF STOP> And the gold of that land is good: <colon STOP-meaning> there is bdellium and the onyx stone. <Period – STOP – The End >

The Law of First Mention plays out in these two verses of Genesis 2:11 and 12 through the word gold. This is the first and second mention of the word gold in Scripture. The first mention of a word or phrase sets the meaning of that word or phrase throughout all of Scripture. Through Genesis 2:11 and 12, where there is gold and And the gold of that land is good. These two phrases DO NOT refer to Havilah for the spirit of Havilah was shown through the seven mentions of Havilah. Remember I wrote that this is important stuff! Before we tackle the meaning behind the word gold, let us first get a wider view of Havilah and why God the Holy Spirit spent His time disclosing Havilah through seven mentions.

The Seven Mentions of Havilah

1. The name of the first [is] Pison: that [is] it which compasseth the whole land of Havilah, where [there is] gold; (Genesis 2:11) This first mention of Havilah completely discloses the river of God, the firstness of God, the sovereignty of God surrounds this land of pain, misery and sin. God is the main subject through the name of Pison, NOT Havilah.
2. And the sons of Cush; Seba, and Havilah, and Sabtah, and Raamah, and Sabtecha: and the sons of Raamah; Sheba, and Dedan. (Genesis 10:7) Through the second mention of Havilah, who was one of the sons of Cush, we discover a very important detail about Havilah. The second son born to Cush was Havilah from the line of Ham, AND Havilah had a brother by the name of Nimrod. (BAM and DOUBLE BAM). Cush had SIX sons, and Nimrod was listed as the SIXTH. Nimrod was the first type of the The Beast of the book of Revelation. It all plays out in the numbers of 6 – 6 – 6.

● Now these are the generations of the sons of Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth: and unto them were sons born after the flood. (Genesis 10:1)
● And the sons of Ham; Cush, and Mizraim, and Phut, and Canaan. (Genesis 10:6)
And the sons of Cush; Seba, and Havilah, and Sabtah, and Raamah, and Sabtecha: and the sons of Raamah; Sheba, and Dedan. (Genesis 10:7)
And Cush begat Nimrod: he began to be a mighty one in the earth (Genesis 10:8).
He was a mighty hunter before the LORD: wherefore it is said, Even as Nimrod the mighty hunter before the LORD. (Genesis 10:9)
And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, and Erech, and Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar. (Genesis 10:10) CLICK HERE for more about Nimrod.

3. And Ophir, and Havilah, and Jobab: all these [were] the sons of Joktan. (Genesis 10:29) Through the 3rd mention of Havilah we are led to other names. This Havilah is not the man from the line of Cush. There are two Havilah’s in Scripture, one from line of Cush (through Ham) and one from the line of Shem. This dual name is an example of how Satan weaves his evil plans into the genealogy of witless man. The line of Ham was cursed by Noah, and from the line of Shem came the first man of FAITH in the new world, Abraham. (Note that all in the line of Shem who preceded Noah were not of FAITH. This is one of the many counterfeit twists that Satan attempts to redirect mankind from the truth. Although the line of Ham, through Cush was cursed, and the line of Shem was NOT cursed, both lines did not please God for no one from these two lines received the gift of FAITH, except for Abraham, for Scripture is clear on this point. But without faith [it is] impossible to please [him]: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and [that] he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. (Hebrews 11:6) CLICK HERE for more about faith and Abraham.
This Havilah in Genesis 10:29 was from the line of Shem, and Havilah’s father was called Joktan, and Joktan had thirteen (13) sons. By the way, the meaning of Joktan’s name is he will be made small (or) little. Having 13 sons did not add to Joktan’s spiritual statute. Through the number 13, God the Holy Spirit, added man’s conflict against God. There was another entity in Scripture that we could say was made small, and that was when Lucifer was cast out of the throne room on high into the earth and became a cursed beast biting the dust of the earth. From beauty to beast was a short distance, and from honor to disgrace was instant penalty, yet, God’s decree against Lucifer/Satan disclosed a judgment lay ahead in time and the proclamation in Isaiah 14 revealed a greater eternal judgment in timelessness was already set and sealed. And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: (Genesis 3:14) And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. (Genesis 3:15)

How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! (Isaiah 14:12)
For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: (Isaiah 14:13)
I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. (Isaiah 14:14)
Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit. (Isaiah 14:15)

Lucifer’s time for smallness is still before him. Through Lucifer’s name of Satan, and through Satan’s express visible state of beastliness, the man of sin, known as the Antichrist, the son of perdition and The Beast, still face JUDGMENT.
Joktan, was a type of Satan, evil personified through his name, and through his sons. Whenever God introduces names into the narrative, follow the names, because everything in Scripture has a purpose for being . . . for as his name [is], so [is] he, and folly [is] with him.

Mini Side Note: LAMECH was from the line of Cain, the 7th from Adam, and his name was – ‘made low,’ or ‘unto bringing low’ or ‘why thus with thee?’ Through his name of made low, it can also be said that he was made small. Lamech had all the characteristics of all those who are made low and made small. These spiritless midgets represent all those who are of the clan of Cain, as Joktan, basking in their smallness: smallness of character, smallness in thought, deficient morally, and lacking in the knowledge of the holy. Foolish, stupid and wicked described more than one person in Scripture, as the man Nabal, who name means stupid, foolish and wicked. The principle of existing in one’s name is seen through 1st Samuel 25:52, for as his name [is], so [is] he, and folly [is] with him.
● Now the name of the man [was] Nabal; and the name of his wife Abigail: and [she was] a woman of good understanding, and of a beautiful countenance: but the man [was] churlish and evil in his doings; and he [was] of the house of Caleb. (1st Samuel 25:3)
● Let not my lord, I pray thee, regard this man of Belial, [even] Nabal: for as his name [is], so [is] he; Nabal [is] his name, and folly [is] with him: but I thine handmaid saw not the young men of my lord, whom thou didst send. (1st Samuel 25:25)
● But it came to pass in the morning, when the wine was gone out of Nabal, and his wife had told him these things, that his heart died within him, and he became [as] a stone. (1st Samuel 25:37) ◆ End of Side Note: Lamech made low, Joktan, made small, Nabal, dead heart as a stone.

. . . . . speaking about ‘smallness,’ maybe the reader should take a small break at this point in this article. I’m just trying to aid those who are still reading to give them strength to keep them reading. . . .

Back to Joktan, and the message in the names of Joktan’s thirteen sons.

Now these are the generations of the sons of Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth: and unto them were sons born after the flood. (Genesis 10:1)
Unto Shem also, the father of all the children of Eber, the brother of Japheth the elder, even to him were children born. (Genesis 10:21)
The children of Shem; Elam, and Asshur, and Arphaxad, and Lud, and Aram. (Genesis 10:22)
And the children of Aram; Uz, and Hul, and Gether, and Mash. (Genesis 10:23)
And Arphaxad begat Salah; and Salah begat Eber. (Genesis 10:24)
And unto Eber were born two sons: the name of one was Peleg; for in his days was the earth divided; and his brother’s name was Joktan. (Genesis 10:25)

IMPORTANT: Joktan is associated with division typifying Lucifer when he separated angels from God, and angels from angels. After the universal flood, Noah’s three sons were already divided from God. It was ONLY NOAH who found GRACE, and grace came through FAITH. Joktan named each son a name that described his own heart and that he wished that son to display or to continue his godless belief system. (The principle of existing in one’s name is seen through 1st Samuel 25:52, for as his name [is], so [is] he, and folly [is] with him.)
And Joktan begat Almodad (not measured/the agitator), and Sheleph (drawing out/plucking), and Hazarmaveth (enclosure or village of death), and Jerah, (lunar, monthly/circular) think of circular as in repetition, (Genesis 10:26)
And Hadoram (their honor, Hadar (violence) is high), and Uzal (flooded or made small), and Diklah (palm tree/date palm/beaten small), (Genesis 10:27)
And Obal (heaping confusion, fat), and Abimael (Whose father is God), and Sheba (the oath, he who is coming, seven), (Genesis 10:28)
And Ophir (reducing to ashes/ fruitful), and Havilah (anguish as in travail pain/circular), and Jobab (he will cause crying/loud crying and shouts in crying): all these were the sons of Joktan. (Genesis 10:29) Each name represented a characteristic of evil, vanity or pride. Many names had dual meanings, where one name casts a veil or shadow over the truth of their evilness.
And their dwelling was from Mesha (bringing deliverance/waters of devastation/making to forget/equalizing), as thou goest unto Sephar (enumeration/census) a mount of the east. (Genesis 10:30) This verse discloses where these thirteen sons and their father lived not only physically but spiritually. They existed to cause truth to be forgotten, their purpose to exist was to bring all of mankind to an equal position of evil and sin. They HAD to be politicians since their form of deliverance for the people was to cause devastation as a flood. Through numbering, or increasing in numbers, men of like minds gained advantage over others. Do you see the connection between these thirteen sons and the politicians of our age?
These are the sons of Shem, after their families, after their tongues, in their lands, after their nations. (Genesis 10:31)

4. And they dwelt from Havilah unto Shur, that [is] before Egypt, as thou goest toward Assyria: [and] he died in the presence of all his brethren. (Genesis 25:18) This fourth mention of Havilah discloses that another group of people lived in the territory of Havilah, and they are described as being also from the line of Shem, but a line closely attached to the line of promise through Abraham. (The line of Ishmael, although blessed, still cannot accept that the line of inheritance was given totally and completely to Isaac.) Scripture describes the Ishmaelites as wild men, violently aggressive against every man, and every man fights against these savage barbarous unreasonable people born in hatred. (What group of people in the East today fit this description? Can it be that the DNA within the Mohammedanites of Ishmael still carry the strain and the stain of genetic wildness, aggression, and generational hatred? When even those of similar backgrounds, and comparable ideological positions (such as Egypt) refuse to allow the people of Gaza into their country because they (Hamas/Gazeans) cannot peacefully assimilate into the economic and social system of Egypt.) And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael; because the LORD hath heard thy affliction. (Genesis 16:11) And he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man’s hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren. (Genesis 16:12)
The following section in Genesis Chapter 25 is a very brief summary of the line of Ishmael. There were twelve sons in this generational stream of wildness, aggression and generational hatred that flowed from Ishmael to the twelve sons of Jacob through Isaac.

Now these are the generations of Ishmael, Abraham’s son, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah’s handmaid, bare unto Abraham: (Genesis 25:12)
And these are the names of the sons of Ishmael, by their names, according to their generations: the firstborn of Ishmael, Nebajoth; and Kedar, and Adbeel, and Mibsam, (Genesis 25:13)
And Mishma, and Dumah, and Massa, (Genesis 25:14)
Hadar, and Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah: (Genesis 25:15)
These are the sons of Ishmael, and these are their names, by their towns, and by their castles; twelve princes according to their nations. (Genesis 25:16)
And these are the years of the life of Ishmael, an hundred and thirty and seven years: and he gave up the ghost and died; and was gathered unto his people. (Genesis 25:17)
And they dwelt from Havilah unto Shur, that is before Egypt, as thou goest toward Assyria: and he died in the presence of all his brethren. (Genesis 25:18)

Back to the fourth mention of Havilah in Genesis 25:18, And they dwelt from Havilah unto Shur, that is before Egypt, as thou goest toward Assyria: and he died in the presence of all his brethren. (Genesis 25:18) There are a few interesting points embedded in this verse. First, these people from the line of Ishmael lived in a territory between Havilah and Shur. Second, Shur was before the entrance of Egypt. (Guess what that territory is called today? Gaza!) (History and geography are not strong points with American students today because they have been cheated of this knowledge because any knowledge of history and geography are considered dangerous by Marxist educators.) Thirdly, Assyria (this is the second time that Assyria is mentioned in Scripture. (IMPORTANT). Fourthly, Ishmael died.
God laid Ishmael’s spiritual journey in verse 18. Ishmael was born in the spiritual condition of Havilah, anguish as in travail pain, born in the state of sin and continued in the circular path of sin. Then Ishmael dwelt from Havilah to Shur. Shur was a dry and barren desert in the wilderness where water was not easily found. In the first mention of Shur, the LORD found Hagar, Ishmael’s mother, and there at Shur, the LORD led Hagar to a fountain of water. Then in Exodus 15:22, Israel, led by Moses from the Red Sea to the wilderness of Shur, and found no water.

And the angel of the LORD found her by a fountain of water in the wilderness, by the fountain in the way to Shur. (Genesis 16:7)
So Moses brought Israel from the Red sea, and they went out into the wilderness of Shur; and they went three days in the wilderness, and found no water. (Exodus 15:22)

Ishmael’s spiritual journey was totally lived in a state of sin, in a dry and barren wilderness. Isn’t that the state of all sinners? Isn’t that the spiritual condition of all those without FAITH? Then in this faithless journey Ishmael become spiritually entangled with idols of Egypt and then became part of the judgment and burden of Assyria and at that godless state, Ishmael died in the presence of all his brethren. This last phrase also discloses that Ishmael’s brethren also traveled in the same godless and faithless state and condition as Ishmael.

5. And Saul smote the Amalekites from Havilah [until] thou comest to Shur, that [is] over against Egypt. (1st Samuel 15:7) There is still much to learn about Havilah. Many different clans dwelt in Havilah. CLICK HERE for more about the Amalekites. The Amalekites were enemies of God, and of His people.
6. And the sons of Cush; Seba, and Havilah, and Sabta, and Raamah, and Sabtecha. And the sons of Raamah; Sheba, and Dedan. (1st Chronicles 1:9) The book of Chronicles is the center of research for those studying the paternal and maternal background of biblical personages. This phrase the sons of Cush is recorded twice in Scripture as a witness not only of their lineage, but also as a witness against them.
7. And Ophir, and Havilah, and Jobab. All these [were] the sons of Joktan. (1st Chronicles 1:23) Through the seven times that Havilah is documented in Scripture it is more than a land (territory), more than as a son of Cush through the line of Ham, it is more than the territory of Ishmael, it is more than from the line of Shem and as one of the thirteen sons of Joktan. It is about being enemies of God, it is about those who reject the FIRSTNESS of God, those who resent the SOVEREIGNTY of God, those who are FAITHLESS, those who are of the seed of evil and the roots of rebellion, and those who will share in the great judgment in the second death. Havilah is directly connected to the curse of Lucifer/Satan, he will be made small (or) little.

We have come to the end of the first is Pison and that is it which compasseth the whole land of Havilah and we are about the delve into where there is gold; (Genesis 2:11) And the gold of that land is good: there is bdellium and the onyx stone. (Genesis 2:12) What confronts us now is the massive subject of gold, and goodness and bdellium and the onyx stone. You think that YOU’RE tired, well, my dear ones, I’m no spring chicken, I’ve been roasted and BBQ’d, and I am in need of some thinkin’ time, and some prayin’ time. So, I will sign off and hope that those of you who have survived this article will follow the next article whenever the Lord provides the next article. God Bless!

Copyright 2026, Mary Haigh
Posted on March 5, 2026 @ 1:55 PM (EST)
This article may be used, but not for gain.
Freely ye have received, freely give. (Matthew 10:8e)
All Scripture references are from the King James Bible. (KJV

THE RIVERS – Part 3 – The Name of the FIRST –

Tags

List of Posts

Search