Who Is Eliakim?

[Jzyehoshua]

Isaiah 22 describes Eliakim in detail. The following would be true of Him:

-He apparently was replacing another, Shebna of verses 15-19.
-The government of (the Messiah or Shebna?) would be committed to Him.
-He would be clothed with the robe of (the Messiah or Shebna?).
-He would be strengthened with the belt of (the Messiah or Shebna?).
-He would be a Father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and the house of Judah.
-He would be given the Key of David.
-He would shut and none open, and open and none shut.
-He would be fastened as a nail in a sure place.
-He would be for a glorious throne to His Father’s house.
-All the glory of His Father’s house would be hung upon Him.
-The nail fastened in the sure place (the Messiah or Shebna?) would be removed, cut down, and fall, and the burden on it would be cut off.

Isaiah 22:20 And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will call my servant Eliakim the son of Hilkiah:
21 And I will clothe him with thy robe, and strengthen him with thy girdle, and I will commit thy government into his hand: and he shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to the house of Judah.
22 And the key of the house of David will I lay upon his shoulder; so he shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open.
23 And I will fasten him as a nail in a sure place; and he shall be for a glorious throne to his father’s house.
24 And they shall hang upon him all the glory of his father’s house, the offspring and the issue, all vessels of small quantity, from the vessels of cups, even to all the vessels of flagons.
25 In that day, saith the LORD of hosts, shall the nail that is fastened in the sure place be removed, and be cut down, and fall; and the burden that was upon it shall be cut off: for the LORD hath spoken it.

Now… who is Eliakim?

I believe it is clearly the Holy Spirit, since He is the only One said to have the “Key of David.” It also says he is the one that “openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth”:

Revelation 3:6 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
7 And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth;

Furthermore, it was to the Holy Spirit that were committed by Jesus the government, the authority over the world to reprove and exact justice, and the guidance into all truth:

John 16:7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.
8 And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:
9 Of sin, because they believe not on me;
10 Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more;
11 Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.
12 I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now.
13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.
14 He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.
15 All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto you.

 

[Jzyehoshua]

Furthermore, I believe that just as Eliakim was a person chosen to prefigure the Holy Spirit, so Shebna was a person prefiguring Satan.

I believe this prefiguring may also be seen in the book of Esther, where Mordecai is an example of the Holy Spirit, who would inherit his position from the unjust Haman who abused it. Esther might even be prefiguring Jesus, who through intercession and acts of courage saved the Kingdom and was why Mordecai was given his position, and Shebna was punished.

It would further explain God’s intent for the book of Esther, not just as a historical account of Israel’s history, but as a prefiguring of the kingdom of Heaven where a servant given great authority and power over the people (Haman) chose to do wickedly and thought to destroy God’s people, only to have his own wickedness fall upon him at the end thanks to God’s intervention.

I believe Satan was given authority over this world before he fell, when as a chief angel if not the greatest of all, his heart was lifted up by pride.

I believe Ezekiel 28 and 31 speak of Satan, using men like the Pharaoh of Egypt and the King of Tyre as prefigurings of him, as evident by the language in the passages:

In Ezekiel 28, it says of Lucifer:

-He lifted up his heart in pride and said he was God. (v. 2)
-He was wiser than Daniel; no secret could be hid from him. (v. 3)
-He used his wisdom and understanding to get riches. (v. 4-5)
-His riches made him proud. (v. 5)
-God said strangers would come and “bring thee down to the pit” for comparing himself to God, and ruin his beauty. (v. 7-10)
-God said he “sealest up the sum; full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty.” (v. 12)
-He was in God’s garden of Eden, where every precious stone was his covering. (v. 13)
-God prepared the workmanship of his tambourines and pipes in the day he was created. (v. 13)
-He is the annointed angel who covers. (v. 14)
-He walked on the Holy Mountain of God, in the midst of the stones of fire. (v. 14)
-He was perfect in his ways from the day he was created until iniquity was found in him. (v. 15)
-By the immensity of his business he filled the earth with violence and sinned. (v. 16)
-He was cast as profane out of God’s mountain. (v. 16)
-God said this covering angel would be destroyed from the midst of the stones of fire. (v. 16)
-His heart and wisdom were lifted up because of his beauty.
(v. 17)
-He was to be cast to the ground before kings where they would behold him.
(v. 17)
-He defiled his sanctuaries by the multitude of his iniquities and his evil business. (v. 18)
-God said he would create a fire in the middle of him to devour him, and bring him to the earth in ashes for all to behold. (v. 18)
-All people would be shocked at the sight of him and he would be a terror. (v. 19)

In Ezekiel 31 it says of Lucifer:

-Who was like him in his greatness? (v. 2)
-He had “fair branches”, a “shadowing shroud”, a “high stature”, and “his top was among the thick boughs” (of a tree?). (v. 3)
-Under his shadow lived all great nations. (v. 6)
-He was fair in his greatness. (v. 7)
-No tree in God’s garden was similar to him in beauty. (v. 8)
-God made “the multitude of his branches” so beautiful that all the trees in God’s garden of Eden envied him. (v. 9)
-Because he lifted up his height and his heart in wickedness, God delivered him into the mighty ones of the heathen. (v. 10-11)
-All the people of the earth went down from his shadow and left him. (v. 12)
-Because of him it was said none of the other “trees by the water” (analogy for angels?) would exalt themselves in height, but would be delivered into the netherworld and to hell. (v. 15)
-God mourned when he went down to the grave (Sheol), God caused Lebanon to mourn for him, and the trees (angels?) fainted for him. (v. 15)
-God made the nations shake at the sound of his fall when he was cast down into hell. (v. 16)
-All who lived by the sword, which were “his arm”, that lived in the shadow of the heathen, were cast down with him. (v. 17)
-God says, To whom is he similar in glory and greatness among the trees (angels?) of Eden? Yet he will be brought down with the trees (angels?) of Eden into the nether (bottom) parts of the Earth.
(v. 18)

 

[Jzyehoshua]

The Scripture is consistent with its use of prophetic language, with horns used to refer to kings, women used to refer to nations, sun, moon, and 12 stars used to refer to the nation of Israel (12 tribes, and Abraham and Sarah), and heads used to refer to mountains.

Therefore, if angels are prophetically represented as trees, where in the Scripture is that also seen?

There also seems to be another passage referring to Lucifer as “the king of Babylon” in Isaiah 14, where he is specifically called “Lucifer”. Note also that the use of trees is seen in verse 8:

Isaiah 14:4 That thou shalt take up this proverb against the king of Babylon, and say, How hath the oppressor ceased! the golden city ceased!
5 The LORD hath broken the staff of the wicked, and the sceptre of the rulers.
6 He who smote the people in wrath with a continual stroke, he that ruled the nations in anger, is persecuted, and none hindereth.
7 The whole earth is at rest, and is quiet: they break forth into singing.
8 Yea, the fir trees rejoice at thee, and the cedars of Lebanon, saying, Since thou art laid down, no feller is come up against us.
9 Hell from beneath is moved for thee to meet thee at thy coming: it stirreth up the dead for thee, even all the chief ones of the earth; it hath raised up from their thrones all the kings of the nations.
10 All they shall speak and say unto thee, Art thou also become weak as we? art thou become like unto us?
11 Thy pomp is brought down to the grave, and the noise of thy viols: the worm is spread under thee, and the worms cover thee.
12 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!
13 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:
14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.
15 Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.
16 They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms;
17 That made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof; that opened not the house of his prisoners?
18 All the kings of the nations, even all of them, lie in glory, every one in his own house.
19 But thou art cast out of thy grave like an abominable branch, and as the raiment of those that are slain, thrust through with a sword, that go down to the stones of the pit; as a carcase trodden under feet.
20 Thou shalt not be joined with them in burial, because thou hast destroyed thy land, and slain thy people: the seed of evildoers shall never be renowned.

It would explain the odd parable in Judges 9:8-15, where it says:

-The trees (angels?) went forth to annoint a king over themselves.
(v. 8)
-They first asked the olive tree (perhaps Michael or Gabriel?) but he refused to leave on account of God’s goodness towards him by which others honoured God and man. (v. 8-9)
-They then asked the fig tree, who refused to forsake his sweetness and good fruit. (v. 10-11)
-The vine was asked but refused to leave his wine which made both God and people happy. (v. 12-13)
-Finally the bramble (Satan?) was asked, who told the trees (angels) to put their trust in his shadow, annoint him king, and threatened to attack the cedars in Lebanon with fire (God’s chief angels?). (v. 14-15)

Matthew 3:10 And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.

Other places in the Bible possibly showing trees as symbolic for angels:
1 Chronicles 16:33, Psalms 96:12, Song of Solomon 2:3, Isaiah 55:12, Ezekiel 17:24, Revelation 7:3, 1 Kings 6:23,

 

[Jzyehoshua]

For a clear example where olive trees are said to represent the 2 annointed ones who stand by the Lord of the whole earth:

Zechariah 4:11 Then answered I, and said unto him, What are these two olive trees upon the right side of the candlestick and upon the left side thereof?
12 And I answered again, and said unto him, What be these two olive branches which through the two golden pipes empty the golden oil out of themselves?
13 And he answered me and said, Knowest thou not what these be? And I said, No, my lord.
14 Then said he, These are the two anointed ones, that stand by the Lord of the whole earth.

NOTE-They are also mentioned again in Revelation 11:4, and are quite possibly Michael and Gabriel, the Archangels.

Satan seems represented/prefigured by the King of Assyria in Isaiah 37:21-38 (which he was also referred to as in Ezekiel 31:3).

The following is said of him:

-The daughter of Zion, and daughter of Jerusalem laugh him to scorn. (v. 22)
-He reproached, blasphemed, and lifted his voice against God himself. (v. 23)
-By his servants he reproached the Lord, and thought his chariots strong enough to come up to the side of Lebanon (perhaps prefiguring God’s holiest dwelling?), cut down the chief cedars and fir trees (angels?), and enter the height of God’s border. (v. 24)

 

[Jzyehoshua]

Further evidence of the Holy Spirit as Eliakim, His ability to open and none shut and shut and none open:

Ephesians 4:30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.

Ephesians 1:13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.

Hebrews 3:7 Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, To day if ye will hear his voice,
8 Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness:
9 When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years.
10 Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do alway err in their heart; and they have not known my ways.
11 So I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest.)
12 Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.

If Christians can have that power to open and none shut, and shut and none open, it is only THROUGH the power of the Holy Spirit according to His choosing.

 

[Rbt_Southwell]

No one wants to smoke what you are smoking on this one, brother.

Good luck

Robert

 

[Mannyfit75]

No one wants to smoke what you are smoking on this one, brother.

Good luck

Robert

This sound like a brand new doctrine. I don’t think this is taught by the Apostles.

 

[Rbt_Southwell]

His theology is like the Oak in winter: it’s full of nuts.

He is here to bait us “whore of babylon Catholics” with his Chick Tract apologetics.

I’m shunning him. He doesn’t want dialog, he wants converts.

Robert

 

[Church_Militant]

Q: Revelation 3:7 proves Christ is the one who holds the key of David, not Peter. Isaiah 22 prophesies Christ’s coming and his authority rather than Peter’s. Matthew 16:18 has nothing to do with either.

A: As the royal son of David, Christ is the owner of the key of David, but this doesn’t mean he can’t give to Peter, as his “prime minister,” the keys to his heavenly kingdom.

In the passage to which Revelation 3:7 alludes, Isaiah 22:20-23, Eliakim is made master of the palace, a post roughly equivalent to prime minister. As the king’s right-hand man, the master of the palace is given the “key of the House of David.”

Keys symbolize authority, so bestowing the key to the House of David upon Eliakim is equivalent to giving him, as the king’s duly appointed representative, authority over the kingdom.

Revelation 3:7 speaks of Jesus as the “holder of the key of David.” Some argue this means he fulfills the role Eliakim foreshadowed in Isaiah 22:20-23. They claim this excludes a prophetic application of this text to Peter by Christ in Matthew 16:18-19.

There’s a problem with this argument. In Isaiah 22 Eliakim is master of the palace–the king isn’t. Eliakim possesses the key of the kingdom not as its owner, but as one deputed to oversee the king’s affairs. If we apply this to Christ, then we must conclude he’s not the true messianic king, merely his prime minister, the Messiah’s chief representative!

Although Jesus is called the “holder of the key of David” in Revelation 3:7, he doesn’t hold it as Eliakim did. As the son of David, Jesus is the heir to the throne of his ancestor (Luke 1:32-33). He really is the king, not the master of the king’s palace, as was Eliakim. As king, Jesus is free to bestow the keys of his kingdom on whomever he wishes–without losing the authority those keys represent.

It’s the Catholic position that this is precisely what Jesus does in Matthew 16:18-19. Peter identifies Jesus as the Messiah, which means, among other things, acknowledging his kingship. Christ then shows his kingly authority by bestowing on Peter something only the king could give–the keys of the kingdom of heaven–thus making Peter the messianic equivalent of Eliakim.

LINK

 

[Jzyehoshua]

Interesting.

The 1st person accused me of being crazy, the 2nd accused me of making up brand new doctrines, and the 3rd accused me of merely copying the same tired old arguments of others…

But none gave an answer.

 

[Church_Militant]

Interesting.

The 1st person accused me of being crazy, the 2nd accused me of making up brand new doctrines, and the 3rd accused me of merely copying the same tired old arguments of others…

But none gave an answer.

Uh… what was mine? Chopped liver?

P.S. Clear out your message bin dude.

 

[Jzyehoshua]

Uh… what was mine? Chopped liver?

P.S. Clear out your message bin dude.

Lol, at least you gave a link

 

[Jzyehoshua]

Well, I looked at the link just now. I glanced at before but avoided it since it looked boring

In all seriousness, it is an interesting response, that Peter could have it as a result of it being given by the Holy Spirit, although personally I find it more convincing that it’s the Holy Spirit because of the additional phrase that He shuts and none opens, and opens and none shuts (Rev. 3:7).

It’s mainly just because of that that convinces me the Holy Spirit is Eliakim. Additionally, I think the Holy Spirit may have even been the one Jesus spoke to in Matthew 16.

For one thing, Jesus said “flesh and blood didn’t reveal it to you” but the Father in Heaven, and the Father reveals things by His Spirit. Therefore, I think Jesus may have been speaking to the Holy Spirit in Peter just as a few verses later it was Satan that Jesus spoke to who indwelt Peter.

Since Satan is a spirit who indwelt Peter that Jesus spoke to, I don’t see why Jesus couldn’t have been speaking to the Holy Spirit in Peter just a few verses earlier. Whether that’s true or not I don’t know, I just consider it an interesting possibility.

 

[Church_Militant]

It’s mainly just because of that that convinces me the Holy Spirit is Eliakim. Additionally, I think the Holy Spirit may have even been the one Jesus spoke to in Matthew 16.

For one thing, Jesus said “flesh and blood didn’t reveal it to you” but the Father in Heaven, and the Father reveals things by

His Spirit. **Therefore, I think Jesus may have been speaking to the Holy Spirit in Peter just as a few verses later it was Satan that Jesus spoke to who indwelt Peter.**There is nothing in that passage to support that…not even in the Greek. In fact, the Greek there is singular and from the context it’s plain that Jesus is speaking to Peter (Kepha).

As for Jesus inferring that Peter was possessed by Satan that is pretty well impossible since he showed no signs of such a possession. It’s actually very clear from the context that Our Lord was actually just rebuking the temptation that he felt in His human nature to abandon His mission and embrace the temporal kingdom of the Messiah early.

Since Satan is a spirit who indwelt Peter that Jesus spoke to, I don’t see why Jesus couldn’t have been speaking to the Holy Spirit in Peter just a few verses earlier.

Whether that’s true or not I don’t know, I just consider it an interesting possibility.That’s one of the best examples of the error of Sola Scriptura I’ve ever seen. Has it occurred to you yet that one way to check your thinking on this kind of stuff is to compare it to reading the ECF to see what they tell us they were taught by the apostles. If what you have stated is not found there, then you can surmise that it was not something that the apostles taught.

 

[Jzyehoshua]

There is nothing in that passage to support that…not even in the Greek. In fact, the Greek there is singular and from the context it’s plain that Jesus is speaking to Peter (Kepha).

As for Jesus inferring that Peter was possessed by Satan that is pretty well impossible since he showed no signs of such a possession. It’s actually very clear from the context that Our Lord was actually just rebuking the temptation that he felt in His human nature to abandon His mission and embrace the temporal kingdom of the Messiah early.That’s one of the best examples of the error of Sola Scriptura I’ve ever seen. Has it occurred to you yet that one way to check your thinking on this kind of stuff is to compare it to reading the ECF to see what they tell us they were taught by the apostles. If what you have stated is not found there, then you can surmise that it was not something that the apostles taught.

But Peter’s name “Petros” means “little rock”, while Jesus used the word “Petra” meaning “massive rock” for what the church would be built on.

Matthew 16:18 And I say also unto thee , That thou art Peter , and upon this rock I will build my church ; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it .

And Paul said Jesus is “Petra”, the “massive rock”:

1 Corinthians 10:4 And did all drink the same spiritual drink : for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them : and that Rock was Christ .

I had always assumed the Holy Spirit was speaking in Revelation 3:7 because of 3:6, but am beginning to think more and more now that it’s Jesus speaking, and that He is the Rock on which the Church is built!

Ephesians 2:20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;
21 In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord:
22 In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.

 

[Mannyfit75]

But Peter’s name “Petros” means “little rock”, while Jesus used the word “Petra” meaning “massive rock” for what the church would be built on.

Matthew 16:18 And I say also unto thee , That thou art Peter , and upon this rock I will build my church ; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it .

And Paul said Jesus is “Petra”, the “massive rock”:

1 Corinthians 10:4 And did all drink the same spiritual drink : for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them : and that Rock was Christ .

I had always assumed the Holy Spirit was speaking in Revelation 3:7 because of 3:6, but am beginning to think more and more now that it’s Jesus speaking, and that He is the Rock on which the Church is built!

Ephesians 2:20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;
21 In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord:
22 In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.

Refuted in this thread:

forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?t=219590