The Severed Fingers

Tuesday, February 19, 2013, 9:57 p.m. – I woke up from sleep. I had to go to the bathroom. I was cold, and I didn’t want to get out from underneath the warm blankets. Then, I had a vision:

I saw a human hand. It was the left hand. The thumb was pointing straight up, and the fingers were all pointing left (or west). The thumb was intact, but the index finger (or the forefinger), the middle finger, and the ring finger were all severed at the ends, and the baby finger was completely missing. The forefinger (or index finger, pointer finger, or trigger finger) had had a large ring on it of some kind, but it was severed from the finger when the end of the finger was severed, it appeared. It was dark at the ends of these fingers where the ends had been severed (cut off) from the hand. END

Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. I had just finished reading Matthew 7 in the morning, so Matthew 8 was next. I glanced at the subject matter of the next several chapters, and I wondered how this vision would fit with what was going on in this next chapter or any after that. Then, I began to prayerfully read Matthew 8, and when I got to vv. 11-12, I stopped. I believed that somehow the vision fit with these two verses:

“I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

Hand and Fingers

I researched the names of the individual fingers and then I looked at why some people thought they were named what they were and saw that some people had associated some of the fingers with names of Greek gods. Then, I wanted to know the significance of a ring on the forefinger, so I looked that up. One site suggested that a ring on the forefinger symbolized power and authority. Another site said that kings and priests wore rings on their forefingers, because they thought that the forefinger represented power and authority.

Not counting the thumb as a finger, I wanted to know the significance of the ends of the fingers, for the first three fingers were just severed at the ends, though maybe 1/3 of the way in on the finger from the tip. Only the baby finger was completely severed. A finger is a member or a limb. To finger someone means to inform on or point to. It can also mean to manipulate and to toy with. The fingers were severed or cut off. To sever can mean to break off a relationship; or to separate people apart (Encarta). A hand can be “a sign of agreement or acceptance, especially of an offer of marriage,” (Encarta), so this can be a severing of some kind of agreement or offer of marriage. That would definitely fit with v. 12 (above), as Jesus has made the offer of marriage to all, but those who refused his offer will be cut off and thrown into utter darkness at the end of the age.

I also wanted to know the significance of the thumb, especially since it remained intact. I read some dictionary definitions on thumb, but what stood out to me is when I read the phrase “under somebody’s thumb,” i.e. under the influence and control of somebody. The way the hand was positioned in the vision, the fingers were all underneath the thumb, so the thumb must represent some type of control under which all these fingers fall. Ultimately, we are all under God’s control, and the thumb was aimed upward, so perhaps this is speaking of God’s control, which is completely intact, and that the hand and fingers represent the world and the people of the world, who are all underneath God’s control, which fits with the song “Above All,” which was the song in my head as I awoke, and which states that God is above all powers, kings, kingdoms, thrones and the ways of man.

The Word

Verse 11 speaks of many coming from the east and west and taking their places in the kingdom. Evidently this is depicting people from all over the world coming to faith in Jesus Christ who will be part of God’s eternal kingdom in glory, represented by the hand and the fingers. Yet, the fingers appear to not only represent those already in the kingdom by faith, but also those to whom the invitation has been extended, as those who refused the invitation were severed, and many of those were kings and/or priests. So, that would definitely make the thumb representing God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Verse 12 speaks of the subjects of the kingdom being thrown out into the darkness where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. This is represented, I believe, by these fingers being partially severed or completely severed from the hand (the kingdom of God). In Jesus’ day, this would have been speaking of the Jews who were God’s kingdom people, but who refused to believe in Jesus Christ as their Messiah, and thus they were cut off because of unbelief, but they can be grafted back in by faith in Jesus Christ while there is time.

Today I believe this speaks either of the whole world to whom God has extended the invitation to come to faith in Jesus Christ, or else it speaks of those who expect to be a part of God’s eternal kingdom, i.e. those who call themselves Christians, but who have refused the true gospel of Jesus Christ, have not repented of their sins, and who have refused to obey Jesus Christ. They will be cut off from the offer of marriage to Jesus Christ due to unbelief. Those who have refused to accept Jesus Christ’s invitation to come by faith to him and to salvation will be shut out from heaven’s light, and they will no longer have the opportunity to experience the love, peace, joy and hope found in Jesus Christ, which is why there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

It struck me that the fingers were facing (pointing toward the) west, and that three of the fingers, one of which represented kings and priests, it appears, had the west ends of them cut off. Since I live in the west, i.e. in America, this could be speaking of judgment against our nation and against the Laodicean-type church here in America which is lukewarm and is thus about ready to be spit out of God’s mouth. I will commit this matter to prayer. Yet, I do know that the Lord is showing me this separation of the wicked from the righteous in judgment at the end of time as we know it, yet he is also showing me that many will be in God’s kingdom and will enjoy the blessings and enjoyments of heaven for eternity. Amen!

Parallel Scriptures

In Matthew 13 we read the parable of the weeds, which Jesus thus explained. The one who sowed the good seed is Jesus Christ, the field is the world, and the good seed stands for the sons of the kingdom. The weeds, he stated, “are the sons of the evil one, and the enemy who sows them is the devil.” Both the good seed and the weeds will grow together until the harvest, at which time God will “weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil,” which is what I believe is represented here by this severing of parts of 3 fingers and the complete severing of the 4^th finger.

In Matthew 22 we read the parable of the wedding banquet. There was a man there not wearing wedding clothes, i.e. he was not a true believer in Jesus Christ. Though he had been invited, he did not wear the appropriate attire which he must have known to wear, i.e. he knew the truth of the gospel, yet he refused it. He, too, was thrown into the darkness.

In Matthew 24 we read about the wicked servant who felt as though he could do as he pleased since his master was taking so long to return, symbolizing Jesus as the master and the fact that he has not yet returned for his bride, but he will most certainly. That servant would be cut to pieces, much like these fingers were in my vision, and he would be assigned a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

In Matthew 25 we read a parable about talents given to three servants. Two increased their talents, but one buried his. He was called a wicked and lazy servant. His one talent was taken away from him and given to the one with the ten talents. Then, the master ordered the worthless servant to be thrown outside, “into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

And, in Luke 13 we read about the narrow door to heaven. Jesus said that we should make every effort to enter through the narrow door. We just read about the narrow (restrictive) road that leads to heaven in Matthew 7. Jesus said that if anyone would come after him, he must deny (disallow) himself (his selfish will), take up his cross daily (die daily to sin and self) and follow (obey) him. He said if we hold on to our old lives of sin we will lose them for eternity, but if we willingly die to our old lives of sin, we will have eternal life with God. Not many are teaching this today in America. This is the narrow gate, and it is the narrow path to heaven. Yet, many will have the door shut in their faces because they just played “Christian” but they never really ever repented of their sins and made a commitment to walk in obedience to our Lord by God’s grace and in his strength and power within them. They, too, will be thrown out into utter darkness where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Jesus Christ died on the cross, taking the sins of the entire world upon him so we could be free, not only from the ultimate penalty of sin (eternal damnation, i.e. being cut off from the kingdom and thrown out into utter darkness), but he died so we would be free from slavery to sin on a daily basis, and so we could walk in fellowship and obedience to him, because of what he did for us in dying for our sins and in being resurrected back to life in conquering death, hell, Satan and sin. Won’t you give him your life today, while you still have time?