Book of Isaiah

Jesus Christ the Servant

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

The Servant Nature of Christ Jesus
Book of Isaiah 42

We have been seeing that since chapter 40 in the Book of Isaiah, we get a picture of the New Testament and the life of Jesus Christ. In this lesson, we will see that when the Messiah first came, He came as a servant.
In all honesty, the Messiah first came to this world to teach us all to have the mind of a servant and the actions of a servant, just as He has given His example to follow!

Mat 12:17 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying,
Mat 12:18 Behold my servant, whom I have chosen; my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased: I will put my spirit upon him, and he shall shew judgment to the Gentiles.
Mat 12:19 He shall not strive, nor cry; neither shall any man hear his voice in the streets.
Mat 12:20 A bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench, till he send forth judgment unto victory.
Mat 12:21 And in his name shall the Gentiles trust.

Jehovah Himself came to this Earth to present His plan of salvation.

Php 2:5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
Php 2:6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:
Php 2:7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:
Php 2:8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
Php 2:9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:
Php 2:10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;
Php 2:11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Next to Jehovah, Jesus Christ turns out to be the most important figure of prophecy!
In fact, Jesus Christ is the most important figure to have ever walked on this earth!

As a servant, the Lord came to mend the breach between Jehovah and His chosen nation Israel.
As a servant, the Lord’s mission was not only to Israel but also to the world, a “light to the Gentiles”.
As a servant, the Lord was also a Prophet, who was very patient and faithful in the work He came to accomplish at His first coming, despite the opposition He encountered.
As a servant, who was sinless and innocent, He came to suffer and die for the sins of all others!

The Lord Jesus Christ for His enemies so they could be saved!

Let’s begin:

*****Isa 42:1 Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles.

The very first thing we should notice is the Triune God at work.

The Holy Father is speaking.
This servant is the Lord Jesus Christ, Savior, and the Redeemer of this world, The Messiah.
The Holy Spirit is resting on Christ Jesus, the Messiah, to qualify Him for the work He will accomplish, which He did when He said, “it is finished” the words He spoke as He gave up the Ghost, on the cross.

What is the work of God’s servant, The Messiah?

1) He has a mission to Israel:

Isa 49:8 Thus saith the LORD, In an acceptable time have I heard thee, and in a day of salvation have I helped thee: and I will preserve thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, to establish the earth, to cause to inherit the desolate heritages;
Isa 49:9 That thou mayest say to the prisoners, Go forth; to them that are in darkness, Shew yourselves. They shall feed in the ways, and their pastures shall be in all high places.

2) He has a mission to the world:

Isa 49:6 And he said, It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth.

3) He is to be the true Prophet, patient and faithful in His work, despite the opposition to the Word of God.
Each true prophet of God was a type of the true Prophet, the Lord Jesus Christ!

Isa 50:4 The Lord GOD hath given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary: he wakeneth morning by morning, he wakeneth mine ear to hear as the learned.
Isa 50:5 The Lord GOD hath opened mine ear, and I was not rebellious, neither turned away back.
Isa 50:6 I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: I hid not my face from shame and spitting.
Isa 50:7 For the Lord GOD will help me; therefore shall I not be confounded: therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed.
Isa 50:8 He is near that justifieth me; who will contend with me? let us stand together: who is mine adversary? let him come near to me.
Isa 50:9 Behold, the Lord GOD will help me; who is he that shall condemn me? lo, they all shall wax old as a garment; the moth shall eat them up.
Isa 50:10 Who is among you that feareth the LORD, that obeyeth the voice of his servant, that walketh in darkness, and hath no light? let him trust in the name of the LORD, and stay upon his God.

4) We also know that being innocent Himself He was to suffer and for the sins of all others:

Isa 53:4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
Isa 53:5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
Isa 53:6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
Isa 53:7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.
Isa 53:8 He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.
Isa 53:9 And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.
Isa 53:10 Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.
Isa 53:11 He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.

Isaiah laid it all out many years before the Messiah came the first time!

With this Scripture and many others, no one can say the Word of God does not speak of the Holy Trinity, the Triune God!

*****Isa 42:2 He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street.

The Messiah will be humble, peaceful, not threatening and certainly not lawless as He adhere to all the Word of God.
The Messiah would never take part in any riot, nor cause a revolt.
The Messiah would be calm with a restful spirit.
The Messiah would speak of harmony, with each other and with the Living God.

Eph 2:13 But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.
Eph 2:14 For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;
Eph 2:15 Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace;
Eph 2:16 And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:
Eph 2:17 And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh.

*****Isa 42:3 A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench: he shall bring forth judgment unto truth.

Bruised reeds are useless so people break them and toss them away, but the Lord would not harm even one. He would not break or throw away anyone who is useless to society, because no one is useless to the Lord, when they follow His ways.

The Lord would be compassionate, like a dimly burning wick, instead of crushing the elements of goodness, He will strengthen and purify them!

BUT we should be aware the Messiah will bring forth “judgment” unto the truth of God.

Rom_3:4 God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged.

Christ had compassion upon the weak, those that had no purpose in life, upon all who had lost faith and hope, those who were wandering in this world aimless, the sick and the diseased, those who could not pay their debts, the blind, the lame, and the leper, the unclean of society.

*****Isa 42:4 He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till he have set judgment in the earth: and the isles shall wait for his law.

The Lord, the Messiah, would be steadfast in His mission!

The Lord would never show any sign of weakness. Even death was defeated by the Lord!

No obstacle and no opposition could stop the Messiah in His task!

He would not give up until true justice, truth and righteousness would be established on this world!

The Messiah is totally committed to the teaching of the Word of God and He will not rest until He has accomplished what He has come and will come to do!

This is the greatest example for every Christian!

We must never be ashamed of the Messiah and we must not fear what this world can do to us because we are like the Lord, death has been defeated.

1Co 15:58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.

It is Jehovah God that instructs us in all these things.

*****Isa 42:5 Thus saith God the LORD, he that created the heavens, and stretched them out; he that spread forth the earth, and that which cometh out of it; he that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein:

The truth is we have God’s guarantee of the success of the Messiah!

It’s too late to try to understand how the Jews missed all the things, because we know God has a purpose in everything that happens in the world but is always the right time to come to the Lord.

Because we serve the Living God and not some figment of man’s imagination, we can know all these things are true!

And God has always known that many would not trust in the Messiah nor accept the truth of God but it does not change God’s plan in any way!

The world should understand the truth!

1) The world may deny it, but there is a Creator and God’s creative power is the guarantee that the Messiah will finish what He has already started!

We all breath God’s air and even the most powerful humans and the healthiest humans, and the most protected human, can last but a very few minutes without God’s air!

In fact, all things that sustain our life on this earth come from the Living God!

Job 33:4 The Spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life.

God’s program for this world has been placed in the hands of the Lord Jesus Christ, the true Messiah.

Everything that the Messiah is sent to accomplish, is a fulfillment of the “will of God”!

What do we know?

The Messiah was chosen for the service of God.
The Messiah dwelt in the Love of God, His Father,
The life of the Messiah was held in the hand of God.
Then God says, “I have placed My Spirit upon Him”

This is the same for every Christian.

*****Isa 42:6 I the LORD have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles;

The Messiah would come to do things right.

This world we live in has forgotten how to do things right!

This world is in desperate need of salvation before we destroy ourselves!

The Messiah would also be the tool to establish a righteous relationship with those who believe and establish a righteous relationship with each other!

The covenant God has given us is the New Covenant of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Heb_12:24 And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.

It would be the same for the Jew and the Gentile!

The Messiah would fulfill the covenant to Abraham (The Promised Seed) and the covenant to King David (The Promised King).

*****Isa 42:7 To open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house.

The Messiah would be the cure to both physical and spiritual blindness. People would not have to wonder which way to go or how to handle their problems.

God’s Messiah would open all the eyes to the truth and set free all the captives held in the darkness of sin and yes, even death.

All these things are conditioned on the willingness to see the light of the Messiah, God’s Servant, The Lord Jesus Christ!

I certainly cannot understand why some people will not consider anything after this life.

*****Isa 42:8 I am the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images.
Isa 42:9 Behold, the former things are come to pass, and new things do I declare: before they spring forth I tell you of them.

God has a name but no one on this earth named Him. God named Himself!

Exo 3:14 And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.
Exo 3:15 And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations.

When we see, LORD written with all capital letters then that name is Jehovah!

Jehovah is the Living God, self-existent, eternal, self-sufficing, independent, omnipotent and therefore unique!
God’s glory cannot be shared with any other being that exist least of all man-made images which are vanity and nothingness!

It is God’s power that has already caused the fulfillment of many prophecies of the Bible and it is God’s power that will cause the fulfillment of the work of the Messiah!

Israel had been delivered time after time all by the power of God and there will be a final deliverance to these people.

God says before these things happen He would remind us again.

1Pe 1:10 Of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you:
1Pe 1:11 Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.
1Pe 1:12 Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into.

God is saying read the Book and you will see what He has already done and you will get a good idea of what He will do in the future.

2Ti 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
2Ti 2:16 But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness.

So, if there are to be New Things then there is a need for a New Song!

*****Isa 42:10 Sing unto the LORD a new song, and his praise from the end of the earth, ye that go down to the sea, and all that is therein; the isles, and the inhabitants thereof.
Isa 42:11 Let the wilderness and the cities thereof lift up their voice, the villages that Kedar doth inhabit: let the inhabitants of the rock sing, let them shout from the top of the mountains.
Isa 42:12 Let them give glory unto the LORD, and declare his praise in the islands.

If we as Christians cannot celebrate now, that Jehovah God has redeemed His people but has just not pick us up yet, we are sad bunch of Christians!

Whether we travel by sea, or by caravan, or live in the deserts or live in the rich communities, let us shout from the top of the mountains the saving “Grace” of Jehovah God, and the “Gospel” of the Lord Jesus Christ.

It could be true, that the Lord will not return until His message of salvation has reached to the ends of the earth!

Mat 24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.

Jesus said:

Mat 28:18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
Mat 28:19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
Mat 28:20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

Jesus even repeats Himself:

Act 1:8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

Gal_3:13 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:

If we cannot praise the Lord for what He has already done, then we do not deserve to live because we are living in the sin of disobedience!

Psa 150:6 Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD.

It is through the Messiah, that all human beings can be saved and all God ask of us is “faith” that He will save us!

There is no greater gift that can be given to anyone than eternal life, and to be in a place that we cannot even realize the glory of!

Isa_64:4 For since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him.

The “Gospel” is here now and there is no saving power beyond the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ!

*****Isa 42:13 The LORD shall go forth as a mighty man, he shall stir up jealousy like a man of war: he shall cry, yea, roar; he shall prevail against his enemies.

Certainly, when the Lord returns, He will go forth as a Mighty Man!

The message of the Lord, should be going forth in a “Mighty Way”, by the redeemed of the Lord even today and every day!

Why should we that know the Lord be praising Him today?

There is certainly coming the day the Lord will take the field before all His enemies!

The world will again meet Jehovah God in the flesh!

Jehovah knows that this world will not appreciate the Messiah.
Jehovah knows that His Christ would be rejected.
Therefore, Jehovah also knows these enemies would need to see the Messiah in all His power, go forth as a Mighty Man!

And therefore, we have this prophecy of these future events.

There is coming the day when the Lord will just have had enough of the mistreatment of His children!

The God of Love will become the God of Wrath!

Jer 25:30 Therefore prophesy thou against them all these words, and say unto them, The LORD shall roar from on high, and utter his voice from his holy habitation; he shall mightily roar upon his habitation; he shall give a shout, as they that tread the grapes, against all the inhabitants of the earth.
Jer 25:31 A noise shall come even to the ends of the earth; for the LORD hath a controversy with the nations, he will plead with all flesh; he will give them that are wicked to the sword, saith the LORD.

It has taken a lot of power and a lot of love and patience for the Lord God of this world to finally say “enough is enough”!

*****Isa 42:14 I have long time holden my peace; I have been still, and refrained myself: now will I cry like a travailing woman; I will destroy and devour at once.

We must know that these are the very words of God Himself!

We should realize the pain and suffering that God has felt as He has allowed the Devil and his servants to prevail in this world.

One day soon, God will no longer allow these things to continue!

When God sees that His chastisement has no effect on the lost, He will bring all these things to an end, and they will then see His “Judgment”!

A travailing woman when she has reached her time will then be free of that pain. Such as described for what our Lord has been suffering as He has encouraged the lost to repent but now they all refuse.

Our God is more powerful than anything we know of, but it has also taken a lot of His power to refrain Himself from returning until that last soul is born and saved!

When the Lord reaches this point, He will destroy and devour at once!

Rev_22:12 And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.

As we have already seen many times, the “time of Jacob’s trouble”, the 7 years of tribulation, will come to an end in a dramatic and a terrible way.

*****Isa 42:15 I will make waste mountains and hills, and dry up all their herbs; and I will make the rivers islands, and I will dry up the pools.

When the Lord God vents His frustrations on this world there will be great destruction, such as this world has never seen!

God will make waste the mountains and the hills and dry up even the best watered regions making them a wilderness of arid waste.

This is not only in nature but also kings and rulers and all those who set themselves against the Messiah.

Rev 6:14 And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.
Rev 6:15 And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains;
Rev 6:16 And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb:
Rev 6:17 For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?

Rivers will become dry land such as islands and all sustainable food products will perish, except for those that are used to sustain the redeemed of the Lord.

Isa_35:8 And an highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those: the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein.

Isa 35:10 And the ransomed of the LORD shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

*****Isa 42:16 And I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not; I will lead them in paths that they have not known: I will make darkness light before them, and crooked things straight. These things will I do unto them, and not forsake them.
Isa 42:17 They shall be turned back, they shall be greatly ashamed, that trust in graven images, that say to the molten images, Ye are our gods.

These are not the spiritually blind, these are those who cannot see the pathway to Mount Zion through all the destruction.

These will be, for the most part the house of Israel which are blind in the way that they knew not.

God will provide that highway, the way of holiness for them to travel on

Isa 57:14 And shall say, Cast ye up, cast ye up, prepare the way, take up the stumblingblock out of the way of my people.

That stumbling block has always been the Christ, the Messiah when He first came to bring the “Gospel” message!

God will not forsake the Jews who turn to Him along with the strangers that dwell with them that have done the same.

In fact, God will never forsake anyone who repents and calls on His name at any time in their lifetime!

God will fulfill every promise He has ever made!

Rom 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

Rom 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

The only limits to this promise is that it is done before we die a physical death!

There will never be the day the Lord will reject the true believer!

*****Isa 42:17 They shall be turned back, they shall be greatly ashamed, that trust in graven images, that say to the molten images, Ye are our gods.

While those who have repented, and returned to the Lord with eyes wide open, all those who have not will be turned back!

They will suffer defeat and their personal god will have no power to help them no matter who or what it is!

The revelation of the glory of God will only cause confusion to those who have rejected Him all their lifetime.

They will feel utterly ashamed, like Judas but they will not find the power to repent.

Mat 27:3 Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders,

Judas, being ashamed of what he had become, could still not find in his heart, the “faith” needed to be redeemed from his sin.

So, will be this world we live in on the day of the Lord.

Isa 44:17 And the residue thereof he maketh a god, even his graven image: he falleth down unto it, and worshippeth it, and prayeth unto it, and saith, Deliver me; for thou art my god.
Isa 44:18 They have not known nor understood: for he hath shut their eyes, that they cannot see; and their hearts, that they cannot understand.

Note: Everyone in Hell is already a believer but it is too late for them!

But we do not have to join them there!

Questions?

Let’s Pray!

The God of Comfort

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

The Comforting Presence of God

Isaiah 41

We should ask ourselves what does “Freedom” mean to us?

According to the dictionary “freedom” is being exempt from the power and the control of another.

So, in this case, are any of us truly free?

We have freedom of will and choice but each of these things have consequences, we must answer to.

We have a book of freedoms here in America but it seems that most Americans desire to give those freedoms up and allow the government to decide their freedoms, what fools are we raising in our homes!

God says, none of us are free because we are all slaves to sin!

1Jn 1:8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

1Jn 1:10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

So, in the process of having a personal relationship with God we must become free from sin!

1Jn 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

This can only be done through Jesus Christ!

Joh 8:36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.

Rom 8:2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.

Isa 49:25 But thus saith the LORD, Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, and the prey of the terrible shall be delivered: for I will contend with him that contendeth with thee, and I will save thy children.

The Lord Jesus Christ is all about salvation!

Let’s begin with verse 10:

*****Isa 41:10 Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.

Understanding the salvation of the Lord should also cause us to understand the chastisement of the Lord and “this must always be remembered” because it is also the reason for the “Judgment of God”!

Our sinful behavior is what causes so much of the destruction of life and property and the pollution of the environment in our world.

God judges us from a heart of love and compassion. God seeks to save us from harming ourselves and others.

Exposing these things to us should cause us to repent. Some will and some will remain foolish!

Life is not easy for anyone if we regard the external conditions of this world. Even the rich have their problems including the problems of sickness and death that we all have!

But, we should all clearly understand there is nothing that can separate us from the love of God!

Rom_8:39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

If we can understand the love of God, then we can also begin to understand why we need to believe Him! It’s called “Faith”.

Faith is the conscious that God is there and that His presence is the complement of every need!

Faith recognizes the reality of true choice, that God will enter into a covenant that cannot be dissolved by any outside source and God cannot be overcome even by any heavenly source.

Faith knows, that this Loving God has a purpose in everything that comes upon us!

Faith is the reality that chastisement can teach us things that nothing else can!

Therefore, we have no reason to fear because the Lord is always as close as the next breath.

We truly have a God that will stand in a tender relationship with each of us, as He so well puts in this Scripture.

Notice also in this Scripture that God is not speaking to the world, God is speaking to His chosen people, but He is spiritualty speaking to all people!

God does not live in the same time scale that we do, so He can protect us in the here and now, just as He was saying to these Jews!

All believers need the assurance that God is with them every moment of their life just as God states here!

God says to never fear the things we face day by day. In fact, God has not given us the spirit of fear at all.

2Ti_1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

With God’s power at our request, God’s love always, and the sound mind of “Faith”, why would we ever be afraid of what this world can do to us?

All these things should teach us to cling to Christ Jesus and never releasing our grip for He will never release His grip!

Once we have been accepted by the Lord and our sins forgiven we can never be bound by sin again!

Rom 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

Our enemies and those who become our enemies, because we love Jesus Christ are nothing in the eyes of God.

*****Isa 41:11 Behold, all they that were incensed against thee shall be ashamed and confounded: they shall be as nothing; and they that strive with thee shall perish.

Now, these Jews had given up their idols, and their worship of those idols and returned to the Lord.

Those that cling to their idols then became their enemies, they were “incensed” against them.

As Christians, we face this same thing. Many of our friends in a sense have become our enemies just because we have become a child of God.

God says they will be ashamed and confounded.

Their idols will not be able to help them!
They will not be able to defend their worship of those idols!

Today, the world’s idols become riches, political power and military strength and these also will be ashamed and confounded.

These modern-day idols are nothing compared to the power of Jehovah God!

Dan 4:35 And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou?

Many historians have written of the fall of Rome but the truth of the fall of Rome is because of the persecution of God’s people.

If you look at our world today, you will see nation after nation fall, because of the persecution of God’s people!

The Bible speaks of a revived Rome, not Rome itself but a league of nations like the Roman empire and it will also fall for the same thing, the persecution of God’s people!

*****Isa 41:12 Thou shalt seek them, and shalt not find them, even them that contended with thee: they that war against thee shall be as nothing, and as a thing of nought.

Even today, Israel has cause for fear because they are surrounded by their enemies but God says that they that war with the Jews, shall be as nothing. “because they will be destroyed”

But this includes more than just those foreign military:

1) It would include all those who are angry with the Jews.

Those who are angry are all those who resent God’s people and are inflamed by their actions.

2) Including those who have strife with the Jews.

Strife would include all those who envy God’s people in everything they accomplish.

3) Including those that conflict with the Jews.

Conflict includes all those who are in direct opposition to the Jews and are on a violent collision course with them. “Certainly, all the Arab nations” but also others.

4) And those who are at war with the Jews.

War is then an actual contest between God’s children and the evil of this world we live in.

God says the punishment for these things is:

1) Some would be covered with shame.
2) Some would perish.
3) Some would not be found.
4) Some would be as if they never existed. (Nothingness)

Psa 37:35 I have seen the wicked in great power, and spreading himself like a green bay tree.
Psa 37:36 Yet he passed away, and, lo, he was not: yea, I sought him, but he could not be found.

Job 8:13 So are the paths of all that forget God; and the hypocrite’s hope shall perish:

And why are these things so true?

*****Isa 41:13 For I the LORD thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee.

We see that God offers His personal help.

God loves to get personal with those who want it that way!

Only Christianity can say this about Jehovah, the Living God!

The truth must come from God who is a Living God!

The truth is, that God will only help in the right way!

The way of righteousness is not always the most pleasant way but it is always the safest way to live.

The children of Israel had departed from the right way and if they sought to satisfy their flesh they could not expect help from God.

We know that God does not ever change so why would we think He would do different today?

The way of holiness, is also the way to Heaven but this is so strange to someone deep in sin but no progress can be made without a guide.

The Lord Jesus is that guide sent from Heaven to hold our hand until we get home!

This is a covenant, a guarantee, a promise, that only the Lord can make AND KEEP!

Notice the closeness, God will hold our hand! This is way of parents to a small child who would get lost if not for holding to that hand but it is the parent’s responsibility and not that of the child, once that child is “Born” into the family!

Then God conveys this same thought to the children of Israel.

*****Isa 41:14 Fear not, thou worm Jacob, and ye men of Israel; I will help thee, saith the LORD, and thy redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.

To be a redeemed child of God, we must first realize our own weakness to save ourselves, because it is impossible!

To fear not, shows that we are afraid in this world we live in.

We must understand, God will not hold the hand of those who travel in their own strength!

What are worms in this passage?

If we go back to the days of the Jews escaping from Egypt we know that God fed them with the Manna and some would try to gather enough in one day that would last for several days. God would not allow this and that manna would become worms or today we would say maggots and it would stink horribly.

God is not so much saying these Jews were maggots or that they had a terrible odor but simply that the children of Jacob were in terrible, stinking, disobedience, that could only lead them to eternal death, just as all those who reject the Word of God today!

The children of Jacob were supposed to be the blessed of God!

Jacob was a worm in the eyes of all people but Jacob then became Israel but are now still worms in the eyes of the world.

Today there are many Christian worms in the eyes of true believers and we as Christians, we are no more than worms in the eyes of this world of unbelievers.

But God loves His worms because He is our Lord but more important He is our “Redeemer”!

We may not like being a worm in the eyes of mankind but we know we are no more than worms when we refuse to give up those pet sins.

Psa_22:6 But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people.

To be real honest it may be an insult to the true worm, for a dirty, worthless, corrupted, sinner to use its name!

Job said:

Job_17:14 I have said to corruption, Thou art my father: to the worm, Thou art my mother, and my sister.

When we understand what we are, (no more than a worm) it makes us desire better things and nothing is better that a personal hand holding relationship with the Lord!

Those who reject being worms but still speak in the worms’ language and remain unclean, can never be redeemed by the Holy One of Israel!

The truth is, a worm is always exposed to danger, the next footstep could end its life or it could become the bait to attract another evil, again causing its death.

What does God say to His disobedient children?

Deu 28:39 Thou shalt plant vineyards, and dress them, but shalt neither drink of the wine, nor gather the grapes; for the worms shall eat them.

But God has plans for those who repent even for the children of Israel!

*****Isa 41:15 Behold, I will make thee a new sharp threshing instrument having teeth: thou shalt thresh the mountains, and beat them small, and shalt make the hills as chaff.
Isa 41:16 Thou shalt fan them, and the wind shall carry them away, and the whirlwind shall scatter them: and thou shalt rejoice in the LORD, and shalt glory in the Holy One of Israel.

Here evil is considered to be a mountain, something large and occupying a large area.

God said He would take His “redeemed” Jewish worms and make them a “new” sharp threshing instrument that “shall” thresh those evil mountains.

We know this has not taken place yet but remained in their future, maybe in this age we are in now.

When the “good” of God threshes the “evil” mountains of this world, then the Lord will join His people on this earth for 1000 years and after this eternity.

By the way, those mountains are all those who have set themselves against Israel and against the Church.

We can see that this is the mystery of “Grace”. (God’s Riches At Christ Expense).

Psa 22:6 But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people.
Psa 22:7 All they that see me laugh me to scorn: they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying,
Psa 22:8 He trusted on the LORD that he would deliver him: let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him.

We must remember, it was the job of the Lord to buy back the property that belonged to God.

The Lord is that “Kinsman Redeemer” following the law of God!

Lev 25:48 After that he is sold he may be redeemed again; one of his brethren may redeem him:
Lev 25:49 Either his uncle, or his uncle’s son, may redeem him, or any that is nigh of kin unto him of his family may redeem him; or if he be able, he may redeem himself.

This was not to be an earthly redeemer.

Rth 3:12 And now it is true that I am thy near kinsman: howbeit there is a kinsman nearer than I.

The Lord is the nearest of all our kinsmen because He is our Creator!

It is only our “Redeemer” who is the greatest of all mountains.

Dan 2:35 Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth.

And the wind will carry all the chaff away and the whirlwind shall scatter the remains of the threshing floor no longer to be found on this earth.

And God will care for all those, His children that remain!

*****Isa 41:17 When the poor and needy seek water, and there is none, and their tongue faileth for thirst, I the LORD will hear them, I the God of Israel will not forsake them.
Isa 41:18 I will open rivers in high places, and fountains in the midst of the valleys: I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water.
Isa 41:19 I will plant in the wilderness the cedar, the shittah tree, and the myrtle, and the oil tree; I will set in the desert the fir tree, and the pine, and the box tree together:
Isa 41:20 That they may see, and know, and consider, and understand together, that the hand of the LORD hath done this, and the Holy One of Israel hath created it.

We know that the Lord provided for His people while they were in captivity in Babylon but this Scripture reaches far beyond this image into the Millennial Kingdom.

As Christians, until the Lord returns we are as a barren wilderness, seeking a greater measure of “Grace” and “Knowledge” and increasing our spirituality and becoming more complete.

We also see a world that is growing more and more in its lust of the flesh and rejection of the Word of God.

The Lord assures us that we will not be disappointed in the objects of our desires. The Lord will hear all our cries!

Everyone is poor when compared to the riches of Heaven and even that is not in riches as seen in this world but much greater things than these.

Water here means the influences of the Holy Spirit which cannot come while we live in our own sin.

Sinners all over the world seek a physical high that cannot be obtained except by the Holy Spirit so they are never satisfied!

The truth can only be found in the Word of God.

Isa_34:16 Seek ye out of the book of the LORD, and read: no one of these shall fail, none shall want her mate: for my mouth it hath commanded, and his spirit it hath gathered them.

When the Lord returns those, who have felt the barrenness of this life will be watered by the unlimited blessings of God.

God will provide refreshment for the souls of His people!

Psa 92:12 The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
Psa 92:13 Those that be planted in the house of the LORD shall flourish in the courts of our God.
Psa 92:14 They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing;

Isa 61:10 I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.
Isa 61:11 For as the earth bringeth forth her bud, and as the garden causeth the things that are sown in it to spring forth; so the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations.

God will also supply the material things as this world after the devastation of war will be restored as it was in the first days of Adam!

Isa 43:19 Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.
Isa 43:20 The beast of the field shall honour me, the dragons and the owls: because I give waters in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert, to give drink to my people, my chosen.

We know of all the deserts in Israel and all the lands adjacent to Israel and around this world but each one of them will be transformed into an oasis with a grove of beautiful trees.

The “Grace” of God will be seen throughout this world during the Millennial reign of Christ and no one will be able to doubt the truth of God!

The object of these miracles of God, is a demonstration of the “creative power” of the true God!

Isa 45:5 I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no God beside me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known me:
Isa 45:6 That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside me. I am the LORD, and there is none else.
Isa 45:7 I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.
Isa 45:8 Drop down, ye heavens, from above, and let the skies pour down righteousness: let the earth open, and let them bring forth salvation, and let righteousness spring up together; I the LORD have created it.

All the things the Jews went through in all the years up to the time of Nebuchadnezzar happened because they had turned away from God and worshipped idols.

After their 70 years of captivity in Babylon they were still not a perfect people, none of us are, but they put down the idols and have not been a nation of idol worshippers again!

Then God says to “state your reasons” why you remain in sin.
God says, “present your case” for still worshipping false gods.

*****Isa 41:21 Produce your cause, saith the LORD; bring forth your strong reasons, saith the King of Jacob.
Isa 41:22 Let them bring them forth, and shew us what shall happen: let them shew the former things, what they be, that we may consider them, and know the latter end of them; or declare us things for to come.
Isa 41:23 Shew the things that are to come hereafter, that we may know that ye are gods: yea, do good, or do evil, that we may be dismayed, and behold it together.

We should understand that God has the power to prove He is God at any time.

But we should also understand that God is not in competition with any other god because no other god exist.

God says, present your case for worshipping man-made gods!

God means if your false god can prove itself then He will allow you to worship it.

These are people that hate the Living God but love this world just as it is, what a shame!

They are influenced by things that are only temporary and seldom have any desire for things that are unseen and eternal.

They live in the, “here and now”!

They have an unwillingness to even consider such things and hate those that do believe.

God says bring forth your strong reasons which means, show your proof.

The world is forever saying that Christians are insane to believe in Jehovah God and they say where is the proof.

The proof is readily available but it is denied and rejected.

God says where is your proof, because He knows they cannot prove the existence of man-made gods!

The only thing that non-believers and the worldly minded can do is, to sit and take pleasure in trying to destroy Christianity! So, they stay with their false gods of pleasure.

There are also those who say they believe but the only thing they do is blame a Holy God when they have not obeyed even the simplest of God’s commands. So, they stay with their false gods who gives them no commands to follow.

They will say, “my life is not right”, “my position is not safe”, “I do not get what I want” and God will never bless those that blame Him for their problems and life’s obstacles that happen to everyone else. So, they stay with their false gods, never believing God will provide our needs and go with us through all life’s obstacles and problems.

And then there are these of the last days, days which we are in now:

2Ti 3:1 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
2Ti 3:2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
2Ti 3:3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,
2Ti 3:4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;
2Ti 3:5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.
2Ti 3:6 For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts,
2Ti 3:7 Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.

God says how many of you have a God, besides Jehovah, that can show the world what will happen in the future as Jehovah does, but is denied.
God says how many of you have a God, besides Jehovah, that can show the world what He has done in the past, as Jehovah does, but is denied.
God says how many of you have a God, besides Jehovah, that has explained the only logical way our created world came to existence, but is denied.
God says how many of you have a God, besides Jehovah, that can explain life after death, and the truth of the human body, mind, and especially the soul, which is denied.
God says, who else besides Jehovah, has written all these things down for the world to see, and so the world can be warned, besides Jehovah and even this is denied!
God says show Me the things that have been written or predicted, or said by any false god and let’s see if they are true or if they come true.

And God responds:

Isa 43:9 Let all the nations be gathered together, and let the people be assembled: who among them can declare this, and shew us former things? let them bring forth their witnesses, that they may be justified: or let them hear, and say, It is truth.
Isa 43:10 Ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me.
Isa 43:11 I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no saviour.
Isa 43:12 I have declared, and have saved, and I have shewed, when there was no strange god among you: therefore ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, that I am God.
Isa 43:13 Yea, before the day was I am he; and there is none that can deliver out of my hand: I will work, and who shall let it?

God also says those who are blind and those who cannot hear, no more about the truth than those who worship idols they have made themselves.

2Co 4:4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

So, God says:

*****Isa 41:24 Behold, ye are of nothing, and your work of nought: an abomination is he that chooseth you.

God says the silence of all idols prove they are nothing!
God says there is no proof of any work that has ever been done by any false god.
God says it is only Satan, the abomination of this world who has chosen these people who deny the one true God!

An idol is anything that comes between us and God and they are all abominable, detestable, and filthy in the sight of Jehovah God!

God alone has the power to control history.
God alone has the power to predict history and God is always 100% correct.
God alone has said to these of that day that He would send a messenger to proclaim the “Good News” of salvation before the end times come.

And God finishes with these words:

*****Isa 41:29 Behold, they are all vanity; their works are nothing: their molten images are wind and confusion.

Both idols and those who worship idols are nothing in the sight of God.

God ask many times why would someone worship something that provided no benefit at all?

Only emptiness and confusion can come to those who deny the Living God!

Questions?

Let’s Pray!

God’s Message Is For All Nations

/ Bobby Mayfield / 1 Comment

Good News for All Nations

Isaiah 40

The Book of Isaiah is divided into 66 chapters and we know this was done by man. As we begin our study in chapter 40 we will see a great transition in the prophecies of Isaiah.

We could say that the Book of Isaiah is divided into two divisions. The first division we studied last quarter. If we remember Isaiah spent a lot of time on the coming of the Messiah and Israel’s past.

In this second division, we will see Isaiah prophesy of Israel’s deliverance.

The Bible has 66 books and is divided into the 39 books of the Old Testament and the 27 books of the New Testament.

We will see that the Book of Isaiah is roughly divided the same, with 39 chapters teaching the coming of Christ, the Messiah and 27 chapters dealing with the deliverance of Christ and the promise of eternal freedom.

As we begin we will see it has been many years since the time of Hezekiah. Israel returned to idol worship and God allowed the Babylonians to capture Israel, even Jerusalem but as Jeremiah prophesied they would only be in captivity for 70 years.

This was not only the time of Isaiah but also of Jeremiah and Daniel and some others.

Even while Israel was in captivity, Isaiah was preaching of comfort and freedom that was coming to this nation!

Again, the truth is God’s redeeming power is clearly pictured in these words of Isaiah!

These things still called for repentance and a return to the Lord!

Let’s Begin:

*****Isa 40:1 Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God.

God’s instructions to His prophet was to comfort the Jews in this terrible situation that they were in!

Isaiah was not speaking to the inhabitants of Jerusalem nor of Judah in this day, he was speaking to the Jewish exiles in Babylonia.
Jerusalem and the Temple lay in ruins which will be referred to as the “old waste places”.

Isa_58:12 And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places: thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, the repairer of the breach, the restorer of paths to dwell in.

Notice this also refers to the Second Coming of Christ and His work on Mount Zion.

At this time, it is Babylon that is the dominating power in the world but even that would not last very long. Babylon over thru Nineveh and the Assyrians in about 606 BC and Babylon was overthrown by Cyrus in 538 BC, only 68 years. It would be Cyrus who would allow the Jews to go home and even finance the rebuilding of Jerusalem and the Temple.

Of course, Isaiah could not have known these things but he did know what God said would be the truth and he knew God would deliver his people from this captivity.

It is the voice of God that now directs His prophet to comfort His people.

God as a tender Father, will always reach out to His people and as His people suffer the Lord also feels that suffering Himself!

The people needed comfort and they needed a double amount.

Isaiah would have to change the way he delivered his message from the time of Hezekiah, which was a bold message of repentance and now be gentle in his message as these Jews had been humbled and were being humbled by captivity again.

It was time to reach into the hearts of these people with the love that God had for them, even when they had rejected His message.

They were in Babylon because of sin and they were beginning to realize this truth.

*****Isa 40:2 Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received of the LORD’S hand double for all her sins.

The first need of every soul, is forgiveness!

Our soul can endure suffering when that suffering comes from our own mistakes but being unforgiven is a life of misery!

Before God can repair our mistakes and allow us to learn from them, we must be assured of forgiveness!

The Promise to the Church:

1Jn 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
1Jn 1:10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

The Promise to the Jews:

Mic 7:18 Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy.
Mic 7:19 He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.

We must also realize that even when we are forgiven and God has issued His pardon, we must still reap what we have sown.

It was now Isaiah’s job to convey this message to those Jews in captivity!

According to the prophet Jeremiah, these Jews would have to serve 70 years in captivity and the Lord would also honor this prophecy.

Jer_29:10 For thus saith the LORD, That after seventy years be accomplished at Babylon I will visit you, and perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place.

When these Jews were made aware of the promises of God, they then had great hope that their suffering would end but it did still required repentance.

Repentance is always required before forgiveness can come!

And then another great prophecy.

*****Isa 40:3 The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
Isa 40:4 Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain:
Isa 40:5 And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.

Isaiah prophesied that before the Lord would come He would send some human to prepare the way.

The message to these Jews was that Jehovah had already put the necessary forces in motion to bring about the return of these captives.

There would be a revelation of Divine Glory for all the world to see!

1) First, we see that this relates to the deliverance of these Jews out of Babylon.

They would have to repent and straighten out their lives and remove all crooked, and unrighteous behavior.

We do know that after this time in Babylon the Jews never became idol worshipers again even in our day.

2) Second, we should know that this applies to John the Baptist.

Mat 3:1 In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea,
Mat 3:2 And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
Mat 3:3 For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.

Before the Lord Jesus would reveal His ministry, His way must first be prepared for Him!

The way of the Lord is by the way of “Holiness”.

Today this seems to be forgotten!

Again, the message of John was to repent.

What was John’s job?

Luk 1:15 For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother’s womb.
Luk 1:16 And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God.
Luk 1:17 And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.

And why was John to be in the power of Elias (Elijah)?

Because this prophecy has a third meaning.

3) Third the return of the Messiah.

Isa 35:8 And an highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those: the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein.
Isa 35:9 No lion shall be there, nor any ravenous beast shall go up thereon, it shall not be found there; but the redeemed shall walk there:
Isa 35:10 And the ransomed of the LORD shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

Why was John the Baptist in the power of Elijah?

Mat 17:10 And his disciples asked him, saying, Why then say the scribes that Elias must first come?
Mat 17:11 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things.
Mat 17:12 But I say unto you, That Elias is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed. Likewise shall also the Son of man suffer of them.
Mat 17:13 Then the disciples understood that he spake unto them of John the Baptist.

Here the Lord Jesus Christ is speaking of His Own Second Coming.

Elijah will also return in person to make way for the return of the Messiah.

Rev 11:3 And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.
Rev 11:4 These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth.
Rev 11:5 And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed.
Rev 11:6 These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will.
Rev 11:7 And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them.

One of these two witnesses are Elijah and though there is great debate, the other would be Enoch because according to the Word of God every man must see death and Elijah and Enoch are the only two in the Bible who have not yet seen death.

Even the Lord Jesus Christ saw death!

Heb 9:27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:
Heb 9:28 So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.

It is when the Lord Jesus Christ returns that He will make everything straight, every valley will be exalted, every hill made low, the crooked will be made straight, and the rough places plain!

Therefore, these words came from the mouth of the Lord to His prophet!

When all the preparations are made, then there will be a complete revelation of the “Glory and the Might” of the Lord!

Why do we know this refers to the end times of the Tribulation Period? Because “all flesh will see it together”!

Rev_1:7 Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.

This still has nothing to do with the calling out of the Church that was formed by His first coming!

1Co 15:51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
1Co 15:52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

1Th 4:13 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.
1Th 4:14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.
1Th 4:15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.
1Th 4:16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
1Th 4:17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
1Th 4:18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

There would not be much comfort of the Saints, knowing we would have to go through the Tribulation and see the wrath of God which He said we would not see.

1Th 1:10 And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.

The thing that we should see clearly is that when we repent and return to the Lord, we can level out the paths of our lives and when we are faithful and consistent in our Christian life, we will ride smoothly when we are on the mountain top and when we pass through the valleys of life with confidence.

We can fill secure knowing that we will see the Lord in all His glory and He will welcome us with open arms!

Getting back to these Jews, we can be sure that by no longer having a home, being a stranger in a foreign country, ruled by a ruthless and unmerciful king, their future did not look very promising. They knew that no one on this earth now had the power to save them.

Isaiah’s message was that no matter what they thought, there is a God, the One true God who can do all things.

*****Isa 40:6 The voice said, Cry. And he said, What shall I cry? All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field:
Isa 40:7 The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: because the spirit of the LORD bloweth upon it: surely the people is grass.
Isa 40:8 The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever.

When we focus on this world, nothing in this life seems very promising. The voice of reason teaches us that we have only a few years to live and in fact we do not know what tomorrow will bring!

God says if we would just awaken to His truth, we could rest in our spirit and life would be tolerable knowing that there is really a life after the death of this flesh!

Compared to the glory of God, the glory of the human(flesh), a creation of God, is no more than common grass!

Like the grass, we are subject to all the tragedies that happen to grass. The glory of the grass is short lived until it withers away and is gone. Even when a blade of grass is at its full strength it can be trampled upon, or parched by the Sun, plucked by some other flesh, or even mowed down to nothingness.

If the grass has any glory at all, it is when it is flowering which may be the only time that it is noticeable as no one really pays attention to common grass!

Unlike the grasses, the Word of God has a life that compares to the God who gave it, it is eternal!

The doctrines of the Word of God abide forever. They are not just theories as those of philosophers but are eternal truths!

The promises of God are sure! The punishments and the rewards are real!

To those who are “Born Again” into the family of God, all things have changed!

1Pe 1:23 Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.
1Pe 1:24 For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away:
1Pe 1:25 But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.

The Word of God does not contain the “Gospel”, the Word of God is the “Gospel”!

Any false doctrine of man will fade, as will the grasses of all flesh, that have not been “Born” into the family of God!

All corruptible seed will perish!

When we trust the truth of the Word of God then hopelessness disappears. The knowledge of a great future is enduring because God will fulfill His promises, because every promise is God’s guarantee!

The Word of God is incorruptible because it was given by the Holy Spirit!

2Ti 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:

2Pe 1:19 We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:
2Pe 1:20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.
2Pe 1:21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.

We serve a Great Big God who is also Mightier than any power on this earth!

*****Isa 40:9 O Zion, that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God!

This Scripture may be from Isaiah to all the prophets of his time to go to Zion and proclaim the “good tidings” of God but in truth this is a command for not just all Pastors, and all Missionaries, but to all the children (the Saints) of God to proclaim the “good news” of the Gospel of Jesus Christ!

God says go to the highest mountain and proclaim the salvation of God with all the strength we possess!

The message of salvation is so important that it must be declared to everyone.

Luk 24:46 And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day:
Luk 24:47 And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.
Luk 24:48 And ye are witnesses of these things.

1Ti 3:16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.

Salvation is no longer a mystery to the Church but most of this world still live believing salvation is only a mystery that cannot be solved and it is our only job to see that these who are lost get the opportunity to know the Lord and His salvation plan!

We must not be cowardly by shrinking back from proclaiming the “Good News” of the Gospel!
We must not fear rejection and we must not fear persecution!
We must not tone down the message of God, it still requires true “faith” and real “repentance” to be rescued!

The “Good News” must not be twisted into a lie, making everyone acceptable by their own beliefs or their own works.

The “Good News” is not to be treated like it is some secret that the world does not need to know.

The Word of God will always do what it was intended to do!

Isa_55:11 So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.

There is still only one truth and only one way to reach the glory world of Heaven and have eternal life!

Joh 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

The truth is, the Lord is coming in a marvelous way just as He came the first time in the virgin birth.

1) He is first coming, as a thief to remove His Church so that the Church will not see His wrath upon this earth full of unbelievers!

1Co 15:23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.

2) Then He is coming to show His wrath to all unbelievers and then to fulfill the promises made to King David.

1Co 15:24 Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.
1Co 15:25 For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet.
1Co 15:26 The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.

Notice that God says, without a doubt, that He will return as the Messiah!

*****Isa 40:10 Behold, the Lord GOD will come with strong hand, and his arm shall rule for him: behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him.

Behold our God will come with all His Might and all His Majesty, His Beauty!

It is the Lord Jesus Christ who is the arm of God.

Psa 80:17 Let thy hand be upon the man of thy right hand, upon the son of man whom thou madest strong for thyself.

His reward is with Him and His work is before Him:

Joh 5:21 For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them; even so the Son quickeneth whom he will.
Joh 5:22 For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son:
Joh 5:23 That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him.
Joh 5:24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.
Joh 5:25 Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live.
Joh 5:26 For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself;
Joh 5:27 And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man.
Joh 5:28 Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice,
Joh 5:29 And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.
Joh 5:30 I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.

God promised to rescue His people from Satan, Jesus did that on the cross on Mount Calvary. That work is finished:

Joh_19:30 When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.

When the Lord returns, He will complete all the remaining work that needs to be done:

Rev 21:5 And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.
Rev 21:6 And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.
Rev 21:7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.

What is the Lord doing right now?

1) Joh 14:2 In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
Joh 14:3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
Joh 14:4 And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know.

2) Rom_8:34 Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.

Heb 7:25 Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.

The Lord will not stop His work until He has redeemed every believer and brought justice to this world by striking down all His enemies!

Then all the redeemed will see a side of God that we have only read about and only dreamed about!

*****Isa 40:11 He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.

The Lord who will show no pity in His destruction of all unbelievers and His enemies, will become a tender Shepherd to those who love Him.

Joh 10:11 I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.

Joh 10:14 I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.
Joh 10:15 As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep.
Joh 10:16 And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.

Rev 7:15 Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them.
Rev 7:16 They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat.
Rev 7:17 For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.

All those from the time of Adam until the day the Lord calls out His Church and those that are saved during the Tribulation years and that remnant of Israel, who have answered the call of God, are all the flock of the Lord, and will have eternal life through the redeeming power of Jesus Christ.

As always, those who are weak will be carried in the bosom of the Lord, and the Lord will lead His flock at the pace of those who are young!

It is true that the remnant of the Jews had this picture of the Lord, which was a true picture but it will also be true for that remnant of the Jews during the time of Jacob’s trouble.

And the Lord our King will also be the Shepherd who calls His Church home.

The picture we should all see is that the Lord holds each of His flock close to His heart!

The Lord will never forsake His children!

Where ever our Shepherd leads, we are content to follow!

How great is our God? Here is just an example:

*****Isa 40:12 Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted out heaven with the span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance?

Notice the reference to the hand which in fact only the human has and it is wonderfully constructed as is every part of our bodies.

It is the hand of God that refers to God power and authority!
It is the arm of God that gives leverage to God’s hand!

We read in another place where the heavens are the work of God’s fingers.

We know that Jehovah spoke our world into existence but we would be fools to not see that we are all shaped by the hand of our Mighty God!

This hand is so powerful that once we are in His hand there is no power on earth or in Heaven that can take us out of God’s hand!

Joh 10:28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
Joh 10:29 My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand.
Joh 10:30 I and my Father are one.

Who can do such things but our God, Jehovah?

Questions?

Let’s Pray!

God And The Nations Of This World

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

God and the Gentile Nations

Isaiah 37

In our last lesson we saw that King Hezekiah of Judah’s greatest threat was the destruction of Jerusalem.

We saw a general over view of these things. In this lesson we will see that everything that happened to evil King Sennacherib were executed and planned buy the Lord.

We may not always understand God’s plan but we can be sure it is only God’s plan that will win the most souls.

It should be clear to us that God’s hand has been in the history of this earth since creation!

God’s eyes are upon all men, those that love Him and those that do not!
God’s ears are open to their counsel and anything they say!
God is well aware of every thought that goes through the mind of every human being on this earth!

At the proper time and at the proper place, God will frustrate all the combinations of evil and bring to pass His purpose in righteousness!

We must clearly understand as Christians, we can never triumph over our spiritual enemies or have victories, without the almighty arm of God.

We already know that Jerusalem and King Hezekiah were under the threat of a ruthless king of Assyria.
Hezekiah has tried everything in his own power to buy peace, which never works!
Nothing can stop a foolish man seeking world domination except the Lord!

All of us should also understand that the children of God are never powerless to resist the evil in this world, as long as they have “faith” in the One True God, Jehovah!

And a special note: Isaiah was God’s scribe for the Book of Isaiah buy he also was God’s scribe for the Books of 1st and 2nd Kings and some of the same information appears in all these books.

When God says things once that should be enough but when God repeats what He says then we certainly need to pay attention!

Let’s begin:

*****Isa 37:14  And Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers, and read it: and Hezekiah went up unto the house of the LORD, and spread it before the LORD. 
Isa 37:15  And Hezekiah prayed unto the LORD, saying, 

The truth is, God knows our needs before we even ask but He will certainly delights when we get specific an unfold them with the confidence that He can solve any problem!

Nothing is to hard for God!

Jer 32:17  Ah Lord GOD! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee: 

If God can but just speak things into existence, how can anything be to hard for Him to accomplish.

BUT, Prayers require our “Faith” to be answered!

We should understand the thoughts of King Sennacherib. He was seeking to dominate Egypt and the only obstacle left in his path was Jerusalem. If Jerusalem withstood him it would show his weakness and it would also leave an enemy to his rear as he attacked Egypt.

Military commanders do not like such things as this.

It seems the world we live in today still thinks that the way to control the Jews is to deny them the city Jerusalem. We still live in a foolish world that is determined to go against the Word of God and will certainly fail!

Sennacherib’s ambition not only threatened the Jews but also threatened the whole world.

We see this in Iran who desire to dominate all Muslim countries and then the world.
We see this in North Korea.
I believe this is Russia’s goal and also China’s but I also believe they respect equal or greater power, unlike Iran and certainly unlike North Korea, who has lived in denial so long that that really have no knowledge of this world.

We should clearly understand as Christians, that if we have something that is bothering us and constantly on our mind, then it is important enough to take to the Lord!

We will see the Hezekiah knew that God cared for him as an individual.
We will see that Hezekiah knew that God was his only help.
We will see that if we are identified with God then God will identify with us!

God’s treatment of His children will tell the world that the Lord is faithful, the Lord is loving, and our Lord is very strong!

We should see how one single prayer from one individual can affect the lives of so many people and also the things of this world that go against the will of God!

Jas_5:16  Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much”.

One man’s prayer of “faith” can set a lot of things in motion that are in the will of God! Of course that includes the faithful prayers of dear ladies also. The keys being that prayer must be a prayer of “faith” and that prayer must be in the will of God!

So Hezekiah prayed.

*****Isa 37:16  O LORD of hosts, God of Israel, that dwellest between the cherubims, thou art the God, even thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth: thou hast made heaven and earth.

**We first see that Hezekiah declared God’s greatness. Hezekiah prayed to Jehovah God, the Holy God of Israel, the God who was enthroned between the Cherubim on the Ark of the Testimony in His Shekinah Glory. He alone is the Supreme Creator of this world!

Jesus Christ teaches us all how to pray!

Mat 6:5  And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. 
Mat 6:6  But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. 
Mat 6:7  But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. 
Mat 6:8  Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him. 
Mat 6:9  After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. 

**Hezekiah had also gone to the house of the Lord to make this supplication to the Lord.

We can pray anywhere and at any time when we know the Lord but there is simply something special about praying in the House of God, the place where we also worship Him and Him alone!

**Hezekiah also took the confidence he had in the power of God with him.

If we do not believe the Lord is the answer to our problems and that nothing is out of reach of His right arm, then no prayer will be answered!

In most cases we make our own plan and then ask God to approve our plan and it simply does not work that way. We must pray for God’s plan and then abide by God’s plan! God gives us the knowledge and the examples of what He has already done in His Word and God does not ever change. We should be able to plan our prayers around these things!

**We next see Hezekiah explained in detail the problems he faced and his nation faced.

God does not want some wishy washy prayer at any time but when we have a sincere need, we need to to do our best to explain that need. God already knows, so He wants to see if we really understand what we are asking Him to do.

*****Isa 37:17  Incline thine ear, O LORD, and hear; open thine eyes, O LORD, and see: and hear all the words of Sennacherib, which hath sent to reproach the living God. 
Isa 37:18  Of a truth, LORD, the kings of Assyria have laid waste all the nations, and their countries, 
Isa 37:19  And have cast their gods into the fire: for they were no gods, but the work of men’s hands, wood and stone: therefore they have destroyed them. 

Notice Hezekiah first praises Jehovah, the great “I Am” of the Scriptures, the self-existing God!

Jesus teaches:

Mat 6:10  Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. 
Mat 6:11  Give us this day our daily bread. 
Mat 6:12  And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. 
Mat 6:13  And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen. 

Note: Hezekiah next ask to Lord to take into consideration the insults of Sennacherib had said against Him.

We are wrong when we are in a group setting with saved and lost people and someone insults our Lord and we do nothing!

Certainly we should not attack them with our fists but we should inform them that we serve a Holy God who will not stand for such things before we walk away from such things. If we are Christian then we must not be ashamed to be a Christian!

Rom_10:11  For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.

I also know that there are circumstances in some foreign lands where this could result in death and the death of the family.

We must use all our means to protect our family and if that means quietly walking away, then God will understand if we are walking away tall and not hanging our heads in submission!

**True prayer must always make reference to the “Glory of our God” and requires all our “Faith”!

It was certainly true that the armies of Sennacherib had laid waste to many nations and had cast their false gods into the fire.

Aren’t you glad we do not worship some idol that we can sit upon a shelf, that needs dusting and someone can take away from you and destroy!

**Even Hezekiah had realized that idols are only the work of men’s own hands!

Psa 115:3  But our God is in the heavens: he hath done whatsoever he hath pleased. 
Psa 115:4  Their idols are silver and gold, the work of men’s hands. 
Psa 115:5  They have mouths, but they speak not: eyes have they, but they see not: 
Psa 115:6  They have ears, but they hear not: noses have they, but they smell not: 
Psa 115:7  They have hands, but they handle not: feet have they, but they walk not: neither speak they through their throat. 
Psa 115:8  They that make them are like unto them; so is every one that trusteth in them. 

It was also true that many of those nations were much stronger than Judah and they had not been able to stand up to this ruthless king but they also did not know Jehovah God.

We immediately see that our “Faith” does not have to ignore our difficulties!
Our “Faith” must include the fact that nothing is to hard for the Lord to accomplish!

God is able to overcome any and every obstacle in our path if He so chooses!

We must also realize that when our prayer seems to go unanswered in such situations, it is not a lack of God’s power but that problem may fulfill some purpose that the Lord has and we will still remain safe in the arms of God no matter the situation!

1Pe 3:12  For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil. 
1Pe 3:13  And who is he that will harm you, if ye be followers of that which is good? 

**Before Isaiah closes his prayer he gets down to his greatest request.

*****Isa 37:20  Now therefore, O LORD our God, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that thou art the LORD, even thou only.

Hezekiah had already admitted that his enemy was very powerful but then he adds that the power Sennacherib had over other nations was great and their gods had proved to be nothing but false gods. Sennacherib’s power over their gods proved nothing because they were not gods at all but only idols made of wood and stone and metal.

Hezekiah was calling on the Lord to make this truth apparent to these Assyrians, that they also worshipped false gods and only Judah worshipped the only true God.

**He then prayed “save us from his hand”.

Notice that King Hezekiah did not dictate how and he did not dictate the nature of this salvation!

We must never ask God to submit to our plan!

**AND, What we see is sometimes the most effective prayers are the shortest such as this example of the sinners prayer:

Luk_18:13  And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, “God be merciful to me a sinner”.

It can be as simple as “Lord save me”!

Mat_14:30  But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, “Lord, save me”.

**Hezekiah ends his prayer glorifying God: he said “that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that thou art the LORD, even thou only”.

If we are Christians as we say we are, then we must also long for all others to know our God, even our enemies!

We need to long for all this earth to come to know the saving knowledge of the truth!

Luk_11:2  And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.

So how did God answer this prayer? And notice how quickly God answered.

*****Isa 37:21  Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent unto Hezekiah, saying, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Whereas thou hast prayed to me against Sennacherib king of Assyria:

As most all of Judah had denied God’s prophets, God again sent His answer by the Prophet Isaiah.

Note: Isaiah could not have known these things of Hezekiah’s closet prayer if the Lord had not told him!

**Hezekiah had woke up to the fact that he could not save himself, nor could he save Judah by his own strength, it would take the strength of God!

What did God say?

*****Isa 37:22  This is the word which the LORD hath spoken concerning him; The virgin, the daughter of Zion, hath despised thee, and laughed thee to scorn; the daughter of Jerusalem hath shaken her head at thee. 
Isa 37:23  Whom hast thou reproached and blasphemed? and against whom hast thou exalted thy voice, and lifted up thine eyes on high? even against the Holy One of Israel. 
Isa 37:24  By thy servants hast thou reproached the Lord, and hast said, By the multitude of my chariots am I come up to the height of the mountains, to the sides of Lebanon; and I will cut down the tall cedars thereof, and the choice fir trees thereof: and I will enter into the height of his border, and the forest of his Carmel.

Jerusalem, the daughter of Zion, like a virgin maiden, who herself was weak and helpless would stand in defiance of these Assyrians.
Sennacherib would not violate the city of Jerusalem in any way!
The people of Jerusalem would laugh at the feeble attempt of this enemy as they fled from the long arm of God!

It is a fact that no enemy had defiled the city of Jerusalem from the time of King David and God was not going to allow it at this time.
The the city of Jerusalem was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar, it would be rebuilt with the money of King Cyrus and it would remain the capitol city of Israel until the Messiah’s First Coming and this could not be changed by some arrogant ruler in a foreign land!

AND, King Sennacherib would be severely punished for lifting up his voice against the Holy One of Israel, Jehovah!

We should know that the Lord will not tolerate insults and rejection for any length of time.

Psa 74:18  Remember this, that the enemy hath reproached, O LORD, and that the foolish people have blasphemed thy name. 

This should remind us of that day during the Great Tribulation when the antichrist claims that he is the Most High God.

2Th 2:3  Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; 
2Th 2:4  Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.

We see that King Sennacherib was in fact a “type” of the antichrist and will also suffer the humiliation of defeat.

What had Sennacherib desired in his heart?

1) That his overwhelming forces would cause Jerusalem to just surrender.
2) He would show that the land of Palestine, with it’s mountainous terrain deserts, was no great obstacle to overcome.
3) He had visioned of stripping the land of Palestine of all it’s resources.
4) He had envisioned a complete domination of the land of Israel.

His desires were that of a monarch but he would see a complete defeat of his mighty army in a way that could only be understood as by the “hand of God”.

And the Lord continues:

*****Isa 37:25  I have digged, and drunk water; and with the sole of my feet have I dried up all the rivers of the besieged places. 
Isa 37:26  Hast thou not heard long ago, how I have done it; and of ancient times, that I have formed it? now have I brought it to pass, that thou shouldest be to lay waste defenced cities into ruinous heaps. 
Isa 37:27  Therefore their inhabitants were of small power, they were dismayed and confounded: they were as the grass of the field, and as the green herb, as the grass on the housetops, and as corn blasted before it be grown up.

Sennacherib had bragged about all the things that he had done and would do.

He said he could dig wells and drink the water of Palestine because no one could stop him.
He had said he had the power to dry up any river in any besieged place, (which means he would destroy all their defenses).

He was saying, no one and nothing on this earth and certainly not some invisible God, had the power to stop him and his mighty army and his false gods.

And now the Lord speaks of his demise.

God then said, you Sennacherib are a fool!

The Lord says:

1) Have you not looked back on history of the Jews from the ancient times and seen what the Lord has already done?

In other words God said do you not know the truth of recorded history, and the truth of creation and the history of Israel?

The leaders of today, refuse to look back on the history of our world, and the same mistakes are made over and over again and it is the people who suffer the most and not those leaders.

And today the world refuses to look back on the history of the Jews and see the mistakes that foreign powers have already made against these Jews.

The truth is:

Gen_12:3  And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

This is the promise that God made to Abraham and we know that this promise would continue to through the family of Isaac and not through Ishmael.

Gen 17:19  And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him. 

God says that there is no excuse for anyone not to realize who is in control of our world!

Rom_1:20  For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:

**Sennacherib should have realized that all conquerors are just instruments in God’s hands!

**All that Sennacherib had done he had done as God’s instrument and by God’s permission.

And God will one day use these same Jews for such a purpose in this world:

Jer 51:20  Thou art my battle axe and weapons of war: for with thee will I break in pieces the nations, and with thee will I destroy kingdoms; 
Jer 51:21  And with thee will I break in pieces the horse and his rider; and with thee will I break in pieces the chariot and his rider; 
Jer 51:22  With thee also will I break in pieces man and woman; and with thee will I break in pieces old and young; and with thee will I break in pieces the young man and the maid; 
Jer 51:23  I will also break in pieces with thee the shepherd and his flock; and with thee will I break in pieces the husbandman and his yoke of oxen; and with thee will I break in pieces captains and rulers. 
Jer 51:24  And I will render unto Babylon and to all the inhabitants of Chaldea all their evil that they have done in Zion in your sight, saith the LORD.

We are just as foolish as Sennacherib if we do not believe these things!

The world is much more foolish because they missed the great light that shined when the Messiah came the first time!

Joh 1:1  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 
Joh 1:2  The same was in the beginning with God. 
Joh 1:3  All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. 
Joh 1:4  In him was life; and the life was the light of men. 
Joh 1:5  And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. 
Joh 1:6  There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 
Joh 1:7  The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe. 
Joh 1:8  He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. 
Joh 1:9  That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. 
Joh 1:10  He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.

God had given the Assyrians power but only by making making the other nations weak, they were as the grass of the field.

In this area of Judah the delicate grass of the spring will whither within a few weeks and becomes yellow and parched and this would be the same for these Assyrians.

We should all realize that there is nothing that the Lord does not know know about us, the saved and the lost!

*****Isa 37:28  But I know thy abode, and thy going out, and thy coming in, and thy rage against me. 
Isa 37:29  Because thy rage against me, and thy tumult, is come up into mine ears, therefore will I put my hook in thy nose, and my bridle in thy lips, and I will turn thee back by the way by which thou camest. 

God knows where we all live and He placed us in that place for a purpose and in actuality, we should stay there unless God calls us to do something else.

God knows our coming out and our going in, which means God knows what we are doing at all times, the saved and the lost.

God knows those who love Him and those who hate Him as Sennacherib did. Sennacherib had a rage against God that he refused to quench.

These are things brought his downfall!

The Assyrians were in the habit of passing hooks or rings through the noses or even the lips of certain prisoners to lead them into the presence of the Assyrian king.

God promised Sennacherib that He would use His own methods to turn him back to the direction from which he had come, much like the bridle is used on a horse.

And again Isaiah turns to Hezekiah.

*****Isa 37:30  And this shall be a sign unto thee, Ye shall eat this year such as groweth of itself; and the second year that which springeth of the same: and in the third year sow ye, and reap, and plant vineyards, and eat the fruit thereof. 
Isa 37:31  And the remnant that is escaped of the house of Judah shall again take root downward, and bear fruit upward: 
Isa 37:32  For out of Jerusalem shall go forth a remnant, and they that escape out of mount Zion: the zeal of the LORD of hosts shall do this. 
Isa 37:33  Therefore thus saith the LORD concerning the king of Assyria, He shall not come into this city, nor shoot an arrow there, nor come before it with shields, nor cast a bank against it. 
Isa 37:34  By the way that he came, by the same shall he return, and shall not come into this city, saith the LORD. 
Isa 37:35  For I will defend this city to save it for mine own sake, and for my servant David’s sake.

This sign would be a series of events that come together in a period of 2 years.

To me, the Lord has given us a similar sign. The complete Word of God is a sign of a series of events over 7000 years that will end with God’s people in the New Heaven and the New Jerusalem and everything will be new.

Rev_21:5  And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.

We see that the regular operations of agriculture would be suspended for this period of 2 years, which means God would provide while the land of Israel recovered from the destruction caused by the invasion of Assyria.

This would give the people of Judah time to repair or rebuild their homes and repair their wells!

The remnant of Israel, which was those left of Judah would take root and blossom and again there would be a growth in population.

Israel has always grown in population through adversity!

Again Judah would be given the opportunity to return to the Lord and they would for a short period of time but they would rebel again as we all know.

But one day in the future all these things would change at the return of the Messiah, when again another remnant would return to the Lord and remain with Him forever!

Isa 9:7  Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this. 

As for the armies of Assyria they would never enter the city of Jerusalem. In fact this army would never get close enough to shoot an arrow into the city, nor lay siege to Jerusalem.

Those that plan all these things now should take note, by the way this army came they would return to their homeland, at least those that remained because this to would only be a small remnant, because God wanted these people to explain what happened, which was the God of Israel is just to strong to fight against! They could not explain the unexplainable!

What had the Lord said: For I will defend this city to save it for mine own sake, and for my servant David’s sake.

God will defend His name when he desires but God will fulfill the promises He made to David, at the proper time.

In most cases God would use some human or a group of humans to do the task He has assigned but this would not be the case on this day, God sent an angel and He even had a purpose for sending this angel.

King Sennacherib needed to know who he was dealing with and so must this world we live in!

*****Isa 37:36  Then the angel of the LORD went forth, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians a hundred and fourscore and five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses. 

In perfect silence and at night time while this army slept and even with guards posted, 185,000 soldiers met their death at the hand of the Lord.

We see that the “judgment of God” is harsh and without pity! This is an example of Armageddon.

Those that remained were in total shock as they awoke that next morning!

They then broke camp and returned to Assyria and they did this in a hurry leaving behind all the things they had stolen from the people of Judah.

Who is strong enough to to fight against the Lord when one angel can do such a thing, the Lord has an innumerable number of angels but also remember that when the Lord speaks things just happen, without the need of angels.

*****Isa 37:37  So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed, and went and returned, and dwelt at Nineveh. 
Isa 37:38  And it came to pass, as he was worshipping in the house of Nisroch his god, that Adrammelech and Sharezer his sons smote him with the sword; and they escaped into the land of Armenia: and Esarhaddon his son reigned in his stead. 

This army remained in Nineveh and they were never a threat to Judah again!

Even King Sennacherib was later assassinated by two of his own sons and was succeeded by a third son Esarhaddon.

The truth is deliverance from sin is the greatest promise of God, if we just acknowledge the truth of the Lord Jesus Christ!
The deliverance from the obstacles that we face on this earth can take place after a fervent prayer of faith!

In fact without a prayer of faith we can have no contact with God.

Heb_11:6  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.

With faith, our prayers are the most powerful tool we have in this world!

Jas_5:16  Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

When we call on the Lord for deliverance, God will just deliver us in what may even seem as a miracle or He will give us the power to overcome that obstacle!

King Hezekiah had faith but not always. Like ourselves, his faith centered on if he could see a way to over come obstacles himself.

True faith means that when we can see no way out of our problems but God always knows a way and we can depend on Him!

No matter what confronts us, God promises to deliver those who love Him!

2Ti 4:18  And the Lord “shall” deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom: to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

The Lord will never forsake His people!

When the Apostle Paul wrote this wonderful Scripture, he was looking at his death from prison but he knew he could be delivered and he was. Because the Lord will preserve all His children forever in His Heavenly Kingdom.

So give the glory to God!

Psa 23:4  Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

Questions?

Let’s Pray!

The King in all His Beauty

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

The Messiah, The King In All His Beauty

Book of Isaiah 33 10-24; 2 Kings 19:20-37

What is the truth of every true prophet of God?

1) They did always look to Heaven for wisdom rather than to Earth.
2) What they received from Heaven they then communicated to the men that God had sent them to.

This is a guideline for every Christian!

What is the truth of the Word of God?

1) In these Scriptures we will also see the magnitude of deliverance that repentance can bring.
2) We will also see the terrible ruin of how deliverance can affect the enemies of God.

In short the King of Assyria, with his ambassador Rabshakeh had destroyed the Northern Kingdom of Israel and had taken it’s people(mostly the men) away to foreign lands.

He was moving through all of Judah at will and was now threatening Jerusalem.

We know that Hezekiah had trusted in his own methods and had removed many of the treasures of the Temple and had given to King Sennacherib as a bribe, but this had no effect on this ruthless king.

We also know that Hezekiah had trusted in some help from Egypt, sending even more of his nations money but that help would never materialize.

There was only one who could help Hezekiah and the people of Judah, the One Hezekiah should have sought to begin with!

God had promised deliverance if these people would call upon Him but in this instance there was also a ruthless king who had defied the Living God and he needed to see the results of his foolishness.

A lesson for all national leaders, “Do Not Challenge The Living God, Jehovah, The Holy One of Israel”.

In all these things we will see in “typology” the results of the returning Messiah.

We will see a graphic picture of life when the Messiah returns to set up His Kingdom!

*****Isa 33:10  Now will I rise, saith the LORD; now will I be exalted; now will I lift up myself. 
Isa 33:11  Ye shall conceive chaff, ye shall bring forth stubble: your breath, as fire, shall devour you. 
Isa 33:12  And the people shall be as the burnings of lime: as thorns cut up shall they be burned in the fire. 
Isa 33:13  Hear, ye that are far off, what I have done; and, ye that are near, acknowledge my might. 

Not part of our lesson but lets read verse 1:

Isa 33:1  Woe to thee that spoilest, and thou wast not spoiled; and dealest treacherously, and they dealt not treacherously with thee! when thou shalt cease to spoil, thou shalt be spoiled; and when thou shalt make an end to deal treacherously, they shall deal treacherously with thee. 

There is coming a day when those who have caused harm to God’s people will end, for the Lord will execute “Judgment” upon them!

Sennacherib, the King of Assyria was seeking world domination at this time and Judah stood in his way.

Sennacherib, is in “typology” a type of the Antichrist.

Listen to how he was described. He was weak but sought glory. He was a coward, when things did not go his way. He was cruel and boastful in his successes.

As God said about Satan: Isa_14:16  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;

When the Lord rises from His throne, nothing and no one can stop the “Judgment” of God!

King Hezekiah had finally reached out to the Lord and the Lord had heard his prayer:

2Ki 19:20  Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah, saying, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, That which thou hast prayed to me against Sennacherib king of Assyria I have heard. 

Notice that God did not answer Hezekiah directly but still answered through His prophet. It was time for Hezekiah to trust the Word of God through His prophets!

We face this same challenge with God’s prophets! Do we believe or not?

The prophecies in the Bible are real. These words are God’s guarantee to His children!

We are to trust in all the Word of God!

And what did God say?

*****2Ki 19:21  This is the word that the LORD hath spoken concerning him; The virgin the daughter of Zion hath despised thee, and laughed thee to scorn; the daughter of Jerusalem hath shaken her head at thee. 
2Ki 19:22  Whom hast thou reproached and blasphemed? and against whom hast thou exalted thy voice, and lifted up thine eyes on high? even against the Holy One of Israel. 

In all his boasting this foolish king had challenged Jehovah God and as we see, God responds directly to him.

We may ask ourselves, does God speak to ruthless national leaders? This is the evidence that He does, though most will never admit it and still reject Him.

1) God said Sennacherib would flee from Jerusalem.
2) God said Sennacherib would not “rape, pillage, nor burn this city” as he intended.
3) God said Sennacherib would be mocked by those that he intended to harm.
4) God said Sennacherib had not only challenged Jerusalem but he had challenged Him, the Living God, Jehovah!

It is never a good thing for anyone to insult and defy the Living God!

Notice Isaiah uses that phrase “The Holy One Of Israel” 27 times in his Scriptures.

God, Himself is not only “Holy” and “Gracious” unto Israel, but He makes His people “Holy” also. He causes His people to be separate from the rest of the world and sanctified by Him.

Here we can not only see the praise of God but the privilege of those who love Him!

The truth is, any plans made against Jerusalem can only take place if God allows it to take place. The Assyrian plans of destruction were no more than chaff or stubble that was carried away with the wind.

The fury of those that come against Jerusalem, will be the same fire that will destroy them.

Another lesson this world needs to learn!

It is said, that this mighty army of Assyria was of 200,000 men but they would only be as thorns that will burn up quickly in a fire.

And God says to all others, see hear and see what he has done. In other words, this is an example of what would happen to others who try to destroy Jerusalem.

*****Isa 33:13  Hear, ye that are far off, what I have done; and, ye that are near, acknowledge my might. 

King Hezekiah was facing impossible odds and a hopeless situation. He was helpless to deliver his people but the Word of God through His prophet, gave him assurance and the promise of deliverance.

This is what the Word of God can do for us all if we will only believe!

2Co_12:10  Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.

We can certainly trust in the promises of God!

2Ti 4:18  And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom: to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen. 

How does Sennacherib remind us of the Antichrist?

*****2Ki 19:23  By thy messengers thou hast reproached the Lord, and hast said, With the multitude of my chariots I am come up to the height of the mountains, to the sides of Lebanon, and will cut down the tall cedar trees thereof, and the choice fir trees thereof: and I will enter into the lodgings of his borders, and into the forest of his Carmel. 

These messengers included Tartan, the commander in chief of the armies of Assyria.
There was the Rubsaris, the chief eunuch of Assyria.
There was Rabshakeh, the chief cup bearer, representing the embassies of Assyria.
There was a great multitude of chariots as a show of force, a well trained and battle hardened military force that no one had been able to stop.

As we have seen in earlier lessons, most every assault on Judah came from the direction of the forest of Lebanon and we see another threat to destroy these wonderful forest.

We can see that Sennacherib had every intention of destroying all the wonderful Holy sites of Israel.

We see this same thing as ISIS occupies the Arab lands. They intentionally destroy all the ancient artifacts and monuments.

In fact Sennacherib had every intention of making Israel uninhabitable and desolate.

We should understand that God has made some strong promises to Israel and to His Church!

*****Isa 33:15  He that walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly; he that despiseth the gain of oppressions, that shaketh his hands from holding of bribes, that stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood, and shutteth his eyes from seeing evil;

In fact there is a glorious day of salvation coming to God’s people, a day when the Messiah will set up His kingdom upon this earth.

When God has had enough of the atrocities of this world and direct challenges to His truths, He will certainly return to settle all things.

In typology we can see this in this passage of 2 Kings.

*****2Ki 19:24  I have digged and drunk strange waters, and with the sole of my feet have I dried up all the rivers of besieged places.
2Ki 19:25  Hast thou not heard long ago how I have done it, and of ancient times that I have formed it? now have I brought it to pass, that thou shouldest be to lay waste fenced cities into ruinous heaps. 
2Ki 19:26  Therefore their inhabitants were of small power, they were dismayed and confounded; they were as the grass of the field, and as the green herb, as the grass on the housetops, and as corn blasted before it be grown up. 
 
1) We know that Sennacherib had ridiculed and blasphemed the Holy One of Israel.
2) We also know that he had heaped insults on the Lord, who has already said in the Scriptures, He will not tolerate insults or rejection.
3) This king had exalted himself above all men, above all gods, and had boasted of his military power.

He had said he could conquer any nation.
He had said he could cut down any national leader.
He had said that no part of this earth was out of his reach.
He had said he could take the resources of any land.
He had said he had powers that only a God could have.

In response to all these things, God has His way of putting things so they cannot be misunderstood!

*****2Ki 19:27  But I know thy abode, and thy going out, and thy coming in, and thy rage against me. 
2Ki 19:28  Because thy rage against me and thy tumult is come up into mine ears, therefore I will put my hook in thy nose, and my bridle in thy lips, and I will turn thee back by the way by which thou camest.

Psalms 139 teaches us that God knows everything about each and everyone of us that love Him but we can see that God keeps His eyes on all those that are evil too and those that hate Him!

Every ruler in the world should take note of this Scripture!

All those that hate God’s people, then show that they also hate the Lord!

Everyone knows that certain animals that are hard to maintain control have a ring inserted into their nose, so they can be led about without much problem. The Lord said He would lead Sennacherib around like a wild animal.

One commentary says that these Assyrians would actually do this to kings and rulers that were captured alive and I believe this could be true, because the Lord loves to repay in the same way as evil men have done themselves.

One thing for sure, all national leaders are under the watchful eye of the Lord and they need to be aware of this.

The truth is, the Lord said Sennacherib would be defeated, he would be subdued like an animal, and he would returned to his own land.

The Lord then gave King Hezekiah a sign through the prophet Isaiah.

*****2Ki 19:29  And this shall be a sign unto thee, Ye shall eat this year such things as grow of themselves, and in the second year that which springeth of the same; and in the third year sow ye, and reap, and plant vineyards, and eat the fruits thereof. 
2Ki 19:30  And the remnant that is escaped of the house of Judah shall yet again take root downward, and bear fruit upward. 

The land of Judah had been over run by the armies of Assyria and the people of Jerusalem had been shut up behind the walls of the city but when this thing was over, they would still find enough produce from what had been shed on the ground from the previous harvest to last them for a year, and the next year they would be supplied in the same way. In the third year they could begin again to cultivate the land and enjoy their crops in peace.

This would mean that none of enemies of Judah would be able attack Judah for this period of time.

In truth, after Sennacherib was turned away from Judah, he ruled for 17 more years but he never attacked Judah again.

Many Jews had been carried away to foreign lands by Sennacherib but God promises that those who remain will be firmly fixed in the land much like a tree that takes root and begins to bear fruit.

These things could only take place because of the Lord!

*****2Ki 19:31  For out of Jerusalem shall go forth a remnant, and they that escape out of mount Zion: the zeal of the LORD of hosts shall do this. 
2Ki 19:32  Therefore thus saith the LORD concerning the king of Assyria, He shall not come into this city, nor shoot an arrow there, nor come before it with shield, nor cast a bank against it. 

If King Hezekiah was a true believer then he should accept what God promised, that the army of the Assyrians would not enter into Jerusalem. Sennacherib would not be able to place Jerusalem under siege nor even get close enough to shoot one arrow into the city.

We should also notice when it comes to the Jews, it is always only a remnant that will be saved!

Rom 11:4  But what saith the answer of God unto him? I have reserved to myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal. 
Rom 11:5  Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace.

There are always some true believers even amongst the Jews and even in our day, that we may not know about! 

As Christians we can see that this was a promise from God that was fulfilled.

And the Lord continues:

*****2Ki 19:33  By the way that he came, by the same shall he return, and shall not come into this city, saith the LORD. 
2Ki 19:34  For I will defend this city, to save it, for mine own sake, and for my servant David’s sake. 

Again we see God will not allow any human being, no matter how powerful they think they are, to interfere with His promises!

As we see if this evil king was allowed to destroy Jerusalem at this time then it would have affected what God had promised to King David. It would have affected the “First Coming” of the Messiah and made the Word of God to be false.

God will not allow this to happen in any age!

King Sennacherib and his army:

1) would not enter into Jerusalem, nor shoot one arrow, nor lay siege to the city.
2) he would return to his own land by the quickest route possible.

We may ask ourselves why? It is because Jerusalem would be defended by the Lord Himself, for His own honor!

What did God do?

*****2Ki 19:35  And it came to pass that night, that the angel of the LORD went out, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians an hundred fourscore and five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses. 

It could be said that this was a miracle of God because it was a promise fulfilled.

No human plan could have accomplished this thing!

We should also realize that we can never know what will come about tomorrow as these Assyrians were planning to be victorious the very next day!

Jas 4:14  Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. 
Jas 4:15  For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that. 

Note: King Hezekiah had humbled himself and prayed.
God had made promises to King David, that must be kept.
King Sennacherib had directly challenged the Lord, Jehovah.

God knows what is going on in this world at all times.
God will never allow any human to cause a change in the promises He has made.

And for the Church, how could we love a Father who could not keep His Word?

We know that the Angels of the Lord are assigned to protect God’s people.

Heb_1:14  Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?

We should also clearly understand that the power of just one of God’s Angels is tremendous.

Angels are not ever moved by revenge or anger. Angels move only by the command and the Lord is the commander of His hosts of Angels.

On the night before the Assyrian army planned to attack Jerusalem, one Angel of the Lord was sent to smite their camp and 185,000 soldiers were killed in what could only be called a “Super Natural” way, unexplained by the knowledge of man.

This one Angel, without any noise, ended the plans of Sennacherib while these men were asleep never to awaken again and those that were allowed to live awoke to see dead corpses, not sick but dead.

This remnant of evil left in a hurry!

God left a remnant of this army, so they could return to their homeland with a story that was unbelievable but also unexplainable, except to say they were attacked by the Jehovah God of Israel.

We should understand that the “justice” of God never sleeps.
God’s judgment is swift and devastating, much like what will happen when the Lord returns the second time.

God fulfilled the prayer of Hezekiah and part of the promise to David and kept His own honor, in one swift blow to the enemy!

Deliverance, “without seeing the wrath of God”, has been promised to the Church and God will fulfill this promise also!

The truth is, wickedness will always end in ruin.

But this was not all, God had a special plan for Sennacherib.

*****2Ki 19:36  So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed, and went and returned, and dwelt at Nineveh. 
2Ki 19:37  And it came to pass, as he was worshipping in the house of Nisroch his god, that Adrammelech and Sharezer his sons smote him with the sword: and they escaped into the land of Armenia. And Esarhaddon his son reigned in his stead. 

Sennacherib was assassinated by his own sons.

Isa 37:38  And it came to pass, as he was worshipping in the house of Nisroch his god, that Adrammelech and Sharezer his sons smote him with the sword; and they escaped into the land of Armenia: and Esarhaddon his son reigned in his stead. 

It is believed that this thing took place as much as 20 years later.

We can see God has His way of ending plans for world domination and this will not happen until the 7 years of tribulation when this world will abide under the control of the Antichrist.

Napoleon remarked that “God was always on the side of the biggest battalions”, but God clipped his wings.
Alexander wept because there were no more nations to conquer and died because of excessive alcohol consumption.
Hannibal died from his own poison.
Caesar was stabbed by his own best friends.
Hitler died committing suicide, while hiding in a basement and there are others and there will be others.

The truth is the Lord Jesus will return in all His glory and put an end to the wickedness of this world forever!

*****Isa 33:16  He shall dwell on high: his place of defence shall be the munitions of rocks: bread shall be given him; his waters shall be sure.
Isa 33:17  Thine eyes shall see the king in his beauty: they shall behold the land that is very far off. 

Those that love the Lord will dwell on high. To dwell is to be a permanent resident!
Those that love the Lord will dwell in safety and with safety comes perfect peace.
This new life will be completely satisfying, our bread will be given to us, and our water will never run dry.
This new life will be with the King of Kings in all His glory.
In fact as we look upon our new life, we will finally know what true life is all about!

The idea of perfect security for those who have patiently waited on the Lord, will lead to an easy transition to an eternal life in glory!

*****Isa 33:18  Thine heart shall meditate terror. Where is the scribe? where is the receiver? where is he that counted the towers? 
Isa 33:19  Thou shalt not see a fierce people, a people of a deeper speech than thou canst perceive; of a stammering tongue, that thou canst not understand.

We will be free from the terror of oppressors for terror will have completely disappeared.
There will be no more plans for destruction, there will be no more tax collectors, there will be no more spies searching for ways to cause harm.
There will be no more fierce people seeking to cause harm.
There will be no more politicians with their promises and their lies.
There will be no speech that cannot be completely understood and no false agenda from anyone.

All the government will come from Zion!

*****Isa 33:20  Look upon Zion, the city of our solemnities: thine eyes shall see Jerusalem a quiet habitation, a tabernacle that shall not be taken down; not one of the stakes thereof shall ever be removed, neither shall any of the cords thereof be broken. 
Isa 33:21  But there the glorious LORD will be unto us a place of broad rivers and streams; wherein shall go no galley with oars, neither shall gallant ship pass thereby. 
Isa 33:22  For the LORD is our judge, the LORD is our lawgiver, the LORD is our king; he will save us. 

The Bible says:
Rev 21:1  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. 
Rev 21:2  And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 
Rev 21:3  And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. 

Jerusalem will become the center of worship without the fear of terror attacks.
Jerusalem will never know trouble or unrest again!

The peace of God will blanket New Jerusalem like a tent that cannot fall. None of those stakes of the tent can even be pulled up and not one of those ropes can be cut.

Psa 46:2  Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; 
Psa 46:3  Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah. 
Psa 46:4  There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the most High. 
Psa 46:5  God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God shall help her, and that right early.

All but a few of the major cities in this world are built adjacent to a river but God will be that river in New Jerusalem and no ships will sail there.

The Lord will be our “Judge”.
The Lord will be our “Lawgiver”
The Lord will be our “King”
Because the Lord has been our “Savior” all along!

Heb 5:9  And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him; 

*****Isa 33:23  Thy tacklings are loosed; they could not well strengthen their mast, they could not spread the sail: then is the prey of a great spoil divided; the lame take the prey. 
Isa 33:24  And the inhabitant shall not say, I am sick: the people that dwell therein shall be forgiven their iniquity.

When God is our river, no warships of the enemy can sail His river.

And how many times does God have to say that there will be no sickness before we believe Him! Not in the New Jerusalem and not in the Jerusalem of the Millennial Kingdom!

Why, because the people have been justified!

Rom 8:1  There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. 
Rom 8:2  For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. 

Once God has removed all the sin of this world, He will remove all the suffering and there will be neither of these things in New Jerusalem!

We see that Isaiah understood the visions of God and the Word of God, and wrote all these things down for us in words that could be understood and these Jews certainly understood.

We will see the Lord in all His glory and all His beauty and that day may not be far off, in fact we do not know what tomorrow will bring!

Are you prepared to meet the Lord? He’s coming soon!

Questions?

Let’s pray!

Messiah Full of Grace and Mercy

/ Bobby Mayfield / 2 Comments

The Grace and Mercy of the Messiah

Book of Isaiah Chapter 30

The title of this lesson could be “Who Do You Trust”.

Isaiah has been speaking to these people, mainly of Judah, for many years now of the things God had promised if they refused to repent.

As Christians, we know that God is full of “Mercy” and “Grace”. Even those that reject the “Judgment” of God, speak of God as a God of love.

Well, if God is that loving Father then we should realize, nothing damages a relationship as much as rejection!

No father wants to be rejected by his children!

None of us accept rejection very well!

“Rejection” is the main cause of “rebellion”, and these two things are most dangerous forces upon this earth!

Rebellion within a family can have tragic consequences and the same can be said for any nation.

Every war was started over rebellion!

Once war begins, then there will be people who will be fleeing from the destruction that comes with war.

Rebellion against the Lord is a sure sign of “unbelief”, the greatest of all sin, and the only sin the Lord will never forgive!

What does God say about rebellion?

*****Isa 30:1  Woe to the rebellious children, saith the LORD, that take counsel, “but not of me”; and that cover with a covering, “but not of my spirit”, that they may add sin to sin: 
Isa 30:2  That walk to go down into Egypt, “and have not asked at my mouth”; to strengthen themselves in the strength of Pharaoh, and to trust in the shadow of Egypt! 

The leaders of the government, which at this time was King Hezekiah and even the people of Judah had a great fear of being over run by the foreign nations to their north, especially Assyria. In this day Egypt still had some power as a nation but was not near as dominant as in the days of Moses. The government of Judah decided if they could get some help from Egypt then maybe that threat would be enough to stop an invasion by other nations especially of Sennacherib of Assyria.

Sennacherib had already invaded one time and had done much damage. Hezekiah had robbed the House of God to pay a ransom to this evil king whose name means “Sin is his god”

2Ki 18:13  Now in the fourteenth year of king Hezekiah did Sennacherib king of Assyria come up against all the fenced cities of Judah, and took them. 
2Ki 18:14  And Hezekiah king of Judah sent to the king of Assyria to Lachish, saying, I have offended; return from me: that which thou puttest on me will I bear. And the king of Assyria appointed unto Hezekiah king of Judah three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold. 
2Ki 18:15  And Hezekiah gave him all the silver that was found in the house of the LORD, and in the treasures of the king’s house. 
2Ki 18:16  At that time did Hezekiah cut off the gold from the doors of the temple of the LORD, and from the pillars which Hezekiah king of Judah had overlaid, and gave it to the king of Assyria. 

The main thing we see is no one was asking God for His counsel. God says His children are foolish not to come to Him first. To not do so shows a lack of faith!

As Isaiah is preaching the Word of God, the ambassadors from Israel are already on the road to Egypt.

To the Jews, it seemed they could see only a terrible future of foreign domination but they had forgotten the only one who had delivered them time after time, after time, the Lord.

So what does God have to say?

Why would Judah not seek God for the answers to this serious problem.

In fact why are we all so quick to get advice from someone else before we seek the Lord’s advice. Hezekiah is known to be a good king of Judah, in fact he was one of the better kings.

Hezekiah was not only seeking help from outside of Judah but he was also seeking help from a nation that God had forbidden them to have any association with, Egypt, a proven enemy with multitudes of false gods!

Our own leaders should take note of these things.

We will always cause harm to ourselves when we turn our back on God!

When we believe that our shelter can come from a source foreign to the ways of God, we become a foolish people!

We should remember God does not take these things lightly!

1Ch 10:13  So Saul died for his transgression which he committed against the LORD, even against the word of the LORD, which he kept not, and also for asking counsel of one that had a familiar spirit, to enquire of it; 
1Ch 10:14  And enquired not of the LORD: “therefore he slew him, and turned the kingdom unto David the son of Jesse”. 

To seek the help of the Egyptian gods was as bad as Saul seeking advice from a from that one who had a familiar spirit.

The child of God has only one true refuge in time of trouble!

Psa 91:1  He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. 
Psa 91:2  I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust. 
Psa 91:3  Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. 
Psa 91:4  He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler. 

King Hezekiah knew these things and the people of Judah knew these things!

We are all sinners to begin with, when we reject and rebel against the Lord, we are just adding sin to sin.

2Ti 3:12  Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. 
2Ti 3:13  But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived. 

In fact, all sin is rebelling against the Word of God! It is the sin of disobedience!

We can apply these things to our own lives, if we consider that Egypt is in “type” the “world we live in”.

When we seek strength from “the world” rather than from the Lord, we have rebelled against the Lord.

Jesus said:

Luke 6:46  And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?

Even if the government refuses to seek the Lord, then those who have been given the task as ambassadors, should at least seek the counsel of God. It is each individual that is responsible for their own actions. We are not to be robots controlled by this world we live in!

To have a relationship with the Lord is a personal decision that does not require approval by some other human! Amen!

*****Isa 30:2  That walk to go down into Egypt, and have not asked at my mouth; to strengthen themselves in the strength of Pharaoh, and to trust in the shadow of Egypt! 

The Jews had once regarded themselves as “living in the shadow of Jehovah” so to trust in the strength of a Pharaoh of Egypt would be the same as to put Egypt in the place of God.

We already know that anything in the place of Jehovah God then becomes an idol and a false god!

If we cannot trust in the Lord, then we are foolish to place our trust in any human being who rules at the will of the Lord!

Isa 19:3  And the spirit of Egypt shall fail in the midst thereof; and I will destroy the counsel thereof: and they shall seek to the idols, and to the charmers, and to them that have familiar spirits, and to the wizards. 
Isa 19:4  And the Egyptians will I give over into the hand of a cruel lord; and a fierce king shall rule over them, saith the Lord, the LORD of hosts. 

To trust in Pharaoh would only bring shame to Judah!

*****Isa 30:3  Therefore shall the strength of Pharaoh be your shame, and the trust in the shadow of Egypt your confusion. 
Isa 30:4  For his princes were at Zoan, and his ambassadors came to Hanes. 
Isa 30:5  They were all ashamed of a people that could not profit them, nor be an help nor profit, but a shame, and also a reproach. 

We must surely understand that, as believers and as nonbelievers, we are all only instruments in the hands of the Lord to do with, as He wishes!

Even as believers, when we are willing to trust some human above the counsel of the Lord, this comes from a heart that is not sold out to God!

Only shame and confusion can come from such a relationship with the Lord!

We cannot have one foot in the world and one foot in the Church and still call ourselves Christians!

Palestine is an area of steep hills, difficult ways, and deserts. A horse is actually of little use. The donkey, the camels, and even mules are much better suited for use in Palestine.

The horse is only supreme in warfare. Egypt was known for it’s horses and horse drawn chariots.

It was these things that Hezekiah sought from Pharaoh, to prepare for war!

But even the captain of the host of the Assyrians knew how foolish this thing was:

2Ki 18:19  And Rabshakeh said unto them, Speak ye now to Hezekiah, Thus saith the great king, the king of Assyria, “What confidence is this wherein thou trustest”? 

2Ki 18:21  Now, behold, thou trustest upon the staff of this bruised reed, even upon Egypt, on which if a man lean, it will go into his hand, and pierce it: so is Pharaoh king of Egypt unto all that trust on him. 
2Ki 18:22  But if ye say unto me, We trust in the LORD our God: is not that he, whose high places and whose altars Hezekiah hath taken away, and hath said to Judah and Jerusalem, Ye shall worship before this altar in Jerusalem? 
2Ki 18:23  Now therefore, I pray thee, give pledges to my lord the king of Assyria, and I will deliver thee two thousand horses, if thou be able on thy part to set riders upon them. 
2Ki 18:24  How then wilt thou turn away the face of one captain of the least of my master’s servants, and put thy trust on Egypt for chariots and for horsemen? 
2Ki 18:25  Am I now come up without the LORD against this place to destroy it? The LORD said to me, Go up against this land, and destroy it. 

History teaches us that Hanes and Zoan were the extreme limits of lower Egypt. At this time this area was ruled by petty rulers who could not even get along with themselves. One of those the prince of Sais had just assumed the title of Pharaoh without being the true Pharaoh.

He was certainly willing to make great promises but he had no power to fulfill those promises!

The Lord, “who knows all things”, informed His prophet that only shame and reproach could come from such a man and this was true, as is all the Word of God!

*****Isa 30:7  For the Egyptians shall help in vain, and to no purpose: therefore have I cried concerning this, “Their strength is to sit still”. 

Our leaders should understand and learn from this also. We cannot make treaties with puppet regimes or evil regimes and expect them to hold to the truth. Their intent is to always have things their own way and they will violate any agreement.

This Pharaoh of Egypt knew his only strength was to sit still.

The Hebrew word used here is “rahab” which has the meaning of “a braggart that will sit still” and do nothing that they bragged about doing!

The world is full of such men today!

A perfect example is the recent pact made with Iran, by the Obama administration!

Sin will always come with a price tag!

It would cost Judah financially.
It would cost Judah in further national danger.
Most important it would cause the hand of God to remain still and not defend this rebellious people!

When we bind the hands of God, we place ourselves in jeopardy!

Sin just cause more sin!

Judah had forgotten that the strength of God’s people is to sit still and trust in the Lord and then take the action that God says to take!

King Hezekiah had God’s prophet Isaiah and other prophets also.
We have the complete Word of God and direct contact with the Living God through prayer!

Psa 27:14  Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.

What do rebellious people do?

*****Isa 30:10  Which say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits: 
Isa 30:11  Get you out of the way, turn aside out of the path, “cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before us”. 

This could be said of America today! No one wants to hear what God has to say!

Even the modern day church have harden their hearts and only want to hear pleasant and flattering messages that allow them to live as they wish to live.

This is known as the Laodicean Church Age:

Rev 3:15  I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. 
Rev 3:16  So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.
Rev 3:17  Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: 

God said to His prophets to write all these things down to be used as a witness against these people of Judah.
God said to the Church to study the Scriptures to see what He has done in the past because He does not ever change!

Rev 3:20  Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. 

Even today many ask, “Well why would God allow such a thing”. These same people had said they did not want to hear what God had to say.

The truth is when we ask the Lord to get out of our lives, He will then do just that!

We should also clearly understand, to attack the men God has chosen to preach the truth in any way, is the same as making an attack on the Lord!

*****Isa 30:12  Wherefore thus saith the Holy One of Israel, Because ye despise this word, and trust in oppression and perverseness, and stay thereon: 
Isa 30:13  Therefore this iniquity shall be to you as a breach ready to fall, swelling out in a high wall, whose breaking cometh suddenly at an instant. 
Isa 30:14  And he shall break it as the breaking of the potters’ vessel that is broken in pieces; he shall not spare: so that there shall not be found in the bursting of it a sherd to take fire from the hearth, or to take water withal out of the pit. 

When we challenge the truth of the Word of God, we are rejecting the Lord who gave it to us!

Judah was guilty of rejecting the Word of God.
Judah was guilty of oppression, by seeking money from the Jewish people to finance that help of Egypt, that would never come.
Judah was guilty of trusting in the deceiving, false idol worshipping, leaders of Egypt, who refused to acknowledge the Holy God of Israel!

It is this sin that will doom God’s people!

Suddenly the “Judgment” of God would fall upon them, and “He would not spare”.

Why would we expect the Lord to be any different today? I tell you He will not.

It takes a foolish people to ignore the Word of God!

Pro 3:5  Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. 
Pro 3:6  In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. 
Pro 3:7  Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil. 

The only way to avoid destruction, is to repent and return as quickly as you can to the Lord! Amen

*****Isa 30:15  For thus saith the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel; In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength: and ye would not. 

It’s called “repentance” and “faith”!

We are to depend on the Lord to meet all our needs! Amen

Now there is nothing wrong with increasing the strength of our military. The wrong comes when we trust in the things of this world and not in the power of God. We must always be prepared.

Even the Lord Jesus said all His disciples must be prepared:

Luk 22:36  Then said he unto them, But now, he that hath a purse, let him take it, and likewise his scrip: and he that hath no sword, let him sell his garment, and buy one. 

But we must always first seek the counsel of the Lord in all things! Amen

1) Returning or “repentance” assures us of God’s forgiveness!

1Jn 1:9  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 
1Jn 1:10  If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. 

2) “Rest”. Waiting on the Lord shows our “Faith”

Mat 11:28  Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 

3) “Quietness”. God did not give us the spirit of fear. If we are afraid of the enemy, that fear did not come from the Lord.

2Ti 1:7  For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. 

4) “Confidence”. Confidence must be part of our Christian character. Confidence is “exercising our faith”!
Confidence is the link between our heart and our Creator! We can actually become partners with Christ!

Heb 3:14  For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end; 

But Judah said “NO” to all these things and trusted in the Egyptians and it would eventually bring their downfall.

We must remember that the Lord had made certain promises to Abraham and to David and these promises would certainly be fulfilled!

So what had the Lord decided to do?

*****Isa 30:18  And therefore will the LORD wait, that he may be gracious unto you, and therefore will he be exalted, that he may have mercy upon you: for the LORD is a God of judgment: blessed are all they that wait for him. 
Isa 30:19  For the people shall dwell in Zion at Jerusalem: thou shalt weep no more: he will be very gracious unto thee at the voice of thy cry; when he shall hear it, he will answer thee.

Unlike we ourselves, the Lord is omniscient. He knows everything that will happen and all at the same time. He knows the end at the same time as He knows the beginning.

Note: This does not make Calvinism right, in fact it proves Calvinism to be wrong!

The Lord does not ever choose!

The Lord just always knows the outcome of each individual and He knew all these things before they were even born.

The example of Jeremiah:

Jer 1:5  “Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee”; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations. 

The Lord just knows everything about each of us! He loves each and everyone of us, He warns each and everyone of us, and He then allows us to make our own choice, and that choice has its own consequences!

So the Lord just patiently waits for the outcome even if it is many, or even thousands of years. After all one day to the Lord is a thousand years.

2Peter 3:8  But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.

The Lord has written all these things down for us so we can know what He is waiting for! Amen

The next thing on the Lord’s clock is the “Calling out of the Church” then the “time of Jacob’s trouble” and then this Scripture will take place where the Lord will be “gracious”, He will be exalted by the Jews and they will then see His mercy!

We can certainly be blessed, because we can see our time to go home getting closer with each passing day.

The Scriptures are just as much a calendar as it is “Good News”! Amen

It is for certain that the future of the Jews looks bright. These Jews have only one thing left to do to make things better!

2Ch 7:14  If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. 

We should consider that Heaven has no favorites! No one is served before others!
The Lord will never delay because He chooses to neglect some for awhile!
The Lord will never delay because He has denied some people!
The Lord will only delay so that we are able to see His “Grace”!

We cannot know the Lord, until have have humbled ourselves before Him and “repent”!

When this world has failed us and we know it, we can then realize that we have a Creator, who seeks to be our Savior, if we will only accept Him and His Word.

The Lord offers a wonderful “gift” but no gift is a true gift, until it has been received! Amen

The Lord is very patient but there is an end to that patience! Amen

Just as God knows all those who will repent, God also knows those who will never repent! As I said, God knows the ending before the beginning!

We should never trust anyone who teaches that God has already selected those who will be saved and those who will spend eternity in Hell!

We make this choice ourselves! Amen

2Pe 2:1  But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. 
2Pe 2:2  And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of.

The Lord died for everyone! Amen

He does not choose, it is we who have to choose accept or reject His free gift!

When we reach a point that we understand the truth, it is when we call out to the Lord, that we can see His “Mercy” and His “Grace”!

*****Isa 30:23  Then shall he give the rain of thy seed, that thou shalt sow the ground withal; and bread of the increase of the earth, and it shall be fat and plenteous: in that day shall thy cattle feed in large pastures. 
Isa 30:24  The oxen likewise and the young asses that ear the ground shall eat clean provender, which hath been winnowed with the shovel and with the fan. 
Isa 30:25  And there shall be upon every high mountain, and upon every high hill, rivers and streams of waters in the day of the great slaughter, when the towers fall. 

When we accept the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior, then and only then can we expect a bountiful supply from Heaven! Amen

If we begin with a prayer of repentance, we will learn from the Word of God the wonderful things that lay ahead of each of us!

Notice these things about the Millennial Kingdom after the slaughter of those who have rejected the Lord.

Food will be plentiful.
The food for the animals will be just as nourishing as the food for people.
Even the desert will spring forth with water, as all the lands become fertile as in the time of Adam. (Every high hill)

We already know that many terrible things will take place during the Tribulation Period such as the darkening of the Sun and the Moon.

Isaiah 13:10  For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine.

In order for things to change, then our Sun and Moon will have to return to bring life to the plants.

*****Isa 30:26  Moreover the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold, as the light of seven days, in the day that the LORD bindeth up the breach of his people, and healeth the stroke of their wound. 

This should not be taken as 7 times brighter than we have now, because that will also happen, but not after the Lord mends His breach with the Jews.

Psalms 121:6  The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night.

This is also “in typology” a picture of the Holy City of New Jerusalem!

Rev 21:23  And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof. 
Rev 21:24  And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it. 
Rev 21:25  And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there. 
Rev 21:26  And they shall bring the glory and honour of the nations into it. 
Rev 21:27  And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life.

Before these things can take place, the Lord will rid this earth of every evil and sinful thing!

Many see this a a terrible thing and it will be terrible to those who reject the Lord, but to those who have accepted the Lord this is still a sign of God’s “Mercy” and God’s “Grace”!

*****Isa 30:33  For Tophet is ordained of old; yea, for the king it is prepared; he hath made it deep and large: the pile thereof is fire and much wood; the breath of the LORD, like a stream of brimstone, doth kindle it. 

In Hebrew the word “tophet” means a place of cremation.

In this passage the word “Tophet” represents the cries of all those precious babies that were sacrificed to the false god Moloch.

Remember Moloch was a large oven of an idol with outstretched arms and foolish people would sacrifice babies and small children, by laying them in his arms that were glowing red hot because of the heat.

We should understand that God hears the cries of all abused children! Amen

Even that one before it is born into this world and robbed of its life! Amen

Those that were sacrificed to Moloch.
Those that were abused throughout history.
Those that are aborted today.
And those who have been Martyred because of their service to the Lord!

Even with all the destructive power that is available in this world, “fire” is still one of the most destructive forces known to man.

Tophet begins, where the vail of Hinnon bends to the east between the cliffs of Zion and the Hill of Evil Counsel and ends as it joins the Valley of Jehoshaphat. The southern side abounds in ancient tombs where dead carcasses were cast to rot and be consumed by worms (maggots) or consumed by the fire that was never quenched! This is also the place the Jews offered up human sacrifices!

Jer 7:30  For the children of Judah have done evil in my sight, saith the LORD: they have set their abominations in the house which is called by my name, to pollute it. 
Jer 7:31  And they have built the high places of Tophet, which is in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to burn their sons and their daughters in the fire; which I commanded them not, neither came it into my heart. 
Jer 7:32  Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that it shall no more be called Tophet, nor the valley of the son of Hinnom, but the valley of slaughter: for they shall bury in Tophet, till there be no place. 

In “typology” this place represents Hell, or the Burning Lake of Fire! This will be the end place for all those that reject the Lord! Amen

Rev 20:14  And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 
Rev 20:15  And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. 

Rev 21:7  He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. 
Rev 21:8  But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death. 

This is a deep and large place that was created for the Lucifer (Satan) and those Angels that followed him but has had to increase as evil has increased.

The king mentioned here is probably the king of Assyria but represents all kings and leaders who have oppressed God’s people.

In fact this king in “typology” represents the Antichrist!

Eze 32:22  Asshur is there and all her company: his graves are about him: all of them slain, fallen by the sword: 
Eze 32:23  Whose graves are set in the sides of the pit, and her company is round about her grave: all of them slain, fallen by the sword, which caused terror in the land of the living. 

Isa 14:9  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. 

We should remember the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah!

Gen 19:23  The sun was risen upon the earth when Lot entered into Zoar. 
Gen 19:24  Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven; 
Gen 19:25  And he overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground.

It should be obvious, that we must place our trust in the Lord no matter what we are going through. In the end it is the Lord who will have victory. Amen

Those that trust the Lord are on the “Winning Side”! Amen

We simply cannot ignore the Word of God!

If we follow the Lord, we can never fail. If we do not follow the Lord we can never succeed! Amen

Questions?

Let’s Pray!

Peace and Strength Come By Trusting the Messiah

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

The Peace and Strength of Trusting the Messiah

Book of Isaiah 26

We, by now, should have noticed the two main concepts of all the prophets of God.

1) The Lord, the Messiah, will return for a Second Time and His glorious reign on this earth!

2) The repentance and the return of Israel to the Lord with His forgiveness and His restoration.

We can be certain that this final focus does not rest on Israel, this final focus will be on the absolute “Glory of God”!

Eze 43:1  Afterward he brought me to the gate, even the gate that looketh toward the east: 
Eze 43:2  And, behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east: and his voice was like a noise of many waters: and the earth shined with his glory. 
Eze 43:3  And it was according to the appearance of the vision which I saw, even according to the vision that I saw when I came to destroy the city: and the visions were like the vision that I saw by the river Chebar; and I fell upon my face. 
Eze 43:4  And the glory of the LORD came into the house by the way of the gate whose prospect is toward the east. 
Eze 43:5  So the spirit took me up, and brought me into the inner court; and, behold, the glory of the LORD filled the house. 

When the Lord Jesus, the Messiah, walks through that Eastern Gate of Jerusalem, and into that rebuilt Temple, the entire world will see the “Glory of God”.

My pastor has preached many times that when the Antichrist tries to sit on the throne of David in the rebuilt Temple, that the Jews may not know who the Messiah is, but they certainly know who he is not, and he is not the Antichrist and the Jews will then rebel against him.

The Jews will see the truth and it is the truth that makes them to be free! That’s what truth does!

Joh 8:31  Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; 
Joh 8:32  And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. 

When we know the truth it will put a song in our heart!

*****Isa 26:1  In that day shall this song be sung in the land of Judah; We have a strong city; salvation will God appoint for walls and bulwarks. 
Isa 26:2  Open ye the gates, that the righteous nation which keepeth the truth may enter in. 

“The Song of the Redeemed”

And what day?

2Pe 3:12  Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? 
2Pe 3:13  Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. 

And what is the purpose of the Messiah?

The Messiah will certainly fulfill the promises He made to Israel but His true purpose is to restore all things to the time of Adam before Adam’s sin!

Act 3:19  Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; 
Act 3:20  And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: 
Act 3:21  Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began. 

And what does God say? Open the gates to the nation that has now become righteous, God’s people Israel and as always, there will be some strangers that have chosen to abide with Israel.

The Jews will join the Church:

Eph 2:19  Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; 
Eph 2:20  And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; 
Eph 2:21  In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: 
Eph 2:22  In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit. 

And like the Church, these people of God can then have the peace of God:

*****Isa 26:3  Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. 

Perfect peace is when we come to know the Messiah as our Savior, we will then have peace with God in all ages.

Rom 5:1  Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: 
Rom 5:2  By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 

Once we have peace with God, we can then have the peace of God in all ages.

Php 4:7  And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

This is the peace that the world has no understanding of because it is perfect peace! 

The only minds that can be at peace are those that remain on the Lord. A mind that trust in it’s own methods, it’s own works, in it’s own righteousness, or it’s own riches, will never find perfect peace! There can be no peace to those who have rejected the Lord!

Isa 48:22  There is no peace, saith the LORD, unto the wicked. 

Our faith cannot be a one time thing, we must trust in the Lord forever!

*****Isa 26:4  Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength: 
Isa 26:5  For he bringeth down them that dwell on high; the lofty city, he layeth it low; he layeth it low, even to the ground; he bringeth it even to the dust. 

We must trust in the Lord at all times.
We must trust in the Lord in every condition.
We must trust in the Lord even in our times of affliction, in times of temptation, and in periods of darkness.

To be in harmony with God, is to trust Him in good times and in bad times.

We can be at peace in every situation that we face, when we trust in the Lord.

“Trust” in the Old Testament is the same as “Faith” in the New Testament!

That trust must be in the Lord! The Lord Jehovah!

For those who are still confused, God put it like this to Moses:

Exo 3:14  And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you. 
Exo 3:15  And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations. 

There is only one “I Am” and He is also the Messiah who will return.

The LORD is the “Rock of all the Ages”!

Psa 18:1 I will love thee, O LORD, my strength. 
Psa 18:2  The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower. 
Psa 18:3  I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies. 

The truth is, in His own good time, on a day that only He knows, the LORD will bring down all those who have exalted themselves against Him!

God will humble the proud and bring down all the arrogant cites of this world.

For those who remember the sad days of the twin towers of New York City, these will be but an example of how the mighty cities of this world will crumble an fall.

Now I am not saying Jehovah brought down those two buildings. We know who caused these things to happen. I am only making a comparison.

God will bring every high and lofty city down in dust!

The proud will be destroyed and the poor and needy will be exalted.

Remember the Church will already be in Heaven, so this is referring to to those who come to trust the Lord during the Tribulation Period of seven years which is mainly the Jews, God’s chosen people.

*****Isa 26:6  The foot shall tread it down, even the feet of the poor, and the steps of the needy. 
Isa 26:7  The way of the just is uprightness: thou, most upright, dost weigh the path of the just. 
Isa 26:8  Yea, in the way of thy judgments, O LORD, have we waited for thee; the desire of our soul is to thy name, and to the remembrance of thee.

In other words, God levels the path. We all stand on level ground at the cross!

Christians since the beginning of the Church have faced criticisms and obstacles that many have never had to face.

Now many people struggle in life and there are many who struggle to meet their own needs but many Christians struggle and die just because they have chosen to follow in the ways of the Lord Jesus Christ and for no other reason other than that daily battle with their own sin.

God will level that path and clear those obstacles out of the way of the righteous, those who just want to do things right. Things that are done right are all those things that are done according to the Word of God. After all to be a Christian is to be like Christ!

When the Lord builds that new highway to His New City, we can be sure that the Messiah will also remove anything that could hinder the travel of His people!

Who are those who are righteous?

1) Those who obey the laws of God.
2) Those who wait patiently on the Lord.
3) Those who have diligently sought to glorify the Lord
4) Those who are yearning to be with the Lord.

Psa 16:11  Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore. 

When God has provided for safe passage of those who are now seeking Him, His judgments will fall on those who continue to reject Him!

The inhabitants of this world will begin to see what righteousness really looks like!

*****Isa 26:10  Let favour be shewed to the wicked, yet will he not learn righteousness: in the land of uprightness will he deal unjustly, and will not behold the majesty of the LORD. 
Isa 26:11  LORD, when thy hand is lifted up, they will not see: but they shall see, and be ashamed for their envy at the people; yea, the fire of thine enemies shall devour them. 

1) God has provided the majesty of His creation to show that our world had a Creator.

Rom 1:18  For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; 
Rom 1:19  Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. 
Rom 1:20  For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: 

2) God has provided the truth of the Word of God.

2Ti 3:16  All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 
2Ti 3:17  That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works. 

3) God has provided His Words of Providence.

Isa 40:22  It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in: 
Isa 40:23  That bringeth the princes to nothing; he maketh the judges of the earth as vanity. 
Isa 40:24  Yea, they shall not be planted; yea, they shall not be sown: yea, their stock shall not take root in the earth: and he shall also blow upon them, and they shall wither, and the whirlwind shall take them away as stubble. 
Isa 40:25  To whom then will ye liken me, or shall I be equal? saith the Holy One. 
Isa 40:26  Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things, that bringeth out their host by number: he calleth them all by names by the greatness of his might, for that he is strong in power; not one faileth.

The Lord has a specific purpose for all these things. It is so this ungodly world will understand righteousness!

Disaster, has a way of opening the eyes of people who are high and mighty and it is then that many will turn to the Lord.

The Lord hears the wicked when they cry for help but He will not answer their prayers until they repent!

We must remember the Lord already provides for the ungodly but they ignore God’s kindness and give credit to themselves or to some false idol or some other human.

For those who finally realize that things do not happen by accident but still continue to live as they have in sin, God says that more “Judgment” is required!

God first warns of this and then God then follows through with that “Judgment” after His warning.

People may not realize that God knows those who will never accept Him, just as He did the Canaanites that dwelled in the Promised Land.

Notice that word fire.

Mal 4:1  For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch. 
Mal 4:2  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. 

The ungodly have no spiritual understanding of the Word of God.

1Co 2:14  But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. 
1Co 2:15  But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. 
1Co 2:16  For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ. 

In fact they have become dull of hearing what God has to say. This is surely true in America and even becoming that way in the Bible Belt of America.

But in these end days it is that same Word of God that offers strength and peace to the Christian!

*****Isa 26:12  LORD, thou wilt ordain peace for us: for thou also hast wrought all our works in us. 
Isa 26:13  O LORD our God, other lords beside thee have had dominion over us: but by thee only will we make mention of thy name. 

The first thing that comes with peace, is that human lives are not required, as in war. War is unfriendly to humanity.

In fact as we see in Syria, human lives seem to have no value to anyone, as atrocities have continued year after year and politicians just talk with very little action.

This is war at it’s nastiest!

We must understand that peace in our world today is not always a blessing. The cause of the righteous does not always prevail!

When the Lord brings peace to this world, the cause of right will have prevailed to a lasting peace!

God will cause peace to happen because God has ordained peace for all His people!

The Messiah will return and cause these things to happen!

Mal 3:18  Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not. 

The truth is when we do not accept the Lord as our Lord, then we will always have others who will rule over us!

The greatest truth is, if the Lord is not your Master, then you belong to Satan!

*****Isa 26:13  O LORD our God, other lords beside thee have had dominion over us: but by thee only will we make mention of thy name. 
Isa 26:14  They are dead, they shall not live; they are deceased, they shall not rise: therefore hast thou visited and destroyed them, and made all their memory to perish. 

As Isaiah glances back over the history of Israel, many other nations had dominated them and that held true until May 14, 1948.

Only in the early days before we fought for freedom from England, was America ruled by some foreign power and if we would return to the Lord, that may hold true until the return of Christ. America is so high and mighty now that the Lord could knock the wind out of her sails at anytime.

Because of the sins of Israel, the Lord had to deliver them over and over again.

Those that cling to Judaism still make mention of the Lords name but they do still have a lack of “Faith”.

Just as Isaiah has said, all those old rulers and many of those old nations that had invaded and conquered Israel, no longer even exist.

During their time of captivity, Israel had bowed the knee to many false deities and it taken many years for idolatry to cease out of that land.

It is a fact that what ever people love the most will eventually be their lord and god.

There is the god of their belly.
There is the a god of power.
There is the god of ambition.
There is the god of riches.
There is the god of pleasure.
These are all the god of sin (covetousness) ruling in their hearts!

All sin boils down to wanting something other than the truth of God!

There is coming the day, when all people who are left on this earth will simply want a personal relationship with the Lord above all other things!

There is coming a day, when the works of Satan will no longer exist and those that die that day will never live again in this world.

Dan 12:2  And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.

Only those who know the Lord will awake to everlasting life!

When God wipes away all our tears, all memories we have of those we knew who had rejected the Lord will perish!

Israel will ne exalted above all other nations!

*****Isa 26:15  Thou hast increased the nation, O LORD, thou hast increased the nation: thou art glorified: thou hadst removed it far unto all the ends of the earth.

The world seems to forget that when Jacob took his 72 member family into Egypt, during that time, there were good times and then the bad times but when they left, there were over 600,000 men not counting women and children. They went in Jacob and came out Israel.

In the 40 years they traveled in the wilderness all those that were over the age of 20 died and were replaced and Joshua had the same size force to take into the Promised Land.

So we see that during the times of trouble, Israel as a nation always seems to grow larger in population.

Isaiah is saying the same thing that Jeremiah is saying about these people.

Jer 30:18  Thus saith the LORD; Behold, I will bring again the captivity of Jacob’s tents, and have mercy on his dwellingplaces; and the city shall be builded upon her own heap, and the palace shall remain after the manner thereof. 
Jer 30:19  And out of them shall proceed thanksgiving and the voice of them that make merry: “and I will multiply them”, and they shall not be few; I will also glorify them, and they shall not be small. 

These things will certainly hold true in the time of the Millennial Kingdom. There will be a population explosion!

The Church has continued to grow from the days of Abraham and God has not lost a single one!

So these things also relate to the Church that God has built upon during the time of the tribulation!

Rev 7:9  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; 
Rev 7:10  And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.

Rev 7:13  And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they? 
Rev 7:14  And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 

Knowing these things we can better relate to the following Scriptures:

*****Isa 26:16  LORD, in trouble have they visited thee, they poured out a prayer when thy chastening was upon them. 
Isa 26:17  Like as a woman with child, that draweth near the time of her delivery, is in pain, and crieth out in her pangs; so have we been in thy sight, O LORD. 
Isa 26:18  We have been with child, we have been in pain, we have as it were brought forth wind; we have not wrought any deliverance in the earth; neither have the inhabitants of the world fallen. 
Isa 26:19  Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust: for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead. 

It is a fact that in times of adversity the Church grows! The Church never grows smaller!

Certainly the amount of Christians can decrease on the face of this earth at any time but they just go home to an ever increasing number in Heaven. This is God’s plan!

During the 7 years of Tribulation those that then turn to God will have suffered greater than at any other time in history.

It is a fact that God has been chastening His people, Israel.
No doubt they have suffered more that any other people for more than 2000 years.
It could be said, that the agony of Israel can be compared to a mother in labor, with great pain and anxiety for that young life within her.

Knowing all these things these people could not grasp the deliverance that God had promised to them.

But they had forgotten what else God had promised them.

Hos 13:13  The sorrows of a travailing woman shall come upon him: he is an unwise son; for he should not stay long in the place of the breaking forth of children. 

Many will say that God has been to harsh on this people but it is the ways of God that will lead to such a great salvation!

What is the truth of salvation? Dead men shall live!

The wages of sin are still death even in the Tribulation Period.

Not all murders become martyrs but is a fact that all martyrs have been murdered and murdered for only one reason, they have given themselves to the Lord and to teach His message.

The “dew” in this passage is the work of the Holy Spirit!

Again I must mention the fact the “Rapture of the Church” has already taken place and the Church has been with the Lord all this time.

These Scriptures refer to those saved during the Tribulation Period, the time of Jacob’s Trouble, and most of these people are Jews but also many from other nations.

The same truth holds true for both the Church and these:

Rev 20:6  Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years. 

Isaiah speaks of those during the time of Jacob’s Trouble.

The Lord Jesus speaks of those of the Church:

Rev 2:11  He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death. 

The Church is called out at the end of the Church Age!

Rev 4:1  After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter. 
Rev 4:2  And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne.

It is also true that the earth will cast out all the dead.

Daniel said:

Dan 12:2  And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. 
Dan 12:3  And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever. 
Dan 12:4  But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased. 

Even Jesus said this was true:

Joh 5:28  Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, 
Joh 5:29  And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation

This time is still in our future, for we are still in that time of mankind running to and fro and knowledge is increasing but this knowledge is not the knowledge of God!

Notice even Isaiah knows these thing will not happen in his lifetime, He speaks of the future!

But it is always time to get closer to the Lord!

As we have witnessed recently in the storms that passed through our area the smart thing to do is to find the safest place we can find in our homes or elsewhere until the storm passes by.

*****Isa 26:20  Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast. 
Isa 26:21  For, behold, the LORD cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain. 

We should clearly understand that in the greatest of all storms, the Lord is still the Master of the storm.

Nah 1:3  The LORD is slow to anger, and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked: the LORD hath his way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet. 

It is only those that know the Lord who can hear His voice when He says come!

It is only the Master of the storm who holds the power to all life!

God is like a tender Father, who sees the storm coming upon His children takes them by the hand and leads them into the closest shelter!

As Isaiah warned these Jews and also the Church, we also need to warn as many as we can that God’s patience is wearing thin with the people of His creation.

We “all” always need to be prepared for these days that could happen at any time!

1) God has pointed out all the dangers of rejecting the truth of the Gospel! There will be a time of “Judgment”!

The Lord will come out of His place to punish the inhabitants of earth because of our iniquity(sin)!

In other words God’s people must not be participating in the wicked behavior of unbelievers at any time!

But for the “Grace” of God we would all perish!

2) God has provided His counsel.
We must be prepared because, no thing and no one will be able to hide the unbelievers from God! There will be no sin that can be concealed from the Lord! There are no secret sins that God will not know of! All sin will be exposed.

2Co 6:17  Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, 
2Co 6:18  And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. 

God says “Come”.

3) God assures us His promises will be fulfilled.
God assures us that all those who have rejected the Lord and persecuted God’s people will be punished!

Jud 1:14  And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, 
Jud 1:15  To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.

It is the right thing for God to do, no matter what the liberals say!

Rev 16:5  And I heard the angel of the waters say, Thou art righteous, O Lord, which art, and wast, and shalt be, because thou hast judged thus. 
Rev 16:6  For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink; for they are worthy. 

This does not mean we are all to hide physically because we can hide openly if we belong to the Lord.

It means we need to continue to warn as many as we can of this coming “judgment”.

It is not our job to tell them they are lost, they already know how to be lost.

It is our job to tell them how to be saved!

Questions?

Let’s Pray!

The Messiah Will Bring A Great Victory

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

The Great Victory the Messiah Brings

Book of Isaiah 25

As Christians it seems that sometimes as we read and try to understand Bible prophecy, we come away with more questions than we have answers but in reality we need to spend more time in the Scriptures and we certainly must not listen to old wives fables and vain things that can amount to nothing nor to anyone who has already rejected the Word of God!

In truth, we need to see the fulfilled prophecies of God and how they relate to Bible history and our own history and then, we can begin to understand what God is saying. Prophecies that have been fulfilled are now behind us, history!

2Ti 2:15  Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. 
2Ti 2:16  But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness.

The thing we should clearly understand is, the fact that in the Lord Jesus Christ there can be no loss at all, and the other side of that is, outside of the Lord Jesus Christ there can be no long term victory at all!

All things we will see, even in our own future, will reveal the plans and the purposes of God, if we pay attention and be obedient to the Word of God!

If we keep the main thing, the main thing, we will realize that God has a plan and He just wants us all to be part of His plan!

It should be clear to us that the Lord wants us to know about Him or He would have never revealed Himself to us, so He certainly will never try to hide anything from us!

We should also understand that the “terribleness” of God is another very good reason to place our trust in Him!

What should we know of those who continue to follow in the works of Satan?

Isa 24:5  The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant. 
Isa 24:6  Therefore hath the curse devoured the earth, and they that dwell therein are desolate: therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men left.

Isa 24:17  Fear, and the pit, and the snare, are upon thee, O inhabitant of the earth. 

Isa 24:19  The earth is utterly broken down, the earth is clean dissolved, the earth is moved exceedingly. 
Isa 24:20  The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall be removed like a cottage; and the transgression thereof shall be heavy upon it; and it shall fall, and not rise again. 

These are all the results of works of Satan!

God does not do bad things, God only does “righteous” things!

But we should clearly understand, it is a righteous thing for God to chastise His believers!
It is a righteous thing for God to “Judge” all unbelievers and destroy them out of His land!

The non-believer may see these things as unrightous but if they repented it would changed their attitude!

When the Messiah returns, all those who have rejected Him will only be able to imagine a world that is coming to an end but in reality it will only be the Lord doing what He said He would do to bring new life into this world for a period of time of at least 1000 years and after this eternity!

The Church will already be in Heaven, our victory won, but the Church will then return with the Lord at His Second Coming.

It is during this time of destruction known simply as “Jacob’s Trouble”(The Seven Years of Tribulation) that the Jews will repent and return to the Lord and that victory is soon to be in the making.

And God’s redeemed Jews, will then sing a new song:

Let’s Begin:

*****Isa 25:1  O LORD, thou art my God; I will exalt thee, I will praise thy name; for thou hast done wonderful things; thy counsels of old are faithfulness and truth. 

We should be able to see that the relationship of Jehovah to His people has now become personal!

God is seeking a close and personal relationship with each of us and with all of His creation!

God’s people, the Jews will have realized that the Lord has done exactly what He said He would do.

They will realize what Moses had said, was true.
They will realize what all the prophets had said, was true.
They will realize that all those Psalms they had sung regularly in their worship services, were are true.
They will then realize, that the Lord Jesus Christ is exactly who He said He was!

They will connect their selfishness with the history of their own nation all these years and repent and return to the Lord!

Rev 7:12  Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen. 

Rev 15:3  And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints. 

The world is fast approaching the 8 Billion mark in population but at the end of Jacob’s Trouble only a few will have survived. Even if it is Millions it will be a far cry from those Billions!

Those that remain will praise the name of the Lord and we already know that Jehovah God will at this time, fulfill all the promises He made to the Jews!

There may also be a few Gentiles who had never gotten the opportunity to hear the “Gospel” and accept it or to reject it, they will then at that time also get that opportunity.

Most all those, probably all those, who have rejected the “Gospel” during the “Church Age” will be destroyed, as in the days of Noah!

1Th 2:15  Who both killed the Lord Jesus, and their own prophets, and have persecuted us; and they please not God, and are contrary to all men: 
1Th 2:16  Forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles that they might be saved, to fill up their sins alway: “for the wrath is come upon them to the uttermost”.

Many prophecies of the Bible have already been fulfilled and are now history but many more are to come, though most of them concern the promises to the nation of Israel.

The truth is, whether we know true faith or not, God will always be “faithful” to Himself and to all of His Scriptures!

1Co 1:9  God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord. 

The next truth is, that it is impossible for God to lie! So the Scriptures are all the truth. We must rightly divide the Word of God! We must understand clearly who the Lord is talking too, while also realizing that we are to learn from all the Word of God.

Heb 6:17  Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath: 
Heb 6:18  That by two immutable things, “in which it was impossible for God to lie”, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us: 

It boils down to, do you believe what God says or not? The Bible is “an all or nothing book”!

The “Bread of Life” is not some cafeteria style plan, to pick and choose the meal that suits you and then reject the part you do not like!

2Ti 3:16  “All scripture” is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 
2Ti 3:17  That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works. 

By the end of the Tribulation Period, the world will have witnessed the truth of God in full view and those that are left will be in agreement, “O LORD, thou art my God; I will exalt thee”.

*****Isa 25:2  For thou hast made of a city an heap; of a defenced city a ruin: a palace of strangers to be no city; it shall never be built.
Isa 25:3  Therefore shall the strong people glorify thee, the city of the terrible nations shall fear thee. 
 
As often as we see the term Babylon in the books of the prophets, we should clearly understand that in prophecy this Babylon is not just some ancient city that is to be destroyed but in reality it is the seat of the Antichrist!

It is the seat of his false religion.
It is the seat of this world he has influenced.

The seat of the Antichrist will be destroyed by the end of the 7 years of Tribulation, also called the time of “Jacob’s Trouble”.

Jer 51:37  And Babylon shall become heaps, a dwellingplace for dragons, an astonishment, and an hissing, without an inhabitant. 

A clear understanding can be realized in the Book of Revelation chapter 18.

In fact the old city of Babylon and Nineveh stand in that condition today!

Babylon was the metropolis of the pagan world and God has destroyed it as He said! It has never been rebuilt in that same location!

But Babylon, the seat of the Antichrist, is the same world Satan used to entice the Lord Jesus Christ.

Mat 4:8  Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; 
Mat 4:9  And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. 
Mat 4:10  Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. 

This is the seat of the Antichrist, the spirit of the Babylon of our day, that will cease to exist when the Lord returns!

Isa 13:19  And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldees’ excellency, shall be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah. 
Isa 13:20  It shall never be inhabited, neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation: neither shall the Arabian pitch tent there; neither shall the shepherds make their fold there. 

One day in the near future in our world where the spirit of Babylon has become the seat of the Antichrist, there will be a sigh of relief at the fall of this sinful and evil thing that has brought ruin to God’s creation.

What glorious thing will happen because of this ruin?

These same Jews who will have already witnessed the “Rapture” of the Church will at that time also witness the fall of the Antichrist.

The Jews will then be stirred up to worship the Lord and see the promises to Abraham and to David fulfilled, but even much more than that.

Psa 66:3  Say unto God, How terrible art thou in thy works! through the greatness of thy power shall thine enemies submit themselves unto thee. 
Psa 66:4  All the earth shall worship thee, and shall sing unto thee; they shall sing to thy name. Selah. 

Even many Gentiles will repent of their sins and begin worship the Lord!

This will not included those that have rejected the Lord in the Church Age for they will have all been destroyed!

*****Isa 25:4  For thou hast been a strength to the poor, a strength to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shadow from the heat, when the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall. 
Isa 25:5  Thou shalt bring down the noise of strangers, as the heat in a dry place; even the heat with the shadow of a cloud: the branch of the terrible ones shall be brought low. 

We certainly may not understand all the things in the time of “Jacob’s Trouble” but we can be sure there are those who are poor and in need through no fault of their own. They may have been led astray or many other things but God will never totally forsake such people until He as allowed His own time of repentance!

Even today God feeds this entire world and only a small portion of this world truly loves Him!

When the Jews would not accept the “Bread of Life”, the Word of God, God still fed them with the “Manna” from Heaven!

Isa 41:17  When the poor and needy seek water, and there is none, and their tongue faileth for thirst, I the LORD will hear them, I the God of Israel will not forsake them. 

But God always warned them:

Mat 4:4  But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. 

So in reality there will be many souls saved out of the Great Tribulation!

Rev 7:14  And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

Notice, most of all of the new Gentile believers after the “rapture” of the Church, had been murdered for their beliefs!

BUT, God will have silenced all those who have made such great noise against Christianity!

The persecution of believers is sometimes compared to dry heat as it has parched the grasses but God will bring a cloud that will provide shade and even moisture as He protects those who have not had the opportunity to know Him!

It is true, that the goal of the “Gospel” is to reach every individual before this time arrives but we can also know that this may not actually take during the Church Age.

The “branch” of the “terrible ones”, is any “power” that those who are in direct support of the Antichrist, had over God’s people. This “branch” represents the false power of Satan which in fact was no power at all, at least over the Messiah.

Rev 18:9  And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning, 

God will always bring down the enemies of His people in every age!

*****Isa 25:6  And in this mountain shall the LORD of hosts make unto all people a feast of fat things, a feast of wines on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of wines on the lees well refined. 

This mountain would be Mount Zion but it could also be a “type” of the Church, as all God’s people, Jew and Gentile alike will sit down together to the “the Great Supper in God’s Kingdom”.

Luk 14:16  Then said he unto him, A certain man made a great supper, and bade many: 
Luk 14:17  And sent his servant at supper time to say to them that were bidden, Come; for all things are now ready. 
Luk 14:18  And they all with one consent began to make excuse. The first said unto him, I have bought a piece of ground, and I must needs go and see it: I pray thee have me excused. 
Luk 14:19  And another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them: I pray thee have me excused. 
Luk 14:20  And another said, I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come. 
Luk 14:21  So that servant came, and shewed his lord these things. Then the master of the house being angry said to his servant, Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind. 
Luk 14:22  And the servant said, Lord, it is done as thou hast commanded, and yet there is room. 
Luk 14:23  And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled. 
Luk 14:24  For I say unto you, That none of those men which were bidden shall taste of my supper. 

We must also realize that the difference in providing food for the needy, compared to providing the “Gospel” to the lost, is like a meal that has become a “feast”!

1Co 2:14  But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. 

Truth, mercy, assurance, pardon, peace, and “Grace” become a feast of fat things.

The doctrines of God are well refined and abundant in Spirit and in purity and cetainly in holiness!

Jer 31:12  Therefore they shall come and sing in the height of Zion, and shall flow together to the goodness of the LORD, for wheat, and for wine, and for oil, and for the young of the flock and of the herd: and their soul shall be as a watered garden; and they shall not sorrow any more at all. 
Jer 31:13  Then shall the virgin rejoice in the dance, both young men and old together: for I will turn their mourning into joy, and will comfort them, and make them rejoice from their sorrow. 

God will have put down all the evil in this world!

*****Isa 25:7  And he will destroy in this mountain the face of the covering cast over all people, and the vail that is spread over all nations. 
Isa 25:8  He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the LORD hath spoken it. 

What is that covering that is cast over all people? It is the vail that Satan has cast over the human heart.

When the Five books of Moses were read, the veil was upon the heart of God’s people, not upon Moses.

2Co 3:15  But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the vail is upon their heart. 

When the Old Testament was read in the time of Christ Jesus, the veil was upon the heart of most all the Jews, not upon Christ Himself. In fact Christ removed that veil of the eyes but the veil of Satan remained cast over the hearts of the unbelievers.

2Co 3:14  But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same vail untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which vail is done away in Christ. 

It is only in those who have repented and returned to the Lord, that this veil has been removed!

2Co 3:16  Nevertheless when it shall turn to the Lord, the vail shall be taken away. 

What is that veil? The veil of human depravity and/or natural corruption, the veil of blindness, caused by Satan!

Rom 3:20  Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin. 
Rom 3:21  But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; 
Rom 3:22  Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: 
Rom 3:23  For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

At the end of the Tribulation Period, there will also be a veil of sorrowing.

We know that the Jews would cover their heads when they felt shame and were confounded. They will now feel ashamed and sorrowful for having rejected the Lord Jesus Christ all these years!

Jer 14:2  Judah mourneth, and the gates thereof languish; they are black unto the ground; and the cry of Jerusalem is gone up. 
Jer 14:3  And their nobles have sent their little ones to the waters: they came to the pits, and found no water; they returned with their vessels empty; they were ashamed and confounded, and covered their heads. 
Jer 14:4  Because the ground is chapt, for there was no rain in the earth, the plowmen were ashamed, they covered their heads. 

In fact the veil of sorrow and shame, will have covered all nations that have survived this terrible time of God’s Wrath!

God’s plan also includes removing the one thing that every human fears and that is “death”.

What did God say to Adam?

Gen 2:16  And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: 
Gen 2:17  But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof “thou shalt surely die”. 

Adam had never heard the word “die” but the consequences of his actions have remained with all humans, all animals, and even all God’s creation from that point forward.

Rom 8:21  Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. 
Rom 8:22  “For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now”. 
Rom 8:23  And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body. 

Death has always been a covering of gloom over all people!

Death will be conquered for all God’s people at the Second Coming of Christ Jesus, the Messiah!

There probably have been more tears poured out over the sorrow of death than any other thing in the human life.

SO, What God has done for the Church will be improved on, when the Messiah returns!

1Co 15:53  For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 
1Co 15:54  So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. 
1Co 15:55  O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? 
1Co 15:56  The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. 
1Co 15:57  But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 

In God’s New World, there will never be one tear shed because of death. In fact there will no tears in Heaven after this point forever more.

In Heaven there be nothing to cry about except maybe tears of “JOY”.

Rev 21:4  And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. 
Rev 21:5  And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. 

We should also be clear, all those tears that have been shed in grief and sorrow, because of the work of Satan, will not have been shed in vain!

Psa 30:4  Sing unto the LORD, O ye saints of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness. 
Psa 30:5  For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, “but joy cometh in the morning”. 

We hear a lot about guarantees in this world but none are as important as this one that says “for the Lord hath spoken it”!

When the Lord speaks, His words are always guaranteed to be true!

There will be no one left who will rebuke God’s people, there will be no one left who will not love the Jew!

Why?

*****Isa 25:9  And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the LORD; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in “his salvation”.

You see, God has only offered His free gift of salvation and all anyone has ever had to do was to receive God’s gift!

As the nation of Israel lives in a world of hate and as they see a world on the verge of total collapse, they will then see Jehovah God, the One they have waited on all their years, returning according to the Scriptures!

Zep 3:14  Sing, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel; be glad and rejoice with all the heart, O daughter of Jerusalem. 
Zep 3:15  The LORD hath taken away thy judgments, he hath cast out thine enemy: the king of Israel, even the LORD, is in the midst of thee: thou shalt not see evil any more. 
Zep 3:16  In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem, Fear thou not: and to Zion, Let not thine hands be slack. 
Zep 3:17  The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing. 

What had Jesus, the Messiah, preached to the Jews?

Luk 13:34  O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee; how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not! 
Luk 13:35  Behold, your house is left unto you desolate: and verily I say unto you, Ye shall not see me, until the time come when ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord. 

We see that Jesus was actually referring to His return!

*****Isa 25:10  For in this mountain shall the hand of the LORD rest, and Moab shall be trodden down under him, even as straw is trodden down for the dunghill. 
Isa 25:11  And he shall spread forth his hands in the midst of them, as he that swimmeth spreadeth forth his hands to swim: and he shall bring down their pride together with the spoils of their hands. 
Isa 25:12  And the fortress of the high fort of thy walls shall he bring down, lay low, and bring to the ground, even to the dust. 

Moab was founded by the incestuous son of Lot and his own daughter.

What had Moses prophesied?

Num 24:17  I shall see him, but not now: I shall behold him, but not nigh: there shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel, and shall smite the corners of Moab, and destroy all the children of Sheth.

Num 24:19  Out of Jacob shall come he that shall have dominion, and shall destroy him that remaineth of the city. 

The fact is, that in this instance, Moab is in fact “a type” of all Satan’s children.

Jer 48:29  We have heard the pride of Moab, (he is exceeding proud) his loftiness, and his arrogancy, and his pride, and the haughtiness of his heart. 
Jer 48:30  I know his wrath, saith the LORD; but it shall not be so; his lies shall not so effect it. 

No doubt “Moab” in “type” also represents all the foes of Israel that remain and all the foes of Israel will be trodden down under the feet of the Messiah.

Mar 12:36  For David himself said by the Holy Ghost, The LORD said to my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool. 

A dunghill was a heap of compost. The compost pile was increased by the addition of straw, which means the straw was left to rot in the dunghill!

When the Messiah returns, His enemies will be no more than that straw that was trampled into the dunghill and many will be left to just rot.

The truth is, at the return of the Messiah, the enemies of God can no more resist the power of God than water can resist a good swimmer!

Once the enemies of Israel, the enemies of the Church, all these the enemies of the Messiah are removed, there will be no opposition to God left on this earth.

No persecution.
No need for martyrs.
No mocking of God’s people.

Rev 18:6  Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works: in the cup which she hath filled fill to her double. 
Rev 18:7  How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow. 
Rev 18:8  Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her.

2Co 10:4  (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) 
2Co 10:5  Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; 
2Co 10:6  And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled. 

God does not ask many things of us!

Mar 12:30  And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. 
Mar 12:31  And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.

2Ti 2:15  Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. 
2Ti 2:16  But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness. 

Heb 10:24  And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: 
Heb 10:25  Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching. 

The basics are; Love God above all else, Love each other, Study the Bible, attend a Bible believing Church, and most important of all “Have Faith”!

Heb 11:6  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. 

Questions?

Let’s Pray!

God’s Mercy Toward Israel

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

God’s Mercy Toward Israel

Book of Isaiah 14

If we study the Book of Isaiah chapters 13-19 we would see beyond any reasonable doubt that Jehovah God is in charge of all the nations of this world. This does not mean that God causes evil governments, it is the people themselves that cause these things to happen.
In the prophecies of Isaiah we see one nation after another receive the rebuke of the Lord for their rebellion against Jehovah God and for their sinful lifestyles.

We see nations that trust in their riches and reject God.

We see nations that trust in their military might and reject God.

The truth is, in the day of God’s “Judgment” none of these things can save them, all these things will be useless! In fact God will “Judge” individuals just as harsh as He will “Judge” these nations!

Remember nations do not end up in Hell, people do!

God is seeking a close personal relationship with each and every individual and then for those individuals to gather together to change this world according to the Word of God.

The hope for salvation lies in “repentance”!

When the Lord returns for the Second Time to set up His Kingdom up upon this Earth, only those who are willing to turn to Him to worship Him alone will escape His final wrath.

The Church will already be in Heaven at this time!

These prophecies of Isaiah were not just for those nations of that day, but are for all people in every age!

Throughout these prophecies God offers the opportunity for salvation but only according to His Word of truth. No one can enter the Kingdom of God by their own personal rules!

The truth is, the Word of God is never bound by time!

Rom 15:4  For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.

1Co 10:11  Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.
 
So let’s begin:

*****Isa 14:1  For the LORD will have mercy on Jacob, and will yet choose Israel, and set them in their own land: and the strangers shall be joined with them, and they shall cleave to the house of Jacob. 

There is nothing confusing about this Scripture! So why is it so rejected by this world we live in?

When the Lord returns to end the “7 years of Tribulation” and the “time of Jacob’s trouble”, He will then have mercy on Jacob.
The name Jacob refers to Jacob “the supplanter” but who would at that time make supplication to the Lord.

Hos 12:2  The LORD hath also a controversy with Judah, and will punish Jacob according to his ways; according to his doings will he recompense him. 
Hos 12:3  He took his brother by the heel in the womb, and by his strength he had power with God: 
Hos 12:4  Yea, he had power over the angel, and prevailed: he wept, and made supplication unto him: he found him in Bethel, and there he spake with us; 
Hos 12:5  Even the LORD God of hosts; the LORD is his memorial.

This will take place immediately and during the time, after God has put down the false religion and the false economies of this world:

Rev 14:8  And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.
Rev 14:9  And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, 
Rev 14:10  The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: 

Isa 21:9  And, behold, here cometh a chariot of men, with a couple of horsemen. And he answered and said, Babylon is fallen, is fallen; and all the graven images of her gods he hath broken unto the ground. 

The false religions inspired by Satan have fallen. (Every religion that has rejected Christ and the Word of God)(is fallen)
The false economies and governments inspired by Satan have fallen. (the world Satan used to tempt the Lord Jesus)(is fallen)

Those that choose the Beast and his unholy trinity will be destroyed but those that refuse the Beast and repent will be accepted by the Lord and dwell in the Kingdom of the Lord!

The Jews will return to the Lord:

Zec 2:12  And the LORD shall inherit Judah his portion in the holy land, and shall choose Jerusalem again. 
Zec 2:13  Be silent, O all flesh, before the LORD: for he is raised up out of his holy habitation. 

Many Gentile nations will repent and join these Jews:

Zec 2:11  And many nations shall be joined to the LORD in that day, and shall be my people: and I will dwell in the midst of thee, and thou shalt know that the LORD of hosts hath sent me unto thee. 

The Church will return from Heaven with the Lord, as He causes these things to happen:

Rev 19:11  And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. 
Rev 19:12  His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. 
Rev 19:13  And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. 
Rev 19:14  And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. 
Rev 19:15  And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.
Rev 19:16  And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS. 

And we should notice it is not Israel that will just take over as the head nation of this world, “it is those remaining nations of this world that will put Israel in that place as lead nation of the world!

*****Isa 14:2  And the people shall take them, and bring them to their place: and the house of Israel shall possess them in the land of the LORD for servants and handmaids: and they shall take them captives, whose captives they were; and they shall rule over their oppressors.

Over and over again God has delivered His people from captivity and when the Lord returns they can never be placed in captivity again!

The world that has kept them in captivity will see that they get back home, as did King Cyrus, and Israel will rule over it’s own oppressors, the Gentile world! It’s called “Mercy”!

Deu 7:6  For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God: the LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth. 
Deu 7:7  The LORD did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people: 
Deu 7:8  But because the LORD loved you, and because he would keep the oath which he had sworn unto your fathers, hath the LORD brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondmen, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. 
Deu 7:9  Know therefore that the LORD thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations; 
Deu 7:10  And repayeth them that hate him to their face, to destroy them: he will not be slack to him that hateth him, he will repay him to his face. 

The Lord will always do what He says He will do!

Isa 49:22  Thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I will lift up mine hand to the Gentiles, and set up my standard to the people: and they shall bring thy sons in their arms, and thy daughters shall be carried upon their shoulders. 
Isa 49:23  And kings shall be thy nursing fathers, and their queens thy nursing mothers: they shall bow down to thee with their face toward the earth, and lick up the dust of thy feet; and thou shalt know that I am the LORD: for they shall not be ashamed that wait for me.
Isa 60:14  The sons also of them that afflicted thee shall come bending unto thee; and all they that despised thee shall bow themselves down at the soles of thy feet; and they shall call thee, The city of the LORD, The Zion of the Holy One of Israel. 

And who is behind this complete change of the Gentile nations? It is the LORD! the unchanging “I AM” of the Bible.

*****Isa 14:3  And it shall come to pass in the day that the LORD shall give thee rest from thy sorrow, and from thy fear, and from the hard bondage wherein thou wast made to serve, 
Isa 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! 
Isa 14:5  The LORD hath broken the staff of the wicked, and the sceptre of the rulers. 

I do not believe there is anyone who can say that they have had no sorrow in their lives.
To the Christian when we know we have unrepented sin in our lives we will always become sorrowful.

The truth is where sin abounds, “grace” much more abounds but is this a license to sin? No, God forbids this!

Rom 5:20  Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: 
Rom 5:21  That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord. 
Rom 6:1  What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? 
Rom 6:2  God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? 
Rom 6:6  Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.
 
**Even knowing these things, when we feel that sorrow for our sin, we can still feel gratitude knowing that God can and God will and God does forgive our sin!

Many people have sorrow because of physical ailments that seem to interfere with their daily life, myself included.
But as the Lord told the Apostle Paul, “My Grace is sufficient” for all your pain and suffering.

So what is the answer for sorrow? Trust in the Lord!

Pro 3:5  Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. 
Pro 3:6  In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. 
Pro 3:7  Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil. 
Pro 3:8  It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones. 

As we go through these Scriptures we will notice that it seems that this King of Babylon seems to be separated from the rest of mankind!
We will see that he is someone destined for a very distinct “judgment”.

In reality we can understand this person as our oppressor! It can be anyone who has oppressed us in our service to the Lord, but it can also mean that one who has oppressed all God’s people, Satan, the Devil.

The truth of God is this:

1Jn 4:4  Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. 
1Jn 4:5  They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them. 
1Jn 4:6  We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error. 

There are no enemies of God that are ever superior to God’s children!

Rom 8:37  Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. 
Rom 8:38  For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 
Rom 8:39  Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. 

What does God teach the children of Israel? Their masters will one day become their slaves! Those that oppress them shall be made to help them!

How can these things take place? Because God will one day break the staff of the wicked and there will be no more evil rulers in fact there will only be the government of God, who will rule in “righteousness”.

In the time of Babylon, God used Cyrus to break the backs of Babylon.

In the near future God will use His own “Ensign”, the Messiah, who will settle all these things.

Psa 125:3  For the rod of the wicked shall not rest upon the lot of the righteous; lest the righteous put forth their hands unto iniquity. 

We know that Satan is that great oppressor but we do not ever have to fear what he may do to us.

Rev 2:10  Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.
 
As we will see, this oppressor is filled with pride and arrogance against the Lord and His people.

We also see that this oppressor thrived on riches in his golden city!

*****Isa 14:6  He who smote the people in wrath with a continual stroke, he that ruled the nations in anger, is persecuted, and none hindereth. 

This evil person would strike out at people in anger, with a continual stroke.
This evil person would trod down nations in his wrath and his unrelenting evil.

Rev 12:12  Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time. 

What does God say? This evil person would be persecuted himself and no one can stop this from happening!

Rev_20:3  And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.

Rev_20:10  And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.

It is obvious that this King of Babylon and his golden city is in fact a clear type of Satan and his influence upon this world!

It is also a fact that this passage will apply to anyone who does such things and lives such a wicked and cruel life. In fact all such things will come to an end at the return of the Messiah!

Rev 14:8  And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication. 

This is the only time when the whole world will be at rest!

*****Isa 14:7  The whole earth is at rest, and is quiet: they break forth into singing. 
Isa 14:8  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. 

There are many singers in our world today singing their own songs and the songs of others but when old Satan is cast into the “Burning Lake of Fire” the world that remains will break forth into singing in joy.

In fact, Isaiah loves this idea so much, that he includes it many more times.

Isa 44:23  Sing, O ye heavens; for the LORD hath done it: shout, ye lower parts of the earth: break forth into singing, ye mountains, O forest, and every tree therein: for the LORD hath redeemed Jacob, and glorified himself in Israel. 

Isa 49:13  Sing, O heavens; and be joyful, O earth; and break forth into singing, O mountains: for the LORD hath comforted his people, and will have mercy upon his afflicted. 

Isa 54:1  Sing, O barren, thou that didst not bear; break forth into singing, and cry aloud, thou that didst not travail with child: for more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife, saith the LORD. 

Isa 55:12  For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. 

This world we live in now will go through a complete change!

All the foreign invaders and oppressors who entered Palestine desired to have the trees of Lebanon, until they are practically destroyed but even these trees will rejoice because there will never be another taken down when the Messiah set’s up His kingdom on this earth!

There will also be no nations anywhere that will ever have to succumb to foreign invasion.

*****Isa 14:9  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. 
Isa 14:10  All they shall speak and say unto thee, Art thou also become weak as we? art thou become like unto us? 

It is impossible that there can be any happiness in Hell, but when old Satan is cast into Hell there will be many already there that will be stirred to know that he also did not escape the wrath of God.

It is a fact that those in Hell already are all believers but there is no escape from that turmoil! They cannot be prayed out of Hell nor can they be bought out of Hell!

They will still get the opportunity at the White Throne Judgment to defend themselves but the Lord will not find their names in the Lamb’s Book of Life and they will suffer their eternal fate knowing that even Lucifer was not able to escape.

Rev_19:20  And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.

Rev_20:10  And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.

Rev_20:14  And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.

Rev_20:15  And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

We must keep in mind Satan is just a creation of God, who has fallen from God’s “Grace”. He holds no power over God!

God has just allowed or it should be said, God has used Satan to prove to all what is good and what is evil and what He expects from His creations.

It was pride that brought the downfall of this created creature of God!

*****Isa 14:11  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. 
Isa 14:12  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! 
Isa 14:13  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: 
Isa 14:14  I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. 
Isa 14:15  Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit. 

We can see that in fact, King Belshazzar, the last king of Babylon was in fact a type of Satan but these Scriptures refer to Satan, the Beast of the Book of Revelation and not Belshazzar.

“In his own”, mind Satan is the most wonderful and most beautiful of all God’s creations. God did create Satan in perfect but he also had the freedom of choice. Adam was also created in perfection with the freedom of choice.

The truth is, each and everyone of God’s creations were made with a specific purpose in mind and Satan was just a failure and God tossed him out of Heaven to make use of him on earth.

Only those who remain perfect can abide in Heaven! Thank God for His “Grace”!

The Lord Jesus was also a witness to this event:

Luk 10:18  And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven. 

In the end, Satan will be cast out of this world also and into the Burning Lake of Fire:

Joh 12:31  Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out. 

Satan will also face God at the “Judgment”:

Joh 16:11  Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged. 

Why did God really pour Himself into the flesh of Jesus Christ?

1Jn 3:8  He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. 

Pride was Satan’s downfall!

The noise of his viols is what Satan uses to entice our children. This is a reference to music. Secular music and music of praise to the Lord are two entirely different things!

Satan can only bring death, those worms are reference to the “maggot”.
No doubt the thought of the grave brings the thought of corruption and Satan is the most corrupt of all God’s creation. Those maggots will not only be spread under Satan but they will cover him. He who walked upon the luxuries of this earth will then be the uttermost of filth.

All Satan has accomplished is to bring weakness to the nations in sin and filth!

Why will these things happen? Because Satan feels in his heart that he should be more exalted than the Lord God!

It is a fact that the angels are aware that God will exalt the humans above the angels in the near future and this does not sit well with Lucifer who exalts his own self above our Holy Father.

What does God say to us?

Pro 16:18  Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.

How has this affected the world of the rich and powerful?

Rev 18:7  How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow. 

What is the truth of Satan and his works?

Satan will go to Hell. He will humbled to a miserable life for eternity!

The sides of the pit of Hell are the most dismal part of the darkness of Hell!

Ezekiel wrote:

Eze 28:8  They shall bring thee down to the pit, and thou shalt die the deaths of them that are slain in the midst of the seas. 
Eze 28:9  Wilt thou yet say before him that slayeth thee, I am God? but thou shalt be a man, and no God, in the hand of him that slayeth thee. 

The only thing Satan has had going for himself these thousands of years since his creation is, the fact of his denial. Even today the existence of Satan is denied.

Satan will not show himself until he appears as the Antichrist during the seven years of Tribulation when he will have a taste of victory that is short lived!

The truth is he will be exposed for what he is, “nothing but trouble”!

*****Isa 14:16  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”; 
Isa 14:17  That made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof; that opened not the house of his prisoners? 

Satan will be observed as being dead and many will look upon him. Some will look to make sure he is dead and others will look upon him in unbelief that he did not have the power he so boasted of, but all will fear the Lord who has done this thing!

Psa 64:9  And all men shall fear, and shall declare the work of God; for they shall wisely consider of his doing. 
Psa 64:10  The righteous shall be glad in the LORD, and shall trust in him; and all the upright in heart shall glory.

The truth will be out, the thing that Satan has tried to accomplish is to destroy God’s creation! The world is just too blind to see the truth!

Satan has blinded mankind with power and riches knowing these things only lead to destruction!
Satan has hindered the work of the Lord.
Satan has made many Christians useless in the work of the Lord.
Satan has caused his evil to reach into all the high places of governments and commercialism.

We need to remember our battle is not with each other or with any human, our battle has always been against the work of Satan!

Eph 6:12  For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. 

Satan is none other than a liar and a deceiver and those that worship him are just as bad!

Joh 8:44  Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. 

Even most evil people are buried today but Satan will not be honored in any such manner.

*****Isa 14:18  All the kings of the nations, even all of them, lie in glory, every one in his own house. 
Isa 14:19  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. 
Isa 14:20  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. 

No doubt King Belshazzar was denied an honorable burial!
A mausoleum may have been prepared but it was not used, in fact his dead body just lay unburied.

In fact he was treated somewhat like Queen Jezebel when she was trodden down by the chariot of Jehu!

As we study the 7 years of Tribulation, we know of 3 and one half years when the Anti-Christ will be exalted and then the last 3 and one half years, (The Great Tribulation), when he will bring ruin to this world.

Mat 24:21  For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. 

All of King Belshazzar descendants were destroyed so it is very unlikely that there have ever been any descendants of Nebuchadnezzar as some have claimed.

In truth all those who have worshipped Satan, the Beast, will be slaughtered!

*****Isa 14:21  Prepare slaughter for his children for the iniquity of their fathers; that they do not rise, nor possess the land, nor fill the face of the world with cities. 
Isa 14:22  For I will rise up against them, saith the LORD of hosts, and cut off from Babylon the name, and remnant, and son, and nephew, saith the LORD. 
Isa 14:23  I will also make it a possession for the bittern, and pools of water: and I will sweep it with the besom of destruction, saith the LORD of hosts. 

The offspring of Satan will never be mentioned again after this time.
The world that Satan has inspired will be totally destroyed.
The false religions that come about because of Satan’s influence will also be destroyed.

The truth is, the old city of Babylon did indeed become a desolate place.
The city of Babylon that exist now is in a different location and has never reached the fame of the old city and it never will.
The old city of Babylon is now a marsh with the remnants of some old buildings.

The truth is, the Lord Jesus Christ has already destroyed the power of Satan, the Devil.

1Jn 3:8  He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. 

The Lord did this at the Cross on Golgotha’s hill!

What does Satan use to bring people into bondage?

Greed, Pride, Smoking, Drinking, abusing Drugs, Profanity, Illicit sex of all kinds, Sensual pleasures, Fleshy Passions, Shoplifting, and Theft, Laziness, Indifference, and Overindulgence, just to mention a few.

Because the Lord Jesus came the First Time to die for our sins, “all” these things can be forgiven!

The one thing that cannot be forgiven, is to not believe on the work that Jesus Christ has already done to release us from Satan’s bondage!

Those that believe that the Lord Jesus can be a Savior but not be a Destroyer do not read the Scriptures!

If the works of Satan are not destroyed then “God’s Mercy” cannot be accomplished!
This is why we live in God’s time of “Grace” today to allow time for us all to decide.

2Pe 3:9  The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. 

Those that refuse to “come to repentance” will suffer the fate of Satan!

When the Lord returns the Second Time He will destroy the works of the Satan, the Devil.

Rev 20:10  And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever. 

*****Isa 14:27  For the LORD of hosts hath purposed, and who shall disannul it? and his hand is stretched out, and who shall turn it back? 

There is not one who can turn back the hand of God!

We can choose to believe God or to believe Satan.

It’s called making a choice, I have made my choice already.

I choose Christ!

Questions?

Let’s Pray!

The Kingdom of the Messiah

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

The Kingdom of the Coming Messiah

Book of Isaiah Chapter 11

We have seen Isaiah prophesy of the sign of the Messiah, the Virgin Birth of our Savior.

We next have seen Isaiah prophesy of the Deliverance brought forth by the Messiah.

We next see Isaiah prophesy of the Kingdom of the Messiah.

Notice it is easy to forget about the First Coming of the Messiah and go straight to the Second Coming of the Messiah and this was a great problem for the Jews after the birth of Jesus Christ. They were looking forward to the Kingdom and could not see the Savior who stood before them.

Moses had written of the First Coming of the Messiah:

Deu 18:18  I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him. 

The Jews had rejected the Messiah and His message, because they demanded the work first, of what Isaiah had written in these Scriptures.

Isaiah not only dealt with the “reigning” Messiah but he also dealt with the “suffering” Messiah but it was the “suffering” Messiah who was rejected by the Jews but accepted by the Church!

There was only one way for the Jews to enjoy the kingdom blessings:

Jer 30:3  For, lo, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will bring again the captivity of my people Israel and Judah, saith the LORD: and I will cause them to return to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall possess it. 
Jer 30:4  And these are the words that the LORD spake concerning Israel and concerning Judah. 
Jer 30:5  For thus saith the LORD; We have heard a voice of trembling, of fear, and not of peace. 
Jer 30:6  Ask ye now, and see whether a man doth travail with child? wherefore do I see every man with his hands on his loins, as a woman in travail, and all faces are turned into paleness? 
Jer 30:7  Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob’s trouble; but he shall be saved out of it.

The Jews had missed the prophecy of the “time of Jacob’s Trouble”! Still in the future.

They had also missed the prophecy of the New Covenant of the Lord. Which is also still in their future.

Jer 31:31  Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: 
Jer 31:32  Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD: 
Jer 31:33  But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.

They had certainly missed the truth of the Messiah’s First Coming.

Mat 26:26  And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. 
Mat 26:27  And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; 
Mat 26:28  For this is my blood of the new testament, “which is shed for many for the remission of sins”. 
Mat 26:29  But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom. 

What did Isaiah prophesy?

*****Isa 11:1  And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots:

Who was Jesse?

Rth 4:18  Now these are the generations of Pharez: Pharez begat Hezron, 
Rth 4:19  And Hezron begat Ram, and Ram begat Amminadab, 
Rth 4:20  And Amminadab begat Nahshon, and Nahshon begat Salmon, 
Rth 4:21  And Salmon begat Boaz, and Boaz begat Obed, 
Rth 4:22  And Obed begat Jesse, and Jesse begat David.

Jesse was the grandson of Ruth the “Gentile Bride” of Boaz and the father of David the second King of Israel!

1Sa 17:12  Now David was the son of that Ephrathite of Bethlehemjudah, whose name was Jesse; and he had eight sons: and the man went among men for an old man in the days of Saul. 

All of these were already dead and buried at the time of Isaiah and at this time Hezekiah had already been born(about ten years old) and Hezekiah would rule after his father, evil King Ahaz.

The term “Branch” is a symbol for a king descended from royal ancestors but here it is also written of the Messiah.

Jeremiah says he would be a righteous “Branch”:

Jer 23:5  Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. 
Jer 23:6  In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS. 

Zechariah says this righteous branch would build a Temple:

Zec 6:12  And speak unto him, saying, Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, Behold the man whose name is The BRANCH; and he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the LORD: 
Zec 6:13  Even he shall build the temple of the LORD; and he shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne; and he shall be a priest upon his throne: and the counsel of peace shall be between them both. 

We know the Lord has yet to build a physical Temple on this earth but every believer becomes a spiritual “living temple” of the Lord upon accepting the Lord Jesus as our Savior.

Eph 2:19  Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; 
Eph 2:20  And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; 
Eph 2:21  In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: 
Eph 2:22  In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit. 

Notice the Messiah would come from the roots of Jesse, because even the stump of David and all the kings of this line would be cut off by foreign powers as the legitimate rulers of Israel.

The Lord Jesus was adopted by Joseph, of the line of David but it was Rome who ruled the world at the first coming of the Messiah because the Messiah first came as the Redeemer!

Here again we see the Holy Trinity involved in the coming of the Messiah.

Notice also that the word translated “Branch” is in Hebrew “nester” or “netzer” or we would say (Natsoreth=Nazareth). This Messiah would be a Nazarene!

Mat 2:23  And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, He shall be called a Nazarene.

The Jews also missed this important point!

Joh 7:52  They answered and said unto him, Art thou also of Galilee? Search, and look: for out of Galilee ariseth no prophet. 

The scholars of that time should have known all these things!

No one can get all the Scriptures right all the time but God does say for us all to search the Scriptures.

Joh 5:39  Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. 
Joh 5:40  And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life. 

The Word of God must be important enough to us, to spend some time in it!

*****Isa 11:2  And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD; 
Isa 11:3  And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears: 

How could Israel know the Messiah?

1) The Messiah would be filled with fullness of God’s Holy Spirit!

Remember the Messiah first came to destroy the power of Satan, and He began His ministry repeating this Scripture from the Prophet Isaiah.

Luk 4:18  The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, 
Luk 4:19  To preach the acceptable year of the Lord. 
Luk 4:20  And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him. 
Luk 4:21  And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears. 

How could the Messiah do all these things?

2) The Holy Spirit would supply “God’s wisdom” to God’s Messiah, God’s Son. The Holy Trinity would be involved in everything that the Messiah was sent to accomplish.

The Messiah would need the complete understanding of God’s salvation plan and who better than God Himself?
The Messiah would need the complete understanding of the mind of mankind and who better than the Creator?

The Messiah had the answers to false religion because He is the answer!
The Messiah had the answers for difficulties and doubts in His disciples.
The Messiah had the answers for the Church of the New Covenant.
The Messiah knew the value of the soul to God and how to win those souls to the Lord!

When we have a question we can be sure that the Messiah has the answer and that answer is Jesus the Christ, the Messiah!

3) The Holy Spirit would supply “God’s understanding” to God’s Messiah!

The Messiah would be quick to understand the fear of the Lord!

The Messiah could discern between “glory” and “dishonor”.
The Messiah could discern between “truth” and “disobedience”.
The Messiah was well aware of “sin” and what pleased His Father.
The Messiah was well advised on pride and corruption and hypocrisy.
The Messiah understood all the work of Satan and his lies and his deceit and his twisting of the Scriptures.

AND, Satan knew that he had met his Master! ”

Luk 4:8  And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. 

3) The Holy Spirit would supply all the counsel that was needed by the Messiah.

Isaiah said He would be the “Wonderful Counsellor”.

The Messiah would give the wisest counsel in the kindest manner and His advice would suit every case.
The Messiah would counsel the sinner.
The Messiah would counsel the Church.
The Messiah would counsel the Christian warrior on how to preserve the “faith”.

4) Though a “Lamb” in meekness, the Messiah is still the “Lion” of the tribe of Judah.
The Messiah would never tremble or fear at the task that He had.
The Messiah had all the Spirit of the Almighty God and all the understanding of God’s might!

5) In the Messiah dwells “all” knowledge!
The knowledge of Jehovah, the knowledge of His heavenly Father.
The knowledge of the complete “Will of God”.
The knowledge of righteousness.
The knowledge of blessedness.
The knowledge “Mercy and Grace”!

6) In the Messiah was the “fear of the Lord” which is the beginning of all “wisdom”!

Pro 9:10  The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding. 
Pro 9:11  For by me thy days shall be multiplied, and the years of thy life shall be increased. 

Psa 25:14  The secret of the LORD is with them that fear him; and he will shew them his covenant.

Some say these are the 7 gifts of the Holy Spirit and they are certainly great gifts but the Holy Spirit is also much more than these things in the truth the Messiah, The Lord Jesus Christ was indwelled by all the Godhead, the Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit!

Col 2:8  Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. 
Col 2:9  For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. 

The Lord will never “Judge” after the sight of His eyes because He can only “Judge” with all the knowledge of God!
The Lord will never “reprove”(blame) us of our sin by what someone else says about us, “but only by His own righteousness”!

*****Isa 11:4  But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked. 
Isa 11:5  And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins.

What will it be like to live under the government of the Lord Jesus Christ?

1) The Kingdom of Christ will be a righteous kingdom!

All things will be done right.
All things will be done morally.
All things will be done legally and according to the Word of God we already have in our possession!

Jesus is perfect, so there will be perfect justice and a perfect government!

To the Jews, a king provided leadership in war and the administration of justice in times of peace.
We already know that in Christ’s Kingdom there will be no more war so His leadership will be at the forefront!

2) We should notice that there will be no more abuse of the meek and the poor of this world.

3) We see that any and all transgression will be met with a rod of iron and any who do wickedness will be destroyed.

“Righteousness” and “faithfulness” will be the strength of the Messiah’s government!

Isa 59:17  For he put on righteousness as a breastplate, and an helmet of salvation upon his head; and he put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a cloke. 

Isa 25:1  O LORD, thou art my God; I will exalt thee, I will praise thy name; for thou hast done wonderful things; thy counsels of old are faithfulness and truth. 

How is the Messiah’s Kingdom described? Like the reign of a small child in the midst of animals, who would rather devour one another than be at peace with one another, but a child who has the power of God combined with the innocence of a small child.

What does a personal relationship with the Lord accomplish, it causes us to change!

*****Isa 11:6  The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. 
Isa 11:7  And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. 
Isa 11:8  And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice’ den.

Not only will the wild creatures become tame but all animals will agree with each other and will agree with all living things including humans.

And all living creatures will become vegetarian as at the beginning!

Isa 65:25  The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock: and dust shall be the serpent’s meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith the LORD. 

Eze 34:25  And I will make with them a covenant of peace, and will cause the evil beasts to cease out of the land: and they shall dwell safely in the wilderness, and sleep in the woods. 

Hos 2:18  And in that day will I make a covenant for them with the beasts of the field, and with the fowls of heaven, and with the creeping things of the ground: and I will break the bow and the sword and the battle out of the earth, and will make them to lie down safely. 

It should be clear that the human race is much like the wild animals but by God’s “Grace” all humans will also become tame, mild, meek, and humble just as the animals will become!

The ravenous wolves will have worried God’s sheep for the last time!

Jesus had said:

Luk 10:3  Go your ways: behold, I send you forth as lambs among wolves. 

This will all be over! Why?

*****Isa 11:9  They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea. 

It is amazing that when God changes the way we think, it also changes our entire outlook on life!

1Pe 1:13  Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;

You see all God’s creation is yearning for all the humans to return to God in a close personal relationship as it was in the days before the sin of Adam where they would walk together in the cool of the day!

Rom 8:18  For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. 
Rom 8:19  For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. 
Rom 8:20  For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, 
Rom 8:21  Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. 
Rom 8:22  For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. 

In the time of Noah, this entire earth was covered with water and it was a time of great death and life remained only in 8 humans and most sea creatures.

2Pe 2:5  And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly; 

This time, after the destruction by fire, then will this earth be covered by the knowledge of the Lord and life will replace death!

First the Lord will return a Second Time!

Second the government of the Lord will be put in place again!

Third the entire planet will become God’s garden again!

Fourth the hostility of the animal kingdom and mankind will be replaced with peace!

Job 5:22  At destruction and famine thou shalt laugh: neither shalt thou be afraid of the beasts of the earth. 
Job 5:23  For thou shalt be in league with the stones of the field: and the beasts of the field shall be at peace with thee. 
Job 5:24  And thou shalt know that thy tabernacle shall be in peace; and thou shalt visit thy habitation, and shalt not sin. 

After the “rapture” of the church, which will return with the Lord, After the 7 year Tribulation period, There will be those who are alive and can reproduce and much will required.

Psa 22:27  All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the LORD: and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee. 
Psa 22:28  For the kingdom is the LORD’S: and he is the governor among the nations. 
Psa 22:29  All they that be fat upon earth shall eat and worship: all they that go down to the dust shall bow before him: and none can keep alive his own soul. 
Psa 22:30  A seed shall serve him; it shall be accounted to the Lord for a generation. 
Psa 22:31  They shall come, and shall declare his righteousness unto a people that shall be born, that he hath done this. 

Now it is impossible for me to have all these things right but we should know that when the ungodly world can only see the devastation of our world, God has much bigger plans!

And for those who reject a First Coming and then a Second Coming of the Lord, then they need to read the Book of Isaiah along with all the Scriptures and just believe!

*****Isa 11:10  And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious. 
Isa 11:11  And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea.

Notice we have seen the Messiah as the “Rod” that will come forth out of the stem of Jesse.
We have seen the Messiah as the “Branch” that will grow from the roots of Jesse.
Here in this Scripture we see that the Messiah is the “Root” of Jesse.

Rev 5:5  And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof. 

Rev 22:16  I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star. 

It is in this office that the Messiah “Shall Stand For An Ensign Of The People”

All people that remain on this earth, will see the Messiah for who He truly is.

Joh 12:32  And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. 

This time there will be no cross! There will be the “Majesty of God”!

All those who can even say the word “Religion” will see that “Christianity” being “Christ-Like”, has always been the only truth and the Messiah will be chosen even over all the governments of this world!

Psa 22:27  All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the LORD: and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee. 
Psa 22:28  For the kingdom is the LORD’S: and he is the governor among the nations. 

Mal 3:12  And all nations shall call you blessed: for ye shall be a delightsome land, saith the LORD of hosts. 

The Messiah will be the only “Authority” in this world! His resting place will be in His Glory!

Psa 132:13  For the LORD hath chosen Zion; he hath desired it for his habitation. 
Psa 132:14  This is my rest for ever: here will I dwell; for I have desired it. 

The Lord had rescued the Jews from the hand of Pharaoh to form the nation of Israel but it took “faith”.

The Lord had rescued us all from the hands of Satan, the “First Time” He came as a babe born in Bethlehem, but it took “faith” and He was rejected by Israel.

The Lord, the Messiah, has set His hand this “Second Time” to recover the “Remnant” that remain of the Jews and this time they have “faith” in the truth of Jehovah!

No nation upon this earth has had a history as the history of Israel and one more time, still in our future, they will be restored to serve the Lord as promised to Abraham, and as promised to David!

*****Isa 11:12  And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth. 

It is a fool, who cannot see that the Jews are visibly separated from all other nations! This is prophecy that is being fulfilled.
It is also the fool, who cannot see that God’s wrath is becoming less and less severe on this people who God has always loved, the nation He formed with His own hands when He pulled Abraham out of Ur and chose Jacob over Esau.

Since they were scattered all over this world they have never claimed any one place to be their home! They have always remained a working people and when in 1948 they were again given back their homeland, “they have been able to purchase again the land that was taken from them”.

It is the nations of this world that try their best to hinder the re-establishment of the Jews in Palestine, when it is really in their best interest to promote the home going of the Jew!

We live in a foolish world!

God has always fought for these people and when you choose to fight against them, you have chosen to lose, because God cannot be defeated by any people, any government nor any military!

God will assemble the outcast of His people, He has already started, it is evident!
God is beginning to gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of this earth, and it is obvious!

Psa 147:2  The LORD doth build up Jerusalem: he gathereth together the outcasts of Israel. 
Psa 147:3  He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds. 

God is going to do exactly what He said He would do!

We must be more like James and less like the world.

Jas 1:1  James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, “greeting”. 

We need to welcome the progress of the true Jew and help them in any way we can!

When the Jews recognize the true Messiah, they will all want to go home!

As the Church, as we see these things develop, we should realize it will not be long before we too will be going home, it’s called having the faith of Abraham.

Rom 4:20  He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; 
Rom 4:21  And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform. 

God will then remove all obstacles that caused the divided kingdom!

*****Isa 11:13  The envy also of Ephraim shall depart, and the adversaries of Judah shall be cut off: Ephraim shall not envy Judah, and Judah shall not vex Ephraim. 

It is obvious that it was “envy” and “vexation” that had separated these people. (vex)

The truth of envy is that it will most always lead to strife, division, hatred, and even murder!

Gal 5:21  Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. 

To “vex” someone is to cause them to be angry, to provoke, to torment, and to afflict.

It is obvious that two such people, no matter who they are, would never be able to get along.

It is the Messiah who will cause these things to change:

Hos 1:11  Then shall the children of Judah and the children of Israel be gathered together, and appoint themselves one head, and they shall come up out of the land: for great shall be the day of Jezreel.

The day of Jezreel is the day that God gathered the children of Israel again into one people.

Jer 32:41  Yea, I will rejoice over them to do them good, and I will plant them in this land assuredly with my whole heart and with my whole soul. 
Jer 32:42  For thus saith the LORD; Like as I have brought all this great evil upon this people, so will I bring upon them all the good that I have promised them. 

Amo 9:15  And I will plant them upon their land, and they shall no more be pulled up out of their land which I have given them, saith the LORD thy God. 

God will keep every promise He has ever made.
Sadly He will keep the promises He has made to unbelievers.
God will keep every promise He has made to the Church.
God will keep every promise He has ever made to Israel and the Jew!

*****Isa 11:14  But they shall fly upon the shoulders of the Philistines toward the west; they shall spoil them of the east together: they shall lay their hand upon Edom and Moab; and the children of Ammon shall obey them. 
Isa 11:15  And the LORD shall utterly destroy the tongue of the Egyptian sea; and with his mighty wind shall he shake his hand over the river, and shall smite it in the seven streams, and make men go over dryshod. 
Isa 11:16  And there shall be an highway for the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria; like as it was to Israel in the day that he came up out of the land of Egypt.

It should be clear that a united Israel with all the power of God will defeat all her enemies!

The Philistines were and still are the perpetual enemies of the Jews.
We know them now as the Palestinians. The Philistines are called Pulsata or Pulista on the old Egyptian monuments, or Palestinians.

Israel will swoop down like a mighty bird of prey and expel these trouble making foreigners from Israel. This is what the Bible says.
Israel will spoil the efforts of the east altogether. These are all the Arab countries in the eastern desert.
Israel will take control of all that is called the West Bank today and Jordan (Ammon=Jordan) shall obey them.

The world may hate these things now, but that does not mean the world can stop these things from happening and the world does not have to agree for these things to be the truth!

In fact the world needs to stay out of this conflict!

As we have already said, God will remove every obstacle that hinders the return of His people.

The tongue of the Egyptian Sea (The Red Sea) is the Gulf of Suez.

Psa 136:13  To him which divided the Red sea into parts: for his mercy endureth for ever: 
Psa 136:14  And made Israel to pass through the midst of it: for his mercy endureth for ever: 

God will make a highway for His people to return to the Promised Land!

AND, This highway will have a name:

Isa 35:8  And an highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called “The way of holiness”; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those: the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein. 
Isa 35:9  No lion shall be there, nor any ravenous beast shall go up thereon, it shall not be found there; but the redeemed shall walk there: 
Isa 35:10  And the ransomed of the LORD shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away. 

The bottom line is no fools will be allowed to walk on God’s highway, the unclean shall not pass over it!

It is a foolish world that ignores the Word of God!

We should notice that nothing mentioned in this entire chapter occurred at First Coming of Christ!

Israel was dispersed after Christ died on Calvary’s cross!

Jesus Christ the Messiah was rejected by His people!

This new earthly kingdom will be set up when Christ Jesus returns for the Second time in all His glory!

This will be a great day for all those who believe the Word of God!

Isa 12:1  And in that day thou shalt say, O LORD, I will praise thee: though thou wast angry with me, thine anger is turned away, and thou comfortedst me. 
Isa 12:2  Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the LORD JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation. 
Isa 12:3  Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation. 
Isa 12:4  And in that day shall ye say, Praise the LORD, call upon his name, declare his doings among the people, make mention that his name is exalted. 
Isa 12:5  Sing unto the LORD; for he hath done excellent things: this is known in all the earth. 
Isa 12:6  Cry out and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion: for great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee. 

Amen!

Questions?

Let’s Pray!