Israel Will Have a New King

January 26, 2020 / Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

The Coming King of Israel

Book of Zechariah Chapter 9:9 ; 10:1-12

Zechariah was the son of Berechia who, was the son of Iddo, and both of these men were priest.

Ezr 6:14 And the elders of the Jews builded, and they prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo. And they builded, and finished it, according to the commandment of the God of Israel, and according to the commandment of Cyrus, and Darius, and Artaxerxes king of Persia.
Ezr 6:15 And this house was finished on the third day of the month Adar, which was in the sixth year of the reign of Darius the king.

A young Zechariah was an encouragement to all those who returned to build the Temple that had been destroyed by the armies of Nebuchadnezzar.

These who had returned to Jerusalem needed to realize all these things had taken place because of sin, but the prophesies of Jehovah were sure, and the Word of God is always the truth!

To be in the family of God, we must worship Him with all our heart. We must give all of ourselves to Him!

The message Zechariah had for his people was that Jehovah loved them dearly!

Zec 1:3 Therefore say thou unto them, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Turn ye unto me, saith the LORD of hosts, and I will turn unto you, saith the LORD of hosts.

It is very important to the Church that we understand the importance of the promises Jehovah made to Israel!

We must understand it is Jehovah God who rules over this entire universe or the created Cosmos!

We may feel like God is a million miles away, but in fact He is as close as a whisper.

He just wants us to obey His Word, not because it is so hard to do so, but because we will live longer, we will live happier, and our future is so full of love and the benefits of serving the Lord are just amazing!

If we pay attention to the words of Zechariah, we can identify fulfilled promises, understanding these are all an indication of the soon Second Coming of our Christ and the Jewish Messiah, they are one and the same!

We know that Daniel prophesied during the 70 years of captivity of Judah.

We also know that Zachariah prophesied after the return of Judah to Jerusalem.

Zechariah, most likely never met Daniel, but he would have heard the preaching of Haggai and would have read the writings of the other prophets.

How would we categorize the preaching of Zechariah?

Zec 1:13 And the LORD answered the angel that talked with me with good words and comfortable words.

These Jews had been in captivity in a foreign nation for 70 years and they had returned to see the destruction of their homes, their city, their nation, and their Temple.

Comforting words would go a long way.

The truth of Jehovah is comforting in this lost and evil world!

Zechariah was a prophet who taught that the Messiah would first come to save His people.

We should understand that these prophets of God were speaking to Israel, they did not know of the Church, nor the Church Age.

*****Zec 9:9 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.

More than 500 years before the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ the prophet Zechariah wrote these words by the Holy Spirit.

In the time of King David, Zion was the place where King David placed the Tabernacle after he had brought the Ark back. He did not return the Ark to the Tabernacle of Moses but had another Tabernacle built to keep the Ark in Jerusalem.

It is a Holy and a Just God that had chosen Jerusalem to be His city.

2Sa 6:17 And they brought in the ark of the LORD, and set it in his place, in the midst of the tabernacle that David had pitched for it: and David offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the LORD.

In the Scriptures this is therefore the Tabernacle of David.

Isa 16:5 And in mercy shall the throne be established: and he shall sit upon it in truth in the tabernacle of David, judging, and seeking judgment, and hasting righteousness.

Amo 9:11 In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen, and close up the breaches thereof; and I will raise up his ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old:

Act 15:16 After this I will return, and will build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down; and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up:

The phrase “daughter of Zion” is used 26 times in the Old Testament.

To Jehovah mount Zion is as a beautiful woman.

Jer 6:2 I have likened the daughter of Zion to a comely and delicate woman.

When the Scriptures use the phrase “daughter of Jerusalem” it usually means that the beautiful and delicate daughter of Zion has gone out into the world and is now the sinful daughter of Jerusalem.

Lam 2:13 What thing shall I take to witness for thee? what thing shall I liken to thee, O daughter of Jerusalem? what shall I equal to thee, that I may comfort thee, O virgin daughter of Zion? for thy breach is great like the sea: who can heal thee?

In either case the prophet stated the King is Coming.
In either case King Jesus will sit on His throne on the Highest Hill of Jerusalem.

He is the King of Righteousness.
He is the King of Salvation.
He is the King of Humility.
He is the King of Creation.
He is the King of Peace.

Zechariah tells us of the First Coming of Jesus, hundreds of years before it took place.

Zechariah then tells us of the Second Coming of Jesus all in one Scripture, and we are expecting Christ Jesus to return at any moment.

There will be great changes in Jerusalem and the Promise Land when King Jesus sits upon His throne.

*****Zec 10:1 Ask ye of the LORD rain in the time of the latter rain; so the LORD shall make bright clouds, and give them showers of rain, to every one grass in the field.
Zec 10:2 For the idols have spoken vanity, and the diviners have seen a lie, and have told false dreams; they comfort in vain: therefore they went their way as a flock, they were troubled, because there was no shepherd.

What had happened to Israel? They had quit trusting in the Lord and had placed their faith in idols and false gods!

To those who are farmers, after they have broken up the soil and prepared it for the seed and then planted that seed, it was up to the rain for those crops to produce.

In Palestine the seasons for rain were understood by previous seasons and the planting of the seed was built around those rainy seasons.

We could say somewhat like the farmer’s almanac.

The early rain for the planting the latter rain for growth. Without either one the crops would fail.

In reality it is a whole lot like witnessing.

The truth is only Jehovah could provide those rains.

How did the Lord preach this to Israel?

Eze 34:22 Therefore will I save my flock, and they shall no more be a prey; and I will judge between cattle and cattle.
Eze 34:23 And I will set up one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them, even my servant David; he shall feed them, and he shall be their shepherd.
Eze 34:24 And I the LORD will be their God, and my servant David a prince among them; I the LORD have spoken it.
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.
Eze 34:26 And I will make them and the places round about my hill a blessing; and I will cause the shower to come down in his season; there shall be showers of blessing.
Eze 34:27 And the tree of the field shall yield her fruit, and the earth shall yield her increase, and they shall be safe in their land, and shall know that I am the LORD, when I have broken the bands of their yoke, and delivered them out of the hand of those that served themselves of them.
Eze 34:28 And they shall no more be a prey to the heathen, neither shall the beast of the land devour them; but they shall dwell safely, and none shall make them afraid.
Eze 34:29 And I will raise up for them a plant of renown, and they shall be no more consumed with hunger in the land, neither bear the shame of the heathen any more.
Eze 34:30 Thus shall they know that I the LORD their God am with them, and that they, even the house of Israel, are my people, saith the Lord GOD.
Eze 34:31 And ye my flock, the flock of my pasture, are men, and I am your God, saith the Lord GOD.

Israel began to trust in false gods and idols and without Jehovah God, the climate will not be as they would have it be!

The climate will be against us, when we forsake the Lord!

There you are climate people, I said it. It is the Lord Jesus Christ who controls our climate!

We must place our trust in the truth and the truth is in our Lord!

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.

It should be obvious when we reject our Creator then He may just ignore us.

*****Zec 10:3 Mine anger was kindled against the shepherds, and I punished the goats: for the LORD of hosts hath visited his flock the house of Judah, and hath made them as his goodly horse in the battle.

Immediately as far as Israel was concerned, it was the priests who were leading Israel away from the truth of God!

We are fools if we do not see the same thing going on today.

The pulpits have become as corrupt as our government!

False teachers and false preachers are leading the Church astray and the message to the lost has become confusing.

There were very few true shepherds in Judah at this time, but they still retained the name and the office.

If they had taken their false beliefs and left it would have been bad enough, but they stayed in their positions and preached a false message, a message that did not come from the Word of God!

What is the truth of God’s wrath to false preachers and false teachers?

Eze 34:7 Therefore, ye shepherds, hear the word of the LORD;
Eze 34:8 As I live, saith the Lord GOD, surely because my flock became a prey, and my flock became meat to every beast of the field, because there was no shepherd, neither did my shepherds search for my flock, but the shepherds fed themselves, and fed not my flock;
Eze 34:9 Therefore, O ye shepherds, hear the word of the LORD;
Eze 34:10 Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against the shepherds; and I will require my flock at their hand, and cause them to cease from feeding the flock; neither shall the shepherds feed themselves any more; for I will deliver my flock from their mouth, that they may not be meat for them.
Eze 34:11 For thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I, even I, will both search my sheep, and seek them out.

What did Jesus bring with Him when He came the first time?

Jesus brought the truth!

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.

Joh 1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and “truth”.
Joh 1:15 John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me.
Joh 1:16 And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace.
Joh 1:17 For the law was given by Moses, but “grace and truth came by Jesus Christ”.

1Jn 5:19 And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness.
1Jn 5:20 And we know that the Son of God is come, and “hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true”, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.
1Jn 5:21 Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.

What happens when the people of God know the truth and do the truth? We become that goodly horse!

A goodly horse is a “War Horse” prepared for battle!

Job 39:19 Hast thou given the horse strength? hast thou clothed his neck with thunder?
Job 39:20 Canst thou make him afraid as a grasshopper? the glory of his nostrils is terrible.
Job 39:21 He paweth in the valley, and rejoiceth in his strength: he goeth on to meet the armed men.
Job 39:22 He mocketh at fear, and is not affrighted; neither turneth he back from the sword.
Job 39:23 The quiver rattleth against him, the glittering spear and the shield.
Job 39:24 He swalloweth the ground with fierceness and rage: neither believeth he that it is the sound of the trumpet.
Job 39:25 He saith among the trumpets, Ha, ha; and he smelleth the battle afar off, the thunder of the captains, and the shouting.

What is the true child of God? He or she is a soldier in the army of God and the “Gospel” is our “war horse” and we are in a battle for life, but we can be assured because we are on the winning side!

Why do we not act like it!

What is the truth of the Scriptures? The Messiah came out of the tribe of Judah.

*****Zec 10:4 Out of him came forth the corner, out of him the nail, out of him the battle bow, out of him every oppressor together.

Out of Judah came the “Corner Stone”, the foundation of Christianity!

Isa 28:16 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste.

No matter what we think of a nail, a nail will hold things in place!

It is our Lord Jesus Christ who will hold us together and hold us in place!

Isa 22:22 And the key of the house of David will I lay upon his shoulder; so he shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open.
Isa 22:23 And I will fasten him as a nail in a sure place; and he shall be for a glorious throne to his father’s house.

This is what our Savior does!

The Lord Jesus reaches down into that miry clay and pulls each one of us out, if we will only trust Him.

We are made sons and daughters by our faith and then adopted into the family of God, by Jesus Christ, the Messiah of Judah!

We will then participate in the Glory of the Millennial Kingdom with Him for He will never leave us.

In the times of Judah, the glory of a family consisted of its size.

Psa 127:3 Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.
Psa 127:4 As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth.
Psa 127:5 Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate.

When all things are done, and the Millennial Kingdom has ended, all the family of God will be a large one, a very large one!

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.

Out of Judah will come the “Battle Bow”.

Some would say that Israel may have the skills and the arms to protect them today and this may be true in today’s world, but if the entire world becomes their enemy then they cannot stand alone.

When King Jesus sits on His throne, no power on earth can overcome Him! Remember that throne will be located in Jerusalem.

As far as this oppressor which means “taskmaster”, we should understand that when King Jesus rules from Jerusalem, the Church will become the taskmasters in all the nations that have survived the 7 years of tribulation.

It will be our job to make sure the task assigned by Christ Jesus will be performed.

Jesus will rule with a rod of iron, but our job will be to show His love and our love, through “mercy” and “grace”.

Isa 60:17 For brass I will bring gold, and for iron I will bring silver, and for wood brass, and for stones iron: I will also make thy officers peace, and thine exactors righteousness.
Isa 60:18 Violence shall no more be heard in thy land, wasting nor destruction within thy borders; but thou shalt call thy walls Salvation, and thy gates Praise.

All the Law will come out of Jerusalem!

*****Zec 10:5 And they shall be as mighty men, which tread down their enemies in the mire of the streets in the battle: and they shall fight, because the LORD is with them, and the riders on horses shall be confounded.

We already know that as far as the Church, the Lord is with us and He will never leave us and in fact we should act as if we are mighty men and women in faith in the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ.

After the Church is in Heaven or with the Lord, in His time of wrath, those Jews who became jealous and returned to the Lord will then be mighty men.

They will certainly tread down their enemies.

Remember the blood flow will be as deep as up to the bridle of a war horse.

Rev 14:20 And the winepress was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs.

Some say the Lord would never do such a thing, but we must remember it is those who reject the Lord who will cause this war, not the Lord.

We can be sure those who are there will be confounded! Confounded meaning put to shame.

Most of this destruction will come because the conditions in place by the Lord will cause all militaries to be blind and they will destroy each other.

The strength of God will be with the Jews!

*****Zec 10:6 And I will strengthen the house of Judah, and I will save the house of Joseph, and I will bring them again to place them; for I have mercy upon them: and they shall be as though I had not cast them off: for I am the LORD their God, and will hear them.

On this day the Lord will treat the reunited tribes of Israel as if He had never left them. All it ever took was repentance!

Why?

We know the Lord is compassionate.
We know the Lord hears prayers.
We know that Jehovah is the God of Israel.

Isa 58:9 Then shalt thou call, and the LORD shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am. If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking vanity;
Isa 58:10 And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noonday:
Isa 58:11 And the LORD shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.

It will be a wonderful thing to see Israel return to Jehovah God!

Some say there are lost tribes of Israel, but we see Joseph has returned and we see that they are Ephraim all the so-called lost tribes.

*****Zec 10:7 And they of Ephraim shall be like a mighty man, and their heart shall rejoice as through wine: yea, their children shall see it, and be glad; their heart shall rejoice in the LORD.

Those of Ephraim are those ten tribes many say who are lost and the Lord says they will be like a mighty man.

The Lord said they would be so happy that people would look at them and say maybe they been hitting the wine which of course is not true because God’s people will reject alcohol just as Jesus did.

They will be so happy it will pass on to their generations, one after another.

This what having the joy of the Lord is all about!

I live for the day that my children and grandchildren will all know the Lord in a personal relationship!

And Remember during the Millennial Kingdom these Jews of all tribes, will be able to reproduce and every generation will have the joy of the Lord.

In fact it will be one long generation as in the days of Adam!

A reunited Israel will have no problems with their enemies, for God will be with them as though He had never cast them off!

God will call them as a Shepherd who will call His sheep.

*****Zec 10:8 I will hiss for them, and gather them; for I have redeemed them: and they shall increase as they have increased.
Zec 10:9 And I will sow them among the people: and they shall remember me in far countries; and they shall live with their children, and turn again.
Zec 10:10 I will bring them again also out of the land of Egypt, and gather them out of Assyria; and I will bring them into the land of Gilead and Lebanon; and place shall not be found for them.

To hiss is like a whistle. Many of us can whistle some but each shepherd had their own whistle sound and the sheep that belonged to that shepherd knew that particular whistle.

God promised to gather all the tribes of Israel together in one place, and it cannot denied that this gathering is taking place today, though there may be a greater gathering in the near future.

It’s like the Church. Today Jehovah is calling His children home, one at a time. It seems to me that the Lord is calling them at a more rapid pace, but when the time is right, all those who remain will be called at one time.

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.

On an earthly scale, this is happening the Israel today! They are returning one at a time and then one day not too far in the future, God will call all the tribes of Israel to come home as a group.

And they will increase as they have always increased because they will come home as the redeemed!

For those who are not sure, when God calls His redeemed, it will not matter what you are doing, you will hear that “Trump of God”!

During the Millennial Kingdom at least 144,000 Jewish evangelists will be dispersed among all the nations that survived the 7 years of tribulation, but that dispersing will not be for their destruction.

They will sow the Word of God, the same Word we have today, that will not be revised, nor updated, nor any new versions, and all the people in every nation will come to know the truth of the Lord Jesus Christ and all the Jews will return to the Promised Land.

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.
Joh 14:7 If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.

*****Zec 10:10 I will bring them again also out of the land of Egypt, and gather them out of Assyria; and I will bring them into the land of Gilead and Lebanon; and place shall not be found for them.

If all the Jews return home today, then the land would not be big enough for them, so as we saw in the Book of Ezekiel all the land of the Jews will be reclaimed.

All the land will be reapportioned, and every family will have a piece of the perfect land of Zion and King Jesus will sit upon the throne of the world from Jerusalem.

There were at that time of Zechariah many Jews in Egypt. Even Jeremiah had gone to Egypt, but he had bought a piece of land at the command of Jehovah because the Lord said they would return to their land.

Many of the captured 10 tribes, Ephraim, were scattered all over the empire of Assyria, that no longer existed, and they to, would return to the Promised Land.

The land of Gilead is known as the “hill of witness”. It was also a place to graze cattle, a large district on the other side of Jordan.

Lebanon was the most celebrated mountain range of Syria. It was nick named the “Land toward the Sunrising”.

These people would soon see the Son rising in the East as He set His feet down in the Garden of Gethsemane.

The Gentiles would be moved off the land to allow the Jews to return home. We see some of this today. We should not question it because it is biblical!

Isa 54:2 Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thine habitations: spare not, lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes;
Isa 54:3 For thou shalt break forth on the right hand and on the left; and thy seed shall inherit the Gentiles, and make the desolate cities to be inhabited.
Isa 54:4 Fear not; for thou shalt not be ashamed: neither be thou confounded; for thou shalt not be put to shame: for thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth, and shalt not remember the reproach of thy widowhood any more.
Isa 54:5 For thy Maker is thine husband; the LORD of hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall he be called.
Isa 54:6 For the LORD hath called thee as a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit, and a wife of youth, when thou wast refused, saith thy God.
Isa 54:7 For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee.

We can see just a little bit of this going on today and the world does not like it.

In all the world President Trump is the only national leader who has approved of this land annexation by Israel, which the Bible has already approved.

The one thing we must remember is, that God does not need our help to cause these things to happen. They will happen according to God’s timing and no one will be able to stop it from happening.

Not too long in the future there will be no complaints from the world because whatever King Jesus wants will be what will take place.

Rev 2:27 And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father.

Rev 12:5 And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne.

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.

*****Zec 10:11 And he shall pass through the sea with affliction, and shall smite the waves in the sea, and all the deeps of the river shall dry up: and the pride of Assyria shall be brought down, and the sceptre of Egypt shall depart away.

Over and over again in the Scriptures we have seen where Jehovah had delivered these people.

From Egypt, they walked on dry land with Moses through the Red Sea to freedom.

From the wilderness, they walked with Joshua across Jordan on dry land to the Promised Land.

During the Millennial Kingdom, they will with Jesus walk on dry land to mount Zion, and there will be no Seas to cross. All the earth will be as it was in the days of Adam!

Egypt will no longer be an ancient city but will just depart away. The iron furnace will not exist!

All the promises to the Jewish people, the “Apple of God’s Eyes” will be fulfilled when King Jesus sits on the throne of this world!

*****Zec 10:12 And I will strengthen them in the LORD; and they shall walk up and down in his name, saith the LORD.

God first came to this earth to make a way for salvation, they called Him Jesus, I call Him Savior.

God will next return to this earth as King and they will call Him King Jesus. This time He will come in Strength!

Yes there will still be “Grace”. Without “Grace” our Creator would have forgotten about us a long time ago like so many think today.

Jehovah God is a God of Love!

We must clearly understand that the “Second Coming” of the Messiah will be far different from His “First Coming”!

It will a day of the warhorse and not the donkey!

It will be a day of making a choice at that very moment, but for so many it will be too late for they made their choice already!

There will be only one power and that power will be King Jesus!

And just like today, God will do what He wants to do, anytime He wants to, and no one can stay His hand!

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.

We can put this issue behind us if we just accept the Lord Jesus as our Savior today!

Amen

Let’s Pray!

God’s Righteousness Revealed

August 6, 2017 / Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

God’s Righteousness Revealed to the Gentiles

Book of Isaiah Chapter 62

In the time of Isaiah, the Jews did not have good thoughts for the Gentile nations and who could blame them. It had been a daily battle to protect themselves from the Gentile nations for many years and they were now in captivity to Babylon who had physically removed them from their own land. They considered all Gentiles to be their enemy!

They had failed to consider that it was not the Gentiles who were their problem, it was the fact that they had turned away from God themselves!

We all tend to blame others for problems we create for ourselves!

When we forsake the Lord, we cause ourselves multiple problems that can only be solved when we return to the Lord!

The nation of Israel was like an adulterous wife had forsaken the Lord.

They had made Jehovah God to be their enemy!

Jer 21:4 Thus saith the LORD God of Israel; Behold, I will turn back the weapons of war that are in your hands, wherewith ye fight against the king of Babylon, and against the Chaldeans, which besiege you without the walls, and I will assemble them into the midst of this city.
Jer 21:5 And I myself will fight against you with an outstretched hand and with a strong arm, even in anger, and in fury, and in great wrath.

Lam 2:4 He hath bent his bow like an enemy: he stood with his right hand as an adversary, and slew all that were pleasant to the eye in the tabernacle of the daughter of Zion: he poured out his fury like fire.
Lam 2:5 The Lord was as an enemy: he hath swallowed up Israel, he hath swallowed up all her palaces: he hath destroyed his strong holds, and hath increased in the daughter of Judah mourning and lamentation.
Lam 2:6 And he hath violently taken away his tabernacle, as if it were of a garden: he hath destroyed his places of the assembly: the LORD hath caused the solemn feasts and sabbaths to be forgotten in Zion, and hath despised in the indignation of his anger the king and the priest.

This is a great lesson for all who know the Lord to learn!

What does God teach all nations Jew and Gentile?

We are to hate sin, “But We Are Never To Hate The Sinner”!

Until the Lord returns, He will chastise all those who love Him but He will never forsake them.
Until the Lord returns, everyone will have the same opportunity to have “Victory in Jesus” but those who reject Him will certainly face the “Wrath of God”!

Until this time, which only the Lord knows, God will accept “whosoever” will call upon His name!

We must remember it was humans who designated the chapters and verse numbers so let’s once again look at the previous verse:

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.

The Lord will not rest until everyone upon the face of this earth gets an opportunity to know the righteousness of our Holy God!

Those who know the righteousness of God will certainly be the same ones who will praise God for what He has done!

Today a Gentile is considered to be anyone who is not a Jew.
A Gentile is anyone who worships a god other than Jehovah God. Which means all those who are not true Jew and true Christian.
Even the true Jew is not a Christian until they accept the Lord Jesus Christ and today those that do are known as Messianic Jews.

We should all consider that the Jew has never been told to forsake the laws of Moses but they have been told to accept the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior and no more sacrifice for sin is necessary.

In the Scriptures, the Gentile is also named heathen or we would say “pagans”.

God still loves all pagans, or all heathen, or all Gentiles no matter how we say it!

*****Isa 62:1 For Zion’s sake will I not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest, until the righteousness thereof go forth as brightness, and the salvation thereof as a lamp that burneth.

Again, we need to be reminded that the Prophet Isaiah was murdered for preaching the message he was given by the Holy Spirit and we should consider these Scriptures as God speaking to us, Himself!

Zion is the little mountain where the city of Jerusalem was built and in many Scriptures, it is called the “City of David”.

BUT, Zion can also mean the “people of God”!

Rev 3:12 Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.
Rev 3:13 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

We already know God has a great zeal to fulfill all His promises.
God will not rest until all those who want to spend eternity with Him have made that known to Him!
AND, God will not rest until that glorious change in children of Israel has been accomplished!

Our salvation is assured by the inerrant Word of God, if we call on the name of Jesus in “faith”!

For many hundreds of years God has worked through the Jews to bring salvation to the world. It is easy to say the Jews failed and they may have failed the full intention of the Lord but if not for them, we as Gentiles would still have never known the salvation of the Lord!

Jesus Christ, the true Messiah came as a Jew. The Apostles were Jews. The Apostle Paul was a Jew.

It is these Jews by the Word of God who had been given the job of continuing with the salvation plan of God until once again the Jew will carry this message to the world.

There is coming the day when the righteousness and salvation of Zion will shine forth brighter than the dawn of a new Sun!

The Lord has instructed the Church to continue in His brightness until He returns to sit on the throne of David in Jerusalem and then these words will be fulfilled!

Mat_5:16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

That continuously burning lamp is a type of the presence of Jehovah and then the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ, is the express image of His Father in Heaven.

Heb_1:3 Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;

The Lord Jesus Christ will fulfill all the Old Testament prophecy!

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.

When the Lord Jesus Christ died on the cross and paid the sin debt for, not only all humans but for all God’s creation, He became our “new owner”.

As much as this world will deny it, they all belong to Satan, the Devil, until they call on the name of Jesus Christ!

This world is the Lord’s “purchased” property and He is coming to lay claim on His purchase at any time!

Notice the Lord will not hold His peace. It will be a time of God’s wrath until He accomplishes His goal.
Notice also, the Lord will not rest until the salvation lamp burns brightly in Jerusalem and seen throughout this world!

*****Isa 62:2 And the Gentiles shall see thy righteousness, and all kings thy glory: and thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of the LORD shall name.

This Scripture gives us a great reference to the day Our Lord will sit as King, as the Messiah, as He rules from Jerusalem for 1000 years!

The Scripture also describes the Gentiles (those who have not known the truth of God) as they view the righteousness of Zion (the true Church), at the beginning of the Millennial reign of the Lord.

They will say: “see how these Christians love one another and love their God” (the 2 commandments of Jesus Christ)

Rom 1:17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.

It will also be a time of Israel’s final glory.

All leaders of nations that remain will acknowledge that all laws will come from Israel and King Jesus.

This will not be as hard as people think because the same Word of God that we have now will be the source of all law.

The Word of God will never change!

Psa_119:89 LAMED. For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven.

If God’s Word is settled in Heaven then it cannot be changed by the people of any age!

It is a shame that so many try to change what God has said, today!

What will a new name do?

1) It will abolish the old name! The title Saint will replace, idolater, spiritual adulterer, sinner. (Condemnation replaced with justification)!
2) It will abolish the old character! There is a new birth, new nature, new life.
3) It will be significant of a New Acceptance, a New Honor! From an old shack to a mansion. From Salvation to Glorification!

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

I don’t know about anyone else but the Lord can give me any name He chooses and call me by whatever He will, because I will be with Him throughout eternity!

Psa_84:10 For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness.

How will the Lord present His Church to the world?

*****Isa 62:3 Thou shalt also be a crown of glory in the hand of the LORD, and a royal diadem in the hand of thy God.

1) A Crown of Glory is described as an ornament of “Grace” in Proverbs 4:9 and we are saved by the “Grace” of God.

Eph 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Eph 2:9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Eph 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

A Crown of Glory represents the Lord’s workmanship toward His Church.

2) A Crown of Glory is described as a diadem of beauty in Isaiah 28:5. The Crown of Glory, replacing my own crown of pride!

3) A Crown of Glory is described as the head of those who have grown old who have remained in the Lord since the day they accepted Him as their Savior and have remained in righteousness all their days. Righteous in the way they served their own families and noticed by our Heavenly Father. Proverbs 16:31

Pro 17:6 Children’s children are the crown of old men; and the glory of children are their fathers.

4) A Crown of Glory is promised to all those who have become ministers of the Word of God, when the Chief Shepherd (The Messiah) returns to take His Church home! 1 Pe 5:4

Heb 13:20 Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant,
Heb 13:21 Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

All the world will see the Glorified Saints of God, the Bride of Christ, on display in all her glory presented by her Husband, The Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ!

The world may call us by many names but when we wear the “Seal of the Holy Spirit” what the world says does not matter!

*****Isa 62:4 Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken; neither shall thy land any more be termed Desolate: but thou shalt be called Hephzibah, and thy land Beulah: for the LORD delighteth in thee, and thy land shall be married.

Forsaken means to be deserted, or left, or abandoned.

It is true that the people of Israel and even Jerusalem felt that Lord had forsaken them for what God would say was a short time because we do not live in the same time as our God.

Act 2:21 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.

There shall come a time when Israel will also understand these words!

Act 2:22 Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know:

Rom_11:26 And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:

If we would use the time scale of this world for our daily activities but live in the time scale that God has given to us, we would understand in what “Age” we live and know that the “Church Age” is coming to an end very soon!

We have seen so many things fulfilled in accordance with the Word of God that we should know this thing! (God said to be watchers)

Luk_21:28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.

It’s not time to hang our heads in failure or in sadness, it’s time to look up and know we will soon be going home!

Israel will no longer be forsaken, (the people nor the land), and we are already seeing signs that this is also true!

Hephizibah means “the land God takes His delight in”

What has God promised?

Eze 36:34 And the desolate land shall be tilled, whereas it lay desolate in the sight of all that passed by.
Eze 36:35 And they shall say, This land that was desolate is become like the garden of Eden; and the waste and desolate and ruined cities are become fenced, and are inhabited.
Eze 36:36 Then the heathen that are left round about you shall know that I the LORD build the ruined places, and plant that that was desolate: I the LORD have spoken it, and I will do it.

Beulah means “the land that is married to its people”. (We sing that song “Beulah Land” because we are married to Heaven)

Again, we see the beginning of this happening before our eyes today in Israel.

The Lord uses the term “marriage” in the sense of a permanent bond in all cases.

Eph_5:25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;

One day soon we will truly live in Beulah land because it is the place where the Lord dwells and we will be with Him!

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.

And the Church will be joined with those of Israel who have gone through the “Time of Jacob’s Trouble”.

Hos 2:19 And I will betroth thee unto me for ever; yea, I will betroth thee unto me in righteousness, and in judgment, and in lovingkindness, and in mercies.
Hos 2:20 I will even betroth thee unto me in faithfulness: and thou shalt know the LORD.

*****Isa 62:5 For as a young man marrieth a virgin, so shall thy sons marry thee: and as the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee.

The city of Jerusalem will be filled with only believers and the Lord will rejoice over Jerusalem like a bridegroom over his new bride!

We see that the Lord has chosen Jerusalem at this time.

Psa_132:13 For the LORD hath chosen Zion; he hath desired it for his habitation.

In “typology” the Jerusalem we see for 1000 years is a type of the New Jerusalem that will be for eternity!

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.

God has determined that the Messiah will return to set up His Kingdom upon this earth for 1000 years.

The government will be housed at Jerusalem.

The glory of the Lord will go forth from Jerusalem.

The Lord Jesus Christ will make Jerusalem the praise of the earth!

*****Isa 62:6 I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem, which shall never hold their peace day nor night: ye that make mention of the LORD, keep not silence,
Isa 62:7 And give him no rest, till he establish, and till he make Jerusalem a praise in the earth.

In the days of Isaiah, the watchmen were the men who were assigned the task of guarding the city from a surprise attack.

We should consider that the Church has returned with the Lord now and all believers are to be “watchmen” which includes being “prayer warriors” today!

We are to never hold our peace and never keep silent about the wonderful works of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Rom_2:7 To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life:

We are always to cry out to the Lord to fulfill His promises.

We must never forget, We Stand or fall on The Promises of God!

In fact, in this Scripture, we are wrong when we do not pray for God to fulfill the promises He has made to us!

We must remember this parable: (also remembering a parable is an earthly story with a Heavenly meaning)

Luk 11:5 And he said unto them, Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves;
Luk 11:6 For a friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him?
Luk 11:7 And he from within shall answer and say, Trouble me not: the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give thee.
Luk 11:8 I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth.
Luk 11:9 And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.
Luk 11:10 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.

We can go boldly to the throne of God but be humble when we get there and we must certainly go often!

We must give the Lord no rest in our prayers until He returns to take us home but we must also remain just as busy as the Lord, until that glorious day arrives!

The closer we are to the Lord, the greater our growth in “Faith”!

When the Lord establishes Jerusalem as the praise of the earth, then all the Church will be joined together!

As for Israel, they all need to remember the time of Jacob and the Lord:

Gen 32:24 And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day.
Gen 32:25 And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob’s thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him.
Gen 32:26 And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me.
Gen 32:27 And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob.
Gen 32:28 And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.

There comes a time when we need to wrestle with the Lord until we receive His blessing!

These are Gods own words and just as true as all others!

In fact, I believe the Lord loves a good wrestling match with those who love Him. (Up close and personal)

There is coming that day when the Church will be a thing of praise in this entire world, just the opposite of today when the Christian is so hated.

Rev 11:15 And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.

Then God actually guarantees all these things!

*****Isa 62:8 The LORD hath sworn by his right hand, and by the arm of his strength, Surely I will no more give thy corn to be meat for thine enemies; and the sons of the stranger shall not drink thy wine, for the which thou hast laboured:
Isa 62:9 But they that have gathered it shall eat it, and praise the LORD; and they that have brought it together shall drink it in the courts of my holiness.

We already know that the right hand of God is the Lord Jesus Christ and the power of that arm is the Holy Spirit.

It is the Triune God that solemnly binds Himself “by an oath” to come to the relief of His people. In this case God is referring to the Jewish people after the “Time of Jacobs Trouble”.

We have seen God swear by Himself.
We have seen God swear by His Holiness.
We have seen God swear by His Great Name.

But God has also sworn by the excellency of Jacob:

Amo 8:7 The LORD hath sworn by the excellency of Jacob, Surely I will never forget any of their works.

God promised the “Time of Jacobs Trouble” but God also said the true Jews would be saved out of this judgment.

Amo 9:10 All the sinners of my people shall die by the sword, which say, The evil shall not overtake nor prevent us.

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.

So, it is at this point where we can see the truth of our Scripture, today.

When Israel was in control of the land called Palestine, the fruits of their labor were constantly destroyed or carried off by hostile neighbors. Much of this has not changed today.

Terrorism affects Israel more than any other nation daily and it is ignored by this world!

God has sworn to put an end to all these things.

It is this promise to Israel that will finally bring peace to the entire world but notice it is only after the Church has been removed and there has been 7 years of Hell on earth!

The courts of God’s holiness now will be Zion but will include this entire world!

Deu 12:7 And there ye shall eat before the LORD your God, and ye shall rejoice in all that ye put your hand unto, ye and your households, wherein the LORD thy God hath blessed thee.

God says proclaim His Word to be true because it is!

*****Isa 62:10 Go through, go through the gates; prepare ye the way of the people; cast up, cast up the highway; gather out the stones; lift up a standard for the people.

We already know that the Jerusalem of this age, is now a thing of Beauty and the Temple has been restored and the Lord Jesus Christ, the Messiah sits upon the throne of David.

We also know that the way of salvation has been prepared so it is just a matter of going through the gates to Zion!

This is the same way of salvation today!

The Lord has prepared the way and all that need be done is to go through the “Door”, the “Gate”, those things being the Lord Jesus Christ Himself!

Miss the wrath of God and go today, “The Way Has Been Prepared”!

Zion can also mean the Church and the “Gates” of the Church have been open since the First Coming of the Lord!

To the Jew, they stumbled at the “stumble stone” of Jesus Christ.

1Co 1:22 For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom:
1Co 1:23 But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness;
1Co 1:24 But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.

All the obstacles for the Jews have been removed and even for all the Gentiles that remain!

As the Church, we are to understand all these things also making note that we will miss out on the wrath of God and return with Him when He returns to Mount Zion.

The Church has already been “Justified” and “Redeemed”! (The Church is just waiting to be picked up)

Blindness will be removed from the Jews!

Rom 11:25 For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.
Rom 11:26 And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:
Rom 11:27 For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.

We must understand what God says today is meant for the world to hear and this maybe the most important part of our job to get God’s Word out to the world!

Most people think getting involved with the Church is inside the doors of the Church but our field of labor is now and has always been outside those doors!

The Lord Jesus Christ has done all the work to make salvation a reality for “whosoever” calls upon His name.

It is our job to tell the world His name so they will know “Who” to call upon! (it is not Allah, or Buda, or Confucius, or any other false thing, but only the Lord Jesus Christ)

“We must prepare the way of the people”
“We must gather the stumble stones out of that highway to salvation”
“We must lift up a standard for the people” That Standard being Jesus Christ the Messiah!

It is only the Church that will miss out on the “wrath of God”!

*****Isa 62:11 Behold, the LORD hath proclaimed unto the end of the world, Say ye to the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy salvation cometh; behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him.

The Lord has always had the same message!

Psa 98:1 O sing unto the LORD a new song; for he hath done marvellous things: his right hand, and his holy arm, hath gotten him the victory.
Psa 98:2 The LORD hath made known his salvation: his righteousness hath he openly shewed in the sight of the heathen.
Psa 98:3 He hath remembered his mercy and his truth toward the house of Israel: all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.
Psa 98:4 Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all the earth: make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise.

The salvation of the Lord has always been about “Faith” and “Obedience” to the Word of God!

Salvation is just the beginning of the rewards that come from knowing Jesus Christ as our Savior!

Psa_116:12 What shall I render unto the LORD for all his benefits toward me?

The “Gospel” of Jesus Christ is the “Highway” to eternal life! The way is clearly marked! This highway is lit by the “Glory” of God in His Son!

Even all the “peculiar people” of the Lord have found this to be true!

This world as we know it will end one day and there is a far better place that we will call home!

What did Jesus say?

Joh 14:1 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.
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.

What is the truth of this place that Jesus has gone to prepare?

1Co_2:9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.

The work of salvation is complete!

The preparations of our new home are complete!

When the Lord returns He will complete all His other work!

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.

Who are those that will inhabit Jerusalem and all the world during the Millennial Reign of Christ!

*****Isa 62:12 And they shall call them, The holy people, The redeemed of the LORD: and thou shalt be called, Sought out, A city not forsaken.

Zion the Church are the Holy People because they are the Redeemed of the Lord!
Zion the city of Jerusalem will be restored also!

Jer 30:17 For I will restore health unto thee, and I will heal thee of thy wounds, saith the LORD; because they called thee an Outcast, saying, This is Zion, whom no man seeketh after.
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.
Jer 30:20 Their children also shall be as aforetime, and their congregation shall be established before me, and I will punish all that oppress them.

The Jews once known as a holy people until Roman conquest have been despised but then they will again be called a Holy People who serve the true Lord.

Questions?

Let’s Pray!

The Fall of Nineveh

May 21, 2017 / Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

The Fall of Nineveh

Book of Nahum Chapter 1

We have been seeing that the armies of Sennacherib, the King of Assyria had become the dominate power in the known world now until God clipped their wings.

We should understand that Nineveh was the capitol of Assyria now and God had also prophesied of the downfall of Nineveh.

This is another thing that the people of Judah should have understood.

While Isaiah was speaking to King Hezekiah of the victory to those who trusted in the Lord.

The prophet Nahum was speaking of the destruction of Nineveh.

We must also remember the Prophet Jonah had preached in Nineveh and the whole city had turn to the Lord but by this time they had reverted to their old ways and were led there by their own government.

Far too often, when people talk about God, they ignore His “justice” and His “judgment” and speak only of His love.

This is a dangerous thing to do because, God is not only a “loving” God, God is also a “just” God!

The truth is, it is God’s love for all believers and those who trust in Him and His Word, that will cause the “Judgment” of God to fall on those who do not believe in His existence and who reject the Word of God.

And they seem to forget that God loves His Holy name and everything His name stands for, which is love, joy, peace, righteousness, and holiness.

God will therefore execute vengeance on all those who reject, ignore, neglect and curse His Holy Name!

As we go through this lesson, we can be sure that in “typology”, Nineveh is a type of all those who rebel against Jehovah, our God.

Let’s begin:

*****Nah 1:1 The burden of Nineveh. The book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite.

We know that God spoke to His prophets in many ways, to Nahum, God used visions.

That word burden in this passage means, these Scriptures are a message of doom to Nineveh and as I said this message is also intended for all those who rebel against the Lord.

Now, Nineveh was the capitol city of Assyria and remember Assyria is oppressing Judah as Nahum receives these visions from the Lord.

So, Nahum is saying, this Book of Nahum is a Book of Visions given to him by the Lord.

We already know, the words of God’s prophets were as God speaking Himself!

An Elkoshite was anyone who came from Elkosh and not much is known of this place or it’s true location.

So, let’s witness the visions God gave to Nahum.

*****Nah 1:2 God is jealous, and the LORD revengeth; the LORD revengeth, and is furious; the LORD will take vengeance on his adversaries, and he reserveth wrath for his enemies.

It is a fact that our God is a jealous God!

In our relationships with the opposite sex, we find that “jealousy” is one is one of the strongest passions of our nature!

When we see, these things written of the Lord, this word is used as an illustration, rather than expressing the emotions His divine mind.

The Lord presents Himself as the Husband of the Church and the Church as the “Bride of Christ”.

We can see, it is the Lord’s desire to maintain the purity of the relationship between Himself and His Church.

The emotions of “Love” can make us all selfish in keeping that one we love, for ourselves.

The “jealousy” of the Lord is in fact a Godly jealousy.

The “jealousy” of God is awakened by the long-continued injuries inflicted of the people of God!

The fact is, God is love but God is also just and those that God has already justified are His as His children and God will avenge any harm to His children!

There can be no “true love” without “justice” and God is always ready to defend His honor and His family!

We can be sure God is working behind the scenes to stop those causing harms to His people but for the most part God may withhold His hand of vengeance for a time, as He does now, until He returns to settle all things. He reserves His wrath for His enemies! Which means He is watching and waiting until He has had enough of this abuse of His children and no one else will repent of their sin.

We all know, to withhold anger will only it to grow and grow until it must be released.

We should clearly understand that the destruction of Assyria was God’s doing and Assyria no longer exist as a nation.

Nineveh was established by Nimrod and then became the capitol of Assyria in the time of Sennacherib and Assyria ruled the Near East for more than 65 years until about 612 BC when until Babylon destroyed it and later the Medes and the Persians.

The Assyrians were a cruel, and oppressing and a murderous people, whose leaders were greedy and ambitious to expand their kingdom.

Countless multitudes of other evil people were slaughtered and mutilated by the Assyrians and any survivors were made slaves.

In our lesson, we will see that God had reached a point where He could no longer tolerate this evil nation, as He did the Canaanite and we should see this as an example of the return of Christ when God has had enough of this evil world.

The people of Nineveh were far beyond repentance and returning to the Lord and the Lord always know these things!

We should also see that the prophet Nahum had the message of God’s last warning to these people and their last chance to repent.

Eze 18:21 But if the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed, and keep all my statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die.

This is a great burden to the Lord God because He has no pleasure in having to do these things,

Eze 18:23 Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? saith the Lord GOD: and not that he should return from his ways, and live?

The jealousy of God is not built on envy, God cherishes who He is and protects His possessions as any good husband and father should do.

God demands worship, praise, and service by His people but they must willingly offer these things, not out of fear but out of love and God will not accept any rivals for this affection to Him!

Exo 20:3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
Exo 20:4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:
Exo 20:5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;
Exo 20:6 And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.

Common sense should tell us all, that God will have to carry out His vengeance and justice to all those who reject Him!

Joh 3:36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.

God must obey all His Written Word or we would not be able to trust any of His Word and He has no problem in doing this!

Eph 5:3 But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints;
Eph 5:4 Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks.
Eph 5:5 For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.
Eph 5:6 Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.

God shows great patience now but that patience will come to an end one day soon and God’s wrath will be seen!

*****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 a fact that God’s patience is the only reason evil people and evil nations can continue in their evil ways and why is God like this?

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.

Longsuffering is the same as patience!

God delays His judgment but the truth is God will never (not at all) acquit the wicked!
Notice how God’s lips move quickly when He promises but move more slowly when He is warning.
When God warns, He is very slow to sentence, allowing every possible moment for repentance.
We all know the sentence against every sinner, is death.

Rom 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

God is slow to carry out this sentence even though sin is an abominable thing to God. God hates sin!

God is right to do anything He pleases at any time He so desires!

Remember when all those that have refused to repent and return to the Lord, stand at the White Throne of Judgment, they will be without an excuse and they can in no way blame the Lord for their demise!

The Lord has great power and this includes great power over Himself to carry out that sentence of death. It takes much power to restrain the Almighty God and only He has that power within Himself.

None of us should forget, that God has never, even one time, pardoned an unrepented sin!

The greatest exercise of God’s patience is found in the death of Jesus Christ on the cross!

Notice God will warn before He strikes and He warns so that maybe He will not have to strike!

Now God does not travel around using these powerful storms as a vehicle of travel. Nor are these storms created by His presence.

BUT the earth is God’s footstool to do with as He pleases. We are all in fact, God’s creation!

We have a great example of these things in the time of Noah.

1Pe 3:20 Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.

Are the clouds the dust of God’s feet?

We know that the earth is God’s footstool and the Earth is made of dust, the same dust the we are made of. Scientific discovery has confirmed that the clouds owe their glory and their beauty and even their existence to the presence of dust particles in the atmosphere. The liquid vapor condenses on the particles and then become visible. So yes, the clouds are certainly the dust of God’s feet!

What did Jesus Christ say?

Mat 26:64 Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.

And again, in the Book of Revelation

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.
Rev 1:8 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.

And of course, that is not all as Nahum describes the return of Christ.

*****Nah 1:4 He rebuketh the sea, and maketh it dry, and drieth up all the rivers: Bashan languisheth, and Carmel, and the flower of Lebanon languisheth.

We should clearly understand, God’s power is absolute, limitless and inexhaustible and works everywhere within His created world!

No one and nothing else, will be able to stop the wrath of God, when He decides it is time!

We know of God’s works in the air and now we see God’s works in the sea. We can see that God says look what He has already done to the Red Sea and the River Jordan for examples.

Amo 5:8 Seek him that maketh the seven stars and Orion, and turneth the shadow of death into the morning, and maketh the day dark with night: that calleth for the waters of the sea, and poureth them out upon the face of the earth: The LORD is his name:

In the time of Nahum, Bashan, Carmel, and Lebanon were the most fruitful places in all of Palestine but their growth depended entirely on the results of God’s power over the rain.

We must understand, nature is alive but not by any power of its own. All the forces of nature are by the personal energies of the Lord!
And that’s not all:

*****Nah 1:5 The mountains quake at him, and the hills melt, and the earth is burned at his presence, yea, the world, and all that dwell therein.

God is not the cause when that tornado destroys your home.
God is not the cause when that earthquake destroys a city.
God is not the cause when those bad things happen in nature.

BUT, we should be aware that God has absolute control over nature and nature will be used when God brings His wrath on the disobedient of this world. To be honest, nature has no choice in this matter, “the earth will melt in the presence of God” because of His Glory.

2Pe 3:7 But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.
2Pe 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.
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.
2Pe 3:10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.
2Pe 3:11 Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,
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.

So, in truth, who on this earth has the power to stop the wrath of God?

*****Nah 1:6 Who can stand before his indignation? and who can abide in the fierceness of his anger? his fury is poured out like fire, and the rocks are thrown down by him.

Those that reject God and reject the Word of God live by one option, they reject the existence of God, so they are not concerned about His return.

But those who know there is a God because the works of creation prove it, are truly foolish if they do not repent and return to the Lord.

The Word of God is the truth and God’s warnings are real!

God’s fury will be poured out like fire! We already have the example of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, or like the molten lava from a volcano.

Jer 7:20 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, mine anger and my fury shall be poured out upon this place, upon man, and upon beast, and upon the trees of the field, and upon the fruit of the ground; and it shall burn, and shall not be quenched.

And notice, those rocks and those mountains are thrown down by God Himself or we should say in His presence.

Assyria resisted the truth of God with a 200,000-man army and God dispatched one Angel who could have destroyed them all, but then there would have been no witnesses to tell others of the Mighty God of Israel, Jehovah God so, only 185,000 were destroyed and 15,000 witnesses to tell the truth of the Holy One of Israel!

When the Lord is our protection, we are safe and God knows all those that belong to Him and who have answered His call!

*****Nah 1:7 The LORD is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him.

Repeatedly we see that the wrath of God will not fall upon those that have repented and returned to the Lord.

2Ti 2:19 Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.

Rom 5:9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.

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.

1Th 5:9 For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,
1Th 5:10 Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.
1Th 5:11 Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.

There are many reasons to repent and return to the Lord better than this one, because there are too many benefits of being a child of God to mention here, but this one must be counted also.

We can draw much comfort knowing that Christians will not go through the seven years of tribulation on this earth but God will remove His Church before this period begins!

It is certain that God will offer more help to the poor and oppressed than He does the rich but rich or poor. God will only offer His shelter and protection to those that trust in His name and in His Word!

It is that same presence of God that causes utter destruction that protects those that love Him. Just as in the Jews escape from Egypt, “we are covered by the blood and not just any blood but the blood of the Lamb of God.

Exo 12:7 And they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses, wherein they shall eat it.

Exo 12:13 And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt.

Act 20:28 Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.

True believers walk with the Lord and just like Enoch, before the wrath of God we, in a sense, will all just walk on up to Heaven in His Glory, when God calls out His church.

1Jn 3:2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
1Jn 3:3 And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.

Just after the time when God removes His Church, this world will see the wrath of God!

*****Nah 1:8 But with an overrunning flood he will make an utter end of the place thereof, and darkness shall pursue his enemies.
Nah 1:9 What do ye imagine against the LORD? he will make an utter end: affliction shall not rise up the second time.
Nah 1:10 For while they be folden together as thorns, and while they are drunken as drunkards, they shall be devoured as stubble fully dry.

As God affords His protection to the max for those who love Him, those that remain will see God’s wrath to the max!

Eze 7:8 Now will I shortly pour out my fury upon thee, and accomplish mine anger upon thee: and I will judge thee according to thy ways, and will recompense thee for all thine abominations.
Eze 7:9 And mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity: I will recompense thee according to thy ways and thine abominations that are in the midst of thee; and ye shall know that I am the LORD that smiteth.
Eze 7:10 Behold the day, behold, it is come: the morning is gone forth; the rod hath blossomed, pride hath budded.

We know that God put an end to Nineveh and God will do the same to this world we live in!

God’s goodness demands that He carry out a perfect “Judgment” upon those who have rejected Him!

God’s people must be vindicated or God would not be the God that He claims to be!

There are great plots to destroy the message of God and the messengers of God throughout this world and even in America.

BUT, any attack of God’s people is a direct attack on God Himself!

**God will put an end to all plots against Him, when the Lord Jesus returns to establish God’s Kingdom!

Many Christians suffer persecution and are refused many things, while if they refuse an unbeliever, they are punished.

**God will put an end to all those who cause trouble for God’s people when the Lord Jesus returns, He will rule with a rod of iron!

God will put an end to the pain God’s people suffer in this world!

We may not have the thorns such as grow in Palestine but when you are walking through the brush and a thorn bush grabs your clothing it takes a few moments to get yourself free and move on.

God said His enemies will be as drunkards caught up in a thorn bush, unable to free themselves. They and the thorns are like worthless brush fit only for burning.

Yes, it’s true that great thorn hedges were planted in such a way to protect the sheep from predators and the King of Assyria felt like his great city walls offered that same protection from his enemies and Nineveh was considered impenetrable. So, the soldiers would have drunken feasts when attacks came rather than prepare for defense, since no army have ever entered Nineveh.

Babylon seized upon this foolishness and after Nineveh became Babylon, Cyrus and the Medes proved this to be the downfall of Babylon which was Nineveh. In typology, this is what the Lord is describing for those who reject His warnings and think they can protect themselves from the wrath of God!

Mat 24:38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,
Mat 24:39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

In truth God cannot build His Kingdom until all the brush has been removed!

There are always those who plot against the Lord!

*****Nah 1:11 There is one come out of thee, that imagineth evil against the LORD, a wicked counsellor.

It is probable that Nahum was referring to Sennacherib that imagined such evil against the Lord but the fact remains that whoever is considered by the prophet, is a picture of Satan.

In the end, those who have followed Satan will find Him to be a worthless counselor!

We can see an example here of how foolish it will be for anyone to enter a conflict with the Lord!

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;

The Lord put a stop to Sennacherib.
The Lord has put a stop to many wicked rulers.
The Lord will put a stop to Satan! Satan is not God’s equal, he is only a tool in the hands of God!

*****Nah 1:12 Thus saith the LORD; Though they be quiet, and likewise many, yet thus shall they be cut down, when he shall pass through. Though I have afflicted thee, I will afflict thee no more.

Corrupt rulers most often bring ruin to their own nations.

In Hebrew, that word “quiet” means complete. No doubt the military of Assyria was well trained and battle hardened and they were complete in their ability for warfare. They were organized. They were disciplined. They had the proper equipment. That had many, they were an overwhelming force for any nation to overcome.

The Lord says even though this military was all these things, they would be cut down, they would be destroyed.

The Lord warns all those who rebel against Him, including all so-called powerful nations, they will cut down and destroyed when the Lord returns.

When that “one” Angel passed through the Assyrian army 185,000 were cut down.

Though the Lord had allowed these Jews to be afflicted by these Assyrians, He would not allow it to continue anymore!

*****Nah 1:13 For now will I break his yoke from off thee, and will burst thy bonds in sunder.

We should know that the affliction on God’s people was due to God’s discipline for rebellion!

God used this wicked king and his nation Assyria, to be the agent of this discipline.

We see this repeatedly in the Old Testament, and we can be sure God does the same today, not only to Israel but to other nations as well! “Wake up America”

Judah had paid tribute to Assyria from the time of King Ahab and sent presents to the king since the time of Kind Ahaz and were in bondage by the Assyrian army, the most powerful military of that day.

God is saying that He would remove this yoke of Assyria from Israel forever and we know that Assyria no longer exist as a nation!

In “typology” this should remind us that the Lord Jesus Christ has set each believer free from the bondage of Satan forever and after God is through using Satan for His agent of discipline, Satan will be put away, so we can consider that he will no longer exist. “This time gets closer with every passing day”!

Those Ninevite, by seeking to destroy Israel, would only cause their own destruction.

Again in “typology” we can see this happening in our world today, as the wicked followers of Satan try to destroy Christianity and Israel, they are only hastening their own destruction!

We must understand that the discipline of the Lord is used to cause rebellion to cease from His people. When we seek the Lord, we are very aware that we must put away all sin in our lives or the Lord will not hear our prayer.

Psa 66:18 If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me:

God will use whatever agent it takes to correct us and in most cases, it will be sinful people, but it can also be disease, or finances or sadly He may take away someone we love.

We can see that it is our own sin that can destroy our families and others we love!

God only disciplines us because He loves us!

Pro 3:11 My son, despise not the chastening of the LORD; neither be weary of his correction:
Pro 3:12 For whom the LORD loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.

In our discipline, God is fulfilling a promise He has made to us.

The Lord has promised to deliver us from the things that bring us into bondage in this life!

These include alcohol, drugs, foul language, even gluttony, and we must include all manner of sexual sin. Not only fornication and adultery, but also homosexuality. Sin is sin and God must deal with all sin that becomes a yoke of bondage in our life!

Through Jesus Christ the power of sin can be conquered along with the power of death!

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.

“wake up world”

What did God promise Israel?

*****Nah 1:14 And the LORD hath given a commandment concerning thee, that no more of thy name be sown: out of the house of thy gods will I cut off the graven image and the molten image: I will make thy grave; for thou art vile.
Nah 1:15 Behold upon the mountains the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace! O Judah, keep thy solemn feasts, perform thy vows: for the wicked shall no more pass through thee; he is utterly cut off.

God first addresses the Assyrians:

1) The Assyrian people would become extinct and we know that this has happened.

In “typology” we must understand that one day God will remove all unbelievers from this world.

2) In the middle of his house of worship, even among all the false gods of Sennacherib, God would take his life.

We know that two of the sons of Sennacherib murdered him as he worshipped in the place of his idols.

We see that sin destroys families!

3) We see that Sennacherib was certainly a type of the Antichrist because God said he was vile.

God said this man was useless, “he was weighed in the balances and found wanting”.

Dan 5:27 TEKEL; Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting.

The truth is, all those who have rejected the Lord Jesus Christ will face the “judgment” of God and because they are “vile” their names will be removed from ever existing, their names will not appear in the Lamb’s Book of life!

God guarantees the destruction of all evil in this world and none will be allowed in the New World to come!

2Pe 2:9 The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished:

God then turns His attention to Judah.

The purpose of God’s vengeance is to bring freedom and freedom of worship to His children!

God gives us the picture of a messenger racing over the hills to bring the good news that the enemy has been destroyed.

Rom 10:15 And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!

It is time for Judah to get back to the worship of their Savior. To perform the vows, they had made to the Lord. They could enjoy the peace that the Lord had provided. They had been delivered once again!

God promises each of us peace and He will deliver!
That peace of God can come only through Jesus Christ!
When we trust the Lord Jesus Christ as our Deliverer and our Savior we are to become faithful and consistent worshippers!
When we make a vow to the Lord, God expects us to keep it!

After we all we should all have the same understanding and the same goal!

Psa 27:1 The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
Psa 27:2 When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell.
Psa 27:3 Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident.
Psa 27:4 One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple.

Questions?

Let’s Pray!

The Vineyard of God

March 12, 2017 / Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

God’s Vineyard

Book of Isaiah 5

It will clear things up in this chapter if we understand this “vineyard” is a type of “Israel”.

Isa 5:7 For the “vineyard” of the LORD of hosts “is the house of Israel”, and the men of Judah his pleasant plant: and he looked for judgment, but behold oppression; for righteousness, but behold a cry.

We speak of parables often in the New Testament but there are also some parables in the Old Testament.

We must remember the truth of the parable.

A parable is an earthly story with a heavenly meaning and they are always 100% accurate!

We could also say that Isaiah, by the Holy Spirit has written a song about God’s chastisement of Israel.

*****Isa 5:1 Now will I sing to my wellbeloved a song of my beloved touching his vineyard. My wellbeloved hath a vineyard in a very fruitful hill:
Isa 5:2 And he fenced it, and gathered out the stones thereof, and planted it with the choicest vine, and built a tower in the midst of it, and also made a winepress therein: and he looked that it should bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes.

We could also say that this Singer is the Heavenly Father who is singing to His only begotten Son, the Son of God, with the song itself inspired by the Holy Spirit.

Mat_3:17 And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

It is only the Christian who will call the Lord, “My well-beloved” besides our “Father in Heaven”.

The truth of this song, this parable, is that God the Father, with His own hands, planted the nation of Israel when He called Abraham out of Ur and God did not plant Israel just anywhere but on a very fruitful hill. The “promised land”!

We can look at Israel today and see a land that blossoms because many the Jews have returned home to what was a wilderness that no one on this earth wanted until the Jews returned.

In the day of Isaiah, God is saying that there is no excuse for Israel not to produce fruit acceptable to the Lord! That also still holds for today!

God had placed His hedge of protection around this hill. God had gathered all the refuse and prepared the soil and God had only planted the choicest of vines. God cast out the abominations, all the inhabitants of Canaan and their idols and false gods, to make room for Israel.

God will clear the stumbling blocks from our path if we will only listen to Him. The “Choicest” of all vines is Christianity!

To the Jew, it is God’s promise to Abraham.

Gen 12:2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:
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.

When God builds His hedge of protection it means not only physical protection but it also means God has distinguished His people from all other laws and statutes and binds them to His own laws and statutes.

It was impossible to be a Jew and be freely attached to the rest of the world.

In fact it is impossible to be a Christian and still be a part of the rest of the world. We live in this world but we are not to be a part of this world!

Why is this so hard to understand?

God had built a tower, which means He would keep a watchful and protective eye on Israel at all times.

God had built a winepress also, because an abundance of fruit should have been forthcoming!

What happened? Only wild grapes grew, the choice vine withered! The Hebrew word “beushiym” means only poison berries or “stinking” “worthless” fruit grew from God’s vineyard.

God can say these things of His own children but it would not pay for the world to do so, the Lord is also a jealous God!

This is a sad commentary on the nation of Israel in this day! God still loved them but as far as spreading the Word of God to the known world of that day they were worthless to the Lord!

Jer 2:21 Yet I had planted thee a noble vine, wholly a right seed: how then art thou turned into the degenerate plant of a strange vine unto me?

God asks these same people, what else could He have done to produce good fruit?

*****Isa 5:3 And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem, and men of Judah, judge, I pray you, betwixt me and my vineyard.
Isa 5:4 What could have been done more to my vineyard, that I have not done in it? wherefore, when I looked that it should bring forth grapes, brought it forth wild grapes?

Remember this is a parable in a song, an earthly story with a heavenly truth.

1Ti 2:3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour;
1Ti 2:4 Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.

For those who will come face to face with the Lord at the “White Throne of Judgment”, I believe this question will be asked again and again, by the Lord.

What could God have done to make His salvation plan any more simple?

The truth is as always, most people just enjoy their sin to much to give it up!

When you enjoy your sin too much to give it up, then a lie becomes more acceptable than the truth!

As far as that vineyard is concerned, the farmer could not have done anything more to produce good fruit. So God says, “why should I be looking for good fruit, when nothing but bad fruit grows”.

As far as Judah, and most of these people were of Judah, nothing else could have been done!

Jesus said:

Luk 18:8 I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. “Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth”?

The Lord Jesus will ask many, what else could have been done, because Jesus has given all He had in Heaven and His own life here on Earth that we can be saved!

We must also understand that the “Bride of Christ” is fashioned much like this vineyard of Isaiah’s prophesy.

God’s “church” consists of a people that the Lord has chosen (the choice vine), then planted on fertile ground and “all the needs” to produce good fruit, has been provided!

What is the truth of God?

Rom 11:20 Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear:
Rom 11:21 For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee.
Rom 11:22 Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off.

SO, God says: “let me tell you what I am going to do”

*****Isa 5:5 And now go to; I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard: I will take away the hedge thereof, and it shall be eaten up; and break down the wall thereof, and it shall be trodden down:
Isa 5:6 And I will lay it waste: it shall not be pruned, nor digged; but there shall come up briers and thorns: I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it.
Isa 5:7 For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah his pleasant plant: and he looked for judgment, but behold oppression; for righteousness, but behold a cry.

What is the one and only thing that God did? God removed His hedge of protection!

The only thing God has to do to destroy this world is to remove His hand of protection, humans will destroy themselves and this planet we live on!

We see that this is certainly much more than a parable because this passage fully explains what happened to Israel all these years, since that time.

We must understand where there is the privilege of God’s protection, then comes obligation and/or duty.

As Christians we are responsible for the privileges that God gives to us!

To some, to accept the Lord is just to miss on Hell but much, much more, is truly expected from God’s people but God still allows us to make choices!

My Pastor says all the time that the Holy Spirit was not given to us for our “enjoyment” because He was to given to us for our “employment”!

We don’t put on the armor of God just sit around and do nothing, nor do we put it on for our own protection, we put on the armor of God to go to war with the evil in this world!

We will have already secured our place in the New Heaven!

If the Lord had expected good fruit from His chosen nation, then what does the Lord expect from His chosen people, the Church?

The fruit that God expects in each and every one of us, “is the reproduction of the Lord’s own Divine nature” in as many others as we can reach with the “Gospel”.

How was man first created?

Gen 1:27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

This image of God, was lost by Adam when sin was found in him!

Gen 3:17 And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;
Gen 3:18 Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field;
Gen 3:19 In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.

God’s purpose in each of us, is when He can see His own moral likeness formed in us, as we grow in the Lord!

It is to be through the covenant promises, that Israel will have the opportunity to be restored to God’s “Grace”!

The Church is to understand and promote these things!

Rom 11:27 For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.
Rom 11:28 As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the fathers’ sakes.
***Rom 11:29 For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.
Rom 11:30 For as ye in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief:
**Rom 11:31 Even so have these also now not believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy.

Knowing these things we see that God pronounced “woe” on all unbelievers.

*****Isa 5:8 Woe unto them that join house to house, that lay field to field, till there be no place, that they may be placed alone in the midst of the earth!
Isa 5:9 In mine ears said the LORD of hosts, Of a truth many houses shall be desolate, even great and fair, without inhabitant.
Isa 5:10 Yea, ten acres of vineyard shall yield one bath, and the seed of an homer shall yield an ephah.

A “woe” is a strong warning from God! From the time of Isaiah and on through our day there continues to be an absorption of small properties by wealthy landowners and after this, next comes evictions.

In Israel when Joshua divided the lands that land was to remain in that family!

In the day of Isaiah this meant a loss of rights of ownership and in some cases even all rights of citizenship. Today even our own government plays this evil game with it’s own people.

I can recall the day when the government was called the government of the people and for the people but it seems that all this has changed!

Mic 2:2 And they covet fields, and take them by violence; and houses, and take them away: so they oppress a man and his house, even a man and his heritage.

When this happens, honest people become no more than slaves! The public that was once to be served by the government is reversed and it is the people who become the servants. Today in America, many have just accepted this role and about half of our nation even prefer it. Who can figure that one out?

Needless to say God does not like these things. As Christians we were once slaves to Satan and have been redeemed by the blood of Jesus no longer to be slaves of anyone especially our own government!

All lands belong to God and He has determined where we shall live. He will also determine if we need to relocate. If the water is rising where you live maybe you built to close to that water or it’s time to move. If you have a continuous drought year after year, maybe you need to relocate rather than blame others.

It is certain that God never intended for a few rich greedy people to possess all the lands.

It is also certain that God never intended for government rights to supercede the rights of the people!

God said the land would become desolate and even unproductive without the people living on it.

This is exactly what happened to Israel’s homeland when the Jews were physically removed by foreign governments. It seems that the world has forgotten this.

What is their sin?

Exo 20:17 Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour’s.

And God continues:

*****Isa 5:11 Woe unto them that rise up early in the morning, that they may follow strong drink; that continue until night, till wine inflame them!
Isa 5:12 And the harp, and the viol, the tabret, and pipe, and wine, are in their feasts: but they regard not the work of the LORD, neither consider the operation of his hands.
Isa 5:13 Therefore my people are gone into captivity, because they have no knowledge: and their honourable men are famished, and their multitude dried up with thirst.
Isa 5:14 Therefore hell hath enlarged herself, and opened her mouth without measure: and their glory, and their multitude, and their pomp, and he that rejoiceth, shall descend into it.
Isa 5:15 And the mean man shall be brought down, and the mighty man shall be humbled, and the eyes of the lofty shall be humbled.

A person is considered to be drunk when they can no longer function in a normal capacity!

In many cases this is the same time that the urge to consume more occurs and this is when this person is in a state of danger to himself as he has already past that degree of danger to all others.

We should clear up a point before we go any further.

Most people have a belief that God says we should live our life in moderation. They believe there is no sin when we self-govern our desires, our use, and our enjoyment to the things that pertain to this world and they include alcohol and drugs.

To be totally clear there can be no acceptable moderation in sin of any kind!

Though there be other things also, there can be no acceptable moderation in the drinking of alcohol!

Pro 23:29 Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions? who hath babbling? who hath wounds without cause? who hath redness of eyes?
Pro 23:30 They that tarry long at the wine; they that go to seek mixed wine.
Pro 23:31 Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright.
Pro 23:32 At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder.

If we are not to look upon wine and strong drink then surely we are not to drink it and God does not ever change, so it is never an acceptable practice!

In fact all substance abusers will fall into this same category!

They start drinking in the morning and drink until late into the night.
They go to drunken parties.
They listen to seductive music.
They engage in immoral activities.
They entice as many others as they can to join in their sinful behavior.
They disregard the fact that by “faith” in the work of the Lord, they can be relieved of all these evil things and forgiven.
They give no thought to the “judgment” of the Lord.

We see that word “therefore” which means because of these things.

Just as God had become nauseated by the false worship, God says, the land itself would spue out it’s inhabitants and we know that all of Israel went into captivity. The Northern tribes by the Assyrians and the Southern Tribes by Nebuchadnezzar.

All because they had rejected the Word of God!

In fact Jerusalem would be surrounded and all food and water would be cut off and certainly the honorable men would famish in hunger and many would die of thirst.

Death to many today, is conceived as a devouring monster.

There has never been a day since the time of Cain that this world has not seen death!

It is a fact, that death has an enormous appetite that can only be quenched by the Lord Jesus!

Satan may have had some power to influence death and he holds it over the heads of those who reject the Lord but reality death has a new Master, the Lord Jesus Christ! God has always had control of life!

Rev 1:18 I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and “have the keys of hell and of death”.

All those who reject the Lord Jesus Christ, have doomed themselves to death and the grave and then eternal damnation!

God created the Burning Lake of fire for the Satan and the angels that followed him but Hell has had to enlarge itself over and over again to accept those whose father is the Devil.

Pro 27:20 Hell and destruction are never full; so the eyes of man are never satisfied.

Not only do the rich and the poor fall into the same trap but at every age since the beginning of time, these things have not changed. It seems we can never learn from the mistakes of the past and we have certainly rejected the lessons learned from the past!

What is the truth? The people of this earth wallow in their own dillusions!

God says, the mean man shall be brought down.
God says, the mighty man shall be humbled.
God says, the eyes of the lofty shall be humbled.

These things will happen because God will “judge” this world in righteousness!

*****Isa 5:16 But the LORD of hosts shall be exalted in judgment, and God that is holy shall be sanctified in righteousness.
Isa 5:17 Then shall the lambs feed after their manner, and the waste places of the fat ones shall strangers eat.

What is the reality of God’s “Judgment”?

God “insist” that this world follow in His righteousness and God’s “judgment” will allow this to happen.

We know the Lord of Host, as the Lord Jesus Christ, they are one and the same!

Jesus Christ is the Lord of the armies of Heaven:

Christ Jesus is truly God over all things and He is certainly Holy!

“Righteousness”, means God will only do things that are always the right thing to do!

And what happens after the “judgment of God”.

There are two ways to look at this Scripture.

1) The judgment of God brought utter devastation to Jerusalem in the time of Titus of Rome. Foreign nations swept across Israel destroying everything in their path, leaving behind only a place fit to graze sheep upon.

Isa 32:14 Because the palaces shall be forsaken; the multitude of the city shall be left; the forts and towers shall be for dens for ever, a joy of wild asses, a pasture of flocks;

Isa 32:15 Until the spirit be poured upon us from on high, and the wilderness be a fruitful field, and the fruitful field be counted for a forest.

2) This wilderness will become fruitful and the redeemed of the Lord will feed without fear and the Gentiles who had never heard the Word of God, who are aliens from the common wealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of the Lord, can now be fed in the waste places of the fat ones.

Amo 9:14 And I will bring again the captivity of my people of Israel, and they shall build the waste cities, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and drink the wine thereof; they shall also make gardens, and eat the fruit of 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.

So God continues, woe to them that reject the truth.

*****Isa 5:18 Woe unto them that draw iniquity with cords of vanity, and sin as it were with a cart rope:
Isa 5:19 That say, Let him make speed, and hasten his work, that we may see it: and let the counsel of the Holy One of Israel draw nigh and come, that we may know it!

If we can imagine a spiders web, we can understand these are cords of vanity. Each sin then is like unto a small strand of the spiders web that is fragile and easily broken but as each sin is added it becomes part of a web that becomes strong enough to trap the innocent and lead them to their eternal death.

In the end, that multitude of sin draws on one another until sin becomes as a cart rope from which we are unable to free ourselves and we become slaves to another master, which is Satan.

Job 8:13 So are the paths of all that forget God; and the hypocrite’s hope shall perish:
Job 8:14 Whose hope shall be cut off, and whose trust shall be a spider’s web.

These are the same people who reject the Word of God and reject that God will punish anyone.

They do not believe any of God’s prophets and they reject any and all warnings from the Word of God!

God says that those that think in this fashion are simply “fools”!

Psa 14:1 The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.
Psa 14:2 The LORD looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God.
Psa 14:3 They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one.

But God still warns the others:

*****Isa 5:20 Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!

There is no better day than today, when we can openly see these things right before our eyes!

It seems that our society seeks an excuse to accept every sin of the human imagination!

They say, thief is only a thief because of the way he was raised and deserve pity rather than punishment.
They say, the murderer was abused when they were young and deserve pity rather than punishment.
They say, Even the terrorist who has allowed a twisted religion to control his life, deserves our pity rather than punishment.
They say, that people should be able to determine if they are are male or female in their own minds and live accordingly.

God says they have only become “reprobates”!

And all those that think differently are now considered to be evil!

There are also those who rely on religion and religious practices rather than “faith” in the Lord Jesus Christ and even Jesus is looked upon as evil and the blood of Jesus is looked upon as filth.

There are those who pick and choose from the Word of God, like they are in some cafeteria with a menu, when all the Word of God rightly divided is to be followed.

Then there are those who love the praise of men more than they love the praise of God!

The truth is, whatever doctrine that is contrary to the nature and the attributes of God is then evil and there can be no excuses for sin!

We are to always hate sin but we are never to hate the sinner. This is showing pity to that sinner but the punishment for sin must still be administered and those that know the truth of God and do the truth of God, are never to be considered evil.

If God is not good, because He says He is, then the Word of God is only a book of lies, which is certainly not true!

God has no evil in Him at all, because He is a righteous God, which means God always does things that are the right thing to do because this is His true nature!

We live in a world today where most of mankind have lost the notions of what is good and what is evil!
We live in a world that is confused about morality!
We live in a world today that is sinking deeper and deeper into sin.
We live in a world today where a group of people have declared that they have the right to live their life in any way that they please and no one has the right to tell them differently!
We live in a world today where people’s values have become totally twisted and polluted, in fact perverted!

Rom 1:32 Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.

Evil is called good and good is called evil and those that disagree are called deplorables!

Whatever people decide to do, they feel they have the freedom to do so and no one has the freedom to stop them!

Pro 17:15 He that justifieth the wicked, and he that condemneth the just, even they both are abomination to the LORD.

But God is not yet through:

*****Isa 5:21 Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!

The truth is, as a people, especially the people of so-called rich nations and nations that rely on might, there exist a delusive estimate of human wisdom which brings with it the worst form of “pride”.

What does God say”

Jas 3:13 Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom.
Jas 3:14 But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth.
Jas 3:15 This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish.
Jas 3:16 For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.
Jas 3:17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.

No doubt that this part of Isaiah’s vision is centered on the politicians and the so-called elite of our world.

These are some of the same ones who deny the Word of God and rely on so-called scientist, who have already gone against the the description of true science and no longer depend on facts but only on conjecture without actual proof. Theory, and wrong theory have overcome the science world!

Much money could be saved if the world would just hire the soothsayer or the astrologer because there is not much difference in them and what is called science today!

Self-conceit causes ignorance and vanity, but never true wisdom!

Pro 26:12 Seest thou a man wise in his own conceit? there is more hope of a fool than of him.

The truth is we live a world ruled by reprobates and fools, who have deceived even their own selves and the rest just see an opportunity to get rich off of that deception!

And again God mentions those who drink of alcohol:

*****Isa 5:22 Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink:
Isa 5:23 Which justify the wicked for reward, and take away the righteousness of the righteous from him!

How can there be so many instances in the Word of God, where God condemns alcoholic beverages and so many teach that moderation still is the rule. These are some of the same who have rejected the truth of God!

This would also include any and all substances that can alter the mind!

Those who want a high should try to get high on the Holy Spirit, there is no greater realism of awareness!

No doubt that this Scripture makes reference to unjust lawyers and unjust judges who are not fit to sit in judgment of people, who do the same thing.

These same people should never judge people who abide by the Word of God!

The truth is, they will only judge for rewards of some sort. Not all rewards are financial! Some rewards come from being moved to a higher bench just because they are willing to go along with others who reject the truth of God. They make up the laws as they go!

Pro 29:26 Many seek the ruler’s favour; but every man’s judgment cometh from the LORD.
Pro 29:27 An unjust man is an abomination to the just: and he that is upright in the way is abomination to the wicked.

Now we will see that word “therefore” which means because of all these things comes the “judgment of God”.

*****Isa 5:24 “Therefore” as the fire devoureth the stubble, and the flame consumeth the chaff, so their root shall be as rottenness, and their blossom shall go up as dust: because they have cast away the law of the LORD of hosts, and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.

When we began it was noted that Israel was God’s vineyard, so we can see how great was this ruin of Israel.

The key sin was that they had “cast away the law of the Lord of hosts (Jesus Christ is the Lord of the angelic host and the armies of God) and they had despised the Word of God. (The “Grace Of God” had been received in vain!)

Now we know that God does not ever change, so these things will hold true for all who do these things!

We can definitely see that these are the things that will bring the wrath of God!

Again that word “therefore” for these reasons:

*****Isa 5:25 “Therefore” is the anger of the LORD kindled against his people, and he hath stretched forth his hand against them, and hath smitten them: and the hills did tremble, and their carcases were torn in the midst of the streets. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.
Isa 5:26 And he will lift up an ensign to the nations from far, and will hiss unto them from the end of the earth: and, behold, they shall come with speed swiftly:
Isa 5:27 None shall be weary nor stumble among them; none shall slumber nor sleep; neither shall the girdle of their loins be loosed, nor the latchet of their shoes be broken:
Isa 5:28 Whose arrows are sharp, and all their bows bent, their horses’ hoofs shall be counted like flint, and their wheels like a whirlwind:
Isa 5:29 Their roaring shall be like a lion, they shall roar like young lions: yea, they shall roar, and lay hold of the prey, and shall carry it away safe, and none shall deliver it.

God’s judgment will be quick and it will be sudden and it will be complete!

The reason for God’s judgment is unmistakable! These people had rejected the Word of God!

The Word of God is not only a guide for this life but a guide to lead us to eternal life!

God will begin with a great earthquake:

Isa 29:8 It shall even be as when an hungry man dreameth, and, behold, he eateth; but he awaketh, and his soul is empty: or as when a thirsty man dreameth, and, behold, he drinketh; but he awaketh, and, behold, he is faint, and his soul hath appetite: so shall the multitude of all the nations be, that fight against mount Zion.

The Apostle Paul wrote these words by the Holy Spirit:

Rom 11:7 What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded
Rom 11:8 (According as it is written, God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear;) unto this day.

We should understand that it was Isaiah who prophesied of this time in which Israel is still in even in this day!

Isa 29:10 For the LORD hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep, and hath closed your eyes: the prophets and your rulers, the seers hath he covered.

God’s hand is still stretched out against Israel and will remain so until Israel as a nation and as a people return to the Lord.

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.

These things are not said about any other people and Israel will not return to the Lord until they go through the 7 year tribulation period and at the Second Coming of the Lord. (Verse 26)

Zec 10:8 I will hiss for them, and gather them; for I have redeemed them: and they shall increase as they have increased.

They will in that day return speedily to the Lord!

Though many will come from long distances, none will be weary.
None of them will stumble or fail to get to the Lord they, will easily overcome all the difficulties.
They shall not desire even to rest as they are prepared to serve the Lord of Host.
Nothing on this earth can stop them from going home!

As the battle draws near they will roar with enthusiasm and this roaring will terrify their enemies!

As the world is in the darkness of Armageddon, a light from Heaven will light the way of God’s redeemed!

So, we see the warning has been issued. God will one day judge this earth!

There is coming a day when everyone will give an account for what they have done!

Those that have accepted the truth of the Word of God, whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life will miss the Great Tribulation and return with the Lord at His Second Coming!

Those Jews who have returned to the Lord will go through the Tribulation and return to the Lord before Armageddon.

Those who are saved during the tribulation period will for the most part become martyr’s and also return with the Lord.

Those that have rejected the Word of God and His Lord of Host, “Jesus Christ” will be consumed in the flames of the Burning Lake of Fire, along with Satan, the False Prophet, and the False Spirit of evil.

What is the truth?

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.

There is really not that much time to accept the calling of God, because we simply do not know the day of our death.

As each day passes we are another day closer to the return of the Lord and when He returns it will be very quick!

Rev 22:12 And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.
Rev 22:13 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.

Questions?

Let’s Pray!

The Prophet Joel

August 23, 2015 / Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

Joel God’s Prophet Of Judgment

Book of Joel Chapters 2 and 3

Joel was a prophet to Judah of the Southern Kingdom and was one of the earliest of the writing prophets.

The name Joel means “Jehovah is God”.

Again nothing much is known about this prophet except that he lived in Jerusalem and his father’s name was Pethuel. The name Pethuel means “mouth of God”.

In other words Our Heavenly Father was also claimed by Joel, just as all those that know the Lord as our Heavenly Father.

Joel’s message speaks much of the soon coming “Day of the Lord” and with that, God’s judgment of all the nations that have rejected the Scriptures.

We know that the Book of Joel was recognized as the actual Word of God by the Apostle Peter when he quoted from the Book of Joel in his sermon on the Day of Pentecost just a few days after the Lord Jesus had returned to His throne in Heaven.

Peter said:

Act 2:16 But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel;
Act 2:17 And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams:
Act 2:18 And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy:
Act 2:19 And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke:
Act 2:20 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come:
Act 2:21 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Peter believed he was living in a part of fulfilled prophesy in that same day when 3000 people came to know the Lord Jesus as their personal Savior.

We are wrong if we do not have the same faith that Peter had!

The Holy Spirit was poured out on the Church that day and the New Testament Church had it’s beginning.

That phrase “the Day of the Lord” can be found 31 times in the Scriptures and there are even more references to this soon coming day, because we are closer than we have ever been to the Day of the Lord!

It is on this day that all sinners will be destroyed!

Isa 13:9 Behold, “the day of the LORD cometh”, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it.

The Message of Joel:

*****Joe 2:12 Therefore also now, saith the LORD, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning:

Up until this point in the Book of Joel, he has described a terrible plague of locusts that had come into Judah.

An invasion of locusts is one of the heaviest calamities that can befall any nation.

The Jews said these pests could not be numbered.

The Arabs said there were so many that they could darken the Sun and locusts do not fly at night.

The Italians called them “the little horse”.

God said the locusts have no king but they could move as being directed by a supreme leader.

Pro 30:27 The locusts have no king, yet go they forth all of them by bands;

And Joel says when they die their decaying bodies caused a stench that could taint the air for miles.

Joe 2:20 But I will remove far off from you the northern army, and will drive him into a land barren and desolate, with his face toward the east sea, and his hinder part toward the utmost sea, and his stink shall come up, and his ill savour shall come up, because he hath done great things.

The result of such a plague of locusts is total devastation to the land!

Deu 28:42 All thy trees and fruit of thy land shall the locust consume.

And Joel says the on “the Day of the Lord” the circumstances will be the same. The land will be devastated and the armies that come against Israel will lay on the ground and their bodies will stench up the air.

Isa 66:23 And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the LORD.
Isa 66:24 And they shall go forth, and look upon the carcases of the men that have transgressed against me: for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh.

Our verse says the only way to avoid this “Day of the Lord” is to repent!

The most important word in this verse is “turn”!

True repentance consists of the “immediate” turning away from the things of this world and then a complete “turn” toward the face of God!

We should always seek the face of the Lord before we ever seek the arm of the Lord!

This turning must include a “sincere” deep “sorrow” for sin and that sorrow must come from “within” the heart!

Fasting in this verse is abstaining from the things of this world and seeking the nourishment of God.

God has provided a complete nourishment in the completed Word of God!

Weeping in this verse is the inward conversion of the heart after reviewing the sins of the past and to hate and forsake them!

Mourning here is the confessing of our faults knowing, no one on this Earth can repair that feeling of loneliness!

That repair can only come from above!

And must include the heart:

*****Joe 2:13 And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil.

The Jews would rip their garments into pieces as a sign of remorse but God says it will take more than an outward show of remorse, it must be an inward thing.

Psa 51:17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.

God will not accept anything less than these all things in true repentance!

True repentance of sin requires a deeper grief, because we must learn to hate sin while maintaining a love for the sinner!

These are the only things that will cause God to repent of the evil that is in store for each unrepentant sinner!

God hates to do evil but He must fulfill the Word of God as it is written!

Even Jonah knew this to be true of the Lord!

Jon 4:2 And he prayed unto the LORD, and said, I pray thee, O LORD, was not this my saying, when I was yet in my country? Therefore I fled before unto Tarshish: for I knew that thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repentest thee of the evil.

We must never forget the wages of sin are still “DEATH”!

True repentance of Sin, brings “LIFE” but only by Jesus Christ!

Rom 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

*****Joe 2:14 Who knoweth if he will return and repent, and leave a blessing behind him; even a meat offering and a drink offering unto the LORD your God?

In this day of Joel, God had visited His people and had left behind the curse of the locusts but upon repentance when the Lord returns, God will leave behind a blessing!

Those locust had devastated the land. These Jews were required by the Laws of Moses to offer up a meat offering to the Lord but that was now impossible.

Lev 2:1 And when any will offer a meat offering unto the LORD, his offering shall be of fine flour; and he shall pour oil upon it, and put frankincense thereon:

These Jews were to offer up a drink offering to the Lord which was also now impossible because of those same locusts.

Lev 23:37 These are the feasts of the LORD, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, to offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD, a burnt offering, and a meat offering, a sacrifice, and drink offerings, every thing upon his day:

In that day there was no forgiveness of sin unless these offerings were made and unless they repented of their sins only then would God change a curse into a blessing. They could never be forgiven without such an offering and they clearly understood the outcome of these things.

Every individual sinner must realize these same things!

God simply says “I tell you these things that you may know” the truth!

1Jn 5:11 And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
1Jn 5:12 He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.
1Jn 5:13 These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; “that ye may know” that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.

It is true repentance that restores our relationship with the Lord!

*****Joe 2:18 Then will the LORD be jealous for his land, and pity his people.
Joe 2:19 Yea, the LORD will answer and say unto his people, Behold, I will send you corn, and wine, and oil, and ye shall be satisfied therewith: and I will no more make you a reproach among the heathen:

What is he truth of Scripture?

Once God sees true repentance, then and only then, will God be jealous for His land and pity His people!

This is the change in God that repentance brings!

This is best described as “Mercy”.

Mercy is best described as compassion for the miserable!

We are all miserable sinners, each and everyone!

In Christ Jesus “Mercy” and “Truth” come together in the only means of salvation for a lost and miserable people!

Jesus teaches us all to be compassionate and show mercy to all others as He has done to those that repent!

Mat 18:33 Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee?

We need to clearly understand that God has deep and strong emotions for those that place their trust and their faith in Him!

God becomes a Father to all those that call on His name and He will provide all the things we need and most important, protect us from the coming destruction of this world!

Repentance may not bring healing from the pain of sin.

Repentance may not erase the sad memories of our past.

Repentance may not restore the things we lost in our sinful life.

Repentance “does” restore us to a position of peace with the only One who can do all these things if He so chooses!

And it is God Himself who will take vengeance on all our enemies!

All these things are true for all those that repent and call on the name of the Lord!

*****Joe 2:32 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the LORD hath said, and in the remnant whom the LORD shall call.

This prophesy of Joel spans the years this prophesy and was revealed on through the Church Age and on through the Second Coming of the Lord when He will also save that remnant of the Jews!

Paul wrote:

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

These words had not changed in the nearly 1000 years before Paul and these words will hold true until the return of Christ Jesus!

A call on the Messiah is a call on our Father in Heaven!

Deliverance is a release from captivity!

Deliverance is a release from the slavery to Satan!

Deliverance is a release from the oppression of a sinful life!

Deliverance is a release from the bondage of sin!

Jesus said of His first mission:

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.

We can see that by the Holy Spirit, it can only be Jesus Christ who can fulfill the prophesy of Joel!

After explaining the means of salvation Joel then takes us to the judgment on the nations and the foolish people who reject the Word of God.

*****Joe 3:2 I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land.

The land promised to Abraham, from the Nile River to the Euphrates River has been “parted” by many nations in the more than 4000 years since Abraham.

In 1948 just part of this land was divided between Israel and Jordan by the United Nations.

In fact this passage could be read that God will judge those United Nations, who have done such a thing, all the way back to the Roman league of nations and on through those of Nebuchadnezzar.

All nations, each and everyone, that are united against the nation of Israel will be judged by the Lord!

The name Jehoshaphat means “whom Jehovah judges” and with this meaning this could simply mean the place of God’s final judgment on all the foes of Israel!

Isaiah writes these things:

Isa 66:5 Hear the word of the LORD, ye that tremble at his word; Your brethren that hated you, that cast you out for my name’s sake, said, Let the LORD be glorified: but he shall appear to your joy, and they shall be ashamed.
Isa 66:6 A voice of noise from the city, a voice from the temple, a voice of the LORD that rendereth recompence to his enemies.

God says He will just speak and it will happen, much like the first week of creation!

Zechariah writes these things:

Zec 14:1 Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee.
Zec 14:2 For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city.
Zec 14:3 Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle.

And the Apostle John wrote these things:

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.

These words are the truth as much as all the Word of God is true!

God will certainly judge all nations that have caused harm to Israel along with all those that reject the truth of the Word of God!

It is this battle that the Lord will end with the “Sword Of His Mouth” that will usher in the 1000 year Millennial Rule of the Lord.

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.

Even King Jehoshaphat knew this truth:

2Ch 20:20 And they rose early in the morning, and went forth into the wilderness of Tekoa: and as they went forth, Jehoshaphat stood and said, Hear me, O Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem; “Believe in the LORD your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper”.
2Ch 20:21 And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers unto the LORD, and that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army, and to say, Praise the LORD; for his mercy endureth for ever.

It should also be noted that this judgment is two-fold, those nations that have treated Israel poorly will see the wrath of God but those nations that have treated Israel good will earn God’s blessing and be a part of the Millennial Kingdom!

*****Joe 3:11 Assemble yourselves, and come, all ye heathen, and gather yourselves together round about: thither cause thy mighty ones to come down, O LORD.
Joe 3:12 Let the heathen be wakened, and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat: for there will I sit to judge all the heathen round about.

It should be very clear to this world that there is coming a judgment!

Because God is holy, He must judge all that is unholy or He would no longer be holy!

Judgment is a necessary expression of God’s character!

BUT, God’s judgment will be fair and according to the truth of Scripture!

Rom 2:2 But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such things.

Notice God will judge all the heathen!

We have already established that the heathen are all those that reject the Word of God!

At this time God will judge all the nations from all parts of the Earth and not just the nations that surround Israel!

Zec 12:9 And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.

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.
Mal 4:3 And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the LORD of hosts.

And though they hate His name, it is the Lord Jesus Christ who will cause this judgment to take place!

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.

Mat 16:27 For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.

These things were not written to be a threat. These things are simply the truth of the Word of God and not some fable from some old book that is rejected by most of this world!

*****Joe 3:13 Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe: come, get you down; for the press is full, the fats overflow; for their wickedness is great.

When the judgment of God comes to this Earth it will be because wickedness has reached the point of it’s maturity.

An example is given in the Book of Genesis:

Gen 15:14 And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance.
Gen 15:15 And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age.
Gen 15:16 But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full.

And the Amorites no longer exist!

It may surprise many to know but there have been at least 7 nations in the last 100 years that no longer exist as a nation!

We know from the Book of Revelation, that the world in the end times will be spiritually and physically as wicked Babylon!

Jeremiah prophesied of the end times:

Jer 51:33 For thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; The daughter of Babylon is like a threshingfloor, it is time to thresh her: yet a little while, and the time of her harvest shall come.

And the Apostle John wrote of this day:

Rev 14:18 And another angel came out from the altar, which had power over fire; and cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle, saying, Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe.
Rev 14:19 And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God.
Rev 14:20 And the winepress was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs.

God will have extended every opportunity for our world to change but the world will continue to hate the Lord and hate the the New Testament Church.

Joh 15:18 If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you.
Joh 15:19 If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.

*****Joe 3:14 Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision.

Sin will have caused the conversion all the instruments of peace into implements of war on this day and most of the world will defy our holy Living God!

All evil will present itself ready for destruction, because sin will have reached the limit that God had placed upon it!

To become a Christian, a decision must be made before the end of our lifetime and the sooner the better!

Many will say they are just not ready to make that decision.

In fact the sadness and the gloom of our world are mainly due to the indecision of it’s people!

Abortion continues, because even though most of the world deplores this thing they remain silent and so it continues.

The gay lifestyle continues because even though most of the world deplores such immorality they remain silent and undecided, so it continues.

This is true for most every other immoral act that continues in our world today!

The world simply will not speak out against sin but remains tolerant to sin, saying people have rights to sin.

The Word of God says this is not true!

AND, On the “day of the Lord” no one will emerge until they have made a decision right or wrong!

There will be no indecision from anyone living that day!

As each branch of theology matures during the Church Age, which will end at the Rapture which will take place before the “Day of the Lord” we must come to a decision with regard to Jesus Christ and for those who cannot, they will see the “Day of the Lord” where all decisions are final!

1) It is Jesus Christ who revealed God to this world!

2) It is Jesus Christ who removed all barriers to the throne room of God!

3) It is Jesus Christ who provides the only means of salvation!

The world must accept these truths to find their way out of the valley of decision!

*****Joe 3:15 The sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall withdraw their shining.

The biggest conversation in our world today has changed from global warming to climate change and nations are beginning to bring lawsuits against other nations who they deem responsible for these things.

Our own President says climate change is our greatest foe in the years to come.

This evil world will find that on and even nearer to the “Day of the Lord” all of nature and all the agencies of our universe will aid in the defeat of all immoral evil and wickedness and that day is closer than it has ever been!

Isa 13:9 Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it.
Isa 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.
Isa 13:11 And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible.

*****Joe 3:16 The LORD also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the LORD will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel.

Jesus Christ the innocent Lamb of God, will be the mighty Lion of the tribe of Judah and will defiantly roar on this day!

He will be heard far and near and He will strike fear and terror into the hearts of all His enemies!

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.

But those of the nation of Israel will not see terror but only hope!

Because God is a refuge to all those that trust in Him!

There are three things that a Christian has, that most of the world does not have.

1Co 13:13 And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

Hope is an essential element of Christian life!

The little nation of Israel, on the “Day of the Lord” will realize this same hope that the Church has always had since the time of His resurrection!

Unbelievers live in a world of no hope and this is a very miserable place to be!

It is our hope that keeps us motivated to serve the Lord!

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.
Rom 5:3 And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;
Rom 5:4 And patience, experience; and experience, hope:
Rom 5:5 And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.

And where there is hope there is strength!

*****Joe 3:17 So shall ye know that I am the LORD your God dwelling in Zion, my holy mountain: then shall Jerusalem be holy, and there shall no strangers pass through her any more.

The truth is that when Solomon dedicated the Temple in Jerusalem, the glory of the Lord came down and filled that building.

Mount Zion, where Jerusalem was built, belongs to God and no one on this planet can claim ownership of this place because it is God’s!

Psa 87:2 The LORD loveth the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob.
Psa 87:3 Glorious things are spoken of thee, O city of God. Selah.

When the Temple was destroyed, the Scriptures have said that the Temple will be restored and God’s glory will return.

Psa 69:35 For God will save Zion, and will build the cities of Judah: that they may dwell there, and have it in possession.

The Nation of Israel has since been restored to that land in 1948 and in 1967 Jerusalem once again came back into the hands of God’s people!

Today the people of Israel battle daily just to walk on the Temple Mount but there is no Temple at this time, instead a mosque to a false god sits on the Temple Mount.

God has promised to restore Zion and to dwell there this time in all His glory!

Isa 51:3 For the LORD shall comfort Zion: he will comfort all her waste places; and he will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the LORD; joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving, and the voice of melody.

As the Church we know this time as the reign of God during the Millennial Kingdom!

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.

Jer 31:6 For there shall be a day, that the watchmen upon the mount Ephraim shall cry, Arise ye, and let us go up to Zion unto the LORD our God.

Mic 4:1 But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it.

Zec 1:16 Therefore thus saith the LORD; I am returned to Jerusalem with mercies: my house shall be built in it, saith the LORD of hosts, and a line shall be stretched forth upon Jerusalem.

Many claim these Scriptures refer to the physical city of Jerusalem.

Many claim these Scriptures refer to the spiritual city of New Jerusalem.

The fact is that is both!

The Lord will restore the physical city of Jerusalem and Mount Zion and the throne of David and rule in that place for 1000 years.

It is only after this 1000 years that the New Jerusalem will be occupied by all the children of God!

Jerusalem is called the Holy City many times in the Bible and the word Holy means that Jerusalem belongs to God!

Isa 4:3 And it shall come to pass, that he that is left in Zion, and he that remaineth in Jerusalem, shall be called holy, even every one that is written among the living in Jerusalem:
Isa 4:4 When the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and shall have purged the blood of Jerusalem from the midst thereof by the spirit of judgment, and by the spirit of burning.

It is only after this time that things become Spiritual!

*****Joe 3:20 But Judah shall dwell for ever, and Jerusalem from generation to generation.

The lessons from the Book of Joel are these:

1) There will be a time of judgment for this world and it is best known as “The Day Of The Lord”!

The calls for repentance will be over, at least temporarily, and retribution will commence!

2) As Peter stated along with Joel, God is very patient with a disobedient world because His “Mercy Endureth Forever”.

3) God’s blessings of the Holy Spirit. These blessings are for all people, in all ages. God may have selected one nation as a peculiar people to bring forth His message but “Whosoever Calleth On The Name Of The Lord Shall Be Saved”!

4) God’s people will have the final victory! “We Are On The Winning Side”!

It may seem that evil is going to triumph and Jerusalem is trodden down, but the promises of God are sure and a remnant of the Jews will eventually accept the Messiah for who He is!

Until that Day Of The Lord, it is the Church that is God’s tool of salvation and we must not remain lax in the work God has given us to do!

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

Questions?

Let’s Pray!

LESSONS IN GOD'S WORD

Taking time to read the Bible

God’s Prophets

Israel Will Have a New King

God’s Righteousness Revealed

The Fall of Nineveh

The Vineyard of God

The Prophet Joel

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