Mount Zion

It is Jehovah Who Chose Zion

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

The Praise of Mount Zion

Book of Psalms Chapter 48

As we watch what is going on in Israel today, we might ask ourselves how many times have efforts been made to destroy Israel and annihilate the Jewish people but they have failed every time.

We know that Hitler had six million Jews slaughtered.

God has made certain promises to Israel and God has never broken a promise He has made to anyone!

One man wrote, that the story of Mount Zion in the Bible is both miraculous and awe-inspiring.

The events that took place on and around this mountain shaped the course of history and the development of Christianity.

In the Bible, this mountain is mentioned numerous times, and the importance of Zion should not be underestimated.

That word Zion is used one hundred and fifty-three times in the Old Testament.

Many times it is called the city of the Lord in both the New and the Old Testaments

In most countries one city will stand out as the grandest and the most important.

When we mention Zion, we can be talking about the city of Jerusalem, or we can be talking about Mount Zion which is a hill just outside the gates of the Old City of Jerusalem.

Jerusalem is the city in Israel where people would travel to to worship God.

In fact, Jerusalem was called the city of God.

Psa_46:4 There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the most High.

Psa_87:3 Glorious things are spoken of thee, O city of God. Selah.

Since God does not change then Jerusalem is still the city of God because God chose Jerusalem.

Isa_60:14 The sons also of them that afflicted thee shall come bending unto thee; and all they that despised thee shall bow themselves down at the soles of thy feet; and they shall call thee, The city of the LORD, The Zion of the Holy One of Israel.

In this Psalm we will see the greatness of Jehovah and the glory of His city Zion

*Psa 48:1 A Song and Psalm for the sons of Korah. Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised in the city of our God, in the mountain of his holiness.
Psa 48:2 Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth, is mount Zion, on the sides of the north, the city of the great King.

The most common use for the word Zion was to refer to the city of God in what some call the New Age.

The Book of Isaiah says: Isa 1:27 Zion shall be redeemed with judgment, and her converts with righteousness.
Isa 1:28 And the destruction of the transgressors and of the sinners shall be together, and they that forsake the LORD shall be consumed.

This verse in the Book of Isaiah is referring to the return of the Lord.

Isaiah also writes of the birth 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.

Psalms two says: Psa 2:6 Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.
Psa 2:7 I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee.

Psalms 132:13 says For the LORD hath chosen Zion; he hath desired it for his habitation.
Psa 132:14 This is my rest for ever: here will I dwell; for I have desired it.

We can see that some of these verses refer to New Jerusalem and some the Old Jerusalem, but they both say Zion.

The proof is seen in the Book of Hebrews: Heb 12:22 But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels,
Heb 12:23 To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,
Heb 12:24 And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.

We see the Church is not a building, but is the general assembly of those who are Born Again.

Rev 14:1 And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father’s name written in their foreheads.

In Isa 33:5 it says: The LORD is exalted; for he dwelleth on high: he hath filled Zion with judgment and righteousness.

This will take place at the return of the Lord.

Zion stood for the capital of Judah: Amo 6:1 Woe to them that are at ease in Zion, and trust in the mountain of Samaria, which are named chief of the nations, to whom the house of Israel came!

We should clearly understand that Jerusalem will be the capital of this world just as it is the capital of Israel.

Psa 87:1 A Psalm or Song for the sons of Korah. His foundation is in the holy mountains.
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.

Psa 87:5 And of Zion it shall be said, This and that man was born in her: and the highest himself shall establish her.

We can see that God has some major plans for Jerusalem or Zion.

God’s presence on this mountain made it a special place in the time of Jesus and when Jesus returns, He will first put His feet down on the Mount of Olives and then He will establish Jerusalem as His capital city as He will rule the world from Jerusalem for one thousand years.

King Jesus will be praised in the city of our God!

Jerusalem will be remade into a beautiful city.

*Psa 48:2 Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth, is mount Zion, on the sides of the north, the city of the great King.

I have never been to Israel so I have never seen the city of Jerusalem except in pictures, but I will see it one day because I am listed as a resident of the New Jerusalem where my home is located.

Jerusalem is a lovely sight to behold.

It is the fact that God spent some time in Jerusalem that makes it a special place, and the fact that when the Living God returns, He will set His throne in Jerusalem for one thousand years.

It is this same fact that makes Jerusalem to be a holy city.

Lam 2:15 All that pass by clap their hands at thee; they hiss and wag their head at the daughter of Jerusalem, saying, Is this the city that men call The perfection of beauty, The joy of the whole earth?

Jerusalem will one day soon become the city of peace and a most beautiful place when the Lord Jesus Christ returns.

Jerusalem will then become the joy of the whole earth.

Few today believe these things but this does not make it any less true. I know I believe.

Zec 14:9 And the LORD shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one.
Zec 14:10 All the land shall be turned as a plain from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem: and it shall be lifted up, and inhabited in her place, from Benjamin’s gate unto the place of the first gate, unto the corner gate, and from the tower of Hananeel unto the king’s winepresses.

Isa 2:1 The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.
Isa 2:2 And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD’S house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.
Isa 2:3 And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
Isa 2:4 And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.

There is only one Great King and that is King Jesus.

Just to the north of the city will be the citadel of King Jesus.

*Psa 48:3 God is known in her palaces for a refuge.

When Israel was on the side of Jehovah, He defended Jerusalem.

When Israel was going the ways of the world, then Jehovah allowed the destruction of Jerusalem.

We know that Jerusalem was destroyed two times.

First by Nebuchadnezzar and once by Rome.

The Gentiles have ruled Jerusalem far too long and King Jesus will soon sit on His throne and there will be no more destruction of Jerusalem.

Jerusalem’s palaces will be defended by God Himself.

On May 14, 1948, God proved to the world that he was not done with Israel.

The enemies of Israel were taken aback by this happening and they immediately tried to drive Israel into the Mediterranean Sea.

They have failed every time they have tried because God is known in her palaces.

Jehovah is Zion’s Protector and the world is finding this out, just as the enemies of Israel found this out many times.

Here in America today, our government has forgotten that it is not the nation that makes the people but the people who make the nation.

When God is honored in the palace, He will be worshipped in the home.

When the Atheist make the laws there will be masses who rise up against those laws as we see in America today.

That big push to get America into socialism is a push for the downfall of America.

America stands as the last wall to conquer so the world will have a one world government.

Less than fifty percent of those who say they are Christians believe in our Divine Creator and these are the same ones who regularly attend Church services.

These are the ones in the family of God and will be welcomed into Heaven.

All the rest believe in some form of evolution and these are those who rarely attend Church.

These are the goats who will be separated from the sheep and will hear the words of Jesus when He says. “I never knew you.”

*Psa 48:4 For, lo, the kings were assembled, they passed by together.
Psa 48:5 They saw it, and so they marvelled; they were troubled, and hasted away.
Psa 48:6 Fear took hold upon them there, and pain, as of a woman in travail.

The nations of this world will come against the Church and this is in its beginning.

The nations of this world will come against Israel and we see this at its beginning.

God will protect His children from this wicked world.

It will be similar to the time of Sennacherib when one hundred and eighty-five thousand men of the Assyrian Army went to sleep and never woke up again upon this earth but woke up in Hell.

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

Sennacherib’s problem was that he was so full of pride he thought he could defeat God.

This is the same problem that Satan has; he is so full of pride that he will challenge God.

In the days of Armageddon these things will be similar but it will be on a much larger scale!

The protective hand of God will remain on Jerusalem and the things that are allowed to happen to Jerusalem will be just as the Bible describes.

In this instance described in Verse five, they will look upon the defenses of Israel and decide to leave without firing a shot, out of fear.

Isa 33:3 At the noise of the tumult the people fled; at the lifting up of thyself the nations were scattered.

Most all of us know that when that mother begins delivering her child, she can do nothing else but endure the pain.

*Psa 48:7 Thou breakest the ships of Tarshish with an east wind.

Tarshish was seaport on the coast of Spain about twenty-five hundred miles west from Israel.

There were mighty merchant vessels located here than could sail in almost any storm but the winds from the East coming across the Mediterranean would wreak havoc on these ships.

Just as the largest, and strongest ships were no match for those storms from the east, the most powerful militaries of this world are no match to the power of God.

Job 27:21 The east wind carrieth him away, and he departeth: and as a storm hurleth him out of his place.

Isa 27:8 In measure, when it shooteth forth, thou wilt debate with it: he stayeth his rough wind in the day of the east wind.

I believe the United States Navy got a taste of the East wind when they tried to set up a temporary dock to unload those ships trying to bring aide to Gaza. They were no match for those same east winds.

A news source wrote:[O]n May 25, heavy sea states caused four US Army vessels operating in support of that pier operations to become beached. Two vessels were beached in Gaza near the base of the pier and two were beached near Ashkelon in Israel,” Singh said in a statement on Wednesday. “US personnel on those vessels were evacuated.

That pier cost 320 million tax payer dollars, but it could not hold up to those east winds on the Mediterranean Sea.

I believe that God had something to do with it!

Jer 18:17 I will scatter them as with an east wind before the enemy; I will shew them the back, and not the face, in the day of their calamity.

The most powerful navy in this world had only one answer for this wind and it was to retreat.

*Psa 48:8 As we have heard, so have we seen in the city of the LORD of hosts, in the city of our God: God will establish it for ever. Selah.

The world has seen God’s defense of Jerusalem many times and the truth of God’s Word teaches us God’s relationship with this Holy City of Jerusalem.

We know that God never changes and He gives us His warnings in the Books of the Prophets and the Book of Revelation.

1) The city of the Lord, “Elohim” speaks of God’s unlimited power and when Jehovah is used, God is teaching us of His protection of Jerusalem because of His covenant with Israel.

Those covenants will be fulfilled!

2) The city of the Lord of Hosts teaches us that our God is the Commander of a mighty army of angels that no man can overcome.

l2Ki 6:16 And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them.
2Ki 6:17 And Elisha prayed, and said, LORD, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.

This is when the enemy of Israel came to stop Elisha as Elisha represented the Church.

3) The city of God teaches us that Jerusalem is the city where God had His Temple, the place where He met with the people of Israel.

We know that in the Middle East, the city of Jerusalem was a great prize and many nations have tried to take it away from Israel just as they are doing today.

The fact remains that spiritually speaking, Jerusalem is a picture of the true Jerusalem in Heaven and we will see this great city one day soon.

And Israel will be saved.

Heb 8:8 For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah:
Heb 8:9 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord.

This scripture is in the process of beginning today.

*Psa 48:9 We have thought of thy lovingkindness, O God, in the midst of thy temple.

If you know the Lord in your heart then you have felt His Love.

I would not be here today if God had not thought of me.

I know that God loves me because He created me and He is still working on me.

We know these words were sung by the sons of Korah.

They could not sing about the love of God unless they had felt the love of God.

God’s “grace” comes to us because of His loving kindness.

God’s “mercy” comes to us because of His loving kindness.

I can praise and glorify God because He has shown me His loving kindness.

God Himself says all those who do not believe that He exists are fools and worthless.

Psa 14:1 To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. 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.

If you know the loving kindness of God then you will praise Him.

*Psa 48:10 According to thy name, O God, so is thy praise unto the ends of the earth: thy right hand is full of righteousness.
Psa 48:11 Let mount Zion rejoice, let the daughters of Judah be glad, because of thy judgments.

God’s name is Elohim.

Elohim is in the plural form because God is a Trinity which is better said Triunity.

God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit show the divine nature of God.

It is because of God’s name that we can praise Him.

When we understand that God is One in essence we can praise Him unto the ends of the earth.

Jas 2:19 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.

There are still some in the Church that do not accept the Triunity of God.

These three persons are equal in authority, but God the Father is recognized as supreme yet each person stand equal in every respect.

1Co 8:6 But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him.
1Co 8:7 Howbeit there is not in every man that knowledge: for some with conscience of the idol unto this hour eat it as a thing offered unto an idol; and their conscience being weak is defiled.

While Sennacherib could not over power and take Jerusalem, he had already taken over many of the unwalled cities.

If he defeated Jerusalem, he would have defeated all the nation of Israel.

These would be the daughters of Judah. These daughters of Judah could certainly rejoice because God had executed His “judgment” on the Assyrians.

They could now walk around without worrying about being captured by the enemy.

*Psa 48:12 Walk about Zion, and go round about her: tell the towers thereof.
Psa 48:13 Mark ye well her bulwarks, consider her palaces; that ye may tell it to the generation following.

Now we get to a theme of our lesson which is deliverance.

Jerusalem had been delivered from her enemy without firing a shot.

A person could not walk around Jerusalem without noticing that Jerusalem was a well-fortified city.

1) Towers were the tallest structures in the city and were placed in prime locations so the watchmen could see for miles and the warriors were protected against the enemy.

2) Bulwarks were steep embankments outside the walls of Jerusalem. The enemies had to first get by them before they could attack the city.
There would be some of the military located there.

3) Palaces: For the devout Jews there was one thing only that made Zion glorious and it was that Jehovah dwelt there.
One of those palaces would be the Temple in that day and Zion’s hill was the mountain of God’s holiness.

When the Jews were faithful to Jehovah no enemy could overcome them and Jehovah would keep His covenant with them.

*Psa 48:14 For this God is our God for ever and ever: he will be our guide even unto death.

Because God is our God forever, He will guide us through this life until our death.

Of all the people upon this earth God is the God of the Jew and the God of the Church.

We should understand the Lord’s unfailing love God has for His people; it is never ending!

Rom 8:35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Rom 8:36 As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.
Rom 8:37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
Rom 8:38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
Rom 8:39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Amen

Israel Will Have a New King

/ 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!

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.

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!