The Lamb of God

July 2, 2017 / Bobby Mayfield / 5 Comments

The Lamb of God Who Takes Away Our Sin

Book of Isaiah Chapter 53

When we read the prophets in the Word of God today, we still read of things that have not taken place but if we compare those things to the amount of Bible prophecy that has been fulfilled, we should have no doubt about those remaining prophecies being fulfilled.

So much of Bible prophecy is now “history” so it is hard to imagine that so many would deny the truth of God!

It is hard to imagine that this chapter of Isaiah can be denied as the truth. These prophecies are given in such detail that it is heartbreaking to learn of so many things that our Savior has done for each and every one of us. Especially since we were all His enemies when He came to provide a means that we all could be saved.

Jesus Christ did not die for the few that believed Him. Jesus Christ came and died for His enemies, all non-believers!

We know that the wages of sin are death, the eternal separation from a loving God. This was a debt that we did not have the ability to pay because it would take our own life. So, the Lord Jesus Christ substituted Himself for each of us!

1Pe 2:24 Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.
1Pe 2:25 For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.

Jesus Christ died in our place and we cannot be saved unless we realize this truth!

In reality, the Lord has purchased every believer out of the slave market of sin to be set free from sin’s bondage.

The only purchase price acceptable to a Holy God was for He Himself to pay the penalty for our sin!

1Co 6:20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.
1Co 7:23 Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men.

Rev 5:9 And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;

There should be no doubt that as believers, we belong to the Lord, who came to present all those who believe back to His Father in Heaven to live with Him for eternity.

All it takes to be saved is “faith” in the work of the Lord Jesus Christ, so why are there so many who reject this truth?

So, God ask who will believe this report given to Isaiah, by the Holy Spirit?

As we go through these words we should notice the prophecies that have been fulfilled.

*****Isa 53:1 Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed?

When we look at this passage we should see that word “our” as Isaiah who was the writer and the one who preached these words, plus the Triune God, led here by the Holy Spirit.

2Pe 1:21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.

We have already said many times that the Messiah, The Lord Jesus Christ, is truly the “Arm of God”!

Isa 52:10 The LORD hath made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.

Why would this report be so rejected? Why would a Holy God come to this earth in the form of man, as the Messiah and then be beaten to an inch of His life and displayed on a cross until He died a physical death?

A report is a statement made to the facts existing, or of events that occurred, at some distance of time or place in which we ourselves were not witnesses to!

In fact, the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ is a report of the activities and the work of the Lord Jesus Christ to provide for the salvation for every human being who has lived upon this earth!

In this report, we begin to get the picture of what God will do to deliver us from the bondage and condemnation of sin!

It is also a fact that no other report has ever had so much documentation and that was then authenticated as this one from eye witnesses.

Some were friends for sure.

Some were Jews.
Some were Gentiles.
Some of them were even enemies.

The first preachers of the “Gospel” of Christ were even backed up by great signs and unexplainable miracles.

And by the way, those of Islam, Jesus Christ was much more than just a Prophet, He was and is God in the flesh so do not ever say we worship the same God!

Mar 16:20 And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen.

Yet with all this proof the “Gospel” is rejected as the truth by most of those who hear it.

Joh 12:37 But though he had done so many miracles before them, yet they believed not on him:
Joh 12:38 That the saying of Esaias the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spake, Lord, who hath believed our report? and to whom hath the arm of the Lord been revealed?

But who will be the blessed of the Lord?

Joh 20:29 Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: “blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed”.

No one would ever believe that a Holy and very Powerful God could ever be a Servant to His own creation but just read some more!

And how does the truth of the Messiah at His first coming begin?

*****Isa 53:2 For he shall grow up before “him” as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.

To grow up then He would have to be born. Jesus was born in Bethlehem of the virgin Mary and the Holy Spirit!

Most of us have seen children tender and innocent all over the world but especially in third world countries that are poor and abandoned and live in conditions that they have no control over.

This is the picture we get of the Messiah as He was raised by a very poor family in remote and threatening conditions.

Luk 2:7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

Luk 9:58 And Jesus said unto him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.

That “Him” in this Scripture of course is our Heavenly Father as He has His eyes on all His children but especially His Own Son!

Our Messiah was born a helpless babe in very meager surroundings.
Even as an infant, He was in great danger of Herod. Not in His death but in changing the prophecy of His first coming.
(The Word of God must remain true at all costs)
Our Messiah was not save from Herod by a great army nor the heavenly angels but He escaped to a foreign land.
As a child, this Babe of God, spent His days in a carpenter’s shop not in doing what a child gets to do. He had to help support His earthly family.
The Messiah was gentle and harmless as a Lamb!

As the Messiah, to the world it seemed that Christianity would die along with Christ on that cross but, it was just the beginning as in a few days the Holy Spirit came upon the Church.

There is no church without the Holy Spirit involved! Just foolish people gathering together in man-made fellowship!

We must clearly understand that once false teaching takes place, it is very hard to get people back on the right track!

It is the Holy Spirit who is the means of “all” Biblical inspiration!

It is obvious that it was not the person of the Messiah that was so important at His first coming, “it was His message” He came to give to this lost world!

The Messiah came as a servant and gave that example with His life.
The Messiah came to bring the New Covenant of God and He showed that with His “grace”.
The Messiah came to begin the message of the Church, which message was to remain, “unaltered” until He returns.
The Messiah also remained the “arm of God” and we should never be misinformed, even as a babe in Bethlehem, He possessed all the power of a Holy God!

The Messiah concealed, but did not hide, His true self in the body of a man named Jesus who became our Savior!

Joh 1:10 He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.
Joh 1:11 He came unto his own, and his own received him not.
Joh 1:12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
Joh 1:13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
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.

He may not have had a physical beauty that was the desire of others but He certainly had a beauty in His warmth for His creation.

God loved what He was doing for us and it showed!

1Jn 1:1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life;
1Jn 1:2 (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;)
1Jn 1:3 That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.
1Jn 1:4 And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.

But the truth is, the true Messiah was despised by His own people and by most of the world then and today!

Shame on all those who reject the truth claiming they know the truth!

*****Isa 53:3 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

Just as Jehovah God was despised by the nation of Israel, He presented Himself in that manner for all the world to see.

Isa 49:7 Thus saith the LORD, the Redeemer of Israel, and his Holy One, to him whom man despiseth, to him whom the nation abhorreth, to a servant of rulers, Kings shall see and arise, princes also shall worship, because of the LORD that is faithful, and the Holy One of Israel, and he shall choose thee.

Most men paid no attention to the words of Jesus showing contempt for the “Gospel” message.

They also showed contempt for the Lord on the night and day of His Crucifixion.

All the world of that day held themselves to be greater than the Messiah!

We can see that not much has changed in the nearly 2000 thousand years since our new life came by His cross!

The Lord at no time had a great following and even some that did follow turned back at the truth of the “Gospel”. Those that stayed, stayed because they accepted the Word of God as the truth.

Joh 6:66 From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.
Joh 6:67 Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away?
Joh 6:68 Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? “thou hast the words of eternal life”.

Our Lord was a man of sorrows because this is the way He felt about those who rejected His message. The Lord so wanted this world to understand His message to miss out on His wrath when He returns!

Eze_18:32 For “I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth”, saith the Lord GOD: wherefore turn yourselves, and live ye.

It truly wounds the heart of God to be rejected! We have this example but there are many others.

Jer 10:18 For thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will sling out the inhabitants of the land at this once, and will distress them, that they may find it so.
Jer 10:19 “Woe is me for my hurt! my wound is grievous: but I said, Truly this is a grief, and I must bear it”.

We have the wrong impression of the Messiah when we think people flocked to Him, that only happened when He was performing miracles such as the miracle of healing or the feeding of the 5000.

In most cases if Jesus was seen walking down the street most people would move to the other side rather than be near to Him.

A servant was not welcomed by the average person and treated as a slave in most cases! Somewhat like a leper.

The Jews and the world of that day rejected any thought that the true Messiah would suffer to save humanity and it was the downfall of that generation and many generations since that time.

First: This world denies that they need a Savior to make them acceptable to God. They think they can do this on their own (wrong).

Second: This world dismisses the idea that God would send His Son to die for the sins of this world. (The world is wrong again)

We know that the Messiah was 100% man yet 100% God but it is very possible that all these things weighed so heavy on the flesh side of Christ that He actually looked older than His flesh side was.

Joh 8:57 Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham? (We know that Christ was no more than about 33 when He died)
Joh 8:58 Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am. (His age is eternal)

We already know that when the Messiah came to this earth, He set aside all His Heavenly Glory which He always had. This had to be done for Christ to bear all the temptations and trials of the human flesh as well as the mockery and His rejection.

Talk about miracles, maybe the greatest miracle of all was the fact that the Lord God did not go ahead and destroy this world.

Don’t ever let anyone tell you it would have been better to not ever have existed because nothing, “NOTHING” is greater that having the opportunity to spend eternity with Jehovah God in Heavenly surroundings.

In coming to this earth, Christ Jesus took the sins of the entire human race upon Himself and died so He could bury all those sins.

*****Isa 53:4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

The Son then had to suffer the rejection of His Heavenly Father and then feel the “Judgment” of God upon His person!

Mat_27:46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?

We may think we have had grief in our life time but the Lord felt grief more intensely than any other human being as He witnessed the only salvation plan acceptable to His Heavenly Father being rejected by this world and it is still rejected today.

This does not make the message of Jesus untrue. It only makes this world to be foolish!

These things were written some 700 years before the Messiah first came to this earth and He said Himself that He would come again. We can still see that the prophet has written these things as if they had already taken place in which each one was completed in the day of Christ!

The Messiah came and He paid the ultimate price for all our sin because He had no sin in Himself! (Jesus Christ was “innocent” of any wrong doing)

Had He been a sinner, He would be just like Muhammad, Buddha, Confucius and any other false god, their bones still lying in their graves!

The Messiah will certainly return!

Heb 9:26 For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.
Heb 9:27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:
Heb 9:28 So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him “shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation”.

It is by the death of the Messiah at His first coming that showed the world the power of Holy God!

*****Isa 53:5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

What is the truth?

1) The Lord Jesus Christ suffered because He paid the penalty for “our” transgressions.

2) The suffering of the Lord Jesus Christ “was the only remedy” by which we have been restored to spiritual health.

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

The “chastisement” of God, is the pain He would have inflicted on each of us but the greatest of all our “chastisement”, the Father inflicted upon His Son who came to be our substitute!

Jesus Christ died in “my” place and Jesus Christ died in “your” place because we were unable to survive this chastening of our Father in Heaven!

2Co 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

Jesus Christ bore “all” our sins with His human body!

1Pe 2:24 Who his own self bare our sins in “his own body” on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.

Jesus Christ suffered once to bear the sins of all others! (there will be no second time)

Heb 9:28 So Christ was “once offered” to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.

The death of Jesus Christ was the most horrible of deaths as we see in these words of Isaiah.

In truth, it was only by the death of the Lord Jesus Christ that the “demands” of a righteous God could be met!

The death of Jesus Christ was a legal transaction in which Christ dealt with the sin problem “for the entire human race”.

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.

Therefore, only through the Lord Jesus Christ can we ever get to God’s Heaven!

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”.

We must never be intimidated over this truth, by those who believe otherwise, or our politicians, our any other human being!

Our answer should always be “that this is not what we say, this is what God says”, and “we believe what God says”!

How did God see each of us in this world?

Isa 1:6 From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it; but wounds, and bruises, and putrifying sores: they have not been closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment.

God saw each of us as the worst of all lepers. Those who reject the salvation of the Lord are still seen in this manner!

Those who have accepted that God “is who He says He is” and trust in the salvation work of the Lord Jesus Christ, then, “we are healed”!

We as humans could never be healed by our own suffering!
We as human beings could never be healed by our own works!
We as human beings do not possess the power to save ourselves, in any way, in any form, or in any fashion!

There are in this world some very precious people but no one is good enough to get to Heaven with their own goodness.

Rom 3:10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:

Rom 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

These are the reasons God made a way for us to be reunited with Him!

Joh 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Joh 3:17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
Joh 3:18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

The truth is, most of this world would rather remain in darkness from this truth!

Joh 3:19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
Joh 3:20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.
Joh 3:21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.

*****Isa 53:6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

Sheep require a shepherd! The shepherd is so close to his flock that he knows each of his sheep at a glance especially in the days of Isaiah. The truth of the sheep is that they will wander away from the flock. This is the nature of the sheep and they will get lost not able to find their way back to the flock!

We as human beings have strayed for our Holy God. Because sin is natural to us because it has been passed down from generation to generation because to the sin of Adam!

Rom 5:12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:

To return to our Holy God then we must obey the true Shepherd:

Rom 5:19 For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.

It is by our nature to lusts after the things of others. Our flesh constantly lusts for more and more!

A second helping.
A larger house.
More riches.
More power.
More recognition.
Greater desires.
Then there is the lust of the flesh. Fornication, adultery, or some form of abnormal or illicit sex.

God warns us:

1Jn 2:15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
1Jn 2:16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

There was no sinless man upon this earth. There was no man who could even carry such a burden as was required. God in His wisdom did the only thing that was available to Him.

God came Himself to die for our sin!

We need to trust God in all things but if we miss this most important thing, it will all be for nought!

1Co 2:5 That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.

Faith must always be distinguished from “human wisdom”

Our intellect has nothing to do with our “faith”!
Our “faith” must stand on the “power of God” to do as He says He will do!
Our proof is this Love letter He has given to us, we call the Bible. There is no more sure proof than the Word of God!

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

Jesus Christ is the only method for us to be free from our sin nature!

*****Isa 53:7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.

Christ, the Servant of God suffered unjustly for our sin but He willingly did this thing!

Jesus Christ, as the Son of God came to die for our sins but the things that He suffered were uncalled for!

He suffered a false judgment. (uncalled for)

He suffered from harsh and cruel treatment not thought humane enough for mankind. (uncalled for)

Yet He humbled Himself and submitted to this treatment and He committed Himself to the work that our Heavenly Father had sent Him to do.

1Pe 2:23 Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously:
1Pe 2:24 Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.
1Pe 2:25 For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.

He was brought as a lamb because He was the Lamb, the Lamb of God.

Joh_1:29 The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.
Joh_1:36 And looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God!

We should notice this one thing. This is the way that Christ has always been treated by “unbelievers”!

I can somewhat understand rejecting the message of Jesus Christ. What I have never understood is the anger and the hatred of those who reject Him. (Why all the hatred) Even the atheist who say there is no God show hatred! (what cause do they have)

Why can they not just go about their business and leave the Christians alone!

Sometimes the atheist and the unbelievers who say there is no God at all, are the worst. Makes no sense, if there is not a Holy God then why do they worry about our message and try every way possible to destroy Christianity. Just makes no sense!

The Christ, the Messiah willingly gave His life for His enemies even those with all that hatred!

*****Isa 53:8 He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.

What did we see in the short time Christ the Messiah walked upon this earth? The unbelievers and the atheist of that day allowed and the super religious of that day allowed, the Lord Jesus Christ to be unjustly seized and arrested illegally by a violence that concealed itself as the formalities of the legal process.

As far was the Jews were concerned, this innocent man called Jesus needed to be removed from the face of the earth!

It was the prophet Isaiah that wrote about these things hundreds of years before they happened.

It should be no astonishment today that these same types are trying their best to remove all Christians from the face of the earth or at least silence the truth of the “Gospel of Jesus Christ”.

This world has never changed for the better in all these years and it never will because this world will only get worse.

2Ti_3:13 But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.

We must know this is true and continue to spread the “Gospel” in any way that we can.

Remember that our Father in Heaven may call us home early but if not, we will be removed from this earth just as Jesus was.

Act 1:9 And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.

Everyone else may be content to wait on the “Rapture” but I am ready to go home whenever my Redeemer calls me home.

It truly bothers me that there is so much hate in this world “that is camouflaged as good”!

Everything about the trial of the Lord Jesus Christ was illegal by all the laws of that day, the Jews and Rome.

There was a false trial, with false witnesses, with a guaranteed outcome!

The truth is, the ministry of the Lord had been misunderstood just as it is today!

Even greater than this, the death of the Lord Jesus Christ was misunderstood!

The Lord Jesus Christ had come to die! The Lord Jesus, the Son of God was stricken by His Father for He carried the sins of this entire world and the wages of sin are death!

2Co 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

The Lord Jesus Christ had volunteered to do this for us!

“He was cut off out of the land of the living”

“for the transgressions of My people was He stricken”

The death of Jesus Christ was a test of His love for us! Had the Lord Jesus said no, we would all burn in Hell!

Joh_15:13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

The Lord Jesus Christ was treated as if He had no rights at all by the world that He had created!

We should be able to see that our world has never improved at all and has truly only gotten worse.

Therefore, Jesus gave us this commandment:

Mat_10:38 And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, “is not worthy of me”.

And this is not all!

*****Isa 53:9 And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.

Even though Jesus Christ, the true Messiah, was innocent of all charges brought against Him, His grave was to be in the place of convicts.

The Jews considered it a disgrace to be buried amongst the common people and not placed in the family sepulcher.

We should observe that Joseph the earthly step dad of Jesus had already been buried and to the Jew this should also be the place of His burial.

There was probably a place where the convicted, the criminals, and such were buried and this is where the body of Jesus would have ended if not for a believer.

This thing did not come to pass because a man of wealth Joseph of Arimathea a secret believer, gave the Lord his own tomb he had prepared for himself.

Mat 27:57 When the even was come, there came a rich man of Arimathaea, named Joseph, who also himself was Jesus’ disciple:
Mat 27:58 He went to Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be delivered.
Mat 27:59 And when Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth,
Mat 27:60 And laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock: and he rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulchre, and departed.

So, we can see that the prophet Isaiah even had these things right!

All these things were to take place although Jesus had been innocent of all charges and everyone knew this to be true.

Jesus in all His years had done no violence.
Jesus in all His years had never had a deceitful word for anyone.
Jesus in all His years had only spoken the truth.

We see that the truth, can bring rejection or can even be ignored, will bring hatred when it points out sin in someone’s lifestyle.

So, we see even the Son of God, the Messiah, had a purpose when He first came to this earth!

The Messiah came to die!

*****Isa 53:10 Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.

We should clearly understand that though evil men were following their own design and were stirred and acted by the Devil, it was our Holy God that did govern and overrule the sufferings of the Messiah!

Jesus said: No one had the power to overcome Him unless it was given to them by Jehovah God!

Joh 19:11 Jesus answered, Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above: therefore he that delivered me unto thee hath the greater sin.

And we see that it was Judas who had the greatest sin! Judas knew the Lord was innocent of all charges.

It was the devil that had placed in the heart of Judas to betray the Lord and Judas lacked the faith to stand firm with the Lord!

Jas_4:7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

We must clearly understand, God does not need any help for His plan of salvation to work! God just gives us an opportunity to be a part of His plan. It must remain a privilege that we are given the opportunity to serve our Holy God!

The Messiah was delivered to the cross by God who was determined to provide a means for the fulfillment of the Law!

Act 2:23 Him, “being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God”, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain:

Luk_24:44 And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, “that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me”.

The Messiah came to die in order to have the victory over sin and it pleased His Father in Heaven to do this thing!

It is because our Father in Heaven was pleased with this sin offering that the pleasure of Jehovah will prosper in the hands of the Lord Jesus Christ!

The Father united with the Son in the power of the Holy Spirit to provide our only means of salvation!

The Messiah had to die in our place, yours and mine, so that we could be saved from the destruction of this world.

Jesus Christ was the “Substitute” as the Lamb of God.

Jesus Christ was not a martyr put to death for His beliefs. Jesus did not die just so He could be our example of following Him with our own cross.

Jesus was offered up as the only sacrifice, acceptable to God for the sin of this world since the time of Adam!

Joh 1:29 The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.

No other sacrifice will ever be needed.

*****Isa 53:11 He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.

Most of this entire world is aware that sin demands punishment!

There are thousands in this world devoted to the eradication of sin but the prisons just stay full and increasing.

The Jews had a better idea of what Jehovah was saying but they never took the next step and have still not today.

God by providing His own sacrifice for all sin was then an act of “Grace”.

“God’s Riches At Christ Expense”.

The work of Christ was complete and God requires our “faith” in this work of Jesus Christ to be saved!

It is by the righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross that we can be justified!

Justified= (Just as if I had never sinned)

Rom 5:1 Therefore “being justified by faith”, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:
Rom 5:2 By whom also “we have access by faith” into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

The sacrifice of the Lamb of God was the fulfillment of the law of God which is above all man-made laws and the only law by which sinners can be saved!

The righteous demands of our Holy God were met completely through Christ’s complete payment for our sin! This is the meaning of propitiation.

Rom 3:24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
Rom 3:25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;

God was satisfied with Christ and if we cannot be satisfied with Christ, we cannot be saved!

The death of Christ resulted in forgiveness for all sinners which includes all humans in this world from the time of Adam!

1Jn 1:8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
1Jn 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
1Jn 1:10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

It is a sad thing that the work of Christ on that cross does not satisfy our world today! It’s too late to remember the past, it is gone!

The “Gospel” is still the only power of salvation today!

*****Isa 53:12 Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

The Messiah is back in Heaven today patiently waiting until He returns but just as this Scripture gracefully says, “the Lord Jesus is the greatest human to have ever walked on the face of this earth”!

Php 2:9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:
Php 2:10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;
Php 2:11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Because the Lord Jesus poured out His soul unto death, He is still working to carry out God’s work on this earth!

Because we have been filled with the Holy Spirit of God then Jesus Christ will help each of us that believe to be witnesses of the salvation plan of God.

We can draw comfort in knowing that we have peace with God because of the work that our Savior has done, so that there is no work for us to do, “except to believe”!

We can draw comfort in knowing we have God’s guarantee of eternal security because of the work of the Lord Jesus Christ!

We can draw comfort in knowing we have our Intercessor sitting at the right hand of God.

We can draw comfort in knowing that we will never see the wrath of God!

Our wonderful Lord has made a way for every believer and He even prays for our success!

Joh 17:9 I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine.
Joh 17:10 And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them.
Joh 17:11 And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are.
Joh 17:12 While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled.
Joh 17:13 And now come I to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves.
Joh 17:14 I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.
Joh 17:15 I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.
Joh 17:16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.
Joh 17:17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.
Joh 17:18 As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world.
Joh 17:19 And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.
Joh 17:20 Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;
Joh 17:21 That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.
Joh 17:22 And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:
Joh 17:23 I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.
Joh 17:24 Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.

Amen

Messiah Full of Grace and Mercy

April 30, 2017May 1, 2017 / Bobby Mayfield / 2 Comments

The Grace and Mercy of the Messiah

Book of Isaiah Chapter 30

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

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

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

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

No father wants to be rejected by his children!

None of us accept rejection very well!

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

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

Every war was started over rebellion!

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

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

What does God say about rebellion?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

So what does God have to say?

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

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

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

Our own leaders should take note of these things.

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

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

We should remember God does not take these things lightly!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Jesus said:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

To trust in Pharaoh would only bring shame to Judah!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The world is full of such men today!

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

Sin will always come with a price tag!

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

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

Sin just cause more sin!

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

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

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

What do rebellious people do?

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

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

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

This is known as the Laodicean Church Age:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

It’s called “repentance” and “faith”!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Mat 11:28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

3) “Quietness”. God did not give us the spirit of fear. If we are afraid of the enemy, that fear did not come from the Lord.

2Ti 1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

4) “Confidence”. Confidence must be part of our Christian character. Confidence is “exercising our faith”!
Confidence is the link between our heart and our Creator! We can actually become partners with Christ!

Heb 3:14 For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end;

But Judah said “NO” to all these things and trusted in the Egyptians and it would eventually bring their downfall.

We must remember that the Lord had made certain promises to Abraham and to David and these promises would certainly be fulfilled!

So what had the Lord decided to do?

*****Isa 30:18 And therefore will the LORD wait, that he may be gracious unto you, and therefore will he be exalted, that he may have mercy upon you: for the LORD is a God of judgment: blessed are all they that wait for him.
Isa 30:19 For the people shall dwell in Zion at Jerusalem: thou shalt weep no more: he will be very gracious unto thee at the voice of thy cry; when he shall hear it, he will answer thee.

Unlike we ourselves, the Lord is omniscient. He knows everything that will happen and all at the same time. He knows the end at the same time as He knows the beginning.

Note: This does not make Calvinism right, in fact it proves Calvinism to be wrong!

The Lord does not ever choose!

The Lord just always knows the outcome of each individual and He knew all these things before they were even born.

The example of Jeremiah:

Jer 1:5 “Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee”; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.

The Lord just knows everything about each of us! He loves each and everyone of us, He warns each and everyone of us, and He then allows us to make our own choice, and that choice has its own consequences!

So the Lord just patiently waits for the outcome even if it is many, or even thousands of years. After all one day to the Lord is a thousand years.

2Peter 3:8 But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.

The Lord has written all these things down for us so we can know what He is waiting for! Amen

The next thing on the Lord’s clock is the “Calling out of the Church” then the “time of Jacob’s trouble” and then this Scripture will take place where the Lord will be “gracious”, He will be exalted by the Jews and they will then see His mercy!

We can certainly be blessed, because we can see our time to go home getting closer with each passing day.

The Scriptures are just as much a calendar as it is “Good News”! Amen

It is for certain that the future of the Jews looks bright. These Jews have only one thing left to do to make things better!

2Ch 7:14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

We should consider that Heaven has no favorites! No one is served before others!
The Lord will never delay because He chooses to neglect some for awhile!
The Lord will never delay because He has denied some people!
The Lord will only delay so that we are able to see His “Grace”!

We cannot know the Lord, until have have humbled ourselves before Him and “repent”!

When this world has failed us and we know it, we can then realize that we have a Creator, who seeks to be our Savior, if we will only accept Him and His Word.

The Lord offers a wonderful “gift” but no gift is a true gift, until it has been received! Amen

The Lord is very patient but there is an end to that patience! Amen

Just as God knows all those who will repent, God also knows those who will never repent! As I said, God knows the ending before the beginning!

We should never trust anyone who teaches that God has already selected those who will be saved and those who will spend eternity in Hell!

We make this choice ourselves! Amen

2Pe 2:1 But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.
2Pe 2:2 And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of.

The Lord died for everyone! Amen

He does not choose, it is we who have to choose accept or reject His free gift!

When we reach a point that we understand the truth, it is when we call out to the Lord, that we can see His “Mercy” and His “Grace”!

*****Isa 30:23 Then shall he give the rain of thy seed, that thou shalt sow the ground withal; and bread of the increase of the earth, and it shall be fat and plenteous: in that day shall thy cattle feed in large pastures.
Isa 30:24 The oxen likewise and the young asses that ear the ground shall eat clean provender, which hath been winnowed with the shovel and with the fan.
Isa 30:25 And there shall be upon every high mountain, and upon every high hill, rivers and streams of waters in the day of the great slaughter, when the towers fall.

When we accept the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior, then and only then can we expect a bountiful supply from Heaven! Amen

If we begin with a prayer of repentance, we will learn from the Word of God the wonderful things that lay ahead of each of us!

Notice these things about the Millennial Kingdom after the slaughter of those who have rejected the Lord.

Food will be plentiful.
The food for the animals will be just as nourishing as the food for people.
Even the desert will spring forth with water, as all the lands become fertile as in the time of Adam. (Every high hill)

We already know that many terrible things will take place during the Tribulation Period such as the darkening of the Sun and the Moon.

Isaiah 13:10 For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine.

In order for things to change, then our Sun and Moon will have to return to bring life to the plants.

*****Isa 30:26 Moreover the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold, as the light of seven days, in the day that the LORD bindeth up the breach of his people, and healeth the stroke of their wound.

This should not be taken as 7 times brighter than we have now, because that will also happen, but not after the Lord mends His breach with the Jews.

Psalms 121:6 The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night.

This is also “in typology” a picture of the Holy City of New Jerusalem!

Rev 21:23 And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.
Rev 21:24 And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it.
Rev 21:25 And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there.
Rev 21:26 And they shall bring the glory and honour of the nations into it.
Rev 21:27 And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life.

Before these things can take place, the Lord will rid this earth of every evil and sinful thing!

Many see this a a terrible thing and it will be terrible to those who reject the Lord, but to those who have accepted the Lord this is still a sign of God’s “Mercy” and God’s “Grace”!

*****Isa 30:33 For Tophet is ordained of old; yea, for the king it is prepared; he hath made it deep and large: the pile thereof is fire and much wood; the breath of the LORD, like a stream of brimstone, doth kindle it.

In Hebrew the word “tophet” means a place of cremation.

In this passage the word “Tophet” represents the cries of all those precious babies that were sacrificed to the false god Moloch.

Remember Moloch was a large oven of an idol with outstretched arms and foolish people would sacrifice babies and small children, by laying them in his arms that were glowing red hot because of the heat.

We should understand that God hears the cries of all abused children! Amen

Even that one before it is born into this world and robbed of its life! Amen

Those that were sacrificed to Moloch.
Those that were abused throughout history.
Those that are aborted today.
And those who have been Martyred because of their service to the Lord!

Even with all the destructive power that is available in this world, “fire” is still one of the most destructive forces known to man.

Tophet begins, where the vail of Hinnon bends to the east between the cliffs of Zion and the Hill of Evil Counsel and ends as it joins the Valley of Jehoshaphat. The southern side abounds in ancient tombs where dead carcasses were cast to rot and be consumed by worms (maggots) or consumed by the fire that was never quenched! This is also the place the Jews offered up human sacrifices!

Jer 7:30 For the children of Judah have done evil in my sight, saith the LORD: they have set their abominations in the house which is called by my name, to pollute it.
Jer 7:31 And they have built the high places of Tophet, which is in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to burn their sons and their daughters in the fire; which I commanded them not, neither came it into my heart.
Jer 7:32 Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that it shall no more be called Tophet, nor the valley of the son of Hinnom, but the valley of slaughter: for they shall bury in Tophet, till there be no place.

In “typology” this place represents Hell, or the Burning Lake of Fire! This will be the end place for all those that reject the Lord! Amen

Rev 20:14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
Rev 20:15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

Rev 21:7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.
Rev 21:8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.

This is a deep and large place that was created for the Lucifer (Satan) and those Angels that followed him but has had to increase as evil has increased.

The king mentioned here is probably the king of Assyria but represents all kings and leaders who have oppressed God’s people.

In fact this king in “typology” represents the Antichrist!

Eze 32:22 Asshur is there and all her company: his graves are about him: all of them slain, fallen by the sword:
Eze 32:23 Whose graves are set in the sides of the pit, and her company is round about her grave: all of them slain, fallen by the sword, which caused terror in the land of the living.

Isa 14:9 Hell from beneath is moved for thee to meet thee at thy coming: it stirreth up the dead for thee, even all the chief ones of the earth; it hath raised up from their thrones all the kings of the nations.

We should remember the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah!

Gen 19:23 The sun was risen upon the earth when Lot entered into Zoar.
Gen 19:24 Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven;
Gen 19:25 And he overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground.

It should be obvious, that we must place our trust in the Lord no matter what we are going through. In the end it is the Lord who will have victory. Amen

Those that trust the Lord are on the “Winning Side”! Amen

We simply cannot ignore the Word of God!

If we follow the Lord, we can never fail. If we do not follow the Lord we can never succeed! Amen

Questions?

Let’s Pray!

Peace and Strength Come By Trusting the Messiah

April 23, 2017 / Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

The Peace and Strength of Trusting the Messiah

Book of Isaiah 26

We, by now, should have noticed the two main concepts of all the prophets of God.

1) The Lord, the Messiah, will return for a Second Time and His glorious reign on this earth!

2) The repentance and the return of Israel to the Lord with His forgiveness and His restoration.

We can be certain that this final focus does not rest on Israel, this final focus will be on the absolute “Glory of God”!

Eze 43:1 Afterward he brought me to the gate, even the gate that looketh toward the east:
Eze 43:2 And, behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east: and his voice was like a noise of many waters: and the earth shined with his glory.
Eze 43:3 And it was according to the appearance of the vision which I saw, even according to the vision that I saw when I came to destroy the city: and the visions were like the vision that I saw by the river Chebar; and I fell upon my face.
Eze 43:4 And the glory of the LORD came into the house by the way of the gate whose prospect is toward the east.
Eze 43:5 So the spirit took me up, and brought me into the inner court; and, behold, the glory of the LORD filled the house.

When the Lord Jesus, the Messiah, walks through that Eastern Gate of Jerusalem, and into that rebuilt Temple, the entire world will see the “Glory of God”.

My pastor has preached many times that when the Antichrist tries to sit on the throne of David in the rebuilt Temple, that the Jews may not know who the Messiah is, but they certainly know who he is not, and he is not the Antichrist and the Jews will then rebel against him.

The Jews will see the truth and it is the truth that makes them to be free! That’s what truth does!

Joh 8:31 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;
Joh 8:32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

When we know the truth it will put a song in our heart!

*****Isa 26:1 In that day shall this song be sung in the land of Judah; We have a strong city; salvation will God appoint for walls and bulwarks.
Isa 26:2 Open ye the gates, that the righteous nation which keepeth the truth may enter in.

“The Song of the Redeemed”

And what day?

2Pe 3:12 Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?
2Pe 3:13 Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.

And what is the purpose of the Messiah?

The Messiah will certainly fulfill the promises He made to Israel but His true purpose is to restore all things to the time of Adam before Adam’s sin!

Act 3:19 Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;
Act 3:20 And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you:
Act 3:21 Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.

And what does God say? Open the gates to the nation that has now become righteous, God’s people Israel and as always, there will be some strangers that have chosen to abide with Israel.

The Jews will join the Church:

Eph 2:19 Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;
Eph 2:20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;
Eph 2:21 In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord:
Eph 2:22 In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.

And like the Church, these people of God can then have the peace of God:

*****Isa 26:3 Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.

Perfect peace is when we come to know the Messiah as our Savior, we will then have peace with God in all ages.

Rom 5:1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:
Rom 5:2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

Once we have peace with God, we can then have the peace of God in all ages.

Php 4:7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

This is the peace that the world has no understanding of because it is perfect peace!

The only minds that can be at peace are those that remain on the Lord. A mind that trust in it’s own methods, it’s own works, in it’s own righteousness, or it’s own riches, will never find perfect peace! There can be no peace to those who have rejected the Lord!

Isa 48:22 There is no peace, saith the LORD, unto the wicked.

Our faith cannot be a one time thing, we must trust in the Lord forever!

*****Isa 26:4 Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength:
Isa 26:5 For he bringeth down them that dwell on high; the lofty city, he layeth it low; he layeth it low, even to the ground; he bringeth it even to the dust.

We must trust in the Lord at all times.
We must trust in the Lord in every condition.
We must trust in the Lord even in our times of affliction, in times of temptation, and in periods of darkness.

To be in harmony with God, is to trust Him in good times and in bad times.

We can be at peace in every situation that we face, when we trust in the Lord.

“Trust” in the Old Testament is the same as “Faith” in the New Testament!

That trust must be in the Lord! The Lord Jehovah!

For those who are still confused, God put it like this to Moses:

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

There is only one “I Am” and He is also the Messiah who will return.

The LORD is the “Rock of all the Ages”!

Psa 18:1 I will love thee, O LORD, my strength.
Psa 18:2 The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.
Psa 18:3 I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies.

The truth is, in His own good time, on a day that only He knows, the LORD will bring down all those who have exalted themselves against Him!

God will humble the proud and bring down all the arrogant cites of this world.

For those who remember the sad days of the twin towers of New York City, these will be but an example of how the mighty cities of this world will crumble an fall.

Now I am not saying Jehovah brought down those two buildings. We know who caused these things to happen. I am only making a comparison.

God will bring every high and lofty city down in dust!

The proud will be destroyed and the poor and needy will be exalted.

Remember the Church will already be in Heaven, so this is referring to to those who come to trust the Lord during the Tribulation Period of seven years which is mainly the Jews, God’s chosen people.

*****Isa 26:6 The foot shall tread it down, even the feet of the poor, and the steps of the needy.
Isa 26:7 The way of the just is uprightness: thou, most upright, dost weigh the path of the just.
Isa 26:8 Yea, in the way of thy judgments, O LORD, have we waited for thee; the desire of our soul is to thy name, and to the remembrance of thee.

In other words, God levels the path. We all stand on level ground at the cross!

Christians since the beginning of the Church have faced criticisms and obstacles that many have never had to face.

Now many people struggle in life and there are many who struggle to meet their own needs but many Christians struggle and die just because they have chosen to follow in the ways of the Lord Jesus Christ and for no other reason other than that daily battle with their own sin.

God will level that path and clear those obstacles out of the way of the righteous, those who just want to do things right. Things that are done right are all those things that are done according to the Word of God. After all to be a Christian is to be like Christ!

When the Lord builds that new highway to His New City, we can be sure that the Messiah will also remove anything that could hinder the travel of His people!

Who are those who are righteous?

1) Those who obey the laws of God.
2) Those who wait patiently on the Lord.
3) Those who have diligently sought to glorify the Lord
4) Those who are yearning to be with the Lord.

Psa 16:11 Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.

When God has provided for safe passage of those who are now seeking Him, His judgments will fall on those who continue to reject Him!

The inhabitants of this world will begin to see what righteousness really looks like!

*****Isa 26:10 Let favour be shewed to the wicked, yet will he not learn righteousness: in the land of uprightness will he deal unjustly, and will not behold the majesty of the LORD.
Isa 26:11 LORD, when thy hand is lifted up, they will not see: but they shall see, and be ashamed for their envy at the people; yea, the fire of thine enemies shall devour them.

1) God has provided the majesty of His creation to show that our world had a Creator.

Rom 1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;
Rom 1:19 Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.
Rom 1:20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:

2) God has provided the truth of the Word of God.

2Ti 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
2Ti 3:17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.

3) God has provided His Words of Providence.

Isa 40:22 It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in:
Isa 40:23 That bringeth the princes to nothing; he maketh the judges of the earth as vanity.
Isa 40:24 Yea, they shall not be planted; yea, they shall not be sown: yea, their stock shall not take root in the earth: and he shall also blow upon them, and they shall wither, and the whirlwind shall take them away as stubble.
Isa 40:25 To whom then will ye liken me, or shall I be equal? saith the Holy One.
Isa 40:26 Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things, that bringeth out their host by number: he calleth them all by names by the greatness of his might, for that he is strong in power; not one faileth.

The Lord has a specific purpose for all these things. It is so this ungodly world will understand righteousness!

Disaster, has a way of opening the eyes of people who are high and mighty and it is then that many will turn to the Lord.

The Lord hears the wicked when they cry for help but He will not answer their prayers until they repent!

We must remember the Lord already provides for the ungodly but they ignore God’s kindness and give credit to themselves or to some false idol or some other human.

For those who finally realize that things do not happen by accident but still continue to live as they have in sin, God says that more “Judgment” is required!

God first warns of this and then God then follows through with that “Judgment” after His warning.

People may not realize that God knows those who will never accept Him, just as He did the Canaanites that dwelled in the Promised Land.

Notice that word fire.

Mal 4:1 For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.
Mal 4:2 But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.

The ungodly have no spiritual understanding of the Word of God.

1Co 2:14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
1Co 2:15 But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man.
1Co 2:16 For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.

In fact they have become dull of hearing what God has to say. This is surely true in America and even becoming that way in the Bible Belt of America.

But in these end days it is that same Word of God that offers strength and peace to the Christian!

*****Isa 26:12 LORD, thou wilt ordain peace for us: for thou also hast wrought all our works in us.
Isa 26:13 O LORD our God, other lords beside thee have had dominion over us: but by thee only will we make mention of thy name.

The first thing that comes with peace, is that human lives are not required, as in war. War is unfriendly to humanity.

In fact as we see in Syria, human lives seem to have no value to anyone, as atrocities have continued year after year and politicians just talk with very little action.

This is war at it’s nastiest!

We must understand that peace in our world today is not always a blessing. The cause of the righteous does not always prevail!

When the Lord brings peace to this world, the cause of right will have prevailed to a lasting peace!

God will cause peace to happen because God has ordained peace for all His people!

The Messiah will return and cause these things to happen!

Mal 3:18 Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not.

The truth is when we do not accept the Lord as our Lord, then we will always have others who will rule over us!

The greatest truth is, if the Lord is not your Master, then you belong to Satan!

*****Isa 26:13 O LORD our God, other lords beside thee have had dominion over us: but by thee only will we make mention of thy name.
Isa 26:14 They are dead, they shall not live; they are deceased, they shall not rise: therefore hast thou visited and destroyed them, and made all their memory to perish.

As Isaiah glances back over the history of Israel, many other nations had dominated them and that held true until May 14, 1948.

Only in the early days before we fought for freedom from England, was America ruled by some foreign power and if we would return to the Lord, that may hold true until the return of Christ. America is so high and mighty now that the Lord could knock the wind out of her sails at anytime.

Because of the sins of Israel, the Lord had to deliver them over and over again.

Those that cling to Judaism still make mention of the Lords name but they do still have a lack of “Faith”.

Just as Isaiah has said, all those old rulers and many of those old nations that had invaded and conquered Israel, no longer even exist.

During their time of captivity, Israel had bowed the knee to many false deities and it taken many years for idolatry to cease out of that land.

It is a fact that what ever people love the most will eventually be their lord and god.

There is the god of their belly.
There is the a god of power.
There is the god of ambition.
There is the god of riches.
There is the god of pleasure.
These are all the god of sin (covetousness) ruling in their hearts!

All sin boils down to wanting something other than the truth of God!

There is coming the day, when all people who are left on this earth will simply want a personal relationship with the Lord above all other things!

There is coming a day, when the works of Satan will no longer exist and those that die that day will never live again in this world.

Dan 12:2 And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.

Only those who know the Lord will awake to everlasting life!

When God wipes away all our tears, all memories we have of those we knew who had rejected the Lord will perish!

Israel will ne exalted above all other nations!

*****Isa 26:15 Thou hast increased the nation, O LORD, thou hast increased the nation: thou art glorified: thou hadst removed it far unto all the ends of the earth.

The world seems to forget that when Jacob took his 72 member family into Egypt, during that time, there were good times and then the bad times but when they left, there were over 600,000 men not counting women and children. They went in Jacob and came out Israel.

In the 40 years they traveled in the wilderness all those that were over the age of 20 died and were replaced and Joshua had the same size force to take into the Promised Land.

So we see that during the times of trouble, Israel as a nation always seems to grow larger in population.

Isaiah is saying the same thing that Jeremiah is saying about these people.

Jer 30:18 Thus saith the LORD; Behold, I will bring again the captivity of Jacob’s tents, and have mercy on his dwellingplaces; and the city shall be builded upon her own heap, and the palace shall remain after the manner thereof.
Jer 30:19 And out of them shall proceed thanksgiving and the voice of them that make merry: “and I will multiply them”, and they shall not be few; I will also glorify them, and they shall not be small.

These things will certainly hold true in the time of the Millennial Kingdom. There will be a population explosion!

The Church has continued to grow from the days of Abraham and God has not lost a single one!

So these things also relate to the Church that God has built upon during the time of the tribulation!

Rev 7:9 After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;
Rev 7:10 And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.

Rev 7:13 And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they?
Rev 7:14 And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

Knowing these things we can better relate to the following Scriptures:

*****Isa 26:16 LORD, in trouble have they visited thee, they poured out a prayer when thy chastening was upon them.
Isa 26:17 Like as a woman with child, that draweth near the time of her delivery, is in pain, and crieth out in her pangs; so have we been in thy sight, O LORD.
Isa 26:18 We have been with child, we have been in pain, we have as it were brought forth wind; we have not wrought any deliverance in the earth; neither have the inhabitants of the world fallen.
Isa 26:19 Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust: for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead.

It is a fact that in times of adversity the Church grows! The Church never grows smaller!

Certainly the amount of Christians can decrease on the face of this earth at any time but they just go home to an ever increasing number in Heaven. This is God’s plan!

During the 7 years of Tribulation those that then turn to God will have suffered greater than at any other time in history.

It is a fact that God has been chastening His people, Israel.
No doubt they have suffered more that any other people for more than 2000 years.
It could be said, that the agony of Israel can be compared to a mother in labor, with great pain and anxiety for that young life within her.

Knowing all these things these people could not grasp the deliverance that God had promised to them.

But they had forgotten what else God had promised them.

Hos 13:13 The sorrows of a travailing woman shall come upon him: he is an unwise son; for he should not stay long in the place of the breaking forth of children.

Many will say that God has been to harsh on this people but it is the ways of God that will lead to such a great salvation!

What is the truth of salvation? Dead men shall live!

The wages of sin are still death even in the Tribulation Period.

Not all murders become martyrs but is a fact that all martyrs have been murdered and murdered for only one reason, they have given themselves to the Lord and to teach His message.

The “dew” in this passage is the work of the Holy Spirit!

Again I must mention the fact the “Rapture of the Church” has already taken place and the Church has been with the Lord all this time.

These Scriptures refer to those saved during the Tribulation Period, the time of Jacob’s Trouble, and most of these people are Jews but also many from other nations.

The same truth holds true for both the Church and these:

Rev 20:6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.

Isaiah speaks of those during the time of Jacob’s Trouble.

The Lord Jesus speaks of those of the Church:

Rev 2:11 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death.

The Church is called out at the end of the Church Age!

Rev 4:1 After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.
Rev 4:2 And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne.

It is also true that the earth will cast out all the dead.

Daniel said:

Dan 12:2 And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.
Dan 12:3 And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.
Dan 12:4 But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.

Even Jesus said this was true:

Joh 5:28 Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice,
Joh 5:29 And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation

This time is still in our future, for we are still in that time of mankind running to and fro and knowledge is increasing but this knowledge is not the knowledge of God!

Notice even Isaiah knows these thing will not happen in his lifetime, He speaks of the future!

But it is always time to get closer to the Lord!

As we have witnessed recently in the storms that passed through our area the smart thing to do is to find the safest place we can find in our homes or elsewhere until the storm passes by.

*****Isa 26:20 Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast.
Isa 26:21 For, behold, the LORD cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain.

We should clearly understand that in the greatest of all storms, the Lord is still the Master of the storm.

Nah 1:3 The LORD is slow to anger, and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked: the LORD hath his way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet.

It is only those that know the Lord who can hear His voice when He says come!

It is only the Master of the storm who holds the power to all life!

God is like a tender Father, who sees the storm coming upon His children takes them by the hand and leads them into the closest shelter!

As Isaiah warned these Jews and also the Church, we also need to warn as many as we can that God’s patience is wearing thin with the people of His creation.

We “all” always need to be prepared for these days that could happen at any time!

1) God has pointed out all the dangers of rejecting the truth of the Gospel! There will be a time of “Judgment”!

The Lord will come out of His place to punish the inhabitants of earth because of our iniquity(sin)!

In other words God’s people must not be participating in the wicked behavior of unbelievers at any time!

But for the “Grace” of God we would all perish!

2) God has provided His counsel.
We must be prepared because, no thing and no one will be able to hide the unbelievers from God! There will be no sin that can be concealed from the Lord! There are no secret sins that God will not know of! All sin will be exposed.

2Co 6:17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,
2Co 6:18 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

God says “Come”.

3) God assures us His promises will be fulfilled.
God assures us that all those who have rejected the Lord and persecuted God’s people will be punished!

Jud 1:14 And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints,
Jud 1:15 To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.

It is the right thing for God to do, no matter what the liberals say!

Rev 16:5 And I heard the angel of the waters say, Thou art righteous, O Lord, which art, and wast, and shalt be, because thou hast judged thus.
Rev 16:6 For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink; for they are worthy.

This does not mean we are all to hide physically because we can hide openly if we belong to the Lord.

It means we need to continue to warn as many as we can of this coming “judgment”.

It is not our job to tell them they are lost, they already know how to be lost.

It is our job to tell them how to be saved!

Questions?

Let’s Pray!

The Kingdom of the Messiah

April 2, 2017 / Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

The Kingdom of the Coming Messiah

Book of Isaiah Chapter 11

We have seen Isaiah prophesy of the sign of the Messiah, the Virgin Birth of our Savior.

We next have seen Isaiah prophesy of the Deliverance brought forth by the Messiah.

We next see Isaiah prophesy of the Kingdom of the Messiah.

Notice it is easy to forget about the First Coming of the Messiah and go straight to the Second Coming of the Messiah and this was a great problem for the Jews after the birth of Jesus Christ. They were looking forward to the Kingdom and could not see the Savior who stood before them.

Moses had written of the First Coming of the Messiah:

Deu 18:18 I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him.

The Jews had rejected the Messiah and His message, because they demanded the work first, of what Isaiah had written in these Scriptures.

Isaiah not only dealt with the “reigning” Messiah but he also dealt with the “suffering” Messiah but it was the “suffering” Messiah who was rejected by the Jews but accepted by the Church!

There was only one way for the Jews to enjoy the kingdom blessings:

Jer 30:3 For, lo, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will bring again the captivity of my people Israel and Judah, saith the LORD: and I will cause them to return to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall possess it.
Jer 30:4 And these are the words that the LORD spake concerning Israel and concerning Judah.
Jer 30:5 For thus saith the LORD; We have heard a voice of trembling, of fear, and not of peace.
Jer 30:6 Ask ye now, and see whether a man doth travail with child? wherefore do I see every man with his hands on his loins, as a woman in travail, and all faces are turned into paleness?
Jer 30:7 Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob’s trouble; but he shall be saved out of it.

The Jews had missed the prophecy of the “time of Jacob’s Trouble”! Still in the future.

They had also missed the prophecy of the New Covenant of the Lord. Which is also still in their future.

Jer 31:31 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:
Jer 31:32 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD:
Jer 31:33 But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.

They had certainly missed the truth of the Messiah’s First Coming.

Mat 26:26 And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body.
Mat 26:27 And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it;
Mat 26:28 For this is my blood of the new testament, “which is shed for many for the remission of sins”.
Mat 26:29 But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.

What did Isaiah prophesy?

*****Isa 11:1 And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots:

Who was Jesse?

Rth 4:18 Now these are the generations of Pharez: Pharez begat Hezron,
Rth 4:19 And Hezron begat Ram, and Ram begat Amminadab,
Rth 4:20 And Amminadab begat Nahshon, and Nahshon begat Salmon,
Rth 4:21 And Salmon begat Boaz, and Boaz begat Obed,
Rth 4:22 And Obed begat Jesse, and Jesse begat David.

Jesse was the grandson of Ruth the “Gentile Bride” of Boaz and the father of David the second King of Israel!

1Sa 17:12 Now David was the son of that Ephrathite of Bethlehemjudah, whose name was Jesse; and he had eight sons: and the man went among men for an old man in the days of Saul.

All of these were already dead and buried at the time of Isaiah and at this time Hezekiah had already been born(about ten years old) and Hezekiah would rule after his father, evil King Ahaz.

The term “Branch” is a symbol for a king descended from royal ancestors but here it is also written of the Messiah.

Jeremiah says he would be a righteous “Branch”:

Jer 23:5 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth.
Jer 23:6 In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.

Zechariah says this righteous branch would build a Temple:

Zec 6:12 And speak unto him, saying, Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, Behold the man whose name is The BRANCH; and he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the LORD:
Zec 6:13 Even he shall build the temple of the LORD; and he shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne; and he shall be a priest upon his throne: and the counsel of peace shall be between them both.

We know the Lord has yet to build a physical Temple on this earth but every believer becomes a spiritual “living temple” of the Lord upon accepting the Lord Jesus as our Savior.

Notice the Messiah would come from the roots of Jesse, because even the stump of David and all the kings of this line would be cut off by foreign powers as the legitimate rulers of Israel.

The Lord Jesus was adopted by Joseph, of the line of David but it was Rome who ruled the world at the first coming of the Messiah because the Messiah first came as the Redeemer!

Here again we see the Holy Trinity involved in the coming of the Messiah.

Notice also that the word translated “Branch” is in Hebrew “nester” or “netzer” or we would say (Natsoreth=Nazareth). This Messiah would be a Nazarene!

Mat 2:23 And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, He shall be called a Nazarene.

The Jews also missed this important point!

Joh 7:52 They answered and said unto him, Art thou also of Galilee? Search, and look: for out of Galilee ariseth no prophet.

The scholars of that time should have known all these things!

No one can get all the Scriptures right all the time but God does say for us all to search the Scriptures.

Joh 5:39 Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.
Joh 5:40 And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life.

The Word of God must be important enough to us, to spend some time in it!

*****Isa 11:2 And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD;
Isa 11:3 And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears:

How could Israel know the Messiah?

1) The Messiah would be filled with fullness of God’s Holy Spirit!

Remember the Messiah first came to destroy the power of Satan, and He began His ministry repeating this Scripture from the Prophet Isaiah.

Luk 4:18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,
Luk 4:19 To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.
Luk 4:20 And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him.
Luk 4:21 And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.

How could the Messiah do all these things?

2) The Holy Spirit would supply “God’s wisdom” to God’s Messiah, God’s Son. The Holy Trinity would be involved in everything that the Messiah was sent to accomplish.

The Messiah would need the complete understanding of God’s salvation plan and who better than God Himself?
The Messiah would need the complete understanding of the mind of mankind and who better than the Creator?

The Messiah had the answers to false religion because He is the answer!
The Messiah had the answers for difficulties and doubts in His disciples.
The Messiah had the answers for the Church of the New Covenant.
The Messiah knew the value of the soul to God and how to win those souls to the Lord!

When we have a question we can be sure that the Messiah has the answer and that answer is Jesus the Christ, the Messiah!

3) The Holy Spirit would supply “God’s understanding” to God’s Messiah!

The Messiah would be quick to understand the fear of the Lord!

The Messiah could discern between “glory” and “dishonor”.
The Messiah could discern between “truth” and “disobedience”.
The Messiah was well aware of “sin” and what pleased His Father.
The Messiah was well advised on pride and corruption and hypocrisy.
The Messiah understood all the work of Satan and his lies and his deceit and his twisting of the Scriptures.

AND, Satan knew that he had met his Master! ”

Luk 4:8 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.

3) The Holy Spirit would supply all the counsel that was needed by the Messiah.

Isaiah said He would be the “Wonderful Counsellor”.

The Messiah would give the wisest counsel in the kindest manner and His advice would suit every case.
The Messiah would counsel the sinner.
The Messiah would counsel the Church.
The Messiah would counsel the Christian warrior on how to preserve the “faith”.

4) Though a “Lamb” in meekness, the Messiah is still the “Lion” of the tribe of Judah.
The Messiah would never tremble or fear at the task that He had.
The Messiah had all the Spirit of the Almighty God and all the understanding of God’s might!

5) In the Messiah dwells “all” knowledge!
The knowledge of Jehovah, the knowledge of His heavenly Father.
The knowledge of the complete “Will of God”.
The knowledge of righteousness.
The knowledge of blessedness.
The knowledge “Mercy and Grace”!

6) In the Messiah was the “fear of the Lord” which is the beginning of all “wisdom”!

Pro 9:10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.
Pro 9:11 For by me thy days shall be multiplied, and the years of thy life shall be increased.

Psa 25:14 The secret of the LORD is with them that fear him; and he will shew them his covenant.

Some say these are the 7 gifts of the Holy Spirit and they are certainly great gifts but the Holy Spirit is also much more than these things in the truth the Messiah, The Lord Jesus Christ was indwelled by all the Godhead, the Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit!

Col 2:8 Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.
Col 2:9 For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.

The Lord will never “Judge” after the sight of His eyes because He can only “Judge” with all the knowledge of God!
The Lord will never “reprove”(blame) us of our sin by what someone else says about us, “but only by His own righteousness”!

*****Isa 11:4 But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.
Isa 11:5 And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins.

What will it be like to live under the government of the Lord Jesus Christ?

1) The Kingdom of Christ will be a righteous kingdom!

All things will be done right.
All things will be done morally.
All things will be done legally and according to the Word of God we already have in our possession!

Jesus is perfect, so there will be perfect justice and a perfect government!

To the Jews, a king provided leadership in war and the administration of justice in times of peace.
We already know that in Christ’s Kingdom there will be no more war so His leadership will be at the forefront!

2) We should notice that there will be no more abuse of the meek and the poor of this world.

3) We see that any and all transgression will be met with a rod of iron and any who do wickedness will be destroyed.

“Righteousness” and “faithfulness” will be the strength of the Messiah’s government!

Isa 59:17 For he put on righteousness as a breastplate, and an helmet of salvation upon his head; and he put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a cloke.

Isa 25:1 O LORD, thou art my God; I will exalt thee, I will praise thy name; for thou hast done wonderful things; thy counsels of old are faithfulness and truth.

How is the Messiah’s Kingdom described? Like the reign of a small child in the midst of animals, who would rather devour one another than be at peace with one another, but a child who has the power of God combined with the innocence of a small child.

What does a personal relationship with the Lord accomplish, it causes us to change!

*****Isa 11:6 The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.
Isa 11:7 And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
Isa 11:8 And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice’ den.

Not only will the wild creatures become tame but all animals will agree with each other and will agree with all living things including humans.

And all living creatures will become vegetarian as at the beginning!

Isa 65:25 The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock: and dust shall be the serpent’s meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith the LORD.

Eze 34:25 And I will make with them a covenant of peace, and will cause the evil beasts to cease out of the land: and they shall dwell safely in the wilderness, and sleep in the woods.

Hos 2:18 And in that day will I make a covenant for them with the beasts of the field, and with the fowls of heaven, and with the creeping things of the ground: and I will break the bow and the sword and the battle out of the earth, and will make them to lie down safely.

It should be clear that the human race is much like the wild animals but by God’s “Grace” all humans will also become tame, mild, meek, and humble just as the animals will become!

The ravenous wolves will have worried God’s sheep for the last time!

Jesus had said:

Luk 10:3 Go your ways: behold, I send you forth as lambs among wolves.

This will all be over! Why?

*****Isa 11:9 They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.

It is amazing that when God changes the way we think, it also changes our entire outlook on life!

1Pe 1:13 Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;

You see all God’s creation is yearning for all the humans to return to God in a close personal relationship as it was in the days before the sin of Adam where they would walk together in the cool of the day!

Rom 8:18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
Rom 8:19 For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.
Rom 8:20 For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope,
Rom 8:21 Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.
Rom 8:22 For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.

In the time of Noah, this entire earth was covered with water and it was a time of great death and life remained only in 8 humans and most sea creatures.

2Pe 2:5 And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly;

This time, after the destruction by fire, then will this earth be covered by the knowledge of the Lord and life will replace death!

First the Lord will return a Second Time!

Second the government of the Lord will be put in place again!

Third the entire planet will become God’s garden again!

Fourth the hostility of the animal kingdom and mankind will be replaced with peace!

Job 5:22 At destruction and famine thou shalt laugh: neither shalt thou be afraid of the beasts of the earth.
Job 5:23 For thou shalt be in league with the stones of the field: and the beasts of the field shall be at peace with thee.
Job 5:24 And thou shalt know that thy tabernacle shall be in peace; and thou shalt visit thy habitation, and shalt not sin.

After the “rapture” of the church, which will return with the Lord, After the 7 year Tribulation period, There will be those who are alive and can reproduce and much will required.

Psa 22:27 All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the LORD: and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee.
Psa 22:28 For the kingdom is the LORD’S: and he is the governor among the nations.
Psa 22:29 All they that be fat upon earth shall eat and worship: all they that go down to the dust shall bow before him: and none can keep alive his own soul.
Psa 22:30 A seed shall serve him; it shall be accounted to the Lord for a generation.
Psa 22:31 They shall come, and shall declare his righteousness unto a people that shall be born, that he hath done this.

Now it is impossible for me to have all these things right but we should know that when the ungodly world can only see the devastation of our world, God has much bigger plans!

And for those who reject a First Coming and then a Second Coming of the Lord, then they need to read the Book of Isaiah along with all the Scriptures and just believe!

*****Isa 11:10 And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious.
Isa 11:11 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea.

Notice we have seen the Messiah as the “Rod” that will come forth out of the stem of Jesse.
We have seen the Messiah as the “Branch” that will grow from the roots of Jesse.
Here in this Scripture we see that the Messiah is the “Root” of Jesse.

Rev 5:5 And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.

Rev 22:16 I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.

It is in this office that the Messiah “Shall Stand For An Ensign Of The People”

All people that remain on this earth, will see the Messiah for who He truly is.

Joh 12:32 And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.

This time there will be no cross! There will be the “Majesty of God”!

All those who can even say the word “Religion” will see that “Christianity” being “Christ-Like”, has always been the only truth and the Messiah will be chosen even over all the governments of this world!

Mal 3:12 And all nations shall call you blessed: for ye shall be a delightsome land, saith the LORD of hosts.

The Messiah will be the only “Authority” in this world! His resting place will be in His Glory!

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

The Lord had rescued the Jews from the hand of Pharaoh to form the nation of Israel but it took “faith”.

The Lord had rescued us all from the hands of Satan, the “First Time” He came as a babe born in Bethlehem, but it took “faith” and He was rejected by Israel.

The Lord, the Messiah, has set His hand this “Second Time” to recover the “Remnant” that remain of the Jews and this time they have “faith” in the truth of Jehovah!

No nation upon this earth has had a history as the history of Israel and one more time, still in our future, they will be restored to serve the Lord as promised to Abraham, and as promised to David!

*****Isa 11:12 And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.

It is a fool, who cannot see that the Jews are visibly separated from all other nations! This is prophecy that is being fulfilled.
It is also the fool, who cannot see that God’s wrath is becoming less and less severe on this people who God has always loved, the nation He formed with His own hands when He pulled Abraham out of Ur and chose Jacob over Esau.

Since they were scattered all over this world they have never claimed any one place to be their home! They have always remained a working people and when in 1948 they were again given back their homeland, “they have been able to purchase again the land that was taken from them”.

It is the nations of this world that try their best to hinder the re-establishment of the Jews in Palestine, when it is really in their best interest to promote the home going of the Jew!

We live in a foolish world!

God has always fought for these people and when you choose to fight against them, you have chosen to lose, because God cannot be defeated by any people, any government nor any military!

God will assemble the outcast of His people, He has already started, it is evident!
God is beginning to gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of this earth, and it is obvious!

Psa 147:2 The LORD doth build up Jerusalem: he gathereth together the outcasts of Israel.
Psa 147:3 He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.

God is going to do exactly what He said He would do!

We must be more like James and less like the world.

Jas 1:1 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, “greeting”.

We need to welcome the progress of the true Jew and help them in any way we can!

When the Jews recognize the true Messiah, they will all want to go home!

As the Church, as we see these things develop, we should realize it will not be long before we too will be going home, it’s called having the faith of Abraham.

Rom 4:20 He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God;
Rom 4:21 And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.

God will then remove all obstacles that caused the divided kingdom!

*****Isa 11:13 The envy also of Ephraim shall depart, and the adversaries of Judah shall be cut off: Ephraim shall not envy Judah, and Judah shall not vex Ephraim.

It is obvious that it was “envy” and “vexation” that had separated these people. (vex)

The truth of envy is that it will most always lead to strife, division, hatred, and even murder!

Gal 5:21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

To “vex” someone is to cause them to be angry, to provoke, to torment, and to afflict.

It is obvious that two such people, no matter who they are, would never be able to get along.

It is the Messiah who will cause these things to change:

Hos 1:11 Then shall the children of Judah and the children of Israel be gathered together, and appoint themselves one head, and they shall come up out of the land: for great shall be the day of Jezreel.

The day of Jezreel is the day that God gathered the children of Israel again into one people.

Jer 32:41 Yea, I will rejoice over them to do them good, and I will plant them in this land assuredly with my whole heart and with my whole soul.
Jer 32:42 For thus saith the LORD; Like as I have brought all this great evil upon this people, so will I bring upon them all the good that I have promised them.

Amo 9:15 And I will plant them upon their land, and they shall no more be pulled up out of their land which I have given them, saith the LORD thy God.

God will keep every promise He has ever made.
Sadly He will keep the promises He has made to unbelievers.
God will keep every promise He has made to the Church.
God will keep every promise He has ever made to Israel and the Jew!

*****Isa 11:14 But they shall fly upon the shoulders of the Philistines toward the west; they shall spoil them of the east together: they shall lay their hand upon Edom and Moab; and the children of Ammon shall obey them.
Isa 11:15 And the LORD shall utterly destroy the tongue of the Egyptian sea; and with his mighty wind shall he shake his hand over the river, and shall smite it in the seven streams, and make men go over dryshod.
Isa 11:16 And there shall be an highway for the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria; like as it was to Israel in the day that he came up out of the land of Egypt.

It should be clear that a united Israel with all the power of God will defeat all her enemies!

The Philistines were and still are the perpetual enemies of the Jews.
We know them now as the Palestinians. The Philistines are called Pulsata or Pulista on the old Egyptian monuments, or Palestinians.

Israel will swoop down like a mighty bird of prey and expel these trouble making foreigners from Israel. This is what the Bible says.
Israel will spoil the efforts of the east altogether. These are all the Arab countries in the eastern desert.
Israel will take control of all that is called the West Bank today and Jordan (Ammon=Jordan) shall obey them.

The world may hate these things now, but that does not mean the world can stop these things from happening and the world does not have to agree for these things to be the truth!

In fact the world needs to stay out of this conflict!

As we have already said, God will remove every obstacle that hinders the return of His people.

The tongue of the Egyptian Sea (The Red Sea) is the Gulf of Suez.

Psa 136:13 To him which divided the Red sea into parts: for his mercy endureth for ever:
Psa 136:14 And made Israel to pass through the midst of it: for his mercy endureth for ever:

God will make a highway for His people to return to the Promised Land!

AND, This highway will have a name:

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

The bottom line is no fools will be allowed to walk on God’s highway, the unclean shall not pass over it!

It is a foolish world that ignores the Word of God!

We should notice that nothing mentioned in this entire chapter occurred at First Coming of Christ!

Israel was dispersed after Christ died on Calvary’s cross!

Jesus Christ the Messiah was rejected by His people!

This new earthly kingdom will be set up when Christ Jesus returns for the Second time in all His glory!

This will be a great day for all those who believe the Word of God!

Isa 12:1 And in that day thou shalt say, O LORD, I will praise thee: though thou wast angry with me, thine anger is turned away, and thou comfortedst me.
Isa 12:2 Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the LORD JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation.
Isa 12:3 Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation.
Isa 12:4 And in that day shall ye say, Praise the LORD, call upon his name, declare his doings among the people, make mention that his name is exalted.
Isa 12:5 Sing unto the LORD; for he hath done excellent things: this is known in all the earth.
Isa 12:6 Cry out and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion: for great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee.

Amen!

Questions?

Let’s Pray!

The Work of the Messiah

March 26, 2017 / Bobby Mayfield / 1 Comment

The Work of the Coming Messiah

Book of Isaiah Chapter 8-9

We should always understand, when God’s enemies threaten God’s people, then God’s people can only be delivered by following God’s directions! God teaches us all that His “judgment” will come on all those who reject His warnings.

God had warned all of Israel and now even more so Judah of a terrible time of distress that was close at hand. King Ahaz and all the people except a very small remnant had forsaken God.

When we forsake God we will be forsaken by God!

King Ahaz had rejected any “sign” of deliverance that was offered to him by God’s Prophet and had place his security and the security of Judah, into the hands of the King of Assyria.

The people of Judah which lived in such a fear and terror now had turned to wizards and necromancers for guidance, instead of seeking the Lord for answers.

Have you ever been out on a dark night when it seemed that you could just feel the darkness? Well a very dark cloud was approaching God’s people, in fact a darkness that could be felt as it approached.

As we know after the dark and cloudy days, God’s Sun always shines, so God’s prophet Isaiah, now spoke of the sunrise after such a dark and cloudy time for the Jewish people.

Let’s begin:

*****Isa 8:21 And they shall pass through it, hardly bestead and hungry: and it shall come to pass, that when they shall be hungry, they shall fret themselves, and curse their king and their God, and look upward.
Isa 8:22 And they shall look unto the earth; and behold trouble and darkness, dimness of anguish; and they shall be driven to darkness.

We should clearly understand when God’s people are suffering because of the enemies of Christ, God has an open ear. When God’s people are suffering because God’s chastisement, that suffering will do nothing to turn away God’s anger.

The only way for that suffering to end is genuine repentance!

When a people can only see a picture of terrible darkness and gloom in their future, a picture of even more suffering many times they will become infuriated. They will curse their own government and all those that do not know the Lord will curse Him also!

Maybe even some of those that do know the Lord!

When hopelessness grips a people they are soon taken captive by it and live a life of misery! They will seek anything that seems to bring pleasure in this life even if it brings health and/or financial ruin. Laws will have no meaning, all authority will be rejected and even the simplicity of Christ will seem to be a great burden.

We can be saved from being caught up in these things!

What is God’s answer?

Act 2:38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
Act 2:39 For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.
Act 2:40 And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, “Save yourselves from this untoward generation”.

God says we must make a choice!

God says those that trust Him will always find a light at the end of the tunnel!

This what Isaiah was preaching to God’s people, the Jews!

What does God promise to those who trust Him? Deliverance!
Why did Christ Jesus come the first time? To preach this time of the “Grace of God”!

Deliverance, but by the Lord Jesus Christ.

“God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense”

*****Isa 9:1 Nevertheless the dimness shall not be such as was in her vexation, when at the first he lightly afflicted the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, and afterward did more grievously afflict her by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, in Galilee of the nations.
Isa 9:2 The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.

Isaiah wanted the people of Judah to completely understand, though they were facing a terrible time in the near future, a glorious future still lay ahead in another time!

Isaiah wanted these people to know, there was coming a day when Israel would be united and be able to stand against all her enemies.

What do we know? The land of Zebulon and Naphtali were the first to feel the attacks of foreign powers and became known as the Galilee of the Gentiles, in the days of Jesus. Some say the Galilee of the nations, meaning the same land that had been trampled upon by every foreign invader that had ever entered into Palestine.

It can be said that it was here in this Galilee of the Gentiles where the true light shined, because it was here where the Lord Jesus Christ lived during His ministry. It is from this same area where the Lord chose His 12 disciples.

Mat 4:12 Now when Jesus had heard that John was cast into prison, he departed into Galilee;
Mat 4:13 And leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon the sea coast, in the borders of Zabulon and Nephthalim:
Mat 4:14 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying,
Mat 4:15 The land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephthalim, by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles;
Mat 4:16 The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up.
Mat 4:17 From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

When there is a prophesy in the Word of God there will be a fulfillment of that prophesy!

This the land where the Jew knew they were walking in the shadow of death but those who knew the Lord could have no fear!

When we are walking in such places God reminds us that He is walking with us.

Psa 23:1 The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
Psa 23:2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
Psa 23:3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
Psa 23:4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Psa 23:5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Psa 23:6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.

The truth is when we see God’s “warning” we will always see God’s “nevertheless”, a means of escape, where God’s “wrath” becomes God’s “mercy” when we repent!

In fact when we study the Scriptures, we will most always find the clearer promises of the Lord have been given to us in the darkest hours!

Every prophet of God that told of the darkness of Israel and the darkness of evil in this world also prophesied of the Messiah, the Savior! When lies and falsehoods rule the hour, we always see the promise of the Messiah to remove all unbelievers and shine in all His glory.

Jer 23:5 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth.

In our sinful nature we stumble and grope through this world blind to the truth of the spiritual world. Every effort is spent on living as long as possible or just giving up and living in egregious sin for a short life of misery.

The truth is there is “no one who will not get the opportunity” to witness the light of Jesus before their death, in any instance!

Joh 8:12 Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

Joh 8:24 I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.

When we accept our Savior, we no longer have to live in the darkness of this world!

*****Isa 9:3 Thou hast multiplied the nation, and not increased the joy: they joy before thee according to the joy in harvest, and as men rejoice when they divide the spoil.

The truth is when the Messiah returns to rule this earth for 1000 years, those who have made it through the 7 years of tribulation will begin to multiply.

There will also be a great increase in joy!
That joy will be according to having a great harvest when there had been only a meager planting.
Their joy will be as a great victory over the enemy as it is the victorious soldiers who divide the spoil of the enemy.

Just as the seed had to pass through a long process while depending on the Lord of the harvest, there will be a great victory!
Just as the army of God has gone through a long and painful campaign depending on the Lord of host, there will be a great victory!

Isa 61:9 And their seed shall be known among the Gentiles, and their offspring among the people: all that see them shall acknowledge them, that they are the seed which the LORD hath blessed.
Isa 61:10 I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.
Isa 61:11 For as the earth bringeth forth her bud, and as the garden causeth the things that are sown in it to spring forth; so the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations.

The Lord will have broken the burden of sin in this world!
The spiritual joy of the Lord will be with all His people!
These are promises made to the Jews.

*****Isa 9:4 For thou hast broken the yoke of his burden, and the staff of his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, as in the day of Midian.
Isa 9:5 For every battle of the warrior is with confused noise, and garments rolled in blood; but this shall be with burning and fuel of fire.

It is true that Midian had been a great burden to Israel for a period of time.

Jdg 6:1 And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD: and the LORD delivered them into the hand of Midian seven years.

It is also true that during the trial of Jesus, the Jewish people had made another even more serious mistake!

Mat 27:24 When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but that rather a tumult was made, he took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person: see ye to it.
Mat 27:25 Then answered all the people, and said, “His blood be on us, and on our children”.

They had cursed themselves and that burden will remain with them until the Messiah returns to set them free, so even a much greater burden will have been lifted at the Second Coming of Christ.

The Lord will have broken the yoke of sin’s prison.
The Lord will have broken the yoke of Satan’s bondage.
The Lord will have broken the will to reject the Word of God.
The Lord will have washed them in the “Blood of Jesus” the only blood that cleanses.

Rev 13:8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

Rev 13:9 If any man have an ear, let him hear.

At the return of the Messiah, Jesus Christ, all wars will then cease!

All the battle garments of all soldiers will then be just fuel for God’s fire!

Eze 39:8 Behold, it is come, and it is done, saith the Lord GOD; this is the day whereof I have spoken.
Eze 39:9 And they that dwell in the cities of Israel shall go forth, and shall set on fire and burn the weapons, both the shields and the bucklers, the bows and the arrows, and the handstaves, and the spears, and they shall burn them with fire seven years:
Eze 39:10 So that they shall take no wood out of the field, neither cut down any out of the forests; for they shall burn the weapons with fire: and they shall spoil those that spoiled them, and rob those that robbed them, saith the Lord GOD.

And why are these things so true? Because the Son of God will be all the government that this world needs!

*****Isa 9:6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
Isa 9:7 Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.

Look out world, God says the Messiah will first come as the “God-Man”. (For unto us a child is born)
The Messiah will take the form of a human!

In our last lesson we saw that Isaiah had prophesied the sign of the Messiah. The Messiah would be born of a “Virgin”. Not just some young maiden but a young “Virgin” of marital age and according to the Jewish tradition of marriage!

Luk 1:35 And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.

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.

God was even so bold to tell us where this birth of the Messiah would take place.

Mic 5:2 But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.

And God through the prophet Daniel gave us all a time frame for the birth of the Messiah and even His return. Though no one will ever know the exact day or the exact hour.

**(Unto us a Son is given) Joh 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Joh 3:17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
Joh 3:18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

**(Then shall the government be upon His shoulder) The Messiah will have the undisputable right to govern this entire world! The Messiah will put his shoulder into this work!

**(The Messiah would be called “Wonderful-Counsellor”) The Messiah would be the Fountain of wisdom and understanding, with the mind that rules all things!

Isa 28:29 This also cometh forth from the LORD of hosts, which is wonderful in counsel, and excellent in working.

Heb 2:18 For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted.

The Messiah, is the One person, who can feel what we feel and the only person who can teach us how to have victory in life!

**(The Mighty God) As the Mighty God, the Messiah can do things that no one can even conceive.

He is omnipotent (all-powerful), omniscient (all-knowing), and omnipresent (present everywhere at the same time)

The Messiah can save anyone, the very moment they call out to Him in “faith”, under any conditions!.

He is the Savior, He is the Redeemer, He is the Deliverer, He is everything that we have ever needed and He is also the Perfection of beauty!

Psa 50:1 The mighty God, even the LORD, hath spoken, and called the earth from the rising of the sun unto the going down thereof.
Psa 50:2 Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God hath shined.
Psa 50:3 Our God shall come, and shall not keep silence: a fire shall devour before him, and it shall be very tempestuous round about him.

**(The everlasting Father)

Even with all His power and all His wisdom and all His understanding, the Messiah is first the most perfect Father than any of us have ever seen!
He knows that those who trust Him are His children He will never forsake any of us, for any reason!
He is exceeding in tenderness and compassion!

Heb 2:13 And again, I will put my trust in him. And again, Behold I and the children which God hath given me.
Heb 2:14 Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;
Heb 2:15 And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.

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

**(Prince of Peace)

The truth of the Messiah, (Jesus Christ) is that, not only does He bring peace to the human heart, when He returns, He will also bring world-wide peace to every nation.

“Prince” means he will be the principle ruler of this world and all His creation. For 1000 years this world will be filled with a people of peace!
And a peaceful people will want to worship the Lord of Peace!

A heart that knows true “forgiveness” can have “peace with God” and “the peace of God”!

Php 4:7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

The Messiah will return to this earth “to establish God’s Kingdom”!

It is during this time that it can be truly said that the “Gospel” has reached every ear and every heart. As Daniel said “the stone that was cut out of the mountain without hands has filled the whole earth”

Dan 2:44 And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.

By being the adopted son of Joseph, the Messiah is the living heir to the throne of David and the last One because He cannot die and the Church is the “bride of Christ” and His children, the remaining heirs, who also cannot die!

Remember it is not the Church that joins with the Jews, it is the Jews who will join with the Church. There will never be but one way to be in the family of God and this is “Faith” in the work of the Lord Jesus Christ!

God will fulfill the promise He made to King David:

Psa 132:11 The LORD hath sworn in truth unto David; he will not turn from it; Of the fruit of thy body will I set upon thy throne.

God will fulfill the promise He made to Israel:

Jer 3:17 At that time they shall call Jerusalem the throne of the LORD; and all the nations shall be gathered unto it, to the name of the LORD, to Jerusalem: neither shall they walk any more after the imagination of their evil heart.
Jer 3:18 In those days the house of Judah shall walk with the house of Israel, and they shall come together out of the land of the north to the land that I have given for an inheritance unto your fathers.

Israel will be reunited, there are no lost tribes of Israel and there never have been. God has always known where His people are located!

God will keep all His promises!

**The Messiah will rule with a rod of iron, but His kingdom will be established in righteousness.

Isa 42:21 The LORD is well pleased for his righteousness’ sake; he will magnify the law, and make it honourable.

The zeal of the Lord, “to sanctify His great name as the only Savior”, will have caused all these things to happen!

Eze 36:21 But I had pity for mine holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the heathen, whither they went.
Eze 36:22 Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord GOD; I do not this for your sakes, O house of Israel, but for mine holy name’s sake, which ye have profaned among the heathen, whither ye went.
Eze 36:23 And I will sanctify my great name, which was profaned among the heathen, which ye have profaned in the midst of them; and the heathen shall know that I am the LORD, saith the Lord GOD, when I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes.
Eze 36:24 For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land.

No one will ever again profane the name of the Lord!

We are a foolish people if we do not want to be a part of the Kingdom of the Messiah, The Lord Jesus Christ!

It is obvious that we can see our world grow darker and darker in sin.
The sins of Sodom and Gomorrah get more evident in our world today.
The governments become more and more corrupt.
Evil is called good and good is called evil.
God’s people are even more hated than ever before!

These things are all facts!

It is obvious, that the truth of God is, that Jesus Christ was much much more than just some great teacher or some great prophet.

God says we need to get our minds wrapped around this truth!

Php 2:5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
Php 2:6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:

The Lord, the Messiah, Jesus Christ, is declared in every manner possible to possess all the attributes which make God, God!

Those that attack the Lord Jesus Christ have attacked the Word of God and God Himself!

Why would we not expect them to see the wrath of God?

Joh 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

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.

This is the truth of the Scriptures!

This is the only Light that shine shine through the darkness of this world!

Questions?

Let’s Pray!

The Time of the Messiah

March 19, 2017 / Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

The Sign of the Coming Messiah

Book of Isaiah 6; 7

Today we get a little glimpse of Heaven and then one of the greatest prophecies to ever be fulfilled, the recognition of the Messiah.

We will first see the testimony of a prophet’s call to serve the Lord.

We will next the prophecy of the Messiah and the sign of His truth.

Let’s begin:

*****Isa 6:1 In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, “high and lifted up”, and his train filled the temple.

King Uzziah had ruled for 52 years, longer than any other King of Israel. No doubt that as Isaiah witnessed the death of one of Israel’s better kings, Jehovah God decided it was time to give Isaiah a glimpse of the King of Kings upon His throne in Heaven.

The first thing we notice is, that God did not show Isaiah His majesty as the Lord Jesus had but showed him in a way that he could understand the true King of our universe.

Isaiah saw the true King and the true “Judge” of Israel who would rule for much more than 52 years but in fact forever!

Isaiah had seen the throne of Uzziah but now in the throne room of God, he sees a throne much higher and much more lifted up than any throne of this earth and upon it sat “Adonai”.

Adonai is the divine character of God and is applied to Jesus Christ through the title “Lord”.

The title “Lord” then, denotes the divine sovereignty of Christ.

2Co 4:5 For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus “the Lord”; and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake.

Rom 14:5 One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.
Rom 14:6 He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto “the Lord”; and he that regardeth not the day, to “the Lord” he doth not regard it. He that eateth, eateth to “the Lord”, for he giveth God thanks; and he that eateth not, to “the Lord” he eateth not, and giveth God thanks.
Rom 14:7 For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself.

The title “Lord” says This Lord is also our true King!

1Ti 6:14 That thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukeable, until the appearing of “our Lord” Jesus Christ:
1Ti 6:15 Which in his times he shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and “Lord” of lords;
1Ti 6:16 “Who only hath immortality”, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen.

It should be obvious that Isaiah was not only a prophet but he was also a priest as he had witnessed the regal robes of the High Priest that could not compare to the regal robe of the Lord, Adonai.

We should consider that this throne and this majesty is part of what our Lord gave up to come to this earth to die in payment for our sin!

What did the Lord Jesus say?

Joh 6:62 What and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up “where he was before”?

This is what the Lord Jesus was referring to and this is what Isaiah saw in his vision on this day but he also saw much, much more.

*****Isa 6:2 Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly.
Isa 6:3 And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.
Isa 6:4 And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke.

The one thing certain about all angels is that they are “created beings” but just in a higher order than humans!

Angels are not subject to the limitations of mankind!

Angles are also spiritual beings, though they may reveal themselves to mankind in the form of human bodies.

They do not have corporeal bodies as humans do!

There are more angels in existence than can be counted and that number will not change because they simply cannot die!

Angels have greater wisdom than humans but that wisdom is still limited.
Angels have greater power than humans but that power is still limited.
Angels, however, still have limitations in their relationship with God!

Angels were never created in the image of God, so they certainly cannot share in man’s destiny of redemption and a “Glorified Body”, as that of Christ!

There is coming a time when each redeemed man will be exalted above every angel!

1Co 6:3 Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?

Some also believe there are orders of angels some higher than others, and that can be true, but the Scriptures do not actually say this.

It is certain, though angels have many things in common, they also have separate functions as we see here and as we see with Michael and Gabriel!

We also know that angels have the freedom of choice as we see with Lucifer.

Even with the angels, all choices have consequences!

The truth that we do know, is that all angels serve as the ministers to God!

The “seraphim”, in this Scripture have the ministry to God “in surrounding the throne of God as they attend God’s holiness”.

It is the “seraphim” who declare that mankind must be cleansed of sin’s defilement before we can stand before God and serve Him!

They are not to be confused with the cherubim “who have the ministry of defending God’s holiness”!

This is the reason that Cherubim are on the Ark of God rather that the Seraphim.

The cherubim had 4 wings while the seraphim have 6 wings but there are still other differences.

With two wings the seraphim covered their eyes, for they felt unworthy to look upon the holiness of God.
With two wings they covered their feet, because they felt unworthy to walk where God walked.
With two wings they flew continuously, while crying one to another “Holy, holy, holy, the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of His glory”.

If we think of these things as just being symbolic, then we better not miss what Isaiah saw!

Isaiah saw the Supreme “Authority” of God, His throne higher then all thrones of this earth!
Isaiah saw the Supreme “Glory” of God”, His majesty filled all the Heavenly Temple!
Isaiah saw the Supreme “Holiness” of God, Holy, Holy, Holy! (The number 3 a perfect number, describing the perfect “Holiness” of God)

We must clearly understand there is a vast spiritual universe that far exceeds the material things we can see with our own eyes!

In truth, all of God’s creation declare the Glory of God, just as these seraphim have declared!

Psa 19:1 The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.

The movement of the door and the house filled with smoke, was the reaction of God’s Holy nature against sin!

This is also the reaction of our Father in Heaven, when one of His children has realized that they are in the clutches of Satan and repent and call on the Lord!

Psa 18:6 In my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried unto my God: he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, even into his ears.
Psa 18:7 Then the earth shook and trembled; the foundations also of the hills moved and were shaken, because he was wroth.
Psa 18:8 There went up a smoke out of his nostrils, and fire out of his mouth devoured: coals were kindled by it.
Psa 18:9 He bowed the heavens also, and came down: and darkness was under his feet.
Psa 18:10 And he rode upon a cherub, and did fly: yea, he did fly upon the wings of the wind.
Psa 18:11 He made darkness his secret place; his pavilion round about him were dark waters and thick clouds of the skies.
Psa 18:12 At the brightness that was before him his thick clouds passed, hail stones and coals of fire.
Psa 18:13 The LORD also thundered in the heavens, and the Highest gave his voice; hail stones and coals of fire.
Psa 18:14 Yea, he sent out his arrows, and scattered them; and he shot out lightnings, and discomfited them.
Psa 18:15 Then the channels of waters were seen, and the foundations of the world were discovered at thy rebuke, O LORD, at the blast of the breath of thy nostrils.
Psa 18:16 He sent from above, he took me, he drew me out of many waters.
Psa 18:17 He delivered me from my strong enemy, and from them which hated me: for they were too strong for me.
Psa 18:18 They prevented me in the day of my calamity: but the LORD was my stay.

Amen.

So, Isaiah quickly realized that he also wanted to be and he also needed to be a servant of the Lord!

*****Isa 6:5 Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.

Isaiah immediately felt the “Grace” of God but more important he also felt his unworthiness to be a servant of God!

Isaiah was probably already a priest at this time but Isaiah now had a clearer vision of the Lord.

We must all realize the truth of the God we serve!

Heb 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

We must know the Lord and we must know who He is before we can serve Him as our Lord!

We must see the Lord exactly like Isaiah saw Him, “high and lifted up” above all His creation!

If we cannot recognize the Lord Jesus Christ in this manner, we are wasting our time in trying to serve Him!

We are all humans of unclean lips!
We all live in the midst of a people with unclean lips!

And God says:

2Co 6:17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not “the unclean thing”; and I will receive you,
2Co 6:18 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

So how do we become a servant of the Lord?

*****Isa 6:6 Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar:
Isa 6:7 And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged.

**To be a servant of the Lord we must realize that all the “seen world” and all the “unseen world”, are subordinate to the fact that we have a Creator!

Our Lord rules supreme over His own creation!

Col 1:16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:
Col 1:17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.

The Lord Jesus is the glue that binds all His creation together!

**To be a servant of the Lord we must understand that The Lord Jesus is truly the sinless Son of God and the second person of the Holy Trinity, the Holy Spirit being the third!

Jesus Christ is the sinless Savior of the world that He created! Only when we realize the truth of these things, can our Lord become our “Redeemer”!

To be the Savior of this world, “is by God’s design” and Christ came “to freely offer pardon and purity” to all that truly believe upon Him!

We must also realize, our Savior, who will be King, demands our service after His pardon!
We should also realize, the Lord will not hesitate to discipline that servant until their loyalty is assured!

**To be a servant of the Lord, we must first realize we are a sinner and to get close to the Lord, then that sin must be purged!

I believe we can understand this “coal” as being the Word of God because Isaiah was then called to be a messenger of God, a true Prophet.

Jer 23:29 Is not my word like as a fire? saith the LORD; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces?

What do we know of the altar of the burnt offering. God commanded for that fire to be always burning!

Lev 6:12 And the fire upon the altar shall be burning in it; it shall not be put out: and the priest shall burn wood on it every morning, and lay the burnt offering in order upon it; and he shall burn thereon the fat of the peace offerings.
Lev 6:13 The fire shall ever be burning upon the altar; it shall never go out.

To put that fire out would show disobedience to the Word of God!
To allow that fire to go out would show neglect of the things of God!

We must understand that in “typology” this represents a type of Christ Jesus and His sacrifice for our sin.

The altar of “the Cross”, is always burning because the Lord’s sacrifice, “satisfied a Holy God who had required our own death for our sin”.

God allowed the sinless blood of Jesus to cover all sin!

This angel, being a minister of the Lord, had in his mouth the Word that he had received from his Holy God, who sits on the throne of Glory above the altar of His dear Son!

This event will happen again during the 7 year tribulation period.

Rev 14:6 And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people,
Rev 14:7 Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.

Isaiah then realized that God had given him something that had to be shared with all his nation!

isaiah received his commission from the Lord!

*****Isa 6:8 Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? “Then said I, Here am I; send me”.

Isaiah got a little glimpse of Heaven.
The lips of Isaiah had been purified.
Now Isaiah can be in direct communication with the Lord.

You see, this is exactly what happens when we realize we are sinners and we accept the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior.

We are then washed in the blood of Jesus and we can go right into the throne room of God without some intercessor of this earth! The Lord has become our personal “Intercessor”!

Isaiah knew the function of the priesthood because he was already a priest but not the High Priest.

It was only the High Priest who could go beyond the veil to be in the presence of God and he could only do this one time each year!

SO, What else happened at the cross beyond payment for all our sin?

Mar 15:37 And Jesus cried with a loud voice, and gave up the ghost.
Mar 15:38 And the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom.

Isaiah found himself in the throne room of God and he heard God’s voice saying “whom shall I send”.

Now we know that God was in the presence of His angels.
We also know that Isaiah had no idea why God was making this request.
We also notice that not one angel volunteered!

SO Isaiah, being ignorant of the nature of this calling, freely accepts this call of God and throughout his long life, Isaiah never felt this calling to be a burden.

The answer God is looking for will always be “Here am I; send me”!

Notice another very important thing, God did not take time to consult with anyone else or anything else in Heaven because our Lord rules supreme through out all His creation!

Those that trust in the Word of God “by faith”, have never questioned the Book of Isaiah!

Joh 12:41 These things said Esaias, “when he saw his glory, and spake of him”.

again:

Act 28:25 And when they agreed not among themselves, they departed, after that Paul had spoken one word, “Well spake the Holy Ghost by Esaias the prophet unto our fathers”,

Even the Lord Jesus:

Mar 7:6 He answered and said unto them, “Well hath Esaias prophesied” of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.
Mar 7:7 Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.

The truth is, before we can serve the Lord, we must surrender all we have to the Lord and we must surrender to the Word of God!

It was these things brought the supreme response from the Lord!

*****Isa 6:9 And he said, “Go”, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not.
Isa 6:10 Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed.

We should understand that the Lord will not do anything that He has not revealed to us in His Word! We have all the truth we need for “salvation” and we have all the truth we need for “Judgment”!

We do not have to guess because we can know, because we have the complete Word of God. There are no lost books of the Bible!

Amo 3:7 Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.

There will never be a new prophecy that opposes the Word of God we now have! In fact there will never be anything new that opposes the Word of God we now have!

All the Word of God will go hand in hand with the “work” that God asks us to do! So just “Go” tell some one else about Jesus.

What was the command given to us all of the Lord?

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.

This was the same command given to Isaiah!

God was saying to Isaiah that the unbelief of his nation had caused them to reach a point where they could not understand the Divine principles of God.

Isaiah had a message of warning but Isaiah still maintained a message of salvation, all his days.

What was the truth of these people?

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.

It is the “rapture” of the Church that will awaken Israel from this slumber!

This message God had for these Jews was a harsh message, so Isaiah wanted to know how long would this blindness, this foolishness, this rejection of the Lord, last.

How long would this “judgment of Israel last”?

*****Isa 6:11 Then said I, Lord, how long? And he answered, “Until the cities be wasted without inhabitant, and the houses without man, and the land be utterly desolate,
Isa 6:12 And the LORD have removed men far away, and there be a great forsaking in the midst of the land”.

For those who say this took place in the time of Nebuchadnezzar, they are wrong. That was just a taste of what is yet to come!

The Lord Jesus repeats these things to the Jews of His day after the time of Nebuchadnezzar:

Luk 19:42 Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes.
Luk 19:43 For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side,
Luk 19:44 And shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation.

The nation that had it’s beginning at the day of Isaiah’s calling was Rome and in 70 AD Titus of Rome devastated Jerusalem.

BUT, Even this did not remove the blindness of these people!

The Apostle Paul gives us the true answer.

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”. (this would be the Rapture of the Church)
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.
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:

This time has not taken place and will not until after the Church is “called out” of this world!

So, How many of these Jews will actually come to know the Lord?

*****Isa 6:13 But yet in it shall be a tenth, and it shall return, and shall be eaten: as a teil tree, and as an oak, whose substance is in them, when they cast their leaves: so the holy seed shall be the substance thereof.

The truth is, the Holy Seed of the Jew will arise from that stump that will be left when the Lord returns!

There will be a tenth that will go through the 7 years of Tribulation and of those that will remain will receive the promises of God given to David!

Amo 5:3 For thus saith the Lord GOD; The city that went out by a thousand shall leave an hundred, and that which went forth by an hundred shall leave ten, to the house of Israel.
Amo 5:4 For thus saith the LORD unto the house of Israel, Seek ye me, and ye shall live:

From Ezekiel:

Eze 5:1 And thou, son of man, take thee a sharp knife, take thee a barber’s razor, and cause it to pass upon thine head and upon thy beard: then take thee balances to weigh, and divide the hair.
Eze 5:2 Thou shalt burn with fire a third part in the midst of the city, when the days of the siege are fulfilled: and thou shalt take a third part, and smite about it with a knife: and a third part thou shalt scatter in the wind; and I will draw out a sword after them.
Eze 5:3 Thou shalt also take thereof a few in number, and bind them in thy skirts.
Eze 5:4 Then take of them again, and cast them into the midst of the fire, and burn them in the fire; for thereof shall a fire come forth into all the house of Israel.
Eze 5:5 Thus saith the Lord GOD; This is Jerusalem: I have set it in the midst of the nations and countries that are round about her.

And Zechariah:

Zec 13:8 And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the LORD, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein.
Zec 13:9 And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The LORD is my God.

We can see that Isaiah had a harsh message for his own people but Isaiah never faulted and isaiah never quit on God!

Sometime had passed until the rule of Ahaz, the most evil of all the rulers of Judah and we will see the a most revealing prophecy from Isaiah by the Holy Spirit and the sign of the only One who could put an end to the misery of the Jew and bring salvation to this world.

*****Isa 7:11 Ask thee a sign of the LORD thy God; ask it either in the depth, or in the height above.
Isa 7:12 But Ahaz said, I will not ask, neither will I tempt the LORD.
Isa 7:13 And he said, Hear ye now, O house of David; Is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will ye weary my God also?

First we notice that a prophet of God did not have a problem coming face to face with the government.

We hear a lot about Elijah and Ahaz and sometimes we forget that Isaiah also stood his ground for the Lord without fear.

A sign from the Lord was “an outward act that served as a pledge or a proof of His Divine Word”.

This sign could sometimes be natural sign but a sign could also be supernatural by God’s design! For instance:

We have the “Rainbow” in the day of Noah.
We have circumcision in the day of Abraham.
We have the sign given to Gideon. (the dew and the sheep’s wool)
Even evil King Saul received a sign of the truth of Samuel.
In the time of Jesus, miracles became a sign of His Divine power.
Jesus Himself said that Jonah and the whale was a sign of His death and His resurrection.

The thing we must observe in this Scripture is, that in this hour or this time that Isaiah and King Ahaz were together this day, the fate of the Jewish people is decided for more than 2000 years, even past the day we live now!

We should understand that King Ahaz had already rejected the Lord and the Word of God through God’s prophets.

At this time Ahaz was trusting in the false gods of Assyria and he was not about to ask for a sign from God, because he knew God might give him one that he did not want. Ahaz had already rejected the power of God and some sign would not change anything for him!

Ahaz was afraid he would have to commit to a policy that he had already lost faith in!

The Bible says:

1Ti 4:1 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;

We see this beginning to be true in this day we live now because we are in these later times!

We should also realize, that when we ask God for proof of His existence, we are also showing a lack of “faith” but to refuse what God offers through His Prophet and His Word, is truly an insult to an all powerful God and Ahaz had insulted God with his lack of respect!

Ahaz and his sons represented the house of David at this time, but no other king of Judah had defied God as had Ahaz.

It could be said that Ahaz had renounced Judaism and had also renounced Jehovah!

God will not deliver a people who do not trust Him to deliver them!
God will only answer a prayer of “Faith”!
The greatest sin against the Lord is the sin of unbelief! (It cannot be forgiven)

“Therefore”

*****Isa 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

King Ahaz refused to trust that the Lord would deliver Judah from the combined forces of the Northern Tribes and Syria and he had placed his faith in the forces of Assyria.

God decided on a “supernatural sign”. In the day of Isaiah an impossibility but today is certainly possible.

A young virgin maiden, “of marriageable age”, would have a son, not just any son but the Messiah. His name would be Immanuel (God with us).

We should not be fooled by modern translations, this was to be a “virgin” in all sense of the word virgin! This Son was to be the Messiah!

God says what He means and God means what He says!

This was to be a young Jewish virgin maiden of marriageable age with the strength, in every way, to carry this child of God!

This Son of this virgin would be the great “Deliverer” of Israel!

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.

This virgin born Son, this Messiah, was to be born in Bethlehem. (First Coming)

This Son of this virgin, Mary, was to become the Redeemer and the Savior of mankind! (First Coming)

Luk_2:11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

2Ti_1:10 But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel:

1Jn 3:8 He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.

To dispute these things is to dispute the Holy Spirit who also directed the Apostle Matthew.

This sign of the “virgin birth” of the Messiah was explained to Joseph who was also of the House of David, as was Ahaz to whom this prophesy was given.

Mat 1:20 But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.
Mat 1:21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.
Mat 1:22 Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying,
Mat 1:23 Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.
Mat 1:24 Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife:
Mat 1:25 And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS.

Mary was a virgin at conception and remained a virgin until after the birth of the Messiah.

These things could never have been written about Hezekiah because he would have already been born before this time and was probably about 9 years old.

The efforts of King Ahaz would have destroyed Judah and Israel would never be resurrected and God could not allow that to happen!

This prophesy of Isaiah was to prove to Ahaz that Judah was invincible until the Messiah was born of this virgin, only after this could things change for Israel and Israel be devastated by Titus of Rome.

What would be the history of this child this Messiah?

*****Isa 7:15 Butter and honey shall he eat, that he may know to refuse the evil, and choose the good.
Isa 7:16 For before the child shall know to refuse the evil, and choose the good, the land that thou abhorrest shall be forsaken of both her kings.

Adam lived in the Garden of Eden at the first and even knowing the law of God, he did not refuse to do evil.

The second Adam, the Messiah would witness the destruction caused by sin and He would refuse all evil and choose the good!

The Messiah would partake of the simple things of life because He would be raised by poor parents but Godly parents who would teach Him the truth of God.

God would be His true Father as he would be filled with the all power of Holy Spirit from His birth!

Remember also that Ahaz was taking a stand against Israel and Syria. His greatest problem was he trusted Assyria for protection rather than the hand of God.

Isaiah just informed King Ahaz that both those two nations would both lose their kings and this was not something that should be of concern to him.

**2Ki 15:37 In those days the LORD began to send against Judah Rezin the king of Syria, and Pekah the son of Remaliah.
2Ki 15:38 And Jotham slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David his father: and Ahaz his son reigned in his stead.

All these things were a warning to King Ahaz but he still rejected the Word of God through God’s prophet!

Ahaz had already rejected the Word of God given to Jacob:

Gen 49:10 The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, “until Shiloh come”; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.

The truth is, that the Jews have been without a ruler, without a judge, and without a King for more than 2000 years because they have rejected the true King of kings and the true Lord of Lords!

The virgin birth of the Lord Jesus Christ is a major doctrine of the Church and the importance of it cannot be over stressed!

1) The Lord Himself gave this sign! The sign was not so much prophecy at is was the given child, the Son of God.

This sign would be a child given to all people, a gift from our Holy God!

2) It was the “first coming of this Child” that was the sign more than even “the birth of this Child”.

God informed the Jews of that day, that they must pay attention to what He was saying, so they would know when this thing took place and most all of them missed it. Those that realized the truth then rejected it!

This is the truth of all prophecy in the Word of God, we must all pay attention so we will know when these things take place and when we can expect the next one to take place.

What did Jesus say to these Jews?

Luk 12:54 And he said also to the people, When ye see a cloud rise out of the west, straightway ye say, There cometh a shower; and so it is.
Luk 12:55 And when ye see the south wind blow, ye say, There will be heat; and it cometh to pass.
Luk 12:56 Ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky and of the earth; “but how is it that ye do not discern this time”?

They had missed the time and the purpose of the “Sign” God had given to them!

As far as Bible prophecy for the Church is concerned, the next thing on God’s clock is the “Rapture” of the Church!

These prophesies concerning the Jews will take place after this!

Are you ready, to meet the Lord?

Questions?

Let’s Pray!

Book of Micah Part 1-The Witness Of God

November 6, 2016 / Bobby Mayfield / 2 Comments

The Witness Of God, Micah Part 1

Book of Micah Chapters 1-2

Micah was another of God’s prophets who served in Judah during the time of Hosea and Isaiah.

He gave God’s Word to King Jotham, King Ahaz, and King Hezekiah.

Micah prophesied of Jerusalem but also of Samaria the cities that were the nation’s capitols of Israel the Northern Tribes and Judah the Southern Tribes.

Micah preached to expose the sins of the people and repentance to return to God.

Micah showed great concern for social, economic, and legal justice!

Micah preached that every nation is judged by how it treats it’s weakest members.

Micah preached against the injustice and the oppression of government!

Micah warned of the evils of society and the responsibility of leadership!

1) How we treat all others is important to God.
2) God has a great concern for social, legal, and political justice.
3) God has great concern for how the poor and underprivileged are treated.

Micah preached of a sincere faith and obedience to the Lord because they matter.

Micah reminds us all that a change of heart is a required thing for true repentance.

We will begin today with God’s Warning.

*****Mic 1:1 The word of the LORD that came to Micah the Morasthite in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, which he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem.
Mic 1:2 Hear, all ye people; hearken, O earth, and all that therein is: and let the Lord GOD be witness against you, the Lord from his holy temple.
Mic 1:3 For, behold, the LORD cometh forth out of his place, and will come down, and tread upon the high places of the earth.

We can immediately see that Micah prophesied to the entire earth and also throughout all history.

These words of Micah are even more important today than they were in the day of Micah, because we know for certain that ‘Judgment” as described by Micah has not yet taken place!

Micah emphasizes that these are the Words of God and not the words of some man!

Micah emphasizes that there is a day of “Judgment” coming to this world and the “Judge” would be none other than “God Himself”!

You see it was God who called Micah and it was God who gave Him these words!

2Pe 1:20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.
2Pe 1:21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.

What happened to Israel and to Judah was just an example of what will be coming one day, and one day soon!

In our study of these three kings we know that Micah saw both good times and bad times in the nation of Israel.

We may not be able to see God’s Holy Temple in Heaven, at least yet, but that does not mean that God does not see everything that goes on in this place called Earth!

God Himself in the person of Jesus Christ will bring this “Judgment” to the world and it will be a perfect
“Judgment” from a perfect “Savior”!

Joh 5:22 For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son:
Joh 5:23 That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him.
Joh 5:24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.

And Micah describes some of the things that will happen.

Remember Jesus will return to the exact same place from where he had ascended back into Heaven.

Act 1:9 And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.
Act 1:10 And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel;
Act 1:11 Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.

What does Micah say?

*****Mic 1:4 And the mountains shall be molten under him, and the valleys shall be cleft, as wax before the fire, and as the waters that are poured down a steep place.

That is the power of God as He steps back upon this earth!

And remember the Muslim now have a burial ground in this pathway to the Eastern Gate which will simply be moved out of the way.

God has shown this world, “by His great love” His plan of salvation but it has been rejected, so God will come forth from His Temple of Love and those that remain that day will see the “God of Wrath”!

It may still be denied by this world, but it is still the truth!

It should be obvious that God in relation to sin, will bring material ruin upon all those who have rejected Him.

All those that object in this sinful world and have placed themselves between true life their Creator will be the first to be destroyed!

Then Micah describes Samaria and Jerusalem:

*****Mic 1:5 For the transgression of Jacob is all this, and for the sins of the house of Israel. What is the transgression of Jacob? is it not Samaria? and what are the high places of Judah? are they not Jerusalem?
Mic 1:6 Therefore I will make Samaria as an heap of the field, and as plantings of a vineyard: and I will pour down the stones thereof into the valley, and I will discover the foundations thereof.
Mic 1:7 And all the graven images thereof shall be beaten to pieces, and all the hires thereof shall be burned with the fire, and all the idols thereof will I lay desolate: for she gathered it of the hire of an harlot, and they shall return to the hire of an harlot.

God will always give His final warning before He brings judgment.

“Chastisement” and “Judgment” are two different things and the wrath of God is different all together!

Continued wickedness and idolatry after the warning will always bring the “Judgment of God”!

Notice the sins of both these people flourished because of what was happening in their capitol cities, which means that wickedness, transgression and sin was encouraged by the governments of both nations.

When people begin to fellowship with those who worship false gods or are convinced to take part in that worship, they are making that worship acceptable and it is never acceptable to God!

God promised to destroy Samaria and expose those sinful foundations.

When Samaria was destroyed, all the false worship centers would be set afire and the idols smashed to pieces.

In Micah’s day, most all those false religions were made up of fertility gods.

The basic beliefs of such religions were based upon the sexual experience.

They had become worshipers of these things.

We can see that in our own nation, that as wickedness increases, the worship and the lusts of these same sexual perversions have also increased.

Anyone that believes God is in these things is a fool!

It was not long before the people of Judah had become as wicked as the people of Israel.

*****Mic 1:8 Therefore I will wail and howl, I will go stripped and naked: I will make a wailing like the dragons, and mourning as the owls.
Mic 1:9 For her wound is incurable; for it is come unto Judah; he is come unto the gate of my people, even to Jerusalem.

Micah was deeply troubled by what he was seeing and showed intense grief for the things he was seeing.

I sometimes think this is where we fail the most!

We simply do not grieve enough for our world nor our nation nor our own communities!

The people of the world are just as guilty as Samaria.

As a nation, America has become the leader in wickedness.

Our idols may be different but the worship of anything besides the Living God then becomes an idol!

God warns this entire world that false worship “of any kind” will doom us all.

1Co 6:9 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,
1Co 6:10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.
1Co 6:11 And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.

There is still only “One Answer” to the world’s problems and “It Is The Lord Jesus Christ”!

Those that reject the Lord will have their place but it will not be in Heaven!

There are no other alternatives no matter how this world tries to deceive us!

When a society becomes corrupt, it will bring the “Judgment” of God!

*****Mic 2:1 Woe to them that devise iniquity, and work evil upon their beds! when the morning is light, they practice it, because it is in the power of their hand.
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.

What we see is that “greed” in any form will always cause oppression!

When greed takes over anyone, it will work in the brain in the night as well as in the day.

The object of greed has then become the god, the idol, of that greedy person.

This is what we see controlling our political structure of today.

The greed for power and riches are destroying the nation that use to offer every individual such opportunities freely!

We now see those who spend all their time making sacrifices and labor on their own altars of “greed”!

Micah offers hope to Jerusalem and Samaria if they will only repent before the time of “God’s Judgment”.

Micah offers all of us the same warning because the same truth is, “God’s Judgment” is a sure thing!

God’s “judgment” is “inevitable and it will be inescapable!

Until we get to Heaven, we will always come up short of God’s standards, but when we devise sin and evil in our own heads that is something else entirely!

When we have no sense of right and wrong we are headed for destruction!

This is the politics of America today and it is filtering into the society at a greater pace than ever.

Psa 36:1 The transgression of the wicked saith within my heart, that there is no fear of God before his eyes.
Psa 36:2 For he flattereth himself in his own eyes, until his iniquity be found to be hateful.
Psa 36:3 The words of his mouth are iniquity and deceit: he hath left off to be wise, and to do good.
Psa 36:4 He deviseth mischief upon his bed; he setteth himself in a way that is not good; he abhorreth not evil.

When our wicked behavior has corrupted our society, we will fall into the hands of an angry God!

*****Mic 2:3 Therefore thus saith the LORD; Behold, against this family do I devise an evil, from which ye shall not remove your necks; neither shall ye go haughtily: for this time is evil.

That word “therefore” always means God has given us His reasons before He announces His “judgment”!

The truth is when man devises sin, God has already prepared the appropriate penalty. One is just as certain as the other!

God makes us very aware that the evil we do will also jeopardizes our own families!

But this also applies just as well to our businesses, our organizations, our governments, and our nations!

Hab 2:9 Woe to him that coveteth an evil covetousness to his house, that he may set his nest on high, that he may be delivered from the power of evil!
Hab 2:10 Thou hast consulted shame to thy house by cutting off many people, and hast sinned against thy soul.
Hab 2:11 For the stone shall cry out of the wall, and the beam out of the timber shall answer it.
Hab 2:12 Woe to him that buildeth a town with blood, and stablisheth a city by iniquity!
Hab 2:13 Behold, is it not of the LORD of hosts that the people shall labour in the very fire, and the people shall weary themselves for very vanity?

And God then gives His prophet Micah the words to describe their calamity!

*****Mic 2:4 In that day shall one take up a parable against you, and lament with a doleful lamentation, and say, We be utterly spoiled: he hath changed the portion of my people: how hath he removed it from me! turning away he hath divided our fields.
Mic 2:5 Therefore thou shalt have none that shall cast a cord by lot in the congregation of the LORD.

Their “judgment” would be inescapable.
They would be humbled, they would spend the rest of the life in shame.
They would be ridiculed and mocked by others, they would loose the possessions they had obtained through sin.
And that nation would no longer have a leader to rule in the promised land.

This was the judgment on Israel.

Today nothing has changed.

The judgment on America will be inescapable.
America has been humbled and in shame.
America is being mocked by the world.
And we all have seen that no matter who wins this election, most of all Americans agree we will still not have a true leader.

In the time of Moses, the entire nation of Israel, except Joshua and Caleb, traveled in circles for 40 years until they died and could not enter into the promised land.

What had God promised Israel?

Isa 45:17 But Israel shall be saved in the LORD with an everlasting salvation: ye shall not be ashamed nor confounded world without end.
Isa 45:18 For thus saith the LORD that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I am the LORD; and there is none else.

These that had so sinned against the Lord in the time of Micah and throughout the days of this earth, would miss out on the salvation of the Lord!

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.

When we compromise on the Word of God and listen to those that do so, we are inviting the wrath of God!

*****Mic 2:6 Prophesy ye not, say they to them that prophesy: they shall not prophesy to them, that they shall not take shame.
Mic 2:7 O thou that art named the house of Jacob, is the spirit of the LORD straitened? are these his doings? do not my words do good to him that walketh uprightly?
Mic 2:8 Even of late my people is risen up as an enemy: ye pull off the robe with the garment from them that pass by securely as men averse from war.

The truth of the government and the society of the day of Micah, was that they persecuted God’s Prophets and placed their trust in the false prophets of the world.

What is the truth of the government and the society of America, and the world today?

Isa 30:9 That this is a rebellious people, lying children, children that will not hear the law of the LORD:
Isa 30:10 Which say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits:

When this is what you want, this is what you will get!

For instance those that advise our government are totally false preachers, or they take God’s Word and manipulate it into something that is a half-truth or totally false. This is the same thing Satan did to Eve!

The same goes for the leaders of many of the denominations and many of the pastors and preachers that have turned against the truth of the Scriptures!

These same people will then persecute anyone who preaches or teaches the truth they have already rejected!

They simply do not expect any benefit from the Word of God!
They do not acknowledge any duty to the Savior.
They are truly afraid of the enemies of God.
They compromise with any adversity.
They limit the Holy Spirit to periods of time, or to certain denominations.

These things become absurd and totally sinful, selfish, and unreasonable, to those who remain solid in their “faith”!

A house divided will always fall and that includes any nation!

When you disregard any part of the Holy Trinity you have rejected the God of the Bible!!!!!

The Church has become a place where the people want to hear about God’s love, God’s mercy, and God’s grace but have rejected God’s commandments, God’s justice, and God’s “judgment”. This is the whole council of God and even though not popular and sometimes offensive it is still the “Biblical Truth” of the Scriptures and must be taught.

Who in their right mind would want to serve a God where anything goes? Makes no sense at all!

These are just excuses for a people who refuse to give up their sin!

God warns all His people that we will be persecuted by the world.

Unbelievers will always oppose anyone who lives by the commandments of God!

Unbelievers will always oppose anyone who proclaims God’s demand for righteousness!

Listen to these words of Jesus:

Joh 15:20 Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.
Joh 15:21 But all these things will they do unto you for my name’s sake, because they know not him that sent me.
Joh 15:22 If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no cloke for their sin.
Joh 15:23 He that hateth me hateth my Father also.

Those that hate the Lord Jesus Christ, do not know the Triune God at all!
Those that reject the work of the Holy Spirit, do not know the Triune God at all!

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

What is the truth?

1Jn 5:7 For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.

We know that when John used “Word”, it was his way of saying the Lord Jesus Christ.

Joh 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

All these things fulfill the words of the Book of Genesis!

Gen 1:26 And God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness:” and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

You cannot leave out any part of the Holy Scriptures nor take them out of context and get the full truth!

Those that do these things have then become the enemies of God!

What does God teach His people?

Pro 4:14 Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men.
Pro 4:15 Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away.
Pro 4:16 For they sleep not, except they have done mischief; and their sleep is taken away, unless they cause some to fall.
Pro 4:17 For they eat the bread of wickedness, and drink the wine of violence.
Pro 4:18 But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.

And it is always the innocent, the poor, the women and especially the children, including the unborn who suffer the most!

*****Mic 2:9 The women of my people have ye cast out from their pleasant houses; from their children have ye taken away my glory for ever.
Mic 2:10 Arise ye, and depart; for this is not your rest: because it is polluted, it shall destroy you, even with a sore destruction.
Mic 2:11 If a man walking in the spirit and falsehood do lie, saying, I will prophesy unto thee of wine and of strong drink; he shall even be the prophet of this people.

God says if you follow the teaching of false prophets and the teaching of those that teach a prosperity “gospel” then you deserve what you get.

Our nation has faltered and failed under the current administration to a point we may never recover. We absolutely will not survive with 8 more years of the same.

If we do not stand up now, then we deserve the government we are left with!

If we are not serious enough to do what we can to cause a change, then why do we pray to the Lord to see if He will cause a change.

I tell you He will not!

God has only one answer to sin and that is “salvation”.

Salvation can only come to a people who God forgives of their sin and then they repent of their wicked ways!

Notice the prophet Micah, who preaches the direct Word of God, now goes from “warnings” to “promises”!

God had only one answer in the day of Micah and God has only one answer in this day we live now!

God makes promises to Israel that He never makes to the rest of the world and it is obvious!

BUT, the truth is God will be a “Shepherd” to all those that return to Him!

*****Mic 2:12 I will surely assemble, O Jacob, all of thee; I will surely gather the remnant of Israel; I will put them together as the sheep of Bozrah, as the flock in the midst of their fold: they shall make great noise by reason of the multitude of men.

The truth is, that this promise to Jacob the deceiver, is being partially fulfilled as the remnant of Israel is returning to their homeland since 1948.

This promise will not totally fulfilled until they make the Lord Jesus Christ their Shepherd!

It is the work of the “Gospel” to bring people together in “One Faith”!

The object of the “Gospel” is Jesus Christ!

Jesus said:

Joh 12:31 Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out.
Joh 12:32 And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.
Joh 12:33 This he said, signifying what death he should die.

The false prophets that they listened to could never make such promises, because they were powerless to do such things!

Just as He promised the Church, it will be the Lord Himself, “not a union of nations” who will save and restore His people.

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.

Then the Lord made another great promise.

*****Mic 2:13 The breaker is come up before them: they have broken up, and have passed through the gate, and are gone out by it: and their king shall pass before them, and the LORD on the head of them.

The Lord through Micah, promised He would burst upon the scene a day in the future of the world and break open the gates of bondage of Israel.

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.
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.

compare:

1Co 15:21 For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.
1Co 15:22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
1Co 15:23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.
1Co 15:24 Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.
1Co 15:25 For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet.

God does not make promises that He will not keep!

When the Lord Jesus Christ first came, He broke the bondage of sin, the bondage of death, and the bondage of condemnation by His death on the Cross and then His Resurrection!

We know that the Lord will return in the clouds to get His Church. This is the next promise to be fulfilled for the Church.

When the Lord returns to this earth the “Second Time”, He will deliver His people Israel from the chains that hold His people captive and they will never again be in bondage.

This is the promise that will be fulfilled to Israel.

All remaining prophesy will lead up to this point and will accelerate at the “Rapture of the Church”!

The Lord will then be King of Kings, and Lord of Lords.

Dan 7:13 I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him.
Dan 7:14 And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.

Zec 12:8 In that day shall the LORD defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and he that is feeble among them at that day shall be as David; and the house of David shall be as God, as the angel of the LORD before them.
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.

We should never think upon these things as an ending when they are truly a “New Beginning”.

God will certainly only want to spend eternity with those who truly want to be with Him!

Those who reject Him will not be there!

Questions?

Let’s Pray!

LESSONS IN GOD'S WORD

Taking time to read the Bible

The Prophecy of the Messiah

The Lamb of God

Messiah Full of Grace and Mercy

Peace and Strength Come By Trusting the Messiah

The Kingdom of the Messiah

The Work of the Messiah

The Time of the Messiah

Book of Micah Part 1-The Witness Of God

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