Victory In Jesus

God Looks Into the Heart

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

God Looks Into the Heart

The Book of 1 Samuel Chapter 16 through 17

We must clearly understand that when God rejects a person, or some law, or anything else He has rejected, we are to trust that God has a reason and respect God’s decision. God is always, ALWAYS, right!

God lists all the things that He rejects in the Word of God, the Received Hebrew and Greek Text.

Because of his disobedience, the Lord rejected Saul to be King of Israel.

This meant that upon the death of Saul the monarchy would be removed from the family of Saul.

This would mean a shift of power for the nation of Israel.

In fact, this shift in power of the nation of Israel will one day lead us to King Jesus to fulfill the prophecy given to Samuel before the death of Eli the High Priest that had ignored the Word of God.

What was King Saul’s problem? He ignored the Word of God!

God’s “Judgment” is severe, and we have yet to see the wrath of God since the time of the flood in Noah’s day.

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;

God has said His children will not see His wrath!

Rom_5:9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.

1Th_5:9 For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,

King Saul was rejected, and, in his place, God again chose another young man named David, a Son of Jesse from Bethlehem.

I believe if America is to be saved it will be saved by our young people.

Those old politicians need to be pushed out of the way, the swamp must be drained, to make room for fresh water and fresh blood.

From the day of David’s secret anointing till the death of Saul, David would be a threat to Saul’s claim to the throne of Israel!

It was God who sent Samuel to anoint a young David and as an old man, even Samuel feared King Saul.

*1Sa 16:1 And the LORD said unto Samuel, How long wilt thou mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? fill thine horn with oil, and go, I will send thee to Jesse the Bethlehemite: for I have provided me a king among his sons.
1Sa 16:2 And Samuel said, How can I go? if Saul hear it, he will kill me. And the LORD said, Take an heifer with thee, and say, I am come to sacrifice to the LORD.

We can be sure that if the Lord tells us to do something, we will be safe at least till we get that thing done.

We as Christians today are harmed more for what we do not do, rather than for what the Lord sends us to do!

Being in the will of God is the absolute safest place we can live and take our stand!

Samuel mourned for King Saul, but the Lord had rejected Saul.

We may find ourselves mourning for our own government, but God has rejected all such men who rule being against the Word of God.

We would be far better off mourning for our children and our family who are rejecting the Word of God, and doing all we can to reach them with the Gospel.

God’s Word has described to us in detail, how He will manage this world and He said for us to come out from among this world and be separate from it.

When we refuse to come out from this world we will be judged with this world!

Certainly, Samuel had wanted Saul to be a great king, but this was not going to happen, because like so many others in leadership positions, he had set himself above the people and above Jehovah the God of Israel.

We should understand the God’s wisdom is infallible!

God’s wisdom and God’s providence are paired together by His love for us!

What God does is in the best interests of His children and God is always right!

If Samuel had time to mourn for Saul, then Samuel had the energy to do a service for the Lord and God gave him something to do.

We cannot just sit around and mourn for what we see in this world and in our nation, the work of God is never complete, and God still needs workers for the harvest is still white.

By committing to the Lord Jesus Christ, we are in service to Him until He takes us home!

God does not forbid tears, but God still expects obedience and to fulfill our duty to the Lord Jesus Christ.

We must understand that we have more to live for than our own interests!

Mourning for this world is not a place worthy of our feelings or our tears!

A world that is given in to corruption and immorality is doomed to destruction and not worthy of our tears!

It is the death of a soul that needs to move us into the work of the Lord!

By the anointing of David, David would not then be made king.

David remained a subject of Saul’s kingdom at this time.

No one knew what would happen if Saul were to die and only then would the anointing of David become important, especially because it was Samuel who anointed him.

Saul was a king that the people provided.

Saul was the product of sinful desires!

Sounds just like our president of today.

David would be a king that Jehovah provided, to fulfill the will of God and to serve for the Glory of God.

A king after God’s own heart.

*1Sa 16:3 And call Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will shew thee what thou shalt do: and thou shalt anoint unto me him whom I name unto thee.
1Sa 16:4 And Samuel did that which the LORD spake, and came to Bethlehem. And the elders of the town trembled at his coming, and said, Comest thou peaceably?

It was time for Samuel to stop his mourning for Saul who God had rejected, and to get busy serving the Lord.

Jehovah was ready to begin preparations for a new king and the path to our eternal king, the Lord Jesus.

We should remember the prophecy given to Samuel for Eli who was High Priest at that time.

Notice the Lord never waits to the last minute to decide anything!

The Lord has a plan with every date locked in like on a calendar, and He does not ever change His mind.

God has written everything down for us so we can know His plan!

We may not know the days or the times, but we do know what God’s plan is!

Mat 24:34 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.
Mat 24:35 Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.
Mat 24:36 But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.
Mat 24:37 But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

Our Lord Jesus stated that we cannot know the day or the hour because He keeps these things to Himself.

The Lord also states that when wickedness has reached a point similar to what the world looked like in the days of Noah, then this is when the Lord will return.

Our world cannot be far from this day with what we see going on in our world today.

Those who do not know the Lord Jesus Christ must not wait till God shuts the door to the Ark before they try to be saved, for it will be too late.

It was a dangerous mission for Samuel to anoint some other king while Saul was still living.

Samuel was to go offering a sacrifice and this would not arouse suspicion.

Remember the Tabernacle was destroyed by the Philistines, so the people still worshipped but their worship was more localized.

Much like people worship in North Korea and China and other places where Christianity is banned.

The people of Bethlehem feared that Samuel had come to hold court and execute some judgment, but this was not why Samuel had come.

Notice sinful people always feel guilty because they are!

Just a note to remember. If we remember the story of Ruth and Boaz.

Boaz was the grandfather of Jesse, and we will begin to see how God works things out for our best interest.

*1Sa 16:5 And he said, Peaceably: I am come to sacrifice unto the LORD: sanctify yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice. And he sanctified Jesse and his sons, and called them to the sacrifice.

Samuel assured them that he had only come to sacrifice to the Lord for their sin.

Samuel advised them to sanctify themselves and to come to the sacrifice.

Each person that was sanctified by taking a bath, putting on clean clothes, abstaining from sex, and avoiding contact with a dead body.

More important than any of these things, these people were to seek the Lord for a Spiritual cleansing, confessing, and repenting of their sins.

It is while these things were going on that Samuel sought out Jesse and his sons.

You see God does not want any of us to live in sorrow.

Certainly, things happen that can cause sorrow, but we are not to remain this way.

We are more than conquerors and are to overcome the tragedies of this world.

This world we live in is not fair to anyone and world leaders want it this way and they try to keep it this way!

The Lord Jesus will bring us victory over the ways of the world by encouraging us to live victorious lives.

Samuel made it to Jesse’s house.

Here is where we see the theme of our lesson.

*1Sa 16:6 And it came to pass, when they were come, that he looked on Eliab, and said, Surely the LORD’S anointed is before him.
1Sa 16:7 But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.

We keep thinking that we can base our decisions about people on their appearance, but the Lord has proven that to be the wrong way, over and over again.

Samuel thought Jesse’s oldest son would make a great king, but God said no to him.

Remember God had given Israel their first king based upon looks and it was not working out for them.

Saul was a man they would have chosen themselves.

Jesus Christ said it this way:

Luk 16:15 And he said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.

God knows what is in the heart of every individual!

Now we may say ,”How could He” but it is still a fact.

Act 15:8 And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us;
Act 15:9 And put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith.

We can see that it is our faith that purifies our heart!

This is why we can never be justified by our heart, and we can only be justified by our faith!

Psa 143:2 And enter not into judgment with thy servant: for in thy sight shall no man living be justified.

God’s judgment comes because of what is in our heart!

A heart without faith in the truth of the Lord, cannot be justified!

*1Sa 16:8 Then Jesse called Abinadab, and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, Neither hath the LORD chosen this.
1Sa 16:9 Then Jesse made Shammah to pass by. And he said, Neither hath the LORD chosen this.
1Sa 16:10 Again, Jesse made seven of his sons to pass before Samuel. And Samuel said unto Jesse, The LORD hath not chosen these.
1Sa 16:11 And Samuel said unto Jesse, Are here all thy children? And he said, There remaineth yet the youngest, and, behold, he keepeth the sheep. And Samuel said unto Jesse, Send and fetch him: for we will not sit down till he come hither.
1Sa 16:12 And he sent, and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and withal of a beautiful countenance, and goodly to look to. And the LORD said, Arise, anoint him: for this is he.

Jesse presented all his sons but one, before Samuel and though each son had his own attributes, God had not chosen any of them.

If the choice of a new king were up to Samuel, any one of these sons of Jesse would have been the future king of Israel, but God said no to them all.

Keep in mind that neither Jesse nor his sons knew why Samuel was doing these things.

Jesse did not consider David to be eligible because he was still a teenager.

Here again we see that God can use our young people to do many wonderful things.

David was God’s choice!

Not the choice of Samuel and not the choice of Jesse.

David was a young man “after God’s own heart”.

It was what was in the heart of David that made him a better choice than Saul!

This was a secret anointing unknown to King Saul.

We must notice something else that is important.

*1Sa 16:13 Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah.
1Sa 16:14 But the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD troubled him.

While David was being anointed, the Spirit of the Lord came upon him and would remain with him all his life.

In fact, the anointing oil in typology represents the Holy Spirit, the Divine presence of the Lord.

After our salvation, the greatest of all the gifts of God is the Holy Spirit who will then live within us forever.

We must approach God through His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, for this to take place.

It is the Holy Spirit who will convict us when we do wrong.
It is the Holy Spirit who gives us the assurance of our salvation.
It is the Holy Spirit who cleans us up to make us presentable before the Lord.

The Holy Spirit is the influence that causes us to repent!

He also guides, teaches, protects, and provides the necessities of life, meeting all our needs.

It is the Holy Spirit who empowers us to conquer all the trials and tribulations of life in this world!

At this very moment, the Spirit of God departed from King Saul and an evil spirit from the Lord began to trouble him!

Saul wanted to be on his own and God obliged him by removing the Holy Spirit.

Notice the Holy Spirit did not live within Saul, but He did guide King Saul up until this time.

When we are disobedient to the words of the Lord, we will find that this world we live in is not such a wonderful world!

God had given up on Saul so he could live as he wanted to live.

Saul went back to doing things his way!

It is here that we find that David had a heart after God’s own heart and that he was a good musician also.

David began his service in the court of King Saul and became his armor bearer.

It should be obvious that God moves things around to meet His sovereign plan for this world.

This is known as the Providence of God.

We next meet David when he confronts Goliath the giant giving his services to the Philistines.

We all will confront some giant in our lives some day!

*1Sa 17:34 And David said unto Saul, Thy servant kept his father’s sheep, and there came a lion, and a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock:
1Sa 17:35 And I went out after him, and smote him, and delivered it out of his mouth: and when he arose against me, I caught him by his beard, and smote him, and slew him.
1Sa 17:36 Thy servant slew both the lion and the bear: and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing he hath defied the armies of the living God.
1Sa 17:37 David said moreover, The LORD that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine. And Saul said unto David, Go, and the LORD be with thee.

We should understand that King Saul was the tallest man of the Israelites and if any one fought Goliath, then it should have been Saul but even God would not allow this to happen because God wanted a victory and God began by causing the fame of David.

For forty long frightful days and nights the mighty giant Goliath defied the armies of Israel.

Every morning this giant of a man would stand and challenge the armies of Israel.

Every evening before some would sleep, this giant would tell Israel how he was going to kill them all, so they would have restless sleep.

He instilled fear into the army of Israel with every breath he took!

David was still a teenager when Jesse his father sent him to take some supplies to his brothers and to see how they were doing.

David felt shame when he saw this army of Israel so full of fear.

David was ashamed of his own brothers who were caught up in this same fear.

David witnessed the paralyzing effect that Goliath had upon the armies of Israel.

Remember God had sent the Holy Spirit to be with David.

God did not give us the spirit of fear, so David was full of courage because the Holy Spirit instills the Spirit of Power into us.

Fear will break the strongest of us!

King Saul wanted to talk to this young man who said he could kill this giant.

David told King Saul that he had the experience necessary to overcome this giant!

David was angry with his brothers, but he did not allow his anger to overcome him.

Anger is not wrong when the cause is justified!

In other words, we should be angry with what is going on in Washington.
We should be angry with what is going on in our schools.
We should be angry with the immorality that is forced upon us.

But we cannot allow our anger to bring forth sin!

The confidence of David came from his experience with lions and bears and he saw this giant Goliath as no bigger nor more dangerous than these wild animals.

David knew the Lord had delivered him and he knew the Lord would deliver him again!

1Jn 5:4 For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.
1Jn 5:5 Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?

We should have these same traits of David as we face the giants in our lives.

*1Sa 17:38 And Saul armed David with his armour, and he put an helmet of brass upon his head; also he armed him with a coat of mail.
1Sa 17:39 And David girded his sword upon his armour, and he assayed to go; for he had not proved it. And David said unto Saul, I cannot go with these; for I have not proved them. And David put them off him.

Saul made a feeble attempt to honor David by giving him his own armament, but Saul was a large man and David was on the small side compared to King Saul.

David’s faith made him realize that this armor would not suit him, and he removed it, for he knew he needed to be able to move about freely to avoid Goliath.

David also knew he needed to choose weapons that Goliath was not familiar with.

David knew Goliath was well trained in the use of a sword and a spear.

David chose five smooth stones out of a brook and with his sling, David could fight Goliath from a distance.

David also carried his shepherd’s staff for Goliath had never been a shepherd, he had always been a bully.

*1Sa 17:40 And he took his staff in his hand, and chose him five smooth stones out of the brook, and put them in a shepherd’s bag which he had, even in a scrip; and his sling was in his hand: and he drew near to the Philistine.
1Sa 17:41 And the Philistine came on and drew near unto David; and the man that bare the shield went before him.
1Sa 17:42 And when the Philistine looked about, and saw David, he disdained him: for he was but a youth, and ruddy, and of a fair countenance.
1Sa 17:43 And the Philistine said unto David, Am I a dog, that thou comest to me with staves? And the Philistine cursed David by his gods.
1Sa 17:44 And the Philistine said to David, Come to me, and I will give thy flesh unto the fowls of the air, and to the beasts of the field.

A scrip is a small bag that was usually tied to the girdle of a man’s clothing and in it would be things he thought would be needed such as a meal.

Today we men usually carry a wallet and you women usually carry a purse.

Goliath was wearing the items needed for hand-to-hand combat and some armor that could protect him from the blows of his opponent.

He was certainly a giant of a man, but the faith of David made this giant to appear no more than a mere man who bragged a lot, a bully.

David went straight at this giant showing no fear and Goliath was not use to such a tactic.

Everyone had always been afraid of Goliath.

Goliath’s main weapon was the fear he caused in all those who faced him!

Goliath showed contempt that the Israelites would even send such a young man as David to challenge him.

But David was high on faith!

Psa_22:20 Deliver my soul from the sword; my darling from the power of the dog.

David went forward in the name of the Lord, his Master.

*1Sa 17:45 Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied.
1Sa 17:46 This day will the LORD deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcases of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel.
1Sa 17:47 And all this assembly shall know that the LORD saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the LORD’S, and he will give you into our hands.

We should understand the God knows every little detail about us, all our strengths and all of our weaknesses.

Goliath trusted his man-made weapons and David trusted in his faith in Jehovah.

In typology, we can say that Goliath is a type of Satan, the devil.

See how the Devil attacks.

He assaults openly, trying to convince people how strong he is.
He harasses the people of God, especially those who are babes in Christ.
He hides behind those who will carry his armor.
He will make great railing accusations and attack our faith.
He will use our friends and our family against us.

David as a type of our faith, shows us that our faith must hold!

We must cling to our faith. Faith is our greatest strength!

This passage also teaches us that we need to stand unmovable when someone dishonors our God.

Eph 6:13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
Eph 6:14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
Eph 6:15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
Eph 6:16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
Eph 6:17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:

Those in the will of God will gain the victory!

*1Sa 17:48 And it came to pass, when the Philistine arose, and came and drew nigh to meet David, that David hasted, and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine.
1Sa 17:49 And David put his hand in his bag, and took thence a stone, and slang it, and smote the Philistine in his forehead, that the stone sunk into his forehead; and he fell upon his face to the earth.
1Sa 17:50 So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and smote the Philistine, and slew him; but there was no sword in the hand of David.
1Sa 17:51 Therefore David ran, and stood upon the Philistine, and took his sword, and drew it out of the sheath thereof, and slew him, and cut off his head therewith. And when the Philistines saw their champion was dead, they fled.

Just as quickly as this battle began, it was suddenly over.

The Lord God of Israel had provided the victory because the battle was His, not David’s.

Quickly David ran to the giant Goliath and took his own sword, and the head of this snake was removed.

The Philistine army could not believe what they had witnessed, and they became full of fear, and they began to run from this battle.

The army of Israel had a crushing victory on the day that Jesse sent his son David to the battlefield to bring encouragement to his other sons and a home cooked meal.

We get the picture of David as a little man, but it seems he was not so little.

Saul’s armor may have been too much for him, but David said he had not proved it.

David was strong enough to take the sword of the giant and cut off his head.

We can assume that when Goliath fell, he was not completely dead, and David would not give him time to recuperate.

We should know that God is glorified when His proud enemies are cut off with their own sword.

This is a picture of Armageddon when the enemies of God will destroy themselves with their own weapons because the fear of God will have overwhelmed them!

Israel had a great victory this day, yet they still refused to return to the Lord.

As David had said, this battle with the giant Goliath did make him famous.

We must realize that the battle with Satan, is the Lord’s battle and we must cling to our faith and remain in the will of God.

Amen

Eternal Victory

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

The Eternal Victory of the King

Book of Matthew Chapter 28

There is so much of this world that knows about the Lord Jesus Christ that His existence cannot be denied!

All human history has been transformed by the person of Jesus Christ!

Even the calendar was changed because of the truth of Jesus Christ.

The Roman ruler of the known world acknowledged the truth of Jesus Christ.

So we can see that the resurrection from the dead of the Lord Jesus Christ is the most important event in all of history.

It is the greatest day for all Christians and all humanity!

You cannot be a Christian and deny the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ!

The Word of God does not give Christians the option of denying the deity of Jesus Christ!

You are not a believer, if you deny the virgin birth of the Lord Jesus Christ.
You are not a believer, if you deny the true life and death of the Lord Jesus Christ.
You are not a believer, if you deny the “bodily” resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.

When we say the “Good News” the “Gospel” then these are the things that should come to mind!

1Co 15:1 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;
1Co 15:2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.
1Co 15:3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
1Co 15:4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:

Verse 1

*Mat 28:1 In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre.

Sunday, the first day of the new week should remind all who have been “Born Again” that we cannot die. Oh, we may give up this wicked body of flesh, but our souls are bound for Heaven to be forever with our Holy God.

Sunday is the Lord’s Day!

As Saturday, some say the Sabbath, the day of rest ends, we should lift our eyes toward Heaven and on the Lord’s Day gaze upon the face of our Creator.

Sunday is the “Day of the Lord” and the day we need to worship the Living God!

It is the day to claim the Word of God for the coming week and all weeks in our future.
It is the day to show our gratitude for all the things our Lord has provided and to thank Him for all the things He has promised to provide!
It is the day to show the world we truly love the Lord.
It is a day to lift our eyes toward Heaven and just “Praise the Lord”!

It is the third day after the Lord Jesus was buried that Mary Magdalene and that other Mary, which to me means she was not the mother of Christ Jesus.

Surely the mother of our Lord would not have been described as “the other Mary”.

She may have even been the sister to the Mother of Jesus as there were many forms of the name Mary such as Miriam.

We know at the death of the Lord Jesus she was with Mary the mother of Christ.

Joh 19:25 Now there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene.

It was these two Marys, that came to the tomb at the dawning of that Sunday morning.

*Mat 28:2 And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it.
Mat 28:3 His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow:
Mat 28:4 And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men.

As these two saints of God approached the location of the Tomb of Jesus there was suddenly an earthquake.

We should note that no one saw the Lord Jesus Christ exit from that tomb.

In fact the Lord Jesus Christ had left this tomb before any of these things occurred.

This angel had rolled away this stone that had been rolled into place by Joseph of Arimathea.

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.

We must never think that this angel removed the stone for the Lord Jesus to exit the tomb. He removed the stone so these women and any others could look into the tomb and see that Jesus was no longer there.

There had been at least four soldiers guarding the tomb of Jesus from the moment He was buried, and it can be said that these hardened soldiers became so afraid that they passed out.

Mat 27:63 Saying, Sir, we remember that that deceiver said, while he was yet alive, After three days I will rise again.
Mat 27:64 Command therefore that the sepulchre be made sure until the third day, lest his disciples come by night, and steal him away, and say unto the people, He is risen from the dead: so the last error shall be worse than the first.
Mat 27:65 Pilate said unto them, Ye have a watch: go your way, make it as sure as ye can.
Mat 27:66 So they went, and made the sepulchre sure, sealing the stone, and setting a watch.

This also should give us some idea of how we may react when we first see the Lord face to face.

Every precaution was taken to ensure that no one came to remove the body of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Our Savior did not need any help to leave that tomb!

Joh 10:17 Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again.

We should also understand that these guards, once they awoke, were also afraid for their own safety.

This tomb was like a jail in the sense that a guard could be executed for allowing a prisoner to escape, especially one whom the government had taken such precautions.

We should understand that the power of God is awesome, but it can also be terrifying.

These guards witnessed things that were unbelievable, and they did not know what to do.

Remember these were hardened soldiers who had been through many of the wars of Rome.

They became so afraid of their lives they went to the Chief Priest rather than their own commanders.

For these women, they did not know what to think, seeing all these things. Their only concern was for our Savior.

This is also a great lesson for us.

No matter what is going on in this world, we must stay focused upon our Savior!

This angel answered because he understood the conversation that was taking place between these women.

*Mat 28:5 And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified.
Mat 28:6 He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.

We can be sure that these believers were afraid just as any of us would have been.

This angel calmed their fears by saying “I know you are seeking Jesus”.

The same Jesus who was crucified because there is only one Jesus Christ.

It is this one event that brought recognition to Christianity even though it is still being denied.

These women saw a real angel and maybe two according to the Book of Luke.

Luk 24:3 And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus.
Luk 24:4 And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments:
Luk 24:5 And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead?

It is possible that there were even more angels about the tomb only showing their selves to converse with those who came.

These angels appeared as men and nowhere in the Bible do, we see women mentioned as angels.

Angels are the messengers of God!

These women had no reason to fear because they came because they loved the Lord!

Mat 7:7 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:
Mat 7:8 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.

The Lord Jesus Christ gave Himself to be crucified for all mankind, but it is important that we believe this!

2Co 5:14 For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead:
2Co 5:15 And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.
2Co 5:16 Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more.
2Co 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

Knowing these women still had doubts these angels said come and see.

Much of the world had an opportunity to see the truth of the Lord, but the Lord Jesus said we need to have “faith”.

They also told these two Marys to tell His disciples that the Lord Jesus had risen from His death and was going to Galilee just as Jesus had told them.

As they hurried to tell the disciples they met the Lord Jesus Christ who called out to them.

We can read about this thing in the four Gospels, and we can believe them all as the truth.

We should note that the Lord Jesus used the phrase “my brethren” even at this time.

The one thing we know for sure about these things is that this tomb is still empty, it was only needed for three days.

When those guards awoken, they feared for their lives so much so they reported to the Chief Priests rather than their own commanders, for they would have been put to death!

They may have even taken the money they were given and left Israel.

*Mat 28:11 Now when they were going, behold, some of the watch came into the city, and shewed unto the chief priests all the things that were done.
Mat 28:12 And when they were assembled with the elders, and had taken counsel, they gave large money unto the soldiers,
Mat 28:13 Saying, Say ye, His disciples came by night, and stole him away while we slept.
Mat 28:14 And if this come to the governor’s ears, we will persuade him, and secure you.
Mat 28:15 So they took the money, and did as they were taught: and this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day.

1) We should understand that there is no excuse for trained soldiers to fall asleep on guard duty.

There were enough of them that they could sleep in shifts.

This thing would be under the penalty of death for a Roman soldier to do such a thing.

2) The followers of Jesus Christ had no motive to steal the body of Jesus Christ.

The things that He had said He would do could only occur if He was in that tomb.

The disciples never made such a plan to kidnap the body of Christ.

What could they have possibly done with the body of Christ if they did possess it?

3) We should understand that the theft of the body of Christ would have been a Capital Crime punishable by death because the tomb had been sealed with the seal of Pilate and that of Rome.

None of the disciples were ever brought to trial nor arrested.

4) These soldiers realizing these things went to the only place that might save them from death.

They realized they may have seen an act of God.

They were very familiar with the false gods of Rome who were said to have such powers.

5) They were certain that no one would believe what had happened to be the truth.

So we see the Chief Priests and the Elders of Israel sough to discredit these things the soldiers reported.

It seems that money still works to buy a new story or to create lies.

What we need to understand is that the truth will always prevail.

Pro 12:19 The lip of truth shall be established for ever: but a lying tongue is but for a moment.
Pro 12:20 Deceit is in the heart of them that imagine evil: but to the counsellors of peace is joy.

Treachery had been used to arrest the Lord Jesus Christ.
An illegal court had tried Him.
False charges had been brought against Him before Pilate.
Now bribery was being used to discredit the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

As believers we know that the truth will always prevail.

Joh 8:32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

We know many things the disciples did from the other three Gospels, but we now read where the disciples went to Galilee just as the Lord Jesus instructed.

*Mat 28:16 Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them.
Mat 28:17 And when they saw him, they worshipped him: but some doubted.

We see that Matthew closes out what the Holy Spirit gave to him with the command to all Christians.

To Matthew the Lord Jesus Christ was the Son of David as prophesied and the soon coming King of Israel and King of all the world.

Mat 1:1 The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.

Mat 5:35 Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King.

Now Matthew writes that the Lord Jesus is risen just as He had said.

Now in the power of the resurrection, we are all to go forth proclaiming the Lord Jesus and His eternal kingdom.

The eleven disciples traveled to Galilee to meet their Savior as He had instructed but some still had doubts that Jesus would be there.

We can trust what the Lord tells us because He would never lie to us!

We have appointed places where we are to meet the Lord and we should never doubt that He will be there!

1) We will meet Jesus in our worship if it is in Spirit and Truth.

Joh 4:23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.

Our worship is not where we go, our worship is where Jesus is at, and He is only in places that preach the truth!

Mat 18:20 For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.

2) We will meet Jesus in our Bible study.

Joh 5:39 Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.

3) We will meet Jesus in our prayers.

Joh 14:13 And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
Joh 14:14 If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.

4) We will meet Jesus in our devotions.

There is a good chance that not just the eleven disciples met the Lord Jesus at Galilee.

1Co 15:1 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;
1Co 15:2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.
1Co 15:3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
1Co 15:4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
1Co 15:5 And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve:
1Co 15:6 After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep.
1Co 15:7 After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles.
1Co 15:8 And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time.

We should be able to say that more than 500 people, some believing and some in doubt until they saw Him, if we need more proof of the Resurrection Messiah.

The Lord Jesus is real, and He is our Savior and He will return as the King of this world!

If you want to remove your doubts just go and visit the Lord Jesus Christ and you will find Him.

Act 17:27 That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us:

Though many still doubt, believers know that the Lord Jesus Christ has the power of God because He is God!

*Mat 28:18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.

The Lord Jesus has the power of God for one main reason, to save those who are lost.

Php 2:8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
Php 2:9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:
Php 2:10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;
Php 2:11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

To those who reject the Lord Jesus Christ, you should know that you will still bow to Him.

His authority is over all the known universe and all the invisible creation.

He is the Lord of the angelic host.

Isa 2:12 For the day of the LORD of hosts shall be upon every one that is proud and lofty, and upon every one that is lifted up; and he shall be brought low:

The Lord Jesus Christ will rule this world for 1000 years!

Rev 20:4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.

The most important thing to the believer is His power to forgive sins.

Joh 5:22 For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son:

Joh 5:27 And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man.

There is no one or nothing that has more power than the One True God!

The power of the Lord Jesus Christ gives us confidence that our sin has been forgiven and we have that personal relationship with our Creator.

He asks only one thing of us.

*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.

Some mistake this as a commandment only to Pastors and Preachers and other such men but this commission is for every believer!

There is no more important Scripture in all the New Testament!

As believers we are to replicate ourselves.

We are to go each of us to make disciples who will then go forth themselves in a continuous fashion.

The Church is set forth as a place to worship the Messiah.

The next phase of the Church is to make disciples.

Any other business of the Church comes after these two things have their priorities in place.

Feeding, clothing, and helping others beyond the teaching of the “Gospel” should never be undertaken until these commandments of the Lord are working as commanded!

The Lord Jesus Christ came to seek and to save and He gave His life to accomplish these things.

What did He teach us?

Mat 10:38 And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.

Mat 16:24 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

Teach the “Gospel” no matter where we are located understanding that wherever God has placed us is our mission field.

Baptizing is just making a public confession of our faith, but our Lord Jesus was baptized, and we should follow in His ways.

We must know that God is a Holy Trinity that cannot be denied.

The Lord Jesus says, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost (Spirit) which is Jehovah God the Great “I Am” of the Bible.

After our salvation we are to follow as best we can in all the things of Jesus Christ.

To ignore these things is to reject the truth of the Messiah!

What the Lord Jesus Christ did must be studied and studied to the point of learning so we can teach others.

The things that the Lord Jesus Christ taught should rule in our life and our societies today.

Our world has reached this point of wickedness because the Lord Jesus Christ has been rejected!

We must understand we are never alone; the Lord Jesus is with us forever, even here on this earth and forever with us when he takes us home to a place prepared for us!

Amen

The Messiah Will Bring A Great Victory

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

The Great Victory the Messiah Brings

Book of Isaiah 25

As Christians it seems that sometimes as we read and try to understand Bible prophecy, we come away with more questions than we have answers but in reality we need to spend more time in the Scriptures and we certainly must not listen to old wives fables and vain things that can amount to nothing nor to anyone who has already rejected the Word of God!

In truth, we need to see the fulfilled prophecies of God and how they relate to Bible history and our own history and then, we can begin to understand what God is saying. Prophecies that have been fulfilled are now behind us, history!

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

The thing we should clearly understand is, the fact that in the Lord Jesus Christ there can be no loss at all, and the other side of that is, outside of the Lord Jesus Christ there can be no long term victory at all!

All things we will see, even in our own future, will reveal the plans and the purposes of God, if we pay attention and be obedient to the Word of God!

If we keep the main thing, the main thing, we will realize that God has a plan and He just wants us all to be part of His plan!

It should be clear to us that the Lord wants us to know about Him or He would have never revealed Himself to us, so He certainly will never try to hide anything from us!

We should also understand that the “terribleness” of God is another very good reason to place our trust in Him!

What should we know of those who continue to follow in the works of Satan?

Isa 24:5  The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant. 
Isa 24:6  Therefore hath the curse devoured the earth, and they that dwell therein are desolate: therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men left.

Isa 24:17  Fear, and the pit, and the snare, are upon thee, O inhabitant of the earth. 

Isa 24:19  The earth is utterly broken down, the earth is clean dissolved, the earth is moved exceedingly. 
Isa 24:20  The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall be removed like a cottage; and the transgression thereof shall be heavy upon it; and it shall fall, and not rise again. 

These are all the results of works of Satan!

God does not do bad things, God only does “righteous” things!

But we should clearly understand, it is a righteous thing for God to chastise His believers!
It is a righteous thing for God to “Judge” all unbelievers and destroy them out of His land!

The non-believer may see these things as unrightous but if they repented it would changed their attitude!

When the Messiah returns, all those who have rejected Him will only be able to imagine a world that is coming to an end but in reality it will only be the Lord doing what He said He would do to bring new life into this world for a period of time of at least 1000 years and after this eternity!

The Church will already be in Heaven, our victory won, but the Church will then return with the Lord at His Second Coming.

It is during this time of destruction known simply as “Jacob’s Trouble”(The Seven Years of Tribulation) that the Jews will repent and return to the Lord and that victory is soon to be in the making.

And God’s redeemed Jews, will then sing a new song:

Let’s Begin:

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

We should be able to see that the relationship of Jehovah to His people has now become personal!

God is seeking a close and personal relationship with each of us and with all of His creation!

God’s people, the Jews will have realized that the Lord has done exactly what He said He would do.

They will realize what Moses had said, was true.
They will realize what all the prophets had said, was true.
They will realize that all those Psalms they had sung regularly in their worship services, were are true.
They will then realize, that the Lord Jesus Christ is exactly who He said He was!

They will connect their selfishness with the history of their own nation all these years and repent and return to the Lord!

Rev 7:12  Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen. 

Rev 15:3  And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints. 

The world is fast approaching the 8 Billion mark in population but at the end of Jacob’s Trouble only a few will have survived. Even if it is Millions it will be a far cry from those Billions!

Those that remain will praise the name of the Lord and we already know that Jehovah God will at this time, fulfill all the promises He made to the Jews!

There may also be a few Gentiles who had never gotten the opportunity to hear the “Gospel” and accept it or to reject it, they will then at that time also get that opportunity.

Most all those, probably all those, who have rejected the “Gospel” during the “Church Age” will be destroyed, as in the days of Noah!

1Th 2:15  Who both killed the Lord Jesus, and their own prophets, and have persecuted us; and they please not God, and are contrary to all men: 
1Th 2:16  Forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles that they might be saved, to fill up their sins alway: “for the wrath is come upon them to the uttermost”.

Many prophecies of the Bible have already been fulfilled and are now history but many more are to come, though most of them concern the promises to the nation of Israel.

The truth is, whether we know true faith or not, God will always be “faithful” to Himself and to all of His Scriptures!

1Co 1:9  God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord. 

The next truth is, that it is impossible for God to lie! So the Scriptures are all the truth. We must rightly divide the Word of God! We must understand clearly who the Lord is talking too, while also realizing that we are to learn from all the Word of God.

Heb 6:17  Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath: 
Heb 6:18  That by two immutable things, “in which it was impossible for God to lie”, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us: 

It boils down to, do you believe what God says or not? The Bible is “an all or nothing book”!

The “Bread of Life” is not some cafeteria style plan, to pick and choose the meal that suits you and then reject the part you do not like!

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

By the end of the Tribulation Period, the world will have witnessed the truth of God in full view and those that are left will be in agreement, “O LORD, thou art my God; I will exalt thee”.

*****Isa 25:2  For thou hast made of a city an heap; of a defenced city a ruin: a palace of strangers to be no city; it shall never be built.
Isa 25:3  Therefore shall the strong people glorify thee, the city of the terrible nations shall fear thee. 
 
As often as we see the term Babylon in the books of the prophets, we should clearly understand that in prophecy this Babylon is not just some ancient city that is to be destroyed but in reality it is the seat of the Antichrist!

It is the seat of his false religion.
It is the seat of this world he has influenced.

The seat of the Antichrist will be destroyed by the end of the 7 years of Tribulation, also called the time of “Jacob’s Trouble”.

Jer 51:37  And Babylon shall become heaps, a dwellingplace for dragons, an astonishment, and an hissing, without an inhabitant. 

A clear understanding can be realized in the Book of Revelation chapter 18.

In fact the old city of Babylon and Nineveh stand in that condition today!

Babylon was the metropolis of the pagan world and God has destroyed it as He said! It has never been rebuilt in that same location!

But Babylon, the seat of the Antichrist, is the same world Satan used to entice the Lord Jesus Christ.

Mat 4:8  Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; 
Mat 4:9  And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. 
Mat 4:10  Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. 

This is the seat of the Antichrist, the spirit of the Babylon of our day, that will cease to exist when the Lord returns!

Isa 13:19  And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldees’ excellency, shall be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah. 
Isa 13:20  It shall never be inhabited, neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation: neither shall the Arabian pitch tent there; neither shall the shepherds make their fold there. 

One day in the near future in our world where the spirit of Babylon has become the seat of the Antichrist, there will be a sigh of relief at the fall of this sinful and evil thing that has brought ruin to God’s creation.

What glorious thing will happen because of this ruin?

These same Jews who will have already witnessed the “Rapture” of the Church will at that time also witness the fall of the Antichrist.

The Jews will then be stirred up to worship the Lord and see the promises to Abraham and to David fulfilled, but even much more than that.

Psa 66:3  Say unto God, How terrible art thou in thy works! through the greatness of thy power shall thine enemies submit themselves unto thee. 
Psa 66:4  All the earth shall worship thee, and shall sing unto thee; they shall sing to thy name. Selah. 

Even many Gentiles will repent of their sins and begin worship the Lord!

This will not included those that have rejected the Lord in the Church Age for they will have all been destroyed!

*****Isa 25:4  For thou hast been a strength to the poor, a strength to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shadow from the heat, when the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall. 
Isa 25:5  Thou shalt bring down the noise of strangers, as the heat in a dry place; even the heat with the shadow of a cloud: the branch of the terrible ones shall be brought low. 

We certainly may not understand all the things in the time of “Jacob’s Trouble” but we can be sure there are those who are poor and in need through no fault of their own. They may have been led astray or many other things but God will never totally forsake such people until He as allowed His own time of repentance!

Even today God feeds this entire world and only a small portion of this world truly loves Him!

When the Jews would not accept the “Bread of Life”, the Word of God, God still fed them with the “Manna” from Heaven!

Isa 41:17  When the poor and needy seek water, and there is none, and their tongue faileth for thirst, I the LORD will hear them, I the God of Israel will not forsake them. 

But God always warned them:

Mat 4:4  But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. 

So in reality there will be many souls saved out of the Great Tribulation!

Rev 7:14  And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

Notice, most of all of the new Gentile believers after the “rapture” of the Church, had been murdered for their beliefs!

BUT, God will have silenced all those who have made such great noise against Christianity!

The persecution of believers is sometimes compared to dry heat as it has parched the grasses but God will bring a cloud that will provide shade and even moisture as He protects those who have not had the opportunity to know Him!

It is true, that the goal of the “Gospel” is to reach every individual before this time arrives but we can also know that this may not actually take during the Church Age.

The “branch” of the “terrible ones”, is any “power” that those who are in direct support of the Antichrist, had over God’s people. This “branch” represents the false power of Satan which in fact was no power at all, at least over the Messiah.

Rev 18:9  And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning, 

God will always bring down the enemies of His people in every age!

*****Isa 25:6  And in this mountain shall the LORD of hosts make unto all people a feast of fat things, a feast of wines on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of wines on the lees well refined. 

This mountain would be Mount Zion but it could also be a “type” of the Church, as all God’s people, Jew and Gentile alike will sit down together to the “the Great Supper in God’s Kingdom”.

Luk 14:16  Then said he unto him, A certain man made a great supper, and bade many: 
Luk 14:17  And sent his servant at supper time to say to them that were bidden, Come; for all things are now ready. 
Luk 14:18  And they all with one consent began to make excuse. The first said unto him, I have bought a piece of ground, and I must needs go and see it: I pray thee have me excused. 
Luk 14:19  And another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them: I pray thee have me excused. 
Luk 14:20  And another said, I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come. 
Luk 14:21  So that servant came, and shewed his lord these things. Then the master of the house being angry said to his servant, Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind. 
Luk 14:22  And the servant said, Lord, it is done as thou hast commanded, and yet there is room. 
Luk 14:23  And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled. 
Luk 14:24  For I say unto you, That none of those men which were bidden shall taste of my supper. 

We must also realize that the difference in providing food for the needy, compared to providing the “Gospel” to the lost, is like a meal that has become a “feast”!

1Co 2:14  But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. 

Truth, mercy, assurance, pardon, peace, and “Grace” become a feast of fat things.

The doctrines of God are well refined and abundant in Spirit and in purity and cetainly in holiness!

Jer 31:12  Therefore they shall come and sing in the height of Zion, and shall flow together to the goodness of the LORD, for wheat, and for wine, and for oil, and for the young of the flock and of the herd: and their soul shall be as a watered garden; and they shall not sorrow any more at all. 
Jer 31:13  Then shall the virgin rejoice in the dance, both young men and old together: for I will turn their mourning into joy, and will comfort them, and make them rejoice from their sorrow. 

God will have put down all the evil in this world!

*****Isa 25:7  And he will destroy in this mountain the face of the covering cast over all people, and the vail that is spread over all nations. 
Isa 25:8  He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the LORD hath spoken it. 

What is that covering that is cast over all people? It is the vail that Satan has cast over the human heart.

When the Five books of Moses were read, the veil was upon the heart of God’s people, not upon Moses.

2Co 3:15  But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the vail is upon their heart. 

When the Old Testament was read in the time of Christ Jesus, the veil was upon the heart of most all the Jews, not upon Christ Himself. In fact Christ removed that veil of the eyes but the veil of Satan remained cast over the hearts of the unbelievers.

2Co 3:14  But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same vail untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which vail is done away in Christ. 

It is only in those who have repented and returned to the Lord, that this veil has been removed!

2Co 3:16  Nevertheless when it shall turn to the Lord, the vail shall be taken away. 

What is that veil? The veil of human depravity and/or natural corruption, the veil of blindness, caused by Satan!

Rom 3:20  Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin. 
Rom 3:21  But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; 
Rom 3:22  Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: 
Rom 3:23  For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

At the end of the Tribulation Period, there will also be a veil of sorrowing.

We know that the Jews would cover their heads when they felt shame and were confounded. They will now feel ashamed and sorrowful for having rejected the Lord Jesus Christ all these years!

Jer 14:2  Judah mourneth, and the gates thereof languish; they are black unto the ground; and the cry of Jerusalem is gone up. 
Jer 14:3  And their nobles have sent their little ones to the waters: they came to the pits, and found no water; they returned with their vessels empty; they were ashamed and confounded, and covered their heads. 
Jer 14:4  Because the ground is chapt, for there was no rain in the earth, the plowmen were ashamed, they covered their heads. 

In fact the veil of sorrow and shame, will have covered all nations that have survived this terrible time of God’s Wrath!

God’s plan also includes removing the one thing that every human fears and that is “death”.

What did God say to Adam?

Gen 2:16  And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: 
Gen 2:17  But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof “thou shalt surely die”. 

Adam had never heard the word “die” but the consequences of his actions have remained with all humans, all animals, and even all God’s creation from that point forward.

Rom 8:21  Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. 
Rom 8:22  “For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now”. 
Rom 8:23  And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body. 

Death has always been a covering of gloom over all people!

Death will be conquered for all God’s people at the Second Coming of Christ Jesus, the Messiah!

There probably have been more tears poured out over the sorrow of death than any other thing in the human life.

SO, What God has done for the Church will be improved on, when the Messiah returns!

1Co 15:53  For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 
1Co 15:54  So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. 
1Co 15:55  O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? 
1Co 15:56  The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. 
1Co 15:57  But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 

In God’s New World, there will never be one tear shed because of death. In fact there will no tears in Heaven after this point forever more.

In Heaven there be nothing to cry about except maybe tears of “JOY”.

Rev 21:4  And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. 
Rev 21:5  And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. 

We should also be clear, all those tears that have been shed in grief and sorrow, because of the work of Satan, will not have been shed in vain!

Psa 30:4  Sing unto the LORD, O ye saints of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness. 
Psa 30:5  For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, “but joy cometh in the morning”. 

We hear a lot about guarantees in this world but none are as important as this one that says “for the Lord hath spoken it”!

When the Lord speaks, His words are always guaranteed to be true!

There will be no one left who will rebuke God’s people, there will be no one left who will not love the Jew!

Why?

*****Isa 25:9  And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the LORD; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in “his salvation”.

You see, God has only offered His free gift of salvation and all anyone has ever had to do was to receive God’s gift!

As the nation of Israel lives in a world of hate and as they see a world on the verge of total collapse, they will then see Jehovah God, the One they have waited on all their years, returning according to the Scriptures!

Zep 3:14  Sing, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel; be glad and rejoice with all the heart, O daughter of Jerusalem. 
Zep 3:15  The LORD hath taken away thy judgments, he hath cast out thine enemy: the king of Israel, even the LORD, is in the midst of thee: thou shalt not see evil any more. 
Zep 3:16  In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem, Fear thou not: and to Zion, Let not thine hands be slack. 
Zep 3:17  The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing. 

What had Jesus, the Messiah, preached to the Jews?

Luk 13:34  O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee; how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not! 
Luk 13:35  Behold, your house is left unto you desolate: and verily I say unto you, Ye shall not see me, until the time come when ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord. 

We see that Jesus was actually referring to His return!

*****Isa 25:10  For in this mountain shall the hand of the LORD rest, and Moab shall be trodden down under him, even as straw is trodden down for the dunghill. 
Isa 25:11  And he shall spread forth his hands in the midst of them, as he that swimmeth spreadeth forth his hands to swim: and he shall bring down their pride together with the spoils of their hands. 
Isa 25:12  And the fortress of the high fort of thy walls shall he bring down, lay low, and bring to the ground, even to the dust. 

Moab was founded by the incestuous son of Lot and his own daughter.

What had Moses prophesied?

Num 24:17  I shall see him, but not now: I shall behold him, but not nigh: there shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel, and shall smite the corners of Moab, and destroy all the children of Sheth.

Num 24:19  Out of Jacob shall come he that shall have dominion, and shall destroy him that remaineth of the city. 

The fact is, that in this instance, Moab is in fact “a type” of all Satan’s children.

Jer 48:29  We have heard the pride of Moab, (he is exceeding proud) his loftiness, and his arrogancy, and his pride, and the haughtiness of his heart. 
Jer 48:30  I know his wrath, saith the LORD; but it shall not be so; his lies shall not so effect it. 

No doubt “Moab” in “type” also represents all the foes of Israel that remain and all the foes of Israel will be trodden down under the feet of the Messiah.

Mar 12:36  For David himself said by the Holy Ghost, The LORD said to my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool. 

A dunghill was a heap of compost. The compost pile was increased by the addition of straw, which means the straw was left to rot in the dunghill!

When the Messiah returns, His enemies will be no more than that straw that was trampled into the dunghill and many will be left to just rot.

The truth is, at the return of the Messiah, the enemies of God can no more resist the power of God than water can resist a good swimmer!

Once the enemies of Israel, the enemies of the Church, all these the enemies of the Messiah are removed, there will be no opposition to God left on this earth.

No persecution.
No need for martyrs.
No mocking of God’s people.

Rev 18:6  Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works: in the cup which she hath filled fill to her double. 
Rev 18:7  How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow. 
Rev 18:8  Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her.

2Co 10:4  (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) 
2Co 10:5  Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; 
2Co 10:6  And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled. 

God does not ask many things of us!

Mar 12:30  And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. 
Mar 12:31  And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.

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

Heb 10:24  And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: 
Heb 10:25  Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching. 

The basics are; Love God above all else, Love each other, Study the Bible, attend a Bible believing Church, and most important of all “Have Faith”!

Heb 11:6  But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. 

Questions?

Let’s Pray!