Greeting

 7/20/23 Paul, an apostle—not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead— ² and all the brothers^[a] who are with me,

To the churches of Galatia:

³ Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, ⁴ who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, ⁵ to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

No Other Gospel

⁶ I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— ⁷ not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. ⁸ But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. ⁹ As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.

¹⁰ For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant^[b] of Christ.

Paul Called by God

¹¹ For I would have you know, brothers, that the gospel that was preached by me is not man’s gospel.^[c] 12 For I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ. ¹³ For you have heard of my former life in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God violently and tried to destroy it. ¹⁴ And I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people, so extremely zealous was I for the traditions of my fathers. ¹⁵ But when he who had set me apart before I was born,^[d] and who called me by his grace, ¹⁶ was pleased to reveal his Son to^[e] me, in order that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with anyone; ^[f] 17 nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me, but I went away into Arabia, and returned again to Damascus.

¹⁸ Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas and remained with him fifteen days. ¹⁹ But I saw none of the other apostles except James the Lord’s brother. ²⁰ (In what I am writing to you, before God, I do not lie!) ²¹ Then I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia. ²² And I was still unknown in person to the churches of Judea that are in Christ. ²³ They only were hearing it said, “He who used to persecute us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.” ²⁴ And they glorified God because of me. (Galatians 1) ESV

The Book of Galatians: Introduction

By Peter Amsterdam

July 18, 2023

The book of Galatians is a letter (or epistle) that the Apostle Paul wrote to the churches of Galatia, a province of Anatolia (modern-day Turkey). In Paul’s day, the province of Galatia touched the Black Sea on the north and the Mediterranean Sea on the south. Galatia became a Roman province in 25 BC, and amongst its residents were people from various ethnic groups who had migrated to Asia Minor. Many of them were originally from Gaul (France), but over the centuries, they had migrated eastward and settled in Galatia. The book of Acts records Paul’s travels through “south Galatia.”¹

There is some debate about when Paul wrote the letter to the Galatians, with two main views on the topic. The first view is the North Galatian theory, which claims that the letter was addressed to the churches in North-central Asia Minor, where the Gauls had settled when they invaded the area in the third century BC. According to this view, Paul visited this area on his second missionary journey between AD 53 and 57.

The second view is the South Galatian theory, which says that Galatians was written to the churches in the southern area of the Roman province of Galatia, where Paul founded churches in the cities of Antioch, Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe on his first missionary journey. Some historians believe Paul wrote his letter to the Galatians from Syrian Antioch in AD 48–49 after his first journey. Others think it was written in Syrian Antioch or Corinth between AD 51 and 53. While the dates of Paul’s writings are important to historians, for most of us it is enough to know that Paul wrote the letter to the Galatians and that we can benefit from this epistle.

Paul, an apostle—not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead—and all the brothers who are with me, To the churches of Galatia.²

Throughout Paul’s writings, he often affirmed his authority as an apostle at the beginning of his letters, as he has done in this passage.³ He was first called as an apostle when the risen Christ appeared to him on the road to Damascus.⁴ He was also called to proclaim the gospel to the Gentiles.

For this I was appointed a preacher and an apostle (I am telling the truth, I am not lying), a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.⁵

Now I am speaking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch then as I am an apostle to the Gentiles.⁶

Paul’s apostleship was verified by the churches he established.

If to others I am not an apostle, at least I am to you, for you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord.⁷

Paul emphasized that his apostleship did not come from human origin. This statement indicates that he was responding to charges that some had made regarding his apostleship. It seems that some opponents doubted his credibility, claiming that his gospel had a human origin. However, that was not the case. His apostleship did not come from human beings, but directly from Jesus Christ and God the Father.

In stating that God raised Jesus from the dead, Paul was pointing out the significance of the resurrection. A new age had arrived, in which God would fulfill all His promises to Israel and to the entire world. However, the Galatians were moving in the wrong direction by binding themselves to circumcision and the Mosaic law. Because Jesus had risen from the dead, believers were no longer required to follow the law.

Paul continued his opening passage by stating that the letter was not sent by him alone; it also came from fellow believers who were with him when he wrote to the Galatians. The letter wasn’t written to only one church, but to all the churches in Galatia.

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.⁸

Paul prayed that God the Father and Jesus Christ would bestow grace and peace upon the believers. In Paul’s writings, God’s grace generally refers to unmerited favor given by God to believers. However, it sometimes also refers to God’s transforming power, as it does here. This was an important point, as the Galatians were in danger of accepting a “gospel” that denied the grace of God.

The grace and peace which come from Jesus are rooted in His sacrificial death on the cross, the giving of Himself. It is through His suffering and laying down His life for our sakes that we can be forgiven for our sins. Jesus’ death was necessary because of human sin. He gave Himself so that those who believed in Him would receive forgiveness for their sins. He surrendered His life to atone for our sins, resulting in believers being spared separation from God and being eternally reconciled to their heavenly Father.

…who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father…

Paul now explains the purpose of Jesus’ self-giving. He died to save believers from the evil of the present age (including our present age), which the Galatians were falling into by believing that it was necessary to be circumcised in order to be a Christian. To accept that belief would mean falling back into the Mosaic covenant, after having been delivered from it through Jesus’ death on the cross.

…to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

Having spoken of Jesus, who died for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, Paul declares a doxology. A doxology is an expression of praise to God. God’s glory and honor are displayed through Christ and His giving His life on the cross. As one author says: Indeed, God will be praised forever because of his saving work in Christ.⁹

I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel.¹⁰

Paul now begins the body of the letter, where he introduces the situation which caused him to write this urgent letter. He is shocked that the Galatians, whom he had brought to the Lord, were departing from the message he had preached to them. They were turning away from the hope they had for the forgiveness of sin and abandoning the grace which was theirs in Christ. Paul reminded them that God had called them to grace in Christ. In this context, those who are called are being chosen. The calling refers to the work of God of bringing some who hear the gospel to salvation.

By turning back to the Mosaic law and circumcision, which Jesus had fulfilled through His death and resurrection, the Galatians were departing from the gospel and were moving toward a gospel of human achievement rather than of God’s grace.

Not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ.¹¹

Paul made it clear that the so-called gospel of those who were deserting him was no gospel at all. They were troubling the believers and causing them to doubt what Paul had taught them. It is probable that these troublemakers were Judaizers, believers who wanted to observe the Jewish way of life as taught in the Old Testament. Some of these troublemakers caused the believers to doubt the gospel which Paul proclaimed. It’s likely that they came from the outside and taught that the gospel preached by Paul was defective. The phrase some who trouble you is plural, which points to a number of opponents.

Those who were disturbing the Galatians, who wanted to distort the gospel of Christ, were trying to convince the believers to turn from the true gospel to a false gospel. As will be seen later in Galatians, these Judaizers tried to persuade the believers to follow the Old Testament laws in order to become part of the people of God. Paul considered such requirements to be a false teaching, as it forced Gentile believers to adopt the Mosaic law to attain salvation.

But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed.¹²

Paul emphasizes that the message depends on the content, whether it conforms to the gospel, rather than on the messenger. Accordingly, even if Paul and his partners or an angel proclaimed a false message, they would fall under God’s curse. In this and the next verse, Paul indicates that proclaiming another gospel is a major infraction. He doesn’t view it as a minor departure from what he taught and preached in Galatia.

In saying that those who were proclaiming this false gospel should be “accursed,” Paul refers to the final destruction and condemnation as seen elsewhere. If anyone has no love for the Lord, let him be accursed.¹³ Paul draws on Old Testament verses where the word means “destruction,” such as Whoever sacrifices to any god, other than the LORD alone, shall be devoted to destruction.¹⁴ Paul makes the point that punishment will be meted out to those who proclaim another gospel, and it will not just be excommunication by the church, but rather punishment meted out by God.

As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.¹⁵

Paul reinforces what he had previously written about being “accursed,” but he broadens it somewhat. Again, he likely had the Judaizers in mind, who were preaching a false gospel. He pronounced a curse on them, and included anyone else who preached a message which is contrary to what he had previously preached.

Before stating this, Paul reminded the Galatians that he wasn’t teaching anything new. He had told them that the gospel could not be altered when he first witnessed to them. Paul made the point that the Galatians had heard and received the true gospel when he had first preached to them. Therefore, anyone who preached the gospel in Galatia would have to preach the same message as taught by Paul.

For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.¹⁶

Apparently the Jewish opponents felt that Paul failed to preach the whole gospel, which they believed included the requirement of circumcision. They probably felt that he omitted circumcision to gain favor from the Gentiles in Galatia. In response, Paul began his letter by addressing his apostolic authority, and he rebuts the notion that he is pleasing people.

If he wanted to please people (which he did not), he wouldn’t have become a servant of Christ. His curse on those who proclaim another gospel shows that his goal is to please God rather than people.

(To be continued.)

Note

Unless otherwise indicated, all scriptures are from the Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

¹ Acts 13–16.

² Galatians 1:1–2.

³ See Romans 1:1; 1 Corinthians 1:1; 2 Corinthians 1:1; Ephesians 1:1; Colossians 1:1; 1 Timothy 1:1; 2 Timothy 1:1; Titus 1:1.

⁴ Acts 9:1–7.

⁵ 1 Timothy 2:7.

⁶ Romans 11:13.

⁷ 1 Corinthians 9:2.

⁸ Galatians 1:3–5.

⁹ Thomas R. Schreiner, Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament: Galatians (Zondervan Academic, 2010), 78.

¹⁰ Galatians 1:6.

¹¹ Galatians 1:7.

¹² Galatians 1:8.

¹³ 1 Corinthians 16:22.

¹⁴ Exodus 22:20.

¹⁵ Galatians 1:9.

¹⁶ Galatians 1:10.

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The Two Witnesses

  7/19/23 Then I was given a measuring rod like a staff, and I was told, “Rise and measure the temple of God and the altar and those who worship there, ² but do not measure the court outside the temple; leave that out, for it is given over to the nations, and they will trample the holy city for forty-two months. ³ And I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth.”

⁴ These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth. ⁵ And if anyone would harm them, fire pours from their mouth and consumes their foes. If anyone would harm them, this is how he is doomed to be killed. ⁶ They have the power to shut the sky, that no rain may fall during the days of their prophesying, and they have power over the waters to turn them into blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague, as often as they desire. ⁷ And when they have finished their testimony, the beast that rises from the bottomless pit^[a] will make war on them and conquer them and kill them, ⁸ and their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city that symbolically^[b] is called Sodom and Egypt, where their Lord was crucified. ⁹ For three and a half days some from the peoples and tribes and languages and nations will gaze at their dead bodies and refuse to let them be placed in a tomb, ¹⁰ and those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them and make merry and exchange presents, because these two prophets had been a torment to those who dwell on the earth. ¹¹ But after the three and a half days a breath of life from God entered them, and they stood up on their feet, and great fear fell on those who saw them. ¹² Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here!” And they went up to heaven in a cloud, and their enemies watched them. ¹³ And at that hour there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell. Seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the rest were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven.

¹⁴ The second woe has passed; behold, the third woe is soon to come.

(Revelation 11:1-14) ESV

The Real Victors of the Tribulation

1983-09-01

We’re “More Than Conquerors” (Romans 8:37)

David Brandt Berg

In the case of the outstandingly gifted prophets and prophetesses and witnesses of the last days, particularly the Tribulation period, their powers to fight off the Enemy and to continue to protect their witness and witnesses may be similar to some of the powers we’ll be using in the Millennium to force evildoers into submission. The Lord uses the words “rod of iron” (Revelation 2:27), which certainly symbolizes the use of force.

There comes a time when even good has to use force against evil, and this is certainly clear throughout the Bible, because force is almost the only thing that evil understands. That’s why the Lord says that the police are officers of God who bear not the sword in vain (Romans 13). This means they need to bear swords, weapons, and not in vain, which means that if necessary, they use them. Even some of Jesus’ disciples carried swords. But our weapons are not carnal but are much more powerful, unto the tearing down of strongholds, spiritual strongholds, fighting and opposing the spiritual wickedness in the spiritual realm (2 Corinthians 10:4).

Therefore, we have to have weapons that are more powerful than normal physical, carnal weapons. We have to have powerful spiritual weapons, and we don’t carry these in vain. We’re supposed to use them if necessary to resist the powers of evil and to protect ourselves from the Devil, and we even have some of these powers available now. Men and women of God have always had these powers available from the very beginning. God had to give godly people godly powers to defeat and oppose and defend themselves from the powers of the Devil.

So there’s nothing new about it, and it could happen with others and will happen definitely during the Tribulation when we need particularly strong powers for self-defense and to make our witness possible and to protect us to the very end. Otherwise, there wouldn’t be any live Christians left for Jesus to rapture! We would all have been killed by the Enemy.

It says that power is going to be given to the Antichrist to overcome the organized church and to destroy its temporal power (Daniel 7:21–25; 8:24; Revelation 13:7). But that doesn’t mean that they’re going to defeat or dominate or destroy all of us, the true believers and those who have the supernatural powers and miraculous defenses of the Lord. “For they which do know their God shall do exploits and shall instruct many, but even some of these shall fall,” it says (Daniel 11:32–33). But when they fall, it says that they’ll be helped. The Lord is going to enable us to continue till the end and to survive all the onslaughts of the Antichrist and his forces. Otherwise there wouldn’t be anybody left to rapture. So the Lord is going to have to give His true believers, men and women of God, prophets and prophetesses and witnesses, supernatural, miraculous powers of self-defense and even of attack in order to survive and continue witnessing until the Lord comes.

It says that the Antichrist forces weren’t able to do anything against the final two witnesses until the very end because they were able to cause curses and plagues on the evil and to call down fire from God out of heaven to devour their enemies. That’s a picture of mighty men and women of God fighting a victorious battle over the demons of hell right until the very end, even though some of them were allowed to be martyrs. Obviously most of them are going to survive and endure all of that until the very coming of the Lord when they’re raptured out of it all, and that’s no little mean handful. It’s going to be millions. So they must have survived somehow with some kind of supernatural, miraculous help.

I believe, according to the Scriptures, that certain very powerful men and women of God like the ancient prophets and prophetesses of old are going to have miraculous powers to protect and defend their flocks and followers and help them to survive to the very end, the final great witnesses depicted in Revelation, even the famous two last witnesses described in Revelation 11. It doesn’t say that they are the only ones, but it shows how victorious they are right up to the very end, that the Antichrist and all his forces and all the forces of hell are not able to really touch them until only 3½ days before the Second Coming of the Lord and their rapture. Their bodies are left in the streets for 3½ days while the wicked rejoice over them, thinking they have won the victory, when suddenly to their surprise they arise from the dead and are raptured into the heavens at the Second Coming of the Lord (Revelation 11:11–12).

So I believe there are going to be millions of Christians who survive until the Rapture.—Some by hiding out in the wilderness as the Scripture says (Revelation 12:6,14), others by defying the forces of Satan face-to-face and being victorious over all the powers of the Enemy till the very end! “Where sin doth abound, grace doth much more abound” (Romans 5:20). And where satanic power is going to abound, then God’s power is going to much more abound to protect His own. God’s purpose is not going to be defeated; He’s going to have millions of witnesses right up to the end, at least 144,000.

The Tribulation period is not going to be a defeat for the church of God, for genuine Christians. It’s going to be a time of waging war on the Antichrist and all his forces right up to the end! Otherwise there’d be nobody to survive to be raptured. So don’t worry about it! Those who live during those times will have what it takes when the time comes—power for the hour, and every hour. Even at the darkest hour they’ll still have power for the hour to meet every difficulty and every problem and every opposition—the supernatural, miraculous power of God.

Just think, there will be nothing the Antichrist can do against the famous two witnesses of Revelation 11, nothing he can do to stop them until 3½ days before the Lord comes. Then he will be allowed to kill them, so that the cup of the iniquity of the wicked may be full, and while they’re actually rejoicing over their deaths, suddenly the Lord will come and resurrect them and rapture them. That in itself is a mighty victory, showing that God can even be victorious over the deaths of martyrdom and slaughter. What is death if you can be resurrected?—And be raptured on top of it! So it will still wind up a mighty victory for the Lord right in the sight of the whole world. And the world will be amazed, as the Lord will show His wrath then with a great earthquake and hail as He rains wrath on the wicked as He resurrects and raptures His saints.

So we don’t have to think that those who live through that time are just going to be cowering, hunted victims, although some may be. Obviously most are not going to be cowering but powering in their fight and battle and defense of the Gospel right up to the end, with all the forces of heaven on their side, including the curses and plagues of God on the Enemy, and the Lord’s defense by all kinds of strange monsters described in the Bible that appear during the Tribulation period to defend His children.

It is not a period of complete defeat and destruction as some have pictured, particularly some of our teachers and writers of the past who seemed to enjoy drawing the most gruesome kind of pictures to terrify us about that period. We’ve been given too much hell about the Tribulation. We need to show a little more of what heaven can do and is going to do for God’s children during that time of trial. There’s going to be a lot of hell—in fact, the most hell the world has ever known—but the world is going to get most of it, not the Christians! Although there’s going to be the most hell the world has ever known, there is also going to be the most power of heaven that we have ever known, the most heavenly power and defense and help and protection in order that we can be powerful witnesses to the truth right up to the end.

So why have this terrible picture of constant defeat of the saints and the Christians? The Tribulation period is not going to be a period of just defeats and horrors for the Christians. It’s going to be a time of probably our greatest victories and greatest battles and greatest powers that the true church has ever known, to defeat the forces of evil in spite of all the satanic power of the Antichrist forces of the Devil.

The Tribulation period is going to be mostly a time of horror and suffering for the Antichrist forces and his people. They’re the ones that are pictured as suffering the most, and in a sense, it’s the time of their greatest defeat. For despite the fact that they’ve finally got the whole world under their power and control, they still can’t defeat the true Christians or stop them or even stop their witness.

We need a picture of the Tribulation as a time of great battle, that’s true, a great struggle, great tribulation, but most of the horrors are for the world and the wicked, not for God’s children. It’ll be a time of some of our greatest victories and greatest witness and greatest miracles and greatest manifestations of the supernatural.

So we shouldn’t be always painting such a horrible gloomy picture of the Tribulation. It’s true, it’s going to be a time of great persecution and great battles. But it’s also going to be a time of great, phenomenal, supernatural, miraculous victories that will spare us and protect us and help us to survive and witness to the very Coming of the Lord, when “We which are alive and remain shall be caught up to meet the Lord in the air” (1 Thessalonians 4:17). There are going to be a lot of us who are still alive and remain right to the end.

The Lord is going to take care of His children and He’s going to have mighty saints and men and women of God, prophets and prophetesses at the last day to continue our witness until the very end and the Coming of the Lord.

We need to show our people the other side of the Tribulation: the victorious view of what marvelous witnessing His children are going to do then, in which the whole world will know about us and even see us on television and hear of our mighty wonders and miracles and supernatural protection in spite of everything the Devil and his Antichrist can do. What a defeat for Satan to do everything he can to kill us and be unable to! How humiliating that’s going to be for the Antichrist when he has declared war on God’s people and said we should all be killed, and yet he can’t. That will surely be a time of frustration and humiliation for the Antichrist and his forces.

So why get so worried about the Tribulation? It’s going to be a period when God’s children are going to have a greater testimony and a greater witness and even more miraculous survival and supernatural defense, and in some ways it’s going to be a time of great victory and marvelous testimony, so that the whole world will know, and every last person that can possibly be saved is going to be saved. The whole world will hear the Gospel and our witness will have gone out to the ends of the earth. Even angels will be preaching the Gospel from the heavens so that the whole world will hear it and be without excuse, and so that everyone who can possibly be saved then will be saved.

The greater the battle, the greater the victory; the greater the test, the greater the testimony. And the greater the trial or tribulation, the greater the triumph! You can’t have a triumph and a victory and a testimony without a war and without battles. So it is going to be a time of great battle and great war between the forces of good and evil, but it’s also going to be a time of great victory, tremendous triumph and terrific testimonies of the victories of the forces of God over the forces of evil. For the greater the battle, the greater the victory, and the more tremendous the trial, the greater the triumph!

So quit looking on the Tribulation as a horrible defeat with nothing but persecution and suffering. There will be some of that, but I’m convinced from Scripture and the nature of God and His dealings with man that it’s going to be primarily a time of great victory over the forces of Satan and tremendous triumph over the Antichrist wicked. So don’t fear it. Don’t worry about it!

When you watch those Superman and Wonder Woman movies and others of that sort, you don’t really worry about what’s going to happen to them, because no matter what happens to them, you know they always win in the end. They’ve got to win. They’re the hero and the heroine of the series. If anything happens to them, it would be the end of the series. God’s people are the heroes and the heroines. We’ve got to win! The forces of God cannot be defeated and the plan of God cannot be frustrated. We’re bound to win. We can’t lose!

Copyright © 1983 by The Family International.

The First Beast

  7/18/23 And I saw a beast rising out of the sea, with ten horns and seven heads, with ten diadems on its horns and blasphemous names on its heads. ² And the beast that I saw was like a leopard; its feet were like a bear’s, and its mouth was like a lion’s mouth. And to it the dragon gave his power and his throne and great authority. ³ One of its heads seemed to have a mortal wound, but its mortal wound was healed, and the whole earth marveled as they followed the beast. ⁴ And they worshiped the dragon, for he had given his authority to the beast, and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast, and who can fight against it?”

⁵ And the beast was given a mouth uttering haughty and blasphemous words, and it was allowed to exercise authority for forty-two months. ⁶ It opened its mouth to utter blasphemies against God, blaspheming his name and his dwelling,^[a] that is, those who dwell in heaven. ⁷ Also it was allowed to make war on the saints and to conquer them.^[b] And authority was given it over every tribe and people and language and nation, ⁸ and all who dwell on earth will worship it, everyone whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain. ⁹ If anyone has an ear, let him hear:

¹⁰ If anyone is to be taken captive,
to captivity he goes;
if anyone is to be slain with the sword,
with the sword must he be slain.

Here is a call for the endurance and faith of the saints.

The Second Beast

¹¹ Then I saw another beast rising out of the earth. It had two horns like a lamb and it spoke like a dragon. ¹² It exercises all the authority of the first beast in its presence,^[c] and makes the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose mortal wound was healed. ¹³ It performs great signs, even making fire come down from heaven to earth in front of people, ¹⁴ and by the signs that it is allowed to work in the presence of^[d] the beast it deceives those who dwell on earth, telling them to make an image for the beast that was wounded by the sword and yet lived. ¹⁵ And it was allowed to give breath to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast might even speak and might cause those who would not worship the image of the beast to be slain. ¹⁶ Also it causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave,^[e] to be marked on the right hand or the forehead, ¹⁷ so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name. ¹⁸ This calls for wisdom: let the one who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man, and his number is 666.^[f] (Revelation 13) ESV

The Reign and Fall of the Antichrist

1985-01-05

David Brandt Berg

The 13th chapter of Revelation describes the Antichrist and his reign. In the very first verse he’s called “the Beast,” and most often in the Scriptures he’s called the Beast. In 2nd Thessalonians he’s given three names in the same chapter: “man of sin,” “son of perdition,” and “the wicked one.” In Daniel he’s mostly called the “king of the north” or the “little horn,” and in Revelation he is usually called the Beast. So this chapter is introduced by calling him the Beast, and the third verse says “he is wounded unto death, and his deadly wound was healed.” He’s apparently going to be injured and thought to be dead and seem to be raised from the dead. Look how he tries to imitate Jesus, the true Messiah! He seems to supernaturally, even miraculously rise from the dead.

The sixth verse tells you what a blasphemer he is and how he is against God and all the saints and angels of heaven. The seventh verse tells you what the Tribulation largely consists of, which is war with the saints, war against the Christians and the good people.

“And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them; and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.” He is going to be the world dictator, the king of the earth, and he’s going to have power over all of them. But it also says in the third verse that “all the world wondered after the Beast.” They’re amazed by him. It says he has power over all, but it literally means above all, more than any other, over the whole earth—more than any other before or after till Jesus. He’ll be the greatest dictator that ever lived with the most power of any dictator that ever lived.

Verse 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.” Not everybody in the Book of Life is saved, at least not saved at the time when we are raptured, and have not been saved in time to get into that first resurrection, but they’re in the Book of Life.

Verse 11: “And I beheld another beast.” He looks like a lamb but he speaks like the dragon; he’s got the voice and the words of Satan. He’s the False Prophet of the Antichrist. I’ve sometimes compared this to the Trinity. The Antichrist is the imitation Messiah, the son of the Devil. Satan is the god of this world, his son is going to be the Antichrist, and this False Prophet is symbolic of his spirit. It’s the False Prophet who gives forth his words, tells the world, even has them make the image.

There have been lots of foreshadowings of the Antichrist down through history. The Antichrist’s rule and reign is the imitation Millennium. He’s constantly imitating God, because he knows what God does always works. But God’s not going to let his work. Even if he does similar things, they all turn out bad and evil. When he tries to make these religions get together, it doesn’t work. Then he tries to make it all one religion, and it still doesn’t work, because he just can’t win for losing!

The False Prophet causes “the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed” (Revelation 13:12). He’s his propaganda minister, the one who publicizes him and speaks for him and causes them to make an image of him. He “deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast” (v. 14). The False Prophet is going to have power to do miracles and supernatural wonders. “Saying to them that dwell on the earth that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.”

“And he had power to give life to the image” (v. 15). The False Prophet is a pretty powerful guy. Of course, I’m quite sure it’s with the approval and instigation and probably inspiration of the Antichrist and Satan who possesses him. “That the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.” He has the power to do all these things in the name of the Beast.

He is so bad that God says at the end of the Battle of Armageddon, he and the Beast are sent straight to hell, the Lake of Fire! Think of how many people he’s led astray and caused to receive the Mark of the Beast and caused to deserve such punishment. The rest of them are killed—they’ll get their judgment later at the Great White Throne Judgment—but the Beast and the False Prophet are sent directly to hell (Revelation 19:20).

In the 14th chapter, we find that Babylon is destroyed just before the Coming of Christ. “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” (Revelation 14:6). When the angel flies with the everlasting gospel to the whole world, the gospel is preached in every nation, which Jesus says is a sign of the end. “Then shall the end come” (Matthew 24:14). He doesn’t say that is the end, but it’s going to come then.

Then in verse 8 we have the news that Babylon is fallen, and after that we’ve got the great reaping, the great reaper. In the 14th chapter we’ve got the gospel going to the whole world and the fall of Babylon, and that comes at the end of the Tribulation, just before the Rapture. You’ve then got the Rapture, the reaping. The first reaping is the Rapture, but there’s another reaping after that, the Wrath of God. He talks about the grapes of wrath (Revelation 14:18–19), and in the 15th chapter we’ve got a description of the angels of wrath, and then in the 16th chapter they begin to pour out the wrath.

The Wrath of God occurs after the Rapture, during the Marriage Supper of the Lamb, and between the Rapture and Armageddon, which is part of the Wrath of God. The first curse is sores, and with the second and the third vials, all the water turns to blood. They’re worthy to drink blood because they shed the blood of the saints. Fourth, the sun gets so hot it scorches them. The fifth is darkness—gross darkness over the earth, God’s Word says. Maybe that’s the nuclear winter that’s going to follow the atomic war.

And the sixth, the River Euphrates was dried up. That not only sounds like preparing the way for the kings of the east, it also sounds like famine. Not just the Sahara drying up, but it comes to the point that the rain ceases and God curses the earth for its wickedness. He even dries up a huge river, known in the Bible as the river because it was so big, the River Euphrates. It originates in the mountains of Ararat, flows around through Turkey and Iraq, and finally down into the Arabian Sea, most of it flowing through Iraq, which used to be known as Mesopotamia, the land between the rivers, the Tigris and the Euphrates.

Here we have that river drying up so that, Revelation 16, verse 12: “The way of the kings of the east might be prepared.” The Antichrist is going to have trouble with the kings of the east, possibly gathering together for the Battle of Armageddon.

“And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet” (Revelation 16:13). Here are the spirits of false prophecies. “For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty” (v. 14).

“And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon” (Revelation 16:16). Or Ar-megiddo, the height of Megiddo in the Valley of Megiddo. Now link all these things together and what happens under the sixth vial? The River Euphrates is dried up. The kings of the east are coming. One of the main barriers to a land army coming that way would be having to cross the Euphrates. Armies would have to almost be in single file to cross bridges, and you can blow up bridges. But if the Euphrates is dried up, they can just swarm across by the hundreds of millions. In fact, God’s Word describes it that way, like hundreds of millions of them are going to come: “The number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand”—that’s 200 million all together (Revelation 9:16).

That is going to be some army! It sounds like all of Islam is rising up against the Antichrist, maybe even the Chinese, maybe all the Buddhists and the Shintoists and Taoists and Hindus. It looks like these Easterners are going to be some of the major opponents in this big battle.

So here we have the Battle of Armageddon spoken of specifically by name in this passage, Revelation 16:16. Here the Euphrates is dried up, the kings of the east come, and these devils are deceiving them all, summoning them together to fight this great battle, to destroy mankind in one last great battle. The Antichrist thinks he’s going to win, his opponents think they’re going to at least try to win, but they’re all being deceived by the Devil to come and fight a big battle, and God’s allowing it.

We find in another place that they not only fight at Armageddon, but they surround the holy city, Jerusalem. That’s the crux of the whole matter, and that’s when we come down and settle the battle. They think they’re just fighting each other, all these rebels against the Antichrist fighting him, and the Antichrist fighting these rebels, but we come down to wipe out the Antichrist and his forces. We help the good people who rejected and refused the Antichrist and his Mark win the war. And after this, that’s really the end: “The seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done” (v. 17). The end of man’s day on earth because God takes over.

“And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings, and a great earthquake such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake and so great” (v. 18). The last thing God does is just shake up the whole world! Even some of the mountains are going to be trimmed down in that great earthquake (Isaiah 40:4–5; 54:10; Ezekiel 38:20; Revelation 6:14–17).

“And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent” (Revelation 16:21). A talent weighs about 104 pounds. The Battle of Armageddon ends with a bang, the biggest bang this world has ever heard! Even the atomic war will not be as bad as the Battle of Armageddon, when the whole world shakes and the mountains fall and the cities fall and God levels the whole works! We’re going to have a different earth in the Millennium after this shakeup at the end.

Copyright © January 1985 by The Family International

 

The Coming of the Kingdom

 7/17/23 Being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, he answered them, “The kingdom of God is not coming in ways that can be observed, ²¹ nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There!’ for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you.”^[h]

²² And he said to the disciples, “The days are coming when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it. ²³ And they will say to you, ‘Look, there!’ or ‘Look, here!’ Do not go out or follow them. ²⁴ For as the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other, so will the Son of Man be in his day.^[i] 25 But first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation. ²⁶ Just as it was in the days of Noah, so will it be in the days of the Son of Man. ²⁷ They were eating and drinking and marrying and being given in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. ²⁸ Likewise, just as it was in the days of Lot—they were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building, ²⁹ but on the day when Lot went out from Sodom, fire and sulfur rained from heaven and destroyed them all— ³⁰ so will it be on the day when the Son of Man is revealed. ³¹ On that day, let the one who is on the housetop, with his goods in the house, not come down to take them away, and likewise let the one who is in the field not turn back. ³² Remember Lot’s wife. ³³ Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will keep it. ³⁴ I tell you, in that night there will be two in one bed. One will be taken and the other left. ³⁵ There will be two women grinding together. One will be taken and the other left.”^[j] 37 And they said to him, “Where, Lord?” He said to them, “Where the corpse^[k] is, there the vultures^[l] will gather.” (Luke 17:20-37) ESV

*In speaking to His disciples about a coming time of great destruction, Jesus mentioned what happened to Lot’s wife and the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. “Remember Lot’s wife!” He said. “Whoever tries to keep their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life will preserve it” (Luke 17:32–33).

The story of Lot and his wife is found in Genesis 19. God had determined to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah for their wickedness (Genesis 18:16–33), and two angels warned Abraham’s nephew Lot to evacuate the city so he and his family would not be destroyed. In Genesis 19 we read, The two [angels in the form of] men said to Lot, ‘Do you have anyone else here—sons-in-law, sons or daughters, or anyone else in the city who belongs to you? Get them out of here, because we are going to destroy this place. The outcry to the LORD against its people is so great that he has sent us to destroy it’” (verses 12–13).

At dawn the next day, the angels hurried Lot and his family out of Sodom so they would not be destroyed with the city. When Lot hesitated, “the men grasped his hand and the hands of his wife and of his two daughters and led them safely out of the city, for the LORD was merciful to them. As soon as they had brought them out, one of them said, ‘Flee for your lives! Don’t look back, and don’t stop anywhere in the plain! Flee to the mountains or you will be swept away!’” (Genesis 19:16–17).

As the family fled, “the Lord rained down burning sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah—from the Lord out of the heavens” (Genesis 19:24). But, then, in disobedience to the angel’s command, “Lot’s wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt” (verse 26).

Lot’s wife lost her life because she “looked back.” This was more than just a glance over the shoulder; it was a look of longing that indicated reluctance to leave or a desire to return. Whatever the case, the point is she was called to desert everything to save her life, but she could not let go, and she paid for it with her life. In Judaism, Lot’s wife became a symbol for a rebellious unbeliever.

You need to get out and “don’t look back.” Lot’s wife is the example of what will happen if you do. If you try to save your life (that is, your things that your life is made up of), you will lose everything. Leave it all to save your life.

The scenario is similar to a person who wakes up in the middle of the night to find the house in flames. That person might be tempted to run around and gather up valuable items, but the delay might prevent escape—all the things will be lost, as well as the person’s life. It is better to leave it all behind and get out with your life. The principle is clear, but the exact referent is more difficult to discern.

“When you see Jerusalem being surrounded by armies, you will know that its desolation is near. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those in the city get out, and let those in the country not enter the city.”

Outside of Luke 17, the warnings to flee are found in the context of the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem (see Luke 21:5–7 and Mark 13:1–4). In Matthew 24:1–3, Jesus also deals with the destruction of the temple, except there the disciples also ask specifically about “the sign of your coming and the end of the age.” So, at least some of the prophecy was fulfilled in the first century with the destruction of the temple, but that does not preclude a future, fuller fulfillment at the second coming. The wording in Luke 17, in which Jesus speaks of the revelation of the Son of Man, certainly seems to suggest the second coming (see Colossians 3:4).

Jewish believers in the first century faced persecution from Rome, often at Jewish instigation. As long as Christians were considered a sect of Judaism, they enjoyed religious freedom as Jews. However, as they were denounced by Jewish leaders and no longer considered part of Judaism, the full force of Roman expectations applied to them, including the requirement to affirm the creed “Caesar is Lord” and offer sacrifices to Caesar. If Christians failed to do this, they could be punished, imprisoned, or even killed. As a result, believing Jews faced continual pressure to “go back to the temple.” The book of Hebrews encourages believing Jews to remain true to Christ and not return to the Old Covenant system of the temple, priests, and sacrifices. Hebrews explains that the Old Covenant has passed.

There may have been some believing Jews in Judea who still had some attachment to the temple. In Luke 17, Jesus warns that there will come a time when they see a symbol of impending judgment, and they will need to get out of the area as quickly as possible. Just as God rained down wrath on Sodom and Gomorrah, He will judge Jerusalem. The coming wrath is no time for divided loyalties. While many believed that God would never allow the temple to be destroyed, Jewish Christians knew that the usefulness of the temple had passed and its days were numbered. They could stay on in Jerusalem and witness of the resurrected Christ, but when they saw that judgment was about to fall, they knew to get out. Eusebius in his Church History records that they did escape. By abandoning everything and getting out of the city, the Christians not only saved their lives but also gave testimony to the fact that the Old Covenant had been replaced by the New.

A similar sentiment is expressed by Jesus in other contexts, although Lot’s wife is not mentioned. Jesus said, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:62). In context, Jesus is talking about people who want to follow Him but are hindered by their concern for other things. It is not just that they look back, but they have divided loyalties, like Lot’s wife.

Jesus also used the statement “whoever wants to save his life shall lose it” in a number of different contexts (Matthew 10:39; 16:25; Mark 8:35, Luke 9:24; 17:33). Regardless of the specifics of the context, following Jesus requires turning our backs on the “life” that this world offers. Attempting to “save your life” is the same as “looking back.” Attachment to our “old life” will cause us to lose our lives, and Lot’s wife is the illustration and example that we would do well to remember. * (GotQuestions.org)

Behold, I send my messenger

7/16/23 “Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts. ² But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap. ³ He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, and they will bring offerings in righteousness to the Lord.^[a] 4 Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the Lord as in the days of old and as in former years.

⁵ “Then I will draw near to you for judgment. I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, against the adulterers, against those who swear falsely, against those who oppress the hired worker in his wages, the widow and the fatherless, against those who thrust aside the sojourner, and do not fear me, says the Lord of hosts.

Robbing God

⁶ “For I the Lord do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed. ⁷ From the days of your fathers you have turned aside from my statutes and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you, says the Lord of hosts. But you say, ‘How shall we return?’ ⁸ Will man rob God? Yet you are robbing me. But you say, ‘How have we robbed you?’ In your tithes and contributions. ⁹ You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing me, the whole nation of you. ¹⁰ Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need. ¹¹ I will rebuke the devourer^[b] for you, so that it will not destroy the fruits of your soil, and your vine in the field shall not fail to bear, says the Lord of hosts. ¹² Then all nations will call you blessed, for you will be a land of delight, says the Lord of hosts.

¹³ “Your words have been hard against me, says the Lord. But you say, ‘How have we spoken against you?’ ¹⁴ You have said, ‘It is vain to serve God. What is the profit of our keeping his charge or of walking as in mourning before the Lord of hosts? ¹⁵ And now we call the arrogant blessed. Evildoers not only prosper but they put God to the test and they escape.’” (Malachi 3:1-15) ESV

Purpose of Writing: The Book of Malachi is an oracle: The word of the Lord to Israel through Malachi (1:1). This was God’s warning through Malachi to tell the people to turn back to God. As the final book of the Old Testament closes, the pronouncement of God’s justice and the promise of His restoration through the coming Messiah is ringing in the ears of the Israelites. Four hundred years of silence ensues, ending with a similar message from God’s next prophet, John the Baptist, proclaiming, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near” (Matthew 3:2).

The phrase rebuke the devourer is found in the book of Malachi, the last book of the Old Testament. “I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the LORD of hosts” (KJV). In this verse Malachi records a wonderful promise of God to the nation of Israel.

The Hebrew word translated “devourer” means “eater” and refers to the locust or caterpillar or any such creature that devours crops. The NIV translates Malachi 3:11 as “I will prevent pests from devouring your crops.” The “devourer” could also refer to plant diseases—really, anything that would destroy Israel’s crops: the NLT says, “Your crops will be abundant, for I will guard them from insects and disease.” Swarms of locusts were common in the Middle East in those days and could destroy virtually all the produce of an entire country. The devastation brought by locusts could be horrific. When God said He would “rebuke the devourer,” He promised that He would protect Israel from such disasters.

Like all promises under the Mosaic Law, the promise of God to rebuke the devourer was conditional. If the Israelites would cease robbing God and give their whole tithe (Malachi 3:9–10), as required by the Law (Leviticus 27:30), then God would keep the locusts away from them and bless them with such abundance of healthy crops that theirs would be known as a “delightful land” (Malachi 3:12).

Chapter 1 of Malachi is an indictment against Israel for despising and dishonoring God by offering impure sacrifices (Malachi 1:6–14). In Chapter 2, God indicts the priests for corrupting the Law (Malachi 2:8), for dealing unfairly with the people (Malachi 2:9–11), and for divorcing their wives (Malachi 2:14–16). After rebuking them for their sin, God goes on to predict the coming of their Messiah who will purify them so that their offerings are acceptable to Him (Malachi 3:1–4).

It is in this context that God makes the promise to rebuke the devourer on behalf of the people of Israel. If they would repent and return to Him, He would pour out blessings upon them. If they would bring into the storehouse the grain offerings that are rightly His, He would open the heavens and pour out blessings upon them for their obedience. Their crops would produce so abundantly that there would scarcely be room enough to store them (Malachi 3:10).

Brief Summary: Malachi wrote the words of the Lord to God’s chosen people who had gone astray, especially the priests who had turned from the Lord. Priests were not treating the sacrifices they were to make to God seriously. Animals with blemishes were being sacrificed even though the law demanded animals without defect (Deuteronomy 15:21). The men of Judah were dealing with the wives of their youth treacherously and wondering why God would not accept their sacrifices. Also, people were not tithing as they should have been (Leviticus 27:30, 32). But in spite of the people’s sin and turning away from God, Malachi reiterates God’s love for His people (Malachi 1:1-5) and His promises of a coming Messenger (Malachi 2:17–3:5).

Foreshadowings: Malachi 3:1-6 is a prophecy concerning John the Baptist. He was the Messenger of the Lord sent to prepare the way (Matthew 11:10) for the Messiah, Jesus Christ. John preached repentance and baptized in the name of the Lord, thus preparing the way for Jesus’ first advent. But the Messenger who comes “suddenly to the Temple” is Christ Himself in His second advent when He comes in power and might (Matthew 24). At that time, He will “purify the sons of Levi” (v. 3), meaning that those who exemplified the Mosaic Law would themselves need purification from sin through the blood of the Savior. Only then will they be able to offer “an offering in righteousness” because it will be the righteousness of Christ imputed to them through faith (2 Corinthians 5:21).

Practical Application: God is not pleased when we do not obey His commands. He will repay those who disregard Him. As for God hating divorce (2:16), God takes the covenant of marriage seriously and He does not want it broken. We are to stay true to the spouse of our youth for a lifetime. God sees our hearts, so He knows what our intentions are; nothing can be hidden from Him. He will return and He will be the judge. But if we return to Him, He will return to us (Malachi 3:6).

Malachi 3:1 begins with the promise of a future messenger important in the plan of God: “‘See, I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come,’ says the LORD Almighty.” This prophecy reveals a significant detail regarding the coming of the Messiah, namely, that His arrival in the temple would be preceded by another messenger sent by God.

The Hebrew phrase for “my messenger” is the same as the meaning of Malachi’s name (Malachi 1:1). Yet Malachi is predicting a future individual. Malachi 4:5 further identifies this special messenger as “Elijah the prophet.” The New Testament shows how this prediction is fulfilled. The Gospel of Mark begins by declaring John the Baptist as this messenger (Mark 1:2-4; cf. Isaiah 40:3-5; Luke 1:17; 7:27). In Matthew 11:13-14 Jesus states, “For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John, and if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah who is to come.”

In Matthew 17, Jesus was transfigured on a mountaintop and met with Moses and Elijah. Peter, James, and John saw this event and asked Jesus about it afterwards. Jesus again noted that John the Baptist was the awaited Elijah, stating, “I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but did to him whatever they pleased. . . . Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them of John the Baptist” (verses 12-13). In announcing the birth of John to Zechariah, the angel Gabriel had said, “He will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah” (Luke 1:17). Thus, John’s association with Elijah was based on similar power and message; Malachi had predicted a metaphorical Elijah, not the literal one.

Malachi 3:1 is of great importance in understanding the nature of the Son of God. In the verse, Yahweh God is speaking, and He says that the messenger would prepare the way “before me.” So, it is the LORD God Himself who was coming. Then, God says it is “the Lord” who will come, “the messenger of the covenant.” So, Yahweh is equated with the Lord who was to come, and as we know, the prophecy was fulfilled by Jesus. Therefore, “Yahweh” and “the Lord” are equated with Jesus. It is one of many occasions Jesus is called “God” (Matthew 18:20; 28:20; John 1:1; 8:58; 17:5). * (GotQuestions.org)

Judah Profaned the Covenant

7/15/23 Have we not all one Father? Has not one God created us? Why then are we faithless to one another, profaning the covenant of our fathers? ¹¹ Judah has been faithless, and abomination has been committed in Israel and in Jerusalem. For Judah has profaned the sanctuary of the Lord, which he loves, and has married the daughter of a foreign god. ¹² May the Lord cut off from the tents of Jacob any descendant^[e] of the man who does this, who brings an offering to the Lord of hosts!

¹³ And this second thing you do. You cover the Lord’s altar with tears, with weeping and groaning because he no longer regards the offering or accepts it with favor from your hand. ¹⁴ But you say, “Why does he not?” Because the Lord was witness between you and the wife of your youth, to whom you have been faithless, though she is your companion and your wife by covenant. ¹⁵ Did he not make them one, with a portion of the Spirit in their union?^[f] And what was the one God^[g] seeking?^[h] Godly offspring. So guard yourselves^[i] in your spirit, and let none of you be faithless to the wife of your youth. ¹⁶ “For the man who does not love his wife but divorces her,^[j] says the Lord, the God of Israel, covers^[k] his garment with violence, says the Lord of hosts. So guard yourselves in your spirit, and do not be faithless.”

The Messenger of the Lord

¹⁷ You have wearied the Lord with your words. But you say, “How have we wearied him?” By saying, “Everyone who does evil is good in the sight of the Lord, and he delights in them.” Or by asking, “Where is the God of justice?” (Malachi 2:10-17) ESV

*In Malachi 2:10 the prophet asks, “Have we not all one Father? Did not one God create us? Why do we profane the covenant of our fathers by breaking faith with one another?” The obvious reference in this verse is the covenant made between the Lord and the people of Israel at Sinai. To profane something is to defile it or treat it contemptuously. Judah had broken the Mosaic Law, thus “profaning,” or showing contempt for, the covenant.

The Jewish people had one “Father” in that their nation had been created by God (Deuteronomy 32:6). Yet they had become faithless to one another. This description likely includes incivility toward each other (in violation of Leviticus 19:18) as well as unfaithfulness in their marriage relationships—a discussion of marriage and divorce follows in the next verses. Malachi condemns intermarriage with idolaters (Malachi 2:11) as well as divorce in general (2:13-16).

Malachi 2:11 speaks of mixed marriages between Israel and its non-Jewish neighbors (the issue was not racial but spiritual—God’s people who married idolaters were also engaging in false worship). The Mosaic Law explicitly taught against this: “Do not intermarry with them. Do not give your daughters to their sons or take their daughters for your sons, for they will turn your sons away from following me to serve other gods” (Deuteronomy 7:3-4; also see Exodus 34:15-16). Idolatry caused by intermarriage was a common problem in Judah. Even King Solomon married those outside of Israel as part of his alliances with other nations, and his heart was turned from the Lord (1 Kings 11:1-8). Ezra and Nehemiah, contemporaries of Malachi, also recorded dealing with such marriages (Ezra 9:2; Nehemiah 10:30).

A New Testament principle regarding marriage also emphasizes spiritual purity. Second Corinthians 6:14-15 teaches, “Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. . . . What portion does a believer share with an unbeliever?” (see also 1 Corinthians 7:39).

Malachi calls Judah’s sin the profaning of their covenant with God. In breaking their marriage covenants with their spouses, God’s people showed disrespect for the Mosaic Covenant. God’s word to Malachi was the same as His word to Joshua centuries before: “Israel has sinned; they have violated my covenant, which I commanded them to keep” (Joshua 7:11). * (Gotquestions.org)

7/14/23 The oracle of the word of the Lord to Israel by Malachi.^[a]

The Lord’s Love for Israel

² “I have loved you,” says the Lord. But you say, “How have you loved us?” “Is not Esau Jacob’s brother?” declares the Lord. “Yet I have loved Jacob ³ but Esau I have hated. I have laid waste his hill country and left his heritage to jackals of the desert.” ⁴ If Edom says, “We are shattered but we will rebuild the ruins,” the Lord of hosts says, “They may build, but I will tear down, and they will be called ‘the wicked country,’ and ‘the people with whom the Lord is angry forever.’” ⁵ Your own eyes shall see this, and you shall say, “Great is the Lord beyond the border of Israel!” (Malachi 1:1-5) ESV

*Malachi 1:2-3 declares, “‘I have loved you,’” says the LORD. But you ask, ‘How have you loved us?’ ‘Was not Esau Jacob’s brother?’ the LORD says. ‘Yet I have loved Jacob, but Esau I have hated, and I have turned his mountains into a wasteland and left his inheritance to the desert jackals.’” Malachi 1:3 is quoted in Romans 9:10-13, “Not only that, but Rebekah’s children had one and the same father, our father Isaac. Yet, before the twins were born or had done anything good or bad—in order that God’s purpose in election might stand: not by works but by him who calls—she was told, ‘The older will serve the younger.’ Just as it is written: ‘Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.’” Why did God love Jacob and hate Esau? If God is love (1 John 4:8), how could He hate anyone?

When studying the Bible, it is critically important to always study the context of a particular Bible verse or passage. In these instances, the prophet Malachi and the apostle Paul are using the name “Esau” to refer to the Edomites, who were the descendants of Esau. Isaac and Rebekah had two sons, Esau and Jacob. God chose Jacob (whom He later renamed “Israel”) to be the father of His chosen people, the Israelites. God rejected Esau (who was also called “Edom”) and did not choose him to be the father of His chosen people. Esau and his descendants, the Edomites, were in many ways blessed by God (Genesis 33:9; Genesis chapter 36).

So, considering the context, God loving Jacob and hating Esau has nothing to do with the human emotions of love and hate. It has everything to do with God choosing one man and his descendants and rejecting another man and his descendants. God chose Abraham out of all the men in the world. The Bible very well could say, “Abraham I loved, and every other man I hated.” God chose Abraham’s son Isaac instead of Abraham’s son Ishmael. The Bible very well could say, “Isaac I loved, and Ishmael I hated.” Romans chapter 9 makes it abundantly clear that loving Jacob and hating Esau was entirely related to which of them God chose. Hundreds of years after Jacob and Esau had died, the Israelites and Edomites became bitter enemies. The Edomites often aided Israel’s enemies in attacks on Israel. Esau’s descendants brought God’s curse upon themselves. Genesis 27:29 tells Israel, “May nations serve you and peoples bow down to you. Be lord over your brothers, and may the sons of your mother bow down to you. May those who curse you be cursed and those who bless you be blessed.”  * (GotQuestions.org)

The Priests’ Polluted Offerings

⁶ “A son honors his father, and a servant his master. If then I am a father, where is my honor? And if I am a master, where is my fear? says the Lord of hosts to you, O priests, who despise my name. But you say, ‘How have we despised your name?’ ⁷ By offering polluted food upon my altar. But you say, ‘How have we polluted you?’ By saying that the Lord’s table may be despised. ⁸ When you offer blind animals in sacrifice, is that not evil? And when you offer those that are lame or sick, is that not evil? Present that to your governor; will he accept you or show you favor? says the Lord of hosts. ⁹ And now entreat the favor of God, that he may be gracious to us. With such a gift from your hand, will he show favor to any of you? says the Lord of hosts. ¹⁰ Oh that there were one among you who would shut the doors, that you might not kindle fire on my altar in vain! I have no pleasure in you, says the Lord of hosts, and I will not accept an offering from your hand. ¹¹ For from the rising of the sun to its setting my name will be^[b] great among the nations, and in every place incense will be offered to my name, and a pure offering. For my name will be great among the nations, says the Lord of hosts. ¹² But you profane it when you say that the Lord’s table is polluted, and its fruit, that is, its food may be despised. ¹³ But you say, ‘What a weariness this is,’ and you snort at it, says the Lord of hosts. You bring what has been taken by violence or is lame or sick, and this you bring as your offering! Shall I accept that from your hand? says the Lord. ¹⁴ Cursed be the cheat who has a male in his flock, and vows it, and yet sacrifices to the Lord what is blemished. For I am a great King, says the Lord of hosts, and my name will be feared among the nations. (Malachi1:6-14) ESV

*In Malachi 1:8, the Lord accuses Israel of bringing Him blemished offerings: “‘When you bring blind animals for sacrifice, is that not wrong? When you sacrifice crippled or diseased animals, is that not wrong? Try offering them to your governor! Would he be pleased with you? Would he accept you?’ says the Lord Almighty.”

Bringing animal sacrifices to the temple that were blind, disfigured, or sick was a direct violation of the Mosaic Law (Leviticus 22:22; Deuteronomy 15:21). The reason for this command was that such sacrifices dishonored the Lord. “Do not profane my holy name” (Leviticus 22:32). They were sacrifices in name only; a true sacrifice must cost something, and there was no pain involved in getting rid of something already slated for culling. As God points out, giving such an inferior gift to another person would be unthinkable—what made them think God would be pleased with it?

More importantly, each sacrifice was a symbol of the future sacrifice of Christ, who was “a lamb without blemish or defect” (1 Peter 1:19). The cheap, marred sacrifices of Malachi’s time were travesties of Christ’s perfection.

The application for Christians today does not involve animal sacrifices, of course, nor is it even directly related to financial offerings. Rather, it is a matter of treating God as holy. This concerns all areas of life, ranging from how we speak of God, to how we obey Him and how willing we are to sacrifice material things like finances.

The larger context of Malachi 1:6-14 deals with a variety of ways in which God’s people had dishonored or cheated the Lord by their actions. Both the priests and those who presented offerings were neglecting full obedience to God, giving sacrifices that were in violation of God’s Word. Today’s churches are at risk of the same sin, in principle. Simply attending a service, singing songs, listening to sermons, and giving offerings is not what God desires. He deserves the best, and He wants us, not just our stuff.

First, He calls us to accept His Son, Jesus, by faith (Ephesians 2:8-9), recognizing our sinful status in relation to His perfection (Romans 3:23).

Second, God expects our full commitment to Him. While our works do not earn salvation or a right standing with the Lord, He saves us to do the good works He has prepared for us. Ephesians 2:10 says, “We are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

The sacrifice we offer today is our own selves. “Offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship” (Romans 12:1). For a believer to knowingly continue in sin is to present to the Lord a “blemished,” unholy sacrifice. God is holy, and He expects His children to honor Him with purity and holiness (1 Corinthians 1:2; Ephesians 1:4; 1 Peter 1:16). Why would we follow the sin of the ancient Israelites in treating the Lord with disrespect? God makes forgiveness available to us (1 John 1:9), so there is no reason for living a sinful life. * (GotQuestions.org)

Zechariah 14, Part 2

7/13/23 On that day living waters shall flow out from Jerusalem, half of them to the eastern sea^[d] and half of them to the western sea.^[e] It shall continue in summer as in winter.

⁹ And the Lord will be king over all the earth. On that day the Lord will be one and his name one.

¹⁰ The whole land shall be turned into a plain from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem. But Jerusalem shall remain aloft on its site from the Gate of Benjamin to the place of the former gate, to the Corner Gate, and from the Tower of Hananel to the king’s winepresses. ¹¹ And it shall be inhabited, for there shall never again be a decree of utter destruction.^[f] Jerusalem shall dwell in security.

¹² And this shall be the plague with which the Lord will strike all the peoples that wage war against Jerusalem: their flesh will rot while they are still standing on their feet, their eyes will rot in their sockets, and their tongues will rot in their mouths.

¹³ And on that day a great panic from the Lord shall fall on them, so that each will seize the hand of another, and the hand of the one will be raised against the hand of the other. ¹⁴ Even Judah will fight at Jerusalem.^[g] And the wealth of all the surrounding nations shall be collected, gold, silver, and garments in great abundance. ¹⁵ And a plague like this plague shall fall on the horses, the mules, the camels, the donkeys, and whatever beasts may be in those camps.

¹⁶ Then everyone who survives of all the nations that have come against Jerusalem shall go up year after year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Booths. ¹⁷ And if any of the families of the earth do not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, there will be no rain on them. ¹⁸ And if the family of Egypt does not go up and present themselves, then on them there shall be no rain;^[h] there shall be the plague with which the Lord afflicts the nations that do not go up to keep the Feast of Booths. ¹⁹ This shall be the punishment to Egypt and the punishment to all the nations that do not go up to keep the Feast of Booths.

²⁰ And on that day there shall be inscribed on the bells of the horses, “Holy to the Lord.” And the pots in the house of the Lord shall be as the bowls before the altar. ²¹ And every pot in Jerusalem and Judah shall be holy to the Lord of hosts, so that all who sacrifice may come and take of them and boil the meat of the sacrifice in them. And there shall no longer be a trader^[i] in the house of the Lord of hosts on that day. (Zechariah 14:6-21) ESV

Zechariah 14, Part 2

David Brandt Berg

1985-04-05

Zechariah 14:6: “And it shall come to pass in that day, that the light shall not be clear nor dark.” We’re studying Armageddon, and it looks like the battle is just about over, but it must have kicked up a lot of dust and smoke if it’s such a dark day.

Now here comes the good news. Even Armageddon is good news; it’s getting rid of the Devil and all his minions and dominions and wicked people.

(Verse 8:) “And it shall be in that day that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem, half of them toward the former sea, and half of them toward the hinder sea: in summer and in winter shall it be.”

In Ezekiel you can get more of a description of this period, a very supernatural, miraculous period, the beginning of the Millennium. It gives all kinds of measurements and talks about these waters that are going out and where they go (Ezekiel 47). It sounds pretty literal, “toward the former and the hinder sea,” the Mediterranean and the Dead Sea.

If God wants to cause a fountain to erupt in the middle of Jerusalem to water those poor Jews that got saved and let the waters flow out, I’m sure He can. If there’s anything that Israel needs, it’s irrigation. It needs water, and God’s going to send them water. I can believe it’s literal.

Some people believe this is going to be a big geyser here in verse 8, an artesian spring that’s going to burst forth in Jerusalem. Jerusalem is on top of sort of a range of hills; therefore the watershed on the east side goes down into the Dead Sea, and the water flowing from the west side would go into the Mediterranean. So that’s a simple physical possibility if it means a natural fountain of water.

Some interpret it spiritually about this fountain that’s going to burst forth in Jerusalem and the waters flow east and west. I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s actually going to be a literal fountain, and part of the water is going to flow this way and part of the water that way for irrigation.

Verse 9: “And the Lord shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one Lord, and His name one.” Jesus is going to be the Lord of the earth. Whether they like it or not, one Lord, one King. Praise the Lord?

Verse 10: “And the land shall be turned as a plain from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem.” This area is now all mountains. Somehow or another, whether through the war or atomic explosions, it’s going to be leveled.

“And it shall be lifted up and inhabited in her place, from Benjamin’s gate”—He’s talking about Jerusalem now—“unto the place of the first gate, unto the corner gate, and from the tower of Hananeel unto the king’s winepresses.” He is describing the boundaries of the Jerusalem that’s going to be existent on the face of the earth. You get an even more detailed description of the boundaries in Jeremiah 31:38.

Today’s boundaries of modern Jerusalem have fulfilled those boundaries exactly. This is the future as far as that particular prophecy is concerned. So there’s another wonderful fulfilled prophecy.

Verse 11: “And men shall dwell in it, and there shall be no more utter destruction; but Jerusalem shall be safely inhabited.”

Also look up the references to Ariel (Isaiah 29:1–8). The Lord comes down to save Ariel, which is another name for Jerusalem, kind of a spiritual name. We come down to spare the city and what’s left, which isn’t very much, but apparently enough. “And there will be no more utter destruction.” At least not until the end of the world.

Now He’s going to tell you how He’s going to deal with the rebels of the Millennium. Not all of these people that He spares to give a first chance to understand the gospel and salvation and have an opportunity to receive Jesus are going to be saved. Why? For the same reason not everybody’s saved today. There are still going to be hard, rebellious, willful, idolatrous hearts that are going to rebel against the will of God, against the kingdom of God. There are going to be a few rebels, apparently, throughout the Millennium.

There are still going to be people who will resist the gospel. They’ve had their chance, and now it’s their last chance, and they resist and refuse. Their resistance is going to be pretty weak at first. It isn’t until the Devil comes back with all his demons that they’re going to get in such power that the Devil’s going to lead whole nations once again against the kingdom of God at the end of the Millennium, the Battle of Gog and Magog.

(Verse 12:) “And this shall be the plague wherewith the Lord will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem.” He’s talking about the end of the Battle of Armageddon and the people who have come up against Jerusalem.

“Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet.” That’s exactly what happens if you’re near an atomic blast. “And their eyes shall consume away in their holes.” This is what happened to some of the people in Nagasaki and Hiroshima who looked at the blast: their eyeballs melted right in their sockets and ran down their cheeks. “And their tongue shall consume away in their mouth.”

(Verse 13:) “And it shall come to pass in that day that a great tumult from the Lord shall be among them; and they shall lay hold every one on the hand of his neighbor and his hand shall rise up against the hand of his neighbor.” They are going to be fighting among themselves, which happened in the Bible several times. One time a great army of Israel’s enemies was destroyed, thousands of men. The prophet of God prayed against them and they rose up in the middle of the night and got confused and began killing each other until they practically slaughtered themselves (Judges 7:22; 2 Kings 19:35).

(Verse 14:) “And Judah also shall fight at Jerusalem. And the wealth of all the heathen round about shall be gathered together, gold and silver and apparel in great abundance.”

(Verse 15–16:) “And so shall be the plague of the horse, of the mule, of the camel, and of the ass, and of all the beasts that shall be in these tents, as this plague. And it shall come to pass that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the king.” It says “everyone that is left” of all those nations. There are going to be Antichrist forces out of every nation, but there are also going to be people left out of every nation who did not go up, who refused to go up against Israel.

These are the good people, the religious people who are sincere and trying to do right. They’re all going to “go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles.”

(Verse 17:) “And it shall be that whoso will not come up of all the families of the earth unto Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, even upon them shall be no rain.” God doesn’t have to send great storms or earthquakes or volcanic explosions, atom bombs and great fires and all kinds of cataclysms and destructions and catastrophes. One of the most death-dealing catastrophes that God can possibly perpetrate on the earth comes very quietly and very slowly; it’s the slowest form of catastrophe. He just withholds the rain, which causes a drought, which causes the crops to fail and the beasts to die, and then the people die. The Bible calls it famine. If they refuse to obey, refuse to thank God, refuse to give Him glory and thanks for the rain and all the things that He’s given to people, finally He just quits sending the rain, the blessing.

God’s Word says that He’s so merciful and loving that He sends the rain on the just and the unjust (Matthew 5:45). But the day is coming when He’s not going to send the rain on the unjust anymore; they’ve had their chance, especially here in the Millennium. They have seen the visible, personal reign of Jesus Christ and His saints and angels on the earth, and all their miracles and marvels. They no longer have to just believe by faith; they can see it! All the people who said, “Seeing is believing,” are going to get a sample, the earthwide kingdom of God. They’re going to see it. People in that day who won’t believe that and won’t receive the kingdom of God are very bad.

(Verse 18:) “And if the family of Egypt go not up, and come not, that have no rain…” Now here He could be speaking of the literal country of Egypt, but Egypt also typifies the world. “There shall be the plague, wherewith the Lord will smite the heathen that come not up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles.” In other words, those who refuse to worship the Lord.

(Verse 19:) “This shall be the punishment of Egypt and the punishment of all nations that come not up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles.”

I was in the United States when the Dust Bowl occurred, from the Southwestern United States clear into Texas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas, usually very fertile, well-watered prosperous states. The soil was just turned to dust, absolute dust, after not enough rain for two or three years, and finally no rain at all, and the crops were desolated. We came through Oklahoma when it was already the Dust Bowl, and what little was left, the locusts had swept through and there wasn’t a leaf on the trees or a blade of grass, not a green thing left; it was completely gone.

My mother felt so sorry for these poor people. We stopped at a filling station, and the filling station man was grieving over how terrible things were, no rain and no crops and all dust, and the locusts had finished off everything green that was left. The whole place was brown and dusty.

She used to roll up scripture promises in little medicine capsules, give them to people, and say, “Here, this will really help you! Take this and it will heal you.” In other words, “This is the best medicine you can have.” There was a little scripture promise on a piece of paper that was rolled up and tucked inside, and then they closed the capsule. She used to have hundreds of these, and she’d give them out in churches on certain nights. She’d say she was going to give them a gift, a priceless gift, and it was the Word, verses of scripture promises in the capsules.

So she said, “Here, brother, this will help you.” She figured a promise of God would encourage him. Later when we were at a restaurant she kept searching around in her purse, where she had some little capsules about the same size with soap powder in them, for when she went to places that didn’t have any soap in the restroom. And she found she’d given this poor guy a capsule of soap powder! She said, “The Lord let me do it, so maybe he would understand that better than a verse of scripture.” “Here’s soap, brother, now trust God for the water! This is a promise you’re going to have enough water to use it.”

(Verse 20:) “In that day shall there be upon the bells of the horses, holiness unto the Lord.” Horses again, with bells. We’re going to go back to horses and carriages and buggies and sleighs and bells on the horses. And there’s going to be written on the bells “Holiness unto the Lord.”

(Verse 20b:) “And the pots in the Lord’s house shall be like the bowls before the altar.” Ordinary pots are going to be like golden bowls in that day. God’s Word says the time is going to come when gold and silver are going to be as common as the stones in the streets of Jerusalem.

(Verse 21:) “Yea, every pot in Jerusalem and in Judah shall be holiness unto the Lord of hosts; and all they that sacrifice shall come and take of them, and seethe therein: and in that day there shall be no more the Canaanite in the house of the Lord of hosts.” He’s saying that everything’s going to be holy then; everything’s going to be right. People are going to sacrifice to the Lord true sacrifices.

They’re still going to be cooking, because there are going to be lots of normal, natural people in the world who need to cook and eat. They’re going to have to be growing food. And the animals will be used for transportation and work and plowing. Things are going to go back to the beautiful, original kind of creation God made, almost like the Garden of Eden. However, because a lot of these people aren’t exactly like Adam and Eve and aren’t that righteous, they’re not going to just wander around picking fruit off the trees. There are still going to be quite a few people who aren’t so good, and God’s going to have to keep them busy with hard work to keep them out of mischief and out of trouble, because idleness is the Devil’s workshop.

They’re going to have plowshares, we know that. Why are they going to beat swords into plowshares unless they need to plow? (Isaiah 2:4). Or what do they need plows for if they’re not going to grow crops? They’re still living just about like they do now, with farms and animals and growing crops. But let me tell you, that kind of an earth of my childhood, especially back in the farm country and up in Canada, was heaven on earth compared to today. Life on the farm is as close as you can get to the beauties of God’s creation in this earth, this time.

Thank You, Jesus, for all these wonderful things You’ve promised us, the wonderful future, the wonderful land, the wonderful period of history You’re going to give us, the heaven on earth of the Millennium, during which we will rule and reign over the survivors of the endtime, teach them, give them all the gospel and get lots of them saved, and win the final victory at last. “Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus” (Revelation 22:20).

Copyright © April 1985 by The Family International

The Coming Day of the Lord

  7/12/23 Behold, a day is coming for the Lord, when the spoil taken from you will be divided in your midst. ² For I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle, and the city shall be taken and the houses plundered and the women raped. Half of the city shall go out into exile, but the rest of the people shall not be cut off from the city. ³ Then the Lord will go out and fight against those nations as when he fights on a day of battle. ⁴ On that day his feet shall stand on the Mount of Olives that lies before Jerusalem on the east, and the Mount of Olives shall be split in two from east to west by a very wide valley, so that one half of the Mount shall move northward, and the other half southward. ⁵ And you shall flee to the valley of my mountains, for the valley of the mountains shall reach to Azal. And you shall flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Then the Lord my God will come, and all the holy ones with him.^[a]

⁶ On that day there shall be no light, cold, or frost.^[b] 7 And there shall be a unique^[c] day, which is known to the Lord, neither day nor night, but at evening time there shall be light. (Zechariah 14:1-7) ESV

Zechariah 14, Part 1

David Brandt Berg

1985-03-05

Zechariah is almost the last book in the Old Testament, and we’re studying chapter 14—the last chapter of one of the last books of the Old Testament. The tenth chapter is sort of an introduction. It tells about the return of the Jews, the fact that some of them are going to be saved, and the Battle of Armageddon. I call it an introduction to the subject of Armageddon. These last five chapters revolve around this central theme of the Battle of Armageddon, and in the 14th chapter we’re going to prove it’s the Battle of Armageddon.

Chapters 10 and 11 are largely introductory, with different themes about different aspects of the coming great event and what’s going to happen before it happens, the regathering of the Jews to Israel. Then the 12th chapter says He’s going to make Jerusalem the center of the scene: “Make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people” (Zechariah 12:3).

He’s already starting to talk about the horrors of the wars in that 12th chapter, but He’s also giving a quick preview of how He’s going to finally save them, some encouragement in spite of all these terrible things that are going to happen. So even the 12th chapter doesn’t get too specific, except giving a glimpse of the past and a glimpse of the future. A lot of Bible prophecy is that way.

The 13th chapter is largely about how He’s going to finally save Israel and the terrible tribulation he’s going to take them through, both the tribulation and salvation of some Jews at the very end. Finally, we come to the 14th chapter.

(Verse 1:) “Behold, the day of the Lord cometh.” There you have the subject right off the bat. Throughout the Bible, “the day of the Lord” doesn’t mean just one single day. God is talking here about a certain time or period. Generally speaking, “the day of the Lord” is almost always spoken of in connection with the day of God’s final judgments, the last event of the Wrath of God. So if He’s talking about the day of judgment, it is the time of God’s judgments, His final judgments on the wicked of that day.

“Behold, the day of the Lord cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee.” He’s talking about how Jerusalem is going to be attacked and conquered and spoiled. That’s what happens when Gog brings Magog’s forces down there and invades Israel time and again.

(Verse 2:) “For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle.” We know this has to be in the future, because that’s never happened yet. “And the city shall be taken, the houses rifled, and the women ravished. And half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city.” He’s describing how half of them are going to be taken as slaves and the rest of them will be left there. Remember, God looks back at this period of these invasions, the days of the Antichrist, the Tribulation, as a succession of events that cover years.

(Verse 3:) “Then shall the Lord go forth, and fight against those nations”—all these nations in verse 2 that have come against Jerusalem—“as when He fought in the day of battle.” All through the Bible you read about battles where God fought for His people and helped them to win the battle. So this is another day of battle for the Lord. It’s the world’s next-to-the-last battle, because we know the last one is the Battle of Gog and Magog at the end of the Millennium. But this is the last battle of this dispensation, this time, the last battle of the day of God’s Wrath, that ends the battle of all battles.

If you want to give this chapter a title, you might call it “The Third Coming of the Lord.”

The Rapture, at the end of the Tribulation, is called the Second Coming. Christmas was the first coming of the Lord, and all the time He was here. Then He was crucified, buried, raised again, and associated with the disciples till He took them to the top of the Mount of Olives. And there He told them goodbye, and God’s Word tells us He was taken up into the clouds. God’s Word also tells us that He’s going to come back in the clouds (Acts 1:11; Matthew 24:30).

Some Bible teachers call this “the Revelation.” It means the revealing of the mighty power of Christ, revealing who He really is and how powerful He is. This is why when the Antichrist declares himself to be God, that is what’s called the revelation of the Antichrist. When Jesus comes down from the heavens with a mighty army on horseback and declares Himself that He is the true God and shows His power and proves He’s God, that’s also called the Revelation—the Revelation of Jesus Christ.

The revelation of the Antichrist is in the middle of the last seven years. His true nature won’t be revealed to the whole world until he takes absolute power and demands worship as God. That is going to expose him for what he really is, and a lot of people are going to wake up and turn away from him then, if they hadn’t already.

When Jesus comes back—not as a helpless little baby, knocked around and chased around and buffeted and finally killed by His enemies—but when He comes back as the great King of kings and Lord of the earth and God, that is going to be the Revelation of Jesus Christ, and that’s what this Third Coming is called.

He is going to land right where He took off, on top of the same mountain where He left this world and this life, the Mount of Olives. He’s going to come back in the clouds in the Rapture, but He’s not going to come down to earth. He goes in clouds, He comes back in clouds in the Second Coming, and He comes back in clouds in the Third Coming as well, clouds of horsemen! Billions of Christian saints riding powerful horses.

Jesus is going to land on the Mount of Olives. This mountain must be so sacred and precious to Him, because it was the last place that He fellowshipped with His disciples. It must hold very sweet memories for the Lord, so He wants to come back to the very place where He left. It proves that it’s the same Jesus. It’ll show the world that it’s the same Jesus, because the whole world knows that’s where He took off.

(Verse 4:) “And His feet shall stand in that day upon the Mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east.” The Mount of Olives is still there. It’s still covered with olive trees and gardens and parks and churches. There’s a church on the top, supposed to be the exact spot from which Jesus ascended. It has a steeple about five stories high pointing to the sky like a finger, showing that this is where Jesus went up.

“And the Mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof.” When Jesus lands there, it shall cleave. That means it shall part; the Mount of Olives shall break in two.

“It shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west.” The cleavage will be toward the east and the west. “And half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south.” There’s probably going to be an earthquake and a roar, and that mountain is going to crack wide open, and there’s going to be a very great valley in the middle, right where Jesus lands. This miracle is going to occur to demonstrate His power and who He is.

He’s going to prove to them that He’s the Messiah as He comes down, not only riding out of the sky on a great white charger, a war horse, but landing on the top of this mountain, and the mountain is going to crack up. Maybe it’s going to crack with a great and mighty laugh. God laughs last. God’s Word says, “He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh” over the fate of His enemies (Psalm 2:4). “You thought you killed Him. You thought you had gotten rid of Him, but He’s here and He’s my King, and I’m going to split my sides wide open laughing!”

(Verse 5:) “And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal: yea, ye shall flee, like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah King of Judah: And the Lord my God shall come, and all the saints with Thee.” He’s talking to God there.

The prophet is going back a little bit before the arrival of Jesus, saying that before Jesus comes they’re going to flee to the mountains. Isn’t that what Jesus told them to do, flee to the mountains? (Matthew 24:16). And He says something very specific in this passage about a place called the “valley of the mountains.” The interpretation that some Bible authorities make is that He is talking about a valley in the middle of some surrounding mountains. There was a special place in southern Israel that was alternately known as the valley of the mountains, in Edom. It’s surrounded by tall cliffs, and the only way to get in and out is through a small passageway, just a narrow tunnel. A small group of people could defend themselves there from a whole army, and it was called Petra.

“And the Lord my God shall come, and all the saints with Thee.” This is a prediction of the Third Coming, when we descend from heaven with a shout and on horseback, and we invade Israel. The kingdom of God is going to triumph. The truth goes marching on in spite of all the Devil’s forces, and it’s going to win and be victorious in the end. Praise the Lord!

Copyright © March 1985 by The Family International

The Lord Will Give Salvation

 7/11/23 The oracle of the word of the Lord concerning Israel: Thus declares the Lord, who stretched out the heavens and founded the earth and formed the spirit of man within him: ² “Behold, I am about to make Jerusalem a cup of staggering to all the surrounding peoples. The siege of Jerusalem will also be against Judah. ³ On that day I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone for all the peoples. All who lift it will surely hurt themselves. And all the nations of the earth will gather against it. ⁴ On that day, declares the Lord, I will strike every horse with panic, and its rider with madness. But for the sake of the house of Judah I will keep my eyes open, when I strike every horse of the peoples with blindness. ⁵ Then the clans of Judah shall say to themselves, ‘The inhabitants of Jerusalem have strength through the Lord of hosts, their God.’

⁶ “On that day I will make the clans of Judah like a blazing pot in the midst of wood, like a flaming torch among sheaves. And they shall devour to the right and to the left all the surrounding peoples, while Jerusalem shall again be inhabited in its place, in Jerusalem.

⁷ “And the Lord will give salvation to the tents of Judah first, that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem may not surpass that of Judah. ⁸ On that day the Lord will protect the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the feeblest among them on that day shall be like David, and the house of David shall be like God, like the angel of the Lord, going before them. ⁹ And on that day I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.

Him Whom They Have Pierced

¹⁰ “And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn. ¹¹ On that day the mourning in Jerusalem will be as great as the mourning for Hadad-rimmon in the plain of Megiddo. ¹² The land shall mourn, each family^[a] by itself: the family of the house of David by itself, and their wives by themselves; the family of the house of Nathan by itself, and their wives by themselves; ¹³ the family of the house of Levi by itself, and their wives by themselves; the family of the Shimeites by itself, and their wives by themselves; ¹⁴ and all the families that are left, each by itself, and their wives by themselves. (Zechariah 12) ESV

*Zechariah 12:10 reads, “And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son.” This prediction, that Israel will see someone whom they “pierced,” is amazing because it is God Himself speaking—the Lord is the One who is “pierced.” This appears to fit later descriptions of Jesus Christ’s suffering. Indeed, the New Testament specifies that this prophecy is truly Messianic.

This verse indicates a future time when the Jewish people will plead for the mercy of God. This will happen when they see “the one they have pierced.” Zechariah’s verse is mentioned in John 19:36-37 when Jesus, hanging on the cross, was pierced with a spear: “These things happened so that the scripture would be fulfilled: . . . ‘They will look on the one they have pierced.’” Revelation 1:7 adds, “Look, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of him”—definitely an allusion to Zechariah 12:10. Isaiah 53:5 also predicts that the Messiah would be pierced: “But he was pierced for our transgressions.”

In addition to the idea of a “pierced” God is the concept of the “only child.” Zechariah’s mention of a “firstborn son” bears an unmistakable connection to Jesus as God’s Son. The Hebrew word bekor was translated in the Septuagint as prototokos, the same term used for Jesus in Colossians 1:15: “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn [prototokos] of all creation.” And, of course, there is John 3:16, which includes a reference to Jesus as God’s “one and only Son.”

This Messianic prophecy has not yet been completely fulfilled. Jesus has been “pierced,” but there will still be a future time when all of Jerusalem will see Him and mourn their ill treatment of Him. At that time, they will cry out to God for mercy, and He will answer them by saving them from their enemies: “On that day the LORD will shield those who live in Jerusalem. . . . I will set out to destroy all the nations that attack Jerusalem” (Zechariah 12:8-9). These events will occur at the end of the tribulation period at Christ’s second coming.

In summary, Zechariah 12:10 predicts the piercing of the Son of God, the Messiah, fulfilled at the first coming of Jesus Christ when He died on the cross and was pierced by a spear in His side (John 19:36–37). The complete fulfillment of this verse awaits the last days when the Jewish people will plead for mercy from the One they have pierced. * (GotQuestions.org)

The Flock Doomed to Slaughter

 7/10/23 Open your doors, O Lebanon,
that the fire may devour your cedars!
² Wail, O cypress, for the cedar has fallen,
for the glorious trees are ruined!
Wail, oaks of Bashan,
for the thick forest has been felled!
³ The sound of the wail of the shepherds,
for their glory is ruined!
The sound of the roar of the lions,
for the thicket of the Jordan is ruined!

⁴ Thus said the Lord my God: “Become shepherd of the flock doomed to slaughter. ⁵ Those who buy them slaughter them and go unpunished, and those who sell them say, ‘Blessed be the Lord, I have become rich,’ and their own shepherds have no pity on them. ⁶ For I will no longer have pity on the inhabitants of this land, declares the Lord. Behold, I will cause each of them to fall into the hand of his neighbor, and each into the hand of his king, and they shall crush the land, and I will deliver none from their hand.”

⁷ So I became the shepherd of the flock doomed to be slaughtered by the sheep traders. And I took two staffs, one I named Favor, the other I named Union. And I tended the sheep. ⁸ In one month I destroyed the three shepherds. But I became impatient with them, and they also detested me. ⁹ So I said, “I will not be your shepherd. What is to die, let it die. What is to be destroyed, let it be destroyed. And let those who are left devour the flesh of one another.” ¹⁰ And I took my staff Favor, and I broke it, annulling the covenant that I had made with all the peoples. ¹¹ So it was annulled on that day, and the sheep traders, who were watching me, knew that it was the word of the Lord. ¹² Then I said to them, “If it seems good to you, give me my wages; but if not, keep them.” And they weighed out as my wages thirty pieces of silver. ¹³ Then the Lord said to me, “Throw it to the potter”—the lordly price at which I was priced by them. So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them into the house of the Lord, to the potter. ¹⁴ Then I broke my second staff Union, annulling the brotherhood between Judah and Israel.

¹⁵ Then the Lord said to me, “Take once more the equipment of a foolish shepherd. ¹⁶ For behold, I am raising up in the land a shepherd who does not care for those being destroyed, or seek the young or heal the maimed or nourish the healthy, but devours the flesh of the fat ones, tearing off even their hoofs.

¹⁷ “Woe to my worthless shepherd,
who deserts the flock!
May the sword strike his arm
and his right eye!
Let his arm be wholly withered,
his right eye utterly blinded!” (Zechariah 11) ESV

*Zechariah 11:12-13 offers an intriguing account regarding 30 silver coins, bringing to mind the betrayal of Jesus by Judas Iscariot. The New Testament identifies this as a Messianic prophecy, which found its fulfillment in Jesus Christ.

The verses read, “I told them, ‘If you think it best, give me my pay; but if not, keep it.’ So they paid me thirty pieces of silver. And the Lord said to me, ‘Throw it to the potter’—the handsome price at which they priced me! So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them into the house of the Lord to the potter.”

Earlier, Zechariah had been commanded to watch a flock of sheep doomed to slaughter (Zechariah 11:4). He obeyed, using two shepherd’s staffs that he named Favor and Union (verse 7). Within a month, Zechariah fired the three shepherds working under him (verse 8). Then Zechariah abandoned the flock and broke his staff named Favor. Observers realized these actions were “the word of the LORD” (verse 11). The Lord would remove His favor from His people, allowing them to be harried by their enemies (verse 6).

In verses 12-13 Zechariah tells his employers to pay him his wages if they saw fit to do so. They pay him 30 pieces of silver, the price of a slave (Exodus 21:32), as an insult to Zechariah. The prophet sarcastically calls it a “handsome price.” God then commands Zechariah to give the coins to the potter in the house (or temple) of the Lord.

The corresponding passage in the New Testament is in Matthew 27. Judas is filled with remorse for betraying the Lord, and he tries to return the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests (verse 3). When the elders refuse to accept the money, Judas throws the coins into the temple and leaves and hangs himself (verses 4-5). Not wanted to put “blood money” into the treasury, the priests use it to buy a potter’s field (verses 6-7). “Then what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled: ‘They took the thirty silver coins, the price set on him by the people of Israel, and they used them to buy the potter’s field, as the Lord commanded me’” (verses 9-10). Zechariah 11 is, therefore, a Messianic prophecy, because it is explicitly identified as such by Matthew.

A seeming difficulty is the fact that Matthew attributes the prophecy to Jeremiah, not Zechariah. The explanation is two-fold. First, Jeremiah also bought a field at the Lord’s command (Jeremiah 32:6-9). Second, the Hebrew Bible was divided into three sections: the Law, the Writings, and the Prophets. The Prophets began with Jeremiah, and it was common for people to refer to the whole section (which included Zechariah) as “the book of Jeremiah.”

Zechariah’s prophecy had a dual fulfillment: one in the prophet’s contemporary context, and one in the more distant future. The Jewish people of Zechariah’s day would be judged, as seen in the breaking of Favor, and the specific details regarding 30 pieces of silver and a potter’s field found a future fulfillment in the betrayal of Jesus Christ by Judas Iscariot. * (GotQuestions.org)

Judgment on Israel’s Enemies

 7/09/23 The oracle of the word of the Lord is against the land of Hadrach
and Damascus is its resting place.
For the Lord has an eye on mankind
and on all the tribes of Israel,^[a]
2 and on Hamath also, which borders on it,
Tyre and Sidon, though they are very wise.
³ Tyre has built herself a rampart
and heaped up silver like dust,
and fine gold like the mud of the streets.
⁴ But behold, the Lord will strip her of her possessions
and strike down her power on the sea,
and she shall be devoured by fire.

⁵ Ashkelon shall see it, and be afraid;
Gaza too, and shall writhe in anguish;
Ekron also, because its hopes are confounded.
The king shall perish from Gaza;
Ashkelon shall be uninhabited;
⁶ a mixed people^[b] shall dwell in Ashdod,
and I will cut off the pride of Philistia.
⁷ I will take away its blood from its mouth,
and its abominations from between its teeth;
it too shall be a remnant for our God;
it shall be like a clan in Judah,
and Ekron shall be like the Jebusites.
⁸ Then I will encamp at my house as a guard,
so that none shall march to and fro;
no oppressor shall again march over them,
for now I see with my own eyes.

The Coming King of Zion

⁹ Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!
Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem!
Behold, your king is coming to you;
righteous and having salvation is he,
humble and mounted on a donkey,
on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
¹⁰ I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim
and the war horse from Jerusalem;
and the battle bow shall be cut off,
and he shall speak peace to the nations;
his rule shall be from sea to sea,
and from the River^[c] to the ends of the earth.
¹¹ As for you also, because of the blood of my covenant with you,
I will set your prisoners free from the waterless pit.
¹² Return to your stronghold, O prisoners of hope;
today I declare that I will restore to you double.
¹³ For I have bent Judah as my bow;
I have made Ephraim its arrow.
I will stir up your sons, O Zion,
against your sons, O Greece,
and wield you like a warrior’s sword.

The Lord Will Save His People

¹⁴ Then the Lord will appear over them,
and his arrow will go forth like lightning;
the Lord God will sound the trumpet
and will march forth in the whirlwinds of the south.
¹⁵ The Lord of hosts will protect them,
and they shall devour, and tread down the sling stones,
and they shall drink and roar as if drunk with wine,
and be full like a bowl,
drenched like the corners of the altar.

¹⁶ On that day the Lord their God will save them,
as the flock of his people;
for like the jewels of a crown
they shall shine on his land.
¹⁷ For how great is his goodness, and how great his beauty!
Grain shall make the young men flourish,
and new wine the young women. (Zechariah 9) ESV

*Many have wondered why the king mentioned in Zechariah 9:9-10 would ride a donkey into Jerusalem rather than a warhorse. It seems an odd choice for royalty. Kings ride chargers, don’t they?

In the ancient Middle Eastern world, leaders rode horses if they rode to war, but donkeys if they came in peace. First Kings 1:33 mentions Solomon riding a donkey on the day he was recognized as the new king of Israel. Other instances of leaders riding donkeys are Judges 5:10; 10:4; 12:14; and 2 Samuel 16:2.

The mention of a donkey in Zechariah 9:9-10 fits the description of a king who would be “righteous and having salvation, gentle.” Rather than riding to conquer, this king would enter in peace.

Zechariah 9:10 highlights this peace: “I will take away the chariots from Ephraim and the war-horses from Jerusalem, and the battle bow will be broken. He will proclaim peace to the nations. His rule will extend from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth.”

Note the many details symbolic of peace:
– “Take away the chariots”: an end to the main vehicle of war.
– “Take away . . . the war-horses”: no need for horses used in war.
– “The battle bow will be broken”: no need for bows or arrows for fighting.
– “He will proclaim peace to the nations”: His message will be one of reconciliation.
– “His rule shall be from sea to sea”: the King will control extended territory with no enemies of concern.

Jesus fulfills this prophecy of Zechariah. The worldwide peace proclaimed by this humble King will be a fulfillment of the angels’ song in Luke 2:14: “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!” (NKJV). Significantly, Jacob’s blessing on his son Judah includes a reference to a donkey and a donkey’s foal (Genesis 49:11). Jesus is from the tribe of Judah.

Zechariah 9:9 was fulfilled by the triumphal entry as Jesus rode into Jerusalem on the first Palm Sunday (Matthew 21:1-11; Mark 11:1-11; Luke 19:28-44; John 12:12-19). Verses 10 and following refer to a future time when the Messiah will reign after defeating His enemies at the second coming.

Zechariah 9:9: A land awaiting its king. This prophecy promises Israel’s enemies will be destroyed, but also speaks about a more permanent solution to the problem of sin. “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Should in triumph, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; he is just and endowed with salvation, humble, and mounted on a donkey, even on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” Despite the consistent rebellion of the daughter of Zion against her Father, He promises to restore her and present her with a Deliverer-King in the form of Jesus.

Daughter implies that God is a loving father. He cherishes and loves His people, even while they reject Him. By using the metaphor “daughter of Zion,” God showed how He felt for the rebellious Israelites: frustrated, angry, but always with an eye to the future when the relationship would be restored, and He could once again return to them and welcome them into His arms (Zechariah 2:10).

The second coming of Jesus Christ is the hope of believers that God is in control of all things, and is faithful to the promises and prophecies in His Word. In His first coming, Jesus Christ came to earth as a baby in a manger in Bethlehem, just as prophesied. Jesus fulfilled many of the prophecies of the Messiah during His birth, life, ministry, death, and resurrection. However, there are some prophecies regarding the Messiah that Jesus has not yet fulfilled. The second coming of Christ will be the return of Christ to fulfill these remaining prophecies. In His first coming, Jesus was the suffering Servant. In His second coming, Jesus will be the conquering King. In His first coming, Jesus arrived in the most humble of circumstances. In His second coming, Jesus will arrive with the armies of heaven at His side.

The Old Testament prophets did not make clearly this distinction between the two comings. This can be seen in Isaiah 7:14, 9:6-7 and Zechariah 14:4. As a result of the prophecies seeming to speak of two individuals, many Jewish scholars believed there would be both a suffering Messiah and a conquering Messiah. What they failed to understand is that there is only one Messiah and He would fulfill both roles. Jesus fulfilled the role of the suffering servant (Isaiah chapter 53) in His first coming. Jesus will fulfill the role of Israel’s deliverer and King in His second coming. Zechariah 12:10 and Revelation 1:7, describing the second coming, look back to Jesus being pierced. Israel, and the whole world, will mourn for not having accepted the Messiah the first time He came.

After Jesus ascended into heaven, the angels declared to the apostles, “‘Men of Galilee,’ they said, ‘why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven’” (Acts 1:11). Zechariah 14:4 identifies the location of the second coming as the Mount of Olives. Matthew 24:30 declares, “At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory.” Titus 2:13 describes the second coming as a “glorious appearing.”

The second coming is spoken of in greatest detail in Revelation 19:11-16, “I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. ‘He will rule them with an iron scepter.’ He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.” * (GotQuestions.org)

A Call for Justice and Mercy

 7/08/23 In the fourth year of King Darius, the word of the Lord came to Zechariah on the fourth day of the ninth month, which is Chislev. ² Now the people of Bethel had sent Sharezer and Regem-melech and their men to entreat the favor of the Lord, ³ saying to the priests of the house of the Lord of hosts and the prophets, “Should I weep and abstain in the fifth month, as I have done for so many years?”

⁴ Then the word of the Lord of hosts came to me: ⁵ “Say to all the people of the land and the priests, ‘When you fasted and mourned in the fifth month and in the seventh, for these seventy years, was it for me that you fasted? ⁶ And when you eat and when you drink, do you not eat for yourselves and drink for yourselves? ⁷ Were not these the words that the Lord proclaimed by the former prophets, when Jerusalem was inhabited and prosperous, with her cities around her, and the South and the lowland were inhabited?’”

⁸ And the word of the Lord came to Zechariah, saying, ⁹ “Thus says the Lord of hosts, Render true judgments, show kindness and mercy to one another, ¹⁰ do not oppress the widow, the fatherless, the sojourner, or the poor, and let none of you devise evil against another in your heart.” ¹¹ But they refused to pay attention and turned a stubborn shoulder and stopped their ears that they might not hear.^[a] 12 They made their hearts diamond-hard lest they should hear the law and the words that the Lord of hosts had sent by his Spirit through the former prophets. Therefore great anger came from the Lord of hosts. ¹³ “As I ^[b] called, and they would not hear, so they called, and I would not hear,” says the Lord of hosts, ¹⁴ “and I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations that they had not known. Thus the land they left was desolate, so that no one went to and fro, and the pleasant land was made desolate.”
(Zechariah 7) ESV

*“Let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!” (Amos 5:24).

Justice is a major theme in Scripture, which contains many calls for justice and commands to worship God for His justice. Justice has to do with conduct in relation to others. Just behavior accords with what is morally right and fair. Justice is the quality of doing what is right.

The Justice of God

God is just (Deuteronomy 32:4). The justice of God can be defined as “that essential and infinite attribute which makes his nature and his ways the perfect embodiment of equity, and constitutes him the model and the guardian of equity throughout the universe” (ATS Bible Dictionary, 1859).

God’s rule over the universe is grounded in justice and righteousness (Psalm 89:14). There is never a time when God has been unjust; it is against His unchanging nature to be anything but perfectly just. “The King is mighty, he loves justice—you have established equity; in Jacob you have done what is just and right” (Psalm 99:4).

“The judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether” (Psalm 19:9, NKJV). Adam and Eve saw the justice of God when they were punished for their sin in the Garden. Even in that judgment, however, they experienced mercy, as “The LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them” (Genesis 3:21). God’s justice requires Him to deal with sin. Scripture records many instances of God’s justice meted out for mankind’s rebellion: the flood of Noah’s day, the plagues in Egypt, the destruction of Ahab and Jezebel’s house, and the Babylonian Captivity, just to name a few.

The justice of God is also demonstrated at the cross. As Jesus was crucified, the sins of the world were laid on Him (Isaiah 53:4–5), and Jesus’ death became the propitiation, or the satisfaction, of God’s justice: “God put [Christ] forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness” (Romans 3:25). God could not just ignore sin; justice requires a penalty. To our eternal benefit, that penalty for sin fell on Jesus Christ: “It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus” (Romans 3:26).

Of course, it was also at the cross where God’s mercy and love were on full display. “God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners” (Romans 5:8, NLT). The cross is the intersection of God’s justice and mercy; God’s justice was meted out in full (upon Christ), and God’s mercy was extended in full (to all who believe). He is truly “a just God and a Savior” (Isaiah 45:21, NKJV).

The Mandate for Justice Because God is just, He demands that mankind, created in His image, also display justice (Micah 6:8). Before Israel had a king, God ensured that His people had justice, as the whole book of Judges attests. Deborah the prophetess set up court beneath a palm tree (Judges 4:5), and Samuel presided over a circuit court, traveling from place to place to hear cases and administer justice (1 Samuel 7:16). Later, the king became the nation’s chief justice.

Scripture is full of commands that humans act justly. This includes acting on behalf of those whose rights are being denied and those who are powerless to defend themselves:

• “Learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause” (Isaiah 1:17, ESV).
  • “Thus says the Lord: Do justice and righteousness, and deliver from the hand of the oppressor him who has been robbed. And do no wrong or violence to the resident alien, the fatherless, and the widow, nor shed innocent blood in this place” (Jeremiah 22:3, ESV).
  • “Defend the weak and the fatherless; uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed. Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked” (Psalm 82:3–4).

God’s desire for justice extends to crime prevention and the punishment of evildoers:

• “For I the Lord love justice; I hate robbery and wrong” (Isaiah 61:8, ESV).
  • “When justice is done, it is a joy to the righteous but terror to evildoers” (Proverbs 21:15, ESV).
  • “Whoever says to the wicked, ‘You are in the right,’ will be cursed by peoples, abhorred by nations, but those who rebuke the wicked will have delight, and a good blessing will come upon them” (Proverbs 24:24–25, ESV).

The Mosaic Law specifically forbade unjust weights and measures (Leviticus 19:35–36) and condemned the taking of bribes (Exodus 23:8). God places a special responsibility on judges and other authorities to provide justice, warning them in Psalm 82 that they will themselves face judgment. Every human tribunal is under God’s order to do what is right:

• “You shall do no injustice in court. You shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great, but in righteousness shall you judge your neighbor” (Leviticus 19:15, ESV).
  • “Thus says the Lord of hosts, Render true judgments, show kindness and mercy to one another” (Zechariah 7:9, ESV).
  • “Do not show partiality in judging; hear both small and great alike. Do not be afraid of anyone, for judgment belongs to God” (Deuteronomy 1:17).
  • “In a lawsuit, you must not deny justice to the poor” (Exodus 23:6, NLT).
  • “Justice, and only justice, you shall follow” (Deuteronomy 16:20).

Justice is linked to a right relationship with God, and those who know God will act justly:

• “The righteous care about justice for the poor, but the wicked have no such concern” (Proverbs 29:7).
  • “Evil men do not understand justice, but those who seek the Lord understand it completely” (Proverbs 28:5, ESV).
  • “The wicked accept bribes in secret to pervert the course of justice” (Proverbs 17:23).
  • “Blessed are they who observe justice, who do righteousness at all times!” (Psalm 106:3, ESV).

Man’s Injustice

We live in a world of injustice. Because of the fall of mankind and the sinful nature we inherited from Adam, we all have a bent away from what is morally right toward what is morally wrong. The result is that we live amid partiality and unfairness, and, even as we honor the concept of justice, we see many examples of the corruption of justice.

Isaiah the prophet decried the state of Jerusalem in his day, as the city “once was full of justice;
righteousness used to dwell in her—
but now murderers!
Your silver has become dross,
your choice wine is diluted with water.
Your rulers are rebels,
partners with thieves;
they all love bribes
and chase after gifts.
They do not defend the cause of the fatherless;
the widow’s case does not come before them” (Isaiah 1:21–23).

And Isaiah continues, “Justice is far from us. . . . We look for justice, but find none. . . . Justice is driven back, and righteousness stands at a distance. . . . The Lord looked and was displeased that there was no justice” (Isaiah 59:9, 11, 14–15).

As the world drifts further from God, justice becomes a rarer commodity. When sin is redefined as a virtue, and righteousness becomes offensive, then justice is twisted, the wicked go unpunished, and innocent people are victimized.
* (GotQuestions.org)

A Vision of Four Chariots

7/07/23 Again I lifted my eyes and saw, and behold, four chariots came out from between two mountains. And the mountains were mountains of bronze. ² The first chariot had red horses, the second black horses, ³ the third white horses, and the fourth chariot dappled horses—all of them strong.^[a] 4 Then I answered and said to the angel who talked with me, “What are these, my lord?” ⁵ And the angel answered and said to me, “These are going out to the four winds of heaven, after presenting themselves before the Lord of all the earth. ⁶ The chariot with the black horses goes toward the north country, the white ones go after them, and the dappled ones go toward the south country.” ⁷ When the strong horses came out, they were impatient to go and patrol the earth. And he said, “Go, patrol the earth.” So they patrolled the earth. ⁸ Then he cried to me, “Behold, those who go toward the north country have set my Spirit at rest in the north country.” (Zechariah 6:1-8) ESV

*The four chariots (6:1-8): Zechariah sees four horses of different colors pulling four chariots. They quickly run through the entire earth, with the result that God’s Spirit has “rest.” This vision represents a judgment upon the enemies of Israel. After the judgment, God’s wrath will be appeased, and “rest” ensues. This final vision brings the series of visions full circle: the first vision had pictured these horses at the end of their mission. A similar vision of judgment, also using the imagery of horses, is found in Revelation 6:1-8. * (GotQuestions.org)

05: The First 4 Seals and 4 Horsemen

A Study of Revelation: Revelation Chapter 5 and 6:1–8

David Brandt Berg

1981-04-01

“And I saw in the right hand of Him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals. And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof? And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon. And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon. And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.

“And I beheld, and lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth. And He came and took the book out of the right hand of Him that sat upon the throne. And when He had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps and golden vials full of odors, which are the prayers of the saints. 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; and hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.

“And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands; Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and glory, and blessing. And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honor, and glory, and power be unto Him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever. And the four beasts said, Amen, amen, amen and amen. And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped Him that liveth for ever and ever” (Revelation 5).

Praise the Lord for this wonderful scripture, this marvelous revelation! It’s a very mysterious passage, but when you understand who the Lamb is, Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, then it’s not difficult to understand. If you realize that this seven-sealed book—called a book, but actually a scroll—was the book of the future, the book of the Revelation that God had promised to give to John, and herein, in this marvelous throne scene, then we discover it is about Jesus.

When no other man could be found worthy to open the book of the future, the book of prophecy, Jesus, the Lamb of God, was found worthy to open the book.

When He took the book, then the four beasts and the 24 elders had to praise Him and say, “Amen, amen” and to praise God. They fell down and worshipped Him and so on. Every one of them had harps and golden vials full of odors, which are the prayers of the saints. I’ve seen this in some of the dreams and visions that I’ve had, that prayers were like beautiful vases or golden vials full of perfume rising unto the Lord like beautiful flowers and angels and fragrances to God in heaven.

They sang as Jesus opened the book; they sang that He was worthy: “For thou wast slain and hast redeemed us to God by Thy blood out of every kindred and tongue and people and nation.”

Thank God, some people from everywhere are going to be saved. We’re doing our best to reach the whole world with the Gospel. Our Family is doing its best to go into all the world and preach the Gospel unto every creature just as Jesus commanded (Mark 16:15). We’ve preached it on six continents to over 100 nations in 40 languages. For one little outfit of at most 8000 missionaries, I think that’s a pretty good record.

So they sang this song praising the Lord, for He had made Himself worthy by shedding His blood. “And Thou hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.” We are already kings and priests unto God as far as He’s concerned. We may not look like it to the world, but we are already kings of this earth, and priests of our people unto God, because we’re already in the kingdom of God, the kingdom of God that is within us in our hearts, the kingdom of God composed of His saints, His children everywhere throughout the world.—All those who love Jesus, all those who have received Him as their Savior, the Son of God, and His sacrifice on Calvary for their sins, and His forgiveness and His cleansing from sin.

John beheld and he heard the voice of many angels. First of all the beasts and the four and twenty elders and the saints, and then many angels are singing. This is a real praise service up in heaven—a great, victorious session in the great throne room of heaven! There before that crystal sea through which God can look upon the earth and see everything that’s going on. And the number—how many angels? How, many beasts? How many elders? How many saints?—Ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands, from everywhere—billion and millions! Hallelujah!

We’re not going to be the poor persecuted minority; we are then going to number in the billions and the millions, and we are going to rule the earth with Jesus Christ!

Jesus comes. He stops the earth, the history of this world, and He lets us off right in full view of our enemies. We rise in immortal victory over the forces of the Devil and of the Antichrist and right before the eyes of our enemies, now out of their reach forever, to be with Jesus in the air. This hasn’t happened yet here, but John is being given a vision of this to see what was going to happen in the future. He’s shown that Jesus opens this book of the future, this book of prophecy, sealed with seven seals.

It’s such an amazing and marvelous occasion that all heaven is rejoicing! All the angels are rejoicing, the beasts, the four and twenty elders, and the millions of saints. Beloved, you are not alone. “Wherefore seeing we are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us run the race that is set before us” (Hebrews 12:1). What a cloud of witnesses! Never in the history of this world has there been such an audience for such a performance. You literally have billions upon millions of souls and saints and angels watching you from above in those heavenly galleries while you perform here on the stage of God’s history, His story, in this final act of His story, history. Isn’t that wonderful?

This will be the greatest show on earth, and all heaven will be watching.—All the saints of God that have gone on to be with the Lord, all the angels of God that have ever been created, including even Satan and all his angels, have to watch this grand and glorious performance and the final victory in the biggest hit that ever hit this world. That is going to involve millions of people, a cast not of half a dozen or a dozen or a score or two, not a cast of hundreds or even thousands, but a cast of millions upon billions acting out the last scene of God’s marvelous drama here on earth.

In John’s vision in this chapter, they’re all watching while Jesus begins to open the book of prophecy and future history begins to unfold. What a performance! What a cast! What an audience! No play or movie or television series on earth ever had such an audience as Jesus had as He began to open this book of the future—a history from John’s day down to our day, and on to the end. So Jesus is about to open the book now in chapter 6.

Let’s swing out into space and travel into the future, shall we? We are time travelers, space travelers. We even travel beyond the realm of space and time in this marvelous book.

Chapter six of the revelation of God to Jesus Christ and His angel unto John, first verse: “And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were, the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see. And I saw, and behold, a white horse: and He that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto Him: and He went forth conquering, and to conquer” (Revelation 6:1–2).

Now begins the marvelous revelation of the four horsemen of the Apocalypse.—These four mysterious horsemen of the book of Revelation, or the Apocalypse, depending on whether you want to use the Latin name for the book, the Revelation, or the Greek name Apocalypse.

The first horseman is obviously Jesus, with a crown all in white, going forth conquering and to conquer. What was happening in John’s day? Jesus was going forth to conquer the world with the Gospel through His saints and His apostles and the early Christians in a mighty conquest of the Roman Empire—more powerful in its message of love than all the legions of Roman force, cruelty, and war. Jesus is this mighty conqueror on the white horse in verse 2.

“And when He had opened the second seal, I heard the second beast say, Come and see. And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword” (Revelation 6:3–4). This second horse of the Apocalypse was obviously the horse of war, and there have been nothing but wars ever since the time of Christ and the early church.

The red horse of the Apocalypse is the horse of war, and certainly nothing could have been predicted more truly of the two millenniums of history which followed from John’s day to ours. There has seldom been a day in the world’s history that there has not been a war going on somewhere, with slaughter and massacre and killing and wounding and maiming and the horrors of hell. What does it matter whether they kill with stones and clubs and bare hands or knives and swords and spears or planes and guns and tanks and atomic bombs? It’s all the same horror in the sight of God, the same horror of man brought on by the Devil’s inspiration to inspire man to kill one another and destroy each other.

“And when he had opened the third seal”—Jesus opened the third seal, another chapter in the book—“I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse, and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand.”

Here comes the horrible horse of famine and the horse of commerce, the horse of money, the horse of commercialism, the horse of capitalism, and the horse of plenty, feast and famine both.

“And I beheld this black horse, and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand. And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine” (Revelation 6:5–6). Doesn’t that sound like your typical salesman, your typical merchant? Your typical high-pressure TV commercials, always hawking their wares? So this next horse was to become one of the curses of the earth: commercialism, moneymaking, capitalism, making precious every little bit of material and food and so on. That’s the third horse; we’ve now had three horses of the Apocalypse.

Seventh verse: “And when He had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see. And I looked, and behold, a pale horse.” The actual meaning here is a pale yellowish-green horse. “And his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with the sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth” (Revelation 6:8).

Here the final horse, the fourth horseman of the Apocalypse, was death itself in every form. Death not only in war, but death from beasts and death from plagues, death from famine and hunger, death in every conceivable form. Haven’t we had that kind of death ever since the days of John? Haven’t we had commercialism and trading and capitalism and greed since the time of this revelation?

But praise God, we’ve had Jesus.—Crowned with many crowns, the King of kings riding on His great white horse of victory! He’s been riding throughout the earth for the past 2000 years, conquering nation after nation and tribe after tribe and people after people with the wonderful message of the Gospel, until at least half the world has become Christian. Half the people of the world confess Christ and are at least nominally Christian.

So there you have the four horsemen of the Apocalypse: First Jesus, the Son of God conquering the earth with His Gospel of love. Second, war, the opposite of love—hate and killing and death. And then commercialism, capitalism, greed, trading, moneymaking, one of the curses of the earth that deprives the poor and makes the rich. And finally, the fourth horse, death in every form, from war and beasts and famine and plague.

Have we not had all four of these horses riding rampant for the past 2000 years since John? Have we not had Christianity spreading throughout the world? War throughout the world? Commercialism throughout the world, the commercial system, Babylon? And all forms of death and destruction? We’ve had them all, and they have ridden rampant for 2000 years since John until this very day.

They will continue to ride right until the end, when Jesus comes and takes His children out of the hell on earth this world becomes into the heavenlies, while He pours out His judgments upon the hell below.—Until we come again in the Battle of Armageddon and we conquer the forces of hell and death and satanic power, and wipe out the Antichrist and his mark-of-the-beast forces and destroy his Image and destroy the wicked who follow him, and we cleanse and purify the earth, and set up the kingdom of God upon this earth to be ruled by Jesus Christ with a rod of iron. Copyright © 1981 The Family International.

A Vision of a Woman in a Basket

7/06/23 Then the angel who talked with me came forward and said to me, “Lift your eyes and see what this is that is going out.” ⁶ And I said, “What is it?” He said, “This is the basket^[c] that is going out.” And he said, “This is their iniquity^[d] in all the land.” ⁷ And behold, the leaden cover was lifted, and there was a woman sitting in the basket! ⁸ And he said, “This is Wickedness.” And he thrust her back into the basket, and thrust down the leaden weight on its opening.

⁹ Then I lifted my eyes and saw, and behold, two women coming forward! The wind was in their wings. They had wings like the wings of a stork, and they lifted up the basket between earth and heaven. ¹⁰ Then I said to the angel who talked with me, “Where are they taking the basket?” ¹¹ He said to me, “To the land of Shinar, to build a house for it. And when this is prepared, they will set the basket down there on its base.” (Zechariah 5:5-11) ESV

*One of the prophet Zechariah’s visions is of a measuring basket with a lead cover. In Zechariah 5:7-8 he writes, “Then the cover of lead was raised, and there in the basket sat a woman! [The angel] said, ‘This is wickedness,’ and he pushed her back into the basket and pushed the lead cover down over its mouth.” Why would God use a woman to portray wickedness in this vision?

Here are a couple of things to consider: first, the Hebrew word translated “wickedness” is a feminine noun. As such, using feminine imagery throughout this section would be appropriate, from a purely grammatical standpoint. While the English language does not typically speak of non-living objects as male or female, other languages often do. For example, we would refer to “evil” as an “it”: “Evil, it is a negative thing.” In Spanish, however, evil is a masculine noun, el mal, and would be referred to as “he”: “Evil, he is a negative thing.” Likewise, in Hebrew, wickedness, is a feminine noun, referred to as “she.”

Second, the use of “woman” in verse 7 parallels the mention of “two women” in verse 9. The woman in the basket represented widespread wickedness (verse 6); after the prophet sees what’s inside, two women pick up the basket and fly away with it to Babylonia, where it finds a home (5:11).

The basket’s destination also gives us a clue as to the presence of a woman in Zechariah’s vision: Babylon is the name of the evil world system in the final days. Revelation 17 pictures this system as a woman, called “the great prostitute” (verse 1). So, the woman in Zechariah’s vision is let out of the basket in order to ride the scarlet beast in John’s vision. In other words, the wickedness that was previously kept in check will be unconfined and wreaking havoc in the last days.

In summary, the entity in the basket is a woman for grammatical reasons and also for consistency with later prophecies. Other passages symbolize worldwide sin with similar imagery; for example, Revelation pictures the spiritual adultery of the last days as a prostitute. Thus, Zechariah’s prophecy dovetails nicely with John’s apocalyptic vision of the future.

Shinar was associated with Babylon’s wickedness. Zechariah the prophet recorded a vision of a basket with a lead cover. The angel guiding Zechariah identified the meaning of the basket: “This is the iniquity of the people throughout the land” (Zechariah 5:6). Then the angel raised the cover of lead, revealing to the prophet that there was a woman in the basket. The angel said, “‘This is wickedness,’ and he pushed her back into the basket and pushed the lead cover down over its mouth” (Zechariah 5:8). The basket with the woman was then carried through air to the land of Shinar where a temple would be built for it (verse 11). This strange vision pictures the suppression of wickedness and its banishment to Shinar/Babylon. In Shinar, the wickedness would eventually be freed and even worshiped (cf. Revelation 17). Shinar is associated with the wicked worship of false gods, and in the end times, Babylon the Great is the center of wickedness and demon worship (Revelation 18:2–3).

Shinar was the location of Judah’s exile. When the nation of Judah was finally taken into exile to Babylonia, Nebuchadnezzar carried off the devoted things of the Lord’s temple and placed them in a temple to the god he worshipped (Daniel 1:1–2). Nebuchadnezzar probably placed the precious items into the temple of Marduk, also called Bel, which was the chief god of the Babylonians. Because of disobedience and idol worship, the Jews were exiled from their land to Shinar (2 Chronicles 36:15–21).

Shinar is a place that will contain a faithful remnant of Israel. Isaiah 11 mentions the future millennial kingdom of the “Root of Jesse” who will “stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his resting place will be glorious” (Isaiah 11:10). During His reign, Jesus will “recover the remnant that remains of his people, from Assyria, from Egypt, from Pathros, from Cush, from Elam, from Shinar, from Hamath, and from the coastlands of the sea” (Isaiah 11:11, ESV). This promise assures us that God’s people will be regathered—even from Shinar—to worship the Lord in His future kingdom.

Shinar is significant in its connection to the world’s historical rebellion against God: everything from the construction of the Tower of Babel to its association with idols, its mistreatment of Israel, and its future association with the Antichrist. Despite the many evils in the land of Shinar, God has preserved His people there. Believing Israelites in Shinar will participate in Jesus’ millennial kingdom in the future, demonstrating God’s grace and redemption.
* (GotQuestions.org)

A Vision of a Golden Lampstand

 7/05/23 And the angel who talked with me came again and woke me, like a man who is awakened out of his sleep. ² And he said to me, “What do you see?” I said, “I see, and behold, a lampstand all of gold, with a bowl on the top of it, and seven lamps on it, with seven lips on each of the lamps that are on the top of it. ³ And there are two olive trees by it, one on the right of the bowl and the other on its left.” ⁴ And I said to the angel who talked with me, “What are these, my lord?” ⁵ Then the angel who talked with me answered and said to me, “Do you not know what these are?” I said, “No, my lord.” ⁶ Then he said to me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts. ⁷ Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain. And he shall bring forward the top stone amid shouts of ‘Grace, grace to it!’”

⁸ Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ⁹ “The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also complete it. Then you will know that the Lord of hosts has sent me to you. ¹⁰ For whoever has despised the day of small things shall rejoice, and shall see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel.

“These seven are the eyes of the Lord, which range through the whole earth.” ¹¹ Then I said to him, “What are these two olive trees on the right and the left of the lampstand?” ¹² And a second time I answered and said to him, “What are these two branches of the olive trees, which are beside the two golden pipes from which the golden oil^[a] is poured out?” ¹³ He said to me, “Do you not know what these are?” I said, “No, my lord.” ¹⁴ Then he said, “These are the two anointed ones^[b] who stand by the Lord of the whole earth.”(Zechariah 4) ESV

*After the Jewish people experienced exile in Babylon, King Cyrus of Persia allowed 50,000 of them to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple under Zerubbabel, governor of Jerusalem. At the time, Zechariah, a prophet and priest of Israel, received several visions from the Lord. In one of those visions, God delivered this key message: “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the LORD of hosts” (Zechariah 4:6, ESV).

In this period of Israel’s history, the prophets Zechariah and Haggai were both ministering. While Haggai encouraged the returned Jewish exiles in their work of rebuilding the temple, Zechariah urged them to repent of sin and renew their covenant with God. Spiritual renewal would be essential to their survival and worship of God once the temple was rebuilt.

Construction on the temple, which had been stopped by opposition from neighbors, resumed under the exhortation of Zechariah and Haggai. Zechariah experienced a series of night visions; in the fifth one, he saw a solid gold lampstand. Two olive trees provided the lampstand with its oil supply, which flowed through two golden pipes (Zechariah 4:1–3). The key message of the vision is contained in the words of verse 6: “Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit.” The work of rebuilding the temple would only be accomplished by God’s Spirit and not by human might nor power.

In many places in the Old Testament, the Lord’s Spirit is represented by oil (Isaiah 61:1–3; 1 Samuel 16:13). The abundant supply of oil in Zechariah’s vision is the Holy Spirit’s power, which would help Zerubbabel finish rebuilding the temple (symbolized by the large lampstand). The lampstand’s light signified that Israel, God’s covenant people, were to shine forth light and glorify God in the earth.

Both in the Old and New Testament, God’s people are called to shine the light of God’s glory into all the world (Isaiah 60:1–3; Matthew 5:14–16). It is the great commission of every believer (Matthew 28:19–20). Just as Zerubbabel would need to depend on the Spirit of the Lord to accomplish the work, so do Christians today. God’s people have no ability in themselves to shine the light of God’s truth to those walking in darkness.

The word for might in Zechariah 4:6 is often translated as “army,” “force,” “ability,” or “efficiency” and is associated with human resources. It also relates to financial means and can be connected with wealth. The term power implies purposeful force, firm resolve, dynamic strength, and resoluteness. Not by might nor by power—not by their own abilities, plentiful resources, or fierce determination—would God’s people build the temple and send God’s light into the world. Only by the Spirit of the Lord would their work and worship become a light broadcasting into all the earth (Acts 1:8; John 16:7–15).

As the physical labor of rebuilding the temple was being done, a spiritual renewal was also taking place. Joshua, the high priest, and Zerubbabel were not to trust in financial resources or military prowess, but in the mighty power of God’s Spirit working through them: “It is not by force nor by strength, but by my Spirit, says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies. Nothing, not even a mighty mountain, will stand in Zerubbabel’s way; it will become a level plain before him! And when Zerubbabel sets the final stone of the Temple in place, the people will shout: ‘May God bless it! May God bless it!’” (Zechariah 4:4–7, NLT).

God had made a similar promise to those who remained faithful to Him in Hosea’s day: “But I will show love to the people of Judah. I will free them from their enemies—not with weapons and armies or horses and charioteers, but by my power as the LORD their God” (Hosea 1:7, NLT).

Zerubbabel need not be discouraged by human limitations or afraid of earthly obstacles, and neither should present-day Christians (Romans 8:31; cf. Haggai 2:5; Isaiah 41:10). When God calls us to a purpose, His Spirit fills and equips us to complete it (Acts 2:17–18; John 3:34; Ephesians 1:18–20). As the apostle Paul learned, human weakness is no obstacle because God’s power is perfected in it: “That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:10; see also Hebrews 11:34).

Our God-given work is guaranteed to be successful, not by human might or power, but by the guidance and empowering of God’s Holy Spirit poured into our lives like the oil that fueled Zechariah’s lampstand.

In Revelation 11:3–12 is a description of two individuals who will help accomplish God’s work during the tribulation: “I will appoint my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth” (verse 3). Nowhere does the Bible identify these two witnesses by name, although people through the years have speculated.

The two witnesses in Revelation will have miraculous powers to accompany their message (Revelation 11:6), and no one will be able to stop them in their work (verse 5). At the end of their ministry, when they have said all they need to say, the beast will kill them and the wicked world will rejoice, allowing the bodies of the fallen prophets to lie in the streets (verses 7–10). Three and a half days later, however, God’s two witnesses will be resurrected and, in full view of their enemies, ascend to heaven (verses 11–12).

There are three primary theories on the identity of the two witnesses in Revelation: (1) Moses and Elijah, (2) Enoch and Elijah, and (3) two unknown believers whom God calls to be His witnesses in the end times.

(1) Moses and Elijah are seen as possibilities for the two witnesses due to the specific miracles that John says the witnesses will perform. The witnesses will have the power to turn water into blood (Revelation 11:6), which duplicates a famous miracle of Moses (Exodus 7). And the witnesses will have the power to destroy their enemies with fire (Revelation 11:5), which corresponds to an event in Elijah’s life (2 Kings 1). Also giving strength to this view is the fact that Moses and Elijah both appeared with Jesus at the transfiguration (Matthew 17:3–4). Further, Jewish tradition expects Moses and Elijah to return, based on the prophecy of Elijah’s coming in Malachi 4:5 and God’s promise to raise up a prophet like Moses (Deuteronomy 18:15, 18), which some Jews believe necessitates Moses’ return.

(2) Enoch and Elijah are seen as possibilities for the two witnesses because of the unique circumstances surrounding their exit from the world. Enoch and Elijah, as far as we know, are the only two individuals whom God has taken directly to heaven without experiencing death (Genesis 5:23; 2 Kings 2:11). Proponents of this view point to Hebrews 9:27, which says that all men are appointed to die once. The fact that neither Enoch nor Elijah has yet experienced death seems to qualify them for the job of the two witnesses, who will be killed when their job is done. In addition, both Enoch and Elijah were prophets who pronounced God’s judgment (1 Kings 17:1; Jude 1:14–15).

(3) Two unknowns are seen as possibilities for the two witnesses because of the lack of specificity in Revelation 11. Scripture does not identify the two witnesses by name, and no well-known person is associated with their coming. God is perfectly capable of taking two “ordinary” believers and enabling them to perform the same signs and wonders that Moses and Elijah did. There is nothing in Revelation 11 that requires us to assume a “famous” identity for the two witnesses.  * (GotQuestions.org)

A Vision of Joshua the High Priest

 7/04/23 Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan^[a] standing at his right hand to accuse him. ² And the Lord said to Satan, “The Lord rebuke you, O Satan! The Lord who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is not this a brand^[b] plucked from the fire?” ³ Now Joshua was standing before the angel, clothed with filthy garments. ⁴ And the angel said to those who were standing before him, “Remove the filthy garments from him.” And to him he said, “Behold, I have taken your iniquity away from you, and I will clothe you with pure vestments.” ⁵ And I said, “Let them put a clean turban on his head.” So they put a clean turban on his head and clothed him with garments. And the angel of the Lord was standing by.

⁶ And the angel of the Lord solemnly assured Joshua, ⁷ “Thus says the Lord of hosts: If you will walk in my ways and keep my charge, then you shall rule my house and have charge of my courts, and I will give you the right of access among those who are standing here. ⁸ Hear now, O Joshua the high priest, you and your friends who sit before you, for they are men who are a sign: behold, I will bring my servant the Branch. ⁹ For behold, on the stone that I have set before Joshua, on a single stone with seven eyes,^[c] I will engrave its inscription, declares the Lord of hosts, and I will remove the iniquity of this land in a single day. ¹⁰ In that day, declares the Lord of hosts, every one of you will invite his neighbor to come under his vine and under his fig tree.” (Zechariah 3) ESV

*Joshua was the high priest when the Jews returned from the Babylonian captivity to Jerusalem (Ezra 3:8). This Joshua is different from the Joshua who served as Moses’ second-in-command and who led the Israelites into the Promised Land after Moses’ death.

Joshua the high priest is the son of Jozadak (Haggai 1:1). His name also appears as Jeshua, and in Nehemiah 7:7 he is listed as one of the group who returned from Babylon. The prophet Haggai also mentions Joshua the high priest: “In the second year of Darius the king [537 B.C.], in the sixth month, on the first day of the month, the word of the LORD came by the hand of Haggai the prophet to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest” (Haggai 1:1).

When the Jews returned from the Babylonian exile, they began building their own homes, but they did not think to reconstruct the temple. Through a message from Haggai the prophet, God called Joshua the high priest and Zerubbabel the governor to lead the rebuilding of the temple (Haggai 1:1–8). Haggai’s message convicted the people, and they began construction (Haggai 1:12). Joshua the high priest was the spiritual leader who served alongside the Israelites and encouraged them as they worked to rebuild the house of the Lord (Haggai 1:13–15).

God also used Joshua the high priest as a symbol of the future Messiah (Zechariah 3:8). Zechariah saw a vision of the angel of the Lord giving Joshua the high priest clean garments in place of his filthy garments. This action symbolized the removal of Israel’s sin (Zechariah 3:3–4). The angel then told Joshua of the Branch who will one day come to remove the sins of the people (Zechariah 3:8–9). Another vision recorded by Zechariah does not mention Joshua the high priest by name but alludes to his office. Zechariah sees a golden lampstand and two olive trees, with the lampstand being fed oil from the trees (Zechariah 4:1–3). The angel explains that the two olive trees are symbolic of “the two who are anointed to serve the Lord of all the earth” (Zechariah 4:14). The two anointed ones would be Zerubbabel the governor and Joshua the high priest, through whom the Lord was accomplishing His work.

God also told the prophet Zechariah to make a crown of silver and gold and place it on Joshua’s head (Zechariah 6:11). Zechariah was to say, “Here is the man whose name is the Branch, and he will branch out from his place and build the temple of the Lord. It is he who will build the temple of the Lord, and he will be clothed with majesty and will sit and rule on his throne. And he will be a priest on his throne. And there will be harmony between the two” (Zechariah 6:12–13). The coronation served as an encouragement to Joshua in his work of rebuilding the temple and also as a prophecy of the future Messiah—the priestly king who will be “clothed with majesty.” Even Joshua’s name foreshadowed the Messiah. The name Joshua is the Hebrew equivalent of Jesus in Greek.

Joshua the high priest foreshadowed the coming Messiah who would be both high priest (Hebrews 6:20) and king (Matthew 27:11). Jesus was the prophesied Branch who brought the forgiveness of sins for all who would believe, and Joshua the high priest served as a symbol of this promised Branch hundreds of years before the prophecy’s fulfillment. * (GotQuestions.org)

A Vision of a Man with a Measuring Line

 7/03/23 ^[a] And I lifted my eyes and saw, and behold, a man with a measuring line in his hand! ² Then I said, “Where are you going?” And he said to me, “To measure Jerusalem, to see what is its width and what is its length.” ³ And behold, the angel who talked with me came forward, and another angel came forward to meet him ⁴ and said to him, “Run, say to that young man, ‘Jerusalem shall be inhabited as villages without walls, because of the multitude of people and livestock in it. ⁵ And I will be to her a wall of fire all around, declares the Lord, and I will be the glory in her midst.’”

⁶ Up! Up! Flee from the land of the north, declares the Lord. For I have spread you abroad as the four winds of the heavens, declares the Lord. ⁷ Up! Escape to Zion, you who dwell with the daughter of Babylon. ⁸ For thus said the Lord of hosts, after his glory sent me^[b] to the nations who plundered you, for he who touches you touches the apple of his eye: ⁹ “Behold, I will shake my hand over them, and they shall become plunder for those who served them. Then you will know that the Lord of hosts has sent me. ¹⁰ Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion, for behold, I come and I will dwell in your midst, declares the Lord. ¹¹ And many nations shall join themselves to the Lord in that day, and shall be my people. And I will dwell in your midst, and you shall know that the Lord of hosts has sent me to you. ¹² And the Lord will inherit Judah as his portion in the holy land, and will again choose Jerusalem.”
¹³ Be silent, all flesh, before the Lord, for he has roused himself from his holy dwelling. (Zechariah 2) ESV

*The surveyor (2:1-13): Zechariah sees a man holding a measuring line. When the prophet asks the man where he is going, the man says he is going to measure the city of Jerusalem. This vision represents God’s promise that Jerusalem will be expanded and its people will one day live in safety as the Lord judges Israel’s enemies.

The term plumb line is used in Scripture in several contexts. The Lord pictures Himself as a builder in Isaiah 28: “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation” (Isaiah 28:16). This is a promise of an unshakeable kingdom, with the Messiah in charge. Jesus Christ is the “precious cornerstone” (see Mark 12:10; Acts 4:11; Romans 9:33; 1 Peter 2:6). As the Lord builds His kingdom, He will ensure it is perfect in every way: “I will make justice the measuring line and righteousness the plumb line” (Isaiah 28:17). There will be no crookedness/sin in the kingdom of Christ.

When the Jews returned from captivity in Babylon, they began to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem. For a time, the work languished, and God sent the prophets Zechariah and Haggai to spur the people on to finish the rebuilding. The message was encouraging: do not despair over the small beginnings; God will see to it that the temple is completed, and Zerubbabel the governor will oversee the project. “Whoever has despised the day of small things shall rejoice, and shall see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel” (Zechariah 4:10, ESV).

Amos 7:7–8 says, “This is what he showed me: The Lord was standing by a wall that had been built true to plumb, with a plumb line in his hand. And the Lord asked me, ‘What do you see, Amos?’ ‘A plumb line,’ I replied. Then the Lord said, ‘Look, I am setting a plumb line among my people Israel; I will spare them no longer.’” When God said He was setting a plumb line among His people, He was declaring an end to their attempts to justify their crooked ways. The Lord was setting the standard. God does not negotiate His laws. He does not change with the whims of culture (Numbers 23:19). God’s moral law is the plumb line against which we determine right and wrong (John 17:17). Just as a carpenter’s plumb line is not subject to the opinions or the frustration of the worker, so God’s moral standards are not subject to the opinions of man. Wise people are those who line up their lives according to God’s plumb line rather than trying to move it to satisfy their own agendas.

In ancient times, a city without walls was vulnerable to enemy attacks (Ezekiel 38:11). The “wall of fire” around Jerusalem in Zechariah’s vision illustrated God’s protective presence. When the Babylonians demolished Jerusalem and its temple, it had nothing to do with the city’s physical fortifications. The city was overtaken because God had withdrawn His shielding presence (Ezekiel 10:18–19).

Thus, the primary message of this vision is that God’s people should be encouraged, because God Himself would be “a protective wall of fire around Jerusalem.” Likewise, God promises that He Himself will be the glory filling the inside of the city (Zechariah 2:5). The vision continues with the Lord reassuring His people, “Anyone who harms you harms my most precious possession. I will raise my fist to crush them, and their own slaves will plunder them” (verses 8–9, NLT). “Shout and rejoice, O beautiful Jerusalem, for I am coming to live among you,” promises the Lord (verse 10, NLT).

Throughout the Old Testament, fire is associated with the Lord’s presence. The Lord speaks to Moses through a burning bush (Exodus 3:1–22). God appears as a consuming fire at the summit of Mount Sinai (Exodus 24:17). The Lord’s presence materializes as “a pillar of fire” to lead and guide the Israelites (Exodus 13:21–22).  * (GotQuestions.org)

A Vision of Horns and Craftsmen

 7/02/23 ^[a] And I lifted my eyes and saw, and behold, four horns! ¹⁹ And I said to the angel who talked with me, “What are these?” And he said to me, “These are the horns that have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem.” ²⁰ Then the Lord showed me four craftsmen. ²¹ And I said, “What are these coming to do?” He said, “These are the horns that scattered Judah, so that no one raised his head. And these have come to terrify them, to cast down the horns of the nations who lifted up their horns against the land of Judah to scatter it.” (Zechariah 1:18-21) ESV

*The four horns and four craftsmen (1:18-21): Zechariah is shown four horns and four craftsmen. The angel tells him that the horns are four kingdoms that opposed Israel (Assyria, Egypt, Babylon, and Medo-Persia) and the craftsmen are coming to “throw down these horns”; i.e., God would defeat Israel’s enemies.

In the Old Testament, the word horn signifies many things. Of course, one usage of horn was to refer to a pointed bony structure growing out of an animal’s head (Genesis 22:13). Animal horns, used for fighting, protection, and securing dominance, became symbols of strength, power, and victory. Often, Scripture’s mention of a “horn” is as a literary symbol representing potency and power.

We often see the horn in Scripture as a symbol of salvation. Psalm 18:2 says, “The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.” In the New Testament, Jesus is the horn of salvation (Luke 1:68–69). Thus, a title applied to Yahweh is also applied to Jesus; they are both called “the horn of salvation.” The very name Jesus means “The Lord Is Salvation.” The salvation Jesus offers is strong, triumphant, and powerful. Just like the horns on the altar offered refuge and atonement, Jesus offers clemency and cleansing through His death on the cross. However strong our spiritual foe, the horn of our salvation is stronger still. * (GotQuestions.org)

and the craftsmen are coming to “throw down these horns”; i.e God would defeat Israel’s enemies

In Daniel 7 the prophet records a night vision that God gave him concerning four world empires, symbolized as four beasts (Daniel 7:1–14). The four empires are the same as Nebuchadnezzar saw in his dream in Daniel 2, although in that dream they are pictured as various metals in a statue. Daniel’s vision assures us that the world’s empires have a certain amount of authority for a certain length of time, but they will all pass away, and “the holy people of the Most High will receive the kingdom and will possess it forever—yes, for ever and ever” (Daniel 7:18).

The vision of the four beasts troubles Daniel, and he wonders what it means until an angel explains it to him (Daniel 7:15–27). Even then, the vision and its interpretation continue to cause Daniel distress: “I, Daniel, was deeply troubled by my thoughts, and my face turned pale, but I kept the matter to myself” (verse 28).

Daniel’s vision of the four beasts begins with a windy night and a troubled sea: “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me were the four winds of heaven churning up the great sea” (Daniel 7:2). As Daniel watches, “four great beasts,” each different from the others, emerge from the dark waters (verse 3).

The first of Daniel’s four beasts is “like a lion, and it had the wings of an eagle” (Daniel 7:4). As Daniel watches, the wings are torn off the beast, and the creature stands erect like a man and a human mind is given to it. Later, the angel who interprets the dream tells Daniel, “The four great beasts are four kings that will rise from the earth” (verse 17). This first beast is representative of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. Its rise to human-like status reflects Nebuchadnezzar’s deliverance from a beastly existence and his insight into the true nature of God (Daniel 4:34–35).

The second beast in Daniel’s vision is “like a bear. It was raised up on one of its sides, and it had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth” (Daniel 7:5). A voice tells the second beast to devour flesh until it is satisfied. This beast represents the Medo-Persian Empire; the raising up of one side of the creature indicates that one of the kingdom’s parts (Persia) would be dominant. The three ribs in the creature’s mouth symbolize nations that were “devoured” by the Medes and the Persians. These three conquered nations are known to be Babylon, Lydia, and Egypt.

The third of the four beasts is “like a leopard,” except it has four bird-like wings on its back and four heads (Daniel 7:6). This beast is given authority to rule. The third beast represents Greece, an empire known for the swiftness of its conquests. The four heads are predictive of the four-way division of the empire following Alexander the Great’s death. Daniel’s vision of the ram and the goat gives further details of the second and third kingdoms (see Daniel 8).

The final beast that Daniel sees rising from the sea is the most dreadful—“terrifying and frightening and very powerful” (Daniel 7:7). This fourth beast has “bronze claws” (verse 19) and “large iron teeth; it crushed and devoured its victims and trampled underfoot whatever was left” totally annihilating its prey (verse 7). The fourth beast has ten horns. This creature represents the Roman Empire, a mighty kingdom that indeed crushed all its foes.

For example, in Daniel 7:7 and 24, the ten horns of Daniel’s fourth beast represent ten kings. In Psalm 75:10, God says, “I will cut off the horns of all the wicked, but the horns of the righteous will be lifted up.” In other words, the righteous will prevail, no matter how strong the wicked seem to be. In Jeremiah 48:25, “Moab’s horn is cut off” means that the strength of Moab is gone. The four horns in Zechariah 1:18–19 represent the powerful nations that attacked and scattered Israel. (Compiled from the writings of David Brandt Berg)

A Vision of a Horseman

7/01/23 On the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month, which is the month of Shebat, in the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came to the prophet Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, son of Iddo, saying, ⁸ “I saw in the night, and behold, a man riding on a red horse! He was standing among the myrtle trees in the glen, and behind him were red, sorrel, and white horses. ⁹ Then I said, ‘What are these, my lord?’ The angel who talked with me said to me, ‘I will show you what they are.’ ¹⁰ So the man who was standing among the myrtle trees answered, ‘These are they whom the Lord has sent to patrol the earth.’ ¹¹ And they answered the angel of the Lord who was standing among the myrtle trees, and said, ‘We have patrolled the earth, and behold, all the earth remains at rest.’ ¹² Then the angel of the Lord said, ‘O Lord of hosts, how long will you have no mercy on Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, against which you have been angry these seventy years?’ ¹³ And the Lord answered gracious and comforting words to the angel who talked with me. ¹⁴ So the angel who talked with me said to me, ‘Cry out, Thus says the Lord of hosts: I am exceedingly jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion. ¹⁵ And I am exceedingly angry with the nations that are at ease; for while I was angry but a little, they furthered the disaster. ¹⁶ Therefore, thus says the Lord, I have returned to Jerusalem with mercy; my house shall be built in it, declares the Lord of hosts, and the measuring line shall be stretched out over Jerusalem. ¹⁷ Cry out again, Thus says the Lord of hosts: My cities shall again overflow with prosperity, and the Lord will again comfort Zion and again choose Jerusalem.’” (Zechariah 1:7-17) ESV

* The horseman among the myrtle trees (1:7-17): Zechariah sees a man and horses among the trees. The man explains that they had gone throughout the whole earth and found peace. An angel then tells the prophet that God still loved Israel and would restore Jerusalem. Verse 17 summarizes: “This is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘My towns will again overflow with prosperity, and the LORD will again comfort Zion and choose Jerusalem.’”

The Four Horsemen correspond with the first four seals opened by the Lamb as He opens the scroll of judgment in heaven (see Revelation 5). When the Lamb opens the first seal, one of the living creatures before the heavenly throne says to John, in a voice like thunder, “Come!” (Revelation 6:1). John then records what he sees: “I looked, and there before me was a white horse! Its rider held a bow, and he was given a crown, and he rode out as a conqueror bent on conquest” (Revelation 6:2).

Chapter 6: Table of Contents of the Future

1st Seal: “And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, and one of the four beasts saying, Come and see” (verse 1).

“And I saw, and behold a white horse; and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer” (verse 2).

This is the first of the famous four horsemen of the apocalypse who ride forth here in chapter 6. “Apocalypse” is simply another name for Revelation, but it means the same thing in Greek: to uncover. God uses these four horsemen to “uncover” His own viewpoints on religion, war, and economics.

It doesn’t say here who the first horseman is, but we find another picture of “a white horse” in the 19th chapter of this same book: “And he that sat upon him (the white horse) was called faithful and true … and his name is called the word of God”—who of course is Jesus (John 1:14). And following Him are the armies of heaven (the resurrected saints), who are also riding white horses as they come down from heaven to defeat the forces of the Antichrist and take over the world at the Battle of Armageddon (Revelation 19:11–14).

Jesus’ weapon is His bow or His Word (Psalm 7:12). And He is the one who has the “crown” or right to rule this world and will destroy His enemies who are resisting it and usurping His throne. Therefore this white horse could only be Jesus and His church, as they are the only ones in this world who are now conquering the world spiritually with the love of God. “Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?” (1 John 5:5). All these other seeming conquerors are actually being overcome and conquered by the world and its “lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the pride of life” (1 John 2:16). And the church will soon, with Christ, physically conquer the world and rule it for a thousand years (Revelation 5:10; 20:4).

2nd Seal: “And when he had opened the second seal, I heard the second beast say, Come and see. And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword” (verse 3–4). Who does this sound like? What takes “peace from the earth”? War! This red horse symbolizes war, the military and their war machines.

The horse’s color is very appropriate, representing all the blood shed in man’s hellish wars—wars for which God is not responsible, but which come from the pride, prejudices and avarice of man’s own greedy heart. “From whence come wars and fightings among you?” James asks, “Come they not hence, even of your lusts” (James 4:1). The “great sword” given to him certainly symbolizes the great “improvements” in war machines and the greater frequency and greater extent of wars since the prophecy was given.

3rd Seal: “And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand. And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny; and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine” (verse 5–6). The value of a penny in John’s day represented an entire day’s labor, as is seen in the parable of Jesus where all the laborers worked for “a penny a day” (Matthew 20:2). A “measure” equals about one quart, and ordinarily a penny could have purchased fifteen to twenty measures. Therefore, food being sold in such small quantities for an entire day’s wages indicates food shortage or famine, and also resultant poverty for the buyer, as it is costing him everything he has just to buy his daily bread. Even the color of the horse itself represents famine. “Our skin was black like an oven,” Jeremiah said, “because of the terrible famine” (Lamentations 5:10).

“Oil and wine,” however, are synonymous with abundance or luxury throughout Scripture. The fact that they were “hurt not” indicates a situation where wealth and luxury exist alongside famine and poverty; not an unusual situation, to say the least.

This inequality in the world’s wealth, however, was not created by God. True, there were times in the Old Testament when He stopped the rain or smote the harvest to scourge nations in order to get them to repent, but the majority of famine and its resultant poverty is created by man himself through his wars and greed.

Could this black horseman’s rider with the “pair of balances in his hand” symbolize rich merchants?  Only one other verse in the Bible pictures a man holding balances in his hand: “He is a merchant, the balances of deceit are in his hand: he loveth to oppress” (Hosea 12:7). Another prophet, Amos, also said that these merchants “set forth wheat, making the ephah (or measure) small, and the shekel (or price paid) great, and falsifying the balances by deceit … that swallow up the needy, even to make the poor of the land to fail” (Amos 8:4–6).

The black horse, then, represents famine and poverty maintained by the rich. This horse is responsible for today’s economic situation—a ghastly paradox in which children starve to death in Africa and Asia.

4th Seal: “And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see. And I looked and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth” (verse 7–8).

In the original Greek the word “pale” also means a sickly yellowish-green color, like the very color of death itself, which is the Devil’s due, and hell follows it for all his children. According to God’s laws, because of the disobedience of all from Adam on down, we all have to die because of disobedience and sin. Death is the penalty of physical sin, and we all have to suffer the penalty of physical death.

The Devil is like the executioner; Paul said that Satan “had the power of death” (Hebrews 2:14). Although the Devil gets to fulfill the law to execute us and take our life physically, the moment we, as Christians, die we’re instantly freed spiritually. At death the Devil’s children go to hell to be with their father, and we go to heaven to be with ours.

The Devil, with God’s permission, executes death over all the earth, not only on land but in the sea and air. But here it says death and hell only had power over a quarter of the earth. So this must represent something more than literal death and the hell that follows for Satan’s followers. It becomes pretty clear what it represents, though, when you consider two facts:

1) that one quarter of the Earth consists of land, and

2) the land is where we find “all the kingdoms of the world,” which Satan said were “delivered unto me” (Luke 4:5–6).

This death and hell of the fourth seal must therefore represent not just literal death and Satan’s “underground” spiritual hell, but also his “surface” operation, or his control over the governments in this world—his hell on earth.

The Devil’s power over the kingdoms of this world and his relationship with its rulers are so close that Revelation pictures Satan and his kings as almost identical twins. The Devil is presented as a “dragon, having seven heads and ten horns” (Revelation 12:3,9), and the government as “a beast … having seven heads and ten horns” (Revelation 13:1; Daniel 7:17).

God would rather have Rome or Greece or Babylon or any kind of pagan government rule than have no government at all! Because when there is no government, then absolute iniquity and absolute horror of sin runs rampant, like in the days of Noah. So there has to be some government to keep law and order and to keep iniquity somewhat in check.

Jesus said Satan was “a murderer from the beginning” (John 8:44). That is exactly how he runs his kingdoms: killing with “sword” (war), with hunger (famine), with death (all kinds), and literally with beasts of the earth, as Rome did in the coliseum, or spiritually through false prophets or politicians who devour you with lying words—“wolves (or beasts) … in sheep’s clothing,” as Jesus called them (Matthew 7:15).
(Compiled from the writings of David Brandt Berg)

A Call to Return to the Lord

 6/30/23 In the eighth month, in the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came to the prophet Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, son of Iddo, saying, ² “The Lord was very angry with your fathers. ³ Therefore say to them, Thus declares the Lord of hosts: Return to me, says the Lord of hosts, and I will return to you, says the Lord of hosts. ⁴ Do not be like your fathers, to whom the former prophets cried out, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, Return from your evil ways and from your evil deeds.’ But they did not hear or pay attention to me, declares the Lord. ⁵ Your fathers, where are they? And the prophets, do they live forever? ⁶ But my words and my statutes, which I commanded my servants the prophets, did they not overtake your fathers? So they repented and said, ‘As the Lord of hosts purposed to deal with us for our ways and deeds, so has he dealt with us.’”
(Zechariah 1:1-6) ESV

*When God says, “Return to Me,” the Hebrew verb translated “return” expresses the idea of turning back or coming to a place, condition, or activity that one has experienced before. God wants His people who are far away in spiritual rebellion to repent of their sins and come back to a place of wholehearted obedience and devotion to the Lord. It’s a theme found several times in Scripture; in Zechariah 1:3, the Lord lovingly pleads, “Return to me, and I will return to you” (NLT).

However, when God says, “I will return to you,” He is not implying that He needs to repent from sin. Instead, the Lord Almighty is promising to come again as He had in the past and bring His people His unique presence and abundant blessings. Their wholehearted repentance would bring about such divine blessing that any doubt of God’s love and compassion would be removed.

Jeremiah 24:7 explains, “I will give them hearts that recognize me as the LORD. They will be my people, and I will be their God, for they will return to me wholeheartedly” (NLT). Nehemiah 1:9 further clarifies, “But if you return to me and obey my commands and live by them, then even if you are exiled to the ends of the earth, I will bring you back to the place I have chosen for my name to be honored” (NLT).

The entire book of Malachi points the way back to the Lord, explaining to the people how to get right with God. They were to begin through obedience to God’s Word and being faithful in their giving to the Lord (Malachi 3:8–12).

It is impossible to follow God and stay close to Him without faithful obedience to His Word (John 14:21). Throughout Scripture, God’s people are told to “be careful to do what the LORD your God has commanded you; do not turn aside to the right or to the left” (Deuteronomy 5:32; see also Joshua 1:7; 23:6). But if we do happen to stumble or turn aside, we can be certain that God’s heart cry to us will be, “Return to Me, and I will return to you.”

Our heavenly Father cares deeply for us despite our tendency to wander into sinful disobedience (Jeremiah 31:3). He draws us back with enduring kindness, commanding, “Return to Me.” We can do this through humble confession and prayer: “Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land” (2 Chronicles 7:14, NLT; see also 1 John 1:9).

“Return to Me, and I will return to you” aligns with Christ’s instruction to “remain in me, and I will remain in you” (John 15:4, NLT). How much better it is for us if we never leave Him in the first place!

Jesus also said, “All who love me will do what I say. My Father will love them, and we will come and make our home with each of them” (John 14:23, NLT). In the person of the Holy Spirit, God takes up active residence in our lives at all times (1 Corinthians 3:16; Ephesians 2:22).

Practical Application: God expects sincere worship and moral living of us today. Zechariah’s example of breaking through national prejudice reminds us to reach out into all areas of our society. We must extend God’s invitation of salvation to people of all national origins, languages, races, and cultures. That salvation is only available through the shed blood of Jesus Christ on the cross, who died in our place to atone for sin. But if we reject that sacrifice, there is no other sacrifice through which we can be reconciled to God. There is no other name under heaven by which men are saved (Acts 4:12). There is no time to lose; today is the day of salvation (2 Corinthians 6:2). * (GotQuestions.org)

The Command to Rebuild the Temple

 6/29/23 In the second year of Darius the king, in the sixth month, on the first day of the month, the word of the Lord came by the hand of Haggai the prophet to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest: ² “Thus says the Lord of hosts: These people say the time has not yet come to rebuild the house of the Lord.” ³ Then the word of the Lord came by the hand of Haggai the prophet, ⁴ “Is it a time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, while this house lies in ruins? ⁵ Now, therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts: Consider your ways. ⁶ You have sown much, and harvested little. You eat, but you never have enough; you drink, but you never have your fill. You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm. And he who earns wages does so to put them into a bag with holes.

⁷ “Thus says the Lord of hosts: Consider your ways. ⁸ Go up to the hills and bring wood and build the house, that I may take pleasure in it and that I may be glorified, says the Lord. ⁹ You looked for much, and behold, it came to little. And when you brought it home, I blew it away. Why? declares the Lord of hosts. Because of my house that lies in ruins, while each of you busies himself with his own house. ¹⁰ Therefore the heavens above you have withheld the dew, and the earth has withheld its produce. ¹¹ And I have called for a drought on the land and the hills, on the grain, the new wine, the oil, on what the ground brings forth, on man and beast, and on all their labors.”

The People Obey the Lord

¹² Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, with all the remnant of the people, obeyed the voice of the Lord their God, and the words of Haggai the prophet, as the Lord their God had sent him. And the people feared the Lord. ¹³ Then Haggai, the messenger of the Lord, spoke to the people with the Lord’s message, “I am with you, declares the Lord.” ¹⁴ And the Lord stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people. And they came and worked on the house of the Lord of hosts, their God, ¹⁵ on the twenty-fourth day of the month, in the sixth month, in the second year of Darius the king.

The Coming Glory of the Temple

2 In the seventh month, on the twenty-first day of the month, the word of the Lord came by the hand of Haggai the prophet: ² “Speak now to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and to all the remnant of the people, and say, ³ ‘Who is left among you who saw this house in its former glory? How do you see it now? Is it not as nothing in your eyes? ⁴ Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel, declares the Lord. Be strong, O Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest. Be strong, all you people of the land, declares the Lord. Work, for I am with you, declares the Lord of hosts, ⁵ according to the covenant that I made with you when you came out of Egypt. My Spirit remains in your midst. Fear not. ⁶ For thus says the Lord of hosts: Yet once more, in a little while, I will shake the heavens and the earth and the sea and the dry land. ⁷ And I will shake all nations, so that the treasures of all nations shall come in, and I will fill this house with glory, says the Lord of hosts. ⁸ The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, declares the Lord of hosts. ⁹ The latter glory of this house shall be greater than the former, says the Lord of hosts. And in this place I will give peace, declares the Lord of hosts.’”

Blessings for a Defiled People

¹⁰ On the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, in the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came by Haggai the prophet, ¹¹ “Thus says the Lord of hosts: Ask the priests about the law: ¹² ‘If someone carries holy meat in the fold of his garment and touches with his fold bread or stew or wine or oil or any kind of food, does it become holy?’” The priests answered and said, “No.” ¹³ Then Haggai said, “If someone who is unclean by contact with a dead body touches any of these, does it become unclean?” The priests answered and said, “It does become unclean.” ¹⁴ Then Haggai answered and said, “So is it with this people, and with this nation before me, declares the Lord, and so with every work of their hands. And what they offer there is unclean. ¹⁵ Now then, consider from this day onward.^[a] Before stone was placed upon stone in the temple of the Lord, ¹⁶ how did you fare? When^[b] one came to a heap of twenty measures, there were but ten. When one came to the wine vat to draw fifty measures, there were but twenty. ¹⁷ I struck you and all the products of your toil with blight and with mildew and with hail, yet you did not turn to me, declares the Lord. ¹⁸ Consider from this day onward, from the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month. Since the day that the foundation of the Lord’s temple was laid, consider: ¹⁹ Is the seed yet in the barn? Indeed, the vine, the fig tree, the pomegranate, and the olive tree have yielded nothing. But from this day on I will bless you.”

Zerubbabel Chosen as a Signet

²⁰ The word of the Lord came a second time to Haggai on the twenty-fourth day of the month, ²¹ “Speak to Zerubbabel, governor of Judah, saying, I am about to shake the heavens and the earth, ²² and to overthrow the throne of kingdoms. I am about to destroy the strength of the kingdoms of the nations, and overthrow the chariots and their riders. And the horses and their riders shall go down, every one by the sword of his brother. ²³ On that day, declares the Lord of hosts, I will take you, O Zerubbabel my servant, the son of Shealtiel, declares the Lord, and make you like a^[c] signet ring, for I have chosen you, declares the Lord of hosts.” (Haggai1-2) ESV

*After a brief introduction, Haggai begins his prophecy by declaring, “Thus says the LORD of hosts: These people say the time has not yet come to rebuild the house of the LORD” (Haggai 1:2). Why were the Israelites not rebuilding the temple?

During his first year as king of Persia, in 538 B.C., Cyrus issued an edict allowing the Jews to return from Babylon to Jerusalem to rebuild the city and the temple (Ezra 1:1-4). The altar was repaired, and the foundation of the temple probably began sometime in 537 B.C. Then Samaritan opposition brought construction to a halt in 536 B.C. Ezra 4:24 notes, “Then the work on the house of God that is in Jerusalem stopped, and it ceased until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.” The temple project languished for 16 years, until 520 B.C.

Therefore, originally, the Jews stopped rebuilding the temple due to opposition from the neighboring Samaritans. But other reasons crept in. At the time of Haggai’s prophecies, some Jews simply said that the timing was not right (Haggai 1:2). Yet the time was right for them to build their own homes. In fact, Haggai rebukes the people for their concern for their own houses while neglecting God’s house.

Haggai taught that God was sending His judgment because of the Jews’ neglect of the temple of the Lord. Their harvest had failed, and their finances were not blessed: “He who earns wages does so to put them into a bag with holes” (Haggai 1:6). No matter how hard the people worked, their food, drink, and finances were not adequate. Haggai said that their needs would only be met when they obeyed God and rebuilt the temple (Haggai 1:7-11).

Together with the prophet Zechariah (Ezra 5:1), Haggai prompted the restart of the temple building project (Ezra 5:2). Once God’s people were back on track, the temple was soon completed, on March 12, 515 B.C. (Ezra 6:13-15). This fulfilled Jeremiah’s prediction of a 70-year captivity (Jeremiah 25:11-12; 29:10) that lasted from Nebuchadnezzar’s burning of the temple in the fifth month of 586 B.C. (2 Kings 25:8-9) until the new temple’s reopening in the twelfth month of 515 B.C.

Foreshadowings: As with most of the books of the minor prophets, Haggai ends with promises of restoration and blessing. In the last verse, Haggai 2:23, God uses a distinctly messianic title in reference to Zerubbabel, “My Servant” (Compare 2 Samuel 3:18; 1 Kings 11:34; Isaiah 42:1–9; Ezekiel 37:24,25). Through Haggai, God promises to make him like a signet ring, which was a symbol of honor, authority, and power, somewhat like a king’s scepter used to seal letters and decrees. Zerubbabel, as God’s signet ring, represents the house of David and the resumption of the messianic line interrupted by the Exile. Zerubbabel reestablished the Davidic line of kings which would culminate in the millennial reign of Christ. Zerubbabel appears in the line of Christ on both Joseph’s side (Matthew 1:12) and Mary’s side (Luke 3:27).

Practical Application: The Book of Haggai draws attention to common problems most people face even today. Haggai asks us 1) to examine our priorities to see if we are more interested in our own pleasures than doing the work of God; 2) to reject a defeatist attitude when we run into opposition or discouraging circumstances; 3) to confess our failures and seek to live pure lives before God; 4) to act courageously for God because we have the assurance that He is with us always and is in full control of our circumstances; and 5) to rest secure in God’s hands knowing that He will abundantly bless us as we faithfully serve Him. (GotQuestions.org)

Judgment on Jerusalem and the Nations

 6/28/23 Woe to her who is rebellious and defiled,
the oppressing city!
² She listens to no voice;
she accepts no correction.
She does not trust in the Lord;
she does not draw near to her God.

³ Her officials within her
are roaring lions;
her judges are evening wolves
that leave nothing till the morning.
⁴ Her prophets are fickle, treacherous men;
her priests profane what is holy;
they do violence to the law.
⁵ The Lord within her is righteous;
he does no injustice;
every morning he shows forth his justice;
each dawn he does not fail;
but the unjust knows no shame.

⁶ “I have cut off nations;
their battlements are in ruins;
I have laid waste their streets
so that no one walks in them;
their cities have been made desolate,
without a man, without an inhabitant.
⁷ I said, ‘Surely you will fear me;
you will accept correction.
Then your^[a] dwelling would not be cut off
according to all that I have appointed against you.’^[b]
But all the more they were eager
to make all their deeds corrupt.

⁸ “Therefore wait for me,” declares the Lord,
“for the day when I rise up to seize the prey.
For my decision is to gather nations,
to assemble kingdoms,
to pour out upon them my indignation,
all my burning anger;
for in the fire of my jealousy
all the earth shall be consumed.

The Conversion of the Nations

⁹ “For at that time I will change the speech of the peoples
to a pure speech,
that all of them may call upon the name of the Lord
and serve him with one accord.
¹⁰ From beyond the rivers of Cush
my worshipers, the daughter of my dispersed ones,
shall bring my offering.

¹¹ “On that day you shall not be put to shame
because of the deeds by which you have rebelled against me;
for then I will remove from your midst
your proudly exultant ones,
and you shall no longer be haughty
in my holy mountain.
¹² But I will leave in your midst
a people humble and lowly.
They shall seek refuge in the name of the Lord,
¹³     those who are left in Israel;
they shall do no injustice
and speak no lies,
nor shall there be found in their mouth
a deceitful tongue.
For they shall graze and lie down,
and none shall make them afraid.”

Israel’s Joy and Restoration

¹⁴ Sing aloud, O daughter of Zion;
shout, O Israel!
Rejoice and exult with all your heart,
O daughter of Jerusalem!
¹⁵ The Lord has taken away the judgments against you;
he has cleared away your enemies.
The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst;
you shall never again fear evil.
¹⁶ On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem:
“Fear not, O Zion;
let not your hands grow weak.
¹⁷ The Lord your God is in your midst,
a mighty one who will save;
he will rejoice over you with gladness;
he will quiet you by his love;
he will exult over you with loud singing.
¹⁸ I will gather those of you who mourn for the festival,
so that you will no longer suffer reproach.^[c]
19 Behold, at that time I will deal
with all your oppressors.
And I will save the lame
and gather the outcast,
and I will change their shame into praise
and renown in all the earth.
²⁰ At that time I will bring you in,
at the time when I gather you together;
for I will make you renowned and praised
among all the peoples of the earth,
when I restore your fortunes
before your eyes,” says the Lord. (Zephaniah 3) ESV

*Zephaniah 3:17 includes an interesting description of God singing over people: “The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.”

Two important observations regarding this passage: first, singing represents God’s joy. The Hebrew phrase translated “he will rejoice over you with singing” can also be translated literally as “he rejoices over you with a shout of joy.”

Second, God’s singing parallels the singing of His people in Jerusalem. “Sing aloud, O daughter of Zion!” (verse 14). This unit of poetry begins with the people of Jerusalem singing praise to God and ends with God singing over His people. God rejoices with His people, and He expresses joy when His people praise Him.

The question then is, why is God so joyful? This passage of Zephaniah speaks of a future time when God has ended His judgment upon Israel. All of their enemies have been destroyed, and Israel is entering a time of safety and blessing (verses 8, 15, 19). Zephaniah is speaking of the future millennial kingdom when the Messiah (Jesus) will reign with His people in Jerusalem (Isaiah 9:7; Revelation 20:1–6).

The word picture in Zephaniah 3:17 is full of emotion. God the Father is the One who holds His daughter Jerusalem and sings joyfully in her presence. Just as a loving parent cradles a child and sings out of love, so God’s song over His people is born of His great love. After a time of hardship, our loving Lord dries His people’s tears, comforts their hearts, and welcomes them to a new world.

Finally, Jesus also taught in the New Testament that “there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents” (Luke 15:10). Whether or not God Himself sings in this passage is not made clear, but it is clear there is rejoicing in God’s presence when those who are lost repent and are made right with God (Ephesians 2:8–9; John 3:16).

Foreshadowings: The final blessings on Zion pronounced in 3:14-20 are largely unfulfilled, leading us to conclude that these are messianic prophecies that await the Second Coming of Christ to be completed. The Lord has taken away our punishment only through Christ who came to die for the sins of His people (Zephaniah 3:15; John 3:16). But Israel has not yet recognized her true Savior. This is yet to happen (Romans 11:25-27).

The promise of peace and safety for Israel, a time when their King is in their midst, will be fulfilled when Christ returns to judge the world and redeem it for Himself. Just as He ascended to heaven after His resurrection, so will He return and set up a new Jerusalem on earth (Revelation 21). At that time, all God’s promises to Israel will be fulfilled.

Practical Application: With a few adjustments in names and situations, this prophet of 7th century B.C. could stand in our pulpits today and deliver the same message of judgment of the wicked and hope for the faithful. Zephaniah reminds us that God is offended by the moral and religious sins of His people. God’s people will not escape punishment when they sin willfully. Punishment may be painful, but its purpose may be redemptive rather than punitive. The inevitability of the punishment of wickedness gives comfort in a time when it seems that evil is unbridled and victorious. We have the freedom to disobey God but not the freedom to escape the consequences of that disobedience. Those who are faithful to God may be relatively few, but He does not forget them. * (GotQuestions.org)

Habakkuk’s Prayer

  6/27/23 A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet, according to Shigionoth.

² O Lord, I have heard the report of you,
and your work, O Lord, do I fear.
In the midst of the years revive it;
in the midst of the years make it known;
in wrath remember mercy.
³ God came from Teman,
and the Holy One from Mount Paran. Selah
His splendor covered the heavens,
and the earth was full of his praise.
⁴ His brightness was like the light;
rays flashed from his hand;
and there he veiled his power.
⁵ Before him went pestilence,
and plague followed at his heels.^[a]
6 He stood and measured the earth;
he looked and shook the nations;
then the eternal mountains were scattered;
the everlasting hills sank low.
His were the everlasting ways.
⁷ I saw the tents of Cushan in affliction;
the curtains of the land of Midian did tremble.
⁸ Was your wrath against the rivers, O Lord?
Was your anger against the rivers,
or your indignation against the sea,
when you rode on your horses,
on your chariot of salvation?
⁹ You stripped the sheath from your bow,
calling for many arrows.^[b] Selah
You split the earth with rivers.
¹⁰ The mountains saw you and writhed;
the raging waters swept on;
the deep gave forth its voice;
it lifted its hands on high.
¹¹ The sun and moon stood still in their place
at the light of your arrows as they sped,
at the flash of your glittering spear.
¹² You marched through the earth in fury;
you threshed the nations in anger.
¹³ You went out for the salvation of your people,
for the salvation of your anointed.
You crushed the head of the house of the wicked,
laying him bare from thigh to neck.^[c] Selah
¹⁴ You pierced with his own arrows the heads of his warriors,
who came like a whirlwind to scatter me,
rejoicing as if to devour the poor in secret.
¹⁵ You trampled the sea with your horses,
the surging of mighty waters.

¹⁶ I hear, and my body trembles;
my lips quiver at the sound;
rottenness enters into my bones;
my legs tremble beneath me.
Yet I will quietly wait for the day of trouble
to come upon people who invade us.

Habakkuk Rejoices in the Lord

¹⁷ Though the fig tree should not blossom,
nor fruit be on the vines,
the produce of the olive fail
and the fields yield no food,
the flock be cut off from the fold
and there be no herd in the stalls,
¹⁸ yet I will rejoice in the Lord;
I will take joy in the God of my salvation.
¹⁹ God, the Lord, is my strength;
he makes my feet like the deer’s;
he makes me tread on my high places. (Habakkuk 3) ESV

*Habakkuk 3:19, “The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights.”

Brief Summary: The Book of Habakkuk begins with Habakkuk crying out to God for an answer to why God’s chosen people are allowed to suffer in their captivity (Habakkuk 1:1–4). The Lord gives His answer to Habakkuk, essentially stating, “You wouldn’t believe it if I told you” (Habakkuk 1:5–11). Habakkuk then follows up by saying, “OK, you are God, but, still, tell me more about why this is happening” (Habakkuk 1:17—2:1). God then answers him again and gives him more information, then tells the earth to be silent before Him (Habakkuk 2:2–20). Then Habakkuk writes a prayer expressing his strong faith in God even through these trials (Habakkuk 3:1–19).

Foreshadowings: The apostle Paul quotes Habakkuk 2:4 on two occasions (Romans 1:17; Galatians 3:11) to reiterate the doctrine of justification by faith. The faith that is the gift of God and available through Christ is at once a faith that saves (Ephesians 2:8–9) and a faith that sustains throughout life. We attain eternal life by faith, and we live the Christian life by the same faith. In contrast to the “proud,” whose soul is not right within him (Habakkuk 2:4, NASB) and whose desires are not upright (NIV), is the one made righteous by faith in Christ. That person’s sin was exchanged for Christ’s perfection (2 Corinthians 5:21). Now his soul is right within him, and his desires are upright, as Christ has enabled him to live by faith. The redeemed person is not proud but is humble (see Matthew 5:5). He follows the Lord Jesus, who is “gentle and humble in heart” (Matthew 11:29).

Practical Application: The application to the reader of Habakkuk is that it is permissible to question what God is doing, although with respect and reverence. Sometimes it is not evident to us what is going on, especially if we are thrown into suffering for a time or if it seems our enemies are prospering while we are just barely getting by. The Book of Habakkuk affirms that God is sovereign and omnipotent, and He has all things under control. We just need to be still and know He is at work. He is who He says He is and does keep His promises. He will punish the wicked. Even when we cannot see evidence of His dominion, God is still on the throne of the universe. We need to stay focused on this: “The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights” (Habakkuk 3:19). To “tread on the heights” is a picture of our ability, in the power of God, to rise above the troubles and hindrances of this world and experience victory over our enemies. Sometimes the way before us is full of suffering and sorrow, but, if we trust the Lord, we will come safely to where He wants us to be. * (GotQuestions.org)

Woe to Nineveh

 6/26/23 Woe to the bloody city,
all full of lies and plunder—
no end to the prey!
² The crack of the whip, and rumble of the wheel,
galloping horse and bounding chariot!
³ Horsemen charging,
flashing sword and glittering spear,
hosts of slain,
heaps of corpses,
dead bodies without end—
they stumble over the bodies!
⁴ And all for the countless whorings of the prostitute,
graceful and of deadly charms,
who betrays nations with her whorings,
and peoples with her charms.

⁵ Behold, I am against you,
declares the Lord of hosts,
and will lift up your skirts over your face;
and I will make nations look at your nakedness
and kingdoms at your shame.
⁶ I will throw filth at you
and treat you with contempt
and make you a spectacle.
⁷ And all who look at you will shrink from you and say,
“Wasted is Nineveh; who will grieve for her?”
Where shall I seek comforters for you?

⁸ Are you better than Thebes^[a]
that sat by the Nile,
with water around her,
her rampart a sea,
and water her wall?
⁹ Cush was her strength;
Egypt too, and that without limit;
Put and the Libyans were her^[b] helpers.

¹⁰ Yet she became an exile;
she went into captivity;
her infants were dashed in pieces
at the head of every street;
for her honored men lots were cast,
and all her great men were bound in chains.
¹¹ You also will be drunken;
you will go into hiding;
you will seek a refuge from the enemy.
¹² All your fortresses are like fig trees
with first-ripe figs—
if shaken they fall
into the mouth of the eater.
¹³ Behold, your troops
are women in your midst.
The gates of your land
are wide open to your enemies;
fire has devoured your bars.

¹⁴ Draw water for the siege;
strengthen your forts;
go into the clay;
tread the mortar;
take hold of the brick mold!
¹⁵ There will the fire devour you;
the sword will cut you off.
It will devour you like the locust.
Multiply yourselves like the locust;
multiply like the grasshopper!
¹⁶ You increased your merchants
more than the stars of the heavens.
The locust spreads its wings and flies away.

¹⁷ Your princes are like grasshoppers,
your scribes^[c] like clouds of locusts
settling on the fences
in a day of cold—
when the sun rises, they fly away;
no one knows where they are.

¹⁸ Your shepherds are asleep,
O king of Assyria;
your nobles slumber.
Your people are scattered on the mountains
with none to gather them.
¹⁹ There is no easing your hurt;
your wound is grievous.
All who hear the news about you
clap their hands over you.
For upon whom has not come
your unceasing evil? (Nahum 3) ESV

*Nineveh is notable in the Bible as the capital city of Assyria, a longtime enemy of Israel. Located in what is now modern Iraq, Nineveh is mentioned in Scripture as a place that turned away from sin through a warning by God, but which was later destroyed.

The first mention of Nineveh is in the Table of Nations, which describes the many cities Nimrod built in Assyria including “Nineveh, Rehoboth Ir, Calah and Resen, which is between Nineveh and Calah—which is the great city” (Genesis 10:11–12). Nineveh was known for its great wealth, power, and prestige. The Assyrians were notorious for their cruelty and idolatry (Nahum 3:19). Their capital, Nineveh, contained many temples, including one to Ishtar, the Assyrian goddess that some scholars believe was the namesake of Nineveh.

In 2 Kings 19:36 and Isaiah 37:37, Nineveh is depicted as the center of the Assyrian Empire and home to King Sennacherib. Sennacherib led a successful campaign against many nations, but he failed to take Jerusalem due to the Lord’s intervention. He returned to Nineveh and was later killed in the temple of the Assyrian god Nisrok (2 Kings 19:35–37).

Nineveh is well-known as the place where the prophet Jonah was sent by God to preach (Jonah 1:2). Jonah was reluctant to go, probably because of the Assyrians’ great wickedness, and he tried to run from the Lord’s command. God intercepted Jonah and sent him to the Ninevites by making a great fish swallow him (Jonah 1:3, 17). In Nineveh, Jonah proclaimed the coming judgment on that city (Jonah 2:10; 3:1–4). Instead of rejecting the Lord’s warning, the Ninevites humbled themselves and repented of their sin, from the king on down. The whole city fasted, put on sackcloth, and sat in ashes—they even dressed their animals in sackcloth (Jonah 3:5–9). Seeing that the city of Nineveh repented of their wickedness, “God relented concerning the judgment he had threatened them with and he did not destroy them” (Jonah 3:10, NET).

Jesus mentioned the Ninevites and their repentance, contrasting that response to the unbelief of the Pharisees and teachers of the law (Matthew 12:39–41). Rejecting Christ has no excuse: “The people of Nineveh will also stand up against this generation on judgment day and condemn it, for they repented of their sins at the preaching of Jonah. Now someone greater than Jonah is here—but you refuse to repent” (Luke 11:32, NLT). Being far greater than the prophet Jonah, Jesus had shown Himself to be the Messiah, but the Jewish people still refused to believe in Him or repent of their sin (Matthew 12:22–24). The Ninevites had responded to God’s message delivered by a lesser man (Jonah 3:5), and here was God’s message delivered by the Son of God Himself.

Although Nineveh escaped destruction during the time of Jonah, a later generation still had to face a reckoning. The prophet Nahum prophesied of the destruction of the city because of the people’s evilness. Nahum’s predictions for Nineveh’s destruction came to pass when the Babylonians, Medes, and Scythians sacked the city in 612 BC. Nineveh’s walls had been breached by flood waters, allowing their attackers to enter the city. The city’s ruin was ultimately a product of God’s divine wrath (Nahum 1:8–10). The Lord declared judgment on the city because of Nineveh’s wickedness: “Woe to the city of blood, full of lies, full of plunder, never without victims!” (Nahum 3:1).

God’s judgment on Nineveh and the nation of Assyria as a whole was holy and just, given their cruelty, bloodshed, and idolatry (Nahum 1:2–3). The Ninevites during Jonah’s time, who believed God’s message and repented, will forever be remembered as a people who turned their hearts toward the Lord and believed despite their overall lack of knowledge about Him (Jonah 4:10–11). The Ninevites who were spared judgment should be a motivation for all people to seek God’s mercy and choose the path of humility and repentance.

Brief Summary: Nineveh once had responded to the preaching of Jonah and turned from their evil ways to serve the Lord God. But 150 years later, Nineveh returned to idolatry, violence, and arrogance (Nahum 3:1–4). Once again God sends one of His prophets to Nineveh warning of judgment in the form of the destruction of their city and exhorting them to repentance. Sadly, the Ninevites did not heed’s Nahum’s warning, and the city was brought under the dominion of Babylon.

Foreshadowings: Paul uses shades of the imagery of Nahum 1:15 in Romans 10:15 in regard to the ministry of the Messiah and the apostles. It may also be understood of any minister of the Gospel whose business it is to “preach the Gospel of peace.” God has made peace with sinners by the blood of Christ, and has given to His people the peace that “transcends all understanding” (Philippians 4:7). The preacher’s work is also to “bring glad tidings of good things” (KJV), such as reconciliation, righteousness, pardon, life, and eternal salvation by a crucified Christ. The preaching of such a Gospel, and bringing such news, make their feet beautiful. The imagery here is of one who runs to others, eager and joyful to proclaim the Good News.

Practical Application: God is patient and slow to anger. He gives every country time to repent of sin and follow Him as Lord. But He is not mocked. Any time a country turns away from Him and rejects righteousness, evil results, and He steps in with judgment. This was true for Assyria, and it will be true for any nation today. As Christians it is our duty to stand up for biblical principles and proclaim Christ, for it is only in repentance and the life-changing message of the gospel that any country can find hope. * (GotQuestions.org)

Wait for the God of Salvation

6/25/23 Woe is me! For I have become
as when the summer fruit has been gathered,
as when the grapes have been gleaned:
there is no cluster to eat,
no first-ripe fig that my soul desires.
² The godly has perished from the earth,
and there is no one upright among mankind;
they all lie in wait for blood,
and each hunts the other with a net.
³ Their hands are on what is evil, to do it well;
the prince and the judge ask for a bribe,
and the great man utters the evil desire of his soul;
thus they weave it together.
⁴ The best of them is like a brier,
the most upright of them a thorn hedge.
The day of your watchmen, of your punishment, has come;
now their confusion is at hand.
⁵ Put no trust in a neighbor;
have no confidence in a friend;
guard the doors of your mouth
from her who lies in your arms; ^[a]
6 for the son treats the father with contempt,
the daughter rises up against her mother,
the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;
a man’s enemies are the men of his own house.
⁷ But as for me, I will look to the Lord;
I will wait for the God of my salvation;
my God will hear me.

⁸ Rejoice not over me, O my enemy;
when I fall, I shall rise;
when I sit in darkness,
the Lord will be a light to me.
⁹ I will bear the indignation of the Lord
because I have sinned against him,
until he pleads my cause
and executes judgment for me.
He will bring me out to the light;
I shall look upon his vindication.
¹⁰ Then my enemy will see,
and shame will cover her who said to me,
“Where is the Lord your God?”
My eyes will look upon her;
now she will be trampled down
like the mire of the streets.

¹¹ A day for the building of your walls!
In that day the boundary shall be far extended.
¹² In that day they^[b] will come to you,
from Assyria and the cities of Egypt,
and from Egypt to the River, ^[c]
from sea to sea and from mountain to mountain.
¹³ But the earth will be desolate
because of its inhabitants,
for the fruit of their deeds.

¹⁴ Shepherd your people with your staff,
the flock of your inheritance,
who dwell alone in a forest
in the midst of a garden land; ^[d]
let them graze in Bashan and Gilead
as in the days of old.
¹⁵ As in the days when you came out of the land of Egypt,
I will show them^[e] marvelous things.
¹⁶ The nations shall see and be ashamed of all their might;
they shall lay their hands on their mouths;
their ears shall be deaf;
¹⁷ they shall lick the dust like a serpent,
like the crawling things of the earth;
they shall come trembling out of their strongholds;
they shall turn in dread to the Lord our God,
and they shall be in fear of you.

God’s Steadfast Love and Compassion

¹⁸ Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity
and passing over transgression
for the remnant of his inheritance?
He does not retain his anger forever,
because he delights in steadfast love.
¹⁹ He will again have compassion on us;
he will tread our iniquities underfoot.
You will cast all our ^[f] sins
into the depths of the sea.
²⁰ You will show faithfulness to Jacob
and steadfast love to Abraham,
as you have sworn to our fathers
from the days of old. (Micah 7) ESV

*Micah’s actions are similar to those of many professing Christians today. Deciding that God’s written Word is outdated or constrictive, they invent a counterfeit Christianity that has “a form of godliness but denies its power” (2 Timothy 3:5). Absent from this counterfeit are difficult expectations such as dying to self (Galatians 2:20) and carrying one’s cross (Luke 9:23). Instead, practitioners construct idols of health, wealth, and success, assuming God is pleased with their self-worship. This brand of cultural Christianity dominates Western and European cultures. Micah may as well be their patron saint.

The second significant Micah in Scripture is a stark contrast to the idolatrous Micah’s worldliness. The second Micah was the author of the book by the same name. He is described as being from Moresheth, a small but important town in southwest Judah near the Philistine territory. Micah was given a word from the Lord about the future of Samaria and Jerusalem (Micah 1:1). He is sixth in the order of those we call Minor Prophets, so called because their writings are comparatively short. It was the prophet Micah who foretold of Christ’s birth in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2; Matthew 2:6). His is a message of both hope and doom, declaring the lovingkindness of God toward those who repent and turn to Him (Micah 7:18–19). And Micah condenses God’s requirements into this familiar refrain: “He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8).

The prophet Micah reminds us that, despite God’s zero-tolerance toward our sin, He is also ready and waiting to forgive and restore those who repent. Even in the midst of strong warnings to Judah, Micah includes the hope that God will relent on the promised judgment if they will turn from evil. He ends his book with this thought: “He will again have compassion on us; He will vanquish our iniquities. You will cast out all our sins into the depths of the sea” (Micah 7:19). Christians can take comfort in those words as well. Because of the Messiah that Micah prophesied, Jew and Gentile can enjoy the benefits of God’s forgiveness when we turn from evil and “walk humbly with our God” (Micah 6:8; 2 Corinthians 5:21).

The phrase sea of forgetfulness is not actually in Scripture. When people mention the “sea of forgetfulness,” they are usually referring to several passages that talk about God’s forgiveness, and how when we are justified in Christ, God forgets our sins so completely that they might as well be buried at the bottom of an ocean.

The main passage that contains the idea of a sea of forgetfulness is Micah 7:19: “He will again have compassion on us, and will subdue our iniquities. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.” Another verse, Isaiah 1:18, says that God will make our scarlet sins as white as wool. Psalm 103:12 expresses the thought in yet another way: “As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.”

A sea of forgetfulness represents a place where our sins are sent very far away from us, so that they can no longer affect us. It does not mean that we, as believers, no longer sin or that our sins are erased from God’s mind. It only means that our sins no longer have any bearing on our salvation. Jesus’ perfect life, sacrificial death, and glorious resurrection is the only means by which we are saved (Acts 4:12). When we trust in Christ, we come under a new paradigm. Although our sins still grieve God and cause ruin in our lives and in the lives of others, our salvation is secure (Romans 8:1, 31–39).

The idea that our sins are lost in a sea of forgetfulness is a comfort. We are no longer judged by our sins (Romans 8:1), and that fact frees us to live life in a way that pleases God. When we fear judgment, ironically, we are tempted to sin even more, because we want to escape from the fear of judgment, and sin is often pleasurable for a time (see Hebrews 11:25). But, eventually, the fear of judgment returns. This is a vicious cycle. Spiritual growth requires that we recognize the total forgiveness that exists in Jesus Christ and that we rest in that forgiveness.

Many people do not believe they require salvation. They believe that they are good enough to reach heaven on their own merit, and they do not accept the truth about their own fallen state. These people are deceived, and they do not have a relationship with God (1 John 1:8, 10). Every person needs God’s forgiveness and salvation—a relationship based on dependence on His grace. If we admit that we are sinners and trust in Christ, He forgives and cleanses us (1 John 1:9). Our sins are no longer part of the equation and will not be remembered (Jeremiah 31:34; Hebrews 8:12).  * (GotQuestions.org)

The Indictment of the Lord

6/24/23 Hear what the Lord says:
Arise, plead your case before the mountains,
and let the hills hear your voice.
² Hear, you mountains, the indictment of the Lord,
and you enduring foundations of the earth,
for the Lord has an indictment against his people,
and he will contend with Israel.

³ “O my people, what have I done to you?
How have I wearied you? Answer me!
⁴ For I brought you up from the land of Egypt
and redeemed you from the house of slavery,
and I sent before you Moses,
Aaron, and Miriam.
⁵ O my people, remember what Balak king of Moab devised,
and what Balaam the son of Beor answered him,
and what happened from Shittim to Gilgal,
that you may know the righteous acts of the Lord.”

What Does the Lord Require?

⁶ “With what shall I come before the Lord,
and bow myself before God on high?
Shall I come before him with burnt offerings,
with calves a year old?
⁷ Will the Lord be pleased with^[a] thousands of rams,
with ten thousands of rivers of oil?
Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression,
the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?”
⁸ He has told you, O man, what is good;
and what does the Lord require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,^[b]
and to walk humbly with your God?

Destruction of the Wicked

⁹ The voice of the Lord cries to the city—
and it is sound wisdom to fear your name:
“Hear of the rod and of him who appointed it!^[c]
10     Can I forget any longer the treasures^[d] of wickedness in the house of the wicked,
and the scant measure that is accursed?
¹¹ Shall I acquit the man with wicked scales
and with a bag of deceitful weights?
¹² Your^[e] rich men are full of violence;
your inhabitants speak lies,
and their tongue is deceitful in their mouth.
¹³ Therefore I strike you with a grievous blow,
making you desolate because of your sins.
¹⁴ You shall eat, but not be satisfied,
and there shall be hunger within you;
you shall put away, but not preserve,
and what you preserve I will give to the sword.
¹⁵ You shall sow, but not reap;
you shall tread olives, but not anoint yourselves with oil;
you shall tread grapes, but not drink wine.
¹⁶ For you have kept the statutes of Omri,^[f]
and all the works of the house of Ahab;
and you have walked in their counsels,
that I may make you a desolation, and your^[g] inhabitants a hissing;
so you shall bear the scorn of my people.” (Micah 6) ESV

 

*One of the most popular verses among both Jews and Christians promoting social justice is Micah 6:8. It reads, “He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” Many desire to know more about what this inspiring verse teaches on the issues of justice, mercy, and humility.

Micah 6 involves an imaginary conversation between the Lord and Israel. In verses 1-5 the Lord introduces His case against the disobedient people of Israel. Verses 6-7 record Israel’s response as a series of questions beginning with, “With what shall I come to the Lord?” (Micah 6:6).

Israel’s focus is on their external religious rites, and their questions show a progression from lesser to greater. First, they ask if God would be satisfied with burnt offerings of year-old calves (Micah 6:6b), offerings required in the Law of Moses. Second, they ask if they should bring “thousands of rams, with ten thousands of rivers of oil” (Micah 6:7a). This is the rhetoric of hyperbole; such an offering could only be made by someone extremely wealthy or by the larger community of God’s people. Third, they ask whether they should offer their firstborn sons as a sacrifice for God. Would that be enough to cover their sin? Would God be pleased with them then?

Verse 8 follows with God’s answer, rooted in the Law of Moses: “He has told you, O man, what is good.” In other words, Israel should already have known the answer to their questions. God then says that He did not need or desire their religious rites, sacrifices, or oblations. Instead, the Lord sought Israel’s justice, mercy, and humility.

The answer to Israel’s sin problem was not more numerous or more painful sacrifices. The answer was something much deeper than any religious observance: they needed a change of heart. Without the heart, Israel’s conformity to the Law was nothing more than hypocrisy. Other prophets tried to communicate a similar message (Isaiah 1:14; Hosea 6:6; Amos 5:21). Unfortunately, God’s people were slow to heed the message (Matthew 12:7).

“Act justly” would have been understood by Micah’s audience as living with a sense of right and wrong. In particular, the judicial courts had a responsibility to provide equity and protect the innocent. Injustice was a problem in Israel at that time (Micah 2:1-2; 3:1-3; 6:11).

“Love mercy” contains the Hebrew word hesed, which means “loyal love” or “loving-kindness.” Along with justice, Israel was to provide mercy. Both justice and mercy are foundational to God’s character (Psalm 89:14). God expected His people to show love to their fellow man and to be loyal in their love toward Him, just as He had been loyal to them (Micah 2:8-9; 3:10-11; 6:12).

“Walk humbly” is a description of the heart’s attitude toward God. God’s people depend on Him rather than their own abilities (Micah 2:3). Instead of taking pride in what we bring to God, we humbly recognize that no amount of personal sacrifice can replace a heart committed to justice and love. Israel’s rhetorical questions had a three-part progression, and verse 8 contains a similar progression. The response of a godly heart is outward (do justice), inward (love mercy), and upward (walk humbly).

The message of Micah is still pertinent today. Religious rites, no matter how extravagant, can never compensate for a lack of love (1 Corinthians 13:3). External compliance to rules is not as valuable in God’s eyes as a humble heart that simply does what is right. God’s people today will continue to desire justice, mercy, and humility before the Lord.
* (GotQuestions.org)

Jonah Is Thrown into the Sea

6/23/23 And they said to one another, “Come, let us cast lots, that we may know on whose account this evil has come upon us.” So they cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah. ⁸ Then they said to him, “Tell us on whose account this evil has come upon us. What is your occupation? And where do you come from? What is your country? And of what people are you?” ⁹ And he said to them, “I am a Hebrew, and I fear the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.” ¹⁰ Then the men were exceedingly afraid and said to him, “What is this that you have done!” For the men knew that he was fleeing from the presence of the Lord, because he had told them.

¹¹ Then they said to him, “What shall we do to you, that the sea may quiet down for us?” For the sea grew more and more tempestuous. ¹² He said to them, “Pick me up and hurl me into the sea; then the sea will quiet down for you, for I know it is because of me that this great tempest has come upon you.” ¹³ Nevertheless, the men rowed hard^[b] to get back to dry land, but they could not, for the sea grew more and more tempestuous against them. ¹⁴ Therefore they called out to the Lord, “O Lord, let us not perish for this man’s life, and lay not on us innocent blood, for you, O Lord, have done as it pleased you.” ¹⁵ So they picked up Jonah and hurled him into the sea, and the sea ceased from its raging. ¹⁶ Then the men feared the Lord exceedingly, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows.

A Great Fish Swallows Jonah

^17 [c] And the Lord appointed^[d] a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights. (Jonah 1:7-17)

¹⁰ And the Lord spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah out upon the dry land. (Jonah 2:10)

The People of Nineveh Repent

⁶ The word reached^[c] the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, removed his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. ⁷ And he issued a proclamation and published through Nineveh, “By the decree of the king and his nobles: Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything. Let them not feed or drink water, ⁸ but let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and let them call out mightily to God. Let everyone turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands. ⁹ Who knows? God may turn and relent and turn from his fierce anger, so that we may not perish.”

¹⁰ When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way, God relented of the disaster that he had said he would do to them, and he did not do it. (Jonah 3:6-10) ESV

*To fully appreciate the answer that Jesus gave, we must go to the Old Testament book of Jonah. In its first chapter, we read that God commanded the prophet Jonah to go to the city of Nineveh and warn its people that He was going to destroy it for its wickedness. Jonah disobediently ran from the Lord and headed for the city of Tarshish by boat. The Lord then sent a severe storm that caused the crew of the ship to fear for their lives. Jonah was soon thrown overboard and swallowed by a great fish where he remained for “three days and three nights” (Jonah 1:15–17). After the three-day period, the Lord caused the great fish to vomit Jonah out onto dry land (Jonah 2:10).

It is this three days that Jesus was referring to when He spoke of the sign of Jonah. Jesus had already been producing miracles that were witnessed by many. Jesus had just performed a great sign in the Pharisees’ presence by healing a deaf man who was possessed of a demon. Rather than believe, they accused Jesus of doing this by the power of Satan. Jesus recognized their hardness of heart and refused to give them further proof of His identity. However, He did say that there would be one further sign forthcoming, His resurrection from the dead. This would be their final opportunity to be convinced.

Jesus’ paralleling of the Pharisees with the people of Nineveh is telling. The people of Nineveh repented of their evil ways (Jonah 3:4–10) after hearing Jonah’s call for repentance, while the Pharisees continued in their unbelief despite being eyewitnesses to the miracles of Jesus. Jesus was telling the Pharisees that they were culpable for their unbelief, given the conversion of the people of Nineveh, sinners who had received far less evidence than the Pharisees themselves had witnessed. Interestingly, from the time of Jonah’s preaching, the people of Nineveh had 40 days to repent, and they did, sparing their city from destruction. From the time of Jesus’ preaching, the people of Jerusalem had 40 years, but they did not repent, and Jerusalem was destroyed.

But what are we to make of the phrase “three days and three nights”? Was Jesus saying that He would be dead for three full 24-hour periods before He would rise from the dead? It does not appear so. The phrase “three days and three nights” need not refer to a literal 72-hour period. Rather, according to the Hebrew reckoning of time, the days could refer to three days in part or in whole. Jesus was probably crucified on a Friday (Mark 15:42). According to the standard reckoning, Jesus died at about 3:00 PM (Matthew 27:46) on Friday (day 1). He remained dead for all of Saturday (day 2) and rose from the dead early on Sunday morning (day 3). Attempts to place Jesus’ death on Wednesday to accommodate a literal 72-hour period are probably unnecessary once we take into account the Hebrew method of reckoning of each day as beginning at sundown. So it seems that the expression “three days and three nights” was used as a figure of speech meant to signify any part of three days.

God would often use signs (or miracles) in the Bible to authenticate His chosen messenger. The Lord provided Moses with several miraculous signs in order to prove to others that he was appointed by God (Exodus 4:5–9; 7:8–10;19-20). God sent down fire on Elijah’s altar during Elijah’s contest with the prophets of Baal (1 Kings 18:36–39). He performed this miracle to prove that the God of Israel was the one true God. Jesus Himself would perform many miracles (or “signs”) to demonstrate His power over nature (Matthew 4:23; Mark 6:30–44; Luke 8:22–24; John 6:16–24). The “sign of Jonah” would turn out to be Jesus’ greatest miracle of all. Jesus’ resurrection from the dead would be God’s chief sign that Jesus was Israel’s long-awaited Messiah (Acts 2:23–32) and establish Christ’s claims to deity (Romans 1:3–4). * (Gotquestions.org)

Edom Will Be Humbled                                                                               

 6/22/23 Thus says the Lord God concerning Edom:
We have heard a report from the Lord,
and a messenger has been sent among the nations:
“Rise up! Let us rise against her for battle!”
² Behold, I will make you small among the nations;
you shall be utterly despised.^[a]
3 The pride of your heart has deceived you,
you who live in the clefts of the rock,^[b]
in your lofty dwelling,
who say in your heart,
“Who will bring me down to the ground?”
⁴ Though you soar aloft like the eagle,
though your nest is set among the stars,
from there I will bring you down,
declares the Lord.

⁵ If thieves came to you,
if plunderers came by night—
how you have been destroyed!—
would they not steal only enough for themselves?
If grape gatherers came to you,
would they not leave gleanings?
⁶ How Esau has been pillaged,
his treasures sought out!
⁷ All your allies have driven you to your border;
those at peace with you have deceived you;
they have prevailed against you;
those who eat your bread^[c] have set a trap beneath you—
you have^[d] no understanding.

⁸ Will I not on that day, declares the Lord,
destroy the wise men out of Edom,
and understanding out of Mount Esau?
⁹ And your mighty men shall be dismayed, O Teman,
so that every man from Mount Esau will be cut off by slaughter.

Edom’s Violence Against Jacob

¹⁰ Because of the violence done to your brother Jacob,
shame shall cover you,
and you shall be cut off forever.
¹¹ On the day that you stood aloof,
on the day that strangers carried off his wealth
and foreigners entered his gates
and cast lots for Jerusalem,
you were like one of them.
¹² But do not gloat over the day of your brother
in the day of his misfortune;
do not rejoice over the people of Judah
in the day of their ruin;
do not boast^[e]
in the day of distress.
¹³ Do not enter the gate of my people
in the day of their calamity;
do not gloat over his disaster
in the day of his calamity;
do not loot his wealth
in the day of his calamity.
¹⁴ Do not stand at the crossroads
to cut off his fugitives;
do not hand over his survivors
in the day of distress.

The Day of the Lord Is Near

¹⁵ For the day of the Lord is near upon all the nations.
As you have done, it shall be done to you;
your deeds shall return on your own head.
¹⁶ For as you have drunk on my holy mountain,
so all the nations shall drink continually;
they shall drink and swallow,
and shall be as though they had never been.
¹⁷ But in Mount Zion there shall be those who escape,
and it shall be holy,
and the house of Jacob shall possess their own possessions.
¹⁸ The house of Jacob shall be a fire,
and the house of Joseph a flame,
and the house of Esau stubble;
they shall burn them and consume them,
and there shall be no survivor for the house of Esau,
for the Lord has spoken.

The Kingdom of the Lord

¹⁹ Those of the Negeb shall possess Mount Esau,
and those of the Shephelah shall possess the land of the Philistines;
they shall possess the land of Ephraim and the land of Samaria,
and Benjamin shall possess Gilead.
²⁰ The exiles of this host of the people of Israel
shall possess the land of the Canaanites as far as Zarephath,
and the exiles of Jerusalem who are in Sepharad
shall possess the cities of the Negeb.
²¹ Saviors shall go up to Mount Zion
to rule Mount Esau,
and the kingdom shall be the Lord’s. (Obadiah)

*The day of Christ is a prophetic event specifically referenced three times in the New Testament; the apostle Paul speaks of “the day of Christ,” “the day of Jesus Christ,” and “the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Other New Testament passages may allude to the day of Christ, but the use of this phraseology is unique to Paul’s writings. Let us examine these three passages within their proper scriptural context. The first is Philippians 1:3–6:

I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ (ESV).

Besides assuring Christian believers of their eternal security, this passage teaches that the day of Christ marks the time when our sanctification will be complete. At long last, we will enjoy sinless perfection and dwell in resurrected, immortal, glorified bodies. In reference to this same bright future, John wrote, “Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is” (1 John 3:2, ESV).

The next mention of “the day of Christ” is in Philippians 2:14–16:

Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain (ESV).

From this passage, we can be assured that the difficulties believers face in a hostile, godless world will pass and that, in the day of Christ, the struggles will end for those who persevere. In another passage, the apostle Paul writes, “And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up” (Galatians 6:9, ESV).

The third and final of Paul’s references to “the day of Christ” is found in 1 Corinthians 1:4–8:

I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus, that in every way you were enriched in him in all speech and all knowledge—even as the testimony about Christ was confirmed among you—so that you are not lacking in any gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ (ESV).

Again, the apostle Paul assures all believers of their eternal hope, for when the day of Christ comes, they will be counted among the redeemed. This blessed hope is also expressed in our Lord’s words, “And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day” (John 6:39, ESV).

The day of Christ points to the time when our struggles end and victory over sin and death is no longer a promise, but a glorious reality. We believe the day of Christ begins at the rapture of the church and continues through the millennial reign. The day of Christ is a time of lavish promises fulfilled and decisive victories achieved—a time when believers no longer walk by faith but by sight, for our enemies will be our Lord’s footstool (Psalm 110:1).

The day of Christ is related to but probably distinguished from the day of the Lord. The day of the Lord is a time of judgment in which God pours out His consuming wrath upon a hostile, rebellious, unbelieving world:

Alas for the day!
For the day of the Lord is near,
and as destruction from the Almighty it comes (Joel 1:15, ESV)

Wail, for the day of the Lord is near;
as destruction from the Almighty it will come! (Isaiah 13:6)

Woe to you who desire the day of the Lord!
Why would you have the day of the Lord?
It is darkness, and not light (Amos 5:18, ESV)

For the day of the Lord is near upon all the nations.
As you have done, it shall be done to you;
your deeds shall return on your own head (Obadiah 1:15, ESV)

The day of the Lord is a time of worldwide judgment; the day of Christ has to do with believers meeting Christ and receiving their heavenly inheritance. Thankfully, God’s people will not face the unleashing of God’s righteous fury when the day of the Lord comes (I Thessalonians 5:9). The day of the Lord is reserved for unrepentant sinners who refuse God’s mercy. The haughty and proud rebels who snub His mercy must face His judgment. By contrast, the day of Christ is a time of hope and promise and, indeed, a day of celebration. May we join King David in singing,

“I waited patiently for the Lord;
he inclined to me and heard my cry.
He drew me up from the pit of destruction,
out of the miry bog,
and set my feet upon a rock,
making my steps secure.
He put a new song in my mouth,
a song of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear,
and put their trust in the Lord” (Psalm 40:1–3, ESV).
* (GotQuestions.org)

The Destruction of Israel

 6/21/23 I saw the Lord standing beside^[a] the altar, and he said:

“Strike the capitals until the thresholds shake,
and shatter them on the heads of all the people; ^[b]
and those who are left of them I will kill with the sword;
not one of them shall flee away;
not one of them shall escape.

² “If they dig into Sheol,
from there shall my hand take them;
if they climb up to heaven,
from there I will bring them down.
³ If they hide themselves on the top of Carmel,
from there I will search them out and take them;
and if they hide from my sight at the bottom of the sea,
there I will command the serpent, and it shall bite them.
⁴ And if they go into captivity before their enemies,
there I will command the sword, and it shall kill them;
and I will fix my eyes upon them
for evil and not for good.”

⁵ The Lord God of hosts,
he who touches the earth and it melts,
and all who dwell in it mourn,
and all of it rises like the Nile,
and sinks again, like the Nile of Egypt;
⁶ who builds his upper chambers in the heavens
and founds his vault upon the earth;
who calls for the waters of the sea
and pours them out upon the surface of the earth—
the Lord is his name.

⁷ “Are you not like the Cushites to me,
O people of Israel?” declares the Lord.
“Did I not bring up Israel from the land of Egypt,
and the Philistines from Caphtor and the Syrians from Kir?
⁸ Behold, the eyes of the Lord God are upon the sinful kingdom,
and I will destroy it from the surface of the ground,
except that I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob,”
declares the Lord.

⁹ “For behold, I will command,
and shake the house of Israel among all the nations
as one shakes with a sieve,
but no pebble shall fall to the earth.
¹⁰ All the sinners of my people shall die by the sword,
who say, ‘Disaster shall not overtake or meet us.’

The Restoration of Israel

¹¹ “In that day I will raise up
the booth of David that is fallen
and repair its breaches,
and raise up its ruins
and rebuild it as in the days of old,
¹² that they may possess the remnant of Edom
and all the nations who are called by my name,” ^[c]
declares the Lord who does this.

¹³ “Behold, the days are coming,” declares the Lord,
“when the plowman shall overtake the reaper
and the treader of grapes him who sows the seed;
the mountains shall drip sweet wine,
and all the hills shall flow with it.
¹⁴ I will restore the fortunes of my people Israel,
and they shall rebuild the ruined cities and inhabit them;
they shall plant vineyards and drink their wine,
and they shall make gardens and eat their fruit.
¹⁵ I will plant them on their land,
and they shall never again be uprooted
out of the land that I have given them,”
says the Lord your God. (Amos 9) ESV

*The messianic age or messianic kingdom is the future period of time when the Messiah will reign and bring universal peace to the earth. Christians believe the Messiah is Jesus Christ who came to earth previously, lived a perfect life, died for the sins of the world, and rose again. Many Jews believe that the Messiah has yet to be revealed but will certainly make Himself known to all the world in the future.

We take the premillennial view of the end times, which sees the messianic age as coming after the second coming of Christ. When Jesus returns in glory, He will defeat His enemies, judge the remaining inhabitants of the earth, set up an earthly kingdom, and bind Satan for one thousand years.

Characteristics of the Messianic Age

The messianic age will be ruled by the Lord Jesus. Peter the apostle tells us about Jesus, “Heaven must receive him until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets” (Acts 3:21). Before Jesus was born, the angel Gabriel told His mother of her Son’s future kingdom: “The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end” (Luke 1:32–33). Jesus spoke of the time “when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, [and] he will sit on his glorious throne” (Matthew 25:31). Jesus is the King of kings (Revelation 19:16) who will rule the nations “with an iron scepter” (Revelation 19:15; cf. Psalm 2:9).

The messianic age will feature a worldwide kingdom. In Psalm 2, the Messiah King will be enthroned in Zion (verse 6), but all the nations of the earth are His inheritance, “the ends of the earth [His] possession” (verse 8). The prophet Daniel pictured the kingdom of the Messiah as “a huge mountain [that] filled the whole earth” (Daniel 2:35).

The messianic age will be a time of unparalleled blessing. The Bible predicts that the Messiah’s rule will usher in worldwide peace (Isaiah 11:6–7; Micah 4:3), justice (Isaiah 11:3–4), unity (Isaiah 11:10), abundance (Isaiah 35:1–2), healing (Isaiah 35:5–6), righteousness (Isaiah 35:8), and joy (Isaiah 55:12). The meek will be protected and honored (Matthew 5:5; Psalm 37:11). People will know and honor the Lord: “For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea” (Isaiah 11:9). Sin and rebellion against the King will be punished promptly and with perfect justice (Isaiah 11:3–5; Zechariah 14:16–19).

The messianic age will be a time of the earth’s physical restoration. The curse on the earth will be lifted during the Messiah’s rule, and prosperity and beauty will spread: “The desert and the parched land will be glad; the wilderness will rejoice and blossom. Like the crocus, it will burst into bloom; it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy” (Isaiah 35:1–2; cf. 11:6–9; 35:7).

The Role of Israel in the Messianic Age

During the messianic kingdom, Paul’s words will come true: “All Israel will be saved” (Romans 11:26). Israel will be regathered to the Promised Land, which will finally reach the geographic boundaries prophesied long ago (Jeremiah 31:1–14; Amos 9:11–15; Joshua 1:4). Israel will experience a revived Davidic kingdom, bigger and grander than ever, “never again to be uprooted” (Amos 9:15). The division of Israel and Judah will be gone, and the nation will be united (Jeremiah 3:18). The people of Israel will enjoy a spiritual restoration and true fellowship with God (Isaiah 2:3; 45:17; Zechariah 13:9; Malachi 3:3–4).

Conclusion

The Bible is full of prophecies pointing to Jesus as the promised Messiah. In addition, it gives hope of a future time on earth when Jesus will set things right and rule in righteousness and peace. The enemy of our souls, Satan, will be unable to act during that time. The Lord Jesus will do what no king, ruler, or government has ever been able to do: bring peace on earth (see Isaiah 9:6 and Luke 2:14). * (GotQuestions.org)

The Coming Day of Bitter Mourning

 6/20/23 This is what the Lord God showed me: behold, a basket of summer fruit. ² And he said, “Amos, what do you see?” And I said, “A basket of summer fruit.” Then the Lord said to me,

“The end^[a] has come upon my people Israel;
I will never again pass by them.
³ The songs of the temple^[b] shall become wailings^[c] in that day,”
declares the Lord God.
“So many dead bodies!”
“They are thrown everywhere!”
“Silence!”

⁴ Hear this, you who trample on the needy
and bring the poor of the land to an end,
⁵ saying, “When will the new moon be over,
that we may sell grain?
And the Sabbath,
that we may offer wheat for sale,
that we may make the ephah small and the shekel^[d] great
and deal deceitfully with false balances,
⁶ that we may buy the poor for silver
and the needy for a pair of sandals
and sell the chaff of the wheat?”

⁷ The Lord has sworn by the pride of Jacob:
“Surely I will never forget any of their deeds.
⁸ Shall not the land tremble on this account,
and everyone mourn who dwells in it,
and all of it rise like the Nile,
and be tossed about and sink again, like the Nile of Egypt?”

⁹ “And on that day,” declares the Lord God,
“I will make the sun go down at noon
and darken the earth in broad daylight.
¹⁰ I will turn your feasts into mourning
and all your songs into lamentation;
I will bring sackcloth on every waist
and baldness on every head;
I will make it like the mourning for an only son
and the end of it like a bitter day.

¹¹ “Behold, the days are coming,” declares the Lord God,
“when I will send a famine on the land—
not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water,
but of hearing the words of the Lord.
¹² They shall wander from sea to sea,
and from north to east;
they shall run to and fro, to seek the word of the Lord,
but they shall not find it.

¹³ “In that day the lovely virgins and the young men
shall faint for thirst.
¹⁴ Those who swear by the Guilt of Samaria,
and say, ‘As your god lives, O Dan,’
and, ‘As the Way of Beersheba lives,’
they shall fall, and never rise again.” (Amos 8) ESV

*We typically understand a famine as a lack of food or water, but Amos 8:11 speaks cryptically of a famine of the hearing of the Word of God: “‘The days are coming,’ declares the Sovereign Lord, ‘when I will send a famine through the land—not a famine of food or a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the words of the Lord.’”

To better understand a difficult message, it’s often helpful to understand the messenger. Amos, along with Hosea, Isaiah, and Micah, prophesied during the eighth century BC. The Jews had split into two nations, the northern kingdom, Israel, and the southern kingdom, Judah. It is interesting to note that Amos had no formal theological training; he was a farmer who raised livestock and sycamore figs (Amos 7:14). Interesting, too, is the fact that Amos, who resided in Judah, was sent by God to preach in the northern kingdom. As is often the case among a rebellious people, Amos’s calls for national repentance were met with hostility (Amos 7:12). Let us begin by examining the eighth chapter of Amos in its entirety:

This is what the Lord God showed me: behold, a basket of summer fruit. And he said, “Amos, what do you see?” And I said, “A basket of summer fruit.” Then the Lord said to me,

Just as the harvest marks the end of the season, the basket of summer fruit signifies the coming judgment in which the rebellious people reap the bitter harvest they have sown (Amos 8:1–3). Ensnared by economic prosperity and fueled by greed, dishonest merchants added to their coffers by making merchandise of the poor (Amos 8:4–6). Rather than honoring the Lord, these dishonest merchants considered acts of worship as unwelcome business interruptions. None of this had escaped God’s attention. He had witnessed their deeds, and He knew the hardness of their hearts.

As is always the case, the unrepentant who refuse God’s mercy must face His wrath (Amos 8:7). Verse 9 tells of cosmic signs that indicate the dawning of the day of the Lord. The day of the Lord occurs before the millennial reign of Christ Jesus; this is the dark time in which God pours out His wrath upon the earth. The prophet’s graphic imagery of death and destruction reminds us that God’s wrath is a terrible spectacle to behold (Amos 8:8–14).

Among the judgments of those days, God will send a famine: a famine of hearing God’s Word. This is surely a severe judgment, as people will seek the Lord and not find Him. Those who rejected the prophets will no longer be able to find a prophet. Those who despised God’s Word will have God’s Word hidden from them. They will hunger and thirst for a message from God, but too late. Like the virgins in Jesus’ parable, they will come to the door of the wedding feast and find it closed. “Lord, Lord,” they will say, “open the door for us!” (Matthew 25:11). The only word they hear will be, “Truly I tell you, I don’t know you” (verse 12).

To some degree, the famine of God’s Word is with us now. A growing number of pastors are abandoning sound biblical teachings and the message of the cross. Rather than telling people they are lost sinners in desperate need of salvation, these false teachers proclaim glowing messages of prosperity, self-esteem, or political activism. Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the apostle Paul warned, “For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry” (2 Timothy 4:3–5, ESV). Bible study bathed in prayer is the believer’s best preventative against spiritual famine. * (GotQuestions.org)

Seek the Lord and Live

 6/19/23 Hear this word that I take up over you in lamentation, O house of Israel:

² “Fallen, no more to rise,
is the virgin Israel;
forsaken on her land,
with none to raise her up.”

³ For thus says the Lord God:

“The city that went out a thousand
shall have a hundred left,
and that which went out a hundred
shall have ten left
to the house of Israel.”

⁴ For thus says the Lord to the house of Israel:

“Seek me and live;
⁵     but do not seek Bethel,
and do not enter into Gilgal
or cross over to Beersheba;
for Gilgal shall surely go into exile,
and Bethel shall come to nothing.”

⁶ Seek the Lord and live,
lest he break out like fire in the house of Joseph,
and it devour, with none to quench it for Bethel,
⁷ O you who turn justice to wormwood^[a]
and cast down righteousness to the earth!

⁸ He who made the Pleiades and Orion,
and turns deep darkness into the morning
and darkens the day into night,
who calls for the waters of the sea
and pours them out on the surface of the earth,
the Lord is his name;
⁹ who makes destruction flash forth against the strong,
so that destruction comes upon the fortress.

¹⁰ They hate him who reproves in the gate,
and they abhor him who speaks the truth.
¹¹ Therefore because you trample on^[b] the poor
and you exact taxes of grain from him,
you have built houses of hewn stone,
but you shall not dwell in them;
you have planted pleasant vineyards,
but you shall not drink their wine.
¹² For I know how many are your transgressions
and how great are your sins—
you who afflict the righteous, who take a bribe,
and turn aside the needy in the gate.
¹³ Therefore he who is prudent will keep silent in such a time,
for it is an evil time.

¹⁴ Seek good, and not evil,
that you may live;
and so the Lord, the God of hosts, will be with you,
as you have said.
¹⁵ Hate evil, and love good,
and establish justice in the gate;
it may be that the Lord, the God of hosts,
will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.

¹⁶ Therefore thus says the Lord, the God of hosts, the Lord:

“In all the squares there shall be wailing,
and in all the streets they shall say, ‘Alas! Alas!’
They shall call the farmers to mourning
and to wailing those who are skilled in lamentation,
¹⁷ and in all vineyards there shall be wailing,
for I will pass through your midst,”
says the Lord

Let Justice Roll Down

¹⁸ Woe to you who desire the day of the Lord!
Why would you have the day of the Lord?
It is darkness, and not light,
¹⁹     as if a man fled from a lion,
and a bear met him,
or went into the house and leaned his hand against the wall,
and a serpent bit him.
²⁰ Is not the day of the Lord darkness, and not light,
and gloom with no brightness in it?

²¹ “I hate, I despise your feasts,
and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies.
²² Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and grain offerings,
I will not accept them;
and the peace offerings of your fattened animals,
I will not look upon them.
²³ Take away from me the noise of your songs;
to the melody of your harps I will not listen.
²⁴ But let justice roll down like waters,
and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.

²⁵ “Did you bring to me sacrifices and offerings during the forty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel? ²⁶ You shall take up Sikkuth your king, and Kiyyun your star-god—your images that you made for yourselves, ²⁷ and I will send you into exile beyond Damascus,” says the Lord, whose name is the God of hosts. (Amos 5) ESV

*Amos ministered as a prophet to Israel at the nation’s apex of prosperity and political power. Sadly, it was a time when true worship of God had been replaced with idolatry, immorality, greed, materialism, injustice, spiritual complacency, and self-reliance. God’s people, both in Judah to the south (Amos’s home) and Israel to the north (Amos’s mission field), faced the Lord’s judgment because they had forsaken Him. In a string of dire predictions of coming doom (Amos 3:1—6:14), Amos offers this one ray of hope: “This is what the Lord says to Israel: ‘Seek me and live’” (verse 5:4).

“Seek me and live” is the central theme and primary message of Amos. The prophet repeats, “Seek the Lord and live, or he will sweep through the tribes of Joseph like a fire; it will devour them, and Bethel will have no one to quench it” (Amos 5:6). Again, he implores, “Seek good, not evil, that you may live. Then the Lord God Almighty will be with you, just as you say he is” (Amos 5:14).

“Seek me and live” is the cry of God’s heart—His appeal for people to repent and pursue His forgiveness while there is still hope of salvation. The message echoes in Isaiah’s invitation: “Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near” (Isaiah 55:6). It resonates in Zephaniah’s call: “Seek the Lord, all you humble of the land, you who do what he commands. Seek righteousness, seek humility; perhaps you will be sheltered on the day of the Lord’s anger” (Zephaniah 2:3).

“Seek me and live” is God’s invitation to return to “pure and genuine” devotion to the Lord (James 1:27), which is the foundation of our life and relationship with Him. When we forsake the Lord, we must humble ourselves before Him, repent, obey His commands, and walk in His ways again. Only in this way can we receive forgiveness of sins and restoration (2 Chronicles 7:14). The prophets repeatedly warned God’s rebellious children to return to authentic worship, which is our source of spiritual life and the only hope of salvation from the Lord’s judgment and wrath.

In the book of Acts, the apostle Paul informs the people of Athens that God’s desire has always been for all people to seek Him: “His purpose was for the nations to seek after God and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him—though he is not far from any one of us. For in him we live and move and exist” (Acts 17:27–28, NLT; see also Psalm 14:2). God is our “fountain of life” (Psalm 36:9). From Him we “draw water from the wells of salvation” (Isaiah 12:3; see also Revelation 21:6; 22:17; John 4:10; 7:38).

We should “continually seek him” (1 Chronicles 16:11, NLT) and “sincerely seek him” (Hebrews 11:6, NLT). The people of Amos’s day claimed to follow God with their words (see Amos 5:14), but their actions and devotions revealed a different truth. Wholehearted pursuit is the key to life with God: “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13; see also Deuteronomy 4:27–29). Like David, we must hunger and thirst for the Lord with our whole being (Psalm 63:1; Psalm 84:2; Psalm 42:1).

“Seek me and live” is God’s time-sensitive opportunity. “Indeed, the ‘right time’ is now. Today is the day of salvation,” says the Lord (2 Corinthians 6:2, NLT). No one is promised tomorrow. We have this one life with breath in our lungs today to seek God and live (Psalm 95:7–8; Hebrews 3:7–15; 4:7).

Not only is “seek me and live” the central theme of Amos and the prophets, but it is also the primary message of the gospel. God loves the people of the world so much that He sent His only Son to die in our place and, through His sacrifice, give us eternal life in Jesus Christ (John 3:16). The apostle John clarifies, “And this is what God has testified: He has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have God’s Son does not have life. I have written this to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know you have eternal life” (1 John 5:11–13).

We must first believe in Him, and then the Christian walk consists of seeking the Lord through a lifelong relationship with Him. Paul expounds, “He will give eternal life to those who keep on doing good, seeking after the glory and honor and immortality that God offers. But he will pour out his anger and wrath on those who live for themselves, who refuse to obey the truth and instead live lives of wickedness” (Romans 2:7–8, NLT). * (GotQuestions.org)

Israel’s Guilt and Punishment

 6/18/23 Hear this word that the Lord has spoken against you, O people of Israel, against the whole family that I brought up out of the land of Egypt:

² “You only have I known
of all the families of the earth;
therefore I will punish you
for all your iniquities.

³ “Do two walk together,
unless they have agreed to meet?
⁴ Does a lion roar in the forest,
when he has no prey?
Does a young lion cry out from his den,
if he has taken nothing?
⁵ Does a bird fall in a snare on the earth,
when there is no trap for it?
Does a snare spring up from the ground,
when it has taken nothing?
⁶ Is a trumpet blown in a city,
and the people are not afraid?
Does disaster come to a city,
unless the Lord has done it?

⁷ “For the Lord God does nothing
without revealing his secret
to his servants the prophets.
⁸ The lion has roared;
who will not fear?
The Lord God has spoken;
who can but prophesy?”

⁹ Proclaim to the strongholds in Ashdod
and to the strongholds in the land of Egypt,
and say, “Assemble yourselves on the mountains of Samaria,
and see the great tumults within her,
and the oppressed in her midst.”
¹⁰ “They do not know how to do right,” declares the Lord,
“those who store up violence and robbery in their strongholds.”

¹¹ Therefore thus says the Lord God:

“An adversary shall surround the land
and bring down^[a] your defenses from you,
and your strongholds shall be plundered.”

¹² Thus says the Lord: “As the shepherd rescues from the mouth of the lion two legs, or a piece of an ear, so shall the people of Israel who dwell in Samaria be rescued, with the corner of a couch and part^[b] of a bed.

¹³ “Hear, and testify against the house of Jacob,”
declares the Lord God, the God of hosts,
¹⁴ “that on the day I punish Israel for his transgressions,
I will punish the altars of Bethel,
and the horns of the altar shall be cut off
and fall to the ground.
¹⁵ I will strike the winter house along with the summer house,
and the houses of ivory shall perish,
and the great houses^[c] shall come to an end,”
declares the Lord. (Amos 3) ESV

*In speaking of judgment, God says, “The horns of the altar shall be cut off and fall to the ground” (Amos 3:14). What were these horns of the altar? Why were they important?

The “horns” were horn-like projections at the four corners of the altar of burnt offering. God’s instructions for the altar’s construction specified “horns”: “Make a horn at each of the four corners, so that the horns and the altar are of one piece” (Exodus 27:2).

During Amos’s day, the Israelites had apostatized and had erected altars to false gods. First Kings 12:26-30 speaks of two such pagan altars set up in Israel, one in Dan and one in Bethel. These altars had been constructed with horns at the corners, akin to the altar in Jerusalem.

When God says that the horns of the altar would fall off, He is assuring Israel that He would judge their idolatry. Indeed, God says earlier in the same verse, “On the day I punish Israel for her sins, I will destroy the altars of Bethel.”

The horns of the altar in Jerusalem had provided a refuge for fugitives. Those who caught hold of the horns of the altar were granted asylum (1 Kings 1:50-53). This use of the horns sheds additional light on God’s statement in Amos 3:14. Some scholars believe that God’s promise that the horns of the altar would fall to the ground meant that there would be no place of asylum, no place to escape the coming judgment.

Amos 3:15 indicates that the judgment would have deeply felt effects: “‘I will tear down the winter house along with the summer house; the houses adorned with ivory will be destroyed and the mansions will be demolished,’ declares the Lord.” No amount of material prosperity would be able to save the wicked. God’s judgment would destroy both the places of spiritual and material significance.

Yet the people of Israel would not be completely destroyed. Verse 12 says, “As the shepherd rescues from the mouth of the lion two legs, or a piece of an ear, so shall the people of Israel who dwell in Samaria be rescued, with the corner of a couch and part of a bed.” A remnant would survive. In their lowly state, they would be left only “the corner of a couch,” living in a state of poverty.

God’s desire in this prophecy was twofold. First, He longed for Israel to repent and turn from following other gods. Second, since these predictions did come true, they attest to God’s supernatural ability to foretell the future.

The destruction of the horns of the altar represents the downfall of idolatry and the removal of all safe havens. When God’s people refuse to heed His Word, He brings a just and curative discipline upon them.

The second coming of Christ is referenced many times in Scripture, with over 1,500 passages in the Old Testament and one out of every 25 verses in the New Testament mentioning the Messiah’s return. The large amount of material devoted to this important event underscores what God says in Amos 3:7: “Surely the Sovereign LORD does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants the prophets.” * (GotQuestions.org)

6/17/23 The words of Amos, who was among the shepherds^[a] of Tekoa, which he saw concerning Israel in the days of Uzziah king of Judah and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel, two years^[b] before the earthquake.

Judgment on Israel’s Neighbors

² And he said:

“The Lord roars from Zion
and utters his voice from Jerusalem;
the pastures of the shepherds mourn,
and the top of Carmel withers.”

³ Thus says the Lord:

“For three transgressions of Damascus,
and for four, I will not revoke the punishment,^[c]
because they have threshed Gilead
with threshing sledges of iron.
⁴ So I will send a fire upon the house of Hazael,
and it shall devour the strongholds of Ben-hadad.
⁵ I will break the gate-bar of Damascus,
and cut off the inhabitants from the Valley of Aven,^[d]
and him who holds the scepter from Beth-eden;
and the people of Syria shall go into exile to Kir,”
says the Lord.

⁶ Thus says the Lord:

“For three transgressions of Gaza,
and for four, I will not revoke the punishment,
because they carried into exile a whole people
to deliver them up to Edom.
⁷ So I will send a fire upon the wall of Gaza,
and it shall devour her strongholds.
⁸ I will cut off the inhabitants from Ashdod,
and him who holds the scepter from Ashkelon;
I will turn my hand against Ekron,
and the remnant of the Philistines shall perish,”
says the Lord God.

⁹ Thus says the Lord:

“For three transgressions of Tyre,
and for four, I will not revoke the punishment,
because they delivered up a whole people to Edom,
and did not remember the covenant of brotherhood.
¹⁰ So I will send a fire upon the wall of Tyre,
and it shall devour her strongholds.”

¹¹ Thus says the Lord:

“For three transgressions of Edom,
and for four, I will not revoke the punishment,
because he pursued his brother with the sword
and cast off all pity,
and his anger tore perpetually,
and he kept his wrath forever.
¹² So I will send a fire upon Teman,
and it shall devour the strongholds of Bozrah.”

¹³ Thus says the Lord:

“For three transgressions of the Ammonites,
and for four, I will not revoke the punishment,
because they have ripped open pregnant women in Gilead,
that they might enlarge their border.
¹⁴ So I will kindle a fire in the wall of Rabbah,
and it shall devour her strongholds,
with shouting on the day of battle,
with a tempest in the day of the whirlwind;
¹⁵ and their king shall go into exile,
he and his princes^[e] together,”
says the Lord. (Amos 1) ESV

*The book of Amos is filled with imagery related to sin and judgment. Included are images of iron teeth (1:3), murdered pregnant women (1:13), burning bones (Amos 2:1), destroyed roots (2:9), and hooks (4:2). How are we to understand these violent themes?

First, we must understand the context of these descriptions. Amos is pronouncing judgment on Israel’s enemies, and then on Israel itself, for some specific sins. The purpose of prophesying doom was often to call sinners to repent. That’s why God sent Jonah to preach in Nineveh, telling the people God would judge their city in 40 days. The Ninevites repented, and God did not bring about judgment. The Lord had compassion for those who repented.

A brief look at each of the images in Amos more fully explains what they indicate:

– Iron teeth (1:3): “Iron teeth” were part of a threshing sledge, a farming implement drawn over grain to thresh it and cut the stalks. God pictures Syria’s cruelty toward Gilead (in northeast Israel) as a threshing sledge being run over His people. For their brutality, Syria is promised judgment.

– Murdered pregnant women (1:13): The Ammonites would be judged for performing atrocities against Israel. Second Kings 8:12 and 15:16 confirm the reality of such horrific acts during war.

– Burning bones (2:1): The Moabites would be judged for their sin of the disrespectful treatment of an Edomite king’s corpse (2 Kings 3:26-27). In a culture in which a proper burial was of utmost importance, the burning of bones communicated a severe hatred.

– Destroyed roots (2:9): This is a picture of God’s judgment on the Amorites, as the “fruit above” and the “roots beneath” were destroyed—in other words, the Amorites were completely wiped out. God reminds Israel of the Amorites’ fate in order to call His people back to righteousness and the fear of God.

– Hooks (4:2): This is part of a prophecy against Israel, warning them that the Assyrians would one day take them captive. Israel would be led away as fish were carried away on hooks. It is believed the “hooks” could be literal, since Assyrians did at times lead captives with ropes attached to rings in the jaws or lips of their enemies. * (GotQuestions.org)

The Lord Judges the Nations

6/16/23  ^[a] “For behold, in those days and at that time, when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem, ² I will gather all the nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. And I will enter into judgment with them there, on behalf of my people and my heritage Israel, because they have scattered them among the nations and have divided up my land, ³ and have cast lots for my people, and have traded a boy for a prostitute, and have sold a girl for wine and have drunk it.

⁴ “What are you to me, O Tyre and Sidon, and all the regions of Philistia? Are you paying me back for something? If you are paying me back, I will return your payment on your own head swiftly and speedily. ⁵ For you have taken my silver and my gold, and have carried my rich treasures into your temples.^[b] 6 You have sold the people of Judah and Jerusalem to the Greeks in order to remove them far from their own border. ⁷ Behold, I will stir them up from the place to which you have sold them, and I will return your payment on your own head. ⁸ I will sell your sons and your daughters into the hand of the people of Judah, and they will sell them to the Sabeans, to a nation far away, for the Lord has spoken.”

⁹ Proclaim this among the nations:
Consecrate for war;^[c]
stir up the mighty men.
Let all the men of war draw near;
let them come up.
¹⁰ Beat your plowshares into swords,
and your pruning hooks into spears;
let the weak say, “I am a warrior.”

¹¹ Hasten and come,
all you surrounding nations,
and gather yourselves there.
Bring down your warriors, O Lord.
¹² Let the nations stir themselves up
and come up to the Valley of Jehoshaphat;
for there I will sit to judge
all the surrounding nations.

¹³ Put in the sickle,
for the harvest is ripe.
Go in, tread,
for the winepress is full.
The vats overflow,
for their evil is great.

¹⁴ Multitudes, multitudes,
in the valley of decision!
For the day of the Lord is near
in the valley of decision.
¹⁵ The sun and the moon are darkened,
and the stars withdraw their shining.

¹⁶ The Lord roars from Zion,
and utters his voice from Jerusalem,
and the heavens and the earth quake.
But the Lord is a refuge to his people,
a stronghold to the people of Israel.

The Glorious Future of Judah

¹⁷ “So you shall know that I am the Lord your God,
who dwells in Zion, my holy mountain.
And Jerusalem shall be holy,
and strangers shall never again pass through it.

¹⁸ “And in that day
the mountains shall drip sweet wine,
and the hills shall flow with milk,
and all the streambeds of Judah
shall flow with water;
and a fountain shall come forth from the house of the Lord
and water the Valley of Shittim.

¹⁹ “Egypt shall become a desolation
and Edom a desolate wilderness,
for the violence done to the people of Judah,
because they have shed innocent blood in their land.
²⁰ But Judah shall be inhabited forever,
and Jerusalem to all generations.
²¹ I will avenge their blood,
blood I have not avenged,^[d]
for the Lord dwells in Zion.” (Joel 3) ESV

*Joel 3:14 says, “Multitudes, multitudes, in the valley of decision! For the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision.” Many evangelists have drawn from this passage to challenge audiences to “make a decision” for Christ. Others view this valley of decision as a time of judgment when the Lord decides the fate of the nations. Which is it? An invitation or a prophecy of doom?

The context of Joel 3 clarifies that this is a time when God judges the earth. Verse 2 says, “I will gather all the nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. And I will enter into judgment with them there, on behalf of my people and my heritage Israel.” The Valley of Jehoshaphat is the same as the “valley of decision.” Jehoshaphat means “Yahweh judges”; the “decision” being made in the valley is God’s, not the multitudes’. The literal, geographical location of this valley is likely the Kidron Valley on the east side of Jerusalem.

The focus of Joel 3 is on the future Day of the Lord. This time will include a gathering of the nations (verse 2), a judgment on wickedness (verse 13), and astronomical signs (verse 15). Joel’s prophecy of the valley of decision finds its counterpart in Jesus’ Olivet Discourse and the judgment of the sheep and the goats (Matthew 25:31-46).

Immediately following the prophecy of judgment, Joel transitions to a description of the Lord’s millennial reign, a literal 1,000-year time period that follows the tribulation. During the millennium Christ rules as king from Jerusalem. Some interpreters argue the millennium is figurative, yet many passages, including Joel 3:18-21, describe this time in great detail. Further, Revelation 20:1-7 refers to “1,000 years” six times. It seems that God desires us to know that the millennial kingdom is a literal time period.

Ultimately, the “valley of decision” in Joel 3:14 is not about humans choosing whether or not to follow Christ; it is God handing down His decision of judgment at the end of the tribulation. Wickedness will be dealt with decisively, swiftly and justly. Praise the Lord for His promise to make all things right one day and to be “a refuge for his people” (Joel 3:16). * (GotQuestions.org)

The Day of the Lord

 6/15/23 Blow a trumpet in Zion;
sound an alarm on my holy mountain!
Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble,
for the day of the Lord is coming; it is near,
² a day of darkness and gloom,
a day of clouds and thick darkness!
Like blackness there is spread upon the mountains
a great and powerful people;
their like has never been before,
nor will be again after them
through the years of all generations.

³ Fire devours before them,
and behind them a flame burns.
The land is like the garden of Eden before them,
but behind them a desolate wilderness,
and nothing escapes them.

⁴ Their appearance is like the appearance of horses,
and like war horses they run.
⁵ As with the rumbling of chariots,
they leap on the tops of the mountains,
like the crackling of a flame of fire
devouring the stubble,
like a powerful army
drawn up for battle.

⁶ Before them peoples are in anguish;
all faces grow pale.
⁷ Like warriors they charge;
like soldiers they scale the wall.
They march each on his way;
they do not swerve from their paths.
⁸ They do not jostle one another;
each marches in his path;
they burst through the weapons
and are not halted.
⁹ They leap upon the city,
they run upon the walls,
they climb up into the houses,
they enter through the windows like a thief.

¹⁰ The earth quakes before them;
the heavens tremble.
The sun and the moon are darkened,
and the stars withdraw their shining.
¹¹ The Lord utters his voice
before his army,
for his camp is exceedingly great;
he who executes his word is powerful.
For the day of the Lord is great and very awesome;
who can endure it?

Return to the Lord

¹² “Yet even now,” declares the Lord,
“return to me with all your heart,
with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning;
¹³     and rend your hearts and not your garments.”
Return to the Lord your God,
for he is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love;
and he relents over disaster.
¹⁴ Who knows whether he will not turn and relent,
and leave a blessing behind him,
a grain offering and a drink offering
for the Lord your God?

¹⁵ Blow the trumpet in Zion;
consecrate a fast;
call a solemn assembly;
¹⁶     gather the people.
Consecrate the congregation;
assemble the elders;
gather the children,
even nursing infants.
Let the bridegroom leave his room,
and the bride her chamber.

¹⁷ Between the vestibule and the altar
let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep
and say, “Spare your people, O Lord,
and make not your heritage a reproach,
a byword among the nations.^[a]
Why should they say among the peoples,
‘Where is their God?’”

The Lord Had Pity

¹⁸ Then the Lord became jealous for his land
and had pity on his people.
¹⁹ The Lord answered and said to his people,
“Behold, I am sending to you
grain, wine, and oil,
and you will be satisfied;
and I will no more make you
a reproach among the nations.

²⁰ “I will remove the northerner far from you,
and drive him into a parched and desolate land,
his vanguard^[b] into the eastern sea,
and his rear guard^[c] into the western sea;
the stench and foul smell of him will rise,
for he has done great things.

²¹ “Fear not, O land;
be glad and rejoice,
for the Lord has done great things!
²² Fear not, you beasts of the field,
for the pastures of the wilderness are green;
the tree bears its fruit;
the fig tree and vine give their full yield.

²³ “Be glad, O children of Zion,
and rejoice in the Lord your God,
for he has given the early rain for your vindication;
he has poured down for you abundant rain,
the early and the latter rain, as before.

²⁴ “The threshing floors shall be full of grain;
the vats shall overflow with wine and oil.
²⁵ I will restore^[d] to you the years
that the swarming locust has eaten,
the hopper, the destroyer, and the cutter,
my great army, which I sent among you.

²⁶ “You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied,
and praise the name of the Lord your God,
who has dealt wondrously with you.
And my people shall never again be put to shame.
²⁷ You shall know that I am in the midst of Israel,
and that I am the Lord your God and there is none else.
And my people shall never again be put to shame.

The Lord Will Pour Out His Spirit

^28 [e] “And it shall come to pass afterward,
that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh;
your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
your old men shall dream dreams,
and your young men shall see visions.
²⁹ Even on the male and female servants
in those days I will pour out my Spirit.

³⁰ “And I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and columns of smoke. ³¹ The sun shall be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. ³² And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be those who escape, as the Lord has said, and among the survivors shall be those whom the Lord calls. (Joel 2) ESV

*The statement of Joel 2:25—“I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten”—is a reference to the produce of food from the years the locusts destroyed the harvest. A closer look at the context and details of this verse offers additional insight into the goodness of God.

Israel’s crops had been destroyed by a locust invasion (Joel 1:4), and the impact lasted more than one year. This could indicate that locusts invaded in consecutive years. However, it is more likely that the damage of one invasion had a multi-year impact. When locusts destroyed a crop, they wiped out the seed saved from the previous year, the harvest of the current year, and the seed that would be used the next year. Locust devastation of grape vines and fruit trees would take years to redevelop (Joel 1:12).

Joel 2:25 complements the preceding verse, which says, “The threshing floors shall be full of grain; the vats shall overflow with wine and oil.” The restoring of the years the locust had eaten would include an abundant harvest of grain, grapes, and olives.

Joel had used the locust invasion as an illustration of God’s judgment. In His promise to “restore” the years lost to the locust, God is pledging to restore His repentant people to a place of blessing after judgment. The context describes many other positive things that would take place during this restoration:

-Green pasture for livestock: “the pastures of the wilderness are green” (Joel 2:22).
-Trees and vines that bear fruit: “the tree bears its fruit; the fig tree and vine give their full yield” (Joel 2:22).
-The spring and summer rains would come as needed for a good crop: “he has given the early rain” (Joel 2:23).

The results of this restoration would be both physical and spiritual. Physically, “You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied.” Spiritually, they would “praise the name of the LORD your God, who has dealt wondrously with you” (Joel 2:26).

The conclusion of this section of Joel summarizes God’s intention for the restoration: “And my people shall never again be put to shame. You shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am the LORD your God and there is none else. And my people shall never again be put to shame” (Joel 2:26-27). God must deal with sin, but when His people repent, they find abundant blessing that more than compensates for what was lost in the judgment. His grace abounds.

Beginning in Joel 2:28, the prophet transitions to a description of events in the distant future (from his vantage point). Verse 28 says, “And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh.” What did he mean? Has this been fulfilled?

A New Testament reference to this verse provides help in understanding this statement. In Acts 2:15-17 Peter is preaching on the Day of Pentecost: “For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel: ‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh.’”

In this sermon, Peter connects Joel’s prophecy with the Holy Spirit’s coming and the commencement of the church. Not every detail of Joel’s prophecy is yet fulfilled, but the “pouring out of the Spirit” began on the Day of Pentecost. From that time, the Holy Spirit indwells all those who come to faith in Jesus Christ.

This event marked a notable difference in the Spirit’s role from Old Testament times. The Spirit had previously only empowered certain individuals and sometimes only for a particular period of time. On the Day of Pentecost, the 120 followers of Jesus in the Upper Room not only experienced the Holy Spirit’s power but His abiding presence (cf. John 14:16). Three thousand people believed and were baptized that day. These converts all received the Holy Spirit into their lives that same day (Acts 2:38).

One of the surprising outcomes of Joel’s prophecy was that even non-Jews were filled with the Spirit. In Acts 10:45 we read, “The believers from among the circumcised . . . were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out even on the Gentiles.” God was lavishing His Spirit on everyone who believed in Jesus, regardless of their culture, nationality, or ethnicity. “All people,” as Joel had said, were offered this gift.

In the future, the Holy Spirit will play an active role in end-time events, bringing to pass the other aspects of Joel’s prophecies in Joel chapters 2 and 3 (Revelation 1:4, 10; 2:7, 11, 17, 29; 3:1, 6, 13, 22; 4:2, 5, 6; 14:13; 17:3; 21:10; 22:17). However, the initial fulfillment of this prophecy has already begun, as noted by the apostle Peter, allowing all who follow Christ today to experience the blessing of the Holy Spirit living within them and empowering them for Christian service. * (GotQuestions.org)  

6/14/23 The word of the Lord that came to Joel, the son of Pethuel:

An Invasion of Locusts

² Hear this, you elders;
give ear, all inhabitants of the land!
Has such a thing happened in your days,
or in the days of your fathers?
³ Tell your children of it,
and let your children tell their children,
and their children to another generation.

⁴ What the cutting locust left,
the swarming locust has eaten.
What the swarming locust left,
the hopping locust has eaten,
and what the hopping locust left,
the destroying locust has eaten.

⁵ Awake, you drunkards, and weep,
and wail, all you drinkers of wine,
because of the sweet wine,
for it is cut off from your mouth.
⁶ For a nation has come up against my land,
powerful and beyond number;
its teeth are lions’ teeth,
and it has the fangs of a lioness.
⁷ It has laid waste my vine
and splintered my fig tree;
it has stripped off their bark and thrown it down;
their branches are made white.

⁸ Lament like a virgin^[a] wearing sackcloth
for the bridegroom of her youth.
⁹ The grain offering and the drink offering are cut off
from the house of the Lord.
The priests mourn,
the ministers of the Lord.
¹⁰ The fields are destroyed,
the ground mourns,
because the grain is destroyed,
the wine dries up,
the oil languishes.

¹¹ Be ashamed,^[b] O tillers of the soil;
wail, O vinedressers,
for the wheat and the barley,
because the harvest of the field has perished.
¹² The vine dries up;
the fig tree languishes.
Pomegranate, palm, and apple,
all the trees of the field are dried up,
and gladness dries up
from the children of man.

A Call to Repentance

¹³ Put on sackcloth and lament, O priests;
wail, O ministers of the altar.
Go in, pass the night in sackcloth,
O ministers of my God!
Because grain offering and drink offering
are withheld from the house of your God.

¹⁴ Consecrate a fast;
call a solemn assembly.
Gather the elders
and all the inhabitants of the land
to the house of the Lord your God,
and cry out to the Lord.

¹⁵ Alas for the day!
For the day of the Lord is near,
and as destruction from the Almighty^[c] it comes.
¹⁶ Is not the food cut off
before our eyes,
joy and gladness
from the house of our God?

¹⁷ The seed shrivels under the clods;^[d]
the storehouses are desolate;
the granaries are torn down
because the grain has dried up.
¹⁸ How the beasts groan!
The herds of cattle are perplexed
because there is no pasture for them;
even the flocks of sheep suffer.^[e]

¹⁹ To you, O Lord, I call.
For fire has devoured
the pastures of the wilderness,
and flame has burned
all the trees of the field.
²⁰ Even the beasts of the field pant for you
because the water brooks are dried up,
and fire has devoured
the pastures of the wilderness. (Joel 1) ESV

*The book of Joel mentions four types of locusts that would destroy the agriculture of Israel. Joel 1:4 says, “What the cutting locust left, the swarming locust has eaten. What the swarming locust left, the hopping locust has eaten, and what the hopping locust left, the destroying locust has eaten” (ESV). When were these predictions fulfilled? Were these literal locusts or a metaphorical reference to something else?

The time of the fulfillment depends, to some extent, on the date the book of Joel was originally written. Scholars debate the exact time of composition, but it was likely around 845 B.C.

In chapter 1, Joel describes the devastation caused by an invasion of locusts. The damage is so severe that the nation is brought to ruin; every strata of society is affected: drunkards (Joel 1:5-7), citizens of Jerusalem (Joel 1:8-10), farmers (Joel 1:11-12), and priests (Joel 1:13). The prophet then calls on the people of God to repent.

Some interpreters see the locusts as symbolic of an invading army, suggesting the locusts refer to another animal such as a horse (similar to Jeremiah 51:27). Other commentators view these locusts as a reference to modern-day helicopters, interpreting Joel’s prophecy as a prediction of a future war. However, such views neglect the intention of the author and the understanding of the original audience. Israelites saw locust swarms as deadly due to the locusts’ ability to wipe out an entire year’s harvest. Locust plagues had been seen before (Exodus 10:1-3; Psalm 105:34-35).

There is no doubt that Joel was warning his readers about a future day when God would judge all people. Most likely, Joel used a recent devastation of locusts as an illustration of Judgment Day. The disaster brought upon Israel’s agriculture was a small taste of a coming judgment on Israel and a later judgment upon the whole earth. Part of this prophecy was fulfilled when Israel was defeated by its enemies and taken into exile. The remaining judgments (2:28ff) will take place in the future Day of the Lord.

In summary, the prophet Joel is most likely referring to a literal locust invasion that took place shortly before his writing, around 845 B.C. The literal swarms of locusts that invaded in successive waves to destroy the crops of Israel spoke of a soon-coming invasion of enemies as well as a future day of judgment. * (GotQuestions.org)

A Plea to Return to the Lord

 6/13/23 Return, O Israel, to the Lord your God,
for you have stumbled because of your iniquity.
² Take with you words
and return to the Lord;
say to him,
“Take away all iniquity;
accept what is good,
and we will pay with bulls
the vows^[a] of our lips.
³ Assyria shall not save us;
we will not ride on horses;
and we will say no more, ‘Our God,’
to the work of our hands.
In you the orphan finds mercy.”

⁴ I will heal their apostasy;
I will love them freely,
for my anger has turned from them.
⁵ I will be like the dew to Israel;
he shall blossom like the lily;
he shall take root like the trees of Lebanon;
⁶ his shoots shall spread out;
his beauty shall be like the olive,
and his fragrance like Lebanon.
⁷ They shall return and dwell beneath my^[b] shadow;
they shall flourish like the grain;
they shall blossom like the vine;
their fame shall be like the wine of Lebanon.

⁸ O Ephraim, what have I to do with idols?
It is I who answer and look after you.^[c]
I am like an evergreen cypress;
from me comes your fruit.

⁹ Whoever is wise, let him understand these things;
whoever is discerning, let him know them;
for the ways of the Lord are right,
and the upright walk in them,
but transgressors stumble in them. (Hosea 14) ESV

*The book of Hosea gives us a beautiful portrait of God’s grace. The prophet’s mission included experiencing the betrayal of an unfaithful wife. God used that broken relationship as an analogy. God is Hosea. Hosea’s wife’s sexual infidelity represents Israel’s spiritual adultery through idol worship and abandoning God’s holy laws. Through Hosea, God promises to remain faithful, first disciplining His people and then graciously restoring them to intimacy with Himself: “Then I will heal you of your faithlessness; my love will know no bounds, for my anger will be gone forever. I will be to Israel like a refreshing dew from heaven. Israel will blossom like the lily; it will send roots deep into the soil like the cedars in Lebanon” (Hosea 14:4–5, NLT).

Dew results from moisture condensation as warm air mixes with the cool night air. It appears as tiny droplets or a fine mist blanketing the ground, plants, and other surfaces. In ancient Israel’s arid climate, dew provided an essential source of moisture for successfully growing and harvesting plants.

God is like the dew in that He sends down refreshment, nourishment, healing, and new life to the wayward children of Israel. The people had been dead in sin, but God promised that they would bloom again like the beautiful lilies because He would water their dry and thirsty souls. The Lord’s healing, heaven-sent dew would cause the new plant to grow healthy and strong. The nation would be established again, sending deep roots down into fertile soil like the great cedars in Lebanon. Israel would be rebuilt on a solid, unshakable foundation.

Elsewhere in Scripture, God is like the dew in that His teachings “fall like rain” and His words “descend like dew, like showers on new grass, like abundant rain on tender plants” (Deuteronomy 32:2). The prophet Isaiah affirms the life-giving quality of God’s Word: “The rain and snow come down from the heavens and stay on the ground to water the earth. They cause the grain to grow, producing seed for the farmer and bread for the hungry. It is the same with my word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it” (Isaiah 55:10–11, NLT).

God is like the dew in that He consistently and mysteriously provides for our daily needs. When God sustained Israel in the wilderness, He nourished them with manna, the miraculous bread from heaven (Exodus 16:13–21). The historical record associates manna with dew: “When the dew settled on the camp at night, the manna also came down” (Numbers 11:9).

In Isaiah 18:4, the Lord looked down from heaven and prepared the nations for his harvest “as quietly as the heat rises on a summer day, or as the morning dew forms during the harvest” (NLT). Just as the dew causes new life to sprout from the ground, so God will raise the dead out of the earth: “But your dead will live, LORD; their bodies will rise—let those who dwell in the dust wake up and shout for joy—your dew is like the dew of the morning; the earth will give birth to her dead” (Isaiah 26:19).

Since dew is a source of refreshing and revitalization for plant life, it symbolizes refreshment and blessing throughout the Scriptures. In Psalm 133:1–3, King David likened the dew of Mount Hermon falling on the mountains of Zion to the blessing of God’s people dwelling together in harmony. When Isaac blessed Jacob, he prayed, “May God give you heaven’s dew and earth’s richness—an abundance of grain and new wine” (Genesis 27:28). Dew is also a sign of renewal and prosperity in the Bible (Micah 5:7; Job 29:19). In wisdom literature, God’s infinite knowledge covers the whole realm of creation like dew, yet remains a mystery to humans (Job 38:28; Proverbs 3:20; Psalm 147:8; Jeremiah 14:22; Job 36:28). The king’s favor was “like dew on the grass” (Proverbs 19:12).

God is like the dew, pouring out His grace and blanketing our lives with His great faithfulness. His steadfast love and tender mercies appear anew every morning, exactly like the dew (Lamentations 3:22). * (GotQuestions.org)

The Lord‘s Relentless Judgment on Israel

 6/12/23 When Ephraim spoke, there was trembling;
he was exalted in Israel,
but he incurred guilt through Baal and died.
² And now they sin more and more,
and make for themselves metal images,
idols skillfully made of their silver,
all of them the work of craftsmen.
It is said of them,
“Those who offer human sacrifice kiss calves!”
³ Therefore they shall be like the morning mist
or like the dew that goes early away,
like the chaff that swirls from the threshing floor
or like smoke from a window.

⁴ But I am the Lord your God
from the land of Egypt;
you know no God but me,
and besides me there is no savior.
⁵ It was I who knew you in the wilderness,
in the land of drought;
⁶ but when they had grazed,^[a] they became full,
they were filled, and their heart was lifted up;
therefore they forgot me.
⁷ So I am to them like a lion;
like a leopard I will lurk beside the way.
⁸ I will fall upon them like a bear robbed of her cubs;
I will tear open their breast,
and there I will devour them like a lion,
as a wild beast would rip them open.

⁹ He destroys^[b] you, O Israel,
for you are against me, against your helper.
¹⁰ Where now is your king, to save you in all your cities?
Where are all your rulers—
those of whom you said,
“Give me a king and princes”?
¹¹ I gave you a king in my anger,
and I took him away in my wrath.

¹² The iniquity of Ephraim is bound up;
his sin is kept in store.
¹³ The pangs of childbirth come for him,
but he is an unwise son,
for at the right time he does not present himself
at the opening of the womb.

¹⁴ I shall ransom them from the power of Sheol;
I shall redeem them from Death.^[c]
O Death, where are your plagues?
O Sheol, where is your sting?
Compassion is hidden from my eyes.

¹⁵ Though he may flourish among his brothers,
the east wind, the wind of the Lord, shall come,
rising from the wilderness,
and his fountain shall dry up;
his spring shall be parched;
it shall strip his treasury
of every precious thing.
^16 [d] Samaria shall bear her guilt,
because she has rebelled against her God;
they shall fall by the sword;
their little ones shall be dashed in pieces,
and their pregnant women ripped open. (Hosea 13) ESV

 

Comparing different translations of the Bible, readers may notice a contrast at Hosea 13:14. Some Bible translations, such as the NIV, say that God will deliver Israel from death:

“I will deliver this people from the power of the grave;
I will redeem them from death.
Where, O death, are your plagues?
Where, O grave, is your destruction?”

Other translations, such as the NET, say that God will not deliver Israel:

“Will I deliver them from the power of Sheol? No, I will not!
Will I redeem them from death? No, I will not!
O Death, bring on your plagues!
O Sheol, bring on your destruction!
My eyes will not show any compassion!”

Are the first two sentences declarative (“I will”), or are they interrogative (“Will I?”)? As declarative sentences, the text implies a promise that God will rescue the people; as interrogative sentences, God is stating He will not. Compounding the issue is Paul’s use, in 1 Corinthians 15:55, of part of the Hosea passage. “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” is often recited as a Christian victory cry.

The root cause of the uncertainty is the structure of ancient language. In Ancient Hebrew, which has no punctuation, questions are identified in various ways. Some use explicit question words, translated as “who” or “why,” as in the first half of Genesis 4:9. Other questions add the Hebrew letter he (ה) before the statement, as in the second half of Genesis 4:9. In other cases, the question is identified purely by context: where a declaration seems out of place, it may be that it was meant as a rhetorical question, especially if that approach better fits the message of the surrounding passage. Hosea 13:14 seems to be one of those instances. The process feels unnatural to most English speakers but was instinctive for native Hebrew readers.

Close examination suggests the rhetorical “will I?” interpretation is more accurate. A promise of deliverance doesn’t fit with the rest of the text. Everything in the passage involves God’s judgment against Ephraim. In fact, threat builds throughout the chapter. In Hosea 13:14, God rhetorically asks about sparing Ephraim, and then He answers His own question by calling for the plagues of death and the sting of Sheol, declaring His eyes will not show compassion. This would be like a judge saying, “Shall I let this prisoner go? Executioner, where is your axe? I will not have pity.”

This raises the question of Paul’s reference to this verse, seen in 1 Corinthians 15:55. Paul begins in verse 54 by quoting Isaiah 25:8, declaring the defeat of death. His next quotation is from Hosea 13:14—the references to the powers of death. In the original Old Testament text, God is calling on those forces to bring judgment against Ephraim. Paul, in citing the same text, is using the words as a taunt against death—exclaiming how law and sin bring us doom, but Christ brings us salvation (1 Corinthians 15:56–57). Using the same analogy as above, a person rescued from execution might celebrate by repeating the judge’s question “Executioner, where is your axe?” as a way to highlight his victory.

Why, then, do some translations choose to phrase Hosea 13:14 as a promise, not a threat? Individual translation teams will have their own reasons. It may be that the connection to 1 Corinthians 15:55 and tradition weigh heavily on their decision. Others may disagree that the context suggests a question, noting that Hosea does have a habit of abruptly switching tone and topic.

It’s also important to note that the two choices—promise or threat—don’t present any doctrinal conflict. In other words, the difference between the two options is practically irrelevant. Hosea chapter 13 clearly means Ephraim will be judged. The only question is whether verse 14 is an uninterrupted part of that prophecy or one of many Old Testament references to the coming Messiah (see Daniel 9:25–26; Psalm 132:11; Isaiah 35:5–6).* (GotQuestions.org)

The Lord’s Love for Israel 

 6/11/23 When Israel was a child, I loved him,
and out of Egypt I called my son.
² The more they were called,
the more they went away;
they kept sacrificing to the Baals
and burning offerings to idols.

³ Yet it was I who taught Ephraim to walk;
I took them up by their arms,
but they did not know that I healed them.
⁴ I led them with cords of kindness,^[a]
with the bands of love,
and I became to them as one who eases the yoke on their jaws,
and I bent down to them and fed them.

⁵ They shall not^[b] return to the land of Egypt,
but Assyria shall be their king,
because they have refused to return to me.
⁶ The sword shall rage against their cities,
consume the bars of their gates,
and devour them because of their own counsels.
⁷ My people are bent on turning away from me,
and though they call out to the Most High,
he shall not raise them up at all.

⁸ How can I give you up, O Ephraim?
How can I hand you over, O Israel?
How can I make you like Admah?
How can I treat you like Zeboiim?
My heart recoils within me;
my compassion grows warm and tender.
⁹ I will not execute my burning anger;
I will not again destroy Ephraim;
for I am God and not a man,
the Holy One in your midst,
and I will not come in wrath.^[c]

¹⁰ They shall go after the Lord;
he will roar like a lion;
when he roars,
his children shall come trembling from the west;
¹¹ they shall come trembling like birds from Egypt,
and like doves from the land of Assyria,
and I will return them to their homes, declares the Lord.
^12 [d] Ephraim has surrounded me with lies,
and the house of Israel with deceit,
but Judah still walks with God
and is faithful to the Holy One.(Hosea 11) ESV

*Hosea 11:1 states, “When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son.” Is this verse a Messianic prophecy?

The context of this verse speaks of the relationship the Lord had with the nation of Israel. The Lord loved Israel (Exodus 4:22-23) and rescued the people from slavery under Pharaoh, bringing them into the Promised Land. The analogy is that of God as the father and Israel as the child.

Jewish readers would have clearly understood this important statement. God’s supernatural power served as the basis of the nation’s freedom from Egypt and escape to a new land. The parallelism in the verse is Israel/child/son and loved/called. In both clauses, “I” (God) is the One initiating the action.

Matthew 2:13-15 provides further insight: “Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, ‘Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.’ And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, ‘Out of Egypt I called my son.’”

Matthew uses Hosea’s statement to show that the coming of the Messiah is an extension of the Lord’s love to His people. Matthew does not say that Hosea had Jesus in mind when Hosea 11:1 was originally written. Instead, Matthew says that the experience of Jesus matched what Hosea had written about Israel. Jesus was God’s Son, and He made a trip from Egypt to the land of Israel. Matthew was showing that Jesus completed what began with the exodus, connecting Jesus with the promise of Abraham and the leadership of Moses. The “calling” of God’s “son” (Israel) began in ages past and found its completion in the coming of Christ to fulfill the Law and the Prophets.

In summary, Hosea 11:1 is not a Messianic prophecy in the same way that prophecies such as Isaiah 9:6 are. Rather, it is a pictorial prophecy; that is, there are similarities in the Old Testament passage to a New Testament truth about Christ. This Old Testament “picture” of Christ is called a “type.” Matthew 2:15 can be seen as an analogy. Matthew is providing a connection between Jesus and God’s people of promise. As a Jew writing for primarily Jewish readers, Matthew found it important to point out many of the similarities between the nation of Israel and their Messiah, the One to fulfill the Prophets (Matthew 5:17). * (GotQuestions.org)

Israel Will Reap the Whirlwind

 6/10/23 Set the trumpet to your lips!
One like a vulture is over the house of the Lord,
because they have transgressed my covenant
and rebelled against my law.
² To me they cry,
“My God, we—Israel—know you.”
³ Israel has spurned the good;
the enemy shall pursue him.

⁴ They made kings, but not through me.
They set up princes, but I knew it not.
With their silver and gold they made idols
for their own destruction.
⁵ I have^[a] spurned your calf, O Samaria.
My anger burns against them.
How long will they be incapable of innocence?
⁶ For it is from Israel;
a craftsman made it;
it is not God.
The calf of Samaria
shall be broken to pieces.^[b]

⁷ For they sow the wind,
and they shall reap the whirlwind.
The standing grain has no heads;
it shall yield no flour;
if it were to yield,
strangers would devour it.
⁸ Israel is swallowed up;
already they are among the nations
as a useless vessel.
⁹ For they have gone up to Assyria,
a wild donkey wandering alone;
Ephraim has hired lovers.
¹⁰ Though they hire allies among the nations,
I will soon gather them up.
And the king and princes shall soon writhe
because of the tribute.

¹¹ Because Ephraim has multiplied altars for sinning,
they have become to him altars for sinning.
¹² Were I to write for him my laws by the ten thousands,
they would be regarded as a strange thing.
¹³ As for my sacrificial offerings,
they sacrifice meat and eat it,
but the Lord does not accept them.
Now he will remember their iniquity
and punish their sins;
they shall return to Egypt.
¹⁴ For Israel has forgotten his Maker
and built palaces,
and Judah has multiplied fortified cities;
so I will send a fire upon his cities,
and it shall devour her strongholds. (Hosea 8) ESV

 

*Hosea 8:7 makes the enigmatic statement, “For they sow the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind.” This proverb is known in modern times for its use in military speeches and as a title for a science fiction novel. What did Hosea mean?

The proverb uses an illustration gleaned from the agricultural process of sowing and reaping. A farmer would sow seed. Of course, the type of seed he planted determined the type of plant that would grow and be harvested. This is the principle of duplication. In Hosea 8:7, God says that Israel had planted wind and would harvest a whirlwind. Taking the “wind” to mean something worthless and foolish (see Job 7:7; Proverbs 11:29; and Ecclesiastes 1:14, 17), we can surmise that Israel’s foolishness in the past would result in a veritable storm of consequence. Indeed, in the previous verses, Hosea decries Israel’s idolatry (verses 4-6). Their foolish pursuit of false gods would reap a severe judgment from the Lord.

Also at work in the proverb is the principle of multiplication: a farmer may plant one kernel of corn, but he will reap much more than that—a whole ear. In the same way, Israel’s sin of idolatry would bring forth an amplified consequence that would sweep them all away.

The rest of verse 7 notes the results of this “whirlwind” of judgment: “The standing grain has no heads; it shall yield no flour; if it were to yield, strangers would devour it.” So, the crop would yield nothing. Outsiders would steal anything that did happen to grow. Israel would have understood Hosea’s words well. A poor or stolen crop would be devastating. Here, God is warning His people that their idolatry would lead to ruin.

In addition to following idols, Israel was seeking help in other, equally sinful ways. “For they have gone up to Assyria, a wild donkey wandering alone; Ephraim has hired lovers” (Hosea 8:9). Israel had made ill-advised treaties with Assyria for protection from their enemies. Instead of trusting God, they relied on their wealth and the help of pagan nations.

The “whirlwind” came upon Israel in 722 B.C., when Assyria invaded Israel, destroyed the capital city of Samaria, and deported the Israelites. Yet Hosea 14:4 promised future grace: “I will heal their apostasy; I will love them freely, for my anger has turned from them.” A whirlwind does not last forever, and God’s judgment would not be unending. God would later renew the relationship between Him and His people.

Today, we can see the truth of Hosea’s proverb in many ways. Those who live in unrepentant sin can expect to suffer the consequences of their sin—consequences that both “fit the crime” and exhibit a stunning intensity. Also, this statement by Hosea is a clarion call to avoid idolatry. Anything that steals our trust in the Lord, lessens our devotion to Him, or controls us can be considered an idol and should be abolished from our lives. (GotQuestions.org)

Israel and Judah Are Unrepentant

6/09/23 “Come, let us return to the Lord;
for he has torn us, that he may heal us;
he has struck us down, and he will bind us up.
² After two days he will revive us;
on the third day he will raise us up,
that we may live before him.
³ Let us know; let us press on to know the Lord;
his going out is sure as the dawn;
he will come to us as the showers,
as the spring rains that water the earth.”

⁴ What shall I do with you, O Ephraim?
What shall I do with you, O Judah?
Your love is like a morning cloud,
like the dew that goes early away.
⁵ Therefore I have hewn them by the prophets;
I have slain them by the words of my mouth,
and my judgment goes forth as the light.
⁶ For I desire steadfast love^[a] and not sacrifice,
the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.

⁷ But like Adam they transgressed the covenant;
there they dealt faithlessly with me.
⁸ Gilead is a city of evildoers,
tracked with blood.
⁹ As robbers lie in wait for a man,
so the priests band together;
they murder on the way to Shechem;
they commit villainy.
¹⁰ In the house of Israel I have seen a horrible thing;
Ephraim’s whoredom is there; Israel is defiled.

¹¹ For you also, O Judah, a harvest is appointed.

When I restore the fortunes of my people, (Hosea 6) ESV

*Hosea 6:1–3 predicts that the people of Israel would return to the Lord after a period of judgment. In that day, the people of Israel will say,
“Come, and let us return to the Lord;
For He has torn, but He will heal us;
He has stricken, but He will bind us up.
After two days He will revive us;
On the third day He will raise us up,
That we may live in His sight.
Let us know,
Let us pursue the knowledge of the Lord.
His going forth is established as the morning;
He will come to us like the rain,
Like the latter and former rain to the earth” (NKJV).
The “latter” and “former” rains are called the “winter rains” and “spring rains” in the NIV.

The Lord had “torn” and “stricken” His people—i.e., Hosea predicts that God will discipline them (Hosea 6:1)—because they were unfaithful to the covenant they had promised to keep (Exodus 24:3, 7). While the judgment would be certain and severe, God would demonstrate His grace and restore the people. He would heal them and bandage their wounds (Hosea 6:1). He would come to them like a refreshing and nourishing rain (Hosea 6:3). He would come like the latter and former rain, which would seem to refer to the early rain after planting and the later rain at harvest.

Because of God’s promises, His people could know with certainty that God would keep His word—that He would indeed come to them as the latter and former rain to restore and refresh. While the context doesn’t specify when this restoration would take place, the passage seems to be pointing forward to the salvation that would be provided through the Messiah: God would revive them after two days and raise them up on the third day (Hosea 6:2). This prophecy seems to correlate directly with the events of Jesus’ death, as He died, was buried, and then rose again on the third day (see 1 Corinthians 15:1, 3–4). Paul mentions that Christ’s resurrection on the third day was “according to the Scriptures” (or writings). While there may have been a written gospel account by the time Paul wrote his first letter to the Corinthians (Matthew and Mark may have written by that time), Paul is probably referring to the Hebrew Scriptures and may have had Hosea 6:2 in mind.

If Hosea’s prophecy of revival in the two days and raising on the third day (Hosea 6:2) is pointing forward to the death, burial, and resurrection of the Messiah, then the immediately following context that God would visit the people of Israel as the latter and former rain is likely also a picture of how refreshing and nourishing that event would be for the people under God’s judgment.

In Hosea’s time, there was coming a somber judgment because of the people’s disloyalty to God and their transgressing of the covenant. But there was also a coming day of restoration for Judah (Hosea 6:11). God would come to the people as latter and former rain.

It is important to note that God doesn’t ignore sin, and His holy standard is high—perfection, in fact (see Matthew 5:48). When God restores the people of Israel, He first deals with their sin problem. The Messiah would die as a sacrifice to pay for sins; thus, the nation would no longer be in bondage to the Law of Moses (the Old Covenant) or the consequences of breaking that covenant. God would forgive their sins as part of a New Covenant (Jeremiah 31:31). That blessing of forgiveness from sin through the sacrifice of the Messiah would be not just for one nation but for all the families of the earth (Genesis 12:3b). The Messiah would be like the latter and former rain for Israel and Judah (Hosea 6:3), and He would also be the water of life for all who would believe in Him (John 4:13–14). * (GotQuestions.org)

The Lord Accuses Israel

 6/08/23 Hear the word of the Lord, O children of Israel,
for the Lord has a controversy with the inhabitants of the land.
There is no faithfulness or steadfast love,
and no knowledge of God in the land;
² there is swearing, lying, murder, stealing, and committing adultery;
they break all bounds, and bloodshed follows bloodshed.
³ Therefore the land mourns,
and all who dwell in it languish,
and also the beasts of the field
and the birds of the heavens,
and even the fish of the sea are taken away.

⁴ Yet let no one contend,
and let none accuse,
for with you is my contention, O priest.^[a]
5 You shall stumble by day;
the prophet also shall stumble with you by night;
and I will destroy your mother.
⁶ My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge;
because you have rejected knowledge,
I reject you from being a priest to me.
And since you have forgotten the law of your God,
I also will forget your children.

⁷ The more they increased,
the more they sinned against me;
I will change their glory into shame.
⁸ They feed on the sin^[b] of my people;
they are greedy for their iniquity.
⁹ And it shall be like people, like priest;
I will punish them for their ways
and repay them for their deeds.
¹⁰ They shall eat, but not be satisfied;
they shall play the whore, but not multiply,
because they have forsaken the Lord
to cherish ¹¹ whoredom, wine, and new wine,
which take away the understanding.
¹² My people inquire of a piece of wood,
and their walking staff gives them oracles.
For a spirit of whoredom has led them astray,
and they have left their God to play the whore.
¹³ They sacrifice on the tops of the mountains
and burn offerings on the hills,
under oak, poplar, and terebinth,
because their shade is good.
Therefore your daughters play the whore,
and your brides commit adultery.
¹⁴ I will not punish your daughters when they play the whore,
nor your brides when they commit adultery;
for the men themselves go aside with prostitutes
and sacrifice with cult prostitutes,
and a people without understanding shall come to ruin.

¹⁵ Though you play the whore, O Israel,
let not Judah become guilty.
Enter not into Gilgal,
nor go up to Beth-aven,
and swear not, “As the Lord lives.”
¹⁶ Like a stubborn heifer,
Israel is stubborn;
can the Lord now feed them
like a lamb in a broad pasture?

¹⁷ Ephraim is joined to idols;
leave him alone.
¹⁸ When their drink is gone, they give themselves to whoring;
their rulers^[c] dearly love shame.
¹⁹ A wind has wrapped them^[d] in its wings,
and they shall be ashamed because of their sacrifices. (Hosea 4) ESV

Hosea 4:1-2 emphasize that Israel’s lack of knowledge was not mere ignorance, but active sin against God: “There is no faithfulness or steadfast love, and no knowledge of God in the land; there is swearing, lying, murder, stealing, and committing adultery; they break all bounds, and bloodshed follows bloodshed.” The people were only ignorant of the Law because they actively ignored it.

Hosea’s warnings went unheeded, and Israel was conquered by Assyria during his ministry. Yet, even in judgment, God spares a remnant and restores His relationship with them. The prophecies of Hosea reflect this pattern. Israel was judged, yet the Lord would later restore His people whom He loved.

The coming of Jesus Christ illustrates God’s love to the fullest degree. Jesus died for the sins of all people, offering every person the opportunity to come to faith in Him (John 3:16; Ephesians 2:8-9). To those who do believe, Jesus is “wisdom from God” (1 Corinthians 1:30). Because of Christ, there is no need for anyone ever again to be “destroyed from a lack of knowledge.”

*Hosea 4:6 says, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.” What was it that Israel did not know, and why was that lack of knowledge so dangerous?

The rest of verse 6 helps explain: “Because you have rejected knowledge, I reject you from being a priest to me. And since you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children” (KJV). It’s important to note the structure of the verse: “rejected knowledge” is parallel to “forgotten the law.” This fits the context of the opening verse of the chapter, which states that Israel failed to acknowledge the LORD as their God (Hosea 4:1). The people did not simply lack knowledge; they actively rejected it.

Another parallel offers a deeper understanding of the passage. Because Israel had “rejected” knowledge (God’s Law), God would “reject” them. Because Israel had “forgotten” God’s Law, He would “forget” their children (He would remove His future blessing from the nation). As a result of God “rejecting” and “forgetting” Israel, they would be destroyed. Hosea’s message is in line with Moses’ warning to the nation that God would remove His blessing from a disobedient people (Deuteronomy 28).

* (GotQuestions.org)

Hosea Redeems His Wife

6/07/23 And the Lord said to me, “Go again, love a woman who is loved by another man and is an adulteress, even as the Lord loves the children of Israel, though they turn to other gods and love cakes of raisins.” ² So I bought her for fifteen shekels of silver and a homer and a lethech^[a] of barley. ³ And I said to her, “You must dwell as mine for many days. You shall not play the whore, or belong to another man; so will I also be to you.” ⁴ For the children of Israel shall dwell many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or pillar, without ephod or household gods. ⁵ Afterward the children of Israel shall return and seek the Lord their God, and David their king, and they shall come in fear to the Lord and to his goodness in the latter days. (Hosea 3) ESV

*God’s unfailing love is a constant theme woven through the Bible. The book of Psalms abounds with occasions of thanksgiving and praise for the Lord’s faithful love: “Your unfailing love, O LORD, is as vast as the heavens; your faithfulness reaches beyond the clouds” (Psalm 36:5, NLT; see also Psalms 13:5; 17:7; 31:16; 107:1; 136:1).

One of the most astonishing examples of unfailing love in the Bible is presented in the book of Hosea. God commands the prophet Hosea to marry a woman named Gomer, who is likely a prostitute and would prove to be an unfaithful wife. Gomer’s infidelity paints a vivid picture of Israel’s disloyalty to the Lord in worshiping other gods. God uses the marriage illustration to teach about His righteous anger regarding Israel’s sin of abandonment and spiritual adultery, while never ceasing to invite Israel to return to Him so that He may love her again. Hosea’s relentless love and faithfulness to his wife are a stunning portrait of God’s unfailing love for His people.

At one point, while Gomer is on her own and probably living as a slave, Hosea buys her back with 15 shekels of silver and a quantity of barley. The incident reflects the posture of Jesus Christ when He forgives, restores, and offers a new life of freedom to the woman caught in adultery (John 8:1–11). Hosea also foreshadows how Jesus Christ would one day redeem a sinful world by paying the price with His own death on the cross. The prophetic book assures us of God’s unconditional, unfailing love.

The book of Ruth contains another stunning example of unfailing love in Scripture. The story involves a family from Judah—Naomi, her husband, Elimelek, and their two sons. To escape a famine, they move to the foreign land of Moab. But after Elimelek and Naomi’s two sons die, Naomi decides to return to Judah. Instead of going home to her own family, Ruth, one of Naomi’s Moabite daughters-in-law, refuses to leave her mother-in-law alone and penniless. Together they return to Judah, where Ruth finds work gleaning grain in the barley fields of Boaz. When Ruth tells Naomi about Boaz, the older widow is overcome with gladness and blesses the Lord for His kindness (Ruth 2:20). Boaz is their family redeemer, the man who will rescue them from poverty and provide an heir for Elimelek’s family.

Ruth’s selfless loyalty to Naomi is an example of the Lord’s compassion and faithfulness to keep His covenant promises: “Understand, therefore, that the LORD your God is indeed God. He is the faithful God who keeps his covenant for a thousand generations and lavishes his unfailing love on those who love him and obey his commands” (Deuteronomy 7: 9, NLT). Boaz’s role as kinsman-redeemer exemplifies the steadfast love of God, which is revealed to us through salvation in Jesus Christ.

The Parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11–32) presents another moving illustration of our heavenly Father’s unfailing love for His wayward children. The story tells of a father and his two sons. The younger son asks to be given his share of the family estate as an early inheritance. With money in hand, he sets out on a wild adventure in a distant land. Soon he has spent everything. When a famine strikes, he finds a job feeding pigs. The Bible says he is so destitute that he longs to eat the slop assigned to the pigs. Finally, he comes to senses. He remembers his father and decides to return home and humbly ask for forgiveness and mercy. When he does, he finds his father waiting: “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him” (verse 20).

Joy, love, and tender compassion filled the father’s heart at seeing his son return home. Immediately, the father throws a party in celebration. All is forgiven. This father is a brilliant picture of our joy-filled Father in heaven when one sinner repents (Luke 15:7, 10). He waits patiently for lost sinners; He pours out His unfailing love and compassion on them when they return home.

Romans 8:38–39 reminds us “that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord” (NLT). His love is absolutely unfailing: “How precious is your unfailing love, O God! All humanity finds shelter in the shadow of your wings” (Psalm 36:7, NLT).

The supreme example of God’s unfailing love was to send Jesus Christ to die for us while we were still sinners (Romans 5:8). His love covers all our sins and reconciles us to Him (John 1:19; Hebrews 9:26–28; 2 Peter 1:4). The entire Bible expresses the unfailing love of God. The Lord is faithful, even when we’re not. He’s the prophet who buys back His wayward wife; He’s the Father who patiently waits for His lost child and welcomes home the prodigal son with joy; He is the faithful companion and our Kinsman Redeemer. Since the beginning of time, undeserving sinners, prone to wandering and wickedness, have been the objects of His grace, ever-renewing mercy, and unfailing love. * (GotQuestions.org)

Israel’s Unfaithfulness Punished

6/06/23 ^[a] Say to your brothers, “You are my people,”^[b] and to your sisters, “You have received mercy.”^[c]

² “Plead with your mother, plead—
for she is not my wife,
and I am not her husband—
that she put away her whoring from her face,
and her adultery from between her breasts;
³ lest I strip her naked
and make her as in the day she was born,
and make her like a wilderness,
and make her like a parched land,
and kill her with thirst.
⁴ Upon her children also I will have no mercy,
because they are children of whoredom.
⁵ For their mother has played the whore;
she who conceived them has acted shamefully.
For she said, ‘I will go after my lovers,
who give me my bread and my water,
my wool and my flax, my oil and my drink.’
⁶ Therefore I will hedge up her^[d] way with thorns,
and I will build a wall against her,
so that she cannot find her paths.
⁷ She shall pursue her lovers
but not overtake them,
and she shall seek them
but shall not find them.
Then she shall say,
‘I will go and return to my first husband,
for it was better for me then than now.’
⁸ And she did not know
that it was I who gave her
the grain, the wine, and the oil,
and who lavished on her silver and gold,
which they used for Baal.
⁹ Therefore I will take back
my grain in its time,
and my wine in its season,
and I will take away my wool and my flax,
which were to cover her nakedness.
¹⁰ Now I will uncover her lewdness
in the sight of her lovers,
and no one shall rescue her out of my hand.
¹¹ And I will put an end to all her mirth,
her feasts, her new moons, her Sabbaths,
and all her appointed feasts.
¹² And I will lay waste her vines and her fig trees,
of which she said,
‘These are my wages,
which my lovers have given me.’
I will make them a forest,
and the beasts of the field shall devour them.
¹³ And I will punish her for the feast days of the Baals
when she burned offerings to them
and adorned herself with her ring and jewelry,
and went after her lovers
and forgot me, declares the Lord.

The Lord’s Mercy on Israel

¹⁴ “Therefore, behold, I will allure her,
and bring her into the wilderness,
and speak tenderly to her.
¹⁵ And there I will give her her vineyards
and make the Valley of Achor^[e] a door of hope.
And there she shall answer as in the days of her youth,
as at the time when she came out of the land of Egypt.

¹⁶ “And in that day, declares the Lord, you will call me ‘My Husband,’ and no longer will you call me ‘My Baal.’ ¹⁷ For I will remove the names of the Baals from her mouth, and they shall be remembered by name no more. ¹⁸ And I will make for them a covenant on that day with the beasts of the field, the birds of the heavens, and the creeping things of the ground. And I will abolish^[f] the bow, the sword, and war from the land, and I will make you lie down in safety. ¹⁹ And I will betroth you to me forever. I will betroth you to me in righteousness and in justice, in steadfast love and in mercy. ²⁰ I will betroth you to me in faithfulness. And you shall know the Lord.

²¹ “And in that day I will answer, declares the Lord,
I will answer the heavens,
and they shall answer the earth,
²² and the earth shall answer the grain, the wine, and the oil,
and they shall answer Jezreel,^[g]
23     and I will sow her for myself in the land.
And I will have mercy on No Mercy,^[h]
and I will say to Not My People,^[i] ‘You are my people’;
and he shall say, ‘You are my God.’” (Hosea 2) ESV

Thy Maker Is Thy Husband

A compilation

2011-03-09

“Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth.”¹

Let us seek the same desires after our Lord as those which glowed in the heart of the elect spouse. See how she leaps at once to him; she does not even mention his name; she is in the heart of her theme at once, for she speaks of him who was the only one in the world to her. How bold is her love! It was much condescension which permitted the weeping penitent to anoint his feet with spikenard—it was rich love which allowed the gentle Mary to sit at his feet and learn of him—but here, love, strong, fervent love, aspires to higher tokens of regard, and closer signs of fellowship.

Esther trembled in the presence of Ahasuerus, but the spouse in joyful liberty of perfect love knows no fear. If we have received the same free spirit, we also may ask the like. By kisses we suppose to be intended those varied manifestations of affection by which the believer is made to enjoy the love of Jesus. The kiss of reconciliation we enjoyed at our conversion, and it was sweet as honey dropping from the comb. The kiss of acceptance is still warm on our brow, as we know that he hath accepted our persons and our works through rich grace. The kiss of daily, present communion is that which we pant after to be repeated day after day, till it is changed into the kiss of reception, which removes the soul from earth, and the kiss of consummation which fills it with the joy of heaven.

Faith is our walk, but fellowship sensibly felt is our rest. Faith is the road, but communion with Jesus is the well from which the pilgrim drinks.

O Lover of our souls, be not strange to us; let the lips of Thy blessing meet the lips of our asking; let the lips of Thy fullness touch the lips of our need, and straightway the kiss will be effected.—Charles Spurgeon²

*

First you’ve got to have so much love and faith that you obey; you come when He calls. You must be willing to be stripped bare before Him—stripped bare before Him in spirit. You’re just you, and that’s what He wants. He doesn’t want your fancy clothes. He wants you.

You’ve got to drop everything, come immediately, be willing to abandon all your cover-ups and expose yourself to Him.

First you yield your ears to Him; when He calls, you come. Then you yield your mouth and tongue and bosom and heart, and then that part of you that receives His inspiration and inspires you. And He fills you with His seed and you bear fruit.

You must concentrate and put everything else out of your mind—your business, your problems, your tiredness, everything—and just concentrate and think about Him.

You have to be full of the Spirit in order to be able to inspire. It’s not just one time, but you have to keep coming back to be renewed by the Spirit again and again.

You have to have faith to obey and come and strip off the outer appearances and cover-ups and false fronts, and expose yourself to the Lord and yield yourself to Him in submission. If you do your part, the Lord will do His, and He will inspire you and fill you with His Spirit.

As He said, “Even as the lamp lighter goes from village to village lighting the fires, even so thou shalt be lit by My heart so thou canst go from heart to heart.”—David Brandt Berg³

*

We are but poor lovers of our sweet Lord Jesus, not fit to be His servants, much less to be His brides, and yet He hath exalted us to be bone of His bone and flesh of His flesh, married to Him by a glorious marriage covenant. Herein is love!—Charles Spurgeon

*

This intimate spiritual union is a two-way street. … Earth is one big premarital session for heaven, and although Jesus wants us to love Him passionately and single-heartedly, He more than matches it with His love, pure and fervent.

It is “heaven” to know Jesus this way. And I mean that literally. … Eternal life is knowledge of God.⁴ When we deepen our relationship with Jesus, we get a head start on our eternal life here on earth.

The apostle Paul knew Jesus and knew Jesus. … There’s the bride/bridegroom thing. It’s a different kind of knowledge. Paul touches on this deeper knowledge when he yearns, “I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection.”⁵

I love those words “to know.” Scholars explain that in this passage “to know” implies learning about someone through a deep, personal experience. It’s the same sort of intimacy alluded to in the book of Genesis where it says that Adam “knew” his wife, Eve. Theirs was a deep, personal experience. A level of relationship beyond head knowledge. It is also a physical illustration of the level of spiritual intimacy that God desires with us, something even more deep and personal.—Joni Eareckson Tada

*

The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.⁶

“And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.” This is the first commandment.⁷

We love Him, because He first loved us.⁸

For thy Maker is thine husband; the Lord of hosts is His name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall He be called.⁹

I will betroth you to Me forever; yes, I will betroth you to Me in righteousness and judgment, in lovingkindness and mercy; I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness, and you shall know the Lord.¹⁰

I will love You, O Lord, my strength.¹¹

O Lord, we have waited for You; the desire of our soul is for Your name and for the remembrance of You.

With my soul I have desired You in the night, Yes, by my spirit within me I will seek You early.¹²

I love those who love Me; and those who seek Me early will find Me.¹³

*

Jesus, all to You we surrender! We need You! We love You! We want You! You’re everything to us! You are the Creator, we are the creation—created to love You. Help us to love You with all of our heart, all of our soul, all of our mind, and all of our strength!

Give us that contact and the desire for that contact, that desire to put You first and to pursue You and our relationship with You. Help us to persevere in our relationship with You!

Help us not to get so wrapped up in our work and other things that we don’t realize that we need to be close to You, to be intimate with You, to be lovers with You. All this other is good and necessary, but we should not leave the most important thing—our relationship with You—undone. We need to maintain that close communication with You and that intimacy, that love relationship with You that we can’t go wrong in.

Please help us to look upward into Your beautiful face—trusting, praying, praising, and loving You! Help us to come to You, to tell You of our love for You, to constantly show our appreciation for You and to give You all the glory.

We need You, Jesus! Help us to have a more loving relationship with You. Help us to be ever nearer to You! In Jesus’ name, amen.—Maria Fontaine 

Published March 2011. Read by Maria Fontaine. Music by Michael Dooley.

¹ Song of Solomon 1:2.

² 1834–1892.

³ Originally published January 1973; adapted.

⁴ John 17:3.

⁵ Philippians 3:10.

⁶ Zephaniah 3:17 NIV.

⁷ Mark 12:30 NKJV.

⁸ 1 John 4:19.

⁹ Isaiah 54:5.

¹⁰ Hosea 2:19, 20.

¹¹ Psalm 18:1 NKJV.

¹² Isaiah 26:8b, 9a NKJV.

¹³ Proverbs 8:17 NKJV

Hosea’s Wife and Children

 6/05/23 When the Lord first spoke through Hosea, the Lord said to Hosea, “Go, take to yourself a wife of whoredom and have children of whoredom, for the land commits great whoredom by forsaking the Lord.” ³ So he went and took Gomer, the daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son.

⁴ And the Lord said to him, “Call his name Jezreel, for in just a little while I will punish the house of Jehu for the blood of Jezreel, and I will put an end to the kingdom of the house of Israel. ⁵ And on that day I will break the bow of Israel in the Valley of Jezreel.”

⁶ She conceived again and bore a daughter. And the Lord said to him, “Call her name No Mercy,^[a] for I will no more have mercy on the house of Israel, to forgive them at all. ⁷ But I will have mercy on the house of Judah, and I will save them by the Lord their God. I will not save them by bow or by sword or by war or by horses or by horsemen.”

⁸ When she had weaned No Mercy, she conceived and bore a son. ⁹ And the Lord said, “Call his name Not My People,^[b] for you are not my people, and I am not your God.”^[c]

^10 [d] Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be like the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured or numbered. And in the place where it was said to them, “You are not my people,” it shall be said to them, “Children^[e] of the living God.” ¹¹ And the children of Judah and the children of Israel shall be gathered together, and they shall appoint for themselves one head. And they shall go up from the land, for great shall be the day of Jezreel. (Hosea 1) ESV

 

*In Hosea 1:2 we read, “The LORD said to Hosea, ‘Go, take to yourself a wife of whoredom and have children of whoredom.’” Hosea obeyed, marrying a woman named Gomer, who was unfaithful to him. Why did God tell Hosea to marry a prostitute?

To begin with, it is important to realize this command could be understood two different ways. First, and more likely, this command could be one of anticipation. In other words, God may have instructed Hosea to marry a woman who would later become unfaithful to him. The other possibility is that the command was for Hosea to marry someone already known as a prostitute.

In either case, the reason for this unusual directive is specified in the latter half of the same verse: “For the land commits great whoredom by forsaking the LORD.” God wanted to provide an illustration of His relationship with the people of Israel, who had been unfaithful to Him by practicing idolatry. This theme is carried through the remainder of the prophecies in chapter 1 and the discussion of Israel’s unfaithfulness in chapter 2.

In Hosea 3:1, after Gomer had left Hosea and was living in immorality, the Lord commanded Hosea to find her and buy her back. God was continuing His illustration, except now He wanted to show the greatness of His grace: “Even as the LORD loves the children of Israel, though they turn to other gods.” Hosea’s faithful love of Gomer was an illustration of God’s faithfulness to wayward Israel. Just as Gomer had been unfaithful to her husband and had to be redeemed, Israel needed God’s initiative to restore their relationship.

The prophet Hosea was commanded to marry an unfaithful wife, and this set up a model of Israel’s broken relationship with God. Israel had been chosen and loved by God yet had been unfaithful to Him by way of idolatry. Just as Hosea redeemed his estranged wife and sought to continue his relationship with her, God promised to redeem Israel and renew their relationship with Him. The story of Hosea and Gomer is an unforgettable picture of God’s strong, unending love for His covenant people.

* (GotQuestions.org)

 

Christ’s Glory and the Prophetic Word

6/04/23 For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. ¹⁷ For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son,^[i] with whom I am well pleased,” ¹⁸ we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain. ¹⁹ And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, ²⁰ knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. ²¹ For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. (2 Peter 1:16-21) ESV

01 A More Sure Word of Prophecy (2 Peter 1:19)

Book of the Future, Part 1

Compiled from the writings of David Brandt Berg

1983-03-28

So many people today are worried about the future, wondering what’s going to happen. Most of today’s youth seem to almost instinctively realize that they are living on borrowed time. After all, we are the first generation that has had to live with the knowledge that we could completely destroy ourselves. People want to know what to do about it, or if there is any way to avoid it or prepare for it, to survive it.

Psychologists tell us that uncertainty and the fear of the unknown is the worst fear of all—not knowing what’s going to happen. It’s sad that so few people realize that they can know the future, that they can know what’s going to happen—accurately and in detail. Even the exact number of years, months, and days of parts of it.

How could this be? By what means can mortal man possibly transcend the bounds of time and peer into the future? By tuning in to God and His wonderful Word, the Bible. For He alone is the great “I AM,” who dwells in the eternal now where there is no past nor future and “time shall be no more” (Revelation 10:6). It all looks the same to God, and He can easily reveal to His prophets and seers the mysteries of the future. “For surely the Lord God will do nothing, but He revealeth His secret unto His servants the prophets” (Amos 3:7).

“For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy: Behold, the former things are come to pass, and new things do I declare: before they spring forth I tell you of them. For I am the Lord: I will speak, and the word that I shall speak shall come to pass; for I say the word, and will perform it, saith the Lord God” (Isaiah 57:15; 42:9; Ezekiel 12:25).

“Seek ye out of the book of the Lord, and read: no one of these shall fail, none shall want her mate: for My mouth it hath commanded them” (Isaiah 34:16). The mate of every prophecy is its fulfillment. God’s Word finds its mate in fulfilled Bible prophecy, and the ones which have already occurred and been fulfilled, foretold hundreds of years in advance, have been fulfilled. Every prophecy the Bible has uttered has been fulfilled except the ones that are yet to come, and they’ll be fulfilled just as surely as the ones that have been fulfilled in the past.

It’s a marvelous, thrilling study to deal with fulfilled prophecies, and it encourages your faith to know that those regarding the future will be fulfilled just as accurately and just as perfectly and just as surely as every prophecy of the past. But we are particularly interested in those which are yet to be fulfilled.

You’ll find that God’s Word is specific and clear. Its prophecies tell you exactly who and where and even when. So if you’ve been wondering, “Where did we come from? Where are we going? What’s happening?” this wonderful book, the Bible, tells you all about it, exactly what’s going to happen. You don’t have to worry about it; you don’t have to fear. You don’t have to guess at it. It’s all here just as plain as can be.

“For that that is determined shall be done” (Daniel 11:36). What God has determined and prophesied, He’s going to do. Whatever God has said He’s going to do, He is going to do. Not one shall lack her mate. Not one prophecy shall be without fulfillment; every single one shall be fulfilled.

“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: Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. 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” (2 Peter 1:19–21).

“And now I have told you before it come to pass, that, when it is come to pass, ye might believe. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but My words shall not pass away” (John 14:29; Matthew 24:35).

“Pearls of great price” (Matthew 13:45–46)

God has warned us time and again almost since the beginning of man, and certainly throughout the Bible, that there’s coming an end to things as far as man’s rule on this earth is concerned, and that his governments are going to eventually end so that God can set up His heavenly kingdom of peace on earth.

God has given man thousands of years to try to solve his own problems and run the world and bring peace and happiness, and he has brought nothing but war and misery. God has given man his chance and he has done nothing but make a mess of the world. And now, finally, man is able to destroy it. And if God did not step in and intervene in this last hour of history, man could completely destroy it and totally annihilate himself.

If God didn’t step in, mankind could commit suicide. We could either blow ourselves up with the bomb or we could gradually kill ourselves with famine or overpopulation or air pollution or water pollution. Let’s face it, man is destroying himself. He’s killing himself with his pollution and with his destructive nature, and if God doesn’t intervene and stop it, man would eventually wipe himself off the map! This is why Jesus prophesied of the last days: “Except those days be shortened, there should no flesh be saved” (Matthew 24:22).

The Bible predicts that in the last days of man-made regimes on earth, a totally godless, anti-Christ world government will arise, led by a Devil-possessed dictator, Satan incarnate, who will bring a temporary false peace on earth and a counterfeit utopia. Its price will be enforced worship of him as the imitation Messiah. All of his subjects will be branded with a credit number in order to buy or sell or obtain food or employment, and all those who refuse to cooperate will be hunted, persecuted, and slaughtered by his commandment. This will be a time of Great Tribulation.

This anti-Christ government of anti-Christ forces under the leadership of the Antichrist himself, this superhuman world dictator of man’s last one-world godless government, will then set up its headquarters in Jerusalem, his capital, and unite all peoples of the world into a one-world worship of this demon-demagogue and his magical image which can speak.

These startling events will immediately precede the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, which is the major endtime event, the grand climax, as the Lord Himself returns and wipes out the Antichrist and his followers and sets up the last and most lasting and only perfect government the world has ever known, and “the meek shall inherit the earth” (Psalm 37:11).

Most Christians seem to have rightly gathered from reading their Bibles and hearing various preachers that in the last days, times are going to wax worse and worse, and not get better. A lot of them believe that the end is going to be a time of very bad trouble and tribulation. And, of course, all real Bible-believing Christians believe that Jesus is coming again. They have also gathered the fundamental idea that there’s going to be a heavenly time on earth at some time or other. But a lot of them have it pretty mixed up and they don’t know how, where, or when these events will take place.

They’ve got the knowledge of these events and these priceless truths like a handful of pearls, but they don’t realize exactly how they ought to be strung, in what order and in what sequence, to make them a beautiful string of pearls in proper order to, you might say, wear around their neck of knowledge. They don’t realize the chronological sequence, which is necessary to understand what’s going to happen, how it’s going to happen, when it’s going to happen, etc.

True, the Bible admonishes us not to fret for tomorrow, which means we’re not to worry about tomorrow, but the Lord sure has had a lot to say about tomorrow, so He certainly must want us to be informed about tomorrow! That’s the whole point of prophecy: to let you know what’s going to happen so you won’t worry about it. You’ll know what’s going to happen.

To be forewarned is to be forearmed. To understand what’s going to occur is to be prepared to face it and take it as it comes and hopefully survive it.—At least certainly to understand what you’re going through and to know what’s happening. You may not understand it all in advance; you may not know everything that’s going to happen. But we can know enough from God’s Word that we can know the major events and their characteristics, the major characters in these events, and in some cases when they’re going to happen, the exact time periods predicted in the Bible, so that when the time comes you’ll know exactly when certain events are going to take place, because God has already said so in His Word, plain as day.

To know or not to know “the times and the seasons”

All the way through the prophecies of Jeremiah, Daniel, Ezekiel, Isaiah, John, and Jesus, there are specific detailed descriptions of the last days on earth before Christ’s Second Coming. Has the Lord given us these signs for a reason? Does He want us to know about the soon coming of His kingdom? Does He want us to be prepared for it? Does He want us to have that knowledge and be able to teach others so? If He doesn’t, He’s sure wasting an awful lot of time throughout both the Old and New Testament telling us all the signs of His coming.

In fact, in one of the most descriptive endtime prophecy books of the Bible, the Lord told Daniel to close up the book and seal up the prophecy until the end: “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. For the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end. And none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand” (Daniel 12:4, 9–10).

For almost 2,500 years the book of Daniel has been virtually a sealed book, and it’s only recently that men have begun to open the book, break the seals, and understand the prophecies and what Daniel was saying. Although they had the Bible for thousands of years, they still didn’t understand endtime Bible prophecy. But now we’re supposed to open the book, break the seals, and read it and understand it, because we live in the time of the end.

God’s Word says, “Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy” (Revelation 1:3). It takes an effort; it’s work to try to understand Bible prophecy and to “study to show thyself approved unto God, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15). But you’ll find that “the entrance of Thy words giveth light” and wisdom and understanding (Psalm 119:130). When we delve into God’s Word, we “bring forth treasures, both new and old” (Matthew 13:52). You’ll discover how wonderfully the Lord can weave His Word together like a beautiful tapestry, filling in the whole picture to give you His vision of His plans. “For where there is no vision, the people perish” (Proverbs 29:18).

Of course, some Bible professors and students are going to say, “Jesus told His disciples that ‘no man knoweth the day or the hour when the Son of Man cometh, not even the angels in heaven.’ And ‘it’s not for you to know the times or the seasons’” (Matthew 24:36; Acts 1:7). When all the dramatic, climactic, final events of world history begin to unfold, let me tell you, you’re going to need to know. You are going to want to know and you are going to know, because God promised it in His Word.

If the Lord did not intend for us to know the times and the seasons, then why did He give us Matthew 24, Mark 13, Luke 21, John 14, Acts 1, 1 Thessalonians 4 and 5, 2 Thessalonians 2, 1 Timothy 4, 2 Timothy 3, 2 Peter 1 and 3, and the whole book of Revelation, as well as multitudes of prophecies in the Old Testament, including many in the historical books, as well as the poetical books, and 17 books of the prophets with prophecies and specific predictions of the future.

But He does want us to know, and throughout the Bible He continues to give us multitudes of literal, specific predictions of the future and what its times and seasons will be like. In fact, the Lord makes it extremely explicit many times in many places regarding the exact number of years and months, and even days, during the crucial last seven years of the endtime.

In Matthew chapter 24 and Luke chapter 21, Jesus Himself gives one of the most descriptive and specific of all resumes of future endtime events of any prophet in the Bible. After giving a long list of predictions and coming signs of the times, He tells us, “When you see these things or these signs come to pass, look up, for your redemption draweth nigh.” “The generation that sees these things come to pass is not going to pass away till all these things are fulfilled” (Luke 21:28; Matthew 24:34). So obviously He wants us to “see” and “look” at the signs of His coming being fulfilled before He returns so that we can “discern the signs of the times” (Matthew 16:3).

“For as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days that were before the Flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage”—going on, business as usual—“until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and they knew not until the Flood came and swept them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be” (Matthew 24:37–39). Who knew not? The wicked. Who knew? Noah! He knew what was going to happen; he was expecting it.

“For unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to others it is not given, because they seeing, see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear. For verily I say unto you, many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them” (Matthew 13:11–17).

Are you prepared? Have you personally received Jesus into your heart? I hope you’ve accepted Him. I hope you’ve received Him so that you can look forward to these marvelous future events not with fear and trembling, but with hope and faith and assurance that God’s going to see you through, He’s going to save you and rescue you out of it all and take you to be with Him, to live with Him forever.

The main thing you need to know is summed up in one verse, John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son (Jesus), that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

So receive salvation now; then you’ll be ready for the revelation of the future. Otherwise, knowing the future wouldn’t make much difference to you, because your future will be all bad news. You probably won’t even want to hear about what’s going to happen if you’re not saved. But if you are saved, then God has got some marvelous, wonderful, encouraging, thrilling revelations of the future in store for you.

Knowing Him and His Word, that’s what’s going to carry you through. The vision of what’s coming will give you the faith to believe God and the courage to launch out and march victoriously through the plagues of this world, through Great Tribulation, and right on through to the coming of Jesus Christ and our loving reign with Him forever.

Copyright © 1983 The Family International.

Final Judgment and Glory of the Lord

6/03/23 “For behold, the Lord will come in fire,
and his chariots like the whirlwind,
to render his anger in fury,
and his rebuke with flames of fire.
¹⁶ For by fire will the Lord enter into judgment,
and by his sword, with all flesh;
and those slain by the Lord shall be many.

¹⁷ “Those who sanctify and purify themselves to go into the gardens, following one in the midst, eating pig’s flesh and the abomination and mice, shall come to an end together, declares the Lord.

¹⁸ “For I know^[b] their works and their thoughts, and the time is coming^[c] to gather all nations and tongues. And they shall come and shall see my glory, ¹⁹ and I will set a sign among them. And from them I will send survivors to the nations, to Tarshish, Pul, and Lud, who draw the bow, to Tubal and Javan, to the coastlands far away, that have not heard my fame or seen my glory. And they shall declare my glory among the nations. ²⁰ And they shall bring all your brothers from all the nations as an offering to the Lord, on horses and in chariots and in litters and on mules and on dromedaries, to my holy mountain Jerusalem, says the Lord, just as the Israelites bring their grain offering in a clean vessel to the house of the Lord. ²¹ And some of them also I will take for priests and for Levites, says the Lord.

²² “For as the new heavens and the new earth
that I make
shall remain before me, says the Lord,
so shall your offspring and your name remain.
²³ From new moon to new moon,
and from Sabbath to Sabbath,
all flesh shall come to worship before me,
declares the Lord.

²⁴ “And they shall go out and look on the dead bodies of the men who have rebelled against me. For their worm shall not die, their fire shall not be quenched, and they shall be an abhorrence to all flesh.” (Isaiah 66:16-24) ESV

Life on earth during the Millennium

The reign of Jesus Christ during the Millennium will be a reign of Jesus Christ and His children over what is left of this world and its unsaved populations. The born-again, saved, resurrected saints will be in supernatural bodies, but the rest of the world, those who have been spared and blessed enough to survive into the Millennium, are going to still be in their natural bodies. Therefore life is sort of going to go on as usual in a lot of ways for them.

The Millennium will be almost like an extension of this age now, because the world and its people will still be living in time. To us who are resurrected and raptured at the coming of Christ, “time shall be no more” (Revelation 10:6). We will not be bound by time any longer. But those who still remain on the earth, having survived the wrath of God upon the wicked, will still be bound by time and space here on earth just as we were before we left with Jesus.

The normal, natural people are going to be the same then as they are now—human beings still in their mortal bodies whom God’s blessed by allowing them to live through the horrors that preceded this era. They’re going to feel blessed, too, when they realize that they managed to be millennial survivors. But they will live almost exactly like they are living now. They’ll still have to raise food and make clothes. They’ll still have to live in a normal, natural world; in fact, the same world they’re living in now.

The natural men are going to be just what they are now, only they will be under God’s government. Jesus and His kingdom will be the government, and His followers will be His governors, His officers, His rulers. We shall be “kings and priests unto God,” He says (Revelation 1:6), and we will rule the earth. We’ll have supernatural bodies and wisdom and skill and power and protection, and we’ll change a lot of things for the better.

In order for the Lord to establish heaven on earth, we’ll first have to clean up the hell on earth that the Antichrist and people left behind, and the aftermath of war left behind by God’s own judgments and the Battle of Armageddon. There will certainly be some cleaning up to do. In Israel alone, it’s going to take seven months just to bury all the dead, and seven years to clear away all the wreckage of the instruments of war. Seven years to clean up the rubble, debris, and wreckage left behind by the terrible Battle of Armageddon (Ezekiel 39:9,14).

That will be our initial job during the first seven years of the Millennium. It’ll be a wonder that the Lord and His followers will ever be able to straighten things out. But we will, according to His Word. “And they shall build the old wastes, they shall raise up the former desolations, and they shall repair the waste cities, the desolations of many generations. And ye shall be named the Priests of the Lord: men shall call you the Ministers of our God: ye shall eat the riches of the Gentiles, and in their glory shall ye boast yourselves” (Isaiah 61:4–6).

Back to the Garden

The earth will blossom like a rose, and all of God’s creation will be in harmony and at peace. No more of man’s inhumanity to man, but all will be peace and beauty, like the Garden of Eden restored—heaven on earth once again as it was in the beginning, but even better, because we’ll have Jesus.

“For in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert. And the parched ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water. And the desolate land shall be tilled, whereas it lay desolate in the sight of all that passed by. And they shall say, This land that was desolate is become like the Garden of Eden; and the waste and desolate and ruined cities are become fenced, and are inhabited” (Isaiah 35:6–7; Ezekiel 36:34–35).

Paul tells us that the whole earth is groaning today. “The whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain, waiting to be delivered” (Romans 8:22–23). The whole creation, in a sense, is under the curse of sin and the Devil and his demons and sin and sickness. All of God’s creation is groaning, and man’s certainly doing some groaning too. The day’s coming when the field and the trees are going to rejoice. “Let the field be joyful, and all that is therein: then shall all the trees of the wood rejoice” (Psalm 96:12). Hallelujah!

At last the Lord is going to redeem the earth and cause the beautiful Garden of Eden to blossom again as we rule and reign with Christ for a thousand years. The natural unsaved people who survived the Tribulation and wrath-of-God periods will be so amazingly blessed to be able to live during this millennial period at all, as the earth will be relieved of the curse.

“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. And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice’ den” (Isaiah 11:6–8).

You never hear about a wolf lying down with a lamb nowadays, unless the lamb is inside the wolf. Or a leopard lying down with a kid, a little baby goat. Neither have you heard about a little child leading them all. The day is coming again when there will be peace between man and the animals. Even a little child will be able to play with them.

The animals will go back to being herbivorous again and won’t eat each other, much less us. Isn’t that beautiful? Apparently man won’t eat flesh then either; we’ll all be herbivorous again. Both man and beast will return to vegetarianism during the Millennium, because apparently they won’t need the extra strength of animal flesh to survive. The curse will have been at least partially removed and man will no longer be suffering the ill effects of whatever it was that shortened life after the Flood.

From creation until the Flood, man was vegetarian, because God said specifically at the time of creation that He had given them every green thing, the herbs and plants and so on, to eat—just vegetables—no meat or flesh of any kind (Genesis 1:29–30). But after the Flood, that pre-Flood cloud covering that enveloped the earth disappeared and those deadly cosmic rays began to come through. Instead of people living eight or nine hundred or a thousand years, their lifespans were greatly reduced, as they are today. And man’s body apparently needed extra help to survive the toll of sin, so God mercifully gave him meat to eat (Genesis 9:2–3).

Of course, the skeptics always make fun of these scriptures about “the cow and the bear shall feed, and the lion shall eat straw like the ox” (Isaiah 11:7). They say, “They couldn’t possibly do that. They’re carnivorous beasts; that’s impossible.” Nothing’s impossible with the Lord (Luke 1:37). I have such confidence in this book, the Word of God and the words of Jesus and every book and every chapter and every verse in it—I have proven so many of them to be true and have found none of them to ever fail or to be false—that I believe it means exactly what it says. If they’re not going to eat each other or eat us anymore, they’re going to have to graze like the ox and the calf.

“They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain (kingdom): for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea” (Isaiah 11:9). Since there’s nothing that will hurt or destroy, there will be no venomous insects or beasts or serpents or scorpions. Even the once deadly asps and vipers will almost be like toys for the children to play with—no bite, no sting, no poison, no venom.

This, of course, will be a great blessing to the natural flesh-and-blood people of the earth who are still going to till the land and build houses and marry and be given in marriage. No doubt they will proclaim, “Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other. Truth shall spring out of the earth; and righteousness shall look down from heaven. Yea, the Lord shall give that which is good; and our land shall yield her increase” (Psalm 85:10–12).

What a wonderful place to live! The curse will be removed, all viciousness gone, and all killing and hurting stopped. There will also probably be much less disease, much less sickness, because in Isaiah it says that if someone dies when he’s 100 years old, he’ll be considered merely a child. “There shall be no more thence an infant of days, nor an old man that hath not filled his days: for the child shall die an hundred years old” (Isaiah 65:20).

Life is obviously going to be lengthened to great longevity, as it was before the Flood, when men lived to be nearly a thousand years of age. Everybody will live like Methuselah—for a thousand years (Genesis 5:27).

Why the Millennium?

The Millennium could be an additional period of grace for those who didn’t have a chance to really hear the gospel or know the Lord during this life, perhaps even because of our own failure and the failure of the church to reach the whole world with the gospel, or at least to reach everybody we should have. Particularly lots of children and young people who never had a chance and never knew any better, maybe lots of people in non-Christian countries—to give them a chance to hear and see and know the Lord.

But during the Millennium, everyone will be reached. “For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea” (Habakkuk 2:14). How do the waters cover the seas? Completely. So the world will be completely covered with the knowledge of the Lord and the righteous kingdom of Jesus Christ. Hallelujah!

It sounds like this thousand years of the millennial rule and reign of Jesus Christ on earth will be another testing time for those who remain, the unsaved who survived the wrath of God, whom God has blessed with another chance, or perhaps their first chance. They may have never really heard the gospel before; they may have never experienced the love of Jesus before or known God’s will or His ways before. It will be a time of learning His laws and His ways and His love.

It’s obvious from the Bible’s description of the Millennium that the survivors from the age of man will be given another chance through the personal rule and reign of Christ and His children and the universal knowledge of the Lord and His love. In fact, I think that’s what the whole Millennium is all about, to give these people such a chance; otherwise there would be no point to it.

In the face of the visible rule and reign of Christ on earth, His personal appearance to man, His Second Coming in mighty power and glory, His wiping out of the Antichrist and his kingdom and the imprisonment of Satan, and His obvious visible rule and reign, I think some are going to believe and receive who perhaps never heard before. And maybe there will be some who might have heard but didn’t understand or couldn’t believe until they saw something.

To see the coming of the Lord and His taking over the reins of this earth to rule and reign—that’s pretty strong persuasion and enough to convince almost anybody to believe and receive. So I think the Millennium will be the time when God gives what I would call not a second chance, but a first chance to a lot of people who didn’t have a chance before.

“For in that day shall the deaf hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity, and out of darkness. The meek also shall increase their joy in the Lord, and the poor among men shall rejoice in the Holy One of Israel. Behold, a king shall reign in righteousness, and princes shall rule in judgment. And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it” (Isaiah 29:18–19; 32:1; 40:5).

Everyone on earth will see His glorious power and kingdom, and everybody will believe then. He even says, “And they shall teach no more every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for they shall all know Me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord” (Jeremiah 31:34).

There won’t be any unbelievers then, but I’m afraid there will be some unreceivers who will still be rebellious and iniquitous at heart and defiant. It’s obvious from the scriptures that there will be many who will receive and obey and will be blessed of the Lord—and others who will still rebel.

It looks to me like the Millennium is going to be another testing time or trying time, a proving ground. We, the saints, who heard the gospel and voluntarily received the Lord, will be running things under the direct supervision of the Lord. And all of the people who survived the Tribulation, the wrath of God and the Battle of Armageddon, we’re going to govern and judge and organize and teach them.

They’ll all “know the Lord” and will actually see that He and His kingdom are real, but they may not know Him as well or as personally as we do, because we already knew Him in this life and learned to know Him well and communicate with Him and love Him and serve Him throughout this life. I think it will be part of our job to reeducate them in the ways of the Lord. They’re going to be just as human as you and I are right now. They won’t be any more supernatural in their intelligence or in their mental capacities or the ways they have to learn than we are in this present age.

The scriptures definitely confirm that the Millennium is going to be a period of learning for them: “Many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and He will teach us of His ways, and we will walk in His paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the Word of the Lord from Jerusalem” (Micah 4:2). *(From the writings of David Brandt Berg)

The Humble and Contrite in Spirit

6/02/23 Thus says the Lord:
“Heaven is my throne,
and the earth is my footstool;
what is the house that you would build for me,
and what is the place of my rest?
² All these things my hand has made,
and so all these things came to be,
declares the Lord.
But this is the one to whom I will look:
he who is humble and contrite in spirit
and trembles at my word.

³ “He who slaughters an ox is like one who kills a man;
he who sacrifices a lamb, like one who breaks a dog’s neck;
he who presents a grain offering, like one who offers pig’s blood;
he who makes a memorial offering of frankincense, like one who blesses an idol.
These have chosen their own ways,
and their soul delights in their abominations;
⁴ I also will choose harsh treatment for them
and bring their fears upon them,
because when I called, no one answered,
when I spoke, they did not listen;
but they did what was evil in my eyes
and chose that in which I did not delight.”

⁵ Hear the word of the Lord,
you who tremble at his word:
“Your brothers who hate you
and cast you out for my name’s sake
have said, ‘Let the Lord be glorified,
that we may see your joy’;
but it is they who shall be put to shame.

⁶ “The sound of an uproar from the city!
A sound from the temple!
The sound of the Lord,
rendering recompense to his enemies!

(Isaiah 66:1-6) ESV

24 – More Like Jesus: Humility (Part 1)

More Like Jesus

Peter Amsterdam

2017-05-02

One key element in our pursuit of Christlikeness is emulating the humility of Jesus. By “putting on” humility, and “putting off” pride in doing so, we strive to become more like Jesus. In the ancient world of the Greeks and Romans, humility was seen as a negative trait. It denoted a subservient attitude on the part of someone considered to be of a lower class. It was seen as a cowed attitude, one of self-belittlement or degradation. The honor-shame culture of that time exalted pride, and humility was seen as undesirable. Jesus, however, redefined humility. He, the Son of God, humbled Himself by becoming human; thus showing that if even He, as exalted as He was, exhibited humility, it was something believers should emulate. His followers in the early church, through His teachings and example, learned to treat humility as a virtue, an important moral attitude, and a fundamental trait of Christian character.

Jesus both preached and lived humility:

For who is the greater, one who reclines at table or one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at table? But I am among you as the one who serves.¹

Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.²

Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.³ 

Humility was a principal characteristic in Jesus’ life, so if our goal is to be more like Jesus, humility should become central to who we are.

Dictionaries define humility in a variety of ways, such as freedom from pride and arrogance, not thinking you are better than other people, having a modest or low view of one’s importance, a modest estimate of one’s own worth. While these are proper definitions, a Christian understanding of humility takes on a deeper meaning, as it is based on our relationship with God. In their book Character Makeover, Brazelton and Leith provide a definition of humility from a Christian perspective, as follows:

Humility is a natural result of having an accurate view of who God is and having a right perspective of who you are in relation to Him.⁴ 

And who are we to God? We’re His wayward children—broken, sinful, and unable to attain full righteousness before God. Yet despite our brokenness, He loves us unconditionally. We don’t deserve His love; it’s a gift of grace, of His unmerited favor. We can’t claim His love because we are sinners, but He gives it to us anyway. He sent His Son to die for us because of His deep love for us. It’s humbling to know that we are loved regardless of our sins. We know we aren’t worthy of His love, but He loves us anyway. This helps us feel secure in our relationship with our Creator. God’s love and acceptance is the basis of our self-worth.

Because we are unconditionally loved by the Lord, we can be honest with Him and ourselves about our strengths and weaknesses, since neither will change God’s love for us. He doesn’t love us more because of our talents, nor does He love us less because of our weaknesses. Knowing that we are accepted by God makes it easier for us to have a realistic picture of ourselves. We can be comfortable with who we are and not feel that we have to be ashamed of or hide the fact that we have weaknesses, nor feel the need to inflate our strengths.

Secular and popular definitions of humility generally include traits such as low self-esteem, lack of confidence, or being a doormat, but that’s not the humility Jesus taught. As Randy Frazee wrote:

A believer has a strong sense of self-worth and a secure position of identity as one who no longer feels the need to elevate the flesh or pump up personal pride.⁵

Knowing we’re loved by God can allow us to have a strong sense of self-esteem and thus be able to wear our self-worth lightly, with humility, because we are secure in God and His unconditional love for us. Being secure in God’s love, we recognize that there is no reason to try to exalt ourselves in His eyes or in the eyes of others. Doing so is an expression of pride, the opposite of humility. (Pride will be discussed in an upcoming article.)

As individuals created in God’s image and uniquely loved by God, we can have full confidence in our personal worth. We can candidly recognize and acknowledge both our strengths and weaknesses, our talents and negative habits. We should strive to have a realistic picture of ourselves, without thinking that we’re either wonderful or awful. We shouldn’t lift ourselves up in pride, nor consider ourselves worthless. Either extreme—feeling that everyone is better than us, or that we are better than everyone else—is wrong, and shows pride. Thinking we’re better than others is boastful, prideful thinking; whereas feeling that we are the worst can be false humility, which is also pride because it’s self-focused.⁶ Humility lies between these extremes. Recognizing that we are valuable to God, that He loves us, made us, and has given us gifts and talents can help keep us from demeaning ourselves, while also keeping us from thinking that it’s all about us, that we are better and more gifted than others. As Rick Warren said, “Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it’s thinking of yourself less.”⁷

Author Todd Wilson wrote:

Humility isn’t meant to make you think less of who you are, but to enable you to love others regardless of who they are. Humility is how love expresses itself toward those of a different status, rank, or position. It’s the capacity to view everyone as ultimately equal. This doesn’t mean denying differences between people. But it does mean looking past those differences to the underlying equality of all people. There are two important senses in which we are all equal—as creatures made in God’s image, and as fallen creatures in need of God’s grace. These two facts, in turn, are the foundation for true humility, because they radically level the playing field.⁸

If we are humble, we recognize that we are sinners just like everyone else, and therefore we don’t feel more deserving of love or less responsible to show love to others. Humility frees us from worrying about prestige or position, physical features or attractiveness, success or failure, and many other anxieties that come along with pride and measuring ourselves against others.

As Christians, we know that humility is important, as it is laced all throughout Scripture.⁹ We’re called to live with humility and gentleness;¹⁰ in humility consider others more significant than ourselves;¹¹ put on humility;¹² be clothed with humility;¹³ humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God;¹⁴ walk humbly with our God;¹⁵ do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly;¹⁶ receive God’s word in humility;¹⁷ take the lowest place at a feast;¹⁸ seek humility;¹⁹ be humble in spirit.²⁰

The Bible repeatedly extols humility and tells of the positive attitude God has toward the humble. Humility goes before honor;²¹ the humble will inherit the land;²² blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth;²³ the humble will receive honor;²⁴ the Lord is on high, yet regards the lowly;²⁵ “I dwell with the lowly and contrite in spirit”;²⁶ “I look to him who is humble and contrite”;²⁷ God saves the humble;²⁸ God gives grace to the humble;²⁹ God teaches the humble his way.³⁰

Scripture also tells us that those who exalt themselves will be humbled, but those who humble themselves will be exalted.³¹ He humbles and he exalts;³² he has brought down rulers and exalted the humble;³³ humble yourselves before the Lord and he will exalt you;³⁴ humble yourselves and he will exalt you.³⁵

When writing to the Philippians, the apostle Paul spoke of Jesus’ humility:

Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus…³⁶

Some translations render that last sentence as “have this attitude” or “your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus.” Being humble is to have the attitude of Christ, or the mind of Christ.

Paul then went on to either quote or compose an early Christian hymn,³⁷ which makes the point that Jesus provided us with the best example of true humility.

Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.³⁸

Here we’re told that our inner disposition should be similar to Jesus’, that the attitude we should have is like that of the Lord. What attitude was that? While Jesus had the same inherent character and quality and equal “rank” or “status” with God, He set it aside and took on the nature of a servant by becoming human. While He could have claimed power and glory, as was pointed out when the Devil tempted Him in the desert,³⁹ Jesus instead chose to lower His status and humbled Himself to the point that He was willing to die the cruel, torturous death of a common criminal for our sakes. Because of what He did, God “hyper-exalted Him”—which is the literal translation of this passage. He was exalted in the greatest possible manner. In a biblical sense, one’s name carries the idea of one’s character, position, role, rank, or dignity; so when we’re told that Jesus was given a name above every name, it can be understood as saying that He was given the highest rank or dignity of all, which indicates that He is the direct object of worship. Bowing and confessing that Jesus Christ is Lord is understood as declaring that He has sovereignty over the entire universe as its Lord.

While we are not on the same plane as Jesus, we can follow the principle of humility that we see in His example. During His ministry, Jesus did many mighty works. He healed the sick, cast out demons, fed 5,000 people by multiplying five loaves of bread and two fish, and walked on water. He told the Roman ruler Pontius Pilate that He could ask His Father to send twelve legions of angels to protect Him—such was His ability, power, and status. But instead, He humbled Himself, lived His life in submission to His Father, and avoided the glory that many wanted to give Him. In doing so, He was ultimately exalted above all.

If we want to become more like Him, then we will strive to “put on” humility; and if we do, we will find ourselves blessed by the Lord.

Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you.⁴⁰

Note

Unless otherwise indicated, all scriptures are from the Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

¹ Luke 22:27.

² Matthew 23:12.

³ Matthew 11:29.

⁴ Katie Brazelton and Shelley Leith, Character Makeover (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2008), 24.

⁵ Randy Frazee, Think, Act, Be Like Jesus (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2014), 217.

⁶ Brazelton and Leith, Character Makeover, 25.

⁷ Rick Warren, The Purpose Driven Life (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002).

⁸ Todd Wilson, Real Christian (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2014), 58.

⁹ The collection of verses in this and the following two paragraphs is from A. C. Day, Collins Thesaurus of the Bible (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2009).

¹⁰ Ephesians 4:2.

¹¹ Philippians 2:3.

¹² Colossians 3:12.

¹³ 1 Peter 5:5.

¹⁴ 1 Peter 5:6.

¹⁵ Micah 6:8.

¹⁶ Romans 12:16.

¹⁷ James 1:21.

¹⁸ Luke 14:10.

¹⁹ Zephaniah 2:3.

²⁰ 1 Peter 3:8.

²¹ Proverbs 15:33; 18:12.

²² Psalm 37:11.

²³ Matthew 5:5.

²⁴ Proverbs 29:23.

²⁵ Psalm 138:6.

²⁶ Isaiah 57:15.

²⁷ Isaiah 66:2.

²⁸ Job 22:29.

²⁹ James 4:6; 1 Peter 5:5.

³⁰ Psalm 25:9.

³¹ Matthew 23:12; Luke 14:11; 18:14.

³² 1 Samuel 2:7.

³³ Luke 1:52.

³⁴ James 4:10.

³⁵ 1 Peter 5:6.

³⁶ Philippians 2:3–5.

³⁷ Many scholars believe that Paul is quoting an early Christian hymn. The basic question regarding form is whether these verses are an early Christian hymn. Most contemporary scholars interpret these verses as a hymn because of the rhythmical quality, rare words and phrases, and motifs. If the verses do constitute a hymn, which seems reasonable, they reveal something of the worship of the early church. At least two characteristics predominate: They express a depth of theology which reveals in particular a highly developed Christology; they reveal that the early church had formulated its Christology in cryptic but powerful language. Further, the fact that Paul could appeal to the (apparently) well-known hymn indicates the widespread interest the early church had in Jesus. (R. R. Melick. Philippians, Colossians, Philemon. Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1991. Vol. 32, 96–97).

³⁸ Philippians 2:5–11 NIV.

³⁹ Matthew 4:1–11.

⁴⁰ 1 Peter 5:5–6.

Copyright © 2017 The Family International.

New Heavens and a New Earth

6/01/23 “For behold, I create new heavens
and a new earth,
and the former things shall not be remembered
or come into mind.
¹⁸ But be glad and rejoice forever
in that which I create;
for behold, I create Jerusalem to be a joy,
and her people to be a gladness.
¹⁹ I will rejoice in Jerusalem
and be glad in my people;
no more shall be heard in it the sound of weeping
and the cry of distress.
²⁰ No more shall there be in it
an infant who lives but a few days,
or an old man who does not fill out his days,
for the young man shall die a hundred years old,
and the sinner a hundred years old shall be accursed.
²¹ They shall build houses and inhabit them;
they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit.
²² They shall not build and another inhabit;
they shall not plant and another eat;
for like the days of a tree shall the days of my people be,
and my chosen shall long enjoy^[c] the work of their hands.
²³ They shall not labor in vain
or bear children for calamity,^[d]
for they shall be the offspring of the blessed of the Lord,
and their descendants with them.
²⁴ Before they call I will answer;
while they are yet speaking I will hear.
²⁵ The wolf and the lamb shall graze together;
the lion shall eat straw like the ox,
and dust shall be the serpent’s food.
They shall not hurt or destroy
in all my holy mountain,”
says the Lord. (Isaiah 65:17-25) ESV

*The new earth will be the eternal dwelling place of believers in Jesus Christ. The new earth and the new heavens are sometimes referred to as the “eternal state.” Scripture gives us a few details of the new heavens and new earth.

The current heavens and earth have long been subject to God’s curse because of mankind’s sin. All creation “has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth” (Romans 8:22) as it awaits the fulfillment of God’s plan and “the children of God to be revealed” (verse 19). Heaven and earth will pass away (Mark 13:31), and they will be replaced by the new heavens and the new earth. At that time, the Lord, seated on His throne, says, “I am making everything new!” (Revelation 21:5). In the new creation, sin will be totally eradicated, and “there shall be no more curse” (Revelation 22:3, NKJV).

The new heaven and new earth are also mentioned in Isaiah 65:17, Isaiah 66:22, and 2 Peter 3:13. Peter tells us that the new heaven and new earth will be “where righteousness dwells.” Isaiah says that “the former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind.” Things will be completely new, and the old order of things, with the accompanying sorrow and tragedy, will be gone.

The new earth will be free from sin, evil, sickness, suffering, and death. It will be similar to our current earth, but without the curse of sin. It will be earth as God originally intended it to be. It will be Eden restored.

A major feature of the new earth will be the New Jerusalem. John calls it “the Holy City . . . coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband” (Revelation 21:2). This glorious city, with its streets of gold and pearly gates, is situated on a new, glorious earth. The tree of life will be there (Revelation 22:2). This city represents the final state of redeemed mankind, forever in fellowship with God: “God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. . . . His servants will serve him. They will see his face” (Revelation 21:3; 22:3–4).

In the new heavens and new earth, Scripture says, there are seven things notable for their absence—seven things that are “no more”:
• no more sea (Revelation 21:1)
• no more death (Revelation 21:4)
• no more mourning (Revelation 21:4)
• no more weeping (Revelation 21:4)
• no more pain (Revelation 21:4)
• no more curse (Revelation 22:3)
• no more night (Revelation 22:5)

The creation of the new heavens and new earth brings the promise that God “will wipe every tear from their eyes” (Revelation 21:4). This event comes after the tribulation, after the Lord’s second coming, after the millennial kingdom, after the final rebellion, after the final judgment of Satan, and after the Great White Throne Judgment. The brief description of the new heavens and new earth is the last glimpse into eternity that the Bible gives. * (GotQuestions.org)

 

5/31/23 Oh that you would rend the heavens and come down,
that the mountains might quake at your presence—
^2 [a] as when fire kindles brushwood
and the fire causes water to boil—
to make your name known to your adversaries,
and that the nations might tremble at your presence!
³ When you did awesome things that we did not look for,
you came down, the mountains quaked at your presence.
⁴ From of old no one has heard
or perceived by the ear,
no eye has seen a God besides you,
who acts for those who wait for him.
⁵ You meet him who joyfully works righteousness,
those who remember you in your ways.
Behold, you were angry, and we sinned;
in our sins we have been a long time, and shall we be saved?^[b]
6 We have all become like one who is unclean,
and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment.
We all fade like a leaf,
and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.
⁷ There is no one who calls upon your name,
who rouses himself to take hold of you;
for you have hidden your face from us,
and have made us melt in^[c] the hand of our iniquities.

⁸ But now, O Lord, you are our Father;
we are the clay, and you are our potter;
we are all the work of your hand.
⁹ Be not so terribly angry, O Lord,
and remember not iniquity forever.
Behold, please look, we are all your people.
¹⁰ Your holy cities have become a wilderness;
Zion has become a wilderness,
Jerusalem a desolation.
¹¹ Our holy and beautiful^[d] house,
where our fathers praised you,
has been burned by fire,
and all our pleasant places have become ruins.
¹² Will you restrain yourself at these things, O Lord?
Will you keep silent, and afflict us so terribly? (Isaiah 64)

 

*“All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away” (Isaiah 64:6). This passage is often used as a proof text to condemn all our acts of goodness as nothing more than “filthy rags” in the eyes of God. The context of this passage is referring specifically to the Israelites in Isaiah’s time (760—670 B.C.) who had strayed from God. Isaiah was writing concerning his nation and their hypocrisy. Yet he includes himself in the description, saying “we” and “our.” Isaiah was redeemed and set apart as a prophet of God, yet he saw himself as part of a group that was utterly sinful. The doctrine of total depravity is taught clearly elsewhere in Scripture (e.g., Ephesians 2:1–5), and the illustration of Isaiah 64:6 could rightly be applied to the whole world, especially given Isaiah’s inclusion of himself in the description.

The term “filthy rags” is quite strong. The word filthy is a translation of the Hebrew word iddah, which literally means “the bodily fluids from a woman’s menstrual cycle.” The word rags is a translation of begged, meaning “a rag or garment.” Therefore, these “righteous acts” are considered by God as repugnant as a soiled feminine hygiene product.

As Isaiah wrote this, the Israelites had been the recipients of numerous miraculous blessings from God. Yet they had turned their backs on Him by worshiping false gods (Isaiah 42:17), making sacrifices and burning incense on strange altars (Isaiah 65:3–5). Isaiah had even called Jerusalem a harlot and compared it to Sodom (Isaiah 3:9). These people had an illusion of their own self-righteousness. Yet God did not esteem their acts of righteousness as anything but “polluted garments” or “filthy rags.” Their apostasy, or falling away from the law of God, had rendered their righteous works totally unclean. “Like the wind, [their] sins were sweeping them away” (Isaiah 64:6). Martin Luther said, “The most damnable and pernicious heresy that has ever plagued the mind of man is that somehow he can make himself good enough to deserve to live forever with an all-holy God.”

Though self-righteousness is condemned throughout the Bible (Ezekiel 33:13; Romans 3:27; Titus 3:5), we are, in fact, commanded to do good works. Paul explained that we cannot do anything to save ourselves, but our salvation comes only as a result of God’s grace (Ephesians 2:8–9). Then he proclaimed that “we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10; see also 2 Corinthians 3:5).

Our salvation is not the result of any of our efforts, abilities, intelligent choices, personal characteristics, or acts of service we may perform. However, as believers, we are “created in Christ Jesus for good works”—to help and serve others. While there is nothing we can do to earn our salvation, God’s intention is that our salvation will result in acts of service. We are saved not merely for our own benefit but to serve Christ and build up the church (Ephesians 4:12). This reconciles the seeming conflict between faith and works. Our righteous acts do not produce salvation but are, in fact, evidence of our salvation (James 1:22; 2:14–26).

In the end, we must recognize that even our righteous acts come as a result of God within us, not of ourselves. On our own, our “righteousness” is simply self-righteousness, and vain, hypocritical religion produces nothing more than “filthy rags.”

* (GotQuestions.org)

Zion’s Coming Salvation

5/30/23 For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent,
and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not be quiet,
until her righteousness goes forth as brightness,
and her salvation as a burning torch.
² The nations shall see your righteousness,
and all the kings your glory,
and you shall be called by a new name
that the mouth of the Lord will give.
³ You shall be a crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord,
and a royal diadem in the hand of your God.
⁴ You shall no more be termed Forsaken,^[a]
and your land shall no more be termed Desolate,^[b]
but you shall be called My Delight Is in Her,^[c]
and your land Married; ^[d]
for the Lord delights in you,
and your land shall be married.
⁵ For as a young man marries a young woman,
so shall your sons marry you,
and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride,
so shall your God rejoice over you.

⁶ On your walls, O Jerusalem,
I have set watchmen;
all the day and all the night
they shall never be silent.
You who put the Lord in remembrance,
take no rest,
⁷ and give him no rest
until he establishes Jerusalem
and makes it a praise in the earth.
⁸ The Lord has sworn by his right hand
and by his mighty arm:
“I will not again give your grain
to be food for your enemies,
and foreigners shall not drink your wine
for which you have labored;
⁹ but those who garner it shall eat it
and praise the Lord,
and those who gather it shall drink it
in the courts of my sanctuary.”^[e]

¹⁰ Go through, go through the gates;
prepare the way for the people;
build up, build up the highway;
clear it of stones;
lift up a signal over the peoples.
¹¹ Behold, the Lord has proclaimed
to the end of the earth:
Say to the daughter of Zion,
“Behold, your salvation comes;
behold, his reward is with him,
and his recompense before him.”
¹² And they shall be called The Holy People,
The Redeemed of the Lord;
and you shall be called Sought Out,
A City Not Forsaken. (Isaiah 62) ESV

 

Thy Kingdom Come

The New Heaven and the New Earth

David Brandt Berg

1981-05-01

Revelation chapter 22: “And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.” We’re in the Holy City now, the New Jerusalem, come down from God out of heaven to a New Earth, the capital city of the world to come, kingdom come.—Our new capital from which we will rule the world! “And in the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the Tree of Life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.”

 

There is a river which flows through this city of God, this beautiful New Jerusalem, the place that Jesus has gone to prepare for you and me, where there are many mansions in His Father’s house for us. And through the city flows this beautiful river, and on each side of the river are these beautiful trees called the Trees of Life, and they bear fruit.—Twelve kinds of fruit on one tree, think of that. A different kind of fruit every month. That’s quite a fruit tree, huh?

 

“And the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.” Outside the Holy City is the surface of the renewed earth, whose surface and atmosphere had been destroyed in the last great War of Gog and Magog and all of whose wicked had been burned up and killed, who were then judged in the Great White Throne Judgment of God. Now we’re on the renewed surface of the earth at the beautiful new Heavenly City—New Heaven, New Earth. And through it flows this beautiful River of Life flanked by the Trees of Life which have 12 fruits, a different one every month, and leaves that are able to heal the nations outside of the city.

 

For outside of the city on this globe like you see here, these nations will still be in existence. There will still be nations outside of the city. And we will have leaves from the Tree of Life for their healing. Apparently they’re still going to need help and still need healing, still need salvation, and we will have the answer to their problems.

 

They will not be allowed inside the Holy City, the beautiful City Zion, the New Jerusalem, the Bride of Christ, Space City, the capital of the kingdom of God to come, but they will be allowed upon the surface of the earth in a beautiful New Earth where there will be no more sea. Look at how much of the earth is sea! And there will be no more sea! No more Pacific, no more Atlantic, no more Indian Ocean, no more Arctic Ocean, no more sea. It will all be land, think of that! And even the United States and these nations and Europe will still be there, but they’ll need healing, and we will have the answer to their problems, in the leaves of the Tree of Life for the healing of the nations.

 

“And there shall be no more curse”—the curse, the result of sin no more—”but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it and His servants shall serve Him: And they shall see His face, and His name shall be in their foreheads. And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun.” That is in the city; we’re not talking about outside on the surface of the earth.

 

The surface of the earth outside, the planetary ball, earth, will still have sun, moon, stars, day and night, seasons etc. But in the city there’ll be no need of sun or moon or stars or candle. There’ll be no night there because it’ll be eternally lighted, forever, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. Beautifully lighted! And you’ll be able to see that city, think of it, from as far as 4000 miles away! The beautifully lighted city of God, with beautiful soft golden light all night long when it’s night upon the earth.

 

The inhabitants of the earth will be able to look up and view that beautiful city and know that God is there, that God now lives here with man. He’s come down out of heaven to make His dwelling place with man, and that’s His beautiful city, His capital city. Even if you’re not one of the denizens or one of the citizens of the city living inside the city, you’ll be able to look up from the surface of the earth and be thankful that you’re even there at all.—Even outside the city, the unsaved, one of those on probation, one of those still learning to love the Lord.

 

But you can look up at night and see that beautiful city. Isn’t that wonderful? Just think, from even 4000 miles away you’ll be able to see it! Even if it was clear across the ocean over New York you could see it from London and Paris and even almost from Rome! Think of that! Isn’t that amazing? “And they shall reign forever and ever!” Who shall reign? All the Christians who love Jesus. All are saints sanctified by His blood, purified, set apart to serve the Lord.

 

“And he said unto me, these sayings are faithful and true: and the Lord God of the Holy prophets sent His angel to show unto His servants the things which must shortly be done.” This person speaking to St. John said these things to him. Then Jesus speaks: “Behold I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book.” Quickly? What do you mean? John got Revelation 2000 years ago and Jesus isn’t here yet. Well, Jesus didn’t say He was coming soon. He said He was going to come quickly when He came. In other words, when He comes, He’s going to come real quick and in a hurry, real fast! But He didn’t say “I’m coming soon” because it’s been 2000 years since then and He hasn’t come yet.

 

Eighth verse: “And I John saw these things and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which showed me these things. “Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: Worship God.” (Revelation 22:8-9).

 

“And he saith unto me, seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book, for the time is at hand.” We found out that the book of Revelation began when? When did the revelation begin? In whose time? John’s time. The sayings of this book, the predictions and prophecies of this book began right then in John’s day. That’s why he says “the time is at hand.” And this book reviews the whole history of the world, prophetically, from the days of John till the very end. In fact, right on into heaven, Praise the Lord!

 

He says, “He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.”

 

12th verse: “And behold, I come quickly and My reward is with Me, to give every man according as his work shall be.” He didn’t say soon, but He said quickly! He’s going to come very suddenly when He comes. He’s just warning them, even 2000 years in advance, that when He finally comes, He’s going to come very quickly. He says that about three times in this passage.—Not that He’s coming soon, but that He’s going to come very quickly. He does say that the events talked about in this book are at hand, starting right now, He says to John, and this book covers the whole period from John to the end, even to heaven.

 

“My reward is with me to give every man according as his work shall be.” Everybody will be rewarded at the Judgment of Jesus Christ, the throne of Christ. Every saved Christian will be rewarded according to his works when Jesus comes. The judgment of the unsaved does not come until a thousand years later when all the unsaved are dead and destroyed and then raised to meet God at the Great White Judgment Seat described in the 20th chapter, if you want to read it.

 

But we who are resurrected and raised and raptured to be with the Lord at the end of the Tribulation, we get our rewards right away up in heaven at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb where there’s a great feast and a great ceremony, and God passes out the wedding gifts. He passes out the presents, the rewards to all of those who love the Lord. Isn’t that wonderful?

 

13th verse: “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.” Jesus is speaking again. Alpha and Omega are the first and the last letters of the Greek alphabet, meaning the beginning and the end. “Blessed are they that do His commandments, that they may have right to the Tree of Life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.” All those who do the commandments of Jesus Christ can eat of that Tree of Life that grows on both sides of the River of Life that flows right through the city like a big park.

 

The city’s going to be very, very beautiful! I’m going to tell you more about it in a few minutes. It’s going to be like a beautiful, beautiful park in some places, and there in the lower level where the river flows right through the city there’re going to be these beautiful trees growing on both sides, fruit trees with 12 different kinds of fruit, a different kind every month, think of that!—And leaves that’ll be able to heal the people outside the city that are still sin-sick, and sick from their disobediences and their rebellion against God. We’re going to be able to take those leaves outside and heal’m! TYJ!

 

We’re still going to be witnesses, think of that! We’re still going to be witnesses for the Lord and be able to take those leaves outside the city to heal the nations outside. But we who live in the city who are saved, we’re the already saved, and the only saved ones and we have a right to the Tree of Life, to drink of those beautiful waters that keep us living forever so we can help those people outside.

 

Isn’t that wonderful that we’ll still have some work to do? We won’t just be sitting around floating on clouds, fiddling with harps—that’s some worldly cartoonist’s idea, some guy who doesn’t know about what’s going to happen, really. Because we’re going to be very busy going in and picking leaves off of the Tree of Life, nice little leaflets like this one we’ve handed out for many years!

 

Here’s a little leaf from the Tree of Life right there, and we take it out and we’ll give it to the people outside, like this, and say, “Hey! Here, this’ll heal you if you’ll just take it and rub it into your heart!” It’ll heal your heart, and make you well again. Isn’t that wonderful? We’ll still be giving out little leaves, leaflets from the Tree of Life! How about that?

 

Because there are still going to be lots of unsaved people outside on the surface of the earth. They’ve been resurrected, they’ve been to the Great White Throne Judgment of God and each one’s judgment was decided upon, where they should go, some to the flames of hell itself and the Lake of Fire where the Devil and the Antichrist and the False Prophet, those three animals are, those three beasts—the Dragon, and the Beast and the False Lamb. Those three animals are going to be in hellfire.

 

“And 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.” Jesus is the morning star. “And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.”

 

18th verse: “For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book. And if any man shall take away the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.” Ah! You mustn’t add anything to this book, and you mustn’t take anything away from it.

 

Now some people say that means the whole Bible. No, he’s just talking about this particular book, the book of Revelation. You shouldn’t add anything to it, and you shouldn’t take anything from it. In fact, some of the narrow-minded, very blue-nosed evangelical fundamentalists seem to think that this is the last time God ever spoke, to John on the Isle of Patmos, and these are the last words that Jesus ever said, that He hasn’t spoken since then. Isn’t that ridiculous? We have a dead God who’s been dead and quiet and silent for 2000 years now, according to these Fundamentalist Evangelicals who accept just the Bible alone and don’t believe that Jesus has ever said anything since then.

 

God has spoken since then. And down through the ages, after this book was written, after John, God still had many prophets and prophetesses who continued to prophesy and speak with tongues and interpretation and prophecies throughout the whole 2000 years of church history since the days of John and since this book was finished. God’s prophets and prophetesses have been continuing to prophesy in these last days according to the Word of God, throughout the church of Jesus Christ, throughout the family of God, throughout all Christendom, all those that love Jesus, all Christians everywhere, millions of them.

 

And “He which testifieth of these things saith”—that’s Jesus, of course—”surely I come quickly.” He didn’t say He was coming soon, He said He was coming quickly! He didn’t say He was going to come very soon because there have been 2000 years since then. But He said when He comes He’s going to come very quickly—boom! Suddenly, like that, by surprise to the whole world.

 

But we won’t be surprised, will we? We’ll be ready for Jesus when He comes. We’ll be expecting Him, won’t we? “Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus,” the prophet says. “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.” PTL! Isn’t that a beautiful book? Wonderful, wonderful, beautiful story!

Copyright © 1981 The Family International.

The Year of the Lord‘s Favor

5/29/23 The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me,
because the Lord has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor; ^[a]
he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives,
and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; ^[b]
2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor,
and the day of vengeance of our God;
to comfort all who mourn;
³ to grant to those who mourn in Zion—
to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness instead of mourning,
the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit;
that they may be called oaks of righteousness,
the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified.^[c]
4 They shall build up the ancient ruins;
they shall raise up the former devastations;
they shall repair the ruined cities,
the devastations of many generations.

⁵ Strangers shall stand and tend your flocks;
foreigners shall be your plowmen and vinedressers;
⁶ but you shall be called the priests of the Lord;
they shall speak of you as the ministers of our God;
you shall eat the wealth of the nations,
and in their glory you shall boast.
⁷ Instead of your shame there shall be a double portion;
instead of dishonor they shall rejoice in their lot;
therefore in their land they shall possess a double portion;
they shall have everlasting joy.

⁸ For I the Lord love justice;
I hate robbery and wrong; ^[d]
I will faithfully give them their recompense,
and I will make an everlasting covenant with them.
⁹ Their offspring shall be known among the nations,
and their descendants in the midst of the peoples;
all who see them shall acknowledge them,
that they are an offspring the Lord has blessed.

¹⁰ I will greatly rejoice in the Lord;
my soul shall exult in my God,
for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation;
he has covered me with the robe of righteousness,
as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress,
and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
¹¹ For as the earth brings forth its sprouts,
and as a garden causes what is sown in it to sprout up,
so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise
to sprout up before all the nations. (Isaiah 61) ESV

Blessed Are the Poor in Spirit

A compilation

2022-06-21

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. —Matthew 5:3–4

*

The deeper we grow in the Spirit of Jesus Christ, the poorer we become—the more we realize that everything in life is a gift. The tenor of our lives becomes one of humble and joyful thanksgiving. Awareness of our poverty and ineptitude causes us to rejoice in the gift of being called out of darkness into wondrous light and translated into the kingdom of God’s beloved Son. …

I had lived for a few days at the city garbage dump in Juarez, Mexico, where little children and old men and women literally scavenged food from a mound of refuse more than thirty feet high. Several children died each week because of malnutrition and polluted water. I sent [a] six-thousand-dollar check to a man with ten children, three of whom had already died from the grinding poverty and wretched living conditions.

Do you know what the man who received the check did? He wrote me nine letters in two days—letters overflowing with gratitude and describing in detail how he was using the money to help his own family and other neighbors at the dump.

That gave me a beautiful insight into what a poor man is like. When he receives a gift he first experiences, then expresses, genuine gratitude. Having nothing, he appreciates the slightest gift. I have been given the utterly undeserved gift of salvation in Jesus Christ. Through no merit of mine, I have been given a bona fide invitation to drink new wine forever at the wedding feast in the kingdom of God. (Incidentally, for a recovering alcoholic, that’s heaven!)

But sometimes I get so involved with myself that I start making demands for things I think I deserve, or I take for granted every gift that comes my way. …

In conversation, the disciple who is truly poor in spirit always leaves the other person feeling, “My life has been enriched by talking with you.” This is neither false modesty nor phony humility. His or her life has been enriched and graced. He is not all exhaust and no intake. She does not impose herself on others. He listens well because he knows he has so much to learn from others. Her spiritual poverty enables her to enter the world of the other, even when she cannot identify with that world. … The poor in spirit are the most nonjudgmental of peoples; they get along well with sinners.

The poor man and woman of the gospel have made peace with their flawed existence. They are aware of their lack of wholeness, their brokenness, the simple fact that they don’t have it all together. While they do not excuse their sin, they are humbly aware that sin is precisely what has caused them to throw themselves at the mercy of the Father. They do not pretend to be anything but what they are: sinners saved by grace.—Brennan Manning¹

Being poor in spirit

[I]n Scripture, including in the Old Testament, poor does not necessarily mean physical poverty. It is often a technical term for those who realize that, at bottom, they need God for everything physical and spiritual. This is what Isaiah meant when he proclaimed, “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor.”²

This background makes clear that it is the Messiah who will supply the needs of the “poor.” Simeon said of Jesus Christ in Luke 2:34, “This child is set for the fall and rising again of many.” What comes before rising again? A fall—death. What did Jesus say? “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.”³ Because of our natural spiritual poverty, there must be a death of self if we are ever going to be filled with Christ.

Being poor in spirit is about God giving us a proper attitude toward ourselves and toward Him. We need to see ourselves as carrying a debt of sin and, consequently, as bankrupt before God. Knowing this about ourselves, we cry for mercy to the only One who can wipe out our debt and be our supply in our bankruptcy—we cry out to God.

This stands in contrast to so much of what we see. The spirit of our age tells us to “express” ourselves and “believe” in ourselves. We are about self-reliance, self-sufficiency, self-confidence, and so on. The countercultural truths of the Beatitudes say, “Empty self so that God can come in.” When we are full of self, we miss the blessing of God’s presence. …

We never outgrow this first beatitude. It is the basis upon which we ascend to the others. If we outgrow it, we outgrow our Christianity. Jesus told the people of the church in Laodicea in Revelation 3:17–18 that they say they are rich, have prospered, and need nothing. He tells them they are “poor” and, therefore, they should buy from Him gold refined by fire so that they might be rich; that is, rich in Him.

The fundamental posture of this beatitude is found in the tax collector in Luke 18:9–14. The Pharisee in this parable trusted in himself and his works before God. In contrast, the tax collector said, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner!” The promise follows: “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.” If we are going to enter the kingdom of heaven and be satisfied there in Christ, we must first be “poor in spirit.”—D. Blair Smith⁴

What does it mean?

The beatitudes—the blessings that really proclaim the way of Jesus… What is the foundation for all of them and for the whole value system of Jesus? I think it’s found in the very first one. As Matthew puts it, “Blessed are the poor in spirit. The reign of God is theirs.”

In Luke’s Gospel, it just says, “Blessed are the poor,” and sometimes people think, “Well, Matthew modified that. Poor in spirit—that takes a little bit of the edge off of it.” But it really doesn’t. It simply helps us to realize that when Jesus is talking about “Blessed are the poor,” he’s talking more about an attitude, a way of knowing one’s need for God, which is a disposition of the heart and not simply economic deprivation.

Poor in spirit means that we understand a profound truth about ourselves—the truth that none of us is responsible for our own existence and our own continuance of existence. Poor in spirit means we understand our need for God and who God is and who we are. Poor in spirit means we understand that without God and God’s gift to us of existence, of life, we would not be. God has loved us into being. God has loved all of creation into being, and it’s only God’s love that sustains all of creation as it continues to evolve and develop in each one of us God’s continuing love.—Thomas Gumbleton⁵

The least of these

Jesus’ earthly life in many ways was one of lowliness and service. His ministry focused on the poor, needy, and outcasts—the least of these. In the Gospels, we find examples of those He ministered to.

“Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them.”⁶

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”⁷

Jesus also pointed out some of the things that those who “are blessed of my Father” do in their lives—they feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, welcome the stranger, clothe the naked, and visit the sick and those in prison.⁸ Such acts of kindness mirror the Lord’s love and care.

Jesus’ example of humility is something we are encouraged to emulate. When referring to Christ’s humility, Paul wrote that Christians are to “have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus.”⁹ We’re told that “Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”¹⁰

If we want to cultivate humility in our lives, the starting place is a focus on God. As we grow closer to Him, spending more time concentrating on Him, learning about Him, talking with Him, and making room for Him in our lives, He grows in importance to us and begins to take up more of our “field of vision,” so to speak. When He does, we are reminded of His perfection and our lack of it. When we are in right relationship with Him, we will be humbled by the fact that He loves and values us, as imperfect as we are. This right relationship leads us to a godly balance of healthy self-esteem with genuine humility. —Peter Amsterdam

Published on Anchor June 2022. Read by Reuben Ruchevsky.
Music by John Listen.

¹ Brennan Manning, The Ragamuffin Gospel: Good News for the Bedraggled, Beat-Up, and Burnt Out (Multnomah, 2005).

² Isaiah 61:1.

³ John 12:24.

⁴ https://www.ligonier.org/learn/articles/blessed-are-poor-spirit.

⁵ https://www.ncronline.org/blogs/peace-pulpit/blessed-are-poor-what-does-mean.

⁶ Matthew 11:4–5.

⁷ Luke 4:18–19.

⁸ Matthew 25:34–46.

⁹ Philippians 2:5.

¹⁰ Matthew 23:12.

True and False Fasting

 5/27/23 “Cry aloud; do not hold back;
lift up your voice like a trumpet;
declare to my people their transgression,
to the house of Jacob their sins.
² Yet they seek me daily
and delight to know my ways,
as if they were a nation that did righteousness
and did not forsake the judgment of their God;
they ask of me righteous judgments;
they delight to draw near to God.
³ ‘Why have we fasted, and you see it not?
Why have we humbled ourselves, and you take no knowledge of it?’
Behold, in the day of your fast you seek your own pleasure,^[a]
and oppress all your workers.
⁴ Behold, you fast only to quarrel and to fight
and to hit with a wicked fist.
Fasting like yours this day
will not make your voice to be heard on high.
⁵ Is such the fast that I choose,
a day for a person to humble himself?
Is it to bow down his head like a reed,
and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him?
Will you call this a fast,
and a day acceptable to the Lord?

⁶ “Is not this the fast that I choose:
to loose the bonds of wickedness,
to undo the straps of the yoke,
to let the oppressed^[b] go free,
and to break every yoke?
⁷ Is it not to share your bread with the hungry
and bring the homeless poor into your house;
when you see the naked, to cover him,
and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?
⁸ Then shall your light break forth like the dawn,
and your healing shall spring up speedily;
your righteousness shall go before you;
the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard.
⁹ Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer;
you shall cry, and he will say, ‘Here I am.’
If you take away the yoke from your midst,
the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness,
¹⁰ if you pour yourself out for the hungry
and satisfy the desire of the afflicted,
then shall your light rise in the darkness
and your gloom be as the noonday.
¹¹ And the Lord will guide you continually
and satisfy your desire in scorched places
and make your bones strong;
and you shall be like a watered garden,
like a spring of water,
whose waters do not fail.
¹² And your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt;
you shall raise up the foundations of many generations;
you shall be called the repairer of the breach,
the restorer of streets to dwell in.

¹³ “If you turn back your foot from the Sabbath,
from doing your pleasure^[c] on my holy day,
and call the Sabbath a delight
and the holy day of the Lord honorable;
if you honor it, not going your own ways,
or seeking your own pleasure,^[d] or talking idly;^[e]
14 then you shall take delight in the Lord,
and I will make you ride on the heights of the earth;^[f]
I will feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father,
for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” (Isaiah 58) ESV

*Usually, fasting is the abstaining from food for a certain period of time. There are different types of fasting in the Bible, however, and not all of them involve food. Many people in the Bible fasted, including Moses, David, and Daniel in the Old Testament and Anna, Paul, and Jesus Christ in the New Testament. Many important figures in Christian history attested to fasting’s value, as do many Christians today.

Biblical fasting is often closely linked to repentance, as in the examples of David, the nation of Israel, and the city of Nineveh. Fasting is also related to passionate prayer, as in the examples of King Jehoshaphat and Queen Esther. Biblical fasting comes from a humble heart seeking God (Isaiah 58:3–7). John MacArthur comments on Isaiah 58: “The people complained when God did not recognize their religious actions, but God responded that their fastings had been only half-hearted. Hypocritical fasting resulted in contention, quarreling, and pretense, excluding the possibility of genuine prayer to God. Fasting consisted of more than just an outward ritual and a mock repentance, it involved penitence over sin and consequent humility, disconnecting from sin and oppression of others, feeding the hungry, and acting humanely toward those in need.”

The regular fast is done by abstaining from all food, both solid and liquid, except for water. This is the type of fasting Judah’s King Jehoshaphat called for when his country was confronted with invasion (2 Chronicles 20:3). The Lord defeated their enemies, and the men of Judah blessed the Lord (2 Chronicles 20:24–27). After the Babylonian Captivity, the people returning to Jerusalem prayed and fasted, asking God for His protection on their journey (Ezra 8:21). The Lord Jesus fasted during His forty days in the wilderness being tempted by Satan (Luke 4:2). When Jesus was hungry, Satan tempted Him to turn the stones into bread, to which Jesus replied, “Man shall not live by bread alone” (Luke 4:4).

Another type of biblical fasting is the partial fast. The prophet Daniel spent three weeks fasting from certain foods. In Daniel 10, the prophet says, “I, Daniel, mourned for three weeks. I ate no choice food; no meat or wine touched my lips; and I used no lotions at all until the three weeks were over” (Daniel 10:2–3). Note that Daniel’s fast to express his grief on this occasion only omitted “choice” food, and it also involved relinquishing the use of oils and “lotions” for refreshment. Today, many Christians follow this example and abstain from certain foods or activities for a short time, looking to the Lord for their comfort and strength.

Also mentioned in the Bible is the absolute fast, or the full fast, where no food or water is consumed. When Esther discovered the plan for all the Jews to be killed in Persia, she and her fellow Jews fasted from food and water for three days before she entered the king’s courts to ask for his mercy (Esther 4:16). Another example of an absolute fast is found in the story of Saul’s conversion. The murderous Saul encountered Jesus in His glory on the road to Damascus. “For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything” (Acts 9:9). Immediately following that time of blindness and fasting, Saul dedicated his life to preaching Jesus Christ.

In the cases of Esther and Saul, the absolute fast only lasted three days. However, Moses and Elijah took part in miraculous, forty-day absolute fasts. When Moses met God on the mountaintop to receive the tablets of stone, he ate no bread and drank no water (Deuteronomy 9:9). And, after Elijah defeated the prophets of Baal on Mt. Carmel, infuriating Queen Jezebel, Elijah fled for his life and spent forty days of fasting in the wilderness (1 Kings 19).

The Bible also mentions a sexual fast, although not by that name. In Exodus 19:15, the people of Israel were to prepare for their encounter with the Lord at Mt. Sinai, and part of their preparation was to abstain from sexual relations for three days. And in 1 Corinthians 7:5 Paul says that a married couple can mutually agree to abstain from sex for a short period of time in order to devote themselves to prayer. But then they are to “come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.”

The purpose of fasting is not to get God to respond as a genie in a bottle to grant our every wish. Fasting, whether it is regular, partial, absolute, or sexual, is a seeking after God’s heart, all other blessings and benefits being secondary to God Himself. This is what sets apart biblical fasting from other religious and cultural practices around the world. * (GotQuestions.org)

The Compassion of the Lord

 5/27/23  “Come, everyone who thirsts,
come to the waters;
and he who has no money,
come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
without money and without price.
² Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread,
and your labor for that which does not satisfy?
Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good,
and delight yourselves in rich food.
³ Incline your ear, and come to me;
hear, that your soul may live;
and I will make with you an everlasting covenant,
my steadfast, sure love for David.
⁴ Behold, I made him a witness to the peoples,
a leader and commander for the peoples.
⁵ Behold, you shall call a nation that you do not know,
and a nation that did not know you shall run to you,
because of the Lord your God, and of the Holy One of Israel,
for he has glorified you.

⁶ “Seek the Lord while he may be found;
call upon him while he is near;
⁷ let the wicked forsake his way,
and the unrighteous man his thoughts;
let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him,
and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
⁸ For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.
⁹ For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.

¹⁰ “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven
and do not return there but water the earth,
making it bring forth and sprout,
giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,
¹¹ so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;
it shall not return to me empty,
but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,
and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.

¹² “For you shall go out in joy
and be led forth in peace;
the mountains and the hills before you
shall break forth into singing,
and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.
¹³ Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress;
instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle;
and it shall make a name for the Lord,
an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.”

Jesus Really Satisfies

Virginia Brandt Berg

2018-08-13

I think if I would give my whole message in one sentence, it would be: Jesus really satisfies. Therefore, I want to read to you this scripture from Isaiah 55, because if you aren’t satisfied in your soul and yet you have known the Lord, or you have been taught along the lines of the scriptures, it’s because you’ve let material things come in and crowd Him out. Because He does satisfy.

“Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? And your labour for that which satisfieth not? Hearken diligently … and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness.”

“Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.”¹

You notice it says here that if you’re thirsty, if you’re hungry, come, and you can have the very wine of the Spirit, and the food of the gospel without any money, without any price. Then He asks a question: “Why,” He says, “do you spend money for that which is not bread and that which does not satisfy when you could have Christ, the satisfying portion?” How true that is!

There’s a song that I’ve loved through the years called “All Things in Jesus,” which expresses this well:

Friends around us are seeking to find
What the heart yearns for, by sin undermined;
I have the secret, I know where ’tis found:
Only in Jesus true pleasures abound.

Some carry burdens whose weight has for years
Crushed them with sorrow and blinded with tears;
Yet One stands ready to help them just now,
If they with faith and with penitence bow.

No other name thrills the joy chords within,
And through none else is remission of sin;
He knows the pain of the heart sorely tried,
All of its needs will in Him be supplied.

Jesus is all this sad world needs today;
Blindly men strive, for sin darkens the way.
Oh to draw back the grim curtains of night—
One glimpse of Jesus, and all will be right!

All that I want is in Jesus;
He satisfies, joy He supplies;
Life would be worthless without Him,
All things in Jesus I find.
—Harry Dixon Loes²

When Jesus is in your life, you find how truly He satisfies! And then you long to tell others also about Him. If you’ll trust His Word, believe His promises, He’ll meet them, and He’ll satisfy your every desire.

I’m thankful to the Lord for another year that has passed, very precious because He revealed Himself anew to my heart. I can say yet again as a testimony, when it comes to Jesus satisfying, that:

He was better to me than all my hopes,
He was greater than all my fears,
He made a bridge of my broken works,
And a rainbow of my tears.
—Author unknown³

As the years have passed, the wonders of God’s love and the beauty and grace of Jesus Christ have unfolded in greater magnitude and reality, until I can truly say that Jesus satisfies. He truly satisfies. I’ve been in the service of the Lord for over 50 years. In all that time we’ve been serving Him, He’s never disappointed once, and He’s answered so many prayers.

That’s a wonderful passage in the 55th chapter of Isaiah. It tells of the promise of Christ and calling to faith and repentance, and the blessings that will come to those that accept the invitation to come, buy wine, milk, bread without money, without price.

The greatest of all supernatural things is that Christ, the incarnate Savior, should plead with us in all of our emptiness to come and partake of His richness and glory. He says, “If you’re thirsty of soul, come. If you’re hungry of heart, come.” If you don’t have any money, it makes no difference to Him; come without money, come without price, but come, come to Him.

In this passage, He’s saying, “If nothing’s satisfied you, if you still have that emptiness and that aching void, come; I’ll satisfy your heart. You spent your money for that which isn’t bread, and your labor for that which isn’t satisfying; now come and eat that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness.” Would that our souls would be fat from feasting on God’s Word and believing His promises.

God’s Word declares that Jesus Christ is a satisfying portion. Millions have testified over the centuries that He has satisfied every desire of their heart. Before finding Christ, they knew nothing but the world’s work and the world’s wages, and spending money for that which didn’t satisfy. Then Jesus came into their life and there dawned upon their darkened souls a light that never was on land or sea. God’s Word calls it “the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”⁴

He knows what you are, He knows our frame, and yet just think, He humbles Himself and stoops down to your level and pleads with you to come. “Incline your ear,” He says. “Come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live.”⁵

To know the only true God in Jesus Christ is indeed satisfying. Jesus said, “He that comes to Me I will in no wise cast out.”⁶ His Word says, “Return unto the Lord and he will have mercy, and to our God, and he will abundantly pardon.”⁷ Even so, we ask You, Lord, for this abundant pardon and mercy.

He’ll meet you, and as you live in His Word and you talk to Him, you’ll grow in faith and your soul shall be satisfied. God bless you and keep you and make you a blessing to others.

From a transcript of a Meditation Moments broadcast, adapted. Published on Anchor August 2018. Read by Debra Lee.

¹ Isaiah 55:1–2, 6–7 KJV.

² Adapted from “All Things in Jesus” by Harry Dixon Loes, 1915.

³ Author unknown. Quoted in Streams in the Desert by L. B. Cowman.

⁴ 2 Corinthians 4:6.

⁵ Isaiah 55:3.

⁶ John 6:37.

⁷ Isaiah 55:7.

The Eternal Covenant of Peace

 5/26/23   “Sing, O barren one, who did not bear;
break forth into singing and cry aloud,
you who have not been in labor!
For the children of the desolate one will be more
than the children of her who is married,” says the Lord.
² “Enlarge the place of your tent,
and let the curtains of your habitations be stretched out;
do not hold back; lengthen your cords
and strengthen your stakes.
³ For you will spread abroad to the right and to the left,
and your offspring will possess the nations
and will people the desolate cities.

⁴ “Fear not, for you will not be ashamed;
be not confounded, for you will not be disgraced;
for you will forget the shame of your youth,
and the reproach of your widowhood you will remember no more.
⁵ For your Maker is your husband,
the Lord of hosts is his name;
and the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer,
the God of the whole earth he is called.
⁶ For the Lord has called you
like a wife deserted and grieved in spirit,
like a wife of youth when she is cast off,
says your God.
⁷ For a brief moment I deserted you,
but with great compassion I will gather you.
⁸ In overflowing anger for a moment
I hid my face from you,
but with everlasting love I will have compassion on you,”
says the Lord, your Redeemer.

⁹ “This is like the days of Noah^[a] to me:
as I swore that the waters of Noah
should no more go over the earth,
so I have sworn that I will not be angry with you,
and will not rebuke you.
¹⁰ For the mountains may depart
and the hills be removed,
but my steadfast love shall not depart from you,
and my covenant of peace shall not be removed,”
says the Lord, who has compassion on you.

¹¹ “O afflicted one, storm-tossed and not comforted,
behold, I will set your stones in antimony,
and lay your foundations with sapphires.^[b]
12 I will make your pinnacles of agate,^[c]
your gates of carbuncles,^[d]
and all your wall of precious stones.
¹³ All your children shall be taught by the Lord,
and great shall be the peace of your children.
¹⁴ In righteousness you shall be established;
you shall be far from oppression, for you shall not fear;
and from terror, for it shall not come near you.
¹⁵ If anyone stirs up strife,
it is not from me;
whoever stirs up strife with you
shall fall because of you.
¹⁶ Behold, I have created the smith
who blows the fire of coals
and produces a weapon for its purpose.
I have also created the ravager to destroy;
¹⁷     no weapon that is fashioned against you shall succeed,
and you shall refute every tongue that rises against you in judgment.
This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord
and their vindication^[e] from me, declares the Lord.” (Isaiah 54) ESV

 

*Isaiah’s prophecies address not only God’s judgment but also God’s grace. In them God often refers to His earlier promises, as He does in Isaiah 54:9, saying, “For this is like the waters of Noah to me.” Though Israel had broken God’s (Mosaic) covenant and would soon undergo judgment (see chapters 1—3, for example), there would be a remnant and those who would see God’s restoration afterward (Isaiah 14, 27, for example). Isaiah 54:1–3 speaks of the nation having many descendants, enlarging their tent, spreading abroad, possessing nations, and resettling cities that had been desolate. The people would forget the shame of their former disobedience (Isaiah 54:4), because God has redeemed and called them (Isaiah 54:5). The people would not be restored because of their righteousness, but in spite of their unfaithfulness God would deliver them (Isaiah 54:6).

God had judged the people briefly but would with great compassion restore them (Isaiah 54:7). The nation had been judged for a moment but would see God’s everlasting kindness and compassion (Isaiah 54:8). Because of the temporality of God’s judgment and the eternality of His blessing, in this case God says that “this is like the waters of Noah to me” (Isaiah 54:9). In the days of Noah, human wickedness had reached such an apex that God would tolerate it no further and would bring judgment (Genesis 6:5–7) through a worldwide flood. But even in the midst of that judgment God would show His mercy as He chose to protect the line of Noah because of Noah’s righteousness (Genesis 6:8; 7:1). God brought Noah, his family, and representatives from the various animal families through the judgment (Genesis 7:17–24).

After the judgment through the flood, God made a covenant with Noah and with every living thing that He would never again destroy the earth with a flood (Genesis 9:11). Because of that earlier promise, God said in Isaiah 54:9 that the current judgment would be “like the waters of Noah to me.” God had sworn that waters of Noah (or judgment) would not flood the earth again (Genesis 9:11; Isaiah 54:9), and in the same way God was now telling the people that after the judgment they would encounter, He would no longer be angry or rebuke the people (Isaiah 54:9). Even though the mountains may be removed and the hills shaken, God would not remove His lovingkindness or allow His covenant of peace to be broken (Isaiah 54:10).

God is a holy, holy, holy God (Isaiah 6:3) who does not ignore His people’s sin. He had promised that if Israel would obey the covenant He gave them through Moses that they would dwell peacefully in the land (Exodus 19:5–6; Deuteronomy 28:1–15). But if they disobeyed God, they would be judged and removed from the land (Deuteronomy 28:16–66). Yet even after that judgment took place, God would restore the people (Deuteronomy 30). The judgment would not last forever. God’s judgment of Israel would be “like the waters of Noah” to God (Isaiah 54:9) in that it would be temporary and the people would be ultimately delivered.

In a similar way, we see God’s grace poured out on those who believe in Jesus Christ—even though we are worthy of an eternal penalty (death), God loves us and sent His Son Jesus to die as a substitution in our place. He took on Himself the penalty for Israel’s sin and for ours (Isaiah 53:4–12)—in fact, He died for the whole world (1 John 2:2) so that all who believe in Him can have eternal life (John 6:47; 20:31). For those who believe in this Savior, God’s judgment is “like the waters of Noah”—we were by nature children of wrath (Ephesians 2:3), but God has saved us by His mercy (Ephesians 2:4). * (GotQuestions.org)

Isaiah 53:3-5

5/25/23  He was despised and rejected^[b] by men,
a man of sorrows^[c] and acquainted with^[d] grief;^[e]
and as one from whom men hide their faces^[f]
he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

⁴ Surely he has borne our griefs
and carried our sorrows;
yet we esteemed him stricken,
smitten by God, and afflicted.
⁵ But he was pierced for our transgressions;
he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
and with his wounds we are healed. (Isaiah 53:3-5) ESV

04 – Healing Is in the Atonement

Divine Healing

Peter Amsterdam

2012-03-20

Chapter 4

A significant principle that those whose material I studied agree on, and that has been in our Statement of Faith for decades, is that divine healing is in the atonement—that Jesus not only died for our sins so that we could be saved, but He also suffered so that we could receive physical healing.

The concept of healing fitting within the atonement is based on Isaiah 53:4–5 and Matthew 8:16–17:

Surely He took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered Him stricken by God, smitten by Him, and afflicted. But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed.^[1]

The word translated as infirmities (griefs in the KJV) is the Hebrew word choliy, meaning sickness.

Donald Dunkerley comments:

So what can we conclude about healing and the atonement?

When evening came, many who were demon-possessed were brought to Him, and He drove out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick. This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah: “He took up our infirmities and carried our diseases” (Matthew 8:16–17).

Matthew was telling us that when Jesus healed the sick, He was setting them free from illness in direct fulfillment of Isaiah 53. That beloved Old Testament prophecy cannot be spiritualized to mean that Jesus would take on Himself only our spiritual problems. Matthew saw it fulfilled in the healing of physical illness. And when Isaiah said, “By His wounds we are healed,” physical healing was very much a part of what he had in mind.

Christ died to deliver us from sin and all its consequences, including disease and death. He died to provide holiness for us in this life and resurrection and glory in the life to come. He did not, in His earthly ministry, tell people to wait for heaven before they could be healed. He healed many of them right then.^[2]

Our founder David also taught that healing was part of the atonement.

He didn’t have to suffer for our sins, He only had to shed His blood and die for our sins. But His body suffered stripes, wounds, beatings, pain and agony so that through this He could also atone for our sicknesses: “By His stripes we are healed!” (Isaiah 53:5)^[3]

Lord, You suffered in Your body for our sicknesses and our illnesses as well as for our sins. You took our infirmities in Your own body, by Your stripes we are healed. You didn’t have to do all that, Lord, but You did that for our health, to show by Your vicarious suffering that You atone for our physical bodies as well as our spiritual souls.^[4]

It’s Jesus’ body that heals them, which is what we teach. Why else was He beaten? Why else did He suffer stripes? Why else did He suffer physically without dying? If it was only His blood that was necessary to save us, why didn’t He just die and why did the Lord let Him go through all that suffering? “By His stripes we are healed.” “This is My body which is broken for you!”—Not to save us, but to heal us! (Isaiah 53:5; 1 Corinthians 11:24) It’s in the atonement, praise God! Hallelujah!^[5]

So as you partake of this [bread in communion], it’s a symbol of our faith that His body was broken for us and it is for our healing and we can claim it through the sacrifice of Christ. It’s a part of His atonement, the whole salvation for the whole man—body, soul and spirit.^[6]

While the fact that healing is part of the atonement is generally believed by those who teach healing evangelism, there is a variance in the way it is interpreted. Some believe that while physical healing is contained within the atonement and “by His stripes we are healed,” this doesn’t mean all sickness will be healed immediately or even in this lifetime. Others believe that because healing is in the atonement, this means God will heal all diseases now.

David expressed that while we can and do get healed in this life, it’s only a touch of the full healing we will experience eternally.

This little ceremony [communion] today, Lord, symbolizes our message, that You’re the whole Christ for the whole man! You meet every need, physical and spiritual. You not only save souls, but You heal bodies too. And You’re going to redeem our body completely one of these days, and give us a whole brand new one. We have experienced a little touch of it in healing. Thy healing is a little touch of resurrection life, a little bit of Heaven, it’s a little bit of redemption, a little bit of redemption of the body.

We already have the salvation of our souls by faith, but Lord, even our spirits are not yet made perfect. If we receive Thee by faith, Thy Spirit by faith and Thy healing by faith, we already have the Kingdom of God within us. We have this all by faith. We have everything, a little bit of Heaven in our bodies and in our hearts as a result of taking this by faith here and now. And yet, Lord, it’s not going to be really completely fulfilled until we receive our new Heavenly bodies and “the spirits of just men made perfect” (Hebrews 12:23)^[7]

We can also know that healing is available to us and others while we live on earth, through Jesus’ atonement. We can bring that healing to many, if we have the faith to believe what Jesus said, and to step out and pray for those in need, thus bringing them the opportunity to receive healing at God’s hand.

Godlessness in the Last Days

 5/24/23 But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. ² For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, ³ heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, ⁴ treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, ⁵ having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people. ⁶ For among them are those who creep into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and led astray by various passions, ⁷ always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth. ⁸ Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, men corrupted in mind and disqualified regarding the faith. ⁹ But they will not get very far, for their folly will be plain to all, as was that of those two men. (2 Timothy 3:1-8) ESV

In 2 Timothy 3, the apostle Paul describes the nature of people in the last days. In his description, he warns of people who are characterized as “having a form of godliness but denying its power” (verse 5). Paul then issues this command: “Have nothing to do with such people.”

Paul often uses contrast to emphasize an attribute he wishes to highlight. In 2 Timothy 3:1–4, he gives Timothy a long list of sinful behaviors and attitudes that are contrary to God’s will. In verse 5 he tells Timothy to avoid those who state they are Christians with their mouths—they have a “form” of godliness—but who act as unbelievers—they deny the power of godliness.

Those who have a form of godliness are those who make an outward display of religion. They present themselves as godly, but it is all for show. There is no power behind their religion, as evidenced in the fact that their lives are unchanged. They speak of God and live in sin, and they are fine with that arrangement. As commentator Charles Ellicott wrote, “These, by claiming the title of Christians, wearing before men the uniform of Christ, but by their lives dishonouring His name, did the gravest injury to the holy Christian cause” (Ellicott’s Bible Commentary for English Readers, entry for 2 Timothy 3:5).

These false Christians are destructive. Paul warns that they will “creep into households and make captives of gullible women loaded down with sins, led away by various lusts” and that they are “always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth” (2 Timothy 3:6–7, NKJV). He compares them to the wicked magicians who opposed Moses and warns that their folly and corrupt minds will be revealed to all eventually (verses 8–9).

The power of God, which should accompany the form of godliness, is shown through the Holy Spirit and results in the transformation of our lives. The Holy Spirit indwells the believer (1 Corinthians 6:19) and enables him to bear certain fruit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22–23). These are the attributes of a true Christian, as opposed to Paul’s list of sins in 2 Timothy 3:1–4.

Paul’s exhortation to Timothy falls in line with James’ explanation how to identify a true faith (James 2:14–26). True faith will be evidenced by good works, which will occur naturally. If a person says he is a Christian but shows no evidence in his life by bearing the fruit of the Spirit, we have to make a judgment about him and avoid that person. He may have a form of godliness, but he is denying God’s power by not letting himself be controlled by the Spirit. In fact, if his faith is not genuine, he cannot be controlled by God’s power, because the Holy Spirit does not dwell in him.

“The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Corinthians 2:14). The natural person may have a form of godliness, but he denies God’s power in the way he lives. Only faith in Jesus Christ can bring justification and the transformation he so desperately needs (Colossians 1:21–22; Romans 5:1–2). (GotQuestions.org)

 

New Heavens and a New Earth

 5/23/23 “For behold, I create new heavens
and a new earth,
and the former things shall not be remembered
or come into mind.
¹⁸ But be glad and rejoice forever
in that which I create;
for behold, I create Jerusalem to be a joy,
and her people to be a gladness.
¹⁹ I will rejoice in Jerusalem
and be glad in my people;
no more shall be heard in it the sound of weeping
and the cry of distress.
²⁰ No more shall there be in it
an infant who lives but a few days,
or an old man who does not fill out his days,
for the young man shall die a hundred years old,
and the sinner a hundred years old shall be accursed.
²¹ They shall build houses and inhabit them;
they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit.
²² They shall not build and another inhabit;
they shall not plant and another eat;
for like the days of a tree shall the days of my people be,
and my chosen shall long enjoy^[c] the work of their hands.
²³ They shall not labor in vain
or bear children for calamity,^[d]
for they shall be the offspring of the blessed of the Lord,
and their descendants with them.
²⁴ Before they call I will answer;
while they are yet speaking I will hear.
²⁵ The wolf and the lamb shall graze together;
the lion shall eat straw like the ox,
and dust shall be the serpent’s food.
They shall not hurt or destroy
in all my holy mountain,”
says the Lord. (Isaiah 65:17-25) ESV

 The Millennium

Compiled from the writings of David Brandt Berg

Back to the Garden

The earth will blossom like a rose, and all of God’s creation will be in harmony and at peace. No more of man’s inhumanity to man, but all will be peace and beauty, like the Garden of Eden restored—heaven on earth once again as it was in the beginning, but even better, because we’ll have Jesus.

“For in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert. And the parched ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water. And the desolate land shall be tilled, whereas it lay desolate in the sight of all that passed by. And they shall say, This land that was desolate is become like the Garden of Eden; and the waste and desolate and ruined cities are become fenced, and are inhabited” (Isaiah 35:6–7; Ezekiel 36:34–35).

Paul tells us that the whole earth is groaning today. “The whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain, waiting to be delivered” (Romans 8:22–23). The whole creation, in a sense, is under the curse of sin and the Devil and his demons and sin and sickness. All of God’s creation is groaning, and man’s certainly doing some groaning too. The day’s coming when the field and the trees are going to rejoice. “Let the field be joyful, and all that is therein: then shall all the trees of the wood rejoice” (Psalm 96:12). Hallelujah!

At last the Lord is going to redeem the earth and cause the beautiful Garden of Eden to blossom again as we rule and reign with Christ for a thousand years. The natural unsaved people who survived the Tribulation and wrath-of-God periods will be so amazingly blessed to be able to live during this millennial period at all, as the earth will be relieved of the curse.

“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. And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice’ den” (Isaiah 11:6–8).

You never hear about a wolf lying down with a lamb nowadays, unless the lamb is inside the wolf. Or a leopard lying down with a kid, a little baby goat. Neither have you heard about a little child leading them all. The day is coming again when there will be peace between man and the animals. Even a little child will be able to play with them.

The animals will go back to being herbivorous again and won’t eat each other, much less us. Isn’t that beautiful? Apparently man won’t eat flesh then either; we’ll all be herbivorous again. Both man and beast will return to vegetarianism during the Millennium, because apparently they won’t need the extra strength of animal flesh to survive. The curse will have been at least partially removed and man will no longer be suffering the ill effects of whatever it was that shortened life after the Flood.

From creation until the Flood, man was vegetarian, because God said specifically at the time of creation that He had given them every green thing, the herbs and plants and so on, to eat—just vegetables—no meat or flesh of any kind (Genesis 1:29–30). But after the Flood, that pre-Flood cloud covering that enveloped the earth disappeared and those deadly cosmic rays began to come through. Instead of people living eight or nine hundred or a thousand years, their lifespans were greatly reduced, as they are today. And man’s body apparently needed extra help to survive the toll of sin, so God mercifully gave him meat to eat (Genesis 9:2–3).

Of course, the skeptics always make fun of these scriptures about “the cow and the bear shall feed, and the lion shall eat straw like the ox” (Isaiah 11:7). They say, “They couldn’t possibly do that. They’re carnivorous beasts; that’s impossible.” Nothing’s impossible with the Lord (Luke 1:37). I have such confidence in this book, the Word of God and the words of Jesus and every book and every chapter and every verse in it—I have proven so many of them to be true and have found none of them to ever fail or to be false—that I believe it means exactly what it says. If they’re not going to eat each other or eat us anymore, they’re going to have to graze like the ox and the calf.

“They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain (kingdom): for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea” (Isaiah 11:9). Since there’s nothing that will hurt or destroy, there will be no venomous insects or beasts or serpents or scorpions. Even the once deadly asps and vipers will almost be like toys for the children to play with—no bite, no sting, no poison, no venom.

This, of course, will be a great blessing to the natural flesh-and-blood people of the earth who are still going to till the land and build houses and marry and be given in marriage. No doubt they will proclaim, “Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other. Truth shall spring out of the earth; and righteousness shall look down from heaven. Yea, the Lord shall give that which is good; and our land shall yield her increase” (Psalm 85:10–12).

What a wonderful place to live! The curse will be removed, all viciousness gone, and all killing and hurting stopped. There will also probably be much less disease, much less sickness, because in Isaiah it says that if someone dies when he’s 100 years old, he’ll be considered merely a child. “There shall be no more thence an infant of days, nor an old man that hath not filled his days: for the child shall die an hundred years old” (Isaiah 65:20).

Life is obviously going to be lengthened to great longevity, as it was before the Flood, when men lived to be nearly a thousand years of age. Everybody will live like Methuselah—for a thousand years (Genesis 5:27).

Why the Millennium?

The Millennium could be an additional period of grace for those who didn’t have a chance to really hear the gospel or know the Lord during this life, perhaps even because of our own failure and the failure of the church to reach the whole world with the gospel, or at least to reach everybody we should have. Particularly lots of children and young people who never had a chance and never knew any better, maybe lots of people in non-Christian countries—to give them a chance to hear and see and know the Lord.

But during the Millennium, everyone will be reached. “For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea” (Habakkuk 2:14). How do the waters cover the seas? Completely. So the world will be completely covered with the knowledge of the Lord and the righteous kingdom of Jesus Christ. Hallelujah!

It sounds like this thousand years of the millennial rule and reign of Jesus Christ on earth will be another testing time for those who remain, the unsaved who survived the wrath of God, whom God has blessed with another chance, or perhaps their first chance. They may have never really heard the gospel before; they may have never experienced the love of Jesus before or known God’s will or His ways before. It will be a time of learning His laws and His ways and His love.

It’s obvious from the Bible’s description of the Millennium that the survivors from the age of man will be given another chance through the personal rule and reign of Christ and His children and the universal knowledge of the Lord and His love. In fact, I think that’s what the whole Millennium is all about, to give these people such a chance; otherwise there would be no point to it.

In the face of the visible rule and reign of Christ on earth, His personal appearance to man, His Second Coming in mighty power and glory, His wiping out of the Antichrist and his kingdom and the imprisonment of Satan, and His obvious visible rule and reign, I think some are going to believe and receive who perhaps never heard before. And maybe there will be some who might have heard but didn’t understand or couldn’t believe until they saw something.

To see the coming of the Lord and His taking over the reins of this earth to rule and reign—that’s pretty strong persuasion and enough to convince almost anybody to believe and receive. So I think the Millennium will be the time when God gives what I would call not a second chance, but a first chance to a lot of people who didn’t have a chance before.

“For in that day shall the deaf hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity, and out of darkness. The meek also shall increase their joy in the Lord, and the poor among men shall rejoice in the Holy One of Israel. Behold, a king shall reign in righteousness, and princes shall rule in judgment. And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it” (Isaiah 29:18–19; 32:1; 40:5).

Everyone on earth will see His glorious power and kingdom, and everybody will believe then. He even says, “And they shall teach no more every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for they shall all know Me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord” (Jeremiah 31:34).

There won’t be any unbelievers then, but I’m afraid there will be some unreceivers who will still be rebellious and iniquitous at heart and defiant. It’s obvious from the scriptures that there will be many who will receive and obey and will be blessed of the Lord—and others who will still rebel.

It looks to me like the Millennium is going to be another testing time or trying time, a proving ground. We, the saints, who heard the gospel and voluntarily received the Lord, will be running things under the direct supervision of the Lord. And all of the people who survived the Tribulation, the wrath of God and the Battle of Armageddon, we’re going to govern and judge and organize and teach them.

They’ll all “know the Lord” and will actually see that He and His kingdom are real, but they may not know Him as well or as personally as we do, because we already knew Him in this life and learned to know Him well and communicate with Him and love Him and serve Him throughout this life. I think it will be part of our job to reeducate them in the ways of the Lord. They’re going to be just as human as you and I are right now. They won’t be any more supernatural in their intelligence or in their mental capacities or the ways they have to learn than we are in this present age.

The scriptures definitely confirm that the Millennium is going to be a period of learning for them: “Many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and He will teach us of His ways, and we will walk in His paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the Word of the Lord from Jerusalem” (Micah 4:2).

The Lord’s Chosen Servant

 5/22/23 Behold my servant, whom I uphold,
my chosen, in whom my soul delights;
I have put my Spirit upon him;
he will bring forth justice to the nations.
² He will not cry aloud or lift up his voice,
or make it heard in the street;
³ a bruised reed he will not break,
and a faintly burning wick he will not quench;
he will faithfully bring forth justice.
⁴ He will not grow faint or be discouraged^[a]
till he has established justice in the earth;
and the coastlands wait for his law.

⁵ Thus says God, the Lord,
who created the heavens and stretched them out,
who spread out the earth and what comes from it,
who gives breath to the people on it
and spirit to those who walk in it:
⁶ “I am the Lord; I have called you^[b] in righteousness;
I will take you by the hand and keep you;
I will give you as a covenant for the people,
a light for the nations,
⁷     to open the eyes that are blind,
to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon,
from the prison those who sit in darkness.
⁸ I am the Lord; that is my name;
my glory I give to no other,
nor my praise to carved idols.
⁹ Behold, the former things have come to pass,
and new things I now declare;
before they spring forth
I tell you of them.”(Isaiah 42:1-9) ESV

*A servant is someone who carries out the will of another. The Servant of the Lord fulfills God’s will and is often presented in Scripture as someone chosen by God to hold a leadership position, to represent Him, and to accomplish a certain divine work. In the Bible, the term Servant of the Lord has been applied to individual people, certain groups of people, the nation of Israel, and the Messiah, who is identified as Jesus Christ in the New Testament.

The book of Isaiah contains four “Servant Songs” describing the Servant of the Lord. The first is found in Isaiah 42:1–9; the second in Isaiah 49:1–13; the third in Isaiah 50:4–11; and the fourth in Isaiah 52:13 through 53:12. In Jewish tradition, the Servant of the Lord in all four passages refers to the nation of Israel. In the final Servant Song of Isaiah 53, a singular pronoun he is used for the Servant of the Lord. Rabbis understand this singular pronoun to be a collective reference to a faithful remnant of Israel, a personification treating the group as one person.

The New Testament clearly identifies the Servant of the Lord in Isaiah as our Savior, Jesus Christ of Nazareth. This unique Servant takes a preeminent place above all others in Scripture. This perfect Servant never fails to accomplish the will of the Lord and the purposes of God (John 17:5). The final Servant Song (Isaiah 53) is about an innocent Suffering Servant who dies in place of the guilty. That passage foretells the life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Isaiah 53:3 says about the Servant of the Lord, “He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.” Jesus was despised by the religious people of His day and rejected as their Messiah.

Jesus Christ, the Servant of the Lord, was “pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5). In giving His life for us, “he was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth” (verse 7). At His trial, Jesus did not defend Himself but remained silent against His accusers. He suffered and died in the place of guilty sinners. The sins of all people were placed upon Him, the sacrificial Lamb of God. Jesus paid the price for our salvation. These are just a few of many details in Isaiah 53 that point to Jesus Christ as the fulfillment of messianic prophecy (Matthew 8:17; Luke 22:37; John 12:38; Acts 8:32–33; Romans 10:16; 1 Peter 2:22, 24–25).

When God the Son came to earth, He took on the role of a servant. The Creator chose to serve His creatures. Jesus said that He had come “to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28). In the book of Acts, the word servant is applied to Jesus four times in connection with His death (Acts 3:13, 26; 4:27, 30 ). The humility of Jesus, the Servant of the Lord, is unmistakably seen in Philippians 2:7–8: “He gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross” (NLT).

While Jesus the Messiah is the ultimate fulfillment of prophecies concerning the Servant of the Lord, the Bible also applies the title to others. In the Old Testament, God describes about fifteen different individuals as “My servant” or “the servant of the Lord.”

In the New Testament, several believers define themselves or are named by God as servants of the Lord. They include Mary the mother of Jesus (Luke 1:38, 48), Simeon (Luke 2:29), Paul (Acts 27:2; Romans 1:1; Ephesians 3:1), James (James 1:1), Simon Peter (2 Peter 1:1), Jude (Jude 1), and John (Revelation 1:1). All of these servants are simply following the example of the ultimate Servant of the Lord, Jesus Christ.

* (GotQuestions.org)

 

God Will Swallow Up Death Forever

5/21/23 On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples
a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine,
of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined.
⁷ And he will swallow up on this mountain
the covering that is cast over all peoples,
the veil that is spread over all nations.
⁸     He will swallow up death forever;
and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces,
and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth,
for the Lord has spoken.
⁹ It will be said on that day,
“Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he might save us.
This is the Lord; we have waited for him;
let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.”
¹⁰ For the hand of the Lord will rest on this mountain,
and Moab shall be trampled down in his place,
as straw is trampled down in a dunghill.^[a]    (Isaiah 25:6-10)

*The Bible never specifically mentions tears in heaven. Jesus speaks of the rejoicing that takes place in heaven when one sinner repents (Luke 15:7, 10). The Bible says that, even now, those who believe in Jesus Christ “are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy” (1 Peter 1:8)—if our earthly lives are so characterized by joy, what must heaven be like? Surely, heaven will be a much more joyful place. By contrast, Jesus described hell as a place of weeping and “gnashing of teeth” (Luke 13:28). So, after a cursory look at Scripture, it seems that tears will be a part of hell’s domain, and heaven will be tear-free.

The promise of God has always been to take away the sorrow of His people and replace it with joy. “Weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning” (Psalm 30:5). And “those who sow with tears will reap with songs of joy” (Psalm 126:5). As in all else, Jesus is our model in this. Our Lord is “the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2). Jesus’ weeping gave way to awaiting joy.

There is coming a time when God will remove all tears from His redeemed ones. “He will swallow up death forever. The Sovereign LORD will wipe away the tears from all faces; he will remove his people’s disgrace from all the earth. The LORD has spoken” (Isaiah 25:8). The apostle John quotes Isaiah’s prophecy as he records his vision of heaven in Revelation 7:17. At the very end of time, God fulfills His promise: “He will wipe every tear from their eyes” (Revelation 21:4). What’s interesting is the timing of this event: it happens after the Great White Throne Judgment (Revelation 20:11–15) and after the creation of the new heavens and new earth (Revelation 21:1).

Consider this: if God wipes away every tear after the new creation, that means that tears could still be possible up to that point. It is conceivable, though by no means sure, that there are tears in heaven leading up to the new creation. Tears in heaven would seem out of place, but here are a few times in which we could speculate that tears might fall, even in heaven:

1) At the Judgment Seat of Christ. Believers will face a time when “the quality of each person’s work” will be tested (1 Corinthians 3:13). He whose works are found to be “wood, hay, or straw . . . will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames” (verses 12 and 15). Suffering the loss of a reward will certainly be a sad time—could it be a time of tears in heaven, as we realize how much more we could have honored the Lord? Perhaps.

2) During the tribulation. After the fifth seal is broken, the persecution of believers during the tribulation intensifies. Many are slain by the beast or Antichrist. These martyrs are pictured in Revelation 6 as being under the altar in heaven, waiting for the Lord to enact vengeance: “They called out in a loud voice, ‘How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?’” (verse 10). These souls are in heaven, but they still remember the occasion of their death, and they seek justice. Could these individuals be shedding tears as they keep vigil? Perhaps.

3) At the eternal doom of loved ones. Assuming that people in heaven have some knowledge of what happens on earth, it might be possible that we will know when a loved one rejects Christ and passes into a godless eternity. This would be a distressing knowledge, naturally. During the Great White Throne Judgment, will those in heaven be able to see the proceedings, and, if so, will they shed tears over those who are damned? Perhaps.

Again, we have been speculating. There is no biblical mention of tears in heaven. Heaven will be a place of comfort, rest, fellowship, glory, praise, and joy. If there are tears, for the reasons listed above, they will all be wiped away in the eternal state. “Comfort, comfort my people, says your God” (Isaiah 40:1). And “he who was seated on the throne said, ‘I am making everything new!’” (Revelation 21:5). *(GotQuestions.org)

 

The Judgment of Babylon

 5/20/23 Wail, for the day of the Lord is near;
as destruction from the Almighty^[c] it will come!
⁷ Therefore all hands will be feeble,
and every human heart will melt.
⁸ They will be dismayed:
pangs and agony will seize them;
they will be in anguish like a woman in labor.
They will look aghast at one another;
their faces will be aflame.

⁹ Behold, the day of the Lord comes,
cruel, with wrath and fierce anger,
to make the land a desolation
and to destroy its sinners from it.
¹⁰ For the stars of the heavens and their constellations
will not give their light;
the sun will be dark at its rising,
and the moon will not shed its light.
¹¹ I will punish the world for its evil,
and the wicked for their iniquity;
I will put an end to the pomp of the arrogant,
and lay low the pompous pride of the ruthless.
¹² I will make people more rare than fine gold,
and mankind than the gold of Ophir.
¹³ Therefore I will make the heavens tremble,
and the earth will be shaken out of its place,
at the wrath of the Lord of hosts
in the day of his fierce anger. (Isaiah 13:6-13) ESV

The phrase “day of the Lord” usually identifies events that take place at the end of history (Isaiah 7:18-25) and is often closely associated with the phrase “that day.” One key to understanding these phrases is to note that they always identify a span of time during which God personally intervenes in history, directly or indirectly, to accomplish some specific aspect of His plan.

Most people associate the day of the Lord with a period of time or a special day that will occur when God’s will and purpose for His world and for mankind will be fulfilled. Some scholars believe that the day of the Lord will be a longer period of time than a single day—a period of time when Christ will reign throughout the world before He cleanses heaven and earth in preparation for the eternal state of all mankind. Other scholars believe the day of the Lord will be an instantaneous event when Christ returns to earth to redeem His faithful believers and send unbelievers to eternal damnation.

*The phrase “the day of the Lord” is used often in the Old Testament (e.g. Isaiah 2:12; 13:6, 9; Ezekiel 13:5, 30:3; Joel 1:15, 2:1,11,31; 3:14; Amos 5:18,20; Obadiah 15; Zephaniah 1:7,14; Zechariah 14:1; Malachi 4:5) and several times in the New Testament (e.g. Acts 2:20; 1 Corinthians 5:5; 2 Corinthians 1:14; 1 Thessalonians 5:2; 2 Thessalonians 2:2; 2 Peter 3:10). It is also alluded to in other passages (Revelation 6:17; 16:14).

The Old Testament passages dealing with the day of the Lord often convey a sense of imminence, nearness, and expectation: “Wail, for the day of the Lord is near!” (Isaiah 13:6); “For the day is near, even the day of the Lord is near” (Ezekiel 30:3); “Let all who live in the land tremble, for the day of the Lord is coming. It is close at hand” (Joel 2:1); “Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision” (Joel 3:14); “Be silent before the Lord God! For the day of the Lord is near” (Zephaniah 1:7). This is because the Old Testament passages referring to the day of the Lord often speak of both a near and a far fulfillment, as does much of Old Testament prophecy. Some Old Testament passages that refer to the day of the Lord describe historical judgments that have already been fulfilled in some sense (Isaiah 13:6-22; Ezekiel 30:2-19; Joel 1:15, 3:14; Amos 5:18-20; Zephaniah 1:14-18), while others refers to divine judgments that will take place toward the end of the age (Joel 2:30-32; Zechariah 14:1; Malachi 4:1, 5).

The New Testament calls it a day of “wrath,” a day of “visitation,” and the “great day of God Almighty” (Revelation 16:14) and refers to a still future fulfillment when God’s wrath is poured out on unbelieving Israel (Isaiah 22; Jeremiah 30:1-17; Joel 1-2; Amos 5; Zephaniah 1) and on the unbelieving world (Ezekiel 38–39; Zechariah 14). The Scriptures indicate that “the day of the Lord” will come quickly, like a thief in the night (Zephaniah 1:14-15; 1 Thessalonians 5:2), and therefore Christians must be watchful and ready for the coming of Christ at any moment.

Besides being a time of judgment, it will also be a time of salvation as God will deliver the remnant of Israel, fulfilling His promise that “all of Israel will be saved” (Romans 11:26), forgiving their sins and restoring His chosen people to the land He promised to Abraham (Isaiah 10:27; Jeremiah 30:19-31, 40; Micah 4; Zechariah 13). The final outcome of the day of the Lord will be that “the arrogance of man will be brought low and the pride of men humbled; the Lord alone will be exalted in that day” (Isaiah 2:17). The ultimate or final fulfillment of the prophecies concerning the day of the Lord will come at the end of history when God, with wondrous power, will punish evil and fulfill all His promises. *(GotQuestions.org)

  6/14/23 The word of the Lord that came to Joel, the son of Pethuel:

An Invasion of Locusts

² Hear this, you elders;
give ear, all inhabitants of the land!
Has such a thing happened in your days,
or in the days of your fathers?
³ Tell your children of it,
and let your children tell their children,
and their children to another generation.

⁴ What the cutting locust left,
the swarming locust has eaten.
What the swarming locust left,
the hopping locust has eaten,
and what the hopping locust left,
the destroying locust has eaten.

⁵ Awake, you drunkards, and weep,
and wail, all you drinkers of wine,
because of the sweet wine,
for it is cut off from your mouth.
⁶ For a nation has come up against my land,
powerful and beyond number;
its teeth are lions’ teeth,
and it has the fangs of a lioness.
⁷ It has laid waste my vine
and splintered my fig tree;
it has stripped off their bark and thrown it down;
their branches are made white.

⁸ Lament like a virgin^[a] wearing sackcloth
for the bridegroom of her youth.
⁹ The grain offering and the drink offering are cut off
from the house of the Lord.
The priests mourn,
the ministers of the Lord.
¹⁰ The fields are destroyed,
the ground mourns,
because the grain is destroyed,
the wine dries up,
the oil languishes.

¹¹ Be ashamed,^[b] O tillers of the soil;
wail, O vinedressers,
for the wheat and the barley,
because the harvest of the field has perished.
¹² The vine dries up;
the fig tree languishes.
Pomegranate, palm, and apple,
all the trees of the field are dried up,
and gladness dries up
from the children of man.

A Call to Repentance

¹³ Put on sackcloth and lament, O priests;
wail, O ministers of the altar.
Go in, pass the night in sackcloth,
O ministers of my God!
Because grain offering and drink offering
are withheld from the house of your God.

¹⁴ Consecrate a fast;
call a solemn assembly.
Gather the elders
and all the inhabitants of the land
to the house of the Lord your God,
and cry out to the Lord.

¹⁵ Alas for the day!
For the day of the Lord is near,
and as destruction from the Almighty^[c] it comes.
¹⁶ Is not the food cut off
before our eyes,
joy and gladness
from the house of our God?

¹⁷ The seed shrivels under the clods;^[d]
the storehouses are desolate;
the granaries are torn down
because the grain has dried up.
¹⁸ How the beasts groan!
The herds of cattle are perplexed
because there is no pasture for them;
even the flocks of sheep suffer.^[e]

¹⁹ To you, O Lord, I call.
For fire has devoured
the pastures of the wilderness,
and flame has burned
all the trees of the field.
²⁰ Even the beasts of the field pant for you
because the water brooks are dried up,
and fire has devoured
the pastures of the wilderness. (Joel 1) ESV

*The book of Joel mentions four types of locusts that would destroy the agriculture of Israel. Joel 1:4 says, “What the cutting locust left, the swarming locust has eaten. What the swarming locust left, the hopping locust has eaten, and what the hopping locust left, the destroying locust has eaten” (ESV). When were these predictions fulfilled? Were these literal locusts or a metaphorical reference to something else?

The time of the fulfillment depends, to some extent, on the date the book of Joel was originally written. Scholars debate the exact time of composition, but it was likely around 845 B.C.

In chapter 1, Joel describes the devastation caused by an invasion of locusts. The damage is so severe that the nation is brought to ruin; every strata of society is affected: drunkards (Joel 1:5-7), citizens of Jerusalem (Joel 1:8-10), farmers (Joel 1:11-12), and priests (Joel 1:13). The prophet then calls on the people of God to repent.

Some interpreters see the locusts as symbolic of an invading army, suggesting the locusts refer to another animal such as a horse (similar to Jeremiah 51:27). Other commentators view these locusts as a reference to modern-day helicopters, interpreting Joel’s prophecy as a prediction of a future war. However, such views neglect the intention of the author and the understanding of the original audience. Israelites saw locust swarms as deadly due to the locusts’ ability to wipe out an entire year’s harvest. Locust plagues had been seen before (Exodus 10:1-3; Psalm 105:34-35).

There is no doubt that Joel was warning his readers about a future day when God would judge all people. Most likely, Joel used a recent devastation of locusts as an illustration of Judgment Day. The disaster brought upon Israel’s agriculture was a small taste of a coming judgment on Israel and a later judgment upon the whole earth. Part of this prophecy was fulfilled when Israel was defeated by its enemies and taken into exile. The remaining judgments (2:28ff) will take place in the future Day of the Lord.

In summary, the prophet Joel is most likely referring to a literal locust invasion that took place shortly before his writing, around 845 B.C. The literal swarms of locusts that invaded in successive waves to destroy the crops of Israel spoke of a soon-coming invasion of enemies as well as a future day of judgment. * (GotQuestions.org)

A Plea to Return to the Lord

 6/13/23 Return, O Israel, to the Lord your God,
for you have stumbled because of your iniquity.
² Take with you words
and return to the Lord;
say to him,
“Take away all iniquity;
accept what is good,
and we will pay with bulls
the vows^[a] of our lips.
³ Assyria shall not save us;
we will not ride on horses;
and we will say no more, ‘Our God,’
to the work of our hands.
In you the orphan finds mercy.”

⁴ I will heal their apostasy;
I will love them freely,
for my anger has turned from them.
⁵ I will be like the dew to Israel;
he shall blossom like the lily;
he shall take root like the trees of Lebanon;
⁶ his shoots shall spread out;
his beauty shall be like the olive,
and his fragrance like Lebanon.
⁷ They shall return and dwell beneath my^[b] shadow;
they shall flourish like the grain;
they shall blossom like the vine;
their fame shall be like the wine of Lebanon.

⁸ O Ephraim, what have I to do with idols?
It is I who answer and look after you.^[c]
I am like an evergreen cypress;
from me comes your fruit.

⁹ Whoever is wise, let him understand these things;
whoever is discerning, let him know them;
for the ways of the Lord are right,
and the upright walk in them,
but transgressors stumble in them. (Hosea 14) ESV

*The book of Hosea gives us a beautiful portrait of God’s grace. The prophet’s mission included experiencing the betrayal of an unfaithful wife. God used that broken relationship as an analogy. God is Hosea. Hosea’s wife’s sexual infidelity represents Israel’s spiritual adultery through idol worship and abandoning God’s holy laws. Through Hosea, God promises to remain faithful, first disciplining His people and then graciously restoring them to intimacy with Himself: “Then I will heal you of your faithlessness; my love will know no bounds, for my anger will be gone forever. I will be to Israel like a refreshing dew from heaven. Israel will blossom like the lily; it will send roots deep into the soil like the cedars in Lebanon” (Hosea 14:4–5, NLT).

Dew results from moisture condensation as warm air mixes with the cool night air. It appears as tiny droplets or a fine mist blanketing the ground, plants, and other surfaces. In ancient Israel’s arid climate, dew provided an essential source of moisture for successfully growing and harvesting plants.

God is like the dew in that He sends down refreshment, nourishment, healing, and new life to the wayward children of Israel. The people had been dead in sin, but God promised that they would bloom again like the beautiful lilies because He would water their dry and thirsty souls. The Lord’s healing, heaven-sent dew would cause the new plant to grow healthy and strong. The nation would be established again, sending deep roots down into fertile soil like the great cedars in Lebanon. Israel would be rebuilt on a solid, unshakable foundation.

Elsewhere in Scripture, God is like the dew in that His teachings “fall like rain” and His words “descend like dew, like showers on new grass, like abundant rain on tender plants” (Deuteronomy 32:2). The prophet Isaiah affirms the life-giving quality of God’s Word: “The rain and snow come down from the heavens and stay on the ground to water the earth. They cause the grain to grow, producing seed for the farmer and bread for the hungry. It is the same with my word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it” (Isaiah 55:10–11, NLT).

God is like the dew in that He consistently and mysteriously provides for our daily needs. When God sustained Israel in the wilderness, He nourished them with manna, the miraculous bread from heaven (Exodus 16:13–21). The historical record associates manna with dew: “When the dew settled on the camp at night, the manna also came down” (Numbers 11:9).

In Isaiah 18:4, the Lord looked down from heaven and prepared the nations for his harvest “as quietly as the heat rises on a summer day, or as the morning dew forms during the harvest” (NLT). Just as the dew causes new life to sprout from the ground, so God will raise the dead out of the earth: “But your dead will live, LORD; their bodies will rise—let those who dwell in the dust wake up and shout for joy—your dew is like the dew of the morning; the earth will give birth to her dead” (Isaiah 26:19).

Since dew is a source of refreshing and revitalization for plant life, it symbolizes refreshment and blessing throughout the Scriptures. In Psalm 133:1–3, King David likened the dew of Mount Hermon falling on the mountains of Zion to the blessing of God’s people dwelling together in harmony. When Isaac blessed Jacob, he prayed, “May God give you heaven’s dew and earth’s richness—an abundance of grain and new wine” (Genesis 27:28). Dew is also a sign of renewal and prosperity in the Bible (Micah 5:7; Job 29:19). In wisdom literature, God’s infinite knowledge covers the whole realm of creation like dew, yet remains a mystery to humans (Job 38:28; Proverbs 3:20; Psalm 147:8; Jeremiah 14:22; Job 36:28). The king’s favor was “like dew on the grass” (Proverbs 19:12).

God is like the dew, pouring out His grace and blanketing our lives with His great faithfulness. His steadfast love and tender mercies appear anew every morning, exactly like the dew (Lamentations 3:22). * (GotQuestions.org)

The Lord‘s Relentless Judgment on Israel

 6/12/23 When Ephraim spoke, there was trembling;
he was exalted in Israel,
but he incurred guilt through Baal and died.
² And now they sin more and more,
and make for themselves metal images,
idols skillfully made of their silver,
all of them the work of craftsmen.
It is said of them,
“Those who offer human sacrifice kiss calves!”
³ Therefore they shall be like the morning mist
or like the dew that goes early away,
like the chaff that swirls from the threshing floor
or like smoke from a window.

⁴ But I am the Lord your God
from the land of Egypt;
you know no God but me,
and besides me there is no savior.
⁵ It was I who knew you in the wilderness,
in the land of drought;
⁶ but when they had grazed,^[a] they became full,
they were filled, and their heart was lifted up;
therefore they forgot me.
⁷ So I am to them like a lion;
like a leopard I will lurk beside the way.
⁸ I will fall upon them like a bear robbed of her cubs;
I will tear open their breast,
and there I will devour them like a lion,
as a wild beast would rip them open.

⁹ He destroys^[b] you, O Israel,
for you are against me, against your helper.
¹⁰ Where now is your king, to save you in all your cities?
Where are all your rulers—
those of whom you said,
“Give me a king and princes”?
¹¹ I gave you a king in my anger,
and I took him away in my wrath.

¹² The iniquity of Ephraim is bound up;
his sin is kept in store.
¹³ The pangs of childbirth come for him,
but he is an unwise son,
for at the right time he does not present himself
at the opening of the womb.

¹⁴ I shall ransom them from the power of Sheol;
I shall redeem them from Death.^[c]
O Death, where are your plagues?
O Sheol, where is your sting?
Compassion is hidden from my eyes.

¹⁵ Though he may flourish among his brothers,
the east wind, the wind of the Lord, shall come,
rising from the wilderness,
and his fountain shall dry up;
his spring shall be parched;
it shall strip his treasury
of every precious thing.
^16 [d] Samaria shall bear her guilt,
because she has rebelled against her God;
they shall fall by the sword;
their little ones shall be dashed in pieces,
and their pregnant women ripped open. (Hosea 13) ESV

Comparing different translations of the Bible, readers may notice a contrast at Hosea 13:14. Some Bible translations, such as the NIV, say that God will deliver Israel from death:

“I will deliver this people from the power of the grave;
I will redeem them from death.
Where, O death, are your plagues?
Where, O grave, is your destruction?”

Other translations, such as the NET, say that God will not deliver Israel:

“Will I deliver them from the power of Sheol? No, I will not!
Will I redeem them from death? No, I will not!
O Death, bring on your plagues!
O Sheol, bring on your destruction!
My eyes will not show any compassion!”

Are the first two sentences declarative (“I will”), or are they interrogative (“Will I?”)? As declarative sentences, the text implies a promise that God will rescue the people; as interrogative sentences, God is stating He will not. Compounding the issue is Paul’s use, in 1 Corinthians 15:55, of part of the Hosea passage. “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” is often recited as a Christian victory cry.

The root cause of the uncertainty is the structure of ancient language. In Ancient Hebrew, which has no punctuation, questions are identified in various ways. Some use explicit question words, translated as “who” or “why,” as in the first half of Genesis 4:9. Other questions add the Hebrew letter he (ה) before the statement, as in the second half of Genesis 4:9. In other cases, the question is identified purely by context: where a declaration seems out of place, it may be that it was meant as a rhetorical question, especially if that approach better fits the message of the surrounding passage. Hosea 13:14 seems to be one of those instances. The process feels unnatural to most English speakers but was instinctive for native Hebrew readers.

Close examination suggests the rhetorical “will I?” interpretation is more accurate. A promise of deliverance doesn’t fit with the rest of the text. Everything in the passage involves God’s judgment against Ephraim. In fact, threat builds throughout the chapter. In Hosea 13:14, God rhetorically asks about sparing Ephraim, and then He answers His own question by calling for the plagues of death and the sting of Sheol, declaring His eyes will not show compassion. This would be like a judge saying, “Shall I let this prisoner go? Executioner, where is your axe? I will not have pity.”

This raises the question of Paul’s reference to this verse, seen in 1 Corinthians 15:55. Paul begins in verse 54 by quoting Isaiah 25:8, declaring the defeat of death. His next quotation is from Hosea 13:14—the references to the powers of death. In the original Old Testament text, God is calling on those forces to bring judgment against Ephraim. Paul, in citing the same text, is using the words as a taunt against death—exclaiming how law and sin bring us doom, but Christ brings us salvation (1 Corinthians 15:56–57). Using the same analogy as above, a person rescued from execution might celebrate by repeating the judge’s question “Executioner, where is your axe?” as a way to highlight his victory.

Why, then, do some translations choose to phrase Hosea 13:14 as a promise, not a threat? Individual translation teams will have their own reasons. It may be that the connection to 1 Corinthians 15:55 and tradition weigh heavily on their decision. Others may disagree that the context suggests a question, noting that Hosea does have a habit of abruptly switching tone and topic.

It’s also important to note that the two choices—promise or threat—don’t present any doctrinal conflict. In other words, the difference between the two options is practically irrelevant. Hosea chapter 13 clearly means Ephraim will be judged. The only question is whether verse 14 is an uninterrupted part of that prophecy or one of many Old Testament references to the coming Messiah (see Daniel 9:25–26; Psalm 132:11; Isaiah 35:5–6).
* (GotQuestions.org)

The Lord’s Love for Israel 

 6/11/23 When Israel was a child, I loved him,
and out of Egypt I called my son.
² The more they were called,
the more they went away;
they kept sacrificing to the Baals
and burning offerings to idols.

³ Yet it was I who taught Ephraim to walk;
I took them up by their arms,
but they did not know that I healed them.
⁴ I led them with cords of kindness,^[a]
with the bands of love,
and I became to them as one who eases the yoke on their jaws,
and I bent down to them and fed them.

⁵ They shall not^[b] return to the land of Egypt,
but Assyria shall be their king,
because they have refused to return to me.
⁶ The sword shall rage against their cities,
consume the bars of their gates,
and devour them because of their own counsels.
⁷ My people are bent on turning away from me,
and though they call out to the Most High,
he shall not raise them up at all.

⁸ How can I give you up, O Ephraim?
How can I hand you over, O Israel?
How can I make you like Admah?
How can I treat you like Zeboiim?
My heart recoils within me;
my compassion grows warm and tender.
⁹ I will not execute my burning anger;
I will not again destroy Ephraim;
for I am God and not a man,
the Holy One in your midst,
and I will not come in wrath.^[c]

¹⁰ They shall go after the Lord;
he will roar like a lion;
when he roars,
his children shall come trembling from the west;
¹¹ they shall come trembling like birds from Egypt,
and like doves from the land of Assyria,
and I will return them to their homes, declares the Lord.
^12 [d] Ephraim has surrounded me with lies,
and the house of Israel with deceit,
but Judah still walks with God
and is faithful to the Holy One.(Hosea 11) ESV

*Hosea 11:1 states, “When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son.” Is this verse a Messianic prophecy?

The context of this verse speaks of the relationship the Lord had with the nation of Israel. The Lord loved Israel (Exodus 4:22-23) and rescued the people from slavery under Pharaoh, bringing them into the Promised Land. The analogy is that of God as the father and Israel as the child.

Jewish readers would have clearly understood this important statement. God’s supernatural power served as the basis of the nation’s freedom from Egypt and escape to a new land. The parallelism in the verse is Israel/child/son and loved/called. In both clauses, “I” (God) is the One initiating the action.

Matthew 2:13-15 provides further insight: “Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, ‘Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.’ And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, ‘Out of Egypt I called my son.’”

Matthew uses Hosea’s statement to show that the coming of the Messiah is an extension of the Lord’s love to His people. Matthew does not say that Hosea had Jesus in mind when Hosea 11:1 was originally written. Instead, Matthew says that the experience of Jesus matched what Hosea had written about Israel. Jesus was God’s Son, and He made a trip from Egypt to the land of Israel. Matthew was showing that Jesus completed what began with the exodus, connecting Jesus with the promise of Abraham and the leadership of Moses. The “calling” of God’s “son” (Israel) began in ages past and found its completion in the coming of Christ to fulfill the Law and the Prophets.

In summary, Hosea 11:1 is not a Messianic prophecy in the same way that prophecies such as Isaiah 9:6 are. Rather, it is a pictorial prophecy; that is, there are similarities in the Old Testament passage to a New Testament truth about Christ. This Old Testament “picture” of Christ is called a “type.” Matthew 2:15 can be seen as an analogy. Matthew is providing a connection between Jesus and God’s people of promise. As a Jew writing for primarily Jewish readers, Matthew found it important to point out many of the similarities between the nation of Israel and their Messiah, the One to fulfill the Prophets (Matthew 5:17).
* (GotQuestions.org)

Israel Will Reap the Whirlwind

 6/10/23 Set the trumpet to your lips!
One like a vulture is over the house of the Lord,
because they have transgressed my covenant
and rebelled against my law.
² To me they cry,
“My God, we—Israel—know you.”
³ Israel has spurned the good;
the enemy shall pursue him.

⁴ They made kings, but not through me.
They set up princes, but I knew it not.
With their silver and gold they made idols
for their own destruction.
⁵ I have^[a] spurned your calf, O Samaria.
My anger burns against them.
How long will they be incapable of innocence?
⁶ For it is from Israel;
a craftsman made it;
it is not God.
The calf of Samaria
shall be broken to pieces.^[b]

⁷ For they sow the wind,
and they shall reap the whirlwind.
The standing grain has no heads;
it shall yield no flour;
if it were to yield,
strangers would devour it.
⁸ Israel is swallowed up;
already they are among the nations
as a useless vessel.
⁹ For they have gone up to Assyria,
a wild donkey wandering alone;
Ephraim has hired lovers.
¹⁰ Though they hire allies among the nations,
I will soon gather them up.
And the king and princes shall soon writhe
because of the tribute.

¹¹ Because Ephraim has multiplied altars for sinning,
they have become to him altars for sinning.
¹² Were I to write for him my laws by the ten thousands,
they would be regarded as a strange thing.
¹³ As for my sacrificial offerings,
they sacrifice meat and eat it,
but the Lord does not accept them.
Now he will remember their iniquity
and punish their sins;
they shall return to Egypt.
¹⁴ For Israel has forgotten his Maker
and built palaces,
and Judah has multiplied fortified cities;
so I will send a fire upon his cities,
and it shall devour her strongholds. (Hosea 8) ESV

*Hosea 8:7 makes the enigmatic statement, “For they sow the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind.” This proverb is known in modern times for its use in military speeches and as a title for a science fiction novel. What did Hosea mean?

The proverb uses an illustration gleaned from the agricultural process of sowing and reaping. A farmer would sow seed. Of course, the type of seed he planted determined the type of plant that would grow and be harvested. This is the principle of duplication. In Hosea 8:7, God says that Israel had planted wind and would harvest a whirlwind. Taking the “wind” to mean something worthless and foolish (see Job 7:7; Proverbs 11:29; and Ecclesiastes 1:14, 17), we can surmise that Israel’s foolishness in the past would result in a veritable storm of consequence. Indeed, in the previous verses, Hosea decries Israel’s idolatry (verses 4-6). Their foolish pursuit of false gods would reap a severe judgment from the Lord.

Also at work in the proverb is the principle of multiplication: a farmer may plant one kernel of corn, but he will reap much more than that—a whole ear. In the same way, Israel’s sin of idolatry would bring forth an amplified consequence that would sweep them all away.

The rest of verse 7 notes the results of this “whirlwind” of judgment: “The standing grain has no heads; it shall yield no flour; if it were to yield, strangers would devour it.” So, the crop would yield nothing. Outsiders would steal anything that did happen to grow. Israel would have understood Hosea’s words well. A poor or stolen crop would be devastating. Here, God is warning His people that their idolatry would lead to ruin.

In addition to following idols, Israel was seeking help in other, equally sinful ways. “For they have gone up to Assyria, a wild donkey wandering alone; Ephraim has hired lovers” (Hosea 8:9). Israel had made ill-advised treaties with Assyria for protection from their enemies. Instead of trusting God, they relied on their wealth and the help of pagan nations.

The “whirlwind” came upon Israel in 722 B.C., when Assyria invaded Israel, destroyed the capital city of Samaria, and deported the Israelites. Yet Hosea 14:4 promised future grace: “I will heal their apostasy; I will love them freely, for my anger has turned from them.” A whirlwind does not last forever, and God’s judgment would not be unending. God would later renew the relationship between Him and His people.

Today, we can see the truth of Hosea’s proverb in many ways. Those who live in unrepentant sin can expect to suffer the consequences of their sin—consequences that both “fit the crime” and exhibit a stunning intensity. Also, this statement by Hosea is a clarion call to avoid idolatry. Anything that steals our trust in the Lord, lessens our devotion to Him, or controls us can be considered an idol and should be abolished from our lives. (GotQuestions.org)

Israel and Judah Are Unrepentant

6/09/23 “Come, let us return to the Lord;
for he has torn us, that he may heal us;
he has struck us down, and he will bind us up.
² After two days he will revive us;
on the third day he will raise us up,
that we may live before him.
³ Let us know; let us press on to know the Lord;
his going out is sure as the dawn;
he will come to us as the showers,
as the spring rains that water the earth.”

⁴ What shall I do with you, O Ephraim?
What shall I do with you, O Judah?
Your love is like a morning cloud,
like the dew that goes early away.
⁵ Therefore I have hewn them by the prophets;
I have slain them by the words of my mouth,
and my judgment goes forth as the light.
⁶ For I desire steadfast love^[a] and not sacrifice,
the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.

⁷ But like Adam they transgressed the covenant;
there they dealt faithlessly with me.
⁸ Gilead is a city of evildoers,
tracked with blood.
⁹ As robbers lie in wait for a man,
so the priests band together;
they murder on the way to Shechem;
they commit villainy.
¹⁰ In the house of Israel I have seen a horrible thing;
Ephraim’s whoredom is there; Israel is defiled.

¹¹ For you also, O Judah, a harvest is appointed.

When I restore the fortunes of my people, (Hosea 6) ESV

*Hosea 6:1–3 predicts that the people of Israel would return to the Lord after a period of judgment. In that day, the people of Israel will say,
“Come, and let us return to the Lord;
For He has torn, but He will heal us;
He has stricken, but He will bind us up.
After two days He will revive us;
On the third day He will raise us up,
That we may live in His sight.
Let us know,
Let us pursue the knowledge of the Lord.
His going forth is established as the morning;
He will come to us like the rain,
Like the latter and former rain to the earth” (NKJV).
The “latter” and “former” rains are called the “winter rains” and “spring rains” in the NIV.

The Lord had “torn” and “stricken” His people—i.e., Hosea predicts that God will discipline them (Hosea 6:1)—because they were unfaithful to the covenant they had promised to keep (Exodus 24:3, 7). While the judgment would be certain and severe, God would demonstrate His grace and restore the people. He would heal them and bandage their wounds (Hosea 6:1). He would come to them like a refreshing and nourishing rain (Hosea 6:3). He would come like the latter and former rain, which would seem to refer to the early rain after planting and the later rain at harvest.

Because of God’s promises, His people could know with certainty that God would keep His word—that He would indeed come to them as the latter and former rain to restore and refresh. While the context doesn’t specify when this restoration would take place, the passage seems to be pointing forward to the salvation that would be provided through the Messiah: God would revive them after two days and raise them up on the third day (Hosea 6:2). This prophecy seems to correlate directly with the events of Jesus’ death, as He died, was buried, and then rose again on the third day (see 1 Corinthians 15:1, 3–4). Paul mentions that Christ’s resurrection on the third day was “according to the Scriptures” (or writings). While there may have been a written gospel account by the time Paul wrote his first letter to the Corinthians (Matthew and Mark may have written by that time), Paul is probably referring to the Hebrew Scriptures and may have had Hosea 6:2 in mind.

If Hosea’s prophecy of revival in the two days and raising on the third day (Hosea 6:2) is pointing forward to the death, burial, and resurrection of the Messiah, then the immediately following context that God would visit the people of Israel as the latter and former rain is likely also a picture of how refreshing and nourishing that event would be for the people under God’s judgment.

In Hosea’s time, there was coming a somber judgment because of the people’s disloyalty to God and their transgressing of the covenant. But there was also a coming day of restoration for Judah (Hosea 6:11). God would come to the people as latter and former rain.

It is important to note that God doesn’t ignore sin, and His holy standard is high—perfection, in fact (see Matthew 5:48). When God restores the people of Israel, He first deals with their sin problem. The Messiah would die as a sacrifice to pay for sins; thus, the nation would no longer be in bondage to the Law of Moses (the Old Covenant) or the consequences of breaking that covenant. God would forgive their sins as part of a New Covenant (Jeremiah 31:31). That blessing of forgiveness from sin through the sacrifice of the Messiah would be not just for one nation but for all the families of the earth (Genesis 12:3b). The Messiah would be like the latter and former rain for Israel and Judah (Hosea 6:3), and He would also be the water of life for all who would believe in Him (John 4:13–14). * (GotQuestions.org)

The Lord Accuses Israel

 6/08/23 Hear the word of the Lord, O children of Israel,
for the Lord has a controversy with the inhabitants of the land.
There is no faithfulness or steadfast love,
and no knowledge of God in the land;
² there is swearing, lying, murder, stealing, and committing adultery;
they break all bounds, and bloodshed follows bloodshed.
³ Therefore the land mourns,
and all who dwell in it languish,
and also the beasts of the field
and the birds of the heavens,
and even the fish of the sea are taken away.

⁴ Yet let no one contend,
and let none accuse,
for with you is my contention, O priest.^[a]
5 You shall stumble by day;
the prophet also shall stumble with you by night;
and I will destroy your mother.
⁶ My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge;
because you have rejected knowledge,
I reject you from being a priest to me.
And since you have forgotten the law of your God,
I also will forget your children.

⁷ The more they increased,
the more they sinned against me;
I will change their glory into shame.
⁸ They feed on the sin^[b] of my people;
they are greedy for their iniquity.
⁹ And it shall be like people, like priest;
I will punish them for their ways
and repay them for their deeds.
¹⁰ They shall eat, but not be satisfied;
they shall play the whore, but not multiply,
because they have forsaken the Lord
to cherish ¹¹ whoredom, wine, and new wine,
which take away the understanding.
¹² My people inquire of a piece of wood,
and their walking staff gives them oracles.
For a spirit of whoredom has led them astray,
and they have left their God to play the whore.
¹³ They sacrifice on the tops of the mountains
and burn offerings on the hills,
under oak, poplar, and terebinth,
because their shade is good.
Therefore your daughters play the whore,
and your brides commit adultery.
¹⁴ I will not punish your daughters when they play the whore,
nor your brides when they commit adultery;
for the men themselves go aside with prostitutes
and sacrifice with cult prostitutes,
and a people without understanding shall come to ruin.

¹⁵ Though you play the whore, O Israel,
let not Judah become guilty.
Enter not into Gilgal,
nor go up to Beth-aven,
and swear not, “As the Lord lives.”
¹⁶ Like a stubborn heifer,
Israel is stubborn;
can the Lord now feed them
like a lamb in a broad pasture?

¹⁷ Ephraim is joined to idols;
leave him alone.
¹⁸ When their drink is gone, they give themselves to whoring;
their rulers^[c] dearly love shame.
¹⁹ A wind has wrapped them^[d] in its wings,
and they shall be ashamed because of their sacrifices. (Hosea 4) ESV

Hosea 4:1-2 emphasize that Israel’s lack of knowledge was not mere ignorance, but active sin against God: “There is no faithfulness or steadfast love, and no knowledge of God in the land; there is swearing, lying, murder, stealing, and committing adultery; they break all bounds, and bloodshed follows bloodshed.” The people were only ignorant of the Law because they actively ignored it.

Hosea’s warnings went unheeded, and Israel was conquered by Assyria during his ministry. Yet, even in judgment, God spares a remnant and restores His relationship with them. The prophecies of Hosea reflect this pattern. Israel was judged, yet the Lord would later restore His people whom He loved.

The coming of Jesus Christ illustrates God’s love to the fullest degree. Jesus died for the sins of all people, offering every person the opportunity to come to faith in Him (John 3:16; Ephesians 2:8-9). To those who do believe, Jesus is “wisdom from God” (1 Corinthians 1:30). Because of Christ, there is no need for anyone ever again to be “destroyed from a lack of knowledge.”

*Hosea 4:6 says, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.” What was it that Israel did not know, and why was that lack of knowledge so dangerous?

The rest of verse 6 helps explain: “Because you have rejected knowledge, I reject you from being a priest to me. And since you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children” (KJV). It’s important to note the structure of the verse: “rejected knowledge” is parallel to “forgotten the law.” This fits the context of the opening verse of the chapter, which states that Israel failed to acknowledge the LORD as their God (Hosea 4:1). The people did not simply lack knowledge; they actively rejected it.

Another parallel offers a deeper understanding of the passage. Because Israel had “rejected” knowledge (God’s Law), God would “reject” them. Because Israel had “forgotten” God’s Law, He would “forget” their children (He would remove His future blessing from the nation). As a result of God “rejecting” and “forgetting” Israel, they would be destroyed. Hosea’s message is in line with Moses’ warning to the nation that God would remove His blessing from a disobedient people (Deuteronomy 28). * (GotQuestions.org)

Hosea Redeems His Wife

6/07/23 And the Lord said to me, “Go again, love a woman who is loved by another man and is an adulteress, even as the Lord loves the children of Israel, though they turn to other gods and love cakes of raisins.” ² So I bought her for fifteen shekels of silver and a homer and a lethech^[a] of barley. ³ And I said to her, “You must dwell as mine for many days. You shall not play the whore, or belong to another man; so will I also be to you.” ⁴ For the children of Israel shall dwell many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or pillar, without ephod or household gods. ⁵ Afterward the children of Israel shall return and seek the Lord their God, and David their king, and they shall come in fear to the Lord and to his goodness in the latter days. (Hosea 3) ESV

*God’s unfailing love is a constant theme woven through the Bible. The book of Psalms abounds with occasions of thanksgiving and praise for the Lord’s faithful love: “Your unfailing love, O LORD, is as vast as the heavens; your faithfulness reaches beyond the clouds” (Psalm 36:5, NLT; see also Psalms 13:5; 17:7; 31:16; 107:1; 136:1).

One of the most astonishing examples of unfailing love in the Bible is presented in the book of Hosea. God commands the prophet Hosea to marry a woman named Gomer, who is likely a prostitute and would prove to be an unfaithful wife. Gomer’s infidelity paints a vivid picture of Israel’s disloyalty to the Lord in worshiping other gods. God uses the marriage illustration to teach about His righteous anger regarding Israel’s sin of abandonment and spiritual adultery, while never ceasing to invite Israel to return to Him so that He may love her again. Hosea’s relentless love and faithfulness to his wife are a stunning portrait of God’s unfailing love for His people.

At one point, while Gomer is on her own and probably living as a slave, Hosea buys her back with 15 shekels of silver and a quantity of barley. The incident reflects the posture of Jesus Christ when He forgives, restores, and offers a new life of freedom to the woman caught in adultery (John 8:1–11). Hosea also foreshadows how Jesus Christ would one day redeem a sinful world by paying the price with His own death on the cross. The prophetic book assures us of God’s unconditional, unfailing love.

The book of Ruth contains another stunning example of unfailing love in Scripture. The story involves a family from Judah—Naomi, her husband, Elimelek, and their two sons. To escape a famine, they move to the foreign land of Moab. But after Elimelek and Naomi’s two sons die, Naomi decides to return to Judah. Instead of going home to her own family, Ruth, one of Naomi’s Moabite daughters-in-law, refuses to leave her mother-in-law alone and penniless. Together they return to Judah, where Ruth finds work gleaning grain in the barley fields of Boaz. When Ruth tells Naomi about Boaz, the older widow is overcome with gladness and blesses the Lord for His kindness (Ruth 2:20). Boaz is their family redeemer, the man who will rescue them from poverty and provide an heir for Elimelek’s family.

Ruth’s selfless loyalty to Naomi is an example of the Lord’s compassion and faithfulness to keep His covenant promises: “Understand, therefore, that the LORD your God is indeed God. He is the faithful God who keeps his covenant for a thousand generations and lavishes his unfailing love on those who love him and obey his commands” (Deuteronomy 7: 9, NLT). Boaz’s role as kinsman-redeemer exemplifies the steadfast love of God, which is revealed to us through salvation in Jesus Christ.

The Parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11–32) presents another moving illustration of our heavenly Father’s unfailing love for His wayward children. The story tells of a father and his two sons. The younger son asks to be given his share of the family estate as an early inheritance. With money in hand, he sets out on a wild adventure in a distant land. Soon he has spent everything. When a famine strikes, he finds a job feeding pigs. The Bible says he is so destitute that he longs to eat the slop assigned to the pigs. Finally, he comes to senses. He remembers his father and decides to return home and humbly ask for forgiveness and mercy. When he does, he finds his father waiting: “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him” (verse 20).

Joy, love, and tender compassion filled the father’s heart at seeing his son return home. Immediately, the father throws a party in celebration. All is forgiven. This father is a brilliant picture of our joy-filled Father in heaven when one sinner repents (Luke 15:7, 10). He waits patiently for lost sinners; He pours out His unfailing love and compassion on them when they return home.

Romans 8:38–39 reminds us “that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord” (NLT). His love is absolutely unfailing: “How precious is your unfailing love, O God! All humanity finds shelter in the shadow of your wings” (Psalm 36:7, NLT).

The supreme example of God’s unfailing love was to send Jesus Christ to die for us while we were still sinners (Romans 5:8). His love covers all our sins and reconciles us to Him (John 1:19; Hebrews 9:26–28; 2 Peter 1:4). The entire Bible expresses the unfailing love of God. The Lord is faithful, even when we’re not. He’s the prophet who buys back His wayward wife; He’s the Father who patiently waits for His lost child and welcomes home the prodigal son with joy; He is the faithful companion and our Kinsman Redeemer. Since the beginning of time, undeserving sinners, prone to wandering and wickedness, have been the objects of His grace, ever-renewing mercy, and unfailing love.
* (GotQuestions.org)

Israel’s Unfaithfulness Punished

6/06/23 ^[a] Say to your brothers, “You are my people,”^[b] and to your sisters, “You have received mercy.”^[c]

² “Plead with your mother, plead—
for she is not my wife,
and I am not her husband—
that she put away her whoring from her face,
and her adultery from between her breasts;
³ lest I strip her naked
and make her as in the day she was born,
and make her like a wilderness,
and make her like a parched land,
and kill her with thirst.
⁴ Upon her children also I will have no mercy,
because they are children of whoredom.
⁵ For their mother has played the whore;
she who conceived them has acted shamefully.
For she said, ‘I will go after my lovers,
who give me my bread and my water,
my wool and my flax, my oil and my drink.’
⁶ Therefore I will hedge up her^[d] way with thorns,
and I will build a wall against her,
so that she cannot find her paths.
⁷ She shall pursue her lovers
but not overtake them,
and she shall seek them
but shall not find them.
Then she shall say,
‘I will go and return to my first husband,
for it was better for me then than now.’
⁸ And she did not know
that it was I who gave her
the grain, the wine, and the oil,
and who lavished on her silver and gold,
which they used for Baal.
⁹ Therefore I will take back
my grain in its time,
and my wine in its season,
and I will take away my wool and my flax,
which were to cover her nakedness.
¹⁰ Now I will uncover her lewdness
in the sight of her lovers,
and no one shall rescue her out of my hand.
¹¹ And I will put an end to all her mirth,
her feasts, her new moons, her Sabbaths,
and all her appointed feasts.
¹² And I will lay waste her vines and her fig trees,
of which she said,
‘These are my wages,
which my lovers have given me.’
I will make them a forest,
and the beasts of the field shall devour them.
¹³ And I will punish her for the feast days of the Baals
when she burned offerings to them
and adorned herself with her ring and jewelry,
and went after her lovers
and forgot me, declares the Lord.

The Lord’s Mercy on Israel

¹⁴ “Therefore, behold, I will allure her,
and bring her into the wilderness,
and speak tenderly to her.
¹⁵ And there I will give her her vineyards
and make the Valley of Achor^[e] a door of hope.
And there she shall answer as in the days of her youth,
as at the time when she came out of the land of Egypt.

¹⁶ “And in that day, declares the Lord, you will call me ‘My Husband,’ and no longer will you call me ‘My Baal.’ ¹⁷ For I will remove the names of the Baals from her mouth, and they shall be remembered by name no more. ¹⁸ And I will make for them a covenant on that day with the beasts of the field, the birds of the heavens, and the creeping things of the ground. And I will abolish^[f] the bow, the sword, and war from the land, and I will make you lie down in safety. ¹⁹ And I will betroth you to me forever. I will betroth you to me in righteousness and in justice, in steadfast love and in mercy. ²⁰ I will betroth you to me in faithfulness. And you shall know the Lord.

²¹ “And in that day I will answer, declares the Lord,
I will answer the heavens,
and they shall answer the earth,
²² and the earth shall answer the grain, the wine, and the oil,
and they shall answer Jezreel,^[g]
23     and I will sow her for myself in the land.
And I will have mercy on No Mercy,^[h]
and I will say to Not My People,^[i] ‘You are my people’;
and he shall say, ‘You are my God.’” (Hosea 2) ESV

Thy Maker Is Thy Husband

A compilation

2011-03-09

“Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth.”¹

Let us seek the same desires after our Lord as those which glowed in the heart of the elect spouse. See how she leaps at once to him; she does not even mention his name; she is in the heart of her theme at once, for she speaks of him who was the only one in the world to her. How bold is her love! It was much condescension which permitted the weeping penitent to anoint his feet with spikenard—it was rich love which allowed the gentle Mary to sit at his feet and learn of him—but here, love, strong, fervent love, aspires to higher tokens of regard, and closer signs of fellowship.

Esther trembled in the presence of Ahasuerus, but the spouse in joyful liberty of perfect love knows no fear. If we have received the same free spirit, we also may ask the like. By kisses we suppose to be intended those varied manifestations of affection by which the believer is made to enjoy the love of Jesus. The kiss of reconciliation we enjoyed at our conversion, and it was sweet as honey dropping from the comb. The kiss of acceptance is still warm on our brow, as we know that he hath accepted our persons and our works through rich grace. The kiss of daily, present communion is that which we pant after to be repeated day after day, till it is changed into the kiss of reception, which removes the soul from earth, and the kiss of consummation which fills it with the joy of heaven.

Faith is our walk, but fellowship sensibly felt is our rest. Faith is the road, but communion with Jesus is the well from which the pilgrim drinks.

O Lover of our souls, be not strange to us; let the lips of Thy blessing meet the lips of our asking; let the lips of Thy fullness touch the lips of our need, and straightway the kiss will be effected.—Charles Spurgeon²

*

First you’ve got to have so much love and faith that you obey; you come when He calls. You must be willing to be stripped bare before Him—stripped bare before Him in spirit. You’re just you, and that’s what He wants. He doesn’t want your fancy clothes. He wants you.

You’ve got to drop everything, come immediately, be willing to abandon all your cover-ups and expose yourself to Him.

First you yield your ears to Him; when He calls, you come. Then you yield your mouth and tongue and bosom and heart, and then that part of you that receives His inspiration and inspires you. And He fills you with His seed and you bear fruit.

You must concentrate and put everything else out of your mind—your business, your problems, your tiredness, everything—and just concentrate and think about Him.

You have to be full of the Spirit in order to be able to inspire. It’s not just one time, but you have to keep coming back to be renewed by the Spirit again and again.

You have to have faith to obey and come and strip off the outer appearances and cover-ups and false fronts, and expose yourself to the Lord and yield yourself to Him in submission. If you do your part, the Lord will do His, and He will inspire you and fill you with His Spirit.

As He said, “Even as the lamp lighter goes from village to village lighting the fires, even so thou shalt be lit by My heart so thou canst go from heart to heart.”—David Brandt Berg³

*

We are but poor lovers of our sweet Lord Jesus, not fit to be His servants, much less to be His brides, and yet He hath exalted us to be bone of His bone and flesh of His flesh, married to Him by a glorious marriage covenant. Herein is love!—Charles Spurgeon

*

This intimate spiritual union is a two-way street. … Earth is one big premarital session for heaven, and although Jesus wants us to love Him passionately and single-heartedly, He more than matches it with His love, pure and fervent.

It is “heaven” to know Jesus this way. And I mean that literally. … Eternal life is knowledge of God.⁴ When we deepen our relationship with Jesus, we get a head start on our eternal life here on earth.

The apostle Paul knew Jesus and knew Jesus. … There’s the bride/bridegroom thing. It’s a different kind of knowledge. Paul touches on this deeper knowledge when he yearns, “I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection.”⁵

I love those words “to know.” Scholars explain that in this passage “to know” implies learning about someone through a deep, personal experience. It’s the same sort of intimacy alluded to in the book of Genesis where it says that Adam “knew” his wife, Eve. Theirs was a deep, personal experience. A level of relationship beyond head knowledge. It is also a physical illustration of the level of spiritual intimacy that God desires with us, something even more deep and personal.—Joni Eareckson Tada

*

The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.⁶

“And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.” This is the first commandment.⁷

We love Him, because He first loved us.⁸

For thy Maker is thine husband; the Lord of hosts is His name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall He be called.⁹

I will betroth you to Me forever; yes, I will betroth you to Me in righteousness and judgment, in lovingkindness and mercy; I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness, and you shall know the Lord.¹⁰

I will love You, O Lord, my strength.¹¹

O Lord, we have waited for You; the desire of our soul is for Your name and for the remembrance of You.

With my soul I have desired You in the night, Yes, by my spirit within me I will seek You early.¹²

I love those who love Me; and those who seek Me early will find Me.¹³

Hosea’s Wife and Children

  6/05/23 When the Lord first spoke through Hosea, the Lord said to Hosea, “Go, take to yourself a wife of whoredom and have children of whoredom, for the land commits great whoredom by forsaking the Lord.” ³ So he went and took Gomer, the daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son.

⁴ And the Lord said to him, “Call his name Jezreel, for in just a little while I will punish the house of Jehu for the blood of Jezreel, and I will put an end to the kingdom of the house of Israel. ⁵ And on that day I will break the bow of Israel in the Valley of Jezreel.”

⁶ She conceived again and bore a daughter. And the Lord said to him, “Call her name No Mercy,^[a] for I will no more have mercy on the house of Israel, to forgive them at all. ⁷ But I will have mercy on the house of Judah, and I will save them by the Lord their God. I will not save them by bow or by sword or by war or by horses or by horsemen.”

⁸ When she had weaned No Mercy, she conceived and bore a son. ⁹ And the Lord said, “Call his name Not My People,^[b] for you are not my people, and I am not your God.”^[c]

^10 [d] Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be like the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured or numbered. And in the place where it was said to them, “You are not my people,” it shall be said to them, “Children^[e] of the living God.” ¹¹ And the children of Judah and the children of Israel shall be gathered together, and they shall appoint for themselves one head. And they shall go up from the land, for great shall be the day of Jezreel. (Hosea 1) ESV

*In Hosea 1:2 we read, “The LORD said to Hosea, ‘Go, take to yourself a wife of whoredom and have children of whoredom.’” Hosea obeyed, marrying a woman named Gomer, who was unfaithful to him. Why did God tell Hosea to marry a prostitute?

To begin with, it is important to realize this command could be understood two different ways. First, and more likely, this command could be one of anticipation. In other words, God may have instructed Hosea to marry a woman who would later become unfaithful to him. The other possibility is that the command was for Hosea to marry someone already known as a prostitute.

In either case, the reason for this unusual directive is specified in the latter half of the same verse: “For the land commits great whoredom by forsaking the LORD.” God wanted to provide an illustration of His relationship with the people of Israel, who had been unfaithful to Him by practicing idolatry. This theme is carried through the remainder of the prophecies in chapter 1 and the discussion of Israel’s unfaithfulness in chapter 2.

In Hosea 3:1, after Gomer had left Hosea and was living in immorality, the Lord commanded Hosea to find her and buy her back. God was continuing His illustration, except now He wanted to show the greatness of His grace: “Even as the LORD loves the children of Israel, though they turn to other gods.” Hosea’s faithful love of Gomer was an illustration of God’s faithfulness to wayward Israel. Just as Gomer had been unfaithful to her husband and had to be redeemed, Israel needed God’s initiative to restore their relationship.

The prophet Hosea was commanded to marry an unfaithful wife, and this set up a model of Israel’s broken relationship with God. Israel had been chosen and loved by God yet had been unfaithful to Him by way of idolatry. Just as Hosea redeemed his estranged wife and sought to continue his relationship with her, God promised to redeem Israel and renew their relationship with Him. The story of Hosea and Gomer is an unforgettable picture of God’s strong, unending love for His covenant people. * (GotQuestions.org)

Christ’s Glory and the Prophetic Word

6/04/23 For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. ¹⁷ For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son,^[i] with whom I am well pleased,” ¹⁸ we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain. ¹⁹ And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, ²⁰ knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. ²¹ For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
(2 Peter 1:16-21) ESV

01 A More Sure Word of Prophecy (2 Peter 1:19)

Book of the Future, Part 1

Compiled from the writings of David Brandt Berg

1983-03-28

So many people today are worried about the future, wondering what’s going to happen. Most of today’s youth seem to almost instinctively realize that they are living on borrowed time. After all, we are the first generation that has had to live with the knowledge that we could completely destroy ourselves. People want to know what to do about it, or if there is any way to avoid it or prepare for it, to survive it.

Psychologists tell us that uncertainty and the fear of the unknown is the worst fear of all—not knowing what’s going to happen. It’s sad that so few people realize that they can know the future, that they can know what’s going to happen—accurately and in detail. Even the exact number of years, months, and days of parts of it.

How could this be? By what means can mortal man possibly transcend the bounds of time and peer into the future? By tuning in to God and His wonderful Word, the Bible. For He alone is the great “I AM,” who dwells in the eternal now where there is no past nor future and “time shall be no more” (Revelation 10:6). It all looks the same to God, and He can easily reveal to His prophets and seers the mysteries of the future. “For surely the Lord God will do nothing, but He revealeth His secret unto His servants the prophets” (Amos 3:7).

“For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy: Behold, the former things are come to pass, and new things do I declare: before they spring forth I tell you of them. For I am the Lord: I will speak, and the word that I shall speak shall come to pass; for I say the word, and will perform it, saith the Lord God” (Isaiah 57:15; 42:9; Ezekiel 12:25).

“Seek ye out of the book of the Lord, and read: no one of these shall fail, none shall want her mate: for My mouth it hath commanded them” (Isaiah 34:16). The mate of every prophecy is its fulfillment. God’s Word finds its mate in fulfilled Bible prophecy, and the ones which have already occurred and been fulfilled, foretold hundreds of years in advance, have been fulfilled. Every prophecy the Bible has uttered has been fulfilled except the ones that are yet to come, and they’ll be fulfilled just as surely as the ones that have been fulfilled in the past.

It’s a marvelous, thrilling study to deal with fulfilled prophecies, and it encourages your faith to know that those regarding the future will be fulfilled just as accurately and just as perfectly and just as surely as every prophecy of the past. But we are particularly interested in those which are yet to be fulfilled.

You’ll find that God’s Word is specific and clear. Its prophecies tell you exactly who and where and even when. So if you’ve been wondering, “Where did we come from? Where are we going? What’s happening?” this wonderful book, the Bible, tells you all about it, exactly what’s going to happen. You don’t have to worry about it; you don’t have to fear. You don’t have to guess at it. It’s all here just as plain as can be.

“For that that is determined shall be done” (Daniel 11:36). What God has determined and prophesied, He’s going to do. Whatever God has said He’s going to do, He is going to do. Not one shall lack her mate. Not one prophecy shall be without fulfillment; every single one shall be fulfilled.

“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: Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. 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” (2 Peter 1:19–21).

“And now I have told you before it come to pass, that, when it is come to pass, ye might believe. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but My words shall not pass away” (John 14:29; Matthew 24:35).

“Pearls of great price” (Matthew 13:45–46)

God has warned us time and again almost since the beginning of man, and certainly throughout the Bible, that there’s coming an end to things as far as man’s rule on this earth is concerned, and that his governments are going to eventually end so that God can set up His heavenly kingdom of peace on earth.

God has given man thousands of years to try to solve his own problems and run the world and bring peace and happiness, and he has brought nothing but war and misery. God has given man his chance and he has done nothing but make a mess of the world. And now, finally, man is able to destroy it. And if God did not step in and intervene in this last hour of history, man could completely destroy it and totally annihilate himself.

If God didn’t step in, mankind could commit suicide. We could either blow ourselves up with the bomb or we could gradually kill ourselves with famine or overpopulation or air pollution or water pollution. Let’s face it, man is destroying himself. He’s killing himself with his pollution and with his destructive nature, and if God doesn’t intervene and stop it, man would eventually wipe himself off the map! This is why Jesus prophesied of the last days: “Except those days be shortened, there should no flesh be saved” (Matthew 24:22).

The Bible predicts that in the last days of man-made regimes on earth, a totally godless, anti-Christ world government will arise, led by a Devil-possessed dictator, Satan incarnate, who will bring a temporary false peace on earth and a counterfeit utopia. Its price will be enforced worship of him as the imitation Messiah. All of his subjects will be branded with a credit number in order to buy or sell or obtain food or employment, and all those who refuse to cooperate will be hunted, persecuted, and slaughtered by his commandment. This will be a time of Great Tribulation.

This anti-Christ government of anti-Christ forces under the leadership of the Antichrist himself, this superhuman world dictator of man’s last one-world godless government, will then set up its headquarters in Jerusalem, his capital, and unite all peoples of the world into a one-world worship of this demon-demagogue and his magical image which can speak.

These startling events will immediately precede the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, which is the major endtime event, the grand climax, as the Lord Himself returns and wipes out the Antichrist and his followers and sets up the last and most lasting and only perfect government the world has ever known, and “the meek shall inherit the earth” (Psalm 37:11).

Most Christians seem to have rightly gathered from reading their Bibles and hearing various preachers that in the last days, times are going to wax worse and worse, and not get better. A lot of them believe that the end is going to be a time of very bad trouble and tribulation. And, of course, all real Bible-believing Christians believe that Jesus is coming again. They have also gathered the fundamental idea that there’s going to be a heavenly time on earth at some time or other. But a lot of them have it pretty mixed up and they don’t know how, where, or when these events will take place.

They’ve got the knowledge of these events and these priceless truths like a handful of pearls, but they don’t realize exactly how they ought to be strung, in what order and in what sequence, to make them a beautiful string of pearls in proper order to, you might say, wear around their neck of knowledge. They don’t realize the chronological sequence, which is necessary to understand what’s going to happen, how it’s going to happen, when it’s going to happen, etc.

True, the Bible admonishes us not to fret for tomorrow, which means we’re not to worry about tomorrow, but the Lord sure has had a lot to say about tomorrow, so He certainly must want us to be informed about tomorrow! That’s the whole point of prophecy: to let you know what’s going to happen so you won’t worry about it. You’ll know what’s going to happen.

To be forewarned is to be forearmed. To understand what’s going to occur is to be prepared to face it and take it as it comes and hopefully survive it.—At least certainly to understand what you’re going through and to know what’s happening. You may not understand it all in advance; you may not know everything that’s going to happen. But we can know enough from God’s Word that we can know the major events and their characteristics, the major characters in these events, and in some cases when they’re going to happen, the exact time periods predicted in the Bible, so that when the time comes you’ll know exactly when certain events are going to take place, because God has already said so in His Word, plain as day.

To know or not to know “the times and the seasons”

All the way through the prophecies of Jeremiah, Daniel, Ezekiel, Isaiah, John, and Jesus, there are specific detailed descriptions of the last days on earth before Christ’s Second Coming. Has the Lord given us these signs for a reason? Does He want us to know about the soon coming of His kingdom? Does He want us to be prepared for it? Does He want us to have that knowledge and be able to teach others so? If He doesn’t, He’s sure wasting an awful lot of time throughout both the Old and New Testament telling us all the signs of His coming.

In fact, in one of the most descriptive endtime prophecy books of the Bible, the Lord told Daniel to close up the book and seal up the prophecy until the end: “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. For the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end. And none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand” (Daniel 12:4, 9–10).

For almost 2,500 years the book of Daniel has been virtually a sealed book, and it’s only recently that men have begun to open the book, break the seals, and understand the prophecies and what Daniel was saying. Although they had the Bible for thousands of years, they still didn’t understand endtime Bible prophecy. But now we’re supposed to open the book, break the seals, and read it and understand it, because we live in the time of the end.

God’s Word says, “Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy” (Revelation 1:3). It takes an effort; it’s work to try to understand Bible prophecy and to “study to show thyself approved unto God, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15). But you’ll find that “the entrance of Thy words giveth light” and wisdom and understanding (Psalm 119:130). When we delve into God’s Word, we “bring forth treasures, both new and old” (Matthew 13:52). You’ll discover how wonderfully the Lord can weave His Word together like a beautiful tapestry, filling in the whole picture to give you His vision of His plans. “For where there is no vision, the people perish” (Proverbs 29:18).

Of course, some Bible professors and students are going to say, “Jesus told His disciples that ‘no man knoweth the day or the hour when the Son of Man cometh, not even the angels in heaven.’ And ‘it’s not for you to know the times or the seasons’” (Matthew 24:36; Acts 1:7). When all the dramatic, climactic, final events of world history begin to unfold, let me tell you, you’re going to need to know. You are going to want to know and you are going to know, because God promised it in His Word.

If the Lord did not intend for us to know the times and the seasons, then why did He give us Matthew 24, Mark 13, Luke 21, John 14, Acts 1, 1 Thessalonians 4 and 5, 2 Thessalonians 2, 1 Timothy 4, 2 Timothy 3, 2 Peter 1 and 3, and the whole book of Revelation, as well as multitudes of prophecies in the Old Testament, including many in the historical books, as well as the poetical books, and 17 books of the prophets with prophecies and specific predictions of the future.

But He does want us to know, and throughout the Bible He continues to give us multitudes of literal, specific predictions of the future and what its times and seasons will be like. In fact, the Lord makes it extremely explicit many times in many places regarding the exact number of years and months, and even days, during the crucial last seven years of the endtime.

In Matthew chapter 24 and Luke chapter 21, Jesus Himself gives one of the most descriptive and specific of all resumes of future endtime events of any prophet in the Bible. After giving a long list of predictions and coming signs of the times, He tells us, “When you see these things or these signs come to pass, look up, for your redemption draweth nigh.” “The generation that sees these things come to pass is not going to pass away till all these things are fulfilled” (Luke 21:28; Matthew 24:34). So obviously He wants us to “see” and “look” at the signs of His coming being fulfilled before He returns so that we can “discern the signs of the times” (Matthew 16:3).

“For as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days that were before the Flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage”—going on, business as usual—“until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and they knew not until the Flood came and swept them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be” (Matthew 24:37–39). Who knew not? The wicked. Who knew? Noah! He knew what was going to happen; he was expecting it.

“For unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to others it is not given, because they seeing, see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear. For verily I say unto you, many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them” (Matthew 13:11–17).

Are you prepared? Have you personally received Jesus into your heart? I hope you’ve accepted Him. I hope you’ve received Him so that you can look forward to these marvelous future events not with fear and trembling, but with hope and faith and assurance that God’s going to see you through, He’s going to save you and rescue you out of it all and take you to be with Him, to live with Him forever.

The main thing you need to know is summed up in one verse, John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son (Jesus), that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

So receive salvation now; then you’ll be ready for the revelation of the future. Otherwise, knowing the future wouldn’t make much difference to you, because your future will be all bad news. You probably won’t even want to hear about what’s going to happen if you’re not saved. But if you are saved, then God has got some marvelous, wonderful, encouraging, thrilling revelations of the future in store for you.

Knowing Him and His Word, that’s what’s going to carry you through. The vision of what’s coming will give you the faith to believe God and the courage to launch out and march victoriously through the plagues of this world, through Great Tribulation, and right on through to the coming of Jesus Christ and our loving reign with Him forever.

Copyright © 1983 The Family International.

Final Judgment and Glory of the Lord

6/03/23 “For behold, the Lord will come in fire,
and his chariots like the whirlwind,
to render his anger in fury,
and his rebuke with flames of fire.
¹⁶ For by fire will the Lord enter into judgment,
and by his sword, with all flesh;
and those slain by the Lord shall be many.

¹⁷ “Those who sanctify and purify themselves to go into the gardens, following one in the midst, eating pig’s flesh and the abomination and mice, shall come to an end together, declares the Lord.

¹⁸ “For I know^[b] their works and their thoughts, and the time is coming^[c] to gather all nations and tongues. And they shall come and shall see my glory, ¹⁹ and I will set a sign among them. And from them I will send survivors to the nations, to Tarshish, Pul, and Lud, who draw the bow, to Tubal and Javan, to the coastlands far away, that have not heard my fame or seen my glory. And they shall declare my glory among the nations. ²⁰ And they shall bring all your brothers from all the nations as an offering to the Lord, on horses and in chariots and in litters and on mules and on dromedaries, to my holy mountain Jerusalem, says the Lord, just as the Israelites bring their grain offering in a clean vessel to the house of the Lord. ²¹ And some of them also I will take for priests and for Levites, says the Lord.

²² “For as the new heavens and the new earth
that I make
shall remain before me, says the Lord,
so shall your offspring and your name remain.
²³ From new moon to new moon,
and from Sabbath to Sabbath,
all flesh shall come to worship before me,
declares the Lord.

²⁴ “And they shall go out and look on the dead bodies of the men who have rebelled against me. For their worm shall not die, their fire shall not be quenched, and they shall be an abhorrence to all flesh.” (Isaiah 66:16-24) ESV

Life on earth during the Millennium

The reign of Jesus Christ during the Millennium will be a reign of Jesus Christ and His children over what is left of this world and its unsaved populations. The born-again, saved, resurrected saints will be in supernatural bodies, but the rest of the world, those who have been spared and blessed enough to survive into the Millennium, are going to still be in their natural bodies. Therefore life is sort of going to go on as usual in a lot of ways for them.

The Millennium will be almost like an extension of this age now, because the world and its people will still be living in time. To us who are resurrected and raptured at the coming of Christ, “time shall be no more” (Revelation 10:6). We will not be bound by time any longer. But those who still remain on the earth, having survived the wrath of God upon the wicked, will still be bound by time and space here on earth just as we were before we left with Jesus.

The normal, natural people are going to be the same then as they are now—human beings still in their mortal bodies whom God’s blessed by allowing them to live through the horrors that preceded this era. They’re going to feel blessed, too, when they realize that they managed to be millennial survivors. But they will live almost exactly like they are living now. They’ll still have to raise food and make clothes. They’ll still have to live in a normal, natural world; in fact, the same world they’re living in now.

The natural men are going to be just what they are now, only they will be under God’s government. Jesus and His kingdom will be the government, and His followers will be His governors, His officers, His rulers. We shall be “kings and priests unto God,” He says (Revelation 1:6), and we will rule the earth. We’ll have supernatural bodies and wisdom and skill and power and protection, and we’ll change a lot of things for the better.

In order for the Lord to establish heaven on earth, we’ll first have to clean up the hell on earth that the Antichrist and people left behind, and the aftermath of war left behind by God’s own judgments and the Battle of Armageddon. There will certainly be some cleaning up to do. In Israel alone, it’s going to take seven months just to bury all the dead, and seven years to clear away all the wreckage of the instruments of war. Seven years to clean up the rubble, debris, and wreckage left behind by the terrible Battle of Armageddon (Ezekiel 39:9,14).

That will be our initial job during the first seven years of the Millennium. It’ll be a wonder that the Lord and His followers will ever be able to straighten things out. But we will, according to His Word. “And they shall build the old wastes, they shall raise up the former desolations, and they shall repair the waste cities, the desolations of many generations. And ye shall be named the Priests of the Lord: men shall call you the Ministers of our God: ye shall eat the riches of the Gentiles, and in their glory shall ye boast yourselves” (Isaiah 61:4–6).

Back to the Garden

The earth will blossom like a rose, and all of God’s creation will be in harmony and at peace. No more of man’s inhumanity to man, but all will be peace and beauty, like the Garden of Eden restored—heaven on earth once again as it was in the beginning, but even better, because we’ll have Jesus.

“For in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert. And the parched ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water. And the desolate land shall be tilled, whereas it lay desolate in the sight of all that passed by. And they shall say, This land that was desolate is become like the Garden of Eden; and the waste and desolate and ruined cities are become fenced, and are inhabited” (Isaiah 35:6–7; Ezekiel 36:34–35).

Paul tells us that the whole earth is groaning today. “The whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain, waiting to be delivered” (Romans 8:22–23). The whole creation, in a sense, is under the curse of sin and the Devil and his demons and sin and sickness. All of God’s creation is groaning, and man’s certainly doing some groaning too. The day’s coming when the field and the trees are going to rejoice. “Let the field be joyful, and all that is therein: then shall all the trees of the wood rejoice” (Psalm 96:12). Hallelujah!

At last the Lord is going to redeem the earth and cause the beautiful Garden of Eden to blossom again as we rule and reign with Christ for a thousand years. The natural unsaved people who survived the Tribulation and wrath-of-God periods will be so amazingly blessed to be able to live during this millennial period at all, as the earth will be relieved of the curse.

“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. And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice’ den” (Isaiah 11:6–8).

You never hear about a wolf lying down with a lamb nowadays, unless the lamb is inside the wolf. Or a leopard lying down with a kid, a little baby goat. Neither have you heard about a little child leading them all. The day is coming again when there will be peace between man and the animals. Even a little child will be able to play with them.

The animals will go back to being herbivorous again and won’t eat each other, much less us. Isn’t that beautiful? Apparently man won’t eat flesh then either; we’ll all be herbivorous again. Both man and beast will return to vegetarianism during the Millennium, because apparently they won’t need the extra strength of animal flesh to survive. The curse will have been at least partially removed and man will no longer be suffering the ill effects of whatever it was that shortened life after the Flood.

From creation until the Flood, man was vegetarian, because God said specifically at the time of creation that He had given them every green thing, the herbs and plants and so on, to eat—just vegetables—no meat or flesh of any kind (Genesis 1:29–30). But after the Flood, that pre-Flood cloud covering that enveloped the earth disappeared and those deadly cosmic rays began to come through. Instead of people living eight or nine hundred or a thousand years, their lifespans were greatly reduced, as they are today. And man’s body apparently needed extra help to survive the toll of sin, so God mercifully gave him meat to eat (Genesis 9:2–3).

Of course, the skeptics always make fun of these scriptures about “the cow and the bear shall feed, and the lion shall eat straw like the ox” (Isaiah 11:7). They say, “They couldn’t possibly do that. They’re carnivorous beasts; that’s impossible.” Nothing’s impossible with the Lord (Luke 1:37). I have such confidence in this book, the Word of God and the words of Jesus and every book and every chapter and every verse in it—I have proven so many of them to be true and have found none of them to ever fail or to be false—that I believe it means exactly what it says. If they’re not going to eat each other or eat us anymore, they’re going to have to graze like the ox and the calf.

“They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain (kingdom): for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea” (Isaiah 11:9). Since there’s nothing that will hurt or destroy, there will be no venomous insects or beasts or serpents or scorpions. Even the once deadly asps and vipers will almost be like toys for the children to play with—no bite, no sting, no poison, no venom.

This, of course, will be a great blessing to the natural flesh-and-blood people of the earth who are still going to till the land and build houses and marry and be given in marriage. No doubt they will proclaim, “Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other. Truth shall spring out of the earth; and righteousness shall look down from heaven. Yea, the Lord shall give that which is good; and our land shall yield her increase” (Psalm 85:10–12).

What a wonderful place to live! The curse will be removed, all viciousness gone, and all killing and hurting stopped. There will also probably be much less disease, much less sickness, because in Isaiah it says that if someone dies when he’s 100 years old, he’ll be considered merely a child. “There shall be no more thence an infant of days, nor an old man that hath not filled his days: for the child shall die an hundred years old” (Isaiah 65:20).

Life is obviously going to be lengthened to great longevity, as it was before the Flood, when men lived to be nearly a thousand years of age. Everybody will live like Methuselah—for a thousand years (Genesis 5:27).

Why the Millennium?

The Millennium could be an additional period of grace for those who didn’t have a chance to really hear the gospel or know the Lord during this life, perhaps even because of our own failure and the failure of the church to reach the whole world with the gospel, or at least to reach everybody we should have. Particularly lots of children and young people who never had a chance and never knew any better, maybe lots of people in non-Christian countries—to give them a chance to hear and see and know the Lord.

But during the Millennium, everyone will be reached. “For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea” (Habakkuk 2:14). How do the waters cover the seas? Completely. So the world will be completely covered with the knowledge of the Lord and the righteous kingdom of Jesus Christ. Hallelujah!

It sounds like this thousand years of the millennial rule and reign of Jesus Christ on earth will be another testing time for those who remain, the unsaved who survived the wrath of God, whom God has blessed with another chance, or perhaps their first chance. They may have never really heard the gospel before; they may have never experienced the love of Jesus before or known God’s will or His ways before. It will be a time of learning His laws and His ways and His love.

It’s obvious from the Bible’s description of the Millennium that the survivors from the age of man will be given another chance through the personal rule and reign of Christ and His children and the universal knowledge of the Lord and His love. In fact, I think that’s what the whole Millennium is all about, to give these people such a chance; otherwise there would be no point to it.

In the face of the visible rule and reign of Christ on earth, His personal appearance to man, His Second Coming in mighty power and glory, His wiping out of the Antichrist and his kingdom and the imprisonment of Satan, and His obvious visible rule and reign, I think some are going to believe and receive who perhaps never heard before. And maybe there will be some who might have heard but didn’t understand or couldn’t believe until they saw something.

To see the coming of the Lord and His taking over the reins of this earth to rule and reign—that’s pretty strong persuasion and enough to convince almost anybody to believe and receive. So I think the Millennium will be the time when God gives what I would call not a second chance, but a first chance to a lot of people who didn’t have a chance before.

“For in that day shall the deaf hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity, and out of darkness. The meek also shall increase their joy in the Lord, and the poor among men shall rejoice in the Holy One of Israel. Behold, a king shall reign in righteousness, and princes shall rule in judgment. And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it” (Isaiah 29:18–19; 32:1; 40:5).

Everyone on earth will see His glorious power and kingdom, and everybody will believe then. He even says, “And they shall teach no more every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for they shall all know Me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord” (Jeremiah 31:34).

There won’t be any unbelievers then, but I’m afraid there will be some unreceivers who will still be rebellious and iniquitous at heart and defiant. It’s obvious from the scriptures that there will be many who will receive and obey and will be blessed of the Lord—and others who will still rebel.

It looks to me like the Millennium is going to be another testing time or trying time, a proving ground. We, the saints, who heard the gospel and voluntarily received the Lord, will be running things under the direct supervision of the Lord. And all of the people who survived the Tribulation, the wrath of God and the Battle of Armageddon, we’re going to govern and judge and organize and teach them.

They’ll all “know the Lord” and will actually see that He and His kingdom are real, but they may not know Him as well or as personally as we do, because we already knew Him in this life and learned to know Him well and communicate with Him and love Him and serve Him throughout this life. I think it will be part of our job to reeducate them in the ways of the Lord. They’re going to be just as human as you and I are right now. They won’t be any more supernatural in their intelligence or in their mental capacities or the ways they have to learn than we are in this present age.

The scriptures definitely confirm that the Millennium is going to be a period of learning for them: “Many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and He will teach us of His ways, and we will walk in His paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the Word of the Lord from Jerusalem” (Micah 4:2). *(From the writings of David Brandt Berg)

The Humble and Contrite in Spirit

6/02/23 Thus says the Lord:
“Heaven is my throne,
and the earth is my footstool;
what is the house that you would build for me,
and what is the place of my rest?
² All these things my hand has made,
and so all these things came to be,
declares the Lord.
But this is the one to whom I will look:
he who is humble and contrite in spirit
and trembles at my word.

³ “He who slaughters an ox is like one who kills a man;
he who sacrifices a lamb, like one who breaks a dog’s neck;
he who presents a grain offering, like one who offers pig’s blood;
he who makes a memorial offering of frankincense, like one who blesses an idol.
These have chosen their own ways,
and their soul delights in their abominations;
⁴ I also will choose harsh treatment for them
and bring their fears upon them,
because when I called, no one answered,
when I spoke, they did not listen;
but they did what was evil in my eyes
and chose that in which I did not delight.”

⁵ Hear the word of the Lord,
you who tremble at his word:
“Your brothers who hate you
and cast you out for my name’s sake
have said, ‘Let the Lord be glorified,
that we may see your joy’;
but it is they who shall be put to shame.

⁶ “The sound of an uproar from the city!
A sound from the temple!
The sound of the Lord,
rendering recompense to his enemies!

(Isaiah 66:1-6) ESV

24 – More Like Jesus: Humility (Part 1)

Peter Amsterdam

2017-05-02

One key element in our pursuit of Christlikeness is emulating the humility of Jesus. By “putting on” humility, and “putting off” pride in doing so, we strive to become more like Jesus. In the ancient world of the Greeks and Romans, humility was seen as a negative trait. It denoted a subservient attitude on the part of someone considered to be of a lower class. It was seen as a cowed attitude, one of self-belittlement or degradation. The honor-shame culture of that time exalted pride, and humility was seen as undesirable. Jesus, however, redefined humility. He, the Son of God, humbled Himself by becoming human; thus showing that if even He, as exalted as He was, exhibited humility, it was something believers should emulate. His followers in the early church, through His teachings and example, learned to treat humility as a virtue, an important moral attitude, and a fundamental trait of Christian character.

Jesus both preached and lived humility:

For who is the greater, one who reclines at table or one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at table? But I am among you as the one who serves.¹

Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.²

Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.³ 

Humility was a principal characteristic in Jesus’ life, so if our goal is to be more like Jesus, humility should become central to who we are.

Dictionaries define humility in a variety of ways, such as freedom from pride and arrogance, not thinking you are better than other people, having a modest or low view of one’s importance, a modest estimate of one’s own worth. While these are proper definitions, a Christian understanding of humility takes on a deeper meaning, as it is based on our relationship with God. In their book Character Makeover, Brazelton and Leith provide a definition of humility from a Christian perspective, as follows:

Humility is a natural result of having an accurate view of who God is and having a right perspective of who you are in relation to Him.⁴ 

And who are we to God? We’re His wayward children—broken, sinful, and unable to attain full righteousness before God. Yet despite our brokenness, He loves us unconditionally. We don’t deserve His love; it’s a gift of grace, of His unmerited favor. We can’t claim His love because we are sinners, but He gives it to us anyway. He sent His Son to die for us because of His deep love for us. It’s humbling to know that we are loved regardless of our sins. We know we aren’t worthy of His love, but He loves us anyway. This helps us feel secure in our relationship with our Creator. God’s love and acceptance is the basis of our self-worth.

Because we are unconditionally loved by the Lord, we can be honest with Him and ourselves about our strengths and weaknesses, since neither will change God’s love for us. He doesn’t love us more because of our talents, nor does He love us less because of our weaknesses. Knowing that we are accepted by God makes it easier for us to have a realistic picture of ourselves. We can be comfortable with who we are and not feel that we have to be ashamed of or hide the fact that we have weaknesses, nor feel the need to inflate our strengths.

Secular and popular definitions of humility generally include traits such as low self-esteem, lack of confidence, or being a doormat, but that’s not the humility Jesus taught. As Randy Frazee wrote:

A believer has a strong sense of self-worth and a secure position of identity as one who no longer feels the need to elevate the flesh or pump up personal pride.⁵

Knowing we’re loved by God can allow us to have a strong sense of self-esteem and thus be able to wear our self-worth lightly, with humility, because we are secure in God and His unconditional love for us. Being secure in God’s love, we recognize that there is no reason to try to exalt ourselves in His eyes or in the eyes of others. Doing so is an expression of pride, the opposite of humility. (Pride will be discussed in an upcoming article.)

As individuals created in God’s image and uniquely loved by God, we can have full confidence in our personal worth. We can candidly recognize and acknowledge both our strengths and weaknesses, our talents and negative habits. We should strive to have a realistic picture of ourselves, without thinking that we’re either wonderful or awful. We shouldn’t lift ourselves up in pride, nor consider ourselves worthless. Either extreme—feeling that everyone is better than us, or that we are better than everyone else—is wrong, and shows pride. Thinking we’re better than others is boastful, prideful thinking; whereas feeling that we are the worst can be false humility, which is also pride because it’s self-focused.⁶ Humility lies between these extremes. Recognizing that we are valuable to God, that He loves us, made us, and has given us gifts and talents can help keep us from demeaning ourselves, while also keeping us from thinking that it’s all about us, that we are better and more gifted than others. As Rick Warren said, “Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it’s thinking of yourself less.”⁷

Author Todd Wilson wrote:

Humility isn’t meant to make you think less of who you are, but to enable you to love others regardless of who they are. Humility is how love expresses itself toward those of a different status, rank, or position. It’s the capacity to view everyone as ultimately equal. This doesn’t mean denying differences between people. But it does mean looking past those differences to the underlying equality of all people. There are two important senses in which we are all equal—as creatures made in God’s image, and as fallen creatures in need of God’s grace. These two facts, in turn, are the foundation for true humility, because they radically level the playing field.⁸

If we are humble, we recognize that we are sinners just like everyone else, and therefore we don’t feel more deserving of love or less responsible to show love to others. Humility frees us from worrying about prestige or position, physical features or attractiveness, success or failure, and many other anxieties that come along with pride and measuring ourselves against others.

As Christians, we know that humility is important, as it is laced all throughout Scripture.⁹ We’re called to live with humility and gentleness;¹⁰ in humility consider others more significant than ourselves;¹¹ put on humility;¹² be clothed with humility;¹³ humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God;¹⁴ walk humbly with our God;¹⁵ do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly;¹⁶ receive God’s word in humility;¹⁷ take the lowest place at a feast;¹⁸ seek humility;¹⁹ be humble in spirit.²⁰

The Bible repeatedly extols humility and tells of the positive attitude God has toward the humble. Humility goes before honor;²¹ the humble will inherit the land;²² blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth;²³ the humble will receive honor;²⁴ the Lord is on high, yet regards the lowly;²⁵ “I dwell with the lowly and contrite in spirit”;²⁶ “I look to him who is humble and contrite”;²⁷ God saves the humble;²⁸ God gives grace to the humble;²⁹ God teaches the humble his way.³⁰

Scripture also tells us that those who exalt themselves will be humbled, but those who humble themselves will be exalted.³¹ He humbles and he exalts;³² he has brought down rulers and exalted the humble;³³ humble yourselves before the Lord and he will exalt you;³⁴ humble yourselves and he will exalt you.³⁵

When writing to the Philippians, the apostle Paul spoke of Jesus’ humility:

Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus…³⁶

Some translations render that last sentence as “have this attitude” or “your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus.” Being humble is to have the attitude of Christ, or the mind of Christ.

Paul then went on to either quote or compose an early Christian hymn,³⁷ which makes the point that Jesus provided us with the best example of true humility.

Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.³⁸

Here we’re told that our inner disposition should be similar to Jesus’, that the attitude we should have is like that of the Lord. What attitude was that? While Jesus had the same inherent character and quality and equal “rank” or “status” with God, He set it aside and took on the nature of a servant by becoming human. While He could have claimed power and glory, as was pointed out when the Devil tempted Him in the desert,³⁹ Jesus instead chose to lower His status and humbled Himself to the point that He was willing to die the cruel, torturous death of a common criminal for our sakes. Because of what He did, God “hyper-exalted Him”—which is the literal translation of this passage. He was exalted in the greatest possible manner. In a biblical sense, one’s name carries the idea of one’s character, position, role, rank, or dignity; so when we’re told that Jesus was given a name above every name, it can be understood as saying that He was given the highest rank or dignity of all, which indicates that He is the direct object of worship. Bowing and confessing that Jesus Christ is Lord is understood as declaring that He has sovereignty over the entire universe as its Lord.

While we are not on the same plane as Jesus, we can follow the principle of humility that we see in His example. During His ministry, Jesus did many mighty works. He healed the sick, cast out demons, fed 5,000 people by multiplying five loaves of bread and two fish, and walked on water. He told the Roman ruler Pontius Pilate that He could ask His Father to send twelve legions of angels to protect Him—such was His ability, power, and status. But instead, He humbled Himself, lived His life in submission to His Father, and avoided the glory that many wanted to give Him. In doing so, He was ultimately exalted above all.

If we want to become more like Him, then we will strive to “put on” humility; and if we do, we will find ourselves blessed by the Lord.

Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you.⁴⁰

Note

Unless otherwise indicated, all scriptures are from the Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

¹ Luke 22:27.

² Matthew 23:12.

³ Matthew 11:29.

⁴ Katie Brazelton and Shelley Leith, Character Makeover (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2008), 24.

⁵ Randy Frazee, Think, Act, Be Like Jesus (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2014), 217.

⁶ Brazelton and Leith, Character Makeover, 25.

⁷ Rick Warren, The Purpose Driven Life (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002).

⁸ Todd Wilson, Real Christian (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2014), 58.

⁹ The collection of verses in this and the following two paragraphs is from A. C. Day, Collins Thesaurus of the Bible (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2009).

¹⁰ Ephesians 4:2.

¹¹ Philippians 2:3.

¹² Colossians 3:12.

¹³ 1 Peter 5:5.

¹⁴ 1 Peter 5:6.

¹⁵ Micah 6:8.

¹⁶ Romans 12:16.

¹⁷ James 1:21.

¹⁸ Luke 14:10.

¹⁹ Zephaniah 2:3.

²⁰ 1 Peter 3:8.

²¹ Proverbs 15:33; 18:12.

²² Psalm 37:11.

²³ Matthew 5:5.

²⁴ Proverbs 29:23.

²⁵ Psalm 138:6.

²⁶ Isaiah 57:15.

²⁷ Isaiah 66:2.

²⁸ Job 22:29.

²⁹ James 4:6; 1 Peter 5:5.

³⁰ Psalm 25:9.

³¹ Matthew 23:12; Luke 14:11; 18:14.

³² 1 Samuel 2:7.

³³ Luke 1:52.

³⁴ James 4:10.

³⁵ 1 Peter 5:6.

³⁶ Philippians 2:3–5.

³⁷ Many scholars believe that Paul is quoting an early Christian hymn. The basic question regarding form is whether these verses are an early Christian hymn. Most contemporary scholars interpret these verses as a hymn because of the rhythmical quality, rare words and phrases, and motifs. If the verses do constitute a hymn, which seems reasonable, they reveal something of the worship of the early church. At least two characteristics predominate: They express a depth of theology which reveals in particular a highly developed Christology; they reveal that the early church had formulated its Christology in cryptic but powerful language. Further, the fact that Paul could appeal to the (apparently) well-known hymn indicates the widespread interest the early church had in Jesus. (R. R. Melick. Philippians, Colossians, Philemon. Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1991. Vol. 32, 96–97).

³⁸ Philippians 2:5–11 NIV.

³⁹ Matthew 4:1–11.

⁴⁰ 1 Peter 5:5–6.

Copyright © 2017 The Family International.

New Heavens and a New Earth

6/01/23 “For behold, I create new heavens
and a new earth,
and the former things shall not be remembered
or come into mind.
¹⁸ But be glad and rejoice forever
in that which I create;
for behold, I create Jerusalem to be a joy,
and her people to be a gladness.
¹⁹ I will rejoice in Jerusalem
and be glad in my people;
no more shall be heard in it the sound of weeping
and the cry of distress.
²⁰ No more shall there be in it
an infant who lives but a few days,
or an old man who does not fill out his days,
for the young man shall die a hundred years old,
and the sinner a hundred years old shall be accursed.
²¹ They shall build houses and inhabit them;
they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit.
²² They shall not build and another inhabit;
they shall not plant and another eat;
for like the days of a tree shall the days of my people be,
and my chosen shall long enjoy^[c] the work of their hands.
²³ They shall not labor in vain
or bear children for calamity,^[d]
for they shall be the offspring of the blessed of the Lord,
and their descendants with them.
²⁴ Before they call I will answer;
while they are yet speaking I will hear.
²⁵ The wolf and the lamb shall graze together;
the lion shall eat straw like the ox,
and dust shall be the serpent’s food.
They shall not hurt or destroy
in all my holy mountain,”
says the Lord. (Isaiah 65:17-25) ESV

*The new earth will be the eternal dwelling place of believers in Jesus Christ. The new earth and the new heavens are sometimes referred to as the “eternal state.” Scripture gives us a few details of the new heavens and new earth. The current heavens and earth have long been subject to God’s curse because of mankind’s sin. All creation “has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth” (Romans 8:22) as it awaits the fulfillment of God’s plan and “the children of God to be revealed” (verse 19). Heaven and earth will pass away (Mark 13:31), and they will be replaced by the new heavens and the new earth. At that time, the Lord, seated on His throne, says, “I am making everything new!” (Revelation 21:5). In the new creation, sin will be totally eradicated, and “there shall be no more curse” (Revelation 22:3, NKJV).

The new heaven and new earth are also mentioned in Isaiah 65:17, Isaiah 66:22, and 2 Peter 3:13. Peter tells us that the new heaven and new earth will be “where righteousness dwells.” Isaiah says that “the former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind.” Things will be completely new, and the old order of things, with the accompanying sorrow and tragedy, will be gone.

The new earth will be free from sin, evil, sickness, suffering, and death. It will be similar to our current earth, but without the curse of sin. It will be earth as God originally intended it to be. It will be Eden restored.

A major feature of the new earth will be the New Jerusalem. John calls it “the Holy City . . . coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband” (Revelation 21:2). This glorious city, with its streets of gold and pearly gates, is situated on a new, glorious earth. The tree of life will be there (Revelation 22:2). This city represents the final state of redeemed mankind, forever in fellowship with God: “God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. . . . His servants will serve him. They will see his face” (Revelation 21:3; 22:3–4).

In the new heavens and new earth, Scripture says, there are seven things notable for their absence—seven things that are “no more”:
• no more sea (Revelation 21:1)
• no more death (Revelation 21:4)
• no more mourning (Revelation 21:4)
• no more weeping (Revelation 21:4)
• no more pain (Revelation 21:4)
• no more curse (Revelation 22:3)
• no more night (Revelation 22:5)

The creation of the new heavens and new earth brings the promise that God “will wipe every tear from their eyes” (Revelation 21:4). This event comes after the tribulation, after the Lord’s second coming, after the millennial kingdom, after the final rebellion, after the final judgment of Satan, and after the Great White Throne Judgment. The brief description of the new heavens and new earth is the last glimpse into eternity that the Bible gives. * (GotQuestions.org)

Isaiah 64

5/31/23 Oh that you would rend the heavens and come down,
that the mountains might quake at your presence—
^2 [a] as when fire kindles brushwood
and the fire causes water to boil—
to make your name known to your adversaries,
and that the nations might tremble at your presence!
³ When you did awesome things that we did not look for,
you came down, the mountains quaked at your presence.
⁴ From of old no one has heard
or perceived by the ear,
no eye has seen a God besides you,
who acts for those who wait for him.
⁵ You meet him who joyfully works righteousness,
those who remember you in your ways.
Behold, you were angry, and we sinned;
in our sins we have been a long time, and shall we be saved?^[b]
6 We have all become like one who is unclean,
and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment.
We all fade like a leaf,
and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.
⁷ There is no one who calls upon your name,
who rouses himself to take hold of you;
for you have hidden your face from us,
and have made us melt in^[c] the hand of our iniquities.

⁸ But now, O Lord, you are our Father;
we are the clay, and you are our potter;
we are all the work of your hand.
⁹ Be not so terribly angry, O Lord,
and remember not iniquity forever.
Behold, please look, we are all your people.
¹⁰ Your holy cities have become a wilderness;
Zion has become a wilderness,
Jerusalem a desolation.
¹¹ Our holy and beautiful^[d] house,
where our fathers praised you,
has been burned by fire,
and all our pleasant places have become ruins.
¹² Will you restrain yourself at these things, O Lord?
Will you keep silent, and afflict us so terribly? (Isaiah 64) ESV

*“All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away” (Isaiah 64:6). This passage is often used as a proof text to condemn all our acts of goodness as nothing more than “filthy rags” in the eyes of God. The context of this passage is referring specifically to the Israelites in Isaiah’s time (760—670 B.C.) who had strayed from God. Isaiah was writing concerning his nation and their hypocrisy. Yet he includes himself in the description, saying “we” and “our.” Isaiah was redeemed and set apart as a prophet of God, yet he saw himself as part of a group that was utterly sinful. The doctrine of total depravity is taught clearly elsewhere in Scripture (e.g., Ephesians 2:1–5), and the illustration of Isaiah 64:6 could rightly be applied to the whole world, especially given Isaiah’s inclusion of himself in the description.

The term “filthy rags” is quite strong. The word filthy is a translation of the Hebrew word iddah, which literally means “the bodily fluids from a woman’s menstrual cycle.” The word rags is a translation of begged, meaning “a rag or garment.” Therefore, these “righteous acts” are considered by God as repugnant as a soiled feminine hygiene product.

As Isaiah wrote this, the Israelites had been the recipients of numerous miraculous blessings from God. Yet they had turned their backs on Him by worshiping false gods (Isaiah 42:17), making sacrifices and burning incense on strange altars (Isaiah 65:3–5). Isaiah had even called Jerusalem a harlot and compared it to Sodom (Isaiah 3:9). These people had an illusion of their own self-righteousness. Yet God did not esteem their acts of righteousness as anything but “polluted garments” or “filthy rags.” Their apostasy, or falling away from the law of God, had rendered their righteous works totally unclean. “Like the wind, [their] sins were sweeping them away” (Isaiah 64:6). Martin Luther said, “The most damnable and pernicious heresy that has ever plagued the mind of man is that somehow he can make himself good enough to deserve to live forever with an all-holy God.”

Though self-righteousness is condemned throughout the Bible (Ezekiel 33:13; Romans 3:27; Titus 3:5), we are, in fact, commanded to do good works. Paul explained that we cannot do anything to save ourselves, but our salvation comes only as a result of God’s grace (Ephesians 2:8–9). Then he proclaimed that “we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10; see also 2 Corinthians 3:5).

Our salvation is not the result of any of our efforts, abilities, intelligent choices, personal characteristics, or acts of service we may perform. However, as believers, we are “created in Christ Jesus for good works”—to help and serve others. While there is nothing we can do to earn our salvation, God’s intention is that our salvation will result in acts of service. We are saved not merely for our own benefit but to serve Christ and build up the church (Ephesians 4:12). This reconciles the seeming conflict between faith and works. Our righteous acts do not produce salvation but are, in fact, evidence of our salvation (James 1:22; 2:14–26).

In the end, we must recognize that even our righteous acts come as a result of God within us, not of ourselves. On our own, our “righteousness” is simply self-righteousness, and vain, hypocritical religion produces nothing more than “filthy rags.” * (GotQuestions.org)

Zion’s Coming Salvation

5/30/23 For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent,
and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not be quiet,
until her righteousness goes forth as brightness,
and her salvation as a burning torch.
² The nations shall see your righteousness,
and all the kings your glory,
and you shall be called by a new name
that the mouth of the Lord will give.
³ You shall be a crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord,
and a royal diadem in the hand of your God.
⁴ You shall no more be termed Forsaken,^[a]
and your land shall no more be termed Desolate,^[b]
but you shall be called My Delight Is in Her,^[c]
and your land Married; ^[d]
for the Lord delights in you,
and your land shall be married.
⁵ For as a young man marries a young woman,
so shall your sons marry you,
and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride,
so shall your God rejoice over you.

⁶ On your walls, O Jerusalem,
I have set watchmen;
all the day and all the night
they shall never be silent.
You who put the Lord in remembrance,
take no rest,
⁷ and give him no rest
until he establishes Jerusalem
and makes it a praise in the earth.
⁸ The Lord has sworn by his right hand
and by his mighty arm:
“I will not again give your grain
to be food for your enemies,
and foreigners shall not drink your wine
for which you have labored;
⁹ but those who garner it shall eat it
and praise the Lord,
and those who gather it shall drink it
in the courts of my sanctuary.” ^[e]

¹⁰ Go through, go through the gates;
prepare the way for the people;
build up, build up the highway;
clear it of stones;
lift up a signal over the peoples.
¹¹ Behold, the Lord has proclaimed
to the end of the earth:
Say to the daughter of Zion,
“Behold, your salvation comes;
behold, his reward is with him,
and his recompense before him.”
¹² And they shall be called The Holy People,
The Redeemed of the Lord;
and you shall be called Sought Out,
A City Not Forsaken. (Isaiah 62) ESV

 

Thy Kingdom Come

The New Heaven and the New Earth

David Brandt Berg

1981-05-01

Revelation chapter 22: “And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.” We’re in the Holy City now, the New Jerusalem, come down from God out of heaven to a New Earth, the capital city of the world to come, kingdom come.—Our new capital from which we will rule the world! “And in the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the Tree of Life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.”

There is a river which flows through this city of God, this beautiful New Jerusalem, the place that Jesus has gone to prepare for you and me, where there are many mansions in His Father’s house for us. And through the city flows this beautiful river, and on each side of the river are these beautiful trees called the Trees of Life, and they bear fruit.—Twelve kinds of fruit on one tree, think of that. A different kind of fruit every month. That’s quite a fruit tree, huh?

“And the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.” Outside the Holy City is the surface of the renewed earth, whose surface and atmosphere had been destroyed in the last great War of Gog and Magog and all of whose wicked had been burned up and killed, who were then judged in the Great White Throne Judgment of God. Now we’re on the renewed surface of the earth at the beautiful new Heavenly City—New Heaven, New Earth. And through it flows this beautiful River of Life flanked by the Trees of Life which have 12 fruits, a different one every month, and leaves that are able to heal the nations outside of the city.

For outside of the city on this globe like you see here, these nations will still be in existence. There will still be nations outside of the city. And we will have leaves from the Tree of Life for their healing. Apparently they’re still going to need help and still need healing, still need salvation, and we will have the answer to their problems.

They will not be allowed inside the Holy City, the beautiful City Zion, the New Jerusalem, the Bride of Christ, Space City, the capital of the kingdom of God to come, but they will be allowed upon the surface of the earth in a beautiful New Earth where there will be no more sea. Look at how much of the earth is sea! And there will be no more sea! No more Pacific, no more Atlantic, no more Indian Ocean, no more Arctic Ocean, no more sea. It will all be land, think of that! And even the United States and these nations and Europe will still be there, but they’ll need healing, and we will have the answer to their problems, in the leaves of the Tree of Life for the healing of the nations.

“And there shall be no more curse”—the curse, the result of sin no more—”but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it and His servants shall serve Him: And they shall see His face, and His name shall be in their foreheads. And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun.” That is in the city; we’re not talking about outside on the surface of the earth.

The surface of the earth outside, the planetary ball, earth, will still have sun, moon, stars, day and night, seasons etc. But in the city there’ll be no need of sun or moon or stars or candle. There’ll be no night there because it’ll be eternally lighted, forever, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. Beautifully lighted! And you’ll be able to see that city, think of it, from as far as 4000 miles away! The beautifully lighted city of God, with beautiful soft golden light all night long when it’s night upon the earth.

The inhabitants of the earth will be able to look up and view that beautiful city and know that God is there, that God now lives here with man. He’s come down out of heaven to make His dwelling place with man, and that’s His beautiful city, His capital city. Even if you’re not one of the denizens or one of the citizens of the city living inside the city, you’ll be able to look up from the surface of the earth and be thankful that you’re even there at all.—Even outside the city, the unsaved, one of those on probation, one of those still learning to love the Lord.

But you can look up at night and see that beautiful city. Isn’t that wonderful? Just think, from even 4000 miles away you’ll be able to see it! Even if it was clear across the ocean over New York you could see it from London and Paris and even almost from Rome! Think of that! Isn’t that amazing? “And they shall reign forever and ever!” Who shall reign? All the Christians who love Jesus. All are saints sanctified by His blood, purified, set apart to serve the Lord.

“And he said unto me, these sayings are faithful and true: and the Lord God of the Holy prophets sent His angel to show unto His servants the things which must shortly be done.” This person speaking to St. John said these things to him. Then Jesus speaks: “Behold I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book.” Quickly? What do you mean? John got Revelation 2000 years ago and Jesus isn’t here yet. Well, Jesus didn’t say He was coming soon. He said He was going to come quickly when He came. In other words, when He comes, He’s going to come real quick and in a hurry, real fast! But He didn’t say “I’m coming soon” because it’s been 2000 years since then and He hasn’t come yet.

Eighth verse: “And I John saw these things and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which showed me these things. “Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: Worship God.” (Revelation 22:8-9).

“And he saith unto me, seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book, for the time is at hand.” We found out that the book of Revelation began when? When did the revelation begin? In whose time? John’s time. The sayings of this book, the predictions and prophecies of this book began right then in John’s day. That’s why he says “the time is at hand.” And this book reviews the whole history of the world, prophetically, from the days of John till the very end. In fact, right on into heaven, Praise the Lord!

He says, “He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.”

12th verse: “And behold, I come quickly and My reward is with Me, to give every man according as his work shall be.” He didn’t say soon, but He said quickly! He’s going to come very suddenly when He comes. He’s just warning them, even 2000 years in advance, that when He finally comes, He’s going to come very quickly. He says that about three times in this passage.—Not that He’s coming soon, but that He’s going to come very quickly. He does say that the events talked about in this book are at hand, starting right now, He says to John, and this book covers the whole period from John to the end, even to heaven.

“My reward is with me to give every man according as his work shall be.” Everybody will be rewarded at the Judgment of Jesus Christ, the throne of Christ. Every saved Christian will be rewarded according to his works when Jesus comes. The judgment of the unsaved does not come until a thousand years later when all the unsaved are dead and destroyed and then raised to meet God at the Great White Judgment Seat described in the 20th chapter, if you want to read it.

But we who are resurrected and raised and raptured to be with the Lord at the end of the Tribulation, we get our rewards right away up in heaven at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb where there’s a great feast and a great ceremony, and God passes out the wedding gifts. He passes out the presents, the rewards to all of those who love the Lord. Isn’t that wonderful?

13th verse: “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.” Jesus is speaking again. Alpha and Omega are the first and the last letters of the Greek alphabet, meaning the beginning and the end. “Blessed are they that do His commandments, that they may have right to the Tree of Life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.” All those who do the commandments of Jesus Christ can eat of that Tree of Life that grows on both sides of the River of Life that flows right through the city like a big park.

The city’s going to be very, very beautiful! I’m going to tell you more about it in a few minutes. It’s going to be like a beautiful, beautiful park in some places, and there in the lower level where the river flows right through the city there’re going to be these beautiful trees growing on both sides, fruit trees with 12 different kinds of fruit, a different kind every month, think of that!—And leaves that’ll be able to heal the people outside the city that are still sin-sick, and sick from their disobediences and their rebellion against God. We’re going to be able to take those leaves outside and heal’m! TYJ!

We’re still going to be witnesses, think of that! We’re still going to be witnesses for the Lord and be able to take those leaves outside the city to heal the nations outside. But we who live in the city who are saved, we’re the already saved, and the only saved ones and we have a right to the Tree of Life, to drink of those beautiful waters that keep us living forever so we can help those people outside.

Isn’t that wonderful that we’ll still have some work to do? We won’t just be sitting around floating on clouds, fiddling with harps—that’s some worldly cartoonist’s idea, some guy who doesn’t know about what’s going to happen, really. Because we’re going to be very busy going in and picking leaves off of the Tree of Life, nice little leaflets like this one we’ve handed out for many years!

Here’s a little leaf from the Tree of Life right there, and we take it out and we’ll give it to the people outside, like this, and say, “Hey! Here, this’ll heal you if you’ll just take it and rub it into your heart!” It’ll heal your heart, and make you well again. Isn’t that wonderful? We’ll still be giving out little leaves, leaflets from the Tree of Life! How about that?

Because there are still going to be lots of unsaved people outside on the surface of the earth. They’ve been resurrected, they’ve been to the Great White Throne Judgment of God and each one’s judgment was decided upon, where they should go, some to the flames of hell itself and the Lake of Fire where the Devil and the Antichrist and the False Prophet, those three animals are, those three beasts—the Dragon, and the Beast and the False Lamb. Those three animals are going to be in hellfire.

“And 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.” Jesus is the morning star. “And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.”

18th verse: “For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book. And if any man shall take away the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.” Ah! You mustn’t add anything to this book, and you mustn’t take anything away from it.

Now some people say that means the whole Bible. No, he’s just talking about this particular book, the book of Revelation. You shouldn’t add anything to it, and you shouldn’t take anything from it. In fact, some of the narrow-minded, very blue-nosed evangelical fundamentalists seem to think that this is the last time God ever spoke, to John on the Isle of Patmos, and these are the last words that Jesus ever said, that He hasn’t spoken since then. Isn’t that ridiculous? We have a dead God who’s been dead and quiet and silent for 2000 years now, according to these Fundamentalist Evangelicals who accept just the Bible alone and don’t believe that Jesus has ever said anything since then.

God has spoken since then. And down through the ages, after this book was written, after John, God still had many prophets and prophetesses who continued to prophesy and speak with tongues and interpretation and prophecies throughout the whole 2000 years of church history since the days of John and since this book was finished. God’s prophets and prophetesses have been continuing to prophesy in these last days according to the Word of God, throughout the church of Jesus Christ, throughout the family of God, throughout all Christendom, all those that love Jesus, all Christians everywhere, millions of them.

And “He which testifieth of these things saith”—that’s Jesus, of course—”surely I come quickly.” He didn’t say He was coming soon, He said He was coming quickly! He didn’t say He was going to come very soon because there have been 2000 years since then. But He said when He comes He’s going to come very quickly—boom! Suddenly, like that, by surprise to the whole world.

But we won’t be surprised, will we? We’ll be ready for Jesus when He comes. We’ll be expecting Him, won’t we? “Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus,” the prophet says. “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.” PTL! Isn’t that a beautiful book? Wonderful, wonderful, beautiful story!

Copyright © 1981 The Family International.

The Year of the Lord‘s Favor

5/29/23 The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me,
because the Lord has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor; ^[a]
he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives,
and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; ^[b]
2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor,
and the day of vengeance of our God;
to comfort all who mourn;
³ to grant to those who mourn in Zion—
to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness instead of mourning,
the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit;
that they may be called oaks of righteousness,
the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified.^[c]
4 They shall build up the ancient ruins;
they shall raise up the former devastations;
they shall repair the ruined cities,
the devastations of many generations.

⁵ Strangers shall stand and tend your flocks;
foreigners shall be your plowmen and vinedressers;
⁶ but you shall be called the priests of the Lord;
they shall speak of you as the ministers of our God;
you shall eat the wealth of the nations,
and in their glory you shall boast.
⁷ Instead of your shame there shall be a double portion;
instead of dishonor they shall rejoice in their lot;
therefore in their land they shall possess a double portion;
they shall have everlasting joy.

⁸ For I the Lord love justice;
I hate robbery and wrong; ^[d]
I will faithfully give them their recompense,
and I will make an everlasting covenant with them.
⁹ Their offspring shall be known among the nations,
and their descendants in the midst of the peoples;
all who see them shall acknowledge them,
that they are an offspring the Lord has blessed.

¹⁰ I will greatly rejoice in the Lord;
my soul shall exult in my God,
for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation;
he has covered me with the robe of righteousness,
as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress,
and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
¹¹ For as the earth brings forth its sprouts,
and as a garden causes what is sown in it to sprout up,
so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise
to sprout up before all the nations. (Isaiah 61) ESV

Blessed Are the Poor in Spirit

A compilation

2022-06-21

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. —Matthew 5:3–4

*

The deeper we grow in the Spirit of Jesus Christ, the poorer we become—the more we realize that everything in life is a gift. The tenor of our lives becomes one of humble and joyful thanksgiving. Awareness of our poverty and ineptitude causes us to rejoice in the gift of being called out of darkness into wondrous light and translated into the kingdom of God’s beloved Son. …

I had lived for a few days at the city garbage dump in Juarez, Mexico, where little children and old men and women literally scavenged food from a mound of refuse more than thirty feet high. Several children died each week because of malnutrition and polluted water. I sent [a] six-thousand-dollar check to a man with ten children, three of whom had already died from the grinding poverty and wretched living conditions.

Do you know what the man who received the check did? He wrote me nine letters in two days—letters overflowing with gratitude and describing in detail how he was using the money to help his own family and other neighbors at the dump.

That gave me a beautiful insight into what a poor man is like. When he receives a gift he first experiences, then expresses, genuine gratitude. Having nothing, he appreciates the slightest gift. I have been given the utterly undeserved gift of salvation in Jesus Christ. Through no merit of mine, I have been given a bona fide invitation to drink new wine forever at the wedding feast in the kingdom of God. (Incidentally, for a recovering alcoholic, that’s heaven!)

But sometimes I get so involved with myself that I start making demands for things I think I deserve, or I take for granted every gift that comes my way. …

In conversation, the disciple who is truly poor in spirit always leaves the other person feeling, “My life has been enriched by talking with you.” This is neither false modesty nor phony humility. His or her life has been enriched and graced. He is not all exhaust and no intake. She does not impose herself on others. He listens well because he knows he has so much to learn from others. Her spiritual poverty enables her to enter the world of the other, even when she cannot identify with that world. … The poor in spirit are the most nonjudgmental of peoples; they get along well with sinners.

The poor man and woman of the gospel have made peace with their flawed existence. They are aware of their lack of wholeness, their brokenness, the simple fact that they don’t have it all together. While they do not excuse their sin, they are humbly aware that sin is precisely what has caused them to throw themselves at the mercy of the Father. They do not pretend to be anything but what they are: sinners saved by grace.—Brennan Manning¹

Being poor in spirit

[I]n Scripture, including in the Old Testament, poor does not necessarily mean physical poverty. It is often a technical term for those who realize that, at bottom, they need God for everything physical and spiritual. This is what Isaiah meant when he proclaimed, “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor.”²

This background makes clear that it is the Messiah who will supply the needs of the “poor.” Simeon said of Jesus Christ in Luke 2:34, “This child is set for the fall and rising again of many.” What comes before rising again? A fall—death. What did Jesus say? “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.”³ Because of our natural spiritual poverty, there must be a death of self if we are ever going to be filled with Christ.

Being poor in spirit is about God giving us a proper attitude toward ourselves and toward Him. We need to see ourselves as carrying a debt of sin and, consequently, as bankrupt before God. Knowing this about ourselves, we cry for mercy to the only One who can wipe out our debt and be our supply in our bankruptcy—we cry out to God.

This stands in contrast to so much of what we see. The spirit of our age tells us to “express” ourselves and “believe” in ourselves. We are about self-reliance, self-sufficiency, self-confidence, and so on. The countercultural truths of the Beatitudes say, “Empty self so that God can come in.” When we are full of self, we miss the blessing of God’s presence. …

We never outgrow this first beatitude. It is the basis upon which we ascend to the others. If we outgrow it, we outgrow our Christianity. Jesus told the people of the church in Laodicea in Revelation 3:17–18 that they say they are rich, have prospered, and need nothing. He tells them they are “poor” and, therefore, they should buy from Him gold refined by fire so that they might be rich; that is, rich in Him.

The fundamental posture of this beatitude is found in the tax collector in Luke 18:9–14. The Pharisee in this parable trusted in himself and his works before God. In contrast, the tax collector said, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner!” The promise follows: “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.” If we are going to enter the kingdom of heaven and be satisfied there in Christ, we must first be “poor in spirit.”—D. Blair Smith⁴

What does it mean?

The beatitudes—the blessings that really proclaim the way of Jesus… What is the foundation for all of them and for the whole value system of Jesus? I think it’s found in the very first one. As Matthew puts it, “Blessed are the poor in spirit. The reign of God is theirs.”

In Luke’s Gospel, it just says, “Blessed are the poor,” and sometimes people think, “Well, Matthew modified that. Poor in spirit—that takes a little bit of the edge off of it.” But it really doesn’t. It simply helps us to realize that when Jesus is talking about “Blessed are the poor,” he’s talking more about an attitude, a way of knowing one’s need for God, which is a disposition of the heart and not simply economic deprivation.

Poor in spirit means that we understand a profound truth about ourselves—the truth that none of us is responsible for our own existence and our own continuance of existence. Poor in spirit means we understand our need for God and who God is and who we are. Poor in spirit means we understand that without God and God’s gift to us of existence, of life, we would not be. God has loved us into being. God has loved all of creation into being, and it’s only God’s love that sustains all of creation as it continues to evolve and develop in each one of us God’s continuing love.—Thomas Gumbleton⁵

The least of these

Jesus’ earthly life in many ways was one of lowliness and service. His ministry focused on the poor, needy, and outcasts—the least of these. In the Gospels, we find examples of those He ministered to.

“Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them.”⁶

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”⁷

Jesus also pointed out some of the things that those who “are blessed of my Father” do in their lives—they feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, welcome the stranger, clothe the naked, and visit the sick and those in prison.⁸ Such acts of kindness mirror the Lord’s love and care.

Jesus’ example of humility is something we are encouraged to emulate. When referring to Christ’s humility, Paul wrote that Christians are to “have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus.”⁹ We’re told that “Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”¹⁰

If we want to cultivate humility in our lives, the starting place is a focus on God. As we grow closer to Him, spending more time concentrating on Him, learning about Him, talking with Him, and making room for Him in our lives, He grows in importance to us and begins to take up more of our “field of vision,” so to speak. When He does, we are reminded of His perfection and our lack of it. When we are in right relationship with Him, we will be humbled by the fact that He loves and values us, as imperfect as we are. This right relationship leads us to a godly balance of healthy self-esteem with genuine humility. —Peter Amsterdam

Published on Anchor June 2022. Read by Reuben Ruchevsky.
Music by John Listen.

¹ Brennan Manning, The Ragamuffin Gospel: Good News for the Bedraggled, Beat-Up, and Burnt Out (Multnomah, 2005).

² Isaiah 61:1.

³ John 12:24.

⁴ https://www.ligonier.org/learn/articles/blessed-are-poor-spirit.

⁵ https://www.ncronline.org/blogs/peace-pulpit/blessed-are-poor-what-does-mean.

⁶ Matthew 11:4–5.

⁷ Luke 4:18–19.

⁸ Matthew 25:34–46.

⁹ Philippians 2:5.

¹⁰ Matthew 23:12.

True and False Fasting

 5/27/23 “Cry aloud; do not hold back;
lift up your voice like a trumpet;
declare to my people their transgression,
to the house of Jacob their sins.
² Yet they seek me daily
and delight to know my ways,
as if they were a nation that did righteousness
and did not forsake the judgment of their God;
they ask of me righteous judgments;
they delight to draw near to God.
³ ‘Why have we fasted, and you see it not?
Why have we humbled ourselves, and you take no knowledge of it?’
Behold, in the day of your fast you seek your own pleasure,^[a]
and oppress all your workers.
⁴ Behold, you fast only to quarrel and to fight
and to hit with a wicked fist.
Fasting like yours this day
will not make your voice to be heard on high.
⁵ Is such the fast that I choose,
a day for a person to humble himself?
Is it to bow down his head like a reed,
and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him?
Will you call this a fast,
and a day acceptable to the Lord?

⁶ “Is not this the fast that I choose:
to loose the bonds of wickedness,
to undo the straps of the yoke,
to let the oppressed^[b] go free,
and to break every yoke?
⁷ Is it not to share your bread with the hungry
and bring the homeless poor into your house;
when you see the naked, to cover him,
and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?
⁸ Then shall your light break forth like the dawn,
and your healing shall spring up speedily;
your righteousness shall go before you;
the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard.
⁹ Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer;
you shall cry, and he will say, ‘Here I am.’
If you take away the yoke from your midst,
the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness,
¹⁰ if you pour yourself out for the hungry
and satisfy the desire of the afflicted,
then shall your light rise in the darkness
and your gloom be as the noonday.
¹¹ And the Lord will guide you continually
and satisfy your desire in scorched places
and make your bones strong;
and you shall be like a watered garden,
like a spring of water,
whose waters do not fail.
¹² And your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt;
you shall raise up the foundations of many generations;
you shall be called the repairer of the breach,
the restorer of streets to dwell in.

¹³ “If you turn back your foot from the Sabbath,
from doing your pleasure^[c] on my holy day,
and call the Sabbath a delight
and the holy day of the Lord honorable;
if you honor it, not going your own ways,
or seeking your own pleasure,^[d] or talking idly;^[e]
14 then you shall take delight in the Lord,
and I will make you ride on the heights of the earth;^[f]
I will feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father,
for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” (Isaiah 58) ESV

*Usually, fasting is the abstaining from food for a certain period of time. There are different types of fasting in the Bible, however, and not all of them involve food. Many people in the Bible fasted, including Moses, David, and Daniel in the Old Testament and Anna, Paul, and Jesus Christ in the New Testament. Many important figures in Christian history attested to fasting’s value, as do many Christians today.

Biblical fasting is often closely linked to repentance, as in the examples of David, the nation of Israel, and the city of Nineveh. Fasting is also related to passionate prayer, as in the examples of King Jehoshaphat and Queen Esther. Biblical fasting comes from a humble heart seeking God (Isaiah 58:3–7). John MacArthur comments on Isaiah 58: “The people complained when God did not recognize their religious actions, but God responded that their fastings had been only half-hearted. Hypocritical fasting resulted in contention, quarreling, and pretense, excluding the possibility of genuine prayer to God. Fasting consisted of more than just an outward ritual and a mock repentance, it involved penitence over sin and consequent humility, disconnecting from sin and oppression of others, feeding the hungry, and acting humanely toward those in need.”

The regular fast is done by abstaining from all food, both solid and liquid, except for water. This is the type of fasting Judah’s King Jehoshaphat called for when his country was confronted with invasion (2 Chronicles 20:3). The Lord defeated their enemies, and the men of Judah blessed the Lord (2 Chronicles 20:24–27). After the Babylonian Captivity, the people returning to Jerusalem prayed and fasted, asking God for His protection on their journey (Ezra 8:21). The Lord Jesus fasted during His forty days in the wilderness being tempted by Satan (Luke 4:2). When Jesus was hungry, Satan tempted Him to turn the stones into bread, to which Jesus replied, “Man shall not live by bread alone” (Luke 4:4).

Another type of biblical fasting is the partial fast. The prophet Daniel spent three weeks fasting from certain foods. In Daniel 10, the prophet says, “I, Daniel, mourned for three weeks. I ate no choice food; no meat or wine touched my lips; and I used no lotions at all until the three weeks were over” (Daniel 10:2–3). Note that Daniel’s fast to express his grief on this occasion only omitted “choice” food, and it also involved relinquishing the use of oils and “lotions” for refreshment. Today, many Christians follow this example and abstain from certain foods or activities for a short time, looking to the Lord for their comfort and strength.

Also mentioned in the Bible is the absolute fast, or the full fast, where no food or water is consumed. When Esther discovered the plan for all the Jews to be killed in Persia, she and her fellow Jews fasted from food and water for three days before she entered the king’s courts to ask for his mercy (Esther 4:16). Another example of an absolute fast is found in the story of Saul’s conversion. The murderous Saul encountered Jesus in His glory on the road to Damascus. “For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything” (Acts 9:9). Immediately following that time of blindness and fasting, Saul dedicated his life to preaching Jesus Christ.

In the cases of Esther and Saul, the absolute fast only lasted three days. However, Moses and Elijah took part in miraculous, forty-day absolute fasts. When Moses met God on the mountaintop to receive the tablets of stone, he ate no bread and drank no water (Deuteronomy 9:9). And, after Elijah defeated the prophets of Baal on Mt. Carmel, infuriating Queen Jezebel, Elijah fled for his life and spent forty days of fasting in the wilderness (1 Kings 19).

The Bible also mentions a sexual fast, although not by that name. In Exodus 19:15, the people of Israel were to prepare for their encounter with the Lord at Mt. Sinai, and part of their preparation was to abstain from sexual relations for three days. And in 1 Corinthians 7:5 Paul says that a married couple can mutually agree to abstain from sex for a short period of time in order to devote themselves to prayer. But then they are to “come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.”

The purpose of fasting is not to get God to respond as a genie in a bottle to grant our every wish. Fasting, whether it is regular, partial, absolute, or sexual, is a seeking after God’s heart, all other blessings and benefits being secondary to God Himself. This is what sets apart biblical fasting from other religious and cultural practices around the world.
* (GotQuestions.org)

The Compassion of the Lord

 5/27/23 “Come, everyone who thirsts,
come to the waters;
and he who has no money,
come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
without money and without price.
² Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread,
and your labor for that which does not satisfy?
Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good,
and delight yourselves in rich food.
³ Incline your ear, and come to me;
hear, that your soul may live;
and I will make with you an everlasting covenant,
my steadfast, sure love for David.
⁴ Behold, I made him a witness to the peoples,
a leader and commander for the peoples.
⁵ Behold, you shall call a nation that you do not know,
and a nation that did not know you shall run to you,
because of the Lord your God, and of the Holy One of Israel,
for he has glorified you.

⁶ “Seek the Lord while he may be found;
call upon him while he is near;
⁷ let the wicked forsake his way,
and the unrighteous man his thoughts;
let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him,
and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
⁸ For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.
⁹ For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.

¹⁰ “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven
and do not return there but water the earth,
making it bring forth and sprout,
giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,
¹¹ so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;
it shall not return to me empty,
but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,
and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.

¹² “For you shall go out in joy
and be led forth in peace;
the mountains and the hills before you
shall break forth into singing,
and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.
¹³ Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress;
instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle;
and it shall make a name for the Lord,
an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.” (Isaiah 55) ESV

Jesus Really Satisfies

Virginia Brandt Berg

2018-08-13

I think if I would give my whole message in one sentence, it would be: Jesus really satisfies. Therefore, I want to read to you this scripture from Isaiah 55, because if you aren’t satisfied in your soul and yet you have known the Lord, or you have been taught along the lines of the scriptures, it’s because you’ve let material things come in and crowd Him out. Because He does satisfy.

“Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? And your labour for that which satisfieth not? Hearken diligently … and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness.”

“Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.”¹

You notice it says here that if you’re thirsty, if you’re hungry, come, and you can have the very wine of the Spirit, and the food of the gospel without any money, without any price. Then He asks a question: “Why,” He says, “do you spend money for that which is not bread and that which does not satisfy when you could have Christ, the satisfying portion?” How true that is!

There’s a song that I’ve loved through the years called “All Things in Jesus,” which expresses this well:

Friends around us are seeking to find
What the heart yearns for, by sin undermined;
I have the secret, I know where ’tis found:
Only in Jesus true pleasures abound.

Some carry burdens whose weight has for years
Crushed them with sorrow and blinded with tears;
Yet One stands ready to help them just now,
If they with faith and with penitence bow.

No other name thrills the joy chords within,
And through none else is remission of sin;
He knows the pain of the heart sorely tried,
All of its needs will in Him be supplied.

Jesus is all this sad world needs today;
Blindly men strive, for sin darkens the way.
Oh to draw back the grim curtains of night—
One glimpse of Jesus, and all will be right!

All that I want is in Jesus;
He satisfies, joy He supplies;
Life would be worthless without Him,
All things in Jesus I find.
—Harry Dixon Loes²

When Jesus is in your life, you find how truly He satisfies! And then you long to tell others also about Him. If you’ll trust His Word, believe His promises, He’ll meet them, and He’ll satisfy your every desire.

I’m thankful to the Lord for another year that has passed, very precious because He revealed Himself anew to my heart. I can say yet again as a testimony, when it comes to Jesus satisfying, that:

He was better to me than all my hopes,
He was greater than all my fears,
He made a bridge of my broken works,
And a rainbow of my tears.
—Author unknown³

As the years have passed, the wonders of God’s love and the beauty and grace of Jesus Christ have unfolded in greater magnitude and reality, until I can truly say that Jesus satisfies. He truly satisfies. I’ve been in the service of the Lord for over 50 years. In all that time we’ve been serving Him, He’s never disappointed once, and He’s answered so many prayers.

That’s a wonderful passage in the 55th chapter of Isaiah. It tells of the promise of Christ and calling to faith and repentance, and the blessings that will come to those that accept the invitation to come, buy wine, milk, bread without money, without price.

The greatest of all supernatural things is that Christ, the incarnate Savior, should plead with us in all of our emptiness to come and partake of His richness and glory. He says, “If you’re thirsty of soul, come. If you’re hungry of heart, come.” If you don’t have any money, it makes no difference to Him; come without money, come without price, but come, come to Him.

In this passage, He’s saying, “If nothing’s satisfied you, if you still have that emptiness and that aching void, come; I’ll satisfy your heart. You spent your money for that which isn’t bread, and your labor for that which isn’t satisfying; now come and eat that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness.” Would that our souls would be fat from feasting on God’s Word and believing His promises.

God’s Word declares that Jesus Christ is a satisfying portion. Millions have testified over the centuries that He has satisfied every desire of their heart. Before finding Christ, they knew nothing but the world’s work and the world’s wages, and spending money for that which didn’t satisfy. Then Jesus came into their life and there dawned upon their darkened souls a light that never was on land or sea. God’s Word calls it “the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”⁴

He knows what you are, He knows our frame, and yet just think, He humbles Himself and stoops down to your level and pleads with you to come. “Incline your ear,” He says. “Come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live.”⁵

To know the only true God in Jesus Christ is indeed satisfying. Jesus said, “He that comes to Me I will in no wise cast out.”⁶ His Word says, “Return unto the Lord and he will have mercy, and to our God, and he will abundantly pardon.”⁷ Even so, we ask You, Lord, for this abundant pardon and mercy.

He’ll meet you, and as you live in His Word and you talk to Him, you’ll grow in faith and your soul shall be satisfied. God bless you and keep you and make you a blessing to others.

From a transcript of a Meditation Moments broadcast, adapted. Published on Anchor August 2018. Read by Debra Lee.

¹ Isaiah 55:1–2, 6–7 KJV.

² Adapted from “All Things in Jesus” by Harry Dixon Loes, 1915.

³ Author unknown. Quoted in Streams in the Desert by L. B. Cowman.

⁴ 2 Corinthians 4:6.

⁵ Isaiah 55:3.

⁶ John 6:37.

⁷ Isaiah 55:7.

The Eternal Covenant of Peace

 5/26/23 “Sing, O barren one, who did not bear;
break forth into singing and cry aloud,
you who have not been in labor!
For the children of the desolate one will be more
than the children of her who is married,” says the Lord.
² “Enlarge the place of your tent,
and let the curtains of your habitations be stretched out;
do not hold back; lengthen your cords
and strengthen your stakes.
³ For you will spread abroad to the right and to the left,
and your offspring will possess the nations
and will people the desolate cities.

⁴ “Fear not, for you will not be ashamed;
be not confounded, for you will not be disgraced;
for you will forget the shame of your youth,
and the reproach of your widowhood you will remember no more.
⁵ For your Maker is your husband,
the Lord of hosts is his name;
and the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer,
the God of the whole earth he is called.
⁶ For the Lord has called you
like a wife deserted and grieved in spirit,
like a wife of youth when she is cast off,
says your God.
⁷ For a brief moment I deserted you,
but with great compassion I will gather you.
⁸ In overflowing anger for a moment
I hid my face from you,
but with everlasting love I will have compassion on you,”
says the Lord, your Redeemer.

⁹ “This is like the days of Noah^[a] to me:
as I swore that the waters of Noah
should no more go over the earth,
so I have sworn that I will not be angry with you,
and will not rebuke you.
¹⁰ For the mountains may depart
and the hills be removed,
but my steadfast love shall not depart from you,
and my covenant of peace shall not be removed,”
says the Lord, who has compassion on you.

¹¹ “O afflicted one, storm-tossed and not comforted,
behold, I will set your stones in antimony,
and lay your foundations with sapphires.^[b]
12 I will make your pinnacles of agate,^[c]
your gates of carbuncles,^[d]
and all your wall of precious stones.
¹³ All your children shall be taught by the Lord,
and great shall be the peace of your children.
¹⁴ In righteousness you shall be established;
you shall be far from oppression, for you shall not fear;
and from terror, for it shall not come near you.
¹⁵ If anyone stirs up strife,
it is not from me;
whoever stirs up strife with you
shall fall because of you.
¹⁶ Behold, I have created the smith
who blows the fire of coals
and produces a weapon for its purpose.
I have also created the ravager to destroy;
¹⁷     no weapon that is fashioned against you shall succeed,
and you shall refute every tongue that rises against you in judgment.
This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord
and their vindication^[e] from me, declares the Lord.” (Isaiah 54) ESV

*Isaiah’s prophecies address not only God’s judgment but also God’s grace. In them God often refers to His earlier promises, as He does in Isaiah 54:9, saying, “For this is like the waters of Noah to me.” Though Israel had broken God’s (Mosaic) covenant and would soon undergo judgment (see chapters 1—3, for example), there would be a remnant and those who would see God’s restoration afterward (Isaiah 14, 27, for example). Isaiah 54:1–3 speaks of the nation having many descendants, enlarging their tent, spreading abroad, possessing nations, and resettling cities that had been desolate. The people would forget the shame of their former disobedience (Isaiah 54:4), because God has redeemed and called them (Isaiah 54:5). The people would not be restored because of their righteousness, but in spite of their unfaithfulness God would deliver them (Isaiah 54:6).

God had judged the people briefly but would with great compassion restore them (Isaiah 54:7). The nation had been judged for a moment but would see God’s everlasting kindness and compassion (Isaiah 54:8). Because of the temporality of God’s judgment and the eternality of His blessing, in this case God says that “this is like the waters of Noah to me” (Isaiah 54:9). In the days of Noah, human wickedness had reached such an apex that God would tolerate it no further and would bring judgment (Genesis 6:5–7) through a worldwide flood. But even in the midst of that judgment God would show His mercy as He chose to protect the line of Noah because of Noah’s righteousness (Genesis 6:8; 7:1). God brought Noah, his family, and representatives from the various animal families through the judgment (Genesis 7:17–24).

After the judgment through the flood, God made a covenant with Noah and with every living thing that He would never again destroy the earth with a flood (Genesis 9:11). Because of that earlier promise, God said in Isaiah 54:9 that the current judgment would be “like the waters of Noah to me.” God had sworn that waters of Noah (or judgment) would not flood the earth again (Genesis 9:11; Isaiah 54:9), and in the same way God was now telling the people that after the judgment they would encounter, He would no longer be angry or rebuke the people (Isaiah 54:9). Even though the mountains may be removed and the hills shaken, God would not remove His lovingkindness or allow His covenant of peace to be broken (Isaiah 54:10).

God is a holy, holy, holy God (Isaiah 6:3) who does not ignore His people’s sin. He had promised that if Israel would obey the covenant He gave them through Moses that they would dwell peacefully in the land (Exodus 19:5–6; Deuteronomy 28:1–15). But if they disobeyed God, they would be judged and removed from the land (Deuteronomy 28:16–66). Yet even after that judgment took place, God would restore the people (Deuteronomy 30). The judgment would not last forever. God’s judgment of Israel would be “like the waters of Noah” to God (Isaiah 54:9) in that it would be temporary and the people would be ultimately delivered.

In a similar way, we see God’s grace poured out on those who believe in Jesus Christ—even though we are worthy of an eternal penalty (death), God loves us and sent His Son Jesus to die as a substitution in our place. He took on Himself the penalty for Israel’s sin and for ours (Isaiah 53:4–12)—in fact, He died for the whole world (1 John 2:2) so that all who believe in Him can have eternal life (John 6:47; 20:31). For those who believe in this Savior, God’s judgment is “like the waters of Noah”—we were by nature children of wrath (Ephesians 2:3), but God has saved us by His mercy (Ephesians 2:4). * (GotQuestions.org)

Isaiah 53:3-5

5/25/23 He was despised and rejected^[b] by men,
a man of sorrows^[c] and acquainted with^[d] grief;^[e]
and as one from whom men hide their faces^[f]
he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

⁴ Surely he has borne our griefs
and carried our sorrows;
yet we esteemed him stricken,
smitten by God, and afflicted.
⁵ But he was pierced for our transgressions;
he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
and with his wounds we are healed. (Isaiah 53:3-5) ESV

04 – Healing Is in the Atonement

Divine Healing

Peter Amsterdam

2012-03-20

Chapter 4

A significant principle that those whose material I studied agree on, and that has been in our Statement of Faith for decades, is that divine healing is in the atonement—that Jesus not only died for our sins so that we could be saved, but He also suffered so that we could receive physical healing.

The concept of healing fitting within the atonement is based on Isaiah 53:4–5 and Matthew 8:16–17:

Surely He took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered Him stricken by God, smitten by Him, and afflicted. But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed.^[1]

The word translated as infirmities (griefs in the KJV) is the Hebrew word choliy, meaning sickness.

Donald Dunkerley comments:

So what can we conclude about healing and the atonement?

When evening came, many who were demon-possessed were brought to Him, and He drove out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick. This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah: “He took up our infirmities and carried our diseases” (Matthew 8:16–17).

Matthew was telling us that when Jesus healed the sick, He was setting them free from illness in direct fulfillment of Isaiah 53. That beloved Old Testament prophecy cannot be spiritualized to mean that Jesus would take on Himself only our spiritual problems. Matthew saw it fulfilled in the healing of physical illness. And when Isaiah said, “By His wounds we are healed,” physical healing was very much a part of what he had in mind.

Christ died to deliver us from sin and all its consequences, including disease and death. He died to provide holiness for us in this life and resurrection and glory in the life to come. He did not, in His earthly ministry, tell people to wait for heaven before they could be healed. He healed many of them right then.^[2]

Our founder David also taught that healing was part of the atonement.

He didn’t have to suffer for our sins, He only had to shed His blood and die for our sins. But His body suffered stripes, wounds, beatings, pain and agony so that through this He could also atone for our sicknesses: “By His stripes we are healed!” (Isaiah 53:5)^[3]

Lord, You suffered in Your body for our sicknesses and our illnesses as well as for our sins. You took our infirmities in Your own body, by Your stripes we are healed. You didn’t have to do all that, Lord, but You did that for our health, to show by Your vicarious suffering that You atone for our physical bodies as well as our spiritual souls.^[4]

It’s Jesus’ body that heals them, which is what we teach. Why else was He beaten? Why else did He suffer stripes? Why else did He suffer physically without dying? If it was only His blood that was necessary to save us, why didn’t He just die and why did the Lord let Him go through all that suffering? “By His stripes we are healed.” “This is My body which is broken for you!”—Not to save us, but to heal us! (Isaiah 53:5; 1 Corinthians 11:24) It’s in the atonement, praise God! Hallelujah!^[5]

So as you partake of this [bread in communion], it’s a symbol of our faith that His body was broken for us and it is for our healing and we can claim it through the sacrifice of Christ. It’s a part of His atonement, the whole salvation for the whole man—body, soul and spirit.^[6]

While the fact that healing is part of the atonement is generally believed by those who teach healing evangelism, there is a variance in the way it is interpreted. Some believe that while physical healing is contained within the atonement and “by His stripes we are healed,” this doesn’t mean all sickness will be healed immediately or even in this lifetime. Others believe that because healing is in the atonement, this means God will heal all diseases now.

David expressed that while we can and do get healed in this life, it’s only a touch of the full healing we will experience eternally.

This little ceremony [communion] today, Lord, symbolizes our message, that You’re the whole Christ for the whole man! You meet every need, physical and spiritual. You not only save souls, but You heal bodies too. And You’re going to redeem our body completely one of these days, and give us a whole brand new one. We have experienced a little touch of it in healing. Thy healing is a little touch of resurrection life, a little bit of Heaven, it’s a little bit of redemption, a little bit of redemption of the body.

We already have the salvation of our souls by faith, but Lord, even our spirits are not yet made perfect. If we receive Thee by faith, Thy Spirit by faith and Thy healing by faith, we already have the Kingdom of God within us. We have this all by faith. We have everything, a little bit of Heaven in our bodies and in our hearts as a result of taking this by faith here and now. And yet, Lord, it’s not going to be really completely fulfilled until we receive our new Heavenly bodies and “the spirits of just men made perfect” (Hebrews 12:23)^[7]

We can also know that healing is available to us and others while we live on earth, through Jesus’ atonement. We can bring that healing to many, if we have the faith to believe what Jesus said, and to step out and pray for those in need, thus bringing them the opportunity to receive healing at God’s hand.

Godlessness in the Last Days

 5/24/23 But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. ² For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, ³ heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, ⁴ treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, ⁵ having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people. ⁶ For among them are those who creep into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and led astray by various passions, ⁷ always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth. ⁸ Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, men corrupted in mind and disqualified regarding the faith. ⁹ But they will not get very far, for their folly will be plain to all, as was that of those two men. (2 Timothy 3:1-8) ESV

In 2 Timothy 3, the apostle Paul describes the nature of people in the last days. In his description, he warns of people who are characterized as “having a form of godliness but denying its power” (verse 5). Paul then issues this command: “Have nothing to do with such people.”

Paul often uses contrast to emphasize an attribute he wishes to highlight. In 2 Timothy 3:1–4, he gives Timothy a long list of sinful behaviors and attitudes that are contrary to God’s will. In verse 5 he tells Timothy to avoid those who state they are Christians with their mouths—they have a “form” of godliness—but who act as unbelievers—they deny the power of godliness.

Those who have a form of godliness are those who make an outward display of religion. They present themselves as godly, but it is all for show. There is no power behind their religion, as evidenced in the fact that their lives are unchanged. They speak of God and live in sin, and they are fine with that arrangement. As commentator Charles Ellicott wrote, “These, by claiming the title of Christians, wearing before men the uniform of Christ, but by their lives dishonouring His name, did the gravest injury to the holy Christian cause” (Ellicott’s Bible Commentary for English Readers, entry for 2 Timothy 3:5).

These false Christians are destructive. Paul warns that they will “creep into households and make captives of gullible women loaded down with sins, led away by various lusts” and that they are “always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth” (2 Timothy 3:6–7, NKJV). He compares them to the wicked magicians who opposed Moses and warns that their folly and corrupt minds will be revealed to all eventually (verses 8–9).

The power of God, which should accompany the form of godliness, is shown through the Holy Spirit and results in the transformation of our lives. The Holy Spirit indwells the believer (1 Corinthians 6:19) and enables him to bear certain fruit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22–23). These are the attributes of a true Christian, as opposed to Paul’s list of sins in 2 Timothy 3:1–4.

Paul’s exhortation to Timothy falls in line with James’ explanation how to identify a true faith (James 2:14–26). True faith will be evidenced by good works, which will occur naturally. If a person says he is a Christian but shows no evidence in his life by bearing the fruit of the Spirit, we have to make a judgment about him and avoid that person. He may have a form of godliness, but he is denying God’s power by not letting himself be controlled by the Spirit. In fact, if his faith is not genuine, he cannot be controlled by God’s power, because the Holy Spirit does not dwell in him.

“The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Corinthians 2:14). The natural person may have a form of godliness, but he denies God’s power in the way he lives. Only faith in Jesus Christ can bring justification and the transformation he so desperately needs (Colossians 1:21–22; Romans 5:1–2). (GotQuestions.org)

The Lord’s Chosen Servant

 5/22/23 Behold my servant, whom I uphold,
my chosen, in whom my soul delights;
I have put my Spirit upon him;
he will bring forth justice to the nations.
² He will not cry aloud or lift up his voice,
or make it heard in the street;
³ a bruised reed he will not break,
and a faintly burning wick he will not quench;
he will faithfully bring forth justice.
⁴ He will not grow faint or be discouraged^[a]
till he has established justice in the earth;
and the coastlands wait for his law.

⁵ Thus says God, the Lord,
who created the heavens and stretched them out,
who spread out the earth and what comes from it,
who gives breath to the people on it
and spirit to those who walk in it:
⁶ “I am the Lord; I have called you^[b] in righteousness;
I will take you by the hand and keep you;
I will give you as a covenant for the people,
a light for the nations,
⁷     to open the eyes that are blind,
to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon,
from the prison those who sit in darkness.
⁸ I am the Lord; that is my name;
my glory I give to no other,
nor my praise to carved idols.
⁹ Behold, the former things have come to pass,
and new things I now declare;
before they spring forth
I tell you of them.” (Isaiah 42:1-9) ESV

*A servant is someone who carries out the will of another. The Servant of the Lord fulfills God’s will and is often presented in Scripture as someone chosen by God to hold a leadership position, to represent Him, and to accomplish a certain divine work. In the Bible, the term Servant of the Lord has been applied to individual people, certain groups of people, the nation of Israel, and the Messiah, who is identified as Jesus Christ in the New Testament.

The book of Isaiah contains four “Servant Songs” describing the Servant of the Lord. The first is found in Isaiah 42:1–9; the second in Isaiah 49:1–13; the third in Isaiah 50:4–11; and the fourth in Isaiah 52:13 through 53:12. In Jewish tradition, the Servant of the Lord in all four passages refers to the nation of Israel. In the final Servant Song of Isaiah 53, a singular pronoun he is used for the Servant of the Lord. Rabbis understand this singular pronoun to be a collective reference to a faithful remnant of Israel, a personification treating the group as one person.

The New Testament clearly identifies the Servant of the Lord in Isaiah as our Savior, Jesus Christ of Nazareth. This unique Servant takes a preeminent place above all others in Scripture. This perfect Servant never fails to accomplish the will of the Lord and the purposes of God (John 17:5). The final Servant Song (Isaiah 53) is about an innocent Suffering Servant who dies in place of the guilty. That passage foretells the life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Isaiah 53:3 says about the Servant of the Lord, “He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.” Jesus was despised by the religious people of His day and rejected as their Messiah.

Jesus Christ, the Servant of the Lord, was “pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5). In giving His life for us, “he was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth” (verse 7). At His trial, Jesus did not defend Himself but remained silent against His accusers. He suffered and died in the place of guilty sinners. The sins of all people were placed upon Him, the sacrificial Lamb of God. Jesus paid the price for our salvation. These are just a few of many details in Isaiah 53 that point to Jesus Christ as the fulfillment of messianic prophecy (Matthew 8:17; Luke 22:37; John 12:38; Acts 8:32–33; Romans 10:16; 1 Peter 2:22, 24–25).

When God the Son came to earth, He took on the role of a servant. The Creator chose to serve His creatures. Jesus said that He had come “to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28). In the book of Acts, the word servant is applied to Jesus four times in connection with His death (Acts 3:13, 26; 4:27, 30 ). The humility of Jesus, the Servant of the Lord, is unmistakably seen in Philippians 2:7–8: “He gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross” (NLT).

While Jesus the Messiah is the ultimate fulfillment of prophecies concerning the Servant of the Lord, the Bible also applies the title to others. In the Old Testament, God describes about fifteen different individuals as “My servant” or “the servant of the Lord.”

In the New Testament, several believers define themselves or are named by God as servants of the Lord. They include Mary the mother of Jesus (Luke 1:38, 48), Simeon (Luke 2:29), Paul (Acts 27:2; Romans 1:1; Ephesians 3:1), James (James 1:1), Simon Peter (2 Peter 1:1), Jude (Jude 1), and John (Revelation 1:1). All of these servants are simply following the example of the ultimate Servant of the Lord, Jesus Christ. * (GotQuestions.org)

God Will Swallow Up Death Forever

5/21/23 On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples
a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine,
of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined.
⁷ And he will swallow up on this mountain
the covering that is cast over all peoples,
the veil that is spread over all nations.
⁸     He will swallow up death forever;
and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces,
and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth,
for the Lord has spoken.
⁹ It will be said on that day,
“Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he might save us.
This is the Lord; we have waited for him;
let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.”
¹⁰ For the hand of the Lord will rest on this mountain,
and Moab shall be trampled down in his place,
as straw is trampled down in a dunghill.^[a]    (Isaiah 25:6-10) ESV

*The Bible never specifically mentions tears in heaven. Jesus speaks of the rejoicing that takes place in heaven when one sinner repents (Luke 15:7, 10). The Bible says that, even now, those who believe in Jesus Christ “are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy” (1 Peter 1:8)—if our earthly lives are so characterized by joy, what must heaven be like? Surely, heaven will be a much more joyful place. By contrast, Jesus described hell as a place of weeping and “gnashing of teeth” (Luke 13:28). So, after a cursory look at Scripture, it seems that tears will be a part of hell’s domain, and heaven will be tear-free.

The promise of God has always been to take away the sorrow of His people and replace it with joy. “Weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning” (Psalm 30:5). And “those who sow with tears will reap with songs of joy” (Psalm 126:5). As in all else, Jesus is our model in this. Our Lord is “the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2). Jesus’ weeping gave way to awaiting joy.

There is coming a time when God will remove all tears from His redeemed ones. “He will swallow up death forever. The Sovereign LORD will wipe away the tears from all faces; he will remove his people’s disgrace from all the earth. The LORD has spoken” (Isaiah 25:8). The apostle John quotes Isaiah’s prophecy as he records his vision of heaven in Revelation 7:17. At the very end of time, God fulfills His promise: “He will wipe every tear from their eyes” (Revelation 21:4). What’s interesting is the timing of this event: it happens after the Great White Throne Judgment (Revelation 20:11–15) and after the creation of the new heavens and new earth (Revelation 21:1).

Consider this: if God wipes away every tear after the new creation, that means that tears could still be possible up to that point. It is conceivable, though by no means sure, that there are tears in heaven leading up to the new creation. Tears in heaven would seem out of place, but here are a few times in which we could speculate that tears might fall, even in heaven:

1) At the Judgment Seat of Christ. Believers will face a time when “the quality of each person’s work” will be tested (1 Corinthians 3:13). He whose works are found to be “wood, hay, or straw . . . will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames” (verses 12 and 15). Suffering the loss of a reward will certainly be a sad time—could it be a time of tears in heaven, as we realize how much more we could have honored the Lord? Perhaps.

2) During the tribulation. After the fifth seal is broken, the persecution of believers during the tribulation intensifies. Many are slain by the beast or Antichrist. These martyrs are pictured in Revelation 6 as being under the altar in heaven, waiting for the Lord to enact vengeance: “They called out in a loud voice, ‘How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?’” (verse 10). These souls are in heaven, but they still remember the occasion of their death, and they seek justice. Could these individuals be shedding tears as they keep vigil? Perhaps.

3) At the eternal doom of loved ones. Assuming that people in heaven have some knowledge of what happens on earth, it might be possible that we will know when a loved one rejects Christ and passes into a godless eternity. This would be a distressing knowledge, naturally. During the Great White Throne Judgment, will those in heaven be able to see the proceedings, and, if so, will they shed tears over those who are damned? Perhaps.

Again, we have been speculating. There is no biblical mention of tears in heaven. Heaven will be a place of comfort, rest, fellowship, glory, praise, and joy. If there are tears, for the reasons listed above, they will all be wiped away in the eternal state. “Comfort, comfort my people, says your God” (Isaiah 40:1). And “he who was seated on the throne said, ‘I am making everything new!’” (Revelation 21:5). *(GotQuestions.org)

The Judgment of Babylon

 5/20/23 Wail, for the day of the Lord is near;
as destruction from the Almighty^[c] it will come!
⁷ Therefore all hands will be feeble,
and every human heart will melt.
⁸ They will be dismayed:
pangs and agony will seize them;
they will be in anguish like a woman in labor.
They will look aghast at one another;
their faces will be aflame.

⁹ Behold, the day of the Lord comes,
cruel, with wrath and fierce anger,
to make the land a desolation
and to destroy its sinners from it.
¹⁰ For the stars of the heavens and their constellations
will not give their light;
the sun will be dark at its rising,
and the moon will not shed its light.
¹¹ I will punish the world for its evil,
and the wicked for their iniquity;
I will put an end to the pomp of the arrogant,
and lay low the pompous pride of the ruthless.
¹² I will make people more rare than fine gold,
and mankind than the gold of Ophir.
¹³ Therefore I will make the heavens tremble,
and the earth will be shaken out of its place,
at the wrath of the Lord of hosts
in the day of his fierce anger. (Isaiah 13:6-13) ESV

The phrase “day of the Lord” usually identifies events that take place at the end of history (Isaiah 7:18-25) and is often closely associated with the phrase “that day.” One key to understanding these phrases is to note that they always identify a span of time during which God personally intervenes in history, directly or indirectly, to accomplish some specific aspect of His plan.

Most people associate the day of the Lord with a period of time or a special day that will occur when God’s will and purpose for His world and for mankind will be fulfilled. Some scholars believe that the day of the Lord will be a longer period of time than a single day—a period of time when Christ will reign throughout the world before He cleanses heaven and earth in preparation for the eternal state of all mankind. Other scholars believe the day of the Lord will be an instantaneous event when Christ returns to earth to redeem His faithful believers and send unbelievers to eternal damnation.

*The phrase “the day of the Lord” is used often in the Old Testament (e.g. Isaiah 2:12; 13:6, 9; Ezekiel 13:5, 30:3; Joel 1:15, 2:1,11,31; 3:14; Amos 5:18,20; Obadiah 15; Zephaniah 1:7,14; Zechariah 14:1; Malachi 4:5) and several times in the New Testament (e.g. Acts 2:20; 1 Corinthians 5:5; 2 Corinthians 1:14; 1 Thessalonians 5:2; 2 Thessalonians 2:2; 2 Peter 3:10). It is also alluded to in other passages (Revelation 6:17; 16:14).

The Old Testament passages dealing with the day of the Lord often convey a sense of imminence, nearness, and expectation: “Wail, for the day of the Lord is near!” (Isaiah 13:6); “For the day is near, even the day of the Lord is near” (Ezekiel 30:3); “Let all who live in the land tremble, for the day of the Lord is coming. It is close at hand” (Joel 2:1); “Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision” (Joel 3:14); “Be silent before the Lord God! For the day of the Lord is near” (Zephaniah 1:7). This is because the Old Testament passages referring to the day of the Lord often speak of both a near and a far fulfillment, as does much of Old Testament prophecy. Some Old Testament passages that refer to the day of the Lord describe historical judgments that have already been fulfilled in some sense (Isaiah 13:6-22; Ezekiel 30:2-19; Joel 1:15, 3:14; Amos 5:18-20; Zephaniah 1:14-18), while others refers to divine judgments that will take place toward the end of the age (Joel 2:30-32; Zechariah 14:1; Malachi 4:1, 5).

The New Testament calls it a day of “wrath,” a day of “visitation,” and the “great day of God Almighty” (Revelation 16:14) and refers to a still future fulfillment when God’s wrath is poured out on unbelieving Israel (Isaiah 22; Jeremiah 30:1-17; Joel 1-2; Amos 5; Zephaniah 1) and on the unbelieving world (Ezekiel 38–39; Zechariah 14). The Scriptures indicate that “the day of the Lord” will come quickly, like a thief in the night (Zephaniah 1:14-15; 1 Thessalonians 5:2), and therefore Christians must be watchful and ready for the coming of Christ at any moment.

Besides being a time of judgment, it will also be a time of salvation as God will deliver the remnant of Israel, fulfilling His promise that “all of Israel will be saved” (Romans 11:26), forgiving their sins and restoring His chosen people to the land He promised to Abraham (Isaiah 10:27; Jeremiah 30:19-31, 40; Micah 4; Zechariah 13). The final outcome of the day of the Lord will be that “the arrogance of man will be brought low and the pride of men humbled; the Lord alone will be exalted in that day” (Isaiah 2:17). The ultimate or final fulfillment of the prophecies concerning the day of the Lord will come at the end of history when God, with wondrous power, will punish evil and fulfill all His promises.
*(GotQuestions.org)

The Righteous Reign of the Branch

 5/19/23 There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse,
and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.
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 the fear of the Lord.
³ And his delight shall be in the fear of the Lord.
He shall not judge by what his eyes see,
or decide disputes by what his ears hear,
⁴ but with righteousness he shall judge the poor,
and decide with equity for the meek of the earth;
and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth,
and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.
⁵ Righteousness shall be the belt of his waist,
and faithfulness the belt of his loins.

⁶ The wolf shall dwell with the lamb,
and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat,
and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together;
and a little child shall lead them.
⁷ The cow and the bear shall graze;
their young shall lie down together;
and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
⁸ The nursing child shall play over the hole of the cobra,
and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder’s den.
⁹ They shall not hurt or destroy
in all my holy mountain;
for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord
as the waters cover the sea.

¹⁰ In that day the root of Jesse, who shall stand as a signal for the peoples—of him shall the nations inquire, and his resting place shall be glorious.

¹¹ In that day the Lord will extend his hand yet a second time to recover the remnant that remains of his people, from Assyria, from Egypt, from Pathros, from Cush,^[a] from Elam, from Shinar, from Hamath, and from the coastlands of the sea.

¹² He will raise a signal for the nations
and will assemble the banished of Israel,
and gather the dispersed of Judah
from the four corners of the earth.
¹³ The jealousy of Ephraim shall depart,
and those who harass Judah shall be cut off;
Ephraim shall not be jealous of Judah,
and Judah shall not harass Ephraim.
¹⁴ But they shall swoop down on the shoulder of the Philistines in the west,
and together they shall plunder the people of the east.
They shall put out their hand against Edom and Moab,
and the Ammonites shall obey them.
¹⁵ And the Lord will utterly destroy^[b]
the tongue of the Sea of Egypt,
and will wave his hand over the River^[c]
with his scorching breath,^[d]
and strike it into seven channels,
and he will lead people across in sandals.
¹⁶ And there will be a highway from Assyria
for the remnant that remains of his people,
as there was for Israel
when they came up from the land of Egypt. (Isaiah 11) ESV

Root of Jesse is a metaphor found in Isaiah 11:10: “In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his resting place will be glorious.” The term root of Jesse figuratively stands for the Messiah.

The “root” of a family is its progenitor. Jesse was King David’s father. We know from the genealogical records (Matthew 1:1–17 and Luke 3:23–38) that Jesus was descended from the line of Jesse and his son David. In Isaiah 11:10, the Hebrew word used for “root” (sheresh) implies a root that remains alive and sends up a shoot or branch; thus, the root of Jesse was a root from which more descendants could come.

When Isaiah began to prophesy, there was a current hope among the people that a glorious earthly king—the Messiah—would assume the throne of David. Through the prophet Samuel, God had promised David that his offspring would establish an eternal kingdom: “When your days are over and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, your own flesh and blood, and I will establish his kingdom. He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be his father, and he will be my son. . . . Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever” (2 Samuel 7:12–16). The messianic title “Son of David” traces back to this prophecy.

Isaiah’s use of root of Jesse expresses the promise of a messianic king who would be born of David’s family line and focuses Judah’s expectation of survival on a sparse, leaderless remnant. The prophet uses a similar metaphor—“a shoot from the stump of Jesse”—in Isaiah 11:1 to describe their future hope. This “stump” signifies the remnant of Jesse’s family that would barely survive. God’s judgment was coming on Judah, and the nation would be left with nothing but a seemingly lifeless “stump,” but there would be life yet. God promised to retain a remnant to carry on His work and the bloodline of King David. What seemed to be a dead, decaying stump would bring forth new life in the Messiah, Jesus Christ.

Quoting from the Septuagint, the apostle Paul referred to Isaiah’s prophecy in Romans 15:8–13. Paul specifically acknowledged Jesus Christ as the root of Jesse in whom the Gentiles put their hope: “And again, Isaiah says, ‘The Root of Jesse will spring up, one who will arise to rule over the nations; in him the Gentiles will hope’” (verse 12). And in the book of Revelation, Jesus states, “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star” (Revelation 22:16).

Isaiah 11 is centered on the theme of Israel’s restoration and includes a description of the Messiah, the righteous kingdom He will establish, and the remnant who inhabit it. After describing the Messiah (verses 1–5), Isaiah begins to elaborate on the ideal conditions of the kingdom He will set up: “The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together; and a little child shall lead them” (Isaiah 11:6, ESV).

In the utopian environment of the Messiah’s future realm, all dangers of the animal kingdom will cease. Isaiah couples each animal with its natural prey. The lamb will be safe from the threat of the wolf, the goat will be unharmed by the leopard, and the fatted calf will not fear the menace of the lion. Under the perfect dominion of the Prince of Peace, the state of the world will be so tame that even the most ferocious wild beasts will submit to the leading of a little child.

Human superiority over animals will continue in Messiah’s millennial kingdom but be amplified. Even small children—who would ordinarily be preyed upon by wild beasts—will not only be safe from these predatory creatures but will have control over them. This serene relationship between predator and prey is used often in prophetic Scripture to portray the state of life under the Prince of Peace: “‘The wolf and the lamb will feed together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox, and dust will be the serpent’s food. They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain,’ says the LORD” (Isaiah 65:25).

Ezekiel describes the harmony and safety of a restored creation in similar terms: “I will make a covenant of peace with them and rid the land of savage beasts so that they may live in the wilderness and sleep in the forests in safety” (Ezekiel 34:25; see also Hosea 2:18). The apostle Paul seems to echo this future expectation: “For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time” (Romans 8:19–22). In the restored kingdom, all creation will be at peace because the curse will be lifted.

When Isaiah said, “A little child shall lead them,” he meant that even a small boy or girl would be safe to lead former predators and prey together as if they were domesticated animals, like a dog on a leash or horse on a lead. Under Messiah’s restored kingdom, peace and security will reign over all creation, even in the wild animal kingdom, and nothing will be able to disturb or threaten that tranquility. (Gotquestions.org)