Presents pamphlet #6433
The Book of
Isaiah
Chapter 33
Presents pamphlet #6433
The Book of
Isaiah
Chapter 33
In the 32nd chapter of this incredible book of Isaiah, whose name means "Yahveh's Salvation", we learned about the gospel of the King-dom which is the good news that our Father shall establish the King and His dominion and from that time forward His truth and justice shall prevail in all the earth. "Behold, a king shall reign in righteousness, and princes shall rule in judgment (Isa. 32:1)." However, it is vitally important to those of this final generation of the fig tree to understand the proper sequence of events and to know that the establishing of His ruling Kingdom at the return of Jesus Christ will NOT OCCUR until AFTER Satan, the false messiah, has appeared defacto on the earth and deceives the whole world... including the majority of professing Christians. For that reason it is always worth reviewing the apostle Paul's clear and emphatic documentation of the proper chronology in 2 Thessalonians chapter 2.
Many Christians have been told by their preachers and ministers that they are going to be taken in a "rapture" and gather back to Christ before the great tribulation when Satan has had his reign upon the earth. They are going to be "taken" all right, but it will be by the flood of lies (Rev. 12:15) of the spurious messiah who comes first to "carry her (the woman) away".2 Thes. 2:1-4
Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto Him,
Remember that the first woman taken in the field in Mat. 24:40 are those who do not remain spiritual virgins unto the coming of the true Bridegroom (see 2 Cor. 11:1-4). To wit, the admonition Paul is about to give us in the next few verses is that we are to be extremely careful NOT to allow ourselves to be deceived by any means... which today would include such things as movies, books, etc. However it is especially important that we be on guard as to what preachers tell us, even as Jesus Christ Himself gave us a strong "take heed" warning concerning those many who would "come in His name", i.e. claiming to be His representatives, and deceive many (not a few) in these last days (Mat. 24:4-5, Mark 13:5-6)!Rev. 12:15
And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood.
The point Paul is making is that there is absolutely no need to wonder or be wishy-washy about the chronological order of events that culminate the end of this flesh age, especially at what point Christ returns and we gather back to Him. Here it is in its simplicity:[2] That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.
There is only one son who thus far has been sentenced to perish and that is Satan himself. Hence he is called the "son of perdition", as in the son who will perish. You can actually read in Ezek. 28:12-19 of his judgment, his sentencing to death when he will "be no more", and even the method of his perishing which shall be by "fire". Nevertheless, what Paul has just "beseeched" us to understand here in 2 Thes. 2:3 is that Satan is coming BEFORE Christ returns and we gather back to Him. Paul next explains what that wicked one shall do when he appears on earth.[3] Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come (i.e. the day of verse 1 when we gather back to Christ at His return), except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
When Satan is cast out of heaven to this earth (Rev. 12:7-9) he will come claiming to be God, and as it written later in this 2nd chapter of Thessalonians and in Revelation 13 as well, he shall perform miracles and show great signs and wonders that will empower him to deceive the whole world into believing he is who he claims to be (see 2 Thes. 2:9-11 & Rev. 13:13-14). The only exception to the deception are God's elect, those Christians who have studied their Father's Word and have the seal of God in their foreheads (Rev. 9:4). They are those faithful servants who have gotten the victory over the beast (Rev. 15:2) and shall be made kings and priests to rule and reign with Christ during the 1000 years we call the Millennium (Rev. 20:4, 6).[4] Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.
Let us also be reminded once again that our Father has not only foretold us all things explicitly and with simplicity, but He has also given us HIStorical types and ensamples (1 Cor. 10:11) for us to visually "see" on a flesh level how things shall be on a spiritual level during the final hour of these last days when that false one comes upon the land to make it spiritually desolate. To that end, you may recall back in the 14th chapter of Isaiah we learned that the Assyrian was a type, a forerunner, of Satan as the false-christ and so it is we again see him here in this 33rd chapter where the Assyrian is now called the "Spoiler".
We will leave it up to the reader to research and study the details of the history referred to in this chapter concerning Sennacherib the Assyrian, who again is only a type of the "spoiler" in these last days. In doing so you will find that God's people made a good faith covenant and entered into a treaty with the Assyrian, and as usual God's people kept their end of the bargain. However, it was not so with the Spoiler who broke his part of the agreement... which he surely never intended to keep in the first place.
You "see", our Father has forewarned us numerous times not to enter into covenants and treaties with heathen nations nor to trust and rely on them for our peace and security. Therefore let the historical ensample give witness to the consequence of disobeying His command in that we might "see" that we should NEVER negotiate nor make peace treaties with the ungodly such as dictators and oppressors and terrorists! Keep that in mind as we now begin the 5th of the 6 woes that started back in chapter 28. Also, please find below the structure of the first 12 verses of this chapter as outlined in the Companion Bible on page 971. Notice they are presented in a Repeated Alternation.
One who is a "spoiler" by definition of the Hebrew word used here (shadad) is one who unjustly and without cause oppresses and robs people by acting covertly and dealing with them in a deceitful manner.Isaiah 33:1vs. 1, The spoiler
vs. 2, Yahveh, Prayer to.
vs. 3, 4, The spoiler
vs. 5, 6, Yahveh, Praise to.
vs. 7-9, The spoiler.
vs. 10-12, Yahveh, Answer of
Woe to thee that spoilest, and thou wast not spoiled; and dealest treacherously, and they dealt not treacherously with thee! when thou shalt cease to spoil, thou shalt be spoiled; and when thou shalt make an end to deal treacherously, they shall deal treacherously with thee.
spoil, shadad, shaw-dad', Hebrew 7703; a primitive root; properly to be burly, i.e. (figurative) powerful (passive impregnable); by implication to ravage :- dead, destroy (-er), oppress, robber, spoil (-er), × utterly, (lay) waste.treacherously, bagad, baw-gad', Hebrew 898; a primitive root; to cover (with a garment); figurative to act covertly; by implication to pillage :- deal deceitfully (treacherously, unfaithfully), offend, transgress (-or), (depart), treacherous (dealer, -ly, man), unfaithful (-ly, man), × very.
While those spoilers who put their trust in the god's of money, power, and ego, love to prey, those who put their trust in the Rock of His salvation and serve the Lord their God, love to pray... such as in the next verse.Daniel 11:23
And after the league made with him he shall work deceitfully: for he shall come up, and shall become strong with a small people.
"Be thou their arm every morning" should be read "Thou art our strong arm every morning", for He is our strength and our salvation! This is important to remember and pray about because the hour is late and that "time of trouble" spoken of in this verse is soon upon us! However, we must stay close to Him and under His strong arm while waiting patiently and enduring unto the end when He returns to destroy the spoiler and oppressors of our people.Isaiah 33:2
O LORD, be gracious unto us; we have waited for thee: be thou their arm every morning, our salvation also in the time of trouble.
These who "wait upon the Lord" and are found praying this prayer are those wise virgins, even those who are "left behind" laboring in the field in Matthew 24! They are the ones who remain spiritual virgins and are not "carried away" with the other Jesus that is taught by the traditions of men. Oh, you never heard there was more than one Jesus? Well, there certainly are! There are two, the real one, the Living Word of God, and the traditional one taught by most preachers in these last days. Unfortunately most Christians cannot discern the difference between that which is holy and that which is profane.waited, qavah, kaw-vaw', Hebrew 6960; a primitive root; to bind together (perhaps by twisting), i.e. collect; (figurative) to expect :- gather (together), look, patiently, tarry, wait (for, on, upon).
Can you tell the difference? Do you know how to tell the difference?
Let's hear what Paul has to say about the "other Jesus":
The simple truth is that "We are complete in Christ" and therefore there is nothing religious we must do (Col 2:10).2 Cor. 11:2-4
For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.[3] But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.
Don't just believe some preacher because he is a nice guy or gal and you assume he or she is knowledgeable of the rightly divided truth of God's Word. This is a tough one for most church-going Christians to come to grips with, but dear ones the Word of God informs you that there are "many false teachers" in these last days and IF you cannot document in the Word of God what they tell you, then don't "bear it", i.e. put up with it or receive it![4] For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.
Your documentation instructing you to check things out for yourself is given in 1 Jn. 4:1-6 where we are all instructed NOT to believe every spirit (wind of doctrine) but rather to "try the spirits", which means to test them to see if they are found written in God's Word. Otherwise, the Assyrian will have his way with you when he comes... because you will be spiritually defenseless with no gospel armour on (Eph. 6) to protect you!
If you recall from Isaiah chapter 29, it is Ariel, the city of David, even Jerusalem, that shall become a "fire box", the "hearth of God", when Jesus Christ returns to that city. Of course that is where the abomination of desolation, the false messiah who is the desolator, shall be sitting and claiming to be God. Here is a recall of some details of that "noise of the tumult".Isaiah 33:3
At the noise of the tumult the people fled; at the lifting up of Thyself the nations were scattered.
And the nations shall indeed be "scattered", as in dashed to pieces and beaten in sunder, for as it is written "He shall smite the nations" and He shall rule them with a rod of iron.Isaiah 29:6
Thou shalt be visited of the LORD of hosts with thunder, and with earthquake, and great noise, with storm and tempest, and the flame of devouring fire.
And just like that, all the "spoil" of Babylon the Great shall be consumed as just recompense is meted out in the Valley of Jehoshaphat (Yahveh-judges) spoken of in the 3rd chapter of the great book of Joel, the book written about that consuming locust army headed by Apollyon (Rev. 9:11), the son of perdition (apollumi) that comes upon our land and devours our Christian heritage.scattered, naphats, naw-fats', Hebrew 5310; a primitive root; to dash to pieces, or scatter :- be beaten in sunder, break (in pieces), broken, dash (in pieces), cause to be discharged, dispersed, be overspread, scatter.Rev. 19:15-16
And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it He should smite the nations: and He shall rule them with a rod of iron: and He treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.[16] And He hath on His vesture and on His thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.
The word "caterpillar" used in this verse means the "locust" in its ravaging consuming state.Isaiah 33:4
And your spoil shall be gathered like the gathering of the caterpiller: as the running to and fro of locusts shall he run upon them.
caterpillar, chac*iyl, khaw-seel', Hebrew
2625; from Hebrew 2628 (chac*al); the ravager, i.e. a
locust :- caterpillar.
#2628, chac*al, khaw-sal', Hebrew 2628;
a primitive root; to eat off :- consume.
Satan shall be brought low and cast into the pit and all his arrogant little oppressorettes shall be stripped clean of all their wealth and power and worldwide control. As it is written in Matthew 23:12 "And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted." The other analogy given to describe this sudden demise of the "spoil" is that it is all going to go up in smoke... by that "flame of devouring fire" we just read of in Isa. 29:6! (Remember God is a "consuming fire", Heb. 12:29). You can read all the details her judgment in Revelation chapter 18. Here is an excerpt:
Then shall Yahveh establish His King and His dominion upon Mount Zion and His truth and justice shall henceforth flow like mighty rivers unto all nations.Rev. 18:9-10
And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning, [10] Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come.
Obviously this has not happened yet, so it is yet future when "Yahveh's Righteous King", the King of kings and Lord of lords returns to this earth. And as we read in Isaiah 32:1 and as it is written in Rev. 14, His princes, His elect, those humble servants of His who remained spiritual virgins unto His coming and were not "carried away" by the false messiah, shall stand with Him upon Mount Zion... and rule and reign with Him during the Millennium.Isaiah 33:5
The LORD is exalted; for He dwelleth on high: He hath filled Zion with judgment and righteousness.
And you know what else? Those overcomers of the beast in this final generation shall sing the "Song of Moses" from the 32nd chapter of Deuteronomy over and over again during that Millennium, even as they do now in teaching and declaring that only His ways are true and just.Rev. 14:1
And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having His Father's name written in their foreheads.Rev. 14:4
These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb.
As it is written, the "saints", the just ones, called the "zadok" in Hebrew, shall teach His people the difference between the holy (Christ, the tree of life) and profane (Satan, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil), and they shall judge and execute justice according to His laws and statutes.Rev. 15:3
And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints.
And if you have trouble "discerning" the difference between truth (holy) and liberalism (profane), surely they can take you to the pit and show you "the man", the little horn, the son of perdition who will one day perish in the lake of fire, and explain the end result of the ways of liberalism and socialism and communism which are always led by spoilers and oppressors.Ezekiel 44:23-24
And they shall teach my people the difference between the holy and profane, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean. [24] And in controversy they shall stand in judgment; and they shall judge it according to my judgments: and they shall keep my laws and my statutes in all mine assemblies; and they shall hallow my sabbaths.
Actually, if you have wisdom you can see from the modern day ensample of Saddam Hussein, the self-proclaimed Nebuchadnezzar type, who was driven to the pit on December 14, 2003! He became a little man didn't he?Isaiah 14:15-17
Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit. [16] They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms; [17] That made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof; that opened not the house of his prisoners?
And now for some insight on how it is that the LORD is our "strong arm in the morning" and our "salvation" in times of trouble.
It is the wisdom and knowledge from your Father's Word that gives you the strength to wait upon the Lord, to remain a virgin, and to "endure unto the end"! Without that solid foundation under you, you will be "soon shaken in mind and be troubled (2 Thes. 2:2)" and you will have no strength to take a stand against the onslaught of the Assyrian, Satan, the spurious messiah, in these last days.Isaiah 33:6
And wisdom and knowledge shall be the stability of thy times, and strength of salvation: the fear of the LORD is his treasure.
stability, 'emuwnah, em-oo-naw', Hebrew 530; or (shortened) 'emunah, em-oo-naw'; feminine of Hebrew 529 ('emuwn); literal firmness; figurative security; moral fidelity :- faith (-ful, -ly, -ness, [man]), set office, stability, steady, truly, truth, verily.fear, yir'ah, yir-aw', Hebrew 3374; feminine of Hebrew 3373 (yare'); fear (also used as infinitive); moral reverence :- × dreadful, × exceedingly, fear (-fulness).
Luke 10:17-22
And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name. [18] And He said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven. [19] Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.
Those who covenant with the false messiah in these last days are surely going to weep bitterly for they shall be spiritually slain by the sword of the Assyrian.Isaiah 33:7
Behold, their valiant ones shall cry without: the ambassadors of peace shall weep bitterly.
God's plan shall come to pass exactly as it is written. The abominable covenant-breaking desolator is coming FIRST to make the land desolate. Then shall the King of king and Lord of lords suddenly come and put an end to it by His consuming fire![8] The highways lie waste, the wayfaring man ceaseth: he hath broken the covenant, he hath despised the cities, he regardeth no man.
This is a description of how the once fruitful place, even the cedars of Lebanon likened unto God's children, will become shamefully hewn down and become an unfruitful desolate place, i.e. a fruitless desert wilderness.[9] The earth mourneth and languisheth: Lebanon is ashamed and hewn down: Sharon is like a wilderness; and Bashan and Carmel shake off their fruits.
But never forget the good news that our Father is in complete control and the wilderness and desert place shall not remain in desolation for long. In fact we will read about the restoration of Lebanon and Carmel and Sharon a few chapters hence. Here's another excerpt.Lebanon - means whiteness or even white mountain
Sharon - south of Carmel, means a plain, proverbial for fertility (Isa_35:2).
Bashan - afterwards called Batanea, means fruitful
Carmel - means fruitful field or garden-land
The chronological order of the plan of God in these last days is that once the desolator has overspread his abominations and made the land (spiritually) desolate, THEN shall the LORD lift up His hand and put a stop to the spoil.Isaiah 35:1-2
The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose. [2] It shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing: the glory of Lebanon shall be given unto it, the excellency of Carmel and Sharon, they shall see the glory of the LORD, and the excellency of our God.
Isaiah 33:10
Now will I rise, saith the LORD; now will I be exalted; now will I lift up myself.
We mentioned Ezek. 28 earlier in our study concerning the method by which Satan shall be consumed, i.e. by fire. Let's read one those verses concerning Satan's demise from that chapter:[11] Ye shall conceive chaff, ye shall bring forth stubble: your breath, as fire, shall devour you.
Of course this refers to end of Millennium when his sentence to perish is carried out in the lake of fire. However, at the beginning of the Millennium when Christ returns, Satan shall be bound in the pit for a 1000 years (Rev. 20:2) and the fruit of the "spoiler" (which is but chaff and stubble and therefore no fruit at all) and all the evil rudiments that oppress, shall go up in smoke with the consuming brightness of the coming of the Lord.Ezekiel 28:18
Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee.
The world will be taken by surprise when Christ returns because they will be so deceived by Satan's flood of lies that they will believe the Lord is already here.2 Thes. 2:8
And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:
Note concerning "breath as fire" and "fire from within": If you have discernment you can see an example of this right on the floor of our own Senate and in their committees. Some far-left liberals are so filled with the fire of hatred and prejudice that they are literally self-destructing and imploding, as in eating themselves alive! To wit, just wait and see what happens when the burning truth and righteous justice of the King of kings and Lord of lords is come upon all the earth! They are all going to head for the hills (Rev. 6:15-16)!2 Peter 3:10
But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements (rudiments) shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.
This is not talking about the lake of fire at the end of the Millennium but rather the fiery wrath of God when Christ returns to this earth to pour out His wrath upon the desolate place. We also find this written in the great book of Daniel, whose name means "God is Judge"!Isaiah 33:12
And the people shall be as the burnings of lime: as thorns cut up shall they be burned in the fire.
This is talking about Satan and his flood of lies and his locust army that shall come upon the land.Daniel 9:26-27
And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for Himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.
You should understand by now that when Satan, the false messiah, the abomination of desolation, shall come, he will swoop-up and "carry away" those unwise virgins, even the first woman taken in the field, and they will become spiritually impregnated and espoused to the false messiah, the "other Jesus" who comes first. That is precisely why Christ said in Matthew 24:19 "And woe unto them that are with child (spiritually impregnated), and to them that give suck in those days!" You "see", at that point their daily communion with Jesus Christ, who is our sacrifice, our Passover (1 Cor. 5:7), will have been taken away from them... for they now commune with another! Woe indeed![27] And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.
Dear ones, our Father is so good to us in that He has foretold us all things. His Word is not difficult to understand at all if a person is willing to open his or her eyes and ears and cast aside those "pre-conceived" (which means "before or already impregnated") ideas and traditional church doctrines and seek to understand what is actually written. Then one can begin to clearly see the simplicity of His Word and begin to feel the warmth and love our Father has for all His children... even in the discipline He brings forth in these days by the rod of the Assyrian.
Next we will see the King in all His Beauty. How precious and rich is His Word!
How mentally stable and spiritually well-off are you? Do you have peace of mind and serenity in your life or do you suffer from anxieties and worry about what tomorrow might bring? If the latter is your case then all you need do is seek wisdom and knowledge from your Father's Word and you will not only find comfort from "the God of all comfort (2 Cor. 1:3)" and "the peace of God that surpasses all understanding (Philip. 4:6-7)" but as we learned earlier, He will be your stability and salvation in times of trouble and great tribulation.
And you know what else? As His wisdom and knowledge gives you strength and comforts you in all your tribulation, you are then able to comfort your loved ones when they suffer trouble.Isaiah 33:6
And wisdom and knowledge shall be the stability of thy times, and strength of salvation: the fear of the LORD is his treasure.
A prime example of this is having the wisdom and knowledge from His Word to know what happens to our loved ones when they die, i.e. that they are not left out there in some hole in the ground but rather are alive and with Christ (1 Thes. 4:14). We are also given instruction in 1 Thes. 4:13 not to sorrow for them but to know that when Christ returns He will bring them with Him and we will all gather back together "in the clouds", meaning as a group (1 Thes. 4:13-17). In other words, there is going to be a big wonderful family reunion when Jesus Christ returns with all the saints. Isn't that wonderful to know? "Wherefore comfort one another with these words (1 Thes. 4:18)."2 Cor. 1:4
Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.
You can also be comforted in knowing that our Father is in complete control and that all the events that culminate the end of this flesh age are happening and shall continue to happen exactly as they are written. Furthermore, there is no need to wonder or guess what those events are for as it is written in Mark 13:23, "Behold, I have foretold you all things!" Hint: We are reading the foretelling of His plan even in this great book of Isaiah whose name means "Yahveh's Salvation".
To that end, it is God's plan for the great tribulation of Satan to come upon the earth to deceive the whole world before He puts an end to this flesh age and pours out His cup of wrath upon the ungodly... not upon His children who love and obey His commands (1 Thes. 5:9 "For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ.") Then as it is written (and therefore no surprise) every knee shall bow to His authority and "confess to God". Romans 14:11 "For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God." And it shall come to pass when they see the power of His might that ALL will come to know that He is the LORD, the great I AM that I AM, and there is none other who can save.
The whole world, far and near, is going to witness (see and hear) the awesome power of our Father when He puts an end to this flesh age! And again, it shall come to pass exactly as it is written and not according to man's ideas and traditions, including his dire predictions of nuclear holocaust or some global natural disaster caused by "global warming, etc. No, there shall be no nuclear holocaust because the events that culminate the end of the world (aeon, meaning world "age") are clearly written in our Father's Word, e.g. Ezek. 38-39.Isaiah 33:13
Hear, ye that are far off, what I have done; and, ye that are near, acknowledge my might.
However, make no mistake about it, the Day of the Lord shall be a day of darkness and gloominess for many (Zeph. 1:15) and those who are on the receiving end of His "Woes" shall tremble with fear at His coming and shall say "...to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: [17] For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand (Rev. 6:16-17)?"
Who indeed shall be able to stand before Him in that day? Let us read and understand from our Father's Word.
Remember what we learned earlier concerning oppressors and hypocrites, those covenant breaking liars? They produce nothing of lasting value but only chaff and stubble! Question: What happens when chaff and stubble are cast into the fire? Answer: They perish! They are consumed by the fire and turned to ashes and the smoke of their burning goes up forever and ever. That is precisely what happens to lies and eventually liars themselves when the burning light of truth is shed upon them... especially that brilliant Light of truth that is the consuming fire of our Father's Word. (God is a consuming fire. Heb. 12:29)[14] The sinners in Zion are afraid; fearfulness hath surprised the hypocrites. Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings?
Also, it should be pointed out in this verse that the two questions "Who among us...? who among us...?" comprise a figure of speech called an Erotesis (see appendix 6 in the Companion Bible). They are asked in a rhetorical manner and not as a means of interrogation or in expectation of an answer to gather information! They also imply a negative affirmation and so together they become an emphatic statement declaring that the sinners in Zion and the hypocrites cannot dwell with the fire nor have everlasting life. You "see", if they remain as chaff and stumble and ultimately refuse to repent and humble themselves before the LORD, it won't be just their lies and their iniquitous works that shall be destroyed at Christ's coming, but at the end of the Millennium they themselves shall perish along with Satan by that Consuming Eternal Fire (Rev. 20:15).
Contrast that with "gold" that is not only able to survive the very same fire that consumes chaff and stubble but is actually purified by that same fire. And so it is that those who wait upon the Lord 'till His coming shall "be purified and made white (Daniel 12:10)" and they shall dwell with the everlasting fire that even now warms their hearts and minds. It is even written that His servants, those who minister unto His truth and justice, are actually part of the "fire"... even "a flame of fire?" Hebrews 1:7 "And of the angels he saith, Who maketh His angels spirits, and His ministers a flame of fire." It is also written that His witnesses in these last days shall surely speak with that "devouring (consuming) fire" of His Spirit, His Truth! Rev. 11:5 "And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies...".
Now let us read the comforting words describing the glorious reward given to those who are able to stand before God, those who love truth and uprightness and shall even have a part in establishing and restoring liberty and justice for all throughout the whole world, even unto the far corners of the earth. What a time we have to look to forward to!
To "walketh righteously" doesn't mean that those who love and serve God are goody-goody-two-shoes and without sin in the flesh, for no one is perfect by any means (Mark 10:18). However they do walk as to lead others in the just paths of righteousness and to that end they speak those things that are true after the manner of "It is written" and "Thus saith the Lord". They are those overcomers of the beast in Rev. 15:3 who sing the Song of Moses saying "Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints." And they despise the "treacherous dealings" of oppressors and those who would rob others for self-gain through bribery and other covert means... yes, including even murder![15] He that walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly; he that despiseth the gain of oppressions, that shaketh his hands from holding of bribes, that stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood, and shutteth his eyes from seeing evil;
Surely the "sinners in Zion shall become afraid and fearfulness shall suddenly come upon the hypocrites (vs. 14)" when they are brought down from their lofty towers at Christ's second coming. And at that same time, God's humble servants, His elect who always try to do what is right (walk righteously) and speak uprightly, shall be exalted and "dwell on high" in peace and safety with want of nothing!
The world will witness a stark contrast indeed when just recompense is meted out in the Valley of Jehoshaphat (Joel 3) at the sound of the 7th Trump! Jeho-shaphat means "Yahveh Judges" and His judgment, as always, will be fair and just to each and every nation and each and every individual, meaning each child will receive exactly what he (no gender intended) has coming to him... be that good, as in exaltation, or not so good, as in abasement! Matthew 23:12 "And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted."[16] He shall dwell on high: his place of defence shall be the munitions of rocks: bread shall be given him; his waters shall be sure.
Do you know where you will be dwelling when Christ returns? Will you be dwelling on high as if in a stronghold, a fortress high on a cliff, safe and secure in the protection of the Rock with your daily "bread" abundantly provided for you and your "waters sure", meaning they can never be cut off by an enemy? That depends on in whom you trust and rely on 'till the end (Matthew 24:13). Obviously the enemy is now trying to remove "In God We Trust" and cut off your strength and your salvation. And seeing that we are in the great spiritual famine and drought of the last days spoken of by Amos the prophet in chapter 8:11-13, it would seem the enemy is doing a pretty good job of cutting off the "bread" and "water", wouldn't you agree? Don't let him undermine you! Stay in your Father's Word and stand firm upon the Rock!
If the LORD is the one in whom you trust and He is the one who leads you and guides you in the paths of righteousness to do the right thing, then you shall not fear nor be anxious for anything nor ever be in want for your bread or water! And as it is written in the great 23rd Psalm, you shall dwell on high "in the house of the LORD for ever"!Psalm 18:2
The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.
The "green pastures" are the Living Word of God.Psalm 23:1-6
A Psalm of David.
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.[2] He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
Again, there is nothing to fear when you walk in the light and have a stable mind (sound mind) because you are filled with knowledge and wisdom from your Father's Word. You "see", it is His Word, His Spirit of Truth (John 15:26), that brings us comfort... for He is the Comforter. 2 Tim. 1:7 "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind."[3] He restoreth my soul: He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake.[4] Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
This is quite a contrast to those sinners and hypocrites we read of in verse 14, isn't it?[5] Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.[6] Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.
Next we get a glimpse of how it shall be once Babylon the Great and Satan are "brought down" at the sound of the 7th Trump when the King of kings and Lord of lords returns.
Your eyes SHALL SEE the King exalted in His glorious splendor and His domain, the King and His dominion, extending far and wide into the far corners of the earth as His Truth and Justice flow like mighty rivers from Jerusalem. Again, what a glorious time we have to look forward to! Can the trials and tribulations and sufferings of this present age be compared to such a glorious time? I think not! Romans 8:18 "For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us."Isaiah 33:17
Thine eyes shall see the king in his beauty: they shall behold the land that is very far off.
To "meditate terror" means to look back and consider after it is all over, i.e. when the oppressor and spoiler of our people are gone... taken down! Yea, the "tax man" cometh no more! You will no longer look outside the city and see an Assyrian oppressor ready to levy tax upon you and spoil your goods! The spoilers and robbers of our people will all have been abased and brought down low when Jesus Christ comes and establishes His dominion. Then as we learned in Isaiah 32:1, truth and justice shall prevail in all earth, "Behold, a king shall reign in righteousness, and princes shall rule in judgment (Isa. 32:1)."[18] Thine heart shall meditate terror. Where is the scribe? where is the receiver? where is he that counted the towers?
No spinning, no lying, no deceiving words will gain place in that day. Plain speech and simple truth is all you will hear during the Millennium as the purity of God's Word abounds. However there will still be a famine, only it will be a famine for the hearing of liberalism![19] Thou shalt not see a fierce people, a people of a deeper speech than thou cantst perceive; of a stammering tongue, that thou canst not understand.
Jerusalem is "the city of our solemnities", the city of our gathering back, the dwelling place of His tabernacle, the temple of the Lord. And it is this Baby Boomer generation, the generation of the fig tree which began in the year of our Lord 1948 when both the good and bad figs were set out in the land of Judea according to Jeremiah 24, that shall not pass away until the Prince of Peace comes and stands on Mount Zion and dwells in Jerusalem! Then and only then will Jerusalem truly be "a quiet habitation".[20] Look upon Zion, the city of our solemnities: thine eyes shall see Jerusalem a quiet habitation, a tabernacle that shall not be taken down; not one of the stakes thereof shall ever be removed, neither shall any of the cords thereof be broken.
The glorious LORD will be in the midst of Jerusalem and He shall be our mighty river of protection, broad and swift, where no enemy ships (galley with oars) can enter in. This figurative analogy is akin to Zechariah's description of how the glory of the LORD (who is a consuming fire... remember?) will be in the midst of Jerusalem and therefore there will be no need for any protecting wall to surround the city because He Himself "will be unto her a wall of fire round about"![21] But there the glorious LORD will be unto us a place of broad rivers and streams; wherein shall go no galley with oars, neither shall gallant ship pass thereby.
And so it is that God's children who "walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly; he that despiseth the gain of oppressions" shall dwell in peace and safety for God shall be there in the midst of His temple (the body of Christ) and Jerusalem shall finally be a "quiet and peaceful habitation" where there is Liberty and Justice for All!Zech. 2:4-5
And said unto him, Run, speak to this young man, saying, Jerusalem shall be inhabited as towns without walls for the multitude of men and cattle therein:[5] For I, saith the LORD, will be unto her a wall of fire round about, and will be the glory in the midst of her.
Imagine that! One Nation Under God, a nation who acknowledges the supreme authority of the Creator in all her affairs! Can you see that these are actually the three branches of our American constitutional form of government... the Judicial, the Legislative, and the Executive? We are supposed to have a system of checks and balances but the real check is whether or not a branch acknowledges the sovereignty of Almighty God.Isaiah 33:22
For the LORD is our judge, the LORD is our lawgiver, the LORD is our king; He will save us.
We as a people should NEVER allow the spoiler and oppressor to remove the glory of God from our midst. A word to the wise is always sufficient. In other words, it is high time for Christians to stand up and trust and rely on the Rock of His salvation who gives us His power and strength to make our oppressors as shipwrecks adrift in the sea, helpless and without the strength to prevent even the lame from overtaking them. The next verse describes the enemy's impotent state.
Yes, the enemy shall be made helpless and defenseless and our people and our land shall begin to heal! Do you want to be a part of the Christian army that God uses to bring this to pass in these last days? Then do as Paul instructs in Ephesians chapter 6 and put on the whole armor of God and get ready to take a stand against the fiery darts of the Wicked one.[23] Thy tacklings are loosed; they could not well strengthen their mast, they could not spread the sail: then is the prey of a great spoil divided; the lame take the prey.
The birth of a new age is closer than many might think! What a wonderful time of healing and forgiveness it will be during the Millennium when "God is with us!" (Of course He can be with you now... if you so choose to dwell with Him.)[24] And the inhabitant shall not say, I am sick: the people that dwell therein shall be forgiven their iniquity.
Remember we read earlier that when the King is exalted in His glorious splendor, the people will no longer look out and see the oppressor ready to come against them? They will also no longer say "I am sick" which simply means they will no longer be grieved and afflicted with labor pangs "as a woman in travail".
In conclusion: Did you know that the last two words in the last verse of the great book of Ezek-i-el (God is my strength) are "Yahveh Shammah"? The phrase means "The LORD (Yahveh) is there"?sick, chalah, khaw-law', Hebrew 2470; a primitive root [compare Hebrew 2342 (chuwl), Hebrew 2470 (chalah), Hebrew 2490 (chalal)]; properly to be rubbed or worn; hence (figurative) to be weak, sick, afflicted; or (causative) to grieve, make sick; also to stroke (in flattering), entreat :- beseech, (be) diseased, (put to) grief, be grieved, (be) grievous; infirmity, intreat, lay to, put to pain, × pray, make prayer, be (fall, make) sick, sore, be sorry, make suit (× supplication), woman in travail, be (become) weak, be wounded.
From that day forward it will be a time to sing and rejoice for His children who love Him for as it is written, He has promised He will come to dwell in our midst... and so He shall.Ezekiel 48:35
It was round about eighteen thousand measures: and the name of the city from that day shall be, The LORD is there.
All nations and all peoples shall know that He is the LORD and all the world shall know that His throne is in Jerusalem, the throne of the LORD, the LORD our righteousness.Zech. 2:10
Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion: for, lo, I come, and I will dwell in the midst of thee, saith the LORD.
What a time the Millennium will be! And again, that glorious time is approaching more rapidly than many might think! Soon following the sound of the 6th Trump, i.e. at the sound of the 7th and last trump, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, we who are alive and remain (in flesh bodies) shall be instantly changed into our spiritual bodies (1 Cor. 15:52) and we shall gather together with Him and with those saints who come with Him (1 Thes. 4:17) as His feet touch down on the Mt. of Olives (Zech. 14:4). And so shall we ever be with the Lord (1 Thes. 4:17), in the presence of the Shekinah Glory, for from that Day on the name of the city of our God will be "Yahveh Shammah" (Ezek. 48:35).Jeremiah 3:17
At that time they shall call Jerusalem the throne of the LORD; and all the nations shall be gathered unto it, to the name of the LORD, to Jerusalem: neither shall they walk any more after the imagination of their evil heart.Jeremiah 33:16
In those days shall Judah be saved, and Jerusalem shall dwell safely: and this is the name wherewith she shall be called, The LORD our righteousness.
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