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Caution to students of God's Word - Please remember two things when using our studies: #1. Our commentary is not God's Word. It is only our interpretation or understanding of "His Word" and even though we try our best to be accurate we may or may not be correct. #2. The King James translation, or any other translation, of the original Hebrew text has some words which were given different translations at different places probably because of the interpreters preconceived ideas of what they think God meant to say. For example: According to the notes in the "Drake's Annotated Reference Bible" the Hebrew word hayah in the KJV is Trans. (became) 67 times, (becamest or came to pass) 505 times, (become) 66 times, and (come to pass) 131 times, but for some reason in Genesis 1:2 it is translated (was)! That sure changes the way a person perceives the original creation of the earth, doesn't it? Gen. 1:2 And the earth was (became) without form, ... Having said that, let us continue with our "Key Knowledge" lessons. These are pamphlets containing knowledge, we believe, you must have to fully and accurately unlock and understand the Word of God.

John 15:26
But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:

John 16:13-14
[13] Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. [14] He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.

This Bible Study was originally written by Roger Christopherson,
published at http://www.theseason.org/

Without the leading by the Holy Spirit, there is no understanding of the truths, for all the truth of the Scriptures are revealed to us by God's Spirit.

II Kings 20:1 "In those days was Hezekiah sick unto death. And the prophet Isaiah the son of Amoz came to him, and said unto him, "Thus saith the Lord, `Set thine house in order; for thou shalt die, and not live.' "

God has sent the prophet Isaiah to tell king Hezekiah of Judah that He has numbered the days of Hezekiah, and he is about to die. To "set your house in order,' is telling Hezekiah to appoint the one who shall rule after you are gone. If you knew that you had only a few days left to live, what would be the important things to get done while you had only a short time to complete them? This is the situation that Hezekiah was in.

II Kings 20:2 "Then he turned his face to the wall, and prayed unto the Lord, saying,"

Hezekiah received the bad news and went directly to the Lord in prayer. This would be expected thing for him to do, for Hezekiah was that type of a man. When problems came, Hezekiah headed for the temple and sought the help of the Almighty Father. So this was his prayer.

II Kings 20:3 "I beseech thee, O Lord, remember now how I have walked before Thee in truth and with perfect heart, and have done that which is good in Thy sight." And Hezekiah wept sore."

Hezekiah had been a good king, for he had put the things of the Lord foremost in the kingdom. He loved God and walked in the laws, commandments and statutes that were laid down by God through Moses. Your works makes a great difference when you are praying to God for your life, or for a favor. Sure, your works do not buy you salvation, but those works are the fruit of your salvation. If you are trying to follow the way that God set forth in His Word, then you are fulfilling your part of the conditions required for God to answer your prayer.

Remember back in Deuteronomy 27 and 28, God set forth conditions dealing with all parts of your life. Then whether you get the blessings or the cursings from God, depended on whether you keep those conditions or not. It is good to go back and review them from time to time, and then review your own life to see why the blessings or curses have entered into your life. Remember when you keep those commandments, laws, and statutes then you can do what Hezekiah has done here, "Beseech the, O Lord", ask God for the promises that He has made in His Word. You can do it in truth and with a perfect heart, for you have tried to please God in all that you have done.

God rewards those that deserve a reward. Hezekiah was not like the other kings that went before him, for he was a righteous man. He tore down all the idols in Judah and cleaned up the temple and made it right before the Lord.

II Kings 20:4 "And it came to pass, afore Isaiah was gone out into the middle court, that the word of the Lord came to him, saying,"

God answered Hezekiah's prayer before Isaiah had passed through the middle court, this was a quick response.

II Kings 20:5 " "Turn again, and tell Hezekiah the captain of My people, `Thus saith the Lord, the God of David thy father, `I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will heal thee: on the third day thou shalt go up unto the house of the Lord."

God told Isaiah to turn around had go back and tell Hezekiah that "I have heard your prayers, I have seen your repentive tears; and I will heal thee." God is telling Hezekiah that you will be healed in three days and will be able to go back into My house and worship me.

II Kings 20:6 "And I will add unto thy days fifteen years; and I will deliver thee and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria; and I will defend this city for Mine own sake, and for My servant David's sake. ' "

There again, God will do all this for the sake that the Messiah would come through the seed of David. The righteous man Hezekiah asked for his own life, and for mercy, and God gave him his life, and much more, for in this statement God is fulfilling many other prayers of Hezekiah. This then is a second witness for Jerusalem's protection that we read of in II Kings 19:33-36.

It is so important to follow God's plan, for God hears the prayers of a righteous man or women. There is nothing that God has withheld and not revealed to you, that is not written in His Word. When somebody says that they are a believer, yet never studies God's Word, than what is he a believer in. He have to know the truth before he can believe in anything. He would not be a believing Christian, but a pretending Christian. He would be a pretending servant of God, and a lazy one at that.

The more a person gets into the Word of God, the move the desire is to serve God. It is important to find a little time to get into God's Word on a daily basis. Put your faith where your mouth is, and generate some works for the Lord. Hezekiah had faith, trust in the Lord, and [had works] "he did that which was right in the eyes of the Lord." God knew Hezekiah's faith, saw his works, heard his prayer, and blessed him for his faithfulness. That is the way that it should be.

II Kings 20:7 "And Isaiah said, "Take a lump of figs." And they took and laid it on the boil, and he recovered."

They put a poultice of figs on the boil, and it would take three days for the wound to heal. God is working in a natural way, with the things of nature to heal Hezekiah. Keep in mind that there were no antibiotics at this time.

II Kings 20:8 "And Hezekiah said unto Isaiah, "What shall be the sign that the Lord will heal me, and that I shall go up into the house of the Lord the third day?"

Now Hezekiah wants a sign from the Lord that all those things that Isaiah has told him will come to pass. To me the sign would have been that I would be around the third day to go up into the house of the Lord. After all you would either be healed or your would be dead. However, Hezekiah still wanted that sign from God.

II Kings 20:9 "And Isaiah said, "This sign shall thou have of the Lord, that the Lord will do the thing that He hath spoken: shall the shadow go forward ten degrees, or go back ten degrees?"

This is talking about the shadow of the sun, as it fell on their time pieces. In short, the sign from God would be in the changing of the natural course of the universe, for if the shadow of the sun moved ten degrees, the entire earth would have to reverse its movement ten degrees. Anybody know that the shadow of the sun can move forward, but only God could make it move backward.

If God promised me that I would be healed in three days, that is all that I would need, however, Hezekiah wanted some wonder in the heavens to force God to prove that He would do what He promised.

II Kings 20:10 "And Hezekiah answered, "It is a light thing for the shadow to go down ten degrees: nay, but let the shadow return backward ten degrees."

Hezekiah wanted the sun to move backwards, which meant that the earth would have to reverse it spin ten degrees.

II Kings 20:11 "And Isaiah the prophet cried unto the Lord: and He brought the shadow ten degrees backward, by which it had gone down in the dial of Ahaz."

We are living in the days of computers and space travel, and when NASA was making plans and programming to run time back to stage an event. This was in many newspapers, for they found that there was a day missing in the sequential order of time. The one of the computer operators programmed in for the missing time of Joshua's day as recorded in Joshua 10:12-13.

Joshua 10:12 "Then spake Joshua to the Lord in the day when the Lord delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, "Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon; And thou, Moon, in the valley of Ajalon."

Joshua 10:13 "And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, Until the People had avenged themselves upon their enemies, Is not this written in the book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a whole day."

That hour that it fell short was made up in Hezekiah's day, when it adjusted back ten degrees. We are living in the final days of this earth age, where by in all the many centuries before it had to be taken by faith, whereas we can prove those events by computer today. Remember what God told Daniel when the events of our time was revealed to him, and they simply could not be understood?

Daniel 12:4 "But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased."

We are living in the time of the end, for the generation of the parable of the fig tree started in 1948, that marked the time of the end. End time prophecy can be understood in our generation, including the book of Revelation. Until the events of Revelation started to happen, there is no way that they could have been understood by any other generation, for the theories that are know fact today, were not known to any other generation. Sure birds flew, but only birds, the concept of the computer never came about, with all its miniature circuits, until just the past few days.

It has only been the past since the 1960s that man has entered into space, and now it is common to see men and women walking around up there, tending to the maintenance of machines that we use in our everyday tasks. When you pick up the phone, or turn on the television, it requires a satellite transmission. When you cash a check, or use a credit card the transaction passes the circuits of space machines. Think of how all those things that are common to us today would appear to Daniel, or to John as they witnessed the visions that God allowed them to see; is it any wonder that God told them that it was not intended for them to know with understanding, and to seal up the book to the time of the end.

Hezekiah asked for this miracle to be done, just as Joshua asked for the extended day so that the Israelites could win the battle. Had these events not been recorded then many computations that can now be understood, would still remain a mystery. We read of these events and prophecies of the end times to prepare us for the times that we live in, and God's plan is perfect. The time of Antichrist will be right on time, to the actual minute that God intends it to be, and not one day prior. God wants you prepared for that time, and that is what being "sealed in your forehead [mind]" is all about. It is knowing the times and signs of your day with understanding.

II Kings 20:12 "At that time Berodach-baladan, the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a present unto Hezekiah: for he had heard that Hezekiah had been sick."

Though Babylon will come against Judah here, it will be many years later before king Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon takes Judah captive.

King Berodach-baladan had heard of Hezekiah's healing and seen the change in the shadow down in Babylon, and he was sent a get well present to Hezekiah. Hezekiah's God had shown that He controlled even the sun and the earth, and this king was impressed. This giving of a gift will start something that will cost both Hezekiah and the house of Judah a great deal. Though Hezekiah was a man of God, there were some things that he was not too bright about. For when these bearers of gifts arrived in Jerusalem with all the gifts, Hezekiah tried to be a good host. As good as Hezekiah was, he was not perfect, he was just a human being. That is why we must continually look to God for the direction and leadership in our lives.

II Kings 20:13 "And Hezekiah hearkened unto them, and shewed them all the house of his precious things, the silver, and the gold, and the spices, and the precious ointment, and all the house of his armour, and all that was found in his treasures: there was nothing in his house, nor in all his dominion, that Hezekiah shewed them not."

God blessed Hezekiah with an extended life, and all the other blessings he received, and pride entered into his mind. When these men from Babylon came with their gifts and many flattering words, there was nothing that Hezekiah would not do for these men. Not only did Hezekiah take them to the gold and silver, but he gave them a peak at the spice house, where all the known spices of the world were stored. He showed them the military hardware, the places of defense on the wall, and even the secret places in his own house. "There was nothing that Hezekiah would not do for these men."

Babylon was the enemy bearing gifts and flatteries, and Hezekiah revealed all the defenses of the city to these men. God blessed Hezekiah well for his dedication to pleasing God. He was a good ruler, and Jerusalem and the kingdom of Judah was rich at this time. God gave him the fifteen years added to his life, and naturally he would have the time to build the treasures again. Hezekiah felt real good about telling and showing these men of Babylon just how God had blessed him. However these men of Babylon had no idea of the God of Israel.

So how do you think God felt about what Hezekiah did here, in showing off the wealth and might of Judah? This pack of heathens heard of this great healing, and this gave them the in to attack Hezekiah at his weakest spot, and that was his pride. God wanted Hezekiah to tell them the truth, and say that God added the fifteen years to my life, however, Hezekiah said nothing about God, but instead chose to boast himself up before these enemies. Hezekiah will pay a price for this sin of pride. So why would God alow this to happen to Hezekiah?

II Chronicles 32:31 "Howbeit in the business of the ambassadors of the princes of Babylon, who sent unto him to enquire of the wonder that was done in the land, God left him, to try him, that he might know all that was in his heart."

The ambassadors are the men from Babylon that came to bring their gifts to Hezekiah. God allowed these ambassadors to come and do what they did, for the sake of trying Hezekiah. God wanted to know exactly what kind of man Hezekiah was, could He really trust him when the trouble came? Hezekiah could have advanced the kingdom of God here, but instead he tried to boast his own self image.

Don't think for a moment that God won't try you from time to time. When God has really blessed you and has pulled you through a problem that is in your life, then when someone wondered at your gain, did you share the source of that gain, did you tell them that God granted you that blessing? Hezekiah failed his test by God.

II Kings 20:14 "Then came Isaiah the prophet unto king Hezekiah, and said unto him, "What have they seen in thine house?" and "from whence came they unto thee?" And Hezekiah said, "They are come from a far country, even from Babylon."

II Kings 20:15 "And he said, "What have they seen in thine house?" And Hezekiah answered, "All the things that are in mine house have they seen: there is nothing among my treasures that I have not shewed them."

You can see the pride swelling up in Hezekiah, for he was proud that he had revealed all the wealth and military secrets of the Jerusalem.

II Kings 20:16 "And Isaiah said unto Hezekiah, "Hear the word of the Lord."

If pride ever gets hold of you, you had better pay attention to this verse, and Hear the word of the Lord.

II Kings 20:17 "Behold the days come, that all that is in thine house, and that which thy fathers have laid up in store unto this day, shall be carried into Babylon: nothing shall be left,' Saith the Lord."

This did come to pass, however it would be about one hundred years later before this prophecy would come true. It was king Nebuchadnezzar that would come down and take the children of Judah captive, and haul them into captivity, and completely destroy the city of Jerusalem.

II Kings 20:18 "And of thy sons that shall issue from thee, which thou shalt beget, shall they take away; and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.' "

If they became "eunuchs" there would be no more seed to pass on of the royal family through the sons of the king. Have you ever heard of Daniel and Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, they were the king's seed from the house of Judah. They were the princes that were taken away to become the eunuchs in the palace of king Nebuchadnezzar. After all, Nebuchadnezzar sent these kids to school, gave them the finest education of the day, and put them into top jobs of responsibility. In the name "Nebuchadnezzar", it means "the god of learning". Books and knowledge is what Nebuchadnezzar built his kingdom on, and God used Nebuchadnezzar and old Babylon to symbolically describe what the evil kingdom in the time of the end will be like.

Revelation 17:5 "And upon her forehead [mind] was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH."

It will be through this "Mystery, Babylon the Great", that the mother of harlots and abominations of the end times will come. Satan will set up his new world order religious system to replace the political system that we know today, and from that Satan in his role as the Antichrist will declare himself to be God, and the people of the world will believe him. All that is, except God's elect, those that have the truth of God's Word sealed away in their minds. Those things that happened in Daniel's day were types of how things shall be done in this final generation. Stop and look today at the four hidden dynasties, and Education is probably the most important, for it takes the children and molds their minds into receiving the foundation of the new world order. At Christmas time in our schools, songs of peace by the new world order are sung, and not the birth of Jesus Christ. Peace on earth, and the unity and brotherhood of all mankind the political correct way. The purpose is to set up an educated world to live in Satan's new world order as good citizens.

Daniel 1:2 "And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, with part of the vessels of the house of God: which he carried into the land of Shinar to the house of his god; and he brought the vessels into the treasure house of his god."

This was prophecy fulfilled from what Isaiah spoke here in II Kings 20:18, and it happened less than 90 plus years later.

Daniel 1:3 "And the king spake unto Ashpenaz the master of his eunuchs, that he should bring certain of the children of Israel, and of the king's seed, and of the princes:"

These are the king's sons and members of the royal family. Ashpenaz is the "master of the eunuchs", and as such it is the eunuchs that are under him, and that he rules over.

Daniel 1:4 "Children in whom was no blemish, but well favoured, and skilful in all wisdom, and cunning in knowledge, and understanding sciences, and such as had ability in them to stand in the king's palace, and whom they might teach the learning and the tongue of the Chaldeans."

Are you getting the picture, the king's sons of the house of Judah are being groomed to be the servants of the king of Babylon, eunuchs that will not produce children to upset the order of things of the Babylonian kingdom. Nebuchadnezzar knows that the educated of Judah are very wise, with much understanding and knowledge, and he wants the most competent to keep controls on his kingdom.

Daniel 1:5 "And the king appointed them a daily provision of the king's meat, and of the wine which he drank: so nourishing them three years, that at the end thereof they might stand before the king."

Nebuchadnezzar groomed them, educated those children of Judah, and fed them well in the ways of the kingdom so that they would be able to take their appointed places within the one world system of that day. Notice that it would be for three years in the preparation, and then the entering into the palace of the king. this is a type of what is happening today, it is a type of the world system that is being set up today, and it is time to prepare yourself so that when the king of the latter days comes on the scene, you will not be deceived by him.

Daniel 1:6 "Now among these were of the children of Judah, Daniel, Hananiah, Meshael, and Azariah."

Daniel 1:7 "Unto whom the prince of the eunuchs gave names: for he gave unto Daniel the name of Belteshazzar; and to Hananiah, of Shadrach; and to Meshael, of Meshach; and to Azariah, of Abed-nego."

The prince of the eunuchs gave Daniel and the others their names because they were eunuchs in the halls of the Babylonian government. Though this was prophecy even in Daniel's day, it shall be, and is happening as prophecy before our eyes even today. The kings children of Judah had become eunuchs in the courts of the world order of Babylon just as God told Hezekiah through the mouth of Isaiah. The tablets that have been dug up of ancient Babylonian writings, and now in the British museum support this writing of the Scriptures.

II Kings 20:19 "Then said Hezekiah unto Isaiah, "Good is the word of the Lord which thou hast spoken." And he said, "Is it not good, if peace and truth be in my days?"

It is hard to understand why Hezekiah would say this, after he had just given all the information to the enemy. Hezekiah knew now that what Isaiah had said was going to happen, but the thing that concerned him was whether it would happen in his days, or some later day. It is good news to me that it will not affect me and my sons. Hezekiah did not cause the captivity to come, but God took this opportunity to allow the prophecy to be told at this time. The statement that Hezekiah stated here was human nature, for it is only common for someone to hope that trouble doesn't come while you are in charge.

Stop and look at the stupid things that are done by our leaders today. They act exactly as human beings, and their wisdom leaves much to be desired. Their rulings and decisions are based in most cases on their own greed, and quest to be known.

II Kings 20:20 "And the rest of the acts of Hezekiah, and all his might, and how he made a pool, and a conduit, and brought water into the city, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?"

The conduit that brought water into the city of Jerusalem was a fantastic project. He dug the wells, and brought indoor plumbing of water right into the homes of the people. The fountain of the virgin, and the pool of Siloam, spoken of in John 9:7-11 were all part of this conduit that Hezekiah had built. You can read of all of the acts of treasures of Hezekiah in II Chronicles 32.

II Kings 20:21 "And Hezekiah slept with his fathers: and Manasseh his son reigned in his stead."

"Manasseh" in the Hebrew tongue means "forgetting", and that is exactly how this son of Hezekiah was. Manasseh will go exactly opposite than what his father had done before him. Manasseh was about the meanest and most evil of all the kings that ruled over Judah. God will compare him to Ahab, in the next chapter, and that is as bad as it gets.

To study the Bible is the noblest of all pursuits; to understand it, the highest of all goals. We pray that with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, you accomplish both.

doctrine of many of our Christian churches, (The Man on a White Horse)
political direction of our country, (The Man on a Red Horse)
economic direction our country has taken, (The Man on a Black Horse)
and teaching of our schools and media, (The Man on a Pale Horse)

The Four Hidden Dynasties of the New World Order Revelation 6:1-8
"The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse"
Did you know all four are being ridden by Satan?