At the end of Jesus' one thousand year rule over the earth with His saints, Satan will be freed from being bound during that period. Satan will then go out and deceive the nations again. How that happens baffles me. Here the earth has been as peace for one thousand years under Jesus rule, yet still Satan, again, is able to gather many nations to come against Jesus. It just lets me know how deceptively evil he is. The world today is upside down because of him, but don't worry, he is going to make it all better. Then after he makes it all better, with his false "Peace and Safety", he will go into his mass destruction mode. You might look at it like this.
It is like someone robs everything you have and you are thrown out into the street. Then someone comes along and says he knows who robbed you and he helps you find the robber and throw him in jail. Then the person who helped you find the robber, helps you off the street and into a house. After you are settled into your home you invite him over for dinner to thank him. After dinner he leaves and you and your family feel all secure in bed. In the middle of the night, while you are all sleeping, he comes back and burns down your house with all of you in it. You died not knowing that he was the one who robbed you in the beginning, and the one who he helped you throw in jail was about to offer you real help.
John continues Revelation Chapter 20 with this in verses7-10'
(7)"And when the thousand years are completed, Satan will be released from
prison,(8) and will come out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners
of the earth, Gog and Ma-gog, to gather them for the war; the number of them
is like the sand of the seashore.(9) And they came up on the breadth of the earth
and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, and fire came down
from heaven and devoured them.(10) And the devil who deceived them was
thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet
are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever."
So here he comes again. Satan was locked up, not only for deceiving the people of the world, but for destroying the earth and his murderous rage also. When Satan is let loose, somehow he again is able to deceive the nations into coming to war in Israel. He leads the nations to come against the camp of the saints, which is the heavenly kingdom that dwells above the area of Israel, and the beloved city, which is the earthly Jerusalem. The difference between the wrath at Jesus return and the judgment that will take place, at the end of Jesus' thousand year reign, is that it will be a swift judgment with fire coming down from heaven and devouring all of them. The only other reference to Gog and Ma-gog in the entire bible is found in the writings of the prophet Ezekiel. I will do my next blog on those passages.
Jesus' peace and grace be with you.
Thursday, June 20, 2013
Thursday, June 13, 2013
Mount Zion - The Heavenly Jerusalem
We just got done reading in Revelation Chapter 20, that Satan will be bound for a thousand years and Jesus will rule with the saints over the earth for that thousand year period. The earthly capital during Jesus' thousand year reign will be the earthly Jerusalem. The heavenly capital, where Jesus will rule from with His saints, will be the heavenly Jerusalem, Mount Zion. The Old Testament has many references pertaining to this heavenly city. The New Testament has some mentions of this city and in Revelation, as we near the end of the book, we will see how John described the city. We have covered this before, but I will repeat it again to set up what we will see in the Old Testament about the heavenly city. Jesus told His disciples this in the gospel of John in the 14th Chapter, verses1-3;
(1)"Let not you heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me.(2) In My
Father's house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you;
for I go and prepare a place for you.(3) and if I go and prepare a place for you, I
will come again, and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also."
Jesus told the disciples in John Chapter 13, verses 33 and 36;
(33)".........'Where I am going, you cannot come.'(36).........Where I go, you cannot
follow Me now, but you shall follow later.
The apostle Paul wrote this in his 1st letter to the Thessalonians in the 4th Chapter, verses 16-18;
(16)"For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice
of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first.
(17) Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in
the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and those we shall always be with the Lord.
(18) Therefore comfort one another with these words."
When Jesus was brought before Pilate, He told Pilate this, as recorded in the gospel of John, in his 18th Chapter, verse 36:
"My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom was of this world, then my
servants would be fighting, that I might not be delivered up to the Jews; but as
it is, My kingdom is not of this realm."
To look at where this kingdom will be located during Jesus' thousand year reign, we can find some insight from the writings of the prophets in the Old Testament. The prophet Isaiah wrote this in his 2nd Chapter, verses 2-4;
(2)" Now it will come about in the last days, the mountain of the house of the
Lord will be established as the chief of the mountains, and it will be raised above
the hills; and all the nations will stream to it.(3) And many peoples will come and
say,
'Come let us go up to the mountains of the Lord, to the house of
the God of Jacob; that He might teach us concerning His ways, and
that we may walk in His paths.'
For the law will go forth from Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
(4)And He will judge between the nations, and will render decisions for many
peoples; and they will hammer their swords into plowshares, and their spears into
pruning hooks. Nation will not lift up sword against nation, and never again will
they learn war."
What we see here, is that the house of the Lord, the heavenly kingdom, will be raised above the hills. People of the nations will come to the earthly Jerusalem to see the heavenly kingdom above Israel.
Jesus will rule over the nations, making judgments an decisions between and for many people. They will come to learn from Him. It will be a rule of peace and no war. That is one of the reasons why He is called the Prince of Peace. He is also the Prince of internal peace of the soul.
Isaiah wrote this in Chapter 4, verses 3-6:
(3)"And it will come about that he who is left in Zion and remains in Jerusalem
will be called holy-everyone who is recorded for life in Jerusalem.(4) when the
Lord has washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and purged the bloodshed
of Jerusalem from her mist, by the spirit of judgment and the spirit of burning,
(5) then the Lord will create the whole area of Mount Zion and over her assemblies
a cloud by day, even smoke, and the brightness of a flame of fire by night; for
over all the glory will be a canopy.(6) And there will be a shelter to give shade
from the heat by day, and refuge and protection from the storm and the rain."
The ones who have been recorded for life in Jerusalem are the remnant who Jesus will bring back right before He returns. The heavenly kingdom will be a canopy over the area of Israel. It will provide its light and shade and protection from the elements.
Isaiah wrote this in his 10th Chapter, verse 12;
"So it will be that when the Lord has completed His work on Mount Zion and on
Jerusalem, He will say, 'I will punish the fruit of the king of Assyria and the
pomp of his haughtiness.'"
What this shows is what we have already covered. Right after Jesus calls his believers to be with Him in the Heavenly kingdom, Mount Zion, and gathers His remnant back to Jerusalem, then Jesus will remove the king of Assyria. The king of Assyria is the one who come against Israel with the power of Satan. When Isaiah wrote this, the city of Tyre was part of the Assyrian Empire. This is the king of Tyre.
The prophet Amos revealed this in his 9th Chapter, verse 6, when he wrote this;
"The One who builds His upper chambers in the heavens, and founded His
vaulted dome over the earth,..."
The prophet Micah echoed the prophet Isaiah when he wrote this in his 4th Chapter, verses 1-3;
(1)"And it will come about in the last days that the mountain of the Lord will
be established as the chief of the mountains. It will be raised above the hills,
and the peoples will stream to it.(2) And many nations will come and say,
'Come let us go up to the mountain of the Lord and to the
house of the God of Jacob, that He might teach us His ways
and that we may walk in His paths.'
For from Zion will go forth the law, even the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
(3) And He will judge between many peoples and render decisions for mighty,
distant nations. Then they will hammer their swords into plowshares and their
spears into pruning hooks; Nation will not lift up sword against nation. and never
again will they train for war."
The prophet Zechariah wrote this in his 2nd Chapter, verses 10-13;
(10)"'Sing for joy and be glad, O daughter of Zion; for behold I am coming and
will dwell in your mist', declares the Lord.(11) And many nations will join
themselves to the Lord in that day and will become my people. Then I will dwell
in your mist, and you will know that the Lord of hosts has sent Me to you.
(12) And the Lord will possess Judah as His portion in the holy land, and will
again choose Jerusalem. (13) Be silent, all flesh, before the Lord; for He is
aroused from His holy habitation."
The prophet Zechariah wrote this in his 8th Chapter, verse3;
"Thus says the Lord, 'I will return to Zion and will dwell in the mist of Jerusalem.
Then Jerusalem will be called the City of Truth, and the mountain of the Lord
of hosts will be called the Holy Mountain."
Jerusalem will be called the City of Truth because Jesus will be in the mist of Jerusalem. The mountain of the Lord of hosts is called the Holy Mountain because it is the heavenly kingdom in which Jesus dwells with His hosts, the New Creations, who will reign with Him.
May Jesus' peace and understanding be with you.
(1)"Let not you heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me.(2) In My
Father's house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you;
for I go and prepare a place for you.(3) and if I go and prepare a place for you, I
will come again, and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also."
Jesus told the disciples in John Chapter 13, verses 33 and 36;
(33)".........'Where I am going, you cannot come.'(36).........Where I go, you cannot
follow Me now, but you shall follow later.
The apostle Paul wrote this in his 1st letter to the Thessalonians in the 4th Chapter, verses 16-18;
(16)"For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice
of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first.
(17) Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in
the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and those we shall always be with the Lord.
(18) Therefore comfort one another with these words."
When Jesus was brought before Pilate, He told Pilate this, as recorded in the gospel of John, in his 18th Chapter, verse 36:
"My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom was of this world, then my
servants would be fighting, that I might not be delivered up to the Jews; but as
it is, My kingdom is not of this realm."
To look at where this kingdom will be located during Jesus' thousand year reign, we can find some insight from the writings of the prophets in the Old Testament. The prophet Isaiah wrote this in his 2nd Chapter, verses 2-4;
(2)" Now it will come about in the last days, the mountain of the house of the
Lord will be established as the chief of the mountains, and it will be raised above
the hills; and all the nations will stream to it.(3) And many peoples will come and
say,
'Come let us go up to the mountains of the Lord, to the house of
the God of Jacob; that He might teach us concerning His ways, and
that we may walk in His paths.'
For the law will go forth from Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
(4)And He will judge between the nations, and will render decisions for many
peoples; and they will hammer their swords into plowshares, and their spears into
pruning hooks. Nation will not lift up sword against nation, and never again will
they learn war."
What we see here, is that the house of the Lord, the heavenly kingdom, will be raised above the hills. People of the nations will come to the earthly Jerusalem to see the heavenly kingdom above Israel.
Jesus will rule over the nations, making judgments an decisions between and for many people. They will come to learn from Him. It will be a rule of peace and no war. That is one of the reasons why He is called the Prince of Peace. He is also the Prince of internal peace of the soul.
Isaiah wrote this in Chapter 4, verses 3-6:
(3)"And it will come about that he who is left in Zion and remains in Jerusalem
will be called holy-everyone who is recorded for life in Jerusalem.(4) when the
Lord has washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and purged the bloodshed
of Jerusalem from her mist, by the spirit of judgment and the spirit of burning,
(5) then the Lord will create the whole area of Mount Zion and over her assemblies
a cloud by day, even smoke, and the brightness of a flame of fire by night; for
over all the glory will be a canopy.(6) And there will be a shelter to give shade
from the heat by day, and refuge and protection from the storm and the rain."
The ones who have been recorded for life in Jerusalem are the remnant who Jesus will bring back right before He returns. The heavenly kingdom will be a canopy over the area of Israel. It will provide its light and shade and protection from the elements.
Isaiah wrote this in his 10th Chapter, verse 12;
"So it will be that when the Lord has completed His work on Mount Zion and on
Jerusalem, He will say, 'I will punish the fruit of the king of Assyria and the
pomp of his haughtiness.'"
What this shows is what we have already covered. Right after Jesus calls his believers to be with Him in the Heavenly kingdom, Mount Zion, and gathers His remnant back to Jerusalem, then Jesus will remove the king of Assyria. The king of Assyria is the one who come against Israel with the power of Satan. When Isaiah wrote this, the city of Tyre was part of the Assyrian Empire. This is the king of Tyre.
The prophet Amos revealed this in his 9th Chapter, verse 6, when he wrote this;
"The One who builds His upper chambers in the heavens, and founded His
vaulted dome over the earth,..."
The prophet Micah echoed the prophet Isaiah when he wrote this in his 4th Chapter, verses 1-3;
(1)"And it will come about in the last days that the mountain of the Lord will
be established as the chief of the mountains. It will be raised above the hills,
and the peoples will stream to it.(2) And many nations will come and say,
'Come let us go up to the mountain of the Lord and to the
house of the God of Jacob, that He might teach us His ways
and that we may walk in His paths.'
For from Zion will go forth the law, even the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
(3) And He will judge between many peoples and render decisions for mighty,
distant nations. Then they will hammer their swords into plowshares and their
spears into pruning hooks; Nation will not lift up sword against nation. and never
again will they train for war."
The prophet Zechariah wrote this in his 2nd Chapter, verses 10-13;
(10)"'Sing for joy and be glad, O daughter of Zion; for behold I am coming and
will dwell in your mist', declares the Lord.(11) And many nations will join
themselves to the Lord in that day and will become my people. Then I will dwell
in your mist, and you will know that the Lord of hosts has sent Me to you.
(12) And the Lord will possess Judah as His portion in the holy land, and will
again choose Jerusalem. (13) Be silent, all flesh, before the Lord; for He is
aroused from His holy habitation."
The prophet Zechariah wrote this in his 8th Chapter, verse3;
"Thus says the Lord, 'I will return to Zion and will dwell in the mist of Jerusalem.
Then Jerusalem will be called the City of Truth, and the mountain of the Lord
of hosts will be called the Holy Mountain."
Jerusalem will be called the City of Truth because Jesus will be in the mist of Jerusalem. The mountain of the Lord of hosts is called the Holy Mountain because it is the heavenly kingdom in which Jesus dwells with His hosts, the New Creations, who will reign with Him.
May Jesus' peace and understanding be with you.
Tuesday, June 4, 2013
Revelation Chapter 20 - Satan Bound 1000 Years
In my last four blogs, I covered Jesus' return with His Saints, the New Creations, as told in both the New and Old Testaments. A lot of what we saw were very devastating to the earth. We have to put things into perspective and realize that the God who spoke this world into existence in 6 days is the same God who judged it. He is also the same God who will speak back into existence that which He wills to be here on earth during His 1000 year reign over it. We will look a little bit at how that will look during Jesus' reign.
When we last finished in revelation Chapter 19, we saw the beast and the false prophet thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the place of the second death. It is an eternal death. Jesus is an eternal God. When Jesus created man, He created them to be an eternal being with an eternal existence. When all is completed, each person would have either chose to have eternal life or eternal death. The lake of fire was not intended for man. It was intended for Satan and his demons who rebelled against God. Satan continues to deceive and drag as many eternal souls as he can into the lake of fire with him. Remember this, that I repeat over and over again, from the apostle Peters' 2nd letter in his 3rd Chapter, verse 9, because this is the heart of God;
"The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some might count slowness, but is
patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish but for all to come to
repentance."
I think when Jesus conceived the concept of making a New Creation, He thought that many would love to have eternal life with Him. What He ends up finding is what he spoke is the gospel of Matthew in the 7th Chapter, verse 13 and 14;
(13)"Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide, and the way is broad that leads
to destruction, and many are those who enter by it.(14) For the gate is small, and
the way is narrow that leads to life, and few are those who find it."
The gate is narrow because their is only one way to gain eternal life and that is through Jesus. Satan has supplied many other ways, in mans mind, how they can achieve gaining eternal life or even just die and cease to exist. Apart from Jesus there is no life.
At the end of Revelation Chapter 19, verses 20 and 21, this is the reason why the beast and the false prophet are the first two to be cast into the lake of fire, where they will be a thousand years before anyone will join them;
(20)"And the beast was seized, and the false prophet who performed the signs in
his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and
those who worshiped his image; these two were thrown alive into the lake of fire
which burns with brimstone.(21) And the rest were killed with the sword which
came from the mouth of Him (Jesus) who sat upon the horse, and all the birds were
filled with their flesh."
Revelation Chapter 20 begins with Satan being bound for a thousand years, when John sees this in verses 1-3;
(1)"And I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key of the abyss
and a great chain in his hand.(2) And he laid hold of the dragon, the serpent of old,
who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years,(3) and threw him
into the abyss, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he should not deceive the
nations any longer, until the thousand years were completed; after these things he
must be released for a short time."
You are probably wonder why Jesus is going to bind Satan for a thousand years and then release him again. Why not just throw him into the lake of fire with beast and the false prophet? Jesus wants to make sure that everyone understands that Satan is the great deceiver and will never change and that is why he deserves to be cast into the lake of fire. When Satan is released for a short time at the end of Jesus' thousand year reign, he again deceives the nations to rise up against Jesus. This is after everyone under Jesus' reign have been living in peace.
John continues with this in verses 4-6;
(4) "And I saw thrones , and they sat upon them, and judgment was given to them.
And I saw souls of those who had been beheaded because of the testimony of Jesus
and because of the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or his
image, and had not receive the mark upon their forehead and upon their hand; and
they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.(5) The rest of the
dead did not come to life until the thousand years were completed. This is the first
resurrection.(6) Blessed and holy is the one who has a part in the first resurrection;
over these the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of
Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand years.
In these verses we start off seeing that there are a people who are sitting on thrones and judgment was given to them. We know From Chapter 19, that when Jesus returns to execute His judgment with the saints, that they are given white horses like His. These horses are the thrones on which those who overcame the devil by the blood of the Lamb and their testimony of Jesus, will sit as they execute the wrath of God with Jesus.
We read this in Revelation Chapter 12, verse11;
"And they overcame Satan because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the
word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even to death."
They were willing to die for Jesus, not rejecting the truth. They did not receive the mark of the beasts. This is the mark that the beast would require for anyone to be able to buy or sell and they did not worship the beast or his image. They were not afraid to give up what they owned or ever their lives to be faithful to Jesus. Their reward for their faithfulness to the truth is that they will come back to life and be caught up to be with Jesus in the air as we read in Paul's 1st letter to the Thessalonians Chapter 4, verses 16 and 17;
(16)"For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of
the archangel, and with the trumpet of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first.
(17) Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the
clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and thus we shall always be with the Lord."
After the wrath is complete, the saints, the New Creations, are going to rule over the earth with Jesus for a thousand years. They will rule the earth from the heavenly Jerusalem, Mount Zion. This is the place that Jesus said that he was going away to prepare, when He said this in John's gospel, Chapter 14, verses 1-3;
(1)"Let not your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me.(2) In My
Father's house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you;
for I go to prepare a place for you.(3) and if I go and prepare a place for you, I will
come again, and receive you to Myself; that were I am, there you may be also."
In Chapter 21 we will see a description of this heavenly Jerusalem, the real 'city of peace'. In my next blog I am going to show in the Old Testament where it talks about this heavenly city and how it will dwell above the earth during the thousand year reign of Jesus.
After the first resurrection, when the faithful are caught up to meet Jesus in the air, there will be a second resurrection a thousand years later. Those who take part in the first resurrection are blessed and holy(set apart) and will not take part in the second death, the eternal death of the soul, in the lake of fire. After the thousand years are complete, there will be a second resurrection where all the rest who have died will be resurrected. Then there will be what is know as The Great White Throne Judgment, where Jesus will make judgment on those who did not participate in the first resurrection.
When Jesus takes over rule of the earth from Satan, He will rule in righteousness for a thousand years. The earth will be different then it has ever been. The prophet Isaiah wrote about how it will be in those days, where in his 11th Chapter, verses 6-9;
(6)"And the wolf will dwell with the lamb, and the leopard will lie down with
the kid, and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little boy
will lead them.(7) Also the cow and the bear will graze; their young will lie down
together; and the lion will eat straw with the ox.(8) And the nursing child will
play by the hole of the cobra, and the weaned will put his hand in the vipers den.
(9) They will not hurt or destroy in all My holy mountain, for the earth will be full
of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea."
Again in Isaiah in his 65th Chapter, verses 17-25, it describes this;
(17)"For behold I create new heavens and a new earth; and the former things will
not be remembered or come to mind.(18) But be glad and rejoice forever in what
I create; For behold, I create Jerusalem for rejoicing, and her people for gladness.
(19) I will also rejoice in Jerusalem, and be glad in my people; And there will no
longer be heard in her the voice of weeping and the sound of crying.(20) No longer
will it be in it an infant who lives but a few days, or an old man who does not live
out his days; For the youth will die at the age of a hundred and the one who does
not reach the age of a hundred shall be thought accursed.(21) And they shall build
houses and inhabit them; They shall also plant vineyards and eat their fruit.
(22) They shall not build and another inhabit, they shall not plant and another eat;
For as the lifetime of a tree, so shall be the days of my people, and my chosen ones
shall wear out the work of their hands.(23) They shall not labor in vain, or bare
children for calamity; For they are the offspring of those blessed by the Lord, and
their descendants with them.(24) It will also come to pass that before they call,
I will answer; and while they are still speaking, I will hear.(25) The wolf and the
lamb shall graze together, and the lion shall eat straw with the ox; and dust shall be
the serpent's food. They shall do no harm in all My holy mountain, says the Lord."
I know that the blogs that I have written pertaining to Jesus return, to stop Satan from destroying the earth and judge those who made the choice to reject His offer of eternal life, might not sound like a good thing, but it will result in a great thing.
Jesus' peace and understanding be with you.
When we last finished in revelation Chapter 19, we saw the beast and the false prophet thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the place of the second death. It is an eternal death. Jesus is an eternal God. When Jesus created man, He created them to be an eternal being with an eternal existence. When all is completed, each person would have either chose to have eternal life or eternal death. The lake of fire was not intended for man. It was intended for Satan and his demons who rebelled against God. Satan continues to deceive and drag as many eternal souls as he can into the lake of fire with him. Remember this, that I repeat over and over again, from the apostle Peters' 2nd letter in his 3rd Chapter, verse 9, because this is the heart of God;
"The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some might count slowness, but is
patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish but for all to come to
repentance."
I think when Jesus conceived the concept of making a New Creation, He thought that many would love to have eternal life with Him. What He ends up finding is what he spoke is the gospel of Matthew in the 7th Chapter, verse 13 and 14;
(13)"Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide, and the way is broad that leads
to destruction, and many are those who enter by it.(14) For the gate is small, and
the way is narrow that leads to life, and few are those who find it."
The gate is narrow because their is only one way to gain eternal life and that is through Jesus. Satan has supplied many other ways, in mans mind, how they can achieve gaining eternal life or even just die and cease to exist. Apart from Jesus there is no life.
At the end of Revelation Chapter 19, verses 20 and 21, this is the reason why the beast and the false prophet are the first two to be cast into the lake of fire, where they will be a thousand years before anyone will join them;
(20)"And the beast was seized, and the false prophet who performed the signs in
his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and
those who worshiped his image; these two were thrown alive into the lake of fire
which burns with brimstone.(21) And the rest were killed with the sword which
came from the mouth of Him (Jesus) who sat upon the horse, and all the birds were
filled with their flesh."
Revelation Chapter 20 begins with Satan being bound for a thousand years, when John sees this in verses 1-3;
(1)"And I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key of the abyss
and a great chain in his hand.(2) And he laid hold of the dragon, the serpent of old,
who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years,(3) and threw him
into the abyss, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he should not deceive the
nations any longer, until the thousand years were completed; after these things he
must be released for a short time."
You are probably wonder why Jesus is going to bind Satan for a thousand years and then release him again. Why not just throw him into the lake of fire with beast and the false prophet? Jesus wants to make sure that everyone understands that Satan is the great deceiver and will never change and that is why he deserves to be cast into the lake of fire. When Satan is released for a short time at the end of Jesus' thousand year reign, he again deceives the nations to rise up against Jesus. This is after everyone under Jesus' reign have been living in peace.
John continues with this in verses 4-6;
(4) "And I saw thrones , and they sat upon them, and judgment was given to them.
And I saw souls of those who had been beheaded because of the testimony of Jesus
and because of the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or his
image, and had not receive the mark upon their forehead and upon their hand; and
they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.(5) The rest of the
dead did not come to life until the thousand years were completed. This is the first
resurrection.(6) Blessed and holy is the one who has a part in the first resurrection;
over these the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of
Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand years.
In these verses we start off seeing that there are a people who are sitting on thrones and judgment was given to them. We know From Chapter 19, that when Jesus returns to execute His judgment with the saints, that they are given white horses like His. These horses are the thrones on which those who overcame the devil by the blood of the Lamb and their testimony of Jesus, will sit as they execute the wrath of God with Jesus.
We read this in Revelation Chapter 12, verse11;
"And they overcame Satan because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the
word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even to death."
They were willing to die for Jesus, not rejecting the truth. They did not receive the mark of the beasts. This is the mark that the beast would require for anyone to be able to buy or sell and they did not worship the beast or his image. They were not afraid to give up what they owned or ever their lives to be faithful to Jesus. Their reward for their faithfulness to the truth is that they will come back to life and be caught up to be with Jesus in the air as we read in Paul's 1st letter to the Thessalonians Chapter 4, verses 16 and 17;
(16)"For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of
the archangel, and with the trumpet of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first.
(17) Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the
clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and thus we shall always be with the Lord."
After the wrath is complete, the saints, the New Creations, are going to rule over the earth with Jesus for a thousand years. They will rule the earth from the heavenly Jerusalem, Mount Zion. This is the place that Jesus said that he was going away to prepare, when He said this in John's gospel, Chapter 14, verses 1-3;
(1)"Let not your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me.(2) In My
Father's house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you;
for I go to prepare a place for you.(3) and if I go and prepare a place for you, I will
come again, and receive you to Myself; that were I am, there you may be also."
In Chapter 21 we will see a description of this heavenly Jerusalem, the real 'city of peace'. In my next blog I am going to show in the Old Testament where it talks about this heavenly city and how it will dwell above the earth during the thousand year reign of Jesus.
After the first resurrection, when the faithful are caught up to meet Jesus in the air, there will be a second resurrection a thousand years later. Those who take part in the first resurrection are blessed and holy(set apart) and will not take part in the second death, the eternal death of the soul, in the lake of fire. After the thousand years are complete, there will be a second resurrection where all the rest who have died will be resurrected. Then there will be what is know as The Great White Throne Judgment, where Jesus will make judgment on those who did not participate in the first resurrection.
When Jesus takes over rule of the earth from Satan, He will rule in righteousness for a thousand years. The earth will be different then it has ever been. The prophet Isaiah wrote about how it will be in those days, where in his 11th Chapter, verses 6-9;
(6)"And the wolf will dwell with the lamb, and the leopard will lie down with
the kid, and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little boy
will lead them.(7) Also the cow and the bear will graze; their young will lie down
together; and the lion will eat straw with the ox.(8) And the nursing child will
play by the hole of the cobra, and the weaned will put his hand in the vipers den.
(9) They will not hurt or destroy in all My holy mountain, for the earth will be full
of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea."
Again in Isaiah in his 65th Chapter, verses 17-25, it describes this;
(17)"For behold I create new heavens and a new earth; and the former things will
not be remembered or come to mind.(18) But be glad and rejoice forever in what
I create; For behold, I create Jerusalem for rejoicing, and her people for gladness.
(19) I will also rejoice in Jerusalem, and be glad in my people; And there will no
longer be heard in her the voice of weeping and the sound of crying.(20) No longer
will it be in it an infant who lives but a few days, or an old man who does not live
out his days; For the youth will die at the age of a hundred and the one who does
not reach the age of a hundred shall be thought accursed.(21) And they shall build
houses and inhabit them; They shall also plant vineyards and eat their fruit.
(22) They shall not build and another inhabit, they shall not plant and another eat;
For as the lifetime of a tree, so shall be the days of my people, and my chosen ones
shall wear out the work of their hands.(23) They shall not labor in vain, or bare
children for calamity; For they are the offspring of those blessed by the Lord, and
their descendants with them.(24) It will also come to pass that before they call,
I will answer; and while they are still speaking, I will hear.(25) The wolf and the
lamb shall graze together, and the lion shall eat straw with the ox; and dust shall be
the serpent's food. They shall do no harm in all My holy mountain, says the Lord."
I know that the blogs that I have written pertaining to Jesus return, to stop Satan from destroying the earth and judge those who made the choice to reject His offer of eternal life, might not sound like a good thing, but it will result in a great thing.
Jesus' peace and understanding be with you.
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
Jesus' Return As Foretold In Old Testiment (Part 3)
As we have seen so far, there are many references in the Old Testament pertaining to Jesus returning to execute His wrath. In all cases it is followed by the foretelling of the restoration that will follow. This will be the time of Jesus thousand year rule over the earth. Israel will be restored after their chastisement from the Lord Jesus. They will be chastised for their unbelief and rejection of the truth and for making alliances with nations rather than an alliance with their God for protection. Isaiah covered a lot of this in his first five chapters, but I will not cover that in this blog. I am bringing this up to express a warning to those who should know that their trust should be in the Lord Jesus. There are many who are telling Israel that they have been brought back to the land and that they are there to stay. Many of these are well meaning people, but no all, who just don't understand what the Old Testament prophets have foretold. The prophet Micah wrote this in his 3rd Chapter, verses 5-12;
"Thus says the Lord concerning the prophets who lead my people astray: when they
have something to bite with their teeth, they cry, 'Peace', but against him who puts
nothing in their mouths, they declare holy war. Therefore it will be night for you
without vision, and darkness for you without divination. The sun will go down on
the prophets, and the day will become dark over them. The seers will be ashamed
and the diviners will be embarrassed. Indeed, they will all cover their mouths
because there is no answer from God. On the other hand I am filled with power-
With the Spirit of the Lord- and with justice and courage to make known to Jacob
his rebellious act even to Israel his sin. Now hear this, heads of the house of Jacob
and rulers of the house of Israel, who abhor justice and twist everything that is
straight, who build Zion with bloodshed and Jerusalem with violent injustice. Her
leaders pronounce justice for a bribe, her priest instruct for a price, and her prophets
divine for money. Yet they lean on the Lord saying, 'Is not the Lord in your mist?
Calamity will not come upon us.' Therefore, on account of you, Zion will be plowed
as a field, Jerusalem will become a heap of ruins, and the mountain of the temple will
become high places of the forest."
When I sat down to write this blog, I did not plan out to write on this. I write as Jesus leads me and this is what He desired to have me declare. In Matthew Chapter 23, verses 37-39, Jesus said this concerning Jerusalem;
"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to
her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers
her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling. Behold, your house is being
left to you desolate! For I say to you, from now on you will not see me until you
say, 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!'"
The very own Creator of the universe, came to the earth in the person of Jesus. He came to be the sacrificial Lamb who would die to forgive sin and allow those who would receive it, the free gift of eternal life. He came to and through the people who He had chosen to foreshadow this event with the once a year sacrifice in the Holy of Holies to forgive sin. This shadowed the once and for all sacrifice that Jesus would make on the cross. Salvation started with the house of Israel and spread to rest of the world. Jesus waits to this day for Israel to respond. They have not, and soon will instead take refuged in a covenant which is no more than a snare. Satan is buying time until he is kicked out of heaven and down to the earth. In which time he will come against Israel. Satan has created many odd bedfellows. If you look at the world today, there are many different people from many different backgrounds, who in harmony, despise Israel. If you take a rational look at it, there is no human reason for amount of hostility towards Israel, except for the fact that Satan hates Israel because Jesus loves them. Many will be glad when Satan comes against Israel. They shouldn't smile too long, for he will soon come for them. Satan has no friends.
I will also cover in future blogs how Jesus is the God of the universe. I will not just say that and not show it.
The prophet Habakkuk wrote in his 2nd Chapter about the city of Tyre from which Satan will come down into Israel. We read about this city, the Great Harlot, in the book of Revelation, which the whole world will build. Habakkuk writes this in verses 12,13 and 17;
"(12)Woe to him who builds a city with bloodshed and founds a town with
violence! (13) Is it not indeed from the Lord of hosts that peoples toil for fire,
and nations grow weary for nothing?(17) For the violence done to Lebanon will
overwhelm you, and the devastation of its beasts by which you terrified them,
because of the bloodshed and violence done to the land, to the town and all its
inhabitants.
Lebanon in the country in which the city of Tyre is in. The beasts are the military weapons of warfare. In Chapter 3, Habakkuk describes Jesus coming this way in verses 3-15;
"(2) Lord, I have heard the report about Thee and I fear, O Lord, revive Thy
work in the midst of the years, in the midst of the years make it known; in
wrath remember mercy.(3) God comes from Teman, and the Holy One from
Mount Paran...................
If Habakkuk was in Israel, he would have saw the heavens open and Jesus coming as he was looking south towards the Egyptian Sinai Peninsula.
..................His splendor covers the heavens, and the earth is full of His praise.
(4) His radiance is like the sunlight; He has rays flashing from His hand, and
there is the hiding of His power.(5) Before Him goes pestilence, and plague
comes after Him.(6) He stood and surveyed the earth; He looked and startled
the nations. Yes, the perpetual mountains were shattered. The ancient hills
collapsed. His ways are everlasting.(7) I saw the tents of Cushan under distress,
the tenet curtains of the land of Midian were trembling.(8) Did the Lord rage
against the rivers, or was Thine anger against the rivers, or was Thy wrath
against the sea, that Thou didst ride on Thy horses, on Thy chariots of
salvation?..............
Habakkuk sees the New Creations, who came about by the means of salvation, riding on their white horses that were given to them at the first resurrection.
............(9) Thy bow was made bare, the rods of Thy word were sworn. Thou
didst cleave the earth with rivers.(10) The mountains saw Thee and quaked; the
downpour of water swept by. The deep uttered forth its voice, it lifted high its
hands.(11) Sun and moon stood in their places; they went away at the light of
Thine arrows, at the radiance of Thy gleaming spear.(12) In indignation Thou
didst march through the earth; in anger Thou didst trample the nations.(13)
Thou didst go forth for the salvation of Thy people, for the salvation of Thine
anointed. Thou didst strike the head of the house of evil to lay him open from
thigh to neck.(14) Thou didst pierce with his own spears the head of his shafts.
They stormed in to scatter us; their exultation was like those who devour the
oppressed in secret.(15) Thou didst tread on the sea with Thy horses, on the
surge of many waters."
The prophet Zephaniah wrote this about the day of the Lord in his 1st Chapter, verses 1-6;
"(2)'I will completely remove all things from the face of the earth,' declares
the Lord.(3) 'I will remove man and beast; I will remove the birds of the sky
and the fish of the sea, and the ground along with the wicked; and I will cut
off man from the face of the ground', declares the Lord.(4)'So I will stretch
out my hand against Judah and against the inhabitants of Jerusalem. And I
will cut off the remnant of Baal from this place, and the names of the
idolatrous priests along with the priests.(5) And those who bow down on the
housetops to the hosts of heaven, and those who bow down and swear to the
Lord yet swear by Milcom,(6) and those who have turned back from following
the Lord, and those who have not sought the Lord or inquired of Him.
Jesus will come against Judah and Jerusalem because at that time it will be given over to the nations. Remember, Satan comes against Israel and seats himself in the temple of God in the temple in Jerusalem claiming to be God. Israel, at end of this age, will be overrun by people who bow to a false God and those who no longer follow the Lord out of fear of being killed for doing so. When Jesus returns, He will first clean out Jerusalem from all occupants, before He places His remnant back in Jerusalem. Zephaniah continues in the 1st Chapter, verses 14-18, with this;
"(14) Near is the great day of the Lord, near and coming very quickly; Listen,
the day of the Lord! In it the warriors cries out bitterly.(15) A day of wrath is
that day, a day of trouble and distress, a day of destruction and desolation, a day
of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness,(16) a day of trumpet
and battle cry, against the fortified cities and the high towers.(17) And I will bring
distress on men, so that they will walk like the blind, because they have sinned
against the Lord; and their blood will be poured out like dust, and their flesh like
dung.(18) neither their silver nor their gold will be able to deliver them on the day
of the Lord's wrath; and all the earth will be devoured in the fire of His jealousy,
for He will make a complete end, indeed a terrifying on, of all the inhabitants of
the earth."
The prophet Zechariah made a mention of the city of Tyre and her fate, when writing this in his 9th Chapter, verses 3 and 4,
"(3) For Tyre built herself a fortress and piled up silver like dust, and gold like the
mire of the streets.(4) Behold the Lord will dispossess her and cast her wealth into
the sea; and she will be consumed with fire."
The prophet Malachi will complete the Old Testaments prophecies of the day of the Lord Jesus, when he writes this in his 4th Chapter and the last Chapter in the Old Testament, verses 1-3;
"(1)'For behold, the day is coming, burning like a furnace, and all the arrogant
and evildoer will be like chaff; and the day that is coming will set them ablaze,'
says the Lord of hosts, 'so that it will leave them neither root nor branch.'(2) But
for those who fear my name the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in
its wings; and you will go forth and skip about like calves from the stall.(3) And
you will tread down the wicked, for they shall be ashes under the soles of your
feet on the day which I am preparing,' says the Lord of hosts."
Although you don't hear much about such things in the Christian circle today, this was not a mystery to the early church. Many today out of fear of what people might say if they pointed out such truths, choose to remain silent on the matter. The truth is the truth. In the New Testament the apostle Peter told of this days as he wrote in his 2nd letter, 3rd Chapter;
"This is now, beloved, the second letter I am writing to you in which I am stirring
up your sincere mind by way of reminder, that you should remember the words
spoken beforehand by the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and
Savior spoken by the apostles. Know this first of all, that in the last days mockers
will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts, and saying, 'Where
is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all continues
just as it was from the beginning of creation.' For when they maintain this, it
escapes their notice that by the word of God the heavens existed long ago and the
earth was formed out of water and by water, through which the world at that time
was destroyed by water. But the present heavens and earth by His word are being
reserved for fire, kept for the days of destruction of ungodly men. But do not let
this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand
years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow about His promise, as
some count slowness, BUT IS PATIENT TOWARD YOU, NOT WISHING THAT
ANY SHOULD PERISH BUT FOR ALL TO COME TO REPENTANCE. But the
day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a
roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works
will be burned up. Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort
of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for the hastening
of the day of God, on account of which the heavens will destroyed with burning,
and the elements will melt with intense heat! But according to His promise we are
looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells. Therefore,
beloved, since you look for these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace,
spotless and blameless, and regard the patience of our Lord to be salvation; and
just as also are beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given him, wrote
to you, as also in all his letters, speaking in them of these things, in which are some
things hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable distort, as they do also
the rest of Scriptures, to their own destruction. You therefore, beloved, knowing
this beforehand, be on your guard lest, being carried away by error of unprincipled
men, you fall from your own steadfastness, but grow in the grace and knowledge
of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, both now and to the
day of eternity. Amen.
May Jesus and His peace be with you.
"Thus says the Lord concerning the prophets who lead my people astray: when they
have something to bite with their teeth, they cry, 'Peace', but against him who puts
nothing in their mouths, they declare holy war. Therefore it will be night for you
without vision, and darkness for you without divination. The sun will go down on
the prophets, and the day will become dark over them. The seers will be ashamed
and the diviners will be embarrassed. Indeed, they will all cover their mouths
because there is no answer from God. On the other hand I am filled with power-
With the Spirit of the Lord- and with justice and courage to make known to Jacob
his rebellious act even to Israel his sin. Now hear this, heads of the house of Jacob
and rulers of the house of Israel, who abhor justice and twist everything that is
straight, who build Zion with bloodshed and Jerusalem with violent injustice. Her
leaders pronounce justice for a bribe, her priest instruct for a price, and her prophets
divine for money. Yet they lean on the Lord saying, 'Is not the Lord in your mist?
Calamity will not come upon us.' Therefore, on account of you, Zion will be plowed
as a field, Jerusalem will become a heap of ruins, and the mountain of the temple will
become high places of the forest."
When I sat down to write this blog, I did not plan out to write on this. I write as Jesus leads me and this is what He desired to have me declare. In Matthew Chapter 23, verses 37-39, Jesus said this concerning Jerusalem;
"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to
her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers
her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling. Behold, your house is being
left to you desolate! For I say to you, from now on you will not see me until you
say, 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!'"
The very own Creator of the universe, came to the earth in the person of Jesus. He came to be the sacrificial Lamb who would die to forgive sin and allow those who would receive it, the free gift of eternal life. He came to and through the people who He had chosen to foreshadow this event with the once a year sacrifice in the Holy of Holies to forgive sin. This shadowed the once and for all sacrifice that Jesus would make on the cross. Salvation started with the house of Israel and spread to rest of the world. Jesus waits to this day for Israel to respond. They have not, and soon will instead take refuged in a covenant which is no more than a snare. Satan is buying time until he is kicked out of heaven and down to the earth. In which time he will come against Israel. Satan has created many odd bedfellows. If you look at the world today, there are many different people from many different backgrounds, who in harmony, despise Israel. If you take a rational look at it, there is no human reason for amount of hostility towards Israel, except for the fact that Satan hates Israel because Jesus loves them. Many will be glad when Satan comes against Israel. They shouldn't smile too long, for he will soon come for them. Satan has no friends.
I will also cover in future blogs how Jesus is the God of the universe. I will not just say that and not show it.
The prophet Habakkuk wrote in his 2nd Chapter about the city of Tyre from which Satan will come down into Israel. We read about this city, the Great Harlot, in the book of Revelation, which the whole world will build. Habakkuk writes this in verses 12,13 and 17;
"(12)Woe to him who builds a city with bloodshed and founds a town with
violence! (13) Is it not indeed from the Lord of hosts that peoples toil for fire,
and nations grow weary for nothing?(17) For the violence done to Lebanon will
overwhelm you, and the devastation of its beasts by which you terrified them,
because of the bloodshed and violence done to the land, to the town and all its
inhabitants.
Lebanon in the country in which the city of Tyre is in. The beasts are the military weapons of warfare. In Chapter 3, Habakkuk describes Jesus coming this way in verses 3-15;
"(2) Lord, I have heard the report about Thee and I fear, O Lord, revive Thy
work in the midst of the years, in the midst of the years make it known; in
wrath remember mercy.(3) God comes from Teman, and the Holy One from
Mount Paran...................
If Habakkuk was in Israel, he would have saw the heavens open and Jesus coming as he was looking south towards the Egyptian Sinai Peninsula.
..................His splendor covers the heavens, and the earth is full of His praise.
(4) His radiance is like the sunlight; He has rays flashing from His hand, and
there is the hiding of His power.(5) Before Him goes pestilence, and plague
comes after Him.(6) He stood and surveyed the earth; He looked and startled
the nations. Yes, the perpetual mountains were shattered. The ancient hills
collapsed. His ways are everlasting.(7) I saw the tents of Cushan under distress,
the tenet curtains of the land of Midian were trembling.(8) Did the Lord rage
against the rivers, or was Thine anger against the rivers, or was Thy wrath
against the sea, that Thou didst ride on Thy horses, on Thy chariots of
salvation?..............
Habakkuk sees the New Creations, who came about by the means of salvation, riding on their white horses that were given to them at the first resurrection.
............(9) Thy bow was made bare, the rods of Thy word were sworn. Thou
didst cleave the earth with rivers.(10) The mountains saw Thee and quaked; the
downpour of water swept by. The deep uttered forth its voice, it lifted high its
hands.(11) Sun and moon stood in their places; they went away at the light of
Thine arrows, at the radiance of Thy gleaming spear.(12) In indignation Thou
didst march through the earth; in anger Thou didst trample the nations.(13)
Thou didst go forth for the salvation of Thy people, for the salvation of Thine
anointed. Thou didst strike the head of the house of evil to lay him open from
thigh to neck.(14) Thou didst pierce with his own spears the head of his shafts.
They stormed in to scatter us; their exultation was like those who devour the
oppressed in secret.(15) Thou didst tread on the sea with Thy horses, on the
surge of many waters."
The prophet Zephaniah wrote this about the day of the Lord in his 1st Chapter, verses 1-6;
"(2)'I will completely remove all things from the face of the earth,' declares
the Lord.(3) 'I will remove man and beast; I will remove the birds of the sky
and the fish of the sea, and the ground along with the wicked; and I will cut
off man from the face of the ground', declares the Lord.(4)'So I will stretch
out my hand against Judah and against the inhabitants of Jerusalem. And I
will cut off the remnant of Baal from this place, and the names of the
idolatrous priests along with the priests.(5) And those who bow down on the
housetops to the hosts of heaven, and those who bow down and swear to the
Lord yet swear by Milcom,(6) and those who have turned back from following
the Lord, and those who have not sought the Lord or inquired of Him.
Jesus will come against Judah and Jerusalem because at that time it will be given over to the nations. Remember, Satan comes against Israel and seats himself in the temple of God in the temple in Jerusalem claiming to be God. Israel, at end of this age, will be overrun by people who bow to a false God and those who no longer follow the Lord out of fear of being killed for doing so. When Jesus returns, He will first clean out Jerusalem from all occupants, before He places His remnant back in Jerusalem. Zephaniah continues in the 1st Chapter, verses 14-18, with this;
"(14) Near is the great day of the Lord, near and coming very quickly; Listen,
the day of the Lord! In it the warriors cries out bitterly.(15) A day of wrath is
that day, a day of trouble and distress, a day of destruction and desolation, a day
of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness,(16) a day of trumpet
and battle cry, against the fortified cities and the high towers.(17) And I will bring
distress on men, so that they will walk like the blind, because they have sinned
against the Lord; and their blood will be poured out like dust, and their flesh like
dung.(18) neither their silver nor their gold will be able to deliver them on the day
of the Lord's wrath; and all the earth will be devoured in the fire of His jealousy,
for He will make a complete end, indeed a terrifying on, of all the inhabitants of
the earth."
The prophet Zechariah made a mention of the city of Tyre and her fate, when writing this in his 9th Chapter, verses 3 and 4,
"(3) For Tyre built herself a fortress and piled up silver like dust, and gold like the
mire of the streets.(4) Behold the Lord will dispossess her and cast her wealth into
the sea; and she will be consumed with fire."
The prophet Malachi will complete the Old Testaments prophecies of the day of the Lord Jesus, when he writes this in his 4th Chapter and the last Chapter in the Old Testament, verses 1-3;
"(1)'For behold, the day is coming, burning like a furnace, and all the arrogant
and evildoer will be like chaff; and the day that is coming will set them ablaze,'
says the Lord of hosts, 'so that it will leave them neither root nor branch.'(2) But
for those who fear my name the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in
its wings; and you will go forth and skip about like calves from the stall.(3) And
you will tread down the wicked, for they shall be ashes under the soles of your
feet on the day which I am preparing,' says the Lord of hosts."
Although you don't hear much about such things in the Christian circle today, this was not a mystery to the early church. Many today out of fear of what people might say if they pointed out such truths, choose to remain silent on the matter. The truth is the truth. In the New Testament the apostle Peter told of this days as he wrote in his 2nd letter, 3rd Chapter;
"This is now, beloved, the second letter I am writing to you in which I am stirring
up your sincere mind by way of reminder, that you should remember the words
spoken beforehand by the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and
Savior spoken by the apostles. Know this first of all, that in the last days mockers
will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts, and saying, 'Where
is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all continues
just as it was from the beginning of creation.' For when they maintain this, it
escapes their notice that by the word of God the heavens existed long ago and the
earth was formed out of water and by water, through which the world at that time
was destroyed by water. But the present heavens and earth by His word are being
reserved for fire, kept for the days of destruction of ungodly men. But do not let
this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand
years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow about His promise, as
some count slowness, BUT IS PATIENT TOWARD YOU, NOT WISHING THAT
ANY SHOULD PERISH BUT FOR ALL TO COME TO REPENTANCE. But the
day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a
roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works
will be burned up. Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort
of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for the hastening
of the day of God, on account of which the heavens will destroyed with burning,
and the elements will melt with intense heat! But according to His promise we are
looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells. Therefore,
beloved, since you look for these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace,
spotless and blameless, and regard the patience of our Lord to be salvation; and
just as also are beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given him, wrote
to you, as also in all his letters, speaking in them of these things, in which are some
things hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable distort, as they do also
the rest of Scriptures, to their own destruction. You therefore, beloved, knowing
this beforehand, be on your guard lest, being carried away by error of unprincipled
men, you fall from your own steadfastness, but grow in the grace and knowledge
of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, both now and to the
day of eternity. Amen.
May Jesus and His peace be with you.
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Jesus' Return Foretold in the Old Testament (Part 2)
We saw in Isaiah a glimpse of what Jesus' return will look like. The prophet Daniel gives us a look at what the world will look like right before Jesus returns. During the reign of king Nebuchadnezzar, who took Israel into captivity, the prophet Daniel was the only one who could interpret a dream that the king had. In short, the dream foretold what kingdoms would be the main players in the close of this age. In Daniels 2nd Chapter, Daniel interprets the dream and talks about an inferior kingdom, which later in a dream, Daniel came to know this kingdom as Persia. Daniel's later dream would reveal that the kingdom of Persia, as it makes a play to take over the middle east, will be defeated by the realm of Greece. Shortly after that, their will be a forth kingdom. This kingdom, we have learned, will be controlled by Satan when he is cast down to the earth. Daniel talks about this forth kingdom in his 2nd Chapter, verse 40-43;
(4)"Then there will be a fourth kingdom as strong as iron; inasmuch as iron
crushes and shatters all things, so, like iron that breaks in pieces, it will crush
all these in pieces.(41) And in that you saw the feet and toes, partly of potter's
clay and partly of iron, it will be a divided kingdom; but it will have in it the
toughness of iron, inasmuch as the iron mixed with common clay.(42) And as
the toes of the feet were partly of iron and partly of pottery, so some of the
kingdom will be strong and part of it will be brittle.(43) And in that you saw
the iron mixed with common clay, they will combine with one another, in the
seed of men; but they will not adhere to one another, even as iron does not
combine with pottery."(44) And in the days of those kings the God of heaven
will set up a kingdom which will never be destroyed, and that kingdom will not
be left for another people; it will crush and put to an end to all these kingdoms,
but it itself endure forever."
I have written in previous blogs all about this in more detail. It can all be found on this blog site.
This fourth kingdom will be the united kingdoms of the world. I explained in earlier blogs, that for there to be an agreeable peace covenant that will be satisfying to all parties involved, there will have to be an agreed state of Palastine and a recognized state of Israel. For this to be achieved, after a global effort to stop Persia's play for the middle east, there will have to be a peace keeping facility in the area. This is where the global capital, that will be built in Tyre Lebanon, will come in play. From Tyre, all the nations militaries will have a presence and a part in keeping the peace in the middle east. So you see in Daniel's interpretation, although they all make up one kingdom, they can not really combine to one another, because their motives for this peace are not in agreement. For some of them, their intention is to buy time to build up the military snare that will come against Israel. Remember, half way through the 7 year peace agreement, Satan will be kicked out of heaven. at the same time the leader of Tyre is assassinated. This leader will then back to life in the power of Satan, and come against Israel and seat himself in the temple of God in Jerusalem.
Daniel talks about this leader from Tyre, who is under the influence of Satan, when he writes this in Chapter 7, verses 25-27;
(25)"And he will speak out against the Most High(Jesus) and wear down the saints
of the Highest One, and he will intend to make alterations(to the peace covenant) in
in times and in law; and they will be given into his hand for time, times and half a
time(3 1/2 years).(26) But the court will sit in judgment, and his dominion will be
taken away, annihilated and destroyed for ever.(27) Then the sovereignty, the
dominion, and the greatest of all kingdoms under the whole heaven will be given
to the people of the saints of the Highest One: His kingdom will be an everlasting
kingdom, and all the dominions will serve and obey Him."
If you remember, we saw in Revelation Chapter 12 that Satan and his demons are kicked out of heaven and down to the earth and authority was given to them for 3 1/2 years. In Revelation Chapter 13, John wrote this in verse 5-7;
(5)"And there was given to him a mouth speaking arrogant words and blasphemies;
and authority to act for forty-two months was given him.(6) And he opened his
mouth in blasphemies against God, to blaspheme His name(Jesus) and His
tabernacle, that is, those who dwell in heaven.(7) And it was given to him to make
war with the saints and to overcome them; and authority over every tribe and people
and tongue and nation was given him."
Jesus returns to stop Satan and those who rejected Him, from destroying the earth. Jesus judgment will be swift and thorough. What we will see from the other prophets will be what caused them to be killed. People do not want to believe that God could have a wrath. They don't understand that God's wrath and the day of the Lord is the solution to a major problem, Satan out of control. The prophet Joel has one of the best descriptions of what the day of the Lord will look like, when he writes this in his 2nd Chapter;
(1)"Blow a trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm on My holy mountain! Let all the
inhabitants of the land tremble, for the day of the Lord is coming; Surely it is near,
(2) A day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness. As the dawn
is spread over the mountains, so there is a great and mighty people; There has never
been anything like it, nor will there be again after it to the years of many generations.
(3) A fire consumes before them, and behind them a flame burns. The land is like
the garden of Eden before them, but desolate wilderness behind them, and nothing
at all escapes them.(4) Their appearance is like the appearance of horses; and like
war horses, so they run.................
Remember, we saw in Revelation Chapter 19 that Jesus gave His saints white horses, in heaven, to ride.
..............(5) With a noise as of chariots they leap on the tops of the mountains,
like the crackling of a flame of fire consuming the stubble, like a mighty people
arranged for battle.(6) before them the people are in anguish; all faces turn pale.
(7) They run like mighty men; they climb the wall like soldiers; and they each
march in line, nor do they deviate from their paths.(8) They do not crowd each
other; they march everyone in his path. When they burst through the defenses,
They do not break ranks.(9) They rush on the city, they run on the wall, they
enter through the windows like a thief.(10) Before them the earth quakes, the
heavens tremble, the sun and the moon grow dark, and the stars lose their
brightness.(11) And the Lord utters His voice before His army; surely His camp
is very great, for strong is he who carries out His word. The day of the Lord is
indeed great and very awesome , and who can endure it?
The prophet Joel gives a call on how to escape the coming wrath, when he writes this later in
Chapter 2,verses 30-32;
(30)"And I will display wonders in the sky and on the earth, Blood, fire and
columns of smoke.(31) The sun will be turned into darkness, and the moon
into blood, before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes.(32) And it
will come about that whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be delivered;
For from Mount Zion (the heavenly Jerusalem) and in Jerusalem (the earthly)
there will be those who escape, as the Lord said, even among the survivors
whom the Lord called."
You find in these few short verses the description of what it will be like right before Jesus returns. We found the same description in Revelation about the sun turning to darkness and the moon to blood. This is what will be caused in the sky by Satan's rage of destruction. From the warfare and the shedding of blood on the earth, will result a sky full of dark smoke and blood. We also see the way of escape and it is interesting to see on how it relates to the simple gospel message laid forth in the New Testament. When it says that it will come about that whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be delivered, it is the same message that we see in Paul's letter to the Romans in Chapter 10, verses 8-13, when Paul finishes in verse 13 quoting Joel;
(8)" But what does it say? 'The word is near you, in your mouth and in your
heart'-that is, the word of faith that we are preaching,(9) that if you confess
with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him
from the dead, you shall be saved;(10) for with the heart man believes, resulting
in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses resulting in salvation.(11) For
the Scripture says, 'Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed.'(12) For
there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all,
abounding in riches for all that call upon Him;(13) for 'Whoever call upon the
Name of the Lord will be saved.'"
Then in the book of acts, in the 4th Chapter, verse 12, the apostle Peter said this;
"And there is salvation in no one else; for there is other name under heaven that
has been given among men, by which we must be saved."
There are three groups of people who are mentioned in the above passage from Joel. There are the ones who call upon Jesus name to be saved. These are the saints, the new creations. These are the ones who escape to Mount Zion, the heavenly kingdom that Jesus said that He was going away to prepare. The second group are the ones who escape to the earthly Jerusalem. Before Jesus returns to execute His wrath, He is going to bring a remnant of Israel back to Jerusalem. These are the 144,000,
from the 12 tribes of Israel, who are going to receive the seal of God. This seal will prevent them from being killed by Satan when he is cast down to the earth for the three and a half years destruction. Isaiah mentions this in his 10th Chapter, verse 12 and 20-22;
(12)"So it will be that when the Lord has completed all His work on Mount Zion
and on Jerusalem, He will say, "I will punish the fruit of the arrogant heart of
the king of Assyria and the pomp of his haughtiness...............
Once the saints are caught up to be with Jesus, at the first resurrection, and Jesus brings His remnant of Israel back to Jerusalem. Then He will return to execute His wrath against Satan and all who followed him. When it says that Jesus will punish the king of Assyria, it is good to recognize that the city of Tyre was in the Assyrian empire. So this is referring to the king of Tyre, Satan.
................(20) Now it will come about in that day that the remnant of Israel, and
those of the house of Jacob who have escaped, will never again rely on the one
who struck them, but will truly rely on the Lord, the Holy one of Israel.(21) A
remnant will return, a remnant of Jacob, to the Mighty God.(22) For though your
people, O Israel, may be like the sand of the sea, only a remnant will return; A
destruction is determined, overflowing with righteousness."
The final group are the survivors whom the Lord calls. This has always interested me, because these are going to be people who somehow survived not only the wrath of Satan, but also were spared from wrath by Jesus. Jesus is going to rule over the earth for a thousand years and it is going to have people living on it and multiplying. He had to allow some life to survive on the earth. This is one of the reasons why Jesus had to cut Satan's destruction short. Jesus noted this in the gospel of Matthew in the 24th Chapter, verse 21-22;
(21)"For then there will be a great tribulation, such has not occurred since the
beginning of the world until now, nor ever shall.(22)And unless those days had
been cut short, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect those
days shall be cut short."
One thing to note is, who causes this great tribulation. Right before Jesus says that these days must be cut short, he says this in verse 15;
"Therefore when you see the abomination of desolation which was spoken
through Daniel the prophet, standing in the Holy place."
This is when the king of Tyre, now under the influence of Satan, comes against Israel and then seats himself in the temple of God in Jerusalem claiming to be God. This is the abomination that makes desolate and brings in the great tribulation.
May Jesus peace and understanding and salvation be with you and your family.
(4)"Then there will be a fourth kingdom as strong as iron; inasmuch as iron
crushes and shatters all things, so, like iron that breaks in pieces, it will crush
all these in pieces.(41) And in that you saw the feet and toes, partly of potter's
clay and partly of iron, it will be a divided kingdom; but it will have in it the
toughness of iron, inasmuch as the iron mixed with common clay.(42) And as
the toes of the feet were partly of iron and partly of pottery, so some of the
kingdom will be strong and part of it will be brittle.(43) And in that you saw
the iron mixed with common clay, they will combine with one another, in the
seed of men; but they will not adhere to one another, even as iron does not
combine with pottery."(44) And in the days of those kings the God of heaven
will set up a kingdom which will never be destroyed, and that kingdom will not
be left for another people; it will crush and put to an end to all these kingdoms,
but it itself endure forever."
I have written in previous blogs all about this in more detail. It can all be found on this blog site.
This fourth kingdom will be the united kingdoms of the world. I explained in earlier blogs, that for there to be an agreeable peace covenant that will be satisfying to all parties involved, there will have to be an agreed state of Palastine and a recognized state of Israel. For this to be achieved, after a global effort to stop Persia's play for the middle east, there will have to be a peace keeping facility in the area. This is where the global capital, that will be built in Tyre Lebanon, will come in play. From Tyre, all the nations militaries will have a presence and a part in keeping the peace in the middle east. So you see in Daniel's interpretation, although they all make up one kingdom, they can not really combine to one another, because their motives for this peace are not in agreement. For some of them, their intention is to buy time to build up the military snare that will come against Israel. Remember, half way through the 7 year peace agreement, Satan will be kicked out of heaven. at the same time the leader of Tyre is assassinated. This leader will then back to life in the power of Satan, and come against Israel and seat himself in the temple of God in Jerusalem.
Daniel talks about this leader from Tyre, who is under the influence of Satan, when he writes this in Chapter 7, verses 25-27;
(25)"And he will speak out against the Most High(Jesus) and wear down the saints
of the Highest One, and he will intend to make alterations(to the peace covenant) in
in times and in law; and they will be given into his hand for time, times and half a
time(3 1/2 years).(26) But the court will sit in judgment, and his dominion will be
taken away, annihilated and destroyed for ever.(27) Then the sovereignty, the
dominion, and the greatest of all kingdoms under the whole heaven will be given
to the people of the saints of the Highest One: His kingdom will be an everlasting
kingdom, and all the dominions will serve and obey Him."
If you remember, we saw in Revelation Chapter 12 that Satan and his demons are kicked out of heaven and down to the earth and authority was given to them for 3 1/2 years. In Revelation Chapter 13, John wrote this in verse 5-7;
(5)"And there was given to him a mouth speaking arrogant words and blasphemies;
and authority to act for forty-two months was given him.(6) And he opened his
mouth in blasphemies against God, to blaspheme His name(Jesus) and His
tabernacle, that is, those who dwell in heaven.(7) And it was given to him to make
war with the saints and to overcome them; and authority over every tribe and people
and tongue and nation was given him."
Jesus returns to stop Satan and those who rejected Him, from destroying the earth. Jesus judgment will be swift and thorough. What we will see from the other prophets will be what caused them to be killed. People do not want to believe that God could have a wrath. They don't understand that God's wrath and the day of the Lord is the solution to a major problem, Satan out of control. The prophet Joel has one of the best descriptions of what the day of the Lord will look like, when he writes this in his 2nd Chapter;
(1)"Blow a trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm on My holy mountain! Let all the
inhabitants of the land tremble, for the day of the Lord is coming; Surely it is near,
(2) A day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness. As the dawn
is spread over the mountains, so there is a great and mighty people; There has never
been anything like it, nor will there be again after it to the years of many generations.
(3) A fire consumes before them, and behind them a flame burns. The land is like
the garden of Eden before them, but desolate wilderness behind them, and nothing
at all escapes them.(4) Their appearance is like the appearance of horses; and like
war horses, so they run.................
Remember, we saw in Revelation Chapter 19 that Jesus gave His saints white horses, in heaven, to ride.
..............(5) With a noise as of chariots they leap on the tops of the mountains,
like the crackling of a flame of fire consuming the stubble, like a mighty people
arranged for battle.(6) before them the people are in anguish; all faces turn pale.
(7) They run like mighty men; they climb the wall like soldiers; and they each
march in line, nor do they deviate from their paths.(8) They do not crowd each
other; they march everyone in his path. When they burst through the defenses,
They do not break ranks.(9) They rush on the city, they run on the wall, they
enter through the windows like a thief.(10) Before them the earth quakes, the
heavens tremble, the sun and the moon grow dark, and the stars lose their
brightness.(11) And the Lord utters His voice before His army; surely His camp
is very great, for strong is he who carries out His word. The day of the Lord is
indeed great and very awesome , and who can endure it?
The prophet Joel gives a call on how to escape the coming wrath, when he writes this later in
Chapter 2,verses 30-32;
(30)"And I will display wonders in the sky and on the earth, Blood, fire and
columns of smoke.(31) The sun will be turned into darkness, and the moon
into blood, before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes.(32) And it
will come about that whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be delivered;
For from Mount Zion (the heavenly Jerusalem) and in Jerusalem (the earthly)
there will be those who escape, as the Lord said, even among the survivors
whom the Lord called."
You find in these few short verses the description of what it will be like right before Jesus returns. We found the same description in Revelation about the sun turning to darkness and the moon to blood. This is what will be caused in the sky by Satan's rage of destruction. From the warfare and the shedding of blood on the earth, will result a sky full of dark smoke and blood. We also see the way of escape and it is interesting to see on how it relates to the simple gospel message laid forth in the New Testament. When it says that it will come about that whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be delivered, it is the same message that we see in Paul's letter to the Romans in Chapter 10, verses 8-13, when Paul finishes in verse 13 quoting Joel;
(8)" But what does it say? 'The word is near you, in your mouth and in your
heart'-that is, the word of faith that we are preaching,(9) that if you confess
with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him
from the dead, you shall be saved;(10) for with the heart man believes, resulting
in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses resulting in salvation.(11) For
the Scripture says, 'Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed.'(12) For
there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all,
abounding in riches for all that call upon Him;(13) for 'Whoever call upon the
Name of the Lord will be saved.'"
Then in the book of acts, in the 4th Chapter, verse 12, the apostle Peter said this;
"And there is salvation in no one else; for there is other name under heaven that
has been given among men, by which we must be saved."
There are three groups of people who are mentioned in the above passage from Joel. There are the ones who call upon Jesus name to be saved. These are the saints, the new creations. These are the ones who escape to Mount Zion, the heavenly kingdom that Jesus said that He was going away to prepare. The second group are the ones who escape to the earthly Jerusalem. Before Jesus returns to execute His wrath, He is going to bring a remnant of Israel back to Jerusalem. These are the 144,000,
from the 12 tribes of Israel, who are going to receive the seal of God. This seal will prevent them from being killed by Satan when he is cast down to the earth for the three and a half years destruction. Isaiah mentions this in his 10th Chapter, verse 12 and 20-22;
(12)"So it will be that when the Lord has completed all His work on Mount Zion
and on Jerusalem, He will say, "I will punish the fruit of the arrogant heart of
the king of Assyria and the pomp of his haughtiness...............
Once the saints are caught up to be with Jesus, at the first resurrection, and Jesus brings His remnant of Israel back to Jerusalem. Then He will return to execute His wrath against Satan and all who followed him. When it says that Jesus will punish the king of Assyria, it is good to recognize that the city of Tyre was in the Assyrian empire. So this is referring to the king of Tyre, Satan.
................(20) Now it will come about in that day that the remnant of Israel, and
those of the house of Jacob who have escaped, will never again rely on the one
who struck them, but will truly rely on the Lord, the Holy one of Israel.(21) A
remnant will return, a remnant of Jacob, to the Mighty God.(22) For though your
people, O Israel, may be like the sand of the sea, only a remnant will return; A
destruction is determined, overflowing with righteousness."
The final group are the survivors whom the Lord calls. This has always interested me, because these are going to be people who somehow survived not only the wrath of Satan, but also were spared from wrath by Jesus. Jesus is going to rule over the earth for a thousand years and it is going to have people living on it and multiplying. He had to allow some life to survive on the earth. This is one of the reasons why Jesus had to cut Satan's destruction short. Jesus noted this in the gospel of Matthew in the 24th Chapter, verse 21-22;
(21)"For then there will be a great tribulation, such has not occurred since the
beginning of the world until now, nor ever shall.(22)And unless those days had
been cut short, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect those
days shall be cut short."
One thing to note is, who causes this great tribulation. Right before Jesus says that these days must be cut short, he says this in verse 15;
"Therefore when you see the abomination of desolation which was spoken
through Daniel the prophet, standing in the Holy place."
This is when the king of Tyre, now under the influence of Satan, comes against Israel and then seats himself in the temple of God in Jerusalem claiming to be God. This is the abomination that makes desolate and brings in the great tribulation.
May Jesus peace and understanding and salvation be with you and your family.
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
Jesus' Return Foretold In The Old Testament
The Old Testament has many passages that describe the Day of The Lord. Jesus' return is even more descriptive in the Old testament than it was in the New Testament. One thing to understand before we proceed in painting the picture of what is to come, is to understand that these prophecies from the prophets in the Old Testament is what lead to all their deaths. Every single prophet in the Old Testament was killed because of the things they foretold. Jesus even made the comment that a prophet is not welcomed in his own town. Most people don't want to hear the words of prophecy. For the sake of those who do, let it go forth.
The people of Israel were always looking pass the first coming of their Messiah. They were always looking past the first coming, to the second coming of the Messiah who would come in all His Glory to restore all things to Israel. They missed the first coming of their Messiah that Isaiah wrote about in his 53rd Chapter. In it, Isaiah wrote about the suffering servant who would come and give His life. Isaiah was writing about Jesus. Israel did not understand God's plan for them. This is one of the reasons why they rejected Him when He came. Another reason is that, for God's purpose, there has been a partial blinding to the house of Israel until all the number of Gentiles who would believe do. The apostle Paul revealed this in his letter to the Romans in the 11th Chapter, when he wrote in verse 25;
"For I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery, lest you be
wise in your own estimation, that a partial hardening has happened to Israel
until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in."
When the house of Israel acknowledges Jesus as their Lord, then all things will be restored to them.
Jesus, when He was here on earth, read many times from the writings of Isaiah. Isaiah wrote many things pertaining to the end of this age and the 2nd coming of Jesus who, yes, will be in all His Glory, but first will execute His wrath with His saints before He restores all things. In Isaiah's 13th Chapter, verses 1-13;
(1)"The oracle concerning Babylon which Isaiah the son of Amos saw.(2) Lift
up a standard on the bare hill, Raise your voice to them, Wave the hand that
they may enter the doors of the nobles.(3) I have commanded My consecrated
ones, I have even called My mighty warriors, My proudly exulted ones, to
execute My anger.(4) A sound of tumult on the mountains, Like that of many
people! A sound of the uproar of kingdoms, of nations gathered together! The
Lord of hosts is mustering the army for battle.(5)They are coming from a far
country from the end of heaven, The Lord and all His instruments of indignation,
To destroy the whole land.(6) Wail, for the day of the Lord is near! It will come
as the destruction from the Almighty.(7) Therefore all hands will fall limp, And
every mans heart will melt.(8) And they will be terrified, Pains and anguish will
take hold of them; They will writhe(move in pain) like a woman in labor, They
will look at one another in astonishment, Their faces aflame.(9) Behold the day
of the Lord is coming, Cruel, with fury and burning anger, to make the land a
desolation; And he will exterminate its sinners from it.
Remember, these sinners are the ones who refused to believe the love of the truth as to be saved. They actually chose to still be here when Jesus returned with His wrath, instead of choosing to receive His free gift of eternal life, for they knew He was coming.
(10) For the stars of heaven and their constellations will not flash forth their
light; The sun will be dark when it rises, And the moon will not shed its light.
(11) Thus I will punish the world for its evil, and the wicked for their iniquity;
I will also put an end to the arrogance of the proud, And abase the haughtiness
of the ruthless.(12) I will make mortal man scarcer than pure gold, And mankind
than gold of Ophir.(13) Therefore I shall make the heavens tremble, And the
earth will be shaken from its place at the fury of the Lord of Hosts in the day of
His burning anger.
The prophet Isaiah wrote in his 23rd chapter about the fall of Tyre. In my previous blogs, I have written about Tyre being the city described in Revelation as the place where the great harlot, Babylon the Great, will be built. In verses 5-9, Isaiah writes this pertaining to Tyre and its fall;
(5)"When the report reaches Egypt, they will be in anguish at the report of Tyre.
(6) Pass over to Tarshish; Wail, O inhabitants of the coastland.(7) Is this your
jubilant city, whose origin is from antiquity, whose feet used to carry her to
colonize distant places?(8) Who has planned this against the bestower of crowns,
whose merchants were princes, whose traders were the honored of the earth?
(9) The Lord of hosts has planned it to defile the pride of all beauty."
This was how Babylon the Great was described in Revelation. I wrote how this city of Tyre would be like the capital city of the earth. If you notice, this city will colonize distance places. This means that its influence will go throughout the whole earth. From this city, leaders throughout the world will be given their authority. Their family members, the princes, will become the merchants because there will be a fortune to be made at this time by the trading that will be made with the honored of the earth. It looks here like Isaiah is saying that there will be a core group of people, probably the people that had a hand in the this city coming into existence, that will benefit the most from the wealth to be gained. This gain of wealth will overflow to create a false sense of prosperity to the inhabitants of the earth. This is part of the snare and deception that will captivate the inhabitants of the earth. This is the great city that will fall at Jesus coming. Isaiah follows Chapter 23 by writing about Jesus coming, when writing this in Chapter 24, verses 1-6;
"Behold, the Lord lays the earth waste, devastates it, distorts its surface, and
scatters its inhabitants. And the people will be like the priest, the servant like his
master, the maid like her mistress, the buyer like the seller, the lender like the
borrower, the creditor like the debtor. The earth will be completely laid waste,
and completely despoiled, for the Lord has spoken this word. The earth mourns
and withers, the world fades and withers, the exalted of the people of the earth
fade away. The earth is also polluted by its inhabitants, for they transgressed laws,
statues, broke the everlasting covenant. Therefore, a curse devours the earth, and
those who live in it are held guilty. Therefore, the inhabitants of the earth are
burned, and a few men are left."
An important thing to notice here, is that when it says that they polluted the earth, it had nothing to do with the environment. It wasn't polluted by waste or carbon, but by a disregard for the things of God. The things of truth which really matter. There is a big difference between being a good steward with the things God has provided verses worshiping what God created while denying His very existence. The apostle Paul wrote this in his letter to the Romans in the 1st Chapter, verse 25;
"For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the
creation rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever, Amen."
Continuing in Isaiah 24, verse 18-22;
"Then it will be that he who flees the report of disaster will fall into the pit, and
he who climbs out of the pit will be caught in the snare; For the windows above
are opened, and the foundations of the earth shake. The earth is broken asunder,
The earth is slit through, The earth is shaken violently. The earth reals to and fro
like a drunkard, and it totters like a shack, For its transgression is heavy upon it,
and it will fall never to rise again. So it happen in that day, that the Lord will
punish the host of heaven (Satan and his demons), on high, and the kings of the
earth, on earth. And they will be gathered together like prisoners in the dungeon,
And will be confined in prison; And after many days will be punished.
When Jesus returns He will lock up Satan and the demons. The souls of those who die without making Jesus their Lord, will wait in a place, known as Hades, for one thousand years. Jesus will rule over the earth for one thousand years with His saints, from Mount Zion, which is the heavenly Jerusalem. This is the place that Jesus said that He was going away to prepare. Jesus told of this in the gospel of John in the 14th Chapter, verses 1-3, when he said this;
"let not your hearts be troubled; believe in God, believe also in me. In My Fathers
house are many dwelling places; if it were not so. I would have told you; for I go
and prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come
again, and receive you to myself; that where I am, there you may be also."
In future blogs I am going to talk more about this heavenly kingdom, from which Jesus and His saints will rule over the earth for that thousand year period. When the thousand years are complete, Satan will be released and will again deceive people into rising up against Jesus. Jesus will solve this problem quickly and throw Satan into the lake of fire, where only the beast and the false prophet are at that time. Then there will be a great white throne judgment, which we will cover later.
Isaiah completed Chapter 24 with this in verse 23;
"Then the moon will be abased and the sun ashamed, for the Lord of hosts will
reign on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, and His glory will be before His elders."
May Jesus' peace and understanding be with you.
The people of Israel were always looking pass the first coming of their Messiah. They were always looking past the first coming, to the second coming of the Messiah who would come in all His Glory to restore all things to Israel. They missed the first coming of their Messiah that Isaiah wrote about in his 53rd Chapter. In it, Isaiah wrote about the suffering servant who would come and give His life. Isaiah was writing about Jesus. Israel did not understand God's plan for them. This is one of the reasons why they rejected Him when He came. Another reason is that, for God's purpose, there has been a partial blinding to the house of Israel until all the number of Gentiles who would believe do. The apostle Paul revealed this in his letter to the Romans in the 11th Chapter, when he wrote in verse 25;
"For I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery, lest you be
wise in your own estimation, that a partial hardening has happened to Israel
until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in."
When the house of Israel acknowledges Jesus as their Lord, then all things will be restored to them.
Jesus, when He was here on earth, read many times from the writings of Isaiah. Isaiah wrote many things pertaining to the end of this age and the 2nd coming of Jesus who, yes, will be in all His Glory, but first will execute His wrath with His saints before He restores all things. In Isaiah's 13th Chapter, verses 1-13;
(1)"The oracle concerning Babylon which Isaiah the son of Amos saw.(2) Lift
up a standard on the bare hill, Raise your voice to them, Wave the hand that
they may enter the doors of the nobles.(3) I have commanded My consecrated
ones, I have even called My mighty warriors, My proudly exulted ones, to
execute My anger.(4) A sound of tumult on the mountains, Like that of many
people! A sound of the uproar of kingdoms, of nations gathered together! The
Lord of hosts is mustering the army for battle.(5)They are coming from a far
country from the end of heaven, The Lord and all His instruments of indignation,
To destroy the whole land.(6) Wail, for the day of the Lord is near! It will come
as the destruction from the Almighty.(7) Therefore all hands will fall limp, And
every mans heart will melt.(8) And they will be terrified, Pains and anguish will
take hold of them; They will writhe(move in pain) like a woman in labor, They
will look at one another in astonishment, Their faces aflame.(9) Behold the day
of the Lord is coming, Cruel, with fury and burning anger, to make the land a
desolation; And he will exterminate its sinners from it.
Remember, these sinners are the ones who refused to believe the love of the truth as to be saved. They actually chose to still be here when Jesus returned with His wrath, instead of choosing to receive His free gift of eternal life, for they knew He was coming.
(10) For the stars of heaven and their constellations will not flash forth their
light; The sun will be dark when it rises, And the moon will not shed its light.
(11) Thus I will punish the world for its evil, and the wicked for their iniquity;
I will also put an end to the arrogance of the proud, And abase the haughtiness
of the ruthless.(12) I will make mortal man scarcer than pure gold, And mankind
than gold of Ophir.(13) Therefore I shall make the heavens tremble, And the
earth will be shaken from its place at the fury of the Lord of Hosts in the day of
His burning anger.
The prophet Isaiah wrote in his 23rd chapter about the fall of Tyre. In my previous blogs, I have written about Tyre being the city described in Revelation as the place where the great harlot, Babylon the Great, will be built. In verses 5-9, Isaiah writes this pertaining to Tyre and its fall;
(5)"When the report reaches Egypt, they will be in anguish at the report of Tyre.
(6) Pass over to Tarshish; Wail, O inhabitants of the coastland.(7) Is this your
jubilant city, whose origin is from antiquity, whose feet used to carry her to
colonize distant places?(8) Who has planned this against the bestower of crowns,
whose merchants were princes, whose traders were the honored of the earth?
(9) The Lord of hosts has planned it to defile the pride of all beauty."
This was how Babylon the Great was described in Revelation. I wrote how this city of Tyre would be like the capital city of the earth. If you notice, this city will colonize distance places. This means that its influence will go throughout the whole earth. From this city, leaders throughout the world will be given their authority. Their family members, the princes, will become the merchants because there will be a fortune to be made at this time by the trading that will be made with the honored of the earth. It looks here like Isaiah is saying that there will be a core group of people, probably the people that had a hand in the this city coming into existence, that will benefit the most from the wealth to be gained. This gain of wealth will overflow to create a false sense of prosperity to the inhabitants of the earth. This is part of the snare and deception that will captivate the inhabitants of the earth. This is the great city that will fall at Jesus coming. Isaiah follows Chapter 23 by writing about Jesus coming, when writing this in Chapter 24, verses 1-6;
"Behold, the Lord lays the earth waste, devastates it, distorts its surface, and
scatters its inhabitants. And the people will be like the priest, the servant like his
master, the maid like her mistress, the buyer like the seller, the lender like the
borrower, the creditor like the debtor. The earth will be completely laid waste,
and completely despoiled, for the Lord has spoken this word. The earth mourns
and withers, the world fades and withers, the exalted of the people of the earth
fade away. The earth is also polluted by its inhabitants, for they transgressed laws,
statues, broke the everlasting covenant. Therefore, a curse devours the earth, and
those who live in it are held guilty. Therefore, the inhabitants of the earth are
burned, and a few men are left."
An important thing to notice here, is that when it says that they polluted the earth, it had nothing to do with the environment. It wasn't polluted by waste or carbon, but by a disregard for the things of God. The things of truth which really matter. There is a big difference between being a good steward with the things God has provided verses worshiping what God created while denying His very existence. The apostle Paul wrote this in his letter to the Romans in the 1st Chapter, verse 25;
"For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the
creation rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever, Amen."
Continuing in Isaiah 24, verse 18-22;
"Then it will be that he who flees the report of disaster will fall into the pit, and
he who climbs out of the pit will be caught in the snare; For the windows above
are opened, and the foundations of the earth shake. The earth is broken asunder,
The earth is slit through, The earth is shaken violently. The earth reals to and fro
like a drunkard, and it totters like a shack, For its transgression is heavy upon it,
and it will fall never to rise again. So it happen in that day, that the Lord will
punish the host of heaven (Satan and his demons), on high, and the kings of the
earth, on earth. And they will be gathered together like prisoners in the dungeon,
And will be confined in prison; And after many days will be punished.
When Jesus returns He will lock up Satan and the demons. The souls of those who die without making Jesus their Lord, will wait in a place, known as Hades, for one thousand years. Jesus will rule over the earth for one thousand years with His saints, from Mount Zion, which is the heavenly Jerusalem. This is the place that Jesus said that He was going away to prepare. Jesus told of this in the gospel of John in the 14th Chapter, verses 1-3, when he said this;
"let not your hearts be troubled; believe in God, believe also in me. In My Fathers
house are many dwelling places; if it were not so. I would have told you; for I go
and prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come
again, and receive you to myself; that where I am, there you may be also."
In future blogs I am going to talk more about this heavenly kingdom, from which Jesus and His saints will rule over the earth for that thousand year period. When the thousand years are complete, Satan will be released and will again deceive people into rising up against Jesus. Jesus will solve this problem quickly and throw Satan into the lake of fire, where only the beast and the false prophet are at that time. Then there will be a great white throne judgment, which we will cover later.
Isaiah completed Chapter 24 with this in verse 23;
"Then the moon will be abased and the sun ashamed, for the Lord of hosts will
reign on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, and His glory will be before His elders."
May Jesus' peace and understanding be with you.
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