Presents pamphlet #6428
The Book of
Isaiah
Chapter 28
Presents pamphlet #6428
The Book of
Isaiah
Chapter 28
Chapter 28 begins a series or cycle of six "woes" that continues through to chapter 35 and verse 10. These woes not only correspond to the "burdens" or oracles we studied previously in Isaiah but they are presented to us in a structured alternation and contrasted with Yahveh's glories (see page 964 in the Companion Bible, Kregel Publications). The beauty in the Holy Spirit presenting it to us in this fashion is that it enables us to more clearly "see" the remarkable differences between man's vain and futile ways that ultimately lead to destruction and death and our Father's perfect and righteous ways that bring peace and happiness and lead to eternal rest. Such is the very lesson to be learned in this flesh age. Therefore we give praise and thanks to our heavenly Father for His wondrous plan that makes it all possible and realize also that we are most fortunate to be alive during this final generation of the fig tree to see His wondrous plan that consummates the end of this age unfold exactly as it is written.
Before we begin this study let us be reminded once again that there were historical fulfillments of many of the prophecies that pertain to the final generation and that the reason they occurred was to serve as types and ensamples for us to see (visualize) things on a flesh level in order that we may see (understand) things on a spiritual level. It is by studying and rightly dividing the Word of truth and by "taking heed" to those ensamples that are given for our admonition that we are instructed and prepared for the great spiritual battle that takes place in these last days. Paul documents that for us in 1 Cor. 10:11-12, "Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come. [12] Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall."
As a point of illustration, consider the fact that with our flesh eyes we can see the king of Babylon's steel sword slice through a man's body and slay him to death, but with those same eyes we cannot see the king of Babylon's spiritual sword in these last days slice through a man's mind and spiritually slay him to death. Once a person fully understands this basic principle then God's Word becomes as an illustrated picture book, even a picture book for children, and the wonderful simplicity in which our Father teaches us, His children, becomes apparent.
Let us begin with the first woe, which is to the (spiritually) drunken leaders in the capital city of the northern ten tribes of the House of Israel.
When our Father says "woe" to someone they had better watch out. The scripture declares in Rom. 8:31 that if "God be for us, who can be against us?" However, the reverse of that is also true. If God is against you, woe baby, who can be for you and to whom can you turn for help? Answer: NO ONE! You must reconcile with Him!Isaiah 28:1
Woe to the crown of pride, to the drunkards of Ephraim, whose glorious beauty is a fading flower, which are on the head of the fat valleys of them that are overcome with wine!
The "crown of pride" in this first verse refers to the city of Samaria which means "watch mountain" or as we call the capital city of the largest tribe of the House of Israel today, "Capitol Hill" (Washington)!
*Note: If you do not know who the so-called lost 10 tribes of the House of Israel are and where they dwell today, then contact Artisan Publishers at www.artisanpublishers.com and purchase the little booklet The Abrahamic Covenant, by E. Raymond Capt.) or log unto pamphlets #1064 and #1020 on this web site. For unless one knows where true Israel resides, he or she will be at a loss to understand the prophecies pertaining to these last days.
The question is, "In whom do you place your trust?" Do you place your trust in those many (not all) spiritual drunkards on capitol hill?
One thing should be obvious and self evident when you look at the religious and political leaders of our people, i.e. the men and women "which are named chief", to whom our people look for "judgment and justice" (see the structure on chapter 6 and the note on verse 1 in the Companion Bible). Many of them have become a bunch of arrogant, self serving hypocrites who have set themselves up to enjoy the "good life" at the expense of their own people by supplying themselves with "pork barrels of perks" while at the same time exempting themselves from many of the laws and ordinances which they have prescribed for Joe Citizen.Amos 6:1
Woe to them that are at ease in Zion, and trust in the mountain of Samaria, which are named chief of the nations, to whom the house of Israel came!
Notice that Isaiah calls them "drunkards", which in the flesh are people who imbibe too much strong drink and intoxicating wine to the point that it causes them to stagger and err in judgment. This is a "picture" for us to visualize and relate to in understanding their spiritual condition, i.e. their spiritual drunkenness. Remember what we read back in chapter five concerning those who choose not to remain sober minded but rather rise up early and follow after strong drink and that wine made from those grapes of gall.
It is true that the over indulgence in strong drink and wine, I speak of alcoholism, has wrecked many lives and has resulted in much desolation among our people. However, the reality is that it is symptomatic, a flesh manifestation, of a much deeper spiritual problem. Again, our Father uses drunkenness to give us an analogy, a picture we can see, of the religious intoxication and spiritual drunkenness caused by that strong drink and wine served by the king of Babylon himself, which the majority of our people partake of because they listen to our spiritual leaders who also partake of his wine! You may recall, if you have read the first chapter of the book of Daniel, that neither Daniel nor his companions Shadrach, Meshach, and Abedneggo would partake of the wine served by the king of Babylon. Thus they serve as ensamples for us to follow in these last days when the king of Babylon of the book of Revelation comes upon the land and causes not only the nations of the world (Rev. 14:8), but our people as well to become spiritual drunkards. So be on guard and take heed because as we have already learned over and over again in this book of Isaiah, God is going to send a "strong one", a false-christ, even the "Assyrian", Satan, upon the land. Yes, there is a storm, a spiritual tempest, coming upon the land even as the winds have already begun to pick up strength.Isaiah 5:11
Woe unto them that rise up early in the morning, that they may follow strong drink; that continue until night, till wine inflame them!
Satan is coming to town and all those who are asleep or spiritually drunk shall be swept away by his flood of lies and deceits. Rev. 12:15 "And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood." Again, we can "visualize" a flood of mighty waters, such as the flood of Noah, and we can picture the people being swallowed up and destroyed by it. So if you can convert that picture in your mind's eye to the spiritual level and see a "destroying storm", that invisible (spiritual) flood of mighty waters that the Lord is going to send upon the earth in these last days, then you will understand what Christ meant in Luke 17:26-27 where He tells us it will be just like "it was in the days of Noe (Noah)". Luke 17:26-27 "And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. [27] They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all."Isaiah 28:2
Behold, the Lord hath a mighty and strong one, which as a tempest of hail and a destroying storm, as a flood of mighty waters overflowing, shall cast down to the earth with the hand.
You "see", Noah believed God and so he faithfully built an "ark" for himself and for his family according to the explicit set of instructions that God gave to Him. You can do likewise today with the explicit set of instructions God has given you and thus be saved from "the flood of mighty waters" that shall come upon the earth and spiritually destroy all those who sleep and are drunken in the night. Do you believe God when He tells us in Rev. 12:7-9 that He shall "cast down to the earth" the old serpent, Satan, and his wicked angels with him? Rev. 12:9 "And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him."
Jesus Christ told us in Matthew 24:20 to make sure when that abominable one comes that we are not caught in that storm, that pouring rain like in the days of Noah. In other words pray that you are not harvested out of season or have to wait until the sabbath day (rest day, i.e. the Millennium) to be saved. "But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day (Mat. 24:20)."
winter, cheimon, khi-mone', Greek 5494; from a derivative of cheo (to pour; akin to the base of Greek 5490 (chasma) through the idea of a channel), meaning a storm (as pouring rain); by implication the rainy season, i.e. winter :- tempest, foul weather, winter.
Again, those who are spiritually asleep and those who are spiritually drunken in the night, shall be taken and overcome by the false messiah, as in sorely deceived by the overspreading of his abominations into believing he is God. How about you? Are you spiritually awake and attuned to what is happening in the world at this very moment in time? There is no reason to be in the dark for Jesus said in Mark 13:23 "But take ye heed: behold, I have foretold you all things." And so it is that those who seek wisdom and knowledge by studying His Word are in the know for they have the light of truth sealed in their minds. They are become the "children of light" and for them there is no more night![3] The crown of pride, the drunkards of Ephraim, shall be trodden under feet:
That "crown of pride" is going to become awfully tarnished as old glory all but fades away under the onslaught of Satans flood, for the majority of those who now call themselves Christians are going to be harvested out of season... as in spiritually taken and seduced by the false-christ! Did you know that the first woman taken in the field in Mat. 24:40 is taken by Satan, the false bridegroom? Perhaps you have been told otherwise. If that's the case then you better check it out for yourself because it is written that he (or she) who "endures until the end, the same shall be saved (Mat. 24:13)." Check out the word "endures" in your Strong's Concordance (#5278) and you will find that it means to "remain" or "stay" behind!1 Thes. 5:5-9
Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.[6] Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.
[7] For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night.
[8] But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.
[9] For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,
"Hasty fruit" refers to the first ripe figs that are taken before the harvest, i.e. they harvested out of season.Isaiah 28:4
And the glorious beauty, which is on the head of the fat valley, shall be a fading flower, and as the hasty fruit before the summer; which when he that looketh upon it seeth, while it is yet in his hand he eateth it up.
To better understand the depth of what is being said here, one must be familiar with the "Parable of the Fig Tree" that Jesus Christ commanded us to learn in Mat. 24 and Mark 13. If you have not yet learned it then go to FigTree and begin to do some homework... because the hour is late and the season is upon us.hasty, bikkuwr, bik-koor', Hebrew 1061; from Hebrew 1069 (bakar); the first-fruits of the crop :- first fruit (-ripe [figurative]), hasty fruit.summer, qayits, kah'-yits, Hebrew 7019; from Hebrew 6972 (quwts); harvest (as the crop), whether the product (grain or fruit) or the (dry) season :- summer (fruit, house).
At the sound of the 7th Trump there shall be another trodding under feet... even under the feet of the "residue of His people" who are those who now love and serve God and hold fast to His Word of righteousness. They are God's elect, the saints of the Most High, who shall rule and reign with Jesus Christ during the Millennium and thus shall they keep the drunkards "under foot" by use of His "rod of iron (Rev. 19:15)". That simply means that they will teach the truth of God's Word and "sit in judgment" enforcing His just ways (Ezek. 44:23).[5] In that day shall the LORD of hosts be for a crown of glory, and for a diadem of beauty, unto the residue of his people,
The "them that turn the battle to the gate" are those who lead the charge to the enemy. How prepared are you to take a stand against the enemy? If you have the gospel armor on and in place then you are ready indeed to do battle and take a stand against the fiery darts of the wicked one. Ephes. 6:10-11 "Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. [11] Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil."[6] And for a spirit of judgment to him that sitteth in judgment, and for strength to them that turn the battle to the gate.
Unfortunately most of our brothers and sisters do not have the spiritual "strength" to do battle against the wicked one in these last days. The reason is that America is led by a bunch of spiritual drunkards who have gotten off the path of righteousness and are "out of the way", out of the true way that leads to peace and happiness and provides liberty and justice for all! They reel and they stumble at the law of God like a bunch of sots... for they are void of the true wisdom that comes from the Word of God.
This next verse speaks concerning both Judah and Jerusalem declaring how "out of the way" the spiritual leaders of this nation have become! You "see", spiritually speaking the priesthood is to abstain from spiritual "strong drink" and "wine", i.e. the intoxicating doctrines and traditions of men, when they enter into the tabernacle of the congregation, lest they die! How's that for a WOE? This is serious business my friend! Here are Father's instructions to the priesthood:Isaiah 28:7
But they also have erred through wine, and through strong drink are out of the way; the priest and the prophet have erred through strong drink, they are swallowed up of wine, they are out of the way through strong drink; they err in vision, they stumble in judgment.
Our Father doesn’t like the traditions of men, man’s intoxicating religion which comes from strong drink and the wine taken from the chalice cup of Babylon. The duties of the priests are to educate the people in God's laws and statutes that they might know the difference between the holy and the profane, between the false messiah and the true messiah, that they might be able to discern between the clean and the unclean. They must be knowledgeable and remain sober minded in teaching His Word!Leviticus 10:8
And the LORD spake unto Aaron, saying,[9] Do not drink wine nor strong drink, thou, nor thy sons with thee, when ye go into the tabernacle of the congregation, lest ye die: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations:
They should offer only the pure bread of truth with sincerity and cleanness of heart that our spiritually blind and sick and lame brothers and sisters might be strengthened and healed by the Word of God. But no, the tables from which they offer up sacrifices are full of so much garbage and spiritual filthiness that there is nothing to be found that is clean and fit to eat.[10] And that ye may put difference between holy and unholy, and between unclean and clean;[11] And that ye may teach the children of Israel all the statutes which the LORD hath spoken unto them by the hand of Moses.
These "tables" are the tables that the priests place their sacrifices upon. The problem is that they offer processed bread polluted by man's traditions and vain imaginations and thus our people are not only not strengthened and healed, but they actually become more spiritually ill to the point of spiritual death! Here is what our Father has to say to those who claim to be His messengers but do not teach His pure Word chapter by chapter and line by line.Isaiah 28:8
For all tables are full of vomit and filthiness, so that there is no place clean.
Mal 1:7 Ye offer polluted bread upon mine altar; and ye say, Wherein have we polluted thee? In that ye say, The table of the LORD is contemptible.
Mal 1:8 And if ye offer the blind for sacrifice, is it not evil? and if ye offer the lame and sick, is it not evil? offer it now unto thy governor; will he be pleased with thee, or accept thy person? saith the LORD of hosts.
Yeeech! The fact is... this exactly what the "bread" served in the majority of the churches of our land is baked with... man's dung! Those who have eyes to see and ears to hear know that the "man" spoken of here is ultimately that "man of sin", the "son of perdition", the one who leavened the true bread from the beginning, even in the first earth age, with his spiritual "dung" and now his "children of disobedience", the scribes and Pharisees "work in" the same smelly leaven! And our "Biblically Challenged" brothers and sisters eat that "stuff"!Ezekiel 4:9,12-13
Take thou also unto thee wheat, and barley, and beans, and lentiles, and millet, and fitches, and put them in one vessel, and make thee bread thereof, according to the number of the days that thou shalt lie upon thy side, three hundred and ninety days shalt thou eat thereof.[12] And thou shalt eat it as barley cakes, and thou shalt bake it with dung that cometh out of man, in their sight.
Yummy, yum! By the way, the nice preachers and ministers who serve them to their congregations usually put so much sugary sweet wordspin into their decorative cakes that the people actually love to eat them. In fact, many haven't missed a Sunday of going to church and eating dung cakes for a long, long time. I hate to say it at this point, but you know... you are what you eat![13] And the LORD said, Even thus shall the children of Israel eat their defiled bread among the Gentiles, whither I will drive them.
The point is that we should all study our Father's Word and check out what we are being taught, i.e. where the bread we are being fed comes from? It better be the "bread of life" which comes directly from the Word of God, not from church quarterlies. If fact, if we do not check things out then we are actually part of the problem in that we are being disobedient to the Word of God (1 Jn. 4:1, 2 Tim. 2:15).
The sad truth of the matter is that polluted bread is about all you can find offered by the Christian priests and preachers in most churches today. That is not an opinion for the Word of God tells us that is how it shall be in the last days! It is the famine which Christ spoke of in Mat. 24 and Mark 13 which is a SIGN of these times, for those with eyes to see, and is explained in Amos 8:11-13 where he says the FAMINE in these last days will not be a famine for bread nor a thirst for water, but for hearing of the words of the Lord.
The plain truth is that the lack of hearing God's Word is caused by the lack of His pure words being spoken through those who claim to be His messengers! This "famine" of truth has produced the great valley of the (spiritually) dry bones of Ezek. 37. In other words, our brothers and sisters are spiritually dying as a result of a lack of spiritual nutrition and a dearth of the living water taken from the fountain of life. Shame on the priests and the ministers who stave our people of truth by feeding them polluted bread. Then when someone like Isaiah, a true teacher of God's Word, comes along and teaches Father's Word straight on, as in chapter by chapter and line by line, these same dung slingers mock and ridicule them.Amos 8:11-13
Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD:[12] And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the LORD, and shall not find it.
Consider the next two verses spoken by those who would mock Isaiah, a true teacher of God's Word, and "mimic him as though he were teaching little children in school (See note on page 964 in the Companion Bible)".
Many Christians have gone to church all their lives and should be mature and knowledgeable enough of God's Word that they can lead and teach others. Yet for the most part they remain as Biblically illiterate as when they first went because they have not been taught the Word of God chapter by chapter and line by line but have been led to follow after the traditions of men. Furthermore, the only food they were fed week after week and year after year was the milk of salvation and baptism. So again, though many have faithfully attended church all their lives they have remained spiritual babes and truly need to be taught the first principles of the oracles of God! Read what Paul has to say about this in Hebrews chapter 5:Isaiah 28:9
Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts.
Babes cannot eat full course meals, can they? Neither can spiritual babes understand the meat of God's Word because they have not matured beyond the milk and milk toast served by their preachers. Yet they mock those who would teach them as little children and nourish them to mature in His Word.Hebrews 5:12-14
For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.
If all you know is salvation and baptism, then you are indeed a babe and have need to be taught the Word of God chapter by chapter and verse by verse.[13] For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.
The Baby Boomers have been appropriately named for though they have "boomed and prospered" they have remained spiritual babies and thus cannot "discern both good and evil". That is precisely why the festering disease of liberalism has been able to abound in our land because the "babes" know not the meat of God's Word and therefore cannot "discern between that which is clean and that which unclean"![14] But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.
Next we will see what our Father has to say to those who mock His teachers and prophets and believe there is no need to study His Word in depth because they have been told they shall be "raptured away" when Satan comes! WOE!
Do you know why is it that our Father is going to send the "mighty and strong one" we read about in Isaiah 28:2? Well, we learned in chapter 10 that He brings the Assyrian upon the land as a rod of His chastisement, but would you believe our people would rather believe the lies of Satan, of whom the Assyrian was a type (Isa. 14), than listen to and be instructed in the sound reasoning of their Father's Word?
Keep that thought in mind as we open our study by turning to 2 Timothy where the apostle Paul gives charge or earnest testimony to Timothy, a servant of God whose name means "dear to God" or as some scholars have it "honoring God". In either case, this important charge is given to those who love and serve God and who are near and dear to Him because they receive and honor and keep His commands.
When Jesus Christ returns to this earth, He shall mete out just recompense to all, meaning each person will be judged (rewarded) according to his or her own deeds. For those who have been "quickened", meaning made spiritually alive through Jesus Christ, the Word of God, they shall receive a crown of glory and the gift of eternal life. For those who are spiritually dead at His coming because they have no life in them (i.e. the Word of life, 1 Jn. 1:1, is not in them), they shall likewise receive their just recompense... and so it is written there shall there much weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth.2 Tim. 4:1-4
I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom;
Here then is Paul's instruction to those who dearly love God.
It is the "word" that is to be preached (proclaimed), NOT the soothsaying myths and traditions that are pleasing and inoffensive to men. You "see", there are times when God Word brings forth reproof and correction, but it is always done so with longsuffering and with tender love... meaning for our own good because God loves us! Heb 12:6 "For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth."[2] Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.
By the way, the Greek word for "the word" that to be preached is "logos" from which we derive the words "logic" and "logical". Remember Jesus Christ is the Word, the Logos (John 1:1). And so it is that our Father's Word is full of sound doctrine and it is logical and it makes perfect sense from beginning to end when taught chapter by chapter, line by line, and verse by verse in context.
However, it would seem this generation would rather be entertained than instructed. In other words, they like to have their ears "tickled" by super-preachers and ministers who though they may get around to reading a verse or two, spend most of their time telling stories and anecdotes and repeating the traditions and theories that make people "feel good". In doing so, many lead their entire congregations to believe they are in good standing with the Lord and that He will soon come to rapture them away before the "mighty and strong one" comes, i.e. before Satan arrives on the scene.
The time Paul speaks of that will come when people will not endure sound doctrine, has come! Most preachers and ministers in this land have turned to praise and worship services instead of teaching the truth of God's Word which contains that spiritually healthy, uncorrupted, though sometimes rebuking and exhorting sound doctrine! As far as understanding such books as Revelation for example, they simply tell people not to worry because they won't be here when those "things" that are written of take place! Why won't they be here? Because they say Jesus Christ can return at any moment and rapture them away! That, dear Christian, is a "fable" and an unsubstantiated "theory" that is without foundation in the Word of God! In fact, Paul makes it very clear in 2 Thessalonians 2 that the false messiah, i.e. Satan, comes first and sits in the temple of God and deceives most Christians BEFORE there is a gathering back to Christ. Have you ever taken the time to read it... or are you satisfied with listening to and believing your preacher because he's a nice guy or gal? That is not said to offend anyone but to make the point that people need to pay attention to what our Father's Word says and give it precedence over what man says![3] For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;
It is the preachers who have turn the ears of our people from the truth by teaching them religious "fables"... like snakes and apples and Ishtar bunnies and rapture theories, etc![4] And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.
Most Christians who attend church tend to remain Biblically challenged, i.e. Biblically illiterate, and they believe what their churches and their preachers tell them... which is that they are in good standing with the Lord and that the Rapturemobile will soon come for them and take them to safety. Thus they have no need to study Revelation or Obadiah or the book of Numbers and they scoff at the "charge" of God's servants who tell them they must "preach the word", as in be instructed in all of God's Word after the manner of chapter by chapter and line by line.fables = muthos, moo'-thos, Greek 3454; perhaps from the same as Greek 3453 (mueo) (through the idea of tuition); a tale, i.e. fiction ("myth") :- fable.mueo, moo-eh'-o, Greek 3453; from the base of Greek 3466 (musterion); to initiate, i.e. (by implication) to teach :- instruct.musterion, moos-tay'-ree-on, Greek 3466; from a derivative of muo (to shut the mouth); a secret or "mystery" (through the idea of silence imposed by initiation into religious rites) :- mystery.
Their scoffing and derision of Isaiah where they were last heard saying:
Isaiah 28:9
Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts.
In Hebrew this phrase is spoken with "attitude", i.e. in a derisive (scoffing) manner. To that end, it is said using a combination of two figures of speech that give it emphasis. Those figures are an Epizeuxis, which is the repetition of the same word in the same sense, and a Paronomasia, which is the repetition of words similar in sound, but not necessarily in the same sense. Here it is:[10] For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:
In English it would be like saying "Law upon law. Saw upon saw." (See note on page 964 in the Companion Bible) If you have ever heard children scoff at someone by saying "na, na, na, na, na", that in a sense conveys the childish mockery that is being displayed here! The point is that these spiritually immature folks would rather play church, which is actually to mimic God, rather than hear His word proclaimed chapter by chapter and verse by verse bringing forth sound doctrine.sav lasav, sav lasav
kav lakav, kav lakav
zeer sham, seer sham
And it is precisely because they have itching ears and WANT to heap to themselves smooth talking teachers (soothsayers) who teach them fables instead of "proclaiming the word" straight on chapter by chapter and line by line, God is going to give them what they want. In doing so, they will learn a shameful and painful lesson by suffering the consequences of giving way to their lustful desires to follow men's religious doctrines and traditions while forsaking the Rock of their salvation. Deut. 32:18 "Of the Rock that begat thee thou art unmindful, and hast forgotten God that formed thee."
Here is what God has to say to the scoffers of His servants who give charge to teach the word chapter by chapter and line by line.
This "another tongue" is the babbling foreign tongue of the Assyrian, i.e. the lying deceitful tongue of Satan himself.[11] For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people.
Paul quotes this very verse in 1 Cor. 14:21 in the context of comparing those spiritually immature Christians who desire "signs" rather than hunger for the wisdom and understanding of God's Word.stammering, la`eg, law-ayg', Hebrew 3934; from Hebrew 3932 (la`ag); a buffoon; also a foreigner :- mocker, stammering.another tongue, lashown, law-shone', Hebrew 3956; or lashon, law-shone'; also (in plural) feminine leshonah, lesh-o-naw'; from Hebrew 3960 (lashan); the tongue (of man or animals), used literal (as the instrument of licking, eating, or speech), and figurative (speech, an ingot, a fork of flame, a cove of water) :- + babbler, bay, + evil speaker, language, talker, tongue, wedge.
Paul tells us not to act like a bunch of naughty (malice) children and play church! We are to "mature" in the rich wisdom and understanding of our Father's teachings, i.e. be men (grown-up) in understanding. Otherwise, those who remain spiritually immature will surely believe the deceitful lies of the "strong and mighty one" that is soon coming defacto to overspread his abominations throughout the land to an even greater degree than his stammering-lipped pulpit-puppets now do!1 Cor. 14:20-21
Brethren, be not children in understanding: howbeit in malice be ye children, but in understanding be men.
Far too many of our brothers and sisters have itching ears and they want to see sideshows and stage performances rather than obey God and study His Word (the Logos) to show themselves approved. 2 Tim. 2:15 "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."[21] In the law it is written, With men of other tongues and other lips will I speak unto this people; and yet for all that will they not hear me, saith the Lord.
It is because they love to play church instead of studying their Father's Word, because they love to listen to the stammering lips of those who teach fly-away theories and perpetuate fairy tales of snakes and apples, that they shall be deceived and taken to wife by the "mighty and strong one" who our Father WILL SEND! It is written, and so shall it be! Let's cover it in the New Testament first and then return to Isaiah who has already spoken of the "mighty and strong one" to come.
The subject is our gathering back to Christ and WHEN that occurs!2 Thes. 2:1
Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto Him,
There is no need to waver or wonder or have any doubts about when our gathering back occurs in relation to the tribulation. Unfortunately many have been told that they shall gather back to Christ, as in be raptured away before or right when Satan, the mighty and strong one, comes defacto to reign upon the earth. Is that scriptural? Let's check it out.[2] That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.
Satan, the son of perdition, the son who has been sentenced to perish, comes first at the sound of the 6th Trump BEFORE we gather back to Christ at the sound of the 7th Trump. You can either believe what the Word of God says or you can believe nice smiling preachers and the books and movies that support their "Don't Be Left Behind" fable. The true servants of God are now donning the gospel armor of Ephesians 6 and preparing themselves spiritually and mentally to take a stand against the fiery darts of the wicked one![3] Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
You "see", Satan is coming as the Messiah, though he is and always will be an imposter! The important thing to understand is that Satan does not wear a red suit and sport a three-pronged pitchfork. On the contrary, he is a most beautiful and charismatic cherub which you will find documented in Ezekiel 28, and when he comes he will put on a religious, miracle working sideshow the likes of which this world has never seen! Let's continue in 2 Thessalonians and document it.
Satan is coming to show himself to the world and claim that he is God! The problem is that most Christians, all those who do not have the seal of God in their foreheads (Rev. 9:4) because their leaders told them they didn't have to, are going to believe the "mighty and strong one" who shall speak to them and deceive them into believing he is who he claims to be, i.e. that he is in fact God.2 Thes. 2:4
Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.
Do you know where Satan is at this very moment and who it is who is holding him back until our Father says it's time to cast him and his worthless angelic host out of heaven? Read Rev. 12:7-9 and you will know! It is Michael who shall give him the boot when he is given the command to do so.[5] Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?[6] And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time.
The mystery (musterion) of iniquity, the religious indoctrination into the fables and traditions of men, has the world and the majority of Christianity already "set-up" to receive the first supernatural entity who appears on earth![7] For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.
This Wicked One who will come claiming to be God, but who is really Satan himself, is very, very good at deceiving people, especially those who are Biblically illiterate and unable to detect the 180 degree "spin" he puts on truth! Furthermore, it is written that when he comes he will perform miracles in the sight of men to deceive people into believing his LIE, which is that he is God! Rev. 13:13-14 "And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, [14] And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast..".[8] And then shall that Wicked (i.e. the Wicked One) be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of His coming:mystery, musterion, moos-tay'-ree-on, Greek 3466; from a derivative of muo (to shut the mouth); a secret or "mystery" (through the idea of silence imposed by initiation into religious rites) :- mystery.[9] Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,
Do you understand why the majority of Christians will not take part in the first resurrection, the first granting of eternal life, even though they may have attended church faithfully all their lives and performed many "good works" in the name of Christianity? Remember what Jesus told us in Matthew 7:21-23: "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. [22] Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? [23] And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity."[10] And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.[11] For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people.
There are many professing Christians who never spend any time "hearing His Voice", i.e. who never get around to opening the Word and allowing Him to speak to them. Though they believe there is one God and Jesus is Lord (so do the devils, James 2:19, Mat. 8:30) yet they do NOT love the truth of His Word which is EVIDENCED by the FACT that they do not study it chapter by chapter and line by line. Their itching ears would rather listen to men tickle their cochleae instead of hearing HIS VOICE through His Word, which is how He speaks to us in these last days (Heb. 1:2).
If the leaders and shepherds of our people would but follow the true Shepherd and lead others to the lush green pasture of His Word, i.e. to study His Word chapter by chapter and line by line, then our people could have rest, even eternal rest! You "see", He has given us His Word and showed us how to find rest... the true rest which is Christ. Yet our people will not hearken unto the voice of the Lord their God so they must learn the hard way, through the chastisement of reaping the rewards of the iniquitous path they choose to follow. That is fair and just... as our Father always is. To wit, it is also fair that He has given each one a choice to receive life or death, blessings or curses, though it is His desire that you choose life! Deut. 30:19 "I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:Isaiah 28:12
To whom he said, This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear.
The choices are: (1) you can listen to HIS VOICE and obey His commands and mature in your understanding or (2) you can listen to men tell their fables and follow after their traditions and thus remain spiritually immature as a naughty child! Which do you truly desire, blessings or curses?
Deut. 28:1 And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the LORD thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth:Deut. 28:15 But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee:
This instruction and warning is clear and simple. Those who do not have the seal of God in their foreheads, which means they do not have the wisdom and knowledge which comes from being instructed in His Word chapter by chapter and line by line, are going to be deceived and snared and taken (seduced) by the false messiah, the false Christ when he comes! WOE therefore to those leaders of our people who mock God with their "churchianity" instead of teaching His Word, and who teach "another Jesus (2 Cor. 11:4)", even a Jesus who they "say" will come and rapture Christians away!Isaiah 28:13
But the word of the LORD was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little; that they might go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken.
Someone will surely say, "What do you mean another Jesus"? I didn't know there was more than one! Really? You don't know about the two trees that were in the midst of the garden of God? Nevertheless, Paul speaks of another Jesus in 2 Cor. 11:4, "For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him." Become mature in your Father's Word and do as John instructs us and "try the spirits (winds of doctrine)" to see whether or not they are of God, i.e. whether what you hear is sound doctrine contained in His Word or a bunch of hay and stubble... because there are MANY false teachers who have gone forth to teach the traditions of men! 1 John 4:1 "Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world."
Hear now what the Word of the LORD has to say to the scoffers, to men in "derision" who rule our people... and therefore are in positions of responsibility!
The False rock (vs. 15)[14] Wherefore hear the word of the LORD, ye scornful men, that rule this people which is in Jerusalem.
Have you been told that because you are a good church goer and believe Jesus is Lord that when Satan comes and all those supposedly scary "things" in Revelation take place, that you will not be here to go through that tribulation because you will be gone... as in taken in the rapture? If so, it is time to "become a man in understanding" and turn in your itching (I almost said Mickey Mouse) ears that love to hear fables and exchange them for ears that hear HIS VOICE, or you will be as the first woman taken in the field, who is taken by the false messiah. Remember, do not become a "hasty fig" and be harvested out of season![15] Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us: for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves:
Understand also that a covenant is an agreement that is binding, like a marriage covenant, and far too many of our beloved brothers and sisters are being led to a false wedding, which is the first one, the wedding of the false messiah who appears at the sound of the 6th Trump claiming to be the true Bridegroom. Did you know one of Satan's names is "Death" (Heb. 2:14)? Again, many Christians think their salvation is sure because they believe the fables and falsehoods (lies) their preachers have perpetuated... in ignorance perhaps... but fables and lies nevertheless! Here is how Dr. Moffat translates verse 15:
Remember that this is a "WOE" we are reading about in this 28th chapter, even a "woe" to you rulers who scoff at the sound doctrine of the chapter by chapter and line by line teaching of our Father's Word. You rulers better listen to the Word from the LORD! There is ONLY ONE ROCK in whom there is refuge and salvation and it isn't the little rock you teach people to follow! As it is written in the Song of Moses in the 32nd chapter of Deuteronomy (vs. 31), "their rock is not as our Rock"! Our Rock is tried and true and tested!"You scoffers ruling in Jerusalem here, listen to this word from the Eternal.: You think you have struck terms with death, and made your compact with the powers of doom, that the surging scourge of a flood can never reach you, since you are safe behind a lie and sheltered behind a falsehood!" (Moffatt)
The True ROCK (vs. 16)
The Word of God is a sure foundation and if your house is built upon that Rock then the rains and the storms and the overflowing floods cannot prevail against it. However, those whose houses are built upon the sandstone of traditions and fables will be swept away when the rain and the winds and the floods come! The question to ask then is "How strong is your foundation in the Word of God?"[16] Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste.
The Word of God is the supreme authority and when you teach the Word of God chapter by chapter and line by line you are teaching His authority, i.e. what He says, not what you say! Jesus Christ is the chief Cornerstone that the builders "rejected"! However, whosoever will believe in Him, as in hear His Voice and obey His commands, shall as we just read in Isaiah 28:16 "not make haste"! This refers back to those hasty figs who were harvested out of season. In other words they will not be in a "hurry" to be the first ones "wed", as in enter into a covenant with the false messiah, whose name is "Death"!Matthew 7:24-29
Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: [25] And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. [26] And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: [27] And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it. [28] And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at His doctrine: [29] For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.
make haste, chuwsh, koosh, Hebrew 2363; a primitive root; to hurry; figurative to be eager with excitement or enjoyment :- (make) haste (-n), ready.
The next verse in Isaiah tells us that that judgment of the quick and the dead shall be to the line and righteousness to the plummet (i.e. the plumb-line, see also Amos 7:7). In other words, judgment shall be according to the Word of God and all those fables and lies that the "rulers of this people" have perpetuated are going to be swept away! Their refuge, their "hiding place", their place of safety they thought they had, shall be GONE!2 Tim. 4:1-2
I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom;[2] Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.
How will you measure up to the tried and true Word of God? Do you study and read it with understanding, because if you do not think it is necessary to hear His Voice by studying His Word chapter by chapter and line by line and that by simply believing that Jesus is Lord is synonymous with believing in Him (John 3:16), then you are already sorely deceived!Isaiah 28:17
Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet: and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding place.
So what about it? If you are one who believes in a covenant that promises refuge and rest without reliance upon the true Rock of our salvation, i.e. without having the seal of God in your forehead, which is to have your mind filled with the rich wisdom and knowledge of His Word (Rev. 9:4), and especially if you are leader or one who "comes in the name of Christ", i.e. one who claims His authority as one of His representatives, then it is time to put away childish things (that mostly concern "self") and become a "man in understanding (1 Cor. 14:20)" and quit teaching fables to our people that lead them to a false sense of security... else WOE![18] And your covenant with death shall be disannulled, and your agreement with hell shall not stand; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, then ye shall be trodden down by it.
Be wise and take heed to the charge and "Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine (2 Tim. 4:2)".
John 5:24
Verily, verily,
I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on Him that sent
me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is
passed from death unto life.
If only our beloved brothers and sisters realized how blessed and fortunate we are to have to this marvelous book of Isaiah wherein a true teacher and prophet of God, i.e. Isaiah, explains to us chapter by chapter and verse by verse our Father's loving plan of salvation. (Remember Isaiah's name means "Yahveh's Salvation".)
One of the most comforting things Isaiah has taught us is that even the "negative part" of our Father's plan of salvation, where He purposely sends the Assyrian (the false-christ) against His children to take them captive and to oppress them and to make them his prey, is brought to pass for their own good. It is the manner in which our Father chastises them because He dearly loves them (Heb. 12:6) and it is His "desire that none perish but that all come to repentance (2 Pet. 3:9)"!
Nevertheless, there are those who remain willfully disobedient and in this study we are going to read the stern warning (woe) our Father has for those who mock his teaching and instruction. To that end, we will be given an analogy and shown a graphic ensample of the pouring out of His wrath upon those followers of idolatry who willfully choose not repent. You "see", our Father has provided us with His Word, with His loving set of instructions, and yet we as a Christian nation have strayed from the foundation of His truth to the point that we are now predominantly Biblically illiterate. As it is written concerning these last days, we truly have "lightly esteemed the Rock of our salvation (Deut. 32:15)" and are now in the midst of the great famine of the last days spoken of by Amos the teacher and prophet in Amos 8:11-13!
Therefore let us ask the question: "How sure is the foundation upon which I stand and upon which my faith is built?" We learned earlier that the Lord GOD has given us a Rock, a tried and true Stone, a sure foundation upon which to build and if it be so that we believe in Him, then we will not be ashamed at His coming. That is because we will have remained "Rock solid" in His truth and will not have been taken as "hasty fruit" in the coming storm of lies and deception spewn forth by the false messiah, the little rock who is not as our Rock (Deut. 32:31).
Paul tells us in Hebrews 11, which is often called the "faith chapter", that faith is the "sub-stance" of things hoped for. Faith is what is under (sub) us, the support upon which we stand (stance). God's Word is that solid sub-stance (hupo-stasis in Greek), a "sure foundation", and it is the "evidence", much like a title-deed, to the promises of our inheritance, i.e. the things hope for.Isaiah 28:16
Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste.
The elders did what they did because they knew and believed and trusted in what God said. In other words, they believed His Word and therefore the works they did were simply manifestations (displays) of their Rock-solid faith which gave witness and testimony to fact that they did have faith, i.e. that they truly believed God. So it was not their works that justified them but rather their faith.Hebrews 11:1-3
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.substance, hupostasis, hoop-os'-tas-is, Greek 5287; from a compound of Greek 5259 (hupo) and Greek 2476 (histemi); a setting under (support), i.e. (figurative) concrete essence, or abstract assurance (object or subject) :- confidence, confident, person, substance.[2] For by it the elders obtained a good report.
In the next verse, notice the first thing Paul tells us we come to understand through faith, from the foundation which is the Word of God.
It is through that sure foundation, His Word, that we come to understand that the worlds (eons, i.e. the three earth ages spoken of by Peter in 2 Pet. 3) were "fitly joined together (framed)"! Without that understanding of (1) the "the world that then was", (2) the earth age which is now, and (3) the earth age to come, one cannot have the full assurance and true peace of mind (rest) that comes from knowing where we came from, why we are here, and where we are headed.[3] Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.
With that background in mind, let us also remember we learned that there shall come a time (when Christ returns), that just recompense (judgment) shall be meted out according to each man's works, and that that judgment shall be according to the plummet, the plumb-line, which is the truth of His Word! Isaiah 28:17 "Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet: and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding place." Paul also teaches us that every man's work shall be tested (judged) by His Word.
1 Cor. 3:11
For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.[12] Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble;
[13] Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is.
[14] If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.[15] If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.
You "see", unless you have the seal of God in your forehead (Rev. 9:4), which is to have the rich wisdom and knowledge contained in His Word etched in the forefront of your mind, you will be deceived by Satan and his locust army. Unfortunately most Christians do not have that "seal of God" in their foreheads (minds) because they been told by their preachers and ministers that they don't need to study His Word chapter by chapter and line by line because their salvation is already sure! Multitudes of Christians have been told that the church will not be here because the saints are going to be "raptured" away before the false-christ brings his desolations upon the land.
Well, the Word of God declares that they are going to find out that their confirming of the covenant with the abominable one and their marriage and communion to him when he comes in the midst of the week (Dan. 9:27), is NOT the wedding to the true Messiah that they thought it was! They will discover at the sound of the 7th Trump when Jesus Christ returns that their covenant that was built upon sand, upon men's traditions including the any-moment fly-away rapture theory, was no good... null and void. And as it is written, they shall be ashamed at their spiritual nakedness when they discover that they had been swept away by Satan's flood of lies and deceptions and had jumped in bed with the false messiah.
What a rude awakening it will be when multitudes of Christians discover that they had become spiritual adulterers and adulteresses. Nevertheless, God's purpose in turning their hearts to Him through their chastisement will have been accomplished. And so it is that God's plan, though it contains both a negative and positive part, i.e. both night and day, is ultimately a good and "positive" plan.Isaiah 28:18
And your covenant with death shall be disannulled, and your agreement with hell shall not stand; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, then ye shall be trodden down by it.
Remember that these are those who scorned at the simple way the prophet's taught them how to find true "rest" and "salvation". Again, it is by severe chastisement when God sends the Assyrian upon the land that shall they be made to understand.[19] From the time that it goeth forth it shall take you: for morning by morning shall it pass over, by day and by night: and it shall be a vexation only to understand the report.
This is an allegory confirming that they shall find no rest or comfort in the false covenant that had them believing they were snug as a bug in rug. Again, it is the very prophets they deride who show the only true way to His rest through their chapter by chapter and line by line teaching of His Word. There is only one way to find true rest and that is through the faith that comes by believing in Jesus Christ, the Living Word of God. All other paths and covenants will come up short and leave one spiritually naked and without covering. That's why it is written that when Yahshua Messiah returns at the sound of the 7th Trump and they discover their shame and spiritual nakedness, they shall rather wish for the mountains and rocks to fall upon them than to have to face the LORD in the great day of His wrath.[20] For the bed is shorter than that a man can stretch himself on it: and the covering narrower than that he can wrap himself in it.
"Who shall be able to stand?" The answer is that those whose faith is based upon the "sure foundation", which means they have put on the gospel armor (Eph. 6) and have seal of God in their foreheads (rev. 9:4), shall stand with Christ in "the great day of His wrath". You "see", God is not angry with those who love and serve Him. To them He has appointed "reward", even salvation. 1 Thes. 5:9 "For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ." As for those who are appointed to His wrath, they should take heed to the following verse.Rev. 6:16-17
And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that[17] For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?
All one needs to know is what happened in mount Perazim, when the "Philistines" came and spread themselves in the valley of "Rephaim"! This should set the future time for those who have eyes to see.Isaiah 28:21
For the LORD shall rise up as in mount Perazim, He shall be wroth as in the valley of Gibeon, that He may do His work, His strange work; and bring to pass His act, His strange act.
2 Samuel 5:18-21
The Philistines also came and spread themselves in the valley of Rephaim.
[19] And David enquired of the LORD, saying, Shall I go up to the Philistines? wilt thou deliver them into mine hand? And the LORD said unto David, Go up: for I will doubtless deliver the Philistines into thine hand.[20] And David came to Baal-perazim, and David smote them there, and said, The LORD hath broken forth upon mine enemies before me, as the breach of waters. Therefore he called the name of that place Baal-perazim.
In the "great day of His wrath" God shall suddenly break forth upon His enemies, like a flood of waters rushing forth and breaking a dam!Baal-Perazim ba?al pera?ts?ym bah'-al per-aw-tseem' H1188
From H1167 and the plural of H6556; possessorofbreaches; Baalperatsim, a place in Palestine: - Baal-perazim.
Their false gods shall be consumed by fire, by the brightness of His coming. Here then is the sum of the matter, the object lesson to be learned from this:[21] And there they left their images, and David and his men burned them.
Isaiah 28:22
Now therefore be ye not mockers, lest your bands be made strong: for I have heard from the Lord GOD of hosts a consumption, even determined upon the whole earth.
Matthew 7:21-23
Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.[22] Manywill say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
[23] And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
Open your ears and listen real good to your Father's Word!Isaiah 28:23
Give ye ear, and hear my voice; hearken, and hear my speech.
Question? Does a farmer plow the ground and break up the dirt clods just for the sake of plowing or does he plow for a reason? Of course he has a reason... and truly his purpose is no secret but rather common knowledge! He prepares the face of the earth to do some sowing, some planting, that in the end he may reap a bountiful harvest.[24] Doth the plowman plow all day to sow? doth he open and break the clods of his ground?
First of all, a farmer knows that there is a time and season for sowing and planting and a time and season for reaping and harvesting. Furthermore, he also knows there are different ways to sow and plant the many different types of seeds and grains according as mother nature has taught him. For example, some seeds are merely cast to the wind while others are bored beneath the surface and sown orderly in rows. An experienced farmer who has spent hours upon hours in the field knows how to prepare the ground and how use the appropriate method of sowing and then how to harvest the different types of fruits and herbs and grains in order to preserve them.[25] When he hath made plain the face thereof, doth he not cast abroad the fitches, and scatter the cummin, and cast in the principal wheat and the appointed barley and rie in their place?
The analogy is that just as mother nature instructs the farmer so does the Word of God instruct those who "labor in the field" and then plant seeds of truth. Are you familiar with the Parable of the Sower in Matthew 13? Did you know that Jesus Christ said that that parable is a prerequisite for understanding the rest of the parables contained in God's Word (Mark 4:13)? Note: For a study of the Parable of the Sower, log unto"Two Sowers of seed; both the good and the bad"[26] For his God doth instruct him to discretion, and doth teach him.
Just as there are different ways to sow and plant and nurture, etc., there are different ways to harvest because there are different types of crops. For example:
Fitches or fennels and such pulse foods as beans and dill and cummin and peas, are not threshed with a heavy sledge but rather beaten out with a stick or a flail. Wheat on the other hand is threshed with a heavy instrument and bruised... but not to the point of completely crushing it.[27]For the fitches are not threshed with a threshing instrument, neither is a cart wheel turned about upon the cummin; but the fitches are beaten out with a staff, and the cummin with a rod.
The point to all this is that our loving Father knows each and every one of His children and in His wisdom He knows exactly how to deal with them. Furthermore, He knows what chastisement and threshing is proper and fitting that the golden wheat might not be crushed in the harvest![28] Bread corn is bruised; because he will not ever be threshing it, nor break it with the wheel of his cart, nor bruise it with his horsemen.
The good news is that those who love and serve Him now have a part in the excellent working and husbandry of the Lord, even as they have been sent to labor in the vineyard to produce fruit for the householder (Mat. 20). To that end, it is our Father's wonderful counsel, His Word given to us chapter by chapter and line by line, that when we study it and absorb it, He gives us wisdom to be able to use "discretion" and to be able to discern the times and the seasons of planting and harvest and how to labor and produce fruit for the kingdom of God.[29] This also cometh forth from the LORD of hosts, which is wonderful in counsel, and excellent in working.
You "see", if we fail to hear His voice and keep His commands, then we may become as farmer Adam who failed to tend and keep the garden as per God's instruction, and thus he and his wife Eve were eventually drawn away by another tree, another Jesus, even a superpreacher who explained God's Word to Eve and what God "really" meant by "Thou shalt surely die" in Genesis 2:17. Here is what God actuall said: "But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die."
Have you ever read the conclusion of the original spinmeister, Satan, that low life serpent, when he was through with his pastoral teaching of Gen. 2:17?
Once this charismatic enlightened one had gained Eve's confidence as one who "apparently" knew God's Word, he then began speaking "for God". The problem is that what he says has NO FOUNDATION in the Word of God.Genesis 3:4-5
And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:
God didn't say it! You cannot find anywhere in God's Word where He says man can determine for himself what is right and wrong! In other words, God did NOT say "in the day you eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened..."! What God said was "in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die"... and THAT is exactly what happened![5] For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.
To study the Bible is the noblest of all pursuits;
to understand it, the highest of all goals.
We pray that with the guidance of the Holy
Spirit, you accomplish both.
is
Published by:
Rhine
Publishing Co.
E-mail address - americanwisdomseries@verizon.net