Focusing on What God Wants Us to Do
The day of God's wrath is a day wherein God will not only judge the heathen, but his wrath shall be upon entire congregations, and upon their places of assembly. One way to prove this is through God’s parable use of the word “city.” In prophecy, the word “city” refers to every place wherein God’s people assemble themselves together to worship him: they are the cities of our God. “I will cut off the cities of thy land, and throw down all thy strongholds... Thy graven images also will I cut off... and thou shalt no more worship the works of thine hands. And I will pluck up thy groves out of the midst of thee: so will I destroy thy cities. AND I will execute vengeance in anger and fury upon the heathen, such as they have not heard (Micah 5:11-15).”
Indignation and destruction are avoidable: but every priest has to hearken to God's voice, and follow his instructions. “Hear instruction, and be wise, and refuse it not. Blessed is the man that heareth me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors. For whoso findeth me findeth life, and shall obtain favor of the Lord. But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul: all they that hate me love death (Proverbs 8:33-36).”
Part 1
Why is God doing This unto His People?
There is a covenant that God himself entered into: it is a covenant between God, and every individual believer. Believers entered into this covenant on the day that they elected to put their trust in him. It works like a marriage contract. One of the principal terms of this contract is to hearken to God’s voice. God included prophecy in this covenant, therefore before we view some of the other terms of this contract, let’s investigate some of the parable words found therein, for prophecy is interpreted through its parable words. Brace yourself for offensive language, for our God is Holy, and we are imperfect before him. If a priest raises a teaching that is contrary to God’s ways, then God mocks him, and calls him a “god”. God even refers to our priests, and our prophets, as our “lovers”. The words "graven image" refer to false teachings that his people have been seduced into believing. Furthermore, he called everyone who has been blindly been putting their faith and confidence in the words of their teachers, a whore: for the church is suppose to be hearkening unto his voice. God's word, is his voice: the only way that believers can truly know that they are hearing God's voice, is by reading it. Failure to read the scriptures, allows room for deception. These next few verses show evidence of God’s special use of these parable words.
“Turn, O backsliding children, saith the Lord; for I am married unto you (Jeremiah 3:14).” “I swore unto thee, and entered into a covenant with thee, saith the Lord God, and thou becamest mine (Ezekiel 16:8).” “Thou hast played the harlot with many lovers; yet return again to me, saith the Lord (Jeremiah 3:1).” “God standeth in the congregation of the mighty; he judgeth among the gods (Psalm 82:1).” “Where are thy gods that thou hast made thee? Let them arise; if they can save thee in the time of thy trouble: for according to the number of thy cities are thy gods, O Judah (Jeremiah 2:28).” “Confounded be all they that serve graven images, that boast themselves of idols: worship him, all ye gods (Psalm 97:7).” “Every founder is confounded by the graven image: for his molten image is falsehood, and there is no breath in them. They are vanity, and the work of errors: in the time of their visitation they shall perish (Jeremiah 10:14-15).”
“The Lord said unto Moses, Behold, thou shalt sleep with thy fathers; and this people will rise up, and go a-whoring after the gods of the strangers of the land, whither thy go to be among them, and will forsake me, and break my covenant which I have made with them. Then my anger shall be kindled against them in that day, and I will forsake them, and I will hide my face from them, and they shall be devoured, and many evils and troubles shall befall them; so that they will say in that day, Are not these evils come upon us, because our God is not among us? (Deuteronomy 31:16-17).”
Herein is the whole controversy that God has with his people: we have forsaken his covenant, and we are not reading his word. The reason that God calls himself a Jealous God, is because the majority of what God's people know about him, they have learned from their teachers. If God's people are not reading the scriptures, they cannot know his voice. Why do you suppose Jesus uttered the words, “Have you never read?” And what about the hidden things of scripture? Do God's people ever hope to receive the promises which God has sworn to us, and to our fathers? God is revealing something new, and believers will need to be reading his word, because relying upon anything else, is as walking in the imagination of your heart. “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; and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables (2Timothy 4:3-4).” “Take heed unto yourselves, lest ye forget the covenant of the Lord your God... For the Lord thy God is a consuming fire, even a jealous God (Deuteronomy 4:23-24).”
The old covenant, our marriage contract, was gifted to us through Moses. The words of it are written in the book of Deuteronomy. The Ten Commandments, along with God's statutes and judgments, were included in the covenant. It also came with promises of blessings, and cursings which were not only for past generations, but for our generation as well, saying, “It shall come to pass.” These next few verses seek to verify the scope of this covenant and proclaim its inclusivity: “Neither with you only do I make this covenant and this oath; but with him that standeth here with us this day before the Lord our God, and also with him that is not here with us this day (Deuteronomy 29:14-15).” “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord (Deuteronomy 6:4).” “At the same time, saith the Lord, will I be the God of all the families of Israel, and they shall be my people (Jeremiah 31:1).” “The Lord shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one Lord, and his name one (Zechariah 14:9).”
Let's look at the “it shall come to pass” promises. The covenant included a list of blessings which God promised that he shall bring upon believers if they continually hearkened to his voice, and did all of the things which were commanded of them on that day. The covenant also included cursings, which God promised that he shall bring upon believers that refused to hear and do all the words of this lengthy covenant. Not everyone will be able receive this, but God was declaring, that, even today, if believers will listen to his voice, and will do all the things which he is instructing them to do, then their religious iniquities will be pardoned, and blessings shall overtake them. Believers who are willing and obedient and are accepting their new covenant, have been released from keeping the status. As for the people who disregarded his covenant, suddenly are they cursed with a curse, because they did not hearkened to the voice of the Lord their God, neither did they keep his covenant.
Listen carefully to both times the word "if" is used in the verse: “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: and all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God (Deuteronomy 28:1-2).”
“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 (Deuteronomy 28:15).”
By bringing the curse upon believers who had no respect for God’s covenant, God will make it abundantly clear that there is a new covenant in effect, thus fulfilling the promises which he made with our forefathers. “Behold, I make a covenant: before all thy people I will do marvels, such as have not been done in all the earth, nor in any nation: and all the people among which thou art shall see the work of the Lord: for it is a terrible thing that I will do with thee... Take heed to thyself, lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land whither thou goest, lest it be for a snare in the midst of thee. But ye shall destroy their altars, break their images, and cut down their groves: For thou shalt worship no other god: for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God (Exodus 34:10-14).”
“I took my staff, even Beauty, and cut it asunder, that I might break my covenant which I had made with all the people. And it was broken in that day: and so the poor of the flock that waited upon me knew that it was the word of the Lord (Zechariah 11:10-11).” “In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away (Hebrews 8:13).” “Cursed be the man that obeyeth not the words of his covenant, which I commanded your fathers in the day that I brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, from the iron furnace, saying, Obey my voice, and do them, according to all which I command you: so shall ye be my people, and I will be your God: that I may preform the oath which I have sworn unto your fathers (Jeremiah 11:3-5).” “My determination is to gather the nations, that I may assemble the kingdoms, to pour upon them mine indignation, even all my fierce anger: for all the earth shall be devoured with the fire of my jealousy (Zephaniah 3:8).”
“Cursed shalt thou be in the city, and cursed shalt thou be in the field... Cursed shall thou be when thou comest in, and cursed shalt thou be when thou goest out. The Lord shall send upon thee cursing, vexation, and rebuke... until thou be destroyed, and until thou perish quickly; because of the wickedness of thy doings, whereby thou hast forsaken me... The Lord shall smite thee with a consumption, and with a fever, and with an inflammation, and with an extreme burning, and with the sword... and they shall pursue thee until thou perish... The Lord shall smite thee... with a sore botch that cannot be healed, from the sole of thy foot unto the top of thy head. The Lord shall bring thee, and thy king which thou shalt set over thee, unto a nation which neither thou nor thy fathers have known; and there shalt thou serve other gods, wood and stone (from Deuteronomy 28:16-36).” “The prophets shall become wind, and the word is not in them (Jeremiah 5:13).” “Moreover all these curses shall come upon thee, and shall pursue thee, and overtake thee, till thou be destroyed; because thou hearkenedst not unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to keep his commandments and his statues which he commanded thee (Deuteronomy 28:45).”
The authors of our religious beliefs, are, in effect, our fathers. Jesus himself testifying, “Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: he is a liar, and the father of it (John 8:44).” “Thy first father hath sinned, and thy teachers have transgressed against me. Therefore I have profaned the princes of the sanctuary, and have given Jacob to the curse, and Israel to the reproaches (Isaiah 43:27-28).”
What God is doing for us is a marvelous thing, for he is correcting religious corruption and deception; he is insuring that it will never happen again; and he is bringing all believers into his kingdom. The killing of one another for religious purposes is coming to an end. Therefore trust in him, obey him, and receive instruction: “Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power, in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning: thou hast the dew of thy youth (Psalm 110:3).” “It shall be our righteousness, if we observe to do all these commandments before the Lord our God, as he hath commanded us (Deuteronomy 6:25).” “The Lord shall establish thee an holy people unto himself, as he hath sworn unto thee, if thou shalt keep the commandments of the Lord thy God, and walk in his ways (Deuteronomy 28:9).” “Whoso keepth the commandment shall feel no evil thing (Ecclesiastes 8:5).”
The Ten Commandments have been given a fresh new voice of authority. They are a separate covenant altogether. “The Lord our God made a covenant with us in Horeb (Deuteronomy 5:2).” The Ten Commandments were given to Moses in the book of Exodus, then to insure their continuance, they were rewritten and included with the marriage covenant, which is written in the book of Deuteronomy (Exodus 20:1-17; Deuteronomy 5:6-21; 26:17-18; 29:1). God has instructed us to keep these commandments going forward. Therefore it is understood, that, just as they were to be included with the old covenant, so are they now to be included with the new covenant. Let’s review some of the commandments which are relevant to our times. Thou shalt have no other gods before me, thou shalt not make unto thee a graven image... Thou shalt not bow thyself down unto them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God... Thou shalt not kill... Neither shalt thou steal... And thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s house, nor anything that is thy neighbor’s (Exodus 20: 3-17; Deuteronomy 5:6-21). Since these commandments are to remain in effect, it is a transgression to brake even one of them. Although it is possible to be forgiven for breaking a commandment, there will surely be a consequence, because God will not be mocked.
The difference between committing religious iniquity, and committing a transgression, is that iniquities are always unintentional mistakes. Iniquities are mistaken interpretations of scripture which many people accepted as truth, and which became a religious belief. Transgressions are always purposed. A transgression occurs when people are shown the truth of scripture, but they love their ways, and they choose to disregard God's word. Transgressions are presumptuous sins, which will cause spiritual death. “There is a sin unto death... and there is a sin not unto death (1John 5:16-17).” “Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I will be innocent from the great transgression (Psalm 19:13).”
The sabbath day commandment is a perpetual covenant: which means that this covenant is a sign between God, and each individual believer. By keeping the sabbath day covenant, believers are demonstrating that they wish to serve the Lord. “The children of Israel shall keep the sabbath... for a perpetual covenant. It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever (Exodus 31:16-17).” (Also see Deuteronomy 5:12).
“Come, and let us join ourselves to the Lord in a perpetual covenant that shall not be forgotten (Jeremiah 50:5).” “Blessed is the man... that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and keepeth his hand from doing any evil. Neither let the son of the stranger, the hath joined himself to the Lord, speak, saying, The Lord hath utterly separated me from his people: neither let the eunuch say, Behold, I am a dry tree. For thus saith the Lord unto the eunuchs that keep my sabbaths, and choose the things that please me, and take hold of my covenant; Even unto them will I give in mine house and within my walls a place and a name better than of sons and daughters: I will give them an everlasting name, that shall not be cut off. Also the sons of the stranger, that join themselves to the Lord, to serve him, and to love the name of the Lord, to be his servants, every one that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and taketh hold of my covenant; even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer: their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine altar; for my house shall be called an house of prayer for ALL people (Isaiah 56:2-7).”
Part 2
The watchmen, the trumpet, and Our deliverance
God’s commandment to be watching is well documented, so that everyone can understand it: we are suppose to be watching, and noticing what God is doing. “Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is. For the Son of man is as a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch. Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cock crowing, or in the morning: Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping. And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch (Mark 13:33-37).” “If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee (Revelation 3:3).”
As watchmen, God gave us the responsibility of warning others, including our enemies. Who knows if you might save a soul by your knowledge. When we fail to warn those who are deceived, God is judging us guilty of their murder. “If the people of the land take a man of their coasts, and set him for their watchman: if when he seeth the sword come upon the land, he blow the trumpet, and warn the people; then whosoever heareth the sound of the trumpet, and taketh not warning; if the sword come, and take him away, his blood shall be upon his own head. He heard the sound of the trumpet, and took not warning... But he that taketh warning shall deliver his soul (Ezekiel 33:2-5).” “Son of man, I have set thee a watchman unto the house of Israel; therefore thou shalt hear the word at my mouth, and warn them from me. When I say unto the wicked man, thou shalt surely die; if thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand. Nevertheless, if thou warn the wicked of his way, to turn from it; if he does not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul (Ezekiel 33:7-9).”
Even after being warned, many people will continue to trust in their own knowledge. They are walking contrary to God, and apart from spending time actually reading the New Testament, they have fallen short. “Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked would turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel? Therefore, thou son of man, say unto the children of thy people, The righteousness of the righteous shall not deliver him in the day of his transgression: as for the wickedness of the wicked, he shall fall thereby in the day that he turneth from his wickedness; neither shall the righteous be able to live for his righteousness in the day that he sinneth (Ezekiel 33:11-12).”
The voices of the watchmen will bring glory to God, even before the day of his wrath: “The great day of the Lord is near, it is near, and hasteth greatly, even the voice of the day of the Lord: the mighty man shall cry there bitterly (Zephaniah 1:14).” “I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem, which shall never hold their peace day nor night: Ye that make mention of the Lord, keep not silence, and give him no rest, till he establish, and till he make Jerusalem a praise in the earth (Isaiah 62:6-7).” “Hear ye now what the Lord saith; Arise, contend thou before the mountains, and let the hills hear thy voice. Hear ye, O mountains, the Lord’s controversy, and ye strong foundations of the earth: for the Lord hath a controversy with his people, and he will plead with Israel (Micah 6:1-2).” “For by fire and by his sword will the Lord plead with all flesh: and the slain of the Lord shall be many (Isaiah 66:16).” “Thy watchmen shall lift up the voice; with the voice together shall they sing: for they shall see eye to eye, when the Lord shall bring again Zion (Isaiah 52:8).”
Part 3
Evidence of Christianity’s response to God’s instructions
Evidence of Christianity’s response to the covenant message is cleverly tucked into Old Testament prophesies about Ephraim. “Ephraim” is the parable name that God has given to Christians who have the Holy Spirit. They are grouped into this name because they are the followers of Jesus Christ, who is God’s first begotten of the dead. Through faith in Jesus Christ, they have been quickened with an early inheritance. “Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead (Revelation 1:5).” “In whom we have obtained an inheritance... that Holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession (Ephesians 1: 11-14).” “I will make him my firstborn, higher than the kings of the earth (Psalm 89:27).” “Ephraim is my firstborn (Jeremiah 31:9).” Knowing this: Ephraim is the name of Joseph’s second born son.
Most of the prophesies concerning Christianity’s calamity, are recorded in the book of Hosea. Here we find evidence that, upon witnessing the afflictions that God will bring upon the Assyrians, many Christians will return to their past religious beliefs (Egypt). Allow me to explain. The parable word "Assyrian" refers to leaders who have heard the covenant message, and although they did not believe it, they loved some of its counsel, so they used it to write their own alternative plan of salvation. They came up with a nondenominational form of Christianity, which gained great popularity among Christians. However their attempt at inclusiveness will not work, because it offends two thirds of God’s people. The Assyrians are not confessing the Lord’s end time plan, neither are they accepting the new covenant.
“They shall not dwell in the Lord’s land; but Ephraim shall return to Egypt, and they shall eat unclean things in Assyria... Their bread for their soul shall not come into the house of the Lord... The days of thy visitation are come, the days of recompense are come; Israel shall know it: the prophet is a fool, the spiritual man is mad, for the multitude of thine iniquity, and the great hatred. The watchman of Ephraim was with my God: but the prophet is a snare of a fowler in all his ways, and hatred in the house of his God. They have deeply corrupted themselves... therefore he will remember their iniquity, he will visit their sins... Woe also to them when I depart from them! ...My God shall cast them away, because they did not hearken unto him: and they shall be wanderers among the nations (from Hosea chapter 9).”
“The children of Ephraim, being armed, and carrying bows, turned back in the day of battle. They kept not the covenant of God, and refused to walk in his law (Psalm 78:9-10).” “I set a watchman over you, saying, Hearken to the sound of the trumpet. But they said, We will not hearken. Therefore hear, ye nations, and know, O congregation, what is among them. Hear, O earth: behold, I will bring evil upon this people, even the fruit of their thoughts, because they have not hearkened unto my words, nor to my law, but rejected it (Jeremiah 6:17-19).”
“Go to, speak to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying, Thus saith the Lord; Behold, I frame evil against you, and devise a devise against you: return ye now every one from his evil way, and make your ways and your doings good. And they said, There is no hope: but we will walk after our own devises, and we will every one do the imagination of his evil heart... The virgin of Israel hath done a very horrible thing (Jeremiah 18:11-13).”
“I spake unto thee in thy prosperity; but thou saidst, I will not hear. This hath been thy manner from thy youth, that thou obeyedst not my voice (Jeremiah 22:21).”
“Yea, the stork in the heaven knoweth her appointed times: and the turtle and the crane and the swallow observe the time of their coming; but my people know not the judgment of the Lord. How do you say, We are wise, the law of the Lord is with us? Lo, certainly in vain made he it; the pen of the scribes is in vain. The wise men are ashamed, they are dismayed and taken: lo, they have rejected the word of the Lord; and what wisdom is in them? (Jeremiah 8:7-9).”
Believers of every faith are standing at the gates of Zion: the entry pass, is in knowing God’s new covenant, and doing it. “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, and for a spirit of judgment to him that sitteth in judgement, and for strength to them that turn the battle to the gate (Isaiah 28:5-6).”
“The iniquity of Ephraim is bound up; his sin is hid. The sorrows of a travailing woman shall come upon him: he is an unwise son; for he should not stay long in the place of the breaking forth of children (Hosea 13:12-13).”
Part four
Strangers will build up New Jerusalem
By Declaring God’s righteousness
“Lo, I will bring a nation upon you from far, O house of Israel, saith the Lord: it is a mighty nation, it is an ancient nation, whose language thou knowest not, neither understandest what they say... They shall eat up thy flocks and thine herds... They shall impoverish thy fenced cities, wherein thou trustedst with the sword. Nevertheless in those days, saith the Lord, I will not make a full end with you. And it shall come to pass, when ye shall say, Wherefore doeth the Lord our God all these things unto us? Then shalt thou answer them, Like as ye have forsaken me, and served strange gods in your land, so shall ye serve strangers in a land that is not yours (Jeremiah 5:15-20).”
When God's army marches against religion, they will need to know how to approach each house of worship. Among the statutes of the old covenant, God gave us this instruction, as a pattern for our edification: therefore take heed. “When thou comest nigh unto a city to fight against it, then proclaim peace unto it. And it shall be, if it make thee an answer of peace, and open unto thee, then it shall be, that all the people that is found therein shall be tributaries unto thee, and they shall serve thee. And if it make no peace with thee, but will make war against thee, then thou shalt besiege it: and when the Lord thy God hath delivered it into thine hands, thou shalt smite every male thereof with the edge of the sword. (Deuteronomy 20:10-13).”
The praise of this army is that they will insure that God's word is being proclaimed, and executed. “And the Lord shall utter his voice before his army: for his camp is very great: for he is strong that executeth his word: for the day of the Lord is great and very terrible; who can abide it (Joel 2:11).” “They moved me to jealousy with that which is not God; and they have provoked me to anger with their vanities: and I will move them to jealousy with those which are not a people; I will provoke them to anger with a foolish nation (Deuteronomy 32:21).”
Miracles will be seen in this army, for believers who were thought to be “strangers” because they lacked knowledge in things of God, will become bold witnesses, proclaiming what God has done for them. “The Lord preserveth the strangers (Psalm 146:9).” “Thy visitation hath preserved my spirit (Job 10:12).” “Strangers shall stand and feed your flocks, and the sons of the alien shall be your plowmen and your vinedressers (Isaiah 61:5).” “The sons of strangers shall build up thy walls, and their kings shall minister unto thee: for in my wrath I smote thee, but in my favor have I had mercy on thee (Isaiah 60:10).” “They shall come, and shall declare his righteousness unto a people that shall be born, that he hath done this (Psalm 22:31).”
Some of these strangers will be the afflicted leaders who went into the captivity of God's army: they will be teaching God’s ways unto the heathen, as well as the backslidden. “O God, thou knowest my foolishness; and my sins are not hid from thee... For thy sake I have borne reproach; shame hath covered my face. I am become a stranger unto my brethren, and an alien unto my mother’s children... They that sit in the gate speak against me; and I was the song of the drunkards. But as for me, my prayer is unto thee... Deliver me because of mine enemies. Thou hast known my reproach, and my shame, and my dishonor... Pour out thine indignation upon them, and let thy wrathful anger take hold on them... For they persecute him whom thou hast smitten... But I am poor and sorrowful: let thy salvation, O God, set me up on high. I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify him with thanksgiving... The humble shall see this, and be glad: and your heart shall live that seek God. For the Lord heareth the poor, and despiseth not his prisoners (from Psalm 69).”
These strangers will work in cooperation with the righteous man of the East, whom God hath chosen to lead the Islamic people. Their objective is to build God’s kingdom. They will bring together people of all nations, and cause them to understand God’s end time plan. “Behold, the man whose name is The BRANCH; and he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the Lord: Even he shall build the temple of the Lord; and he shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne; and he shall be a priest upon his throne: and the counsel of peace shall be between them both... And they that are far off shall come and build in the temple of the Lord, and ye shall know that the Lord of hosts hath sent me unto you, And this shall come to pass, if ye will diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God (Zechariah 6:12-15).”
Like raising up little children, God's chosen leader of the east, and his followers will be sent to raise up the Islamic nation. “Kings shall be thy nursing fathers, and their queens thy nursing mothers (Isaiah 49:23).” “Thus saith the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, and his Maker, Ask me of things to come concerning my sons, and concerning the work of my hands command ye me. I have made the earth, and created man upon it... I have raised him up in righteousness, and I will direct all his ways: he shall build my city, and he shall let go my captives, not for price nor reward, saith the Lord of hosts (Isaiah 45:11-13).” “Behold, I will bring forth my servant the BRANCH... saith the Lord of hosts, and I will remove the iniquity of the land in one day (Zechariah 3:8-9).”
God's army, which is being sent to build his kingdom, will need to be aware of God’s ways, and his instructions. This section of this message, is purposed to make known some of their instructions. Remember that God loves mercy, and that above all else, he loves his people. Those who are not keeping these instructions will either be destroyed, or they will be punished. “He that keepeth the commandment keepeth his own soul; but he that despiseth his ways shall die (Proverbs 19:16).” “Hear counsel, and receive instruction, that thou mayest be wise in thy latter end (Proverbs 19:20).” “He is in the way of life the keepeth instruction (Proverbs 10:17).”
People will need to confess their mistakes, and teach one another. The thirty ninth Psalm reveals what will happen to beliers if they remain silent and refuse to tell others the truth: the fury of God’s wrath will pent up inside them, and God will afflict them. “I said, I will take heed to my ways, that I sin not with my tongue: I will keep my mouth with a bridle, while the wicked is before me. I was dumb with silence, I held my peace, even from good; my sorrow was stirred. My heart was hot within me, while I was musing the fire burned... deliver me from all my transgressions... I opened not my mouth; because thou didst it. Remove thy stroke from me: I am consumed by the blow of thine hand. When thou with rebukes doest correct a man for iniquity, thou makest his beauty to consume away like a moth: surely every man is vanity. Hear my prayer, O Lord, and give ear unto my cry; hold not thy peace at my tears: for I am a stranger with thee, and a sojourner, as all my fathers were (from Psalm 39).”
Remember that within the Ten Commandments, is a commandment not to steal: this includes religious treasures from places of worship that are being destroyed. Consider all the trouble that Achan brought upon the camp of Israel when he helped himself to certain treasures: in the end he and his entire family were stoned with stones and were burned with fire (Joshua chapter 7). “Keep yourselves from the accused thing, lest ye make yourselves accursed, when ye take of the accused thing, and make the camp of Israel a curse, and trouble it (Joshua 6:18).” “Rob not the poor, because he is poor: neither oppress the afflicted in the gate: for the Lord will plead their cause, and spoil the soul of those that spoiled them (Proverbs 22:22-23).”
Jesus taught his followers another commandment: and it comes with profitable instructions. “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself (Matthew 22:39; Leviticus 19:18).” “Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you (Matthew 5:44).” Prayer changes everything.“Teach me to do thy will; for thou art my God: thy spirit is good; lead me into the land of uprightness. Quicken me, O Lord, for thy name’s sake: for thy righteousness’ sake bring my soul out of trouble. And of thy mercy cut off mine enemies, and destroy all them that afflict my soul: for I am thy servant (Psalm 143:10-12).”
Beware of pride, for if it changes the heart, it will cause you to forget God, and disobey his word. “Beware that thou forget not the Lord thy God... Lest... when thy herds and thy flocks multiply, and thy silver and thy gold is multiplied, and all that thou hast is multiplied; Then thine heart be lifted up, and thou forget the Lord thy God, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage... and thou say in thine heart, My power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth. But thou shalt remember the Lord thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he swore unto thy fathers, as it is this day (Deuteronomy 8:11-18).”
According to God's word, the leaders of his people should read the scriptures daily, in order to avoid pride, and not forget his word. “When thou shalt in any wise set him king over thee... It shall be, when he sitteth upon the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write him a copy of this law in a book out of that which is before the priests the Levites: and it shall be with him, and he shall read therein all the days of his life: that he may learn to fear the Lord his God, to keep all the words of this law and these statutes, to do them: That his heart be not lifted up above his brethren, and that he turn not aside from the commandment, to the right hand, or to the left: to the end that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he, and his children, in the midst of Israel (Deuteronomy 17:15-20).”
For the conclusion of this message, let's look into a prophecy concerning Islam's roll in the fulfillment of end times. Their nation has been instructed to set a watchman, and the watchman will be amazed at what he witnesses: “Go up, O Elam: besiege, O Media; all the sighing thereof have I made to cease... I was bowed down at the hearing it; I was dismayed at the seeing of it. My heart panted, fearfulness affrighted me: the night of my pleasure hath he turned into fear unto me. Prepare the table, watch in the watchtower, eat, drink; arise, ye princes, and anoint the shield. For thus hath the Lord said unto me, Go, set a watchman, let him declare what he seeth (Isaiah 21:2-6).”
There are two prophecies which work together to inform believers what will happen next, but we'll need to start the interpretation of these prophecies by finding meaning in the parable word “Kedar”. Kedar in the name of Ishmael’s second born son, so whenever God uses the name Kedar we can presume that the prophecy pertains to the Islamic nation (Genesis 25:13). In the one hundred and twentieth Psalm, the Psalmist revealed that Kedar represents a peace loving people, whose leaders love violence, and war. “Woe is me, that I sojourn in Meshech, I dwell in the tents of Kedar! My soul hath long dwelt with him that hateth peace. I am for peace: but when I speak, they are for war (Psalm 120:5-7).”
God crafted together an important message for his chosen man of the east: God is allowing this man do a trial which will verify his word. “Concerning Kedar, and concerning the kingdoms of Hazor, which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon shall smite, thus saith the Lord; Arise ye, go up to Kedar, and spoil the men of the east. Their tents and their flocks shall they take away: they shall take to themselves their curtains, and all their vessels, and their camels; and they shall cry unto them, Fear is on every side. Flee, get you far off, dwell deep, O ye inhabitant of Hazor, saith the Lord; for Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon hath taken counsel against you, and hath conceived a purpose against you (Jeremiah 49:28-30).”
The counsel which is spoken of in the prophecy, is between God and his chosen man of the east. God is counseling Nebuchadnezzar to smite Kedar with the sword of God’s word. Kedar is poised to be a sign for Nebuchadnezzar, so that he can test God’s reliability. The spoiling of Kedar is intended to increase and strengthen Nebuchadnezzar’s faith and resolve by allowing God to rise up early, and verify his word. Whereas the amazed watchman reported only seeing “a chariot with a couple of horsemen, a chariot of asses, and a chariot of camels (Isaiah 21:7),” God has revealed that this trial is only to involve sending two messengers. Let them go and test God’s word: we already know the results:
Only the leaders will be afflicted, thus giving these leaders with an opportunity to correct their messages. Evidence of the affliction is discovered through the parable city name of “Hazor”. These violence loving leaders are being given the covenant message, however they are choosing to fight against it: and furthermore, they are fighting against God. They will be punished for their mistake. “Hazor shall be a dwelling place for dragons, and a desolation for ever (Jeremiah 49:33).” “Thus saith the Lord of hosts, Because ye speak this word, behold, I will make my words in thy mouth fire, and this people wood, and it shall devour them (Jeremiah 5:14).” “The wild beasts of the islands shall cry in their desolate houses, and dragons in their pleasant palaces: her time is near to come, her days shall not be prolonged (Isaiah 13:22).”
The inhabitants of Kedar will be forever removed from their past religious beliefs, for they will know the truth of God's word. “The multitude of camels shall cover thee ... All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered unto thee.... They shall come up with acceptance on mine altar, and I will glorify the house of my glory (Isaiah 60:6-7).” “The inhabitants of the land of Tema brought water to him that was thirsty, they prevented with their bread him that fled. For they fled from the swords, from the drawn sword, and from the bent bow, and from the grievousness of war. Thus hath the Lord said unto me, Within a year, according to the years of an hireling, and all the glory of Kedar shall fail: and the residue of the number of archers, the mighty men of children of Kedar, shall be diminished: for the Lord God of Israel hath spoken it (Isaiah 21:14-16).” “Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you (Proverbs 1:23).” “He will not stay them when his voice is heard (Job 37:4).”
“Sing unto the Lord a new song, and his praise from the end of the earth... Let the wilderness and the cities thereof lift up their voice, the villages that Kedar doth inhabit: Let the inhabitants of the rock sing, let them shout from the tops of the mountains. Let them give glory unto the Lord, and declare his praise in the islands. The Lord shall go forth as a mighty man, he shall stir up jealousy like a man of war: he shall cry, yea, roar; he shall prevail against his enemies. I have long time holden my peace; I have been still, and refrained myself: now will I cry like a travailing woman; I will destroy and devour at once... And I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not; I will lead them in paths that they have not known: I will make darkness light before them, and crooked things straight. These things will I do unto them, and not forsake them (Isaiah 42:10-16).”
“Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? He retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy. He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast their sins into the depths of the sea. Thou wilt preform the truth to Jacob, and the mercy to Abraham, which thou hast sworn unto our fathers from the days of old (Micah 7:18-20).”
“Know therefore that the Lord thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations; and repayeth them that hate him to their face, to destroy them: he will not be slack to him that hateth him, he will repay him to his face (Deuteronomy 7:9-10).”
And one final thought from God's word, unto the peace loving people of Islam: “I have lifted up mine hand, Surely the heathen that are about you, they shall bear their shame. But ye, O mountains of Israel, ye shall shoot forth your branches, and yield your fruit to my people of Israel; for they are at hand to come. For, behold, I am for you, and I will turn unto you, and ye shall be tilled and sown: and I will multiply men upon you, all the house of Israel, even all of it: and the cities shall be inhabited, and the wastes shall be builded: and I will multiply upon you man and beast; and they shall increase and bring fruit: and I will settle you after your old estates, and will do better unto you that at your beginnings: and ye shall know that I am the Lord... Thou shalt no more henceforth bereave them of men. Thus saith the Lord God; Because they say unto you, Thou land devourest up men, and hast bereaved thy nations; Therefore thou shalt devour men no more, neither bereave thy nations any more (Ezekiel 36:7-14).”
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