Zephaniah delivered prophecy during the days of Josiah, king of Judah. During those days Israel was under the Assyrian captivity, and their worship had deteriorated into a hodgepodge of fearing the Lord, and of serving the gods of other nations (2Kings 17:23-41). As Zephaniah prophesied end time prophecies, Josiah's life struggles agreed together with Zephaniah's prophecies: the record of Josiah's life lent interpretation to Zephaniah's prophecies, and it helped create end time understanding. Lessons learned from their works include: impressing upon believers the importance of God's covenant, and noting that zealous works are required to clean up religion.
During the twelfth year of Josiah, king of Judah, Josiah and the elders of Judah went out to purge Judah and Jerusalem of perversion within the high places of Israel. They broke down their altars, cut down their images, and destroyed their groves. They even burned the bones of Israel's priests upon their altars before they returned to Jerusalem (2Chronicles 34:3-7).
Zephaniah prophesied that indignation and reproach would come against our places of worship in the latter days. "It is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wastedness. and desolation... a day of the trumpet and alarm against the fenced cities, and against the high towers... because they have sinned against the Lord... the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy (Zephaniah 1:15-18)."
Six years after the cleansing Israel's temples, Josiah sent his servants to collect money and make repairs to the temples that he and the elders of Judah had destroyed (2Chronicles 34:8-11).
Zephaniah prophesied that there would be a regathering of the faithful, during the latter days. “I will gather them that are sorrowful for the solemn assembly, who are of thee, to whom the reproach of it was a burden… and gather her that was driven out (Zephaniah 3:18-19).”
When the repairers came to Hilkiah the high priest, he gave them a book to give to Josiah. This book was the book of the law which God had given Israel through the prophet Moses. It had been silently stored and left forgotten in the ark of the covenant (Deuteronomy 31:26; 2Chronicles 35:3). This book was more than just a book of the law, but it was a covenant which God had given unto the people for the purpose of administering understanding. Within the words of the covenant God declared how he had chosen and washed Israel, and how he had made them his people. The covenant revealed that God would be jealous over his children (Deuteronomy 5:9; 27:9). This covenant promised blessings upon the people if they would remember to keep the words of it, and do them; but it also warned that cursings would increasingly plague the people if they failed God, and forsook the covenant. Ultimately, the words of the covenant prophesied that when Israel provoked God to jealousy by not keeping her covenant, she would be delivered into the hands of her enemies (Deuteronomy chapters 27-32). King Josiah knew that both Israel and Judah had failed to keep the words of the covenant. He rent his clothes and wept before the Lord. He commanded his servants, “Go, inquire of the Lord for me, and for them that are left in Israel and in Judah, concerning the words of this book that is found: for great is the wrath of the Lord that is poured out upon us, because our fathers have not kept the word of the Lord, to do after all that which is written in this book (2Chronicles 34:21).”
Zephaniah prophesied that God's jealousy would burn against his people in the latter days. “My determination is to gather the nations, that I may assemble the kingdoms to pour upon them mine indignation, even my fierce anger: for the earth shall be devoured with the fire of my jealousy (Zephaniah 3:8).” It is implied by these things, that once again God's people have forsaken and broken their covenant, which is why God's jealousy will burn against them in the latter days.
Through a prophetess' message to Josiah, God confirmed that his determination was to fulfill his word: “I will bring evil upon this place, and upon the inhabitants thereof, even all the curses that are written in the book which they have read before the king of Judah: Because they have forsaken me… therefore my wrath shall be poured out upon this place, and shall not be quenched (2Chronicels 34:24-25).”
Zephaniah prophesied the inevitably of God fulfilling his word, and pouring his wrath of upon men in the latter days. “I will utterly consume all from off the land… I will consume man and beast; I will consume the fowls of the heaven, and the fish of the sea, and the stumbling blocks of the wicked (Zephaniah 1:2-3).”
Through the afore mentioned prophetess, God spoke grace and peace to Josiah: “Because thou hast humbled thyself before the Lord when thou heardest what I spake against this place… I also have heard thee… I will gather thee to thy fathers, thou shalt be gathered to thy grave in peace (2Kings 22:19-20).”
Zephaniah prophesied that grace would shelter the obedient in the latter days. “Seek ye the Lord, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgment; seek righteousness, seek meekness: it may be you shall be hid in the day of the Lord’s anger (Zephaniah 2:3).”
Josiah made a decision to read and profess the covenant before the people in order to sanctify them, and cause them to do God's will. “Then the king sent and gathered together all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem. The king went up into the house of the Lord, and all the men of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the priests, the Levites, all the people, great and small: and he read in their ears all the words of the book of the covenant that was found in the house of the Lord. Then the king stood in his place, and made a covenant before the Lord, to walk after the Lord… and he caused all that were present in Jerusalem and Benjamin to stand to it (2Chronicels 34:29-32).”
Zephaniah prophesied that God's people would be corrected and turned to a pure language in the latter days. “All the earth shall be devoured with the fire of my jealousy. For then will I turn to the people a pure language, that they may all call upon the name of the Lord, to serve him with one consent (Zephaniah 3:9).”
Josiah went out again to cleanse the temple, except this time he cleansed Judah first. He put down Judah's idolatrous priests, and commanded the high priest to bring out the vessels which they had made for Baal. Josiah burned those vessels without Jerusalem, and carried their ashes with him unto Bethel. In Bethel he slew their priests upon their altars (2Kings 23:20): he then turned and spied the sepulchers in the mount. He took the bones of the kings of Israel out of their sepulchres, and he burned their bones upon Bethel’s altars. Josiah did all these things in Judah and in the houses of Samaria for the purpose of cleansing the land, because he wanted to bring God's people back unto the Lord (Leviticus 26:30-32; 2Kings chapter 23).
The actions of Josiah were a spontaneous response to the love and conviction that he had for God's people. During his passion, Josiah must have rehearsed the prophet’s words which were prophesied in the ears of Israel so many years before he was even born: “There came a man of God… unto Bethel, and stood by the altar to burn incense. He cried against the altar in the word of the Lord, and said, O altar, altar, thus saith the Lord; Behold, a child shall be born unto the house of David, Josiah by name; and upon thee shall he offer the priests of the high places that burn incense upon thee, and men’s bones shall be burnt upon thee (1Kings 13:1-2).”
God had purposed that the altar of incense would be an altar most holy, requiring that whosoever touched it must be holy (Exodus 30:28-29). He impressed this fact upon the priesthood by requiring them to physically wash their hands before even approaching the altar, lest they die (Leviticus 22:3; 22:9). God even made an example for the edification of priests on the day that he slew Aaron’s sons which were forgetting God and proceeding to do their own works upon the altar (Exodus 30:21; Leviticus 10:3). The prophet which prophesied of Josiah's burning bones upon the altar of incense, was delivering God's warning against every priest which stood before Bethel's altar. The altar was God's witness against Bethel's priests, because they had polluted his name (2Chronicles 11:15). As Josiah was defiling the altar by burning men's bones upon it, his actions were not only a fulfillment of prophesy, but they were divulging evidence that God, has, and will, watch over every corrupt and perverted word that any priest utters before his people. God is the avenger, and he will never forget any of their works (Leviticus 26:25; Jeremiah chapter 8; Revelation 1:6).
Zephaniah prophesied that punishments would come upon priests and elders in the latter days. “It shall come to pass in the day of the Lord's sacrifice, that I will punish the princes, and the king's children, and all such as are clothed in strange apparel (Zephaniah 1:8).”
Josiah worked to encourage all of the people to do God's will. “The king commanded all the people, saying, Keep the Passover unto the Lord your God, as it is written in the book of this covenant (2Kings 23:21).” “Sanctify yourselves, and prepare your brethren, that they may do according to the word of the Lord by the hand of Moses (2Chronicels 35:6).”
Zephaniah prophesied that believers would encourage one another to do God's will in the latter days.“In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem, Fear thou not: and to Zion, Let not thy hands be slack. The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, and will joy over thee with singing (Zephaniah 3:16-17).”
Josiah coordinated a Passover feast to sanctify and prepare the people, and he caused priests to prepare themselves for that day. “The service was prepared, the priests stood in their place, and the Levites in their courses, according to the king’s commandment. They killed the Passover, and the priests sprinkled the blood from their hands (2Chronicels 35:10-11).”
Zephaniah eluded to the need for priests to rise up in the latter days to sanctify themselves as well as the people, and to cause many to be ready against that day. “It shall come to pass at that time, I will search Jerusalem with candles, and punish the men that are settled on their lees: that say in their heart, The Lord will not do good, neither will he do evil (Zephaniah 1:12).” "Gather yourselves together... before the decree to bring forth, before the day pass as chaff, before the fierce anger of the Lord come upon you (Zephaniah 2:1-2)."
Josiah defiled Topheth in the valley of the children of Hinnom (2Kings 23:10). Hinnom was Judah’s inheritance, whose name represents the priesthood (Joshua 15:8; Psalm 60:7). Topheth is a parable city name which represents the mindset of rebellious persons that God intends to punish with his wrath. “Tophet is ordained of old; yea, for the king it is prepared; he hath made it deep and large: the pile thereof is fire and much wood (Isaiah 30:33).” So, by confessing that Josiah had defiled Topheth, the implication is that Josiah had disrupted the inheritance of the rebellious. In other words, because Josiah had caused many priests to cleanse themselves, there were many believers that escaped the prophesied punishments of God's wrath.
Zephaniah warned that the day of God's wrath is against the worship leaders, as well as those persons within their congregations, who refuse to be corrected. “Woe to her that is filthy and polluted, to the oppressing city! She obeyed not the voice, she received not correction; she trusted not in the Lord; she drew not near to her God (Zephaniah 3:1-3).”
Josiah worked feverishly to cut off the false religious practices which had caused Israel and Judah to stumble in their walk with the Lord. “The high places… Solomon the king of Israel built for Ashtoreth the abomination of the Zidonians, and for Chemosh the abomination of the Moabites, and for Milcom the Abomination of the children of Ammon, did the king defile (2Kings 23:13).”
Zephaniah prophesied that false religious practices would be cut off in the latter days. “The Lord will be terrible unto them, for he will famish all the gods of earth; and men shall worship him (Zephaniah 2:11).” "I will consume... the stumbling blocks with the wicked... and I will cut off the remnant of Baal from this place (Zephaniah 1:3-4)."
Tragically, Josiah’s life ended because he meddled in a battle that wasn't his. Egypt fought against Assyria in the valley of Megiddo, and Josiah went out to battle against them (2Kings 23:29). The king of Egypt warned Josiah: “Forbear thee from meddling with God, who is with me, that he destroy thee not (2Chronicels 35:21),” but Josiah choose to disregard his warning. Could Josiah's fate have been Christianity's warning against meddling in the religious affairs of Islam (Proverbs 26:17; Nehemiah 9:11)?
Saturday, April 7, 2012
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Zedekiah; Judah's Final King
“That which hath been is now; and that which is to be hath already been; and God requires that which is past (Ecclesiastes 3:15).” God required and recorded the realities of yesteryear to serve as patterns to help believers comprehend the present, and materialize the future. He also used recorded biblical history in another clever way: he allowed certain names in scripture to serve as parables in prophesy, and he spoke of the future through these parables: “Give ear, O my people, to my law… I will open my mouth in a parable: I will utter dark sayings of old (Psalms 78:1-2).”
Zedekiah's name was used in this fashion. Zedekiah was Judah’s final king before her Babylonian captivity: God used his name, his decisions, and his doings, to generate messages for today's believers. From details of Zedekiah's life, believers can learn such things as the enormous confusion which takes place when God begins to do a new thing. Believers can also learn lessons about God’s long forbearance with those who refuse to listen. Ultimately, the lessons of Zedekiah can cause God's people to discover the good reasons for obeying God's voice, and thereby they can avoid the consequences of not listening.
Even before Zedekiah was ever crowned king, God began doing a new thing in the earth. God had Jeremiah don a yoke to warrant an impact, and when the princes of the other nations came to Jerusalem to see Prince Zedekiah, they were given a yoke, and they left Jerusalem with that yoke and with a message for their masters (Jeremiah 27:1-4). To paraphrase God's message: I made earth, and now I give all lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar. “The nation and kingdom which will not serve Nebuchadnezzar… will I punish, with the sword, and with famine, and with pestilence; until I have consumed them by his hand… But the nations that serve him, those will I let remain still in their own land.” God's commandment was not open for debate, for he had determined that Nebuchadnezzar would reign over all nations, and that word "all" included Judah (Jeremiah 27:5-11). Notice that God promised rewards for obedience. All these things were done as a pattern for today's believers, and one important lesson which this pattern demonstrates is that God will send his messengers to prepare the way of his coming.
Jeremiah continued to faithfully prophesy God's message for years, but Judah’s priests rejected his message, for they refused to believe that God would expect his chosen people to serve Nebuchadnezzar (Jeremiah 25:3). Zedekiah respected the priesthood, and even after he swore before God to serve Nebuchadnezzar, Zedekiah conferred with them, and turned and rebelled against serving Nebuchadnezzar (2Chronicles 36:13). Jeremiah tried to convince Zedekiah to hear the the truth, saying, Serve Nebuchadnezzar and live. Why will you die? (Jeremiah 27:12-13). But Zedekiah was confused, “I called for my lovers, but they deceived me: my priests and my elders (Lamentations 1:19).”
Many priests weighed in with their opinions, “You shall not see the sword, neither shall ye have famine; but I will give you assured peace in this place (Jeremiah 14:13).” They ostracized Jeremiah, “Come, let us smite him with the tongue, and let us not give heed to any of his words (Jeremiah 18:18).” These priests walked in pride and envy, the same pride and envy which once plagued Aaron and Miriam: “Hath the Lord indeed spoken only by Moses? Hath he not spoken also by us? (Numbers 12:2).” Remember that these things were written as a pattern: they allow that the priesthood's greatest hinderance is their very own envy and pride. They also reveal the undependability of the priesthood during a time when God is doing a new thing.
At the beginning of Zedekiah's reign there was an incident that should have authenticated Jeremiah as a prophet. A prophet named Hananiah came Jeremiah and audaciously broke his yoke, and prophesied peace to Judah. “They… going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves to the righteousness of God (Romans 10:3).” God then rebuked all the prophets by sending Jeremiah back before them to condemn the lies of Hananiah. Jeremiah prophesied the consequence of Hananiah's mistake: death within the year. “Hananiah the prophet died the same year (Jeremiah 28:17).”
This sobering occurrence should have authenticated Jeremiah as a prophet, but Judah's leaders still “made their faces harder than a rock; they have refused to return (Jeremiah 5:3).” They were deceived. They were rebelling against God by refusing to hear Jeremiah, and their rebellion was creating confusion. God will not show mercy unto today's leaders if they refuse to listen, for they too create confusion: for all these things were given as a pattern which bears witness against them (Jeremiah 7:25-26, 14:12). Scripture also testifies that God sends messages through ordinary people, so priests are without excuse. “God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty (1Corinthians 1:27).”
When God does a new thing, if priests are not willing to hear his messengers, and if they are not willing to pray and consult his word, then false divinations will occupy the pulpits (Jeremiah 5:13). “At that time shall it be said to this people… a dry wind of the high places… not to fan, nor to cleanse (Jeremiah 4:11)." The priests of Zedekiah's day were trusting in their own ways, and they were not interested in receiving God's word. “The wrath of God arose against his people, till there was no remedy (2Chronicals 36:16).”
Zedekiah chose to believe the counsel of the priesthood. “Know ye not, that to whom you yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom you obey (Romans 6:16).” He suffered the consequences of his mistake. Zedekiah witnessed as his own sons, as well as the priests and princes of Judah, were slain before his eyes, and then his eyes were put out, and he was imprisoned until the day of his death (Jeremiah 52:9-11, 52:24,27). Tragically, because of his defiance, the city of Jerusalem was burned (Jeremiah 38:23). These horrific consequences are written and recorded for our edification.
Another lesson that is discerned from the parable of Zedekiah, happened early in Zedekiah’s reign, when Jeremiah had Zedekiah and Seraiah deliver a message to Babylon. They were told to read this message in the ears of everyone listening. Then they were to bind that message unto a stone and cast it into Euphrates, saying: “Thus shall Babylon sink, and shall not rise from the evil that I will bring upon her (Jeremiah 51:64).” Their actions depict prophesy: they prophesied a message about the day of God's wrath. This truth is discovered by noticing the cooperation of their actions with the verse: “A mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all (Revelation 18:21).”
The message which Zedekiah read in the ears of all listeners, and which he cast into Euphrates, was miraculously preserved in the book of Jeremiah, in the thirty ninth chapter, beginning in the thirty fourth verse. Zedekiah and Seraiah stood there together in the Babylonian province of Elam, reading a message against Elam (Jeremiah 49:34; Daniel 8:2). When they took that message and bound it to a stone and cast it into the Euphrates, their actions physically depicted the afore mentioned prophecy which prophesy's of religion's demise under the name of Babylon, so why was the content of their message prophesying truths against Elam? Because their actions forever linked the physical location of Elam, to the judgment of Babylon, which was the purpose for binding that message to the stone. “I will set my throne in Elam (Jeremiah 49:38).” Discovering more about the mystery of their actions requires finding out where God has sat his throne.
After Jerusalem’s burning, the fugitives of Judah went down into Egypt against God’s warnings. They came to Tahpanhes, where God issued yet another warning, “I will… send Nebuchadnezzar… and will set his throne upon these stones (Jeremiah 43:7-10).” In other words, Jeremiah prophesied that the Babylonian throne would soon be situated in Egypt, where Tahpanhes had once stood. Referring to Egypt in making reference to where this throne would be set up, created confusion, and kept the location discrete. This land did once belong to Egypt, but it had been taken by Babylon in the forth year of Jehoiakim’s reign (Jeremiah 46:13-14; 2Ki 24:7).
Zedekiah and Seraiah had read their message and prophesied against Elam and against Babylon at the place of God's throne: in the province of Elam, at Tahpanhes. Afterwards, Jeremiah prophesied once again saying that Babylon's throne would be there: Jeremiah's second prophesy was fulfilled when Shushan the palace was built in the province of Elam (Daniel 8:2). In other words, Babylon's throne, and Elam's throne, and God's throne, are inseparable. “I will set my throne in Elam (Jeremiah 49:38).” Zedekiah’s actions were done deliberately in that specific place to testify and verify, that Elam’s people, as well as the place of its throne, is attached to the prophecies of Babylon.
Egypt’s army once occupied Carchemish, the spot that most likely discloses the location of Elam. Jeremiah prophesied, “against the army… of Egypt, which was by the river Euphrates in Carchemish, which Nebuchadnezzar… smote in the forth year of Jehoiakim (Jeremiah 46:2).” Carchemish was located in the valley of Megiddo (2Chronicals 35:20-22). Same Megiddo Joshua conquered, Manasseh inherited, Solomon built, and the Canaanites influenced (Joshua 12:21; Judges 1:27; 1Kings 9:15). In this valley stood a rock named Rimmon (Zechariah 12:11). Rimmon was a holy site large enough to house six hundred Benjaminites for four months, and this holy site taught a non Jewish doctrine of religion (Judges 20:47; 2Kings 5:18). The rock of Rimmon was located south of Jerusalem (Zechariah 14:10).
Evidence is suggesting that the former province of Elam, where God situated his throne, is in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. God prophesied a significant message through Zedekiah's actions, one that makes great promises for the shake up of Islam! “I will break the bow of Elam, the chief of their might… I will bring the four winds from the four quarters of heaven, and will scatter them towards all those winds… I will cause Elam to be dismayed before their enemies… I will bring evil upon them, even my fierce anger… and I will send the sword after them, till I have consumed them (Jeremiah 49:35-37).”
The prophecy which Zedekiah read in Babylon in the province of Elam, reveals truths about the confusion of religion, and it testifies that judgment will come upon Islam as well as upon Christianity and Judaism. Therefore the truth of Zedekiah's message agrees with the truths of the covenant message.
Zedekiah's name was used in this fashion. Zedekiah was Judah’s final king before her Babylonian captivity: God used his name, his decisions, and his doings, to generate messages for today's believers. From details of Zedekiah's life, believers can learn such things as the enormous confusion which takes place when God begins to do a new thing. Believers can also learn lessons about God’s long forbearance with those who refuse to listen. Ultimately, the lessons of Zedekiah can cause God's people to discover the good reasons for obeying God's voice, and thereby they can avoid the consequences of not listening.
Even before Zedekiah was ever crowned king, God began doing a new thing in the earth. God had Jeremiah don a yoke to warrant an impact, and when the princes of the other nations came to Jerusalem to see Prince Zedekiah, they were given a yoke, and they left Jerusalem with that yoke and with a message for their masters (Jeremiah 27:1-4). To paraphrase God's message: I made earth, and now I give all lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar. “The nation and kingdom which will not serve Nebuchadnezzar… will I punish, with the sword, and with famine, and with pestilence; until I have consumed them by his hand… But the nations that serve him, those will I let remain still in their own land.” God's commandment was not open for debate, for he had determined that Nebuchadnezzar would reign over all nations, and that word "all" included Judah (Jeremiah 27:5-11). Notice that God promised rewards for obedience. All these things were done as a pattern for today's believers, and one important lesson which this pattern demonstrates is that God will send his messengers to prepare the way of his coming.
Jeremiah continued to faithfully prophesy God's message for years, but Judah’s priests rejected his message, for they refused to believe that God would expect his chosen people to serve Nebuchadnezzar (Jeremiah 25:3). Zedekiah respected the priesthood, and even after he swore before God to serve Nebuchadnezzar, Zedekiah conferred with them, and turned and rebelled against serving Nebuchadnezzar (2Chronicles 36:13). Jeremiah tried to convince Zedekiah to hear the the truth, saying, Serve Nebuchadnezzar and live. Why will you die? (Jeremiah 27:12-13). But Zedekiah was confused, “I called for my lovers, but they deceived me: my priests and my elders (Lamentations 1:19).”
Many priests weighed in with their opinions, “You shall not see the sword, neither shall ye have famine; but I will give you assured peace in this place (Jeremiah 14:13).” They ostracized Jeremiah, “Come, let us smite him with the tongue, and let us not give heed to any of his words (Jeremiah 18:18).” These priests walked in pride and envy, the same pride and envy which once plagued Aaron and Miriam: “Hath the Lord indeed spoken only by Moses? Hath he not spoken also by us? (Numbers 12:2).” Remember that these things were written as a pattern: they allow that the priesthood's greatest hinderance is their very own envy and pride. They also reveal the undependability of the priesthood during a time when God is doing a new thing.
At the beginning of Zedekiah's reign there was an incident that should have authenticated Jeremiah as a prophet. A prophet named Hananiah came Jeremiah and audaciously broke his yoke, and prophesied peace to Judah. “They… going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves to the righteousness of God (Romans 10:3).” God then rebuked all the prophets by sending Jeremiah back before them to condemn the lies of Hananiah. Jeremiah prophesied the consequence of Hananiah's mistake: death within the year. “Hananiah the prophet died the same year (Jeremiah 28:17).”
This sobering occurrence should have authenticated Jeremiah as a prophet, but Judah's leaders still “made their faces harder than a rock; they have refused to return (Jeremiah 5:3).” They were deceived. They were rebelling against God by refusing to hear Jeremiah, and their rebellion was creating confusion. God will not show mercy unto today's leaders if they refuse to listen, for they too create confusion: for all these things were given as a pattern which bears witness against them (Jeremiah 7:25-26, 14:12). Scripture also testifies that God sends messages through ordinary people, so priests are without excuse. “God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty (1Corinthians 1:27).”
When God does a new thing, if priests are not willing to hear his messengers, and if they are not willing to pray and consult his word, then false divinations will occupy the pulpits (Jeremiah 5:13). “At that time shall it be said to this people… a dry wind of the high places… not to fan, nor to cleanse (Jeremiah 4:11)." The priests of Zedekiah's day were trusting in their own ways, and they were not interested in receiving God's word. “The wrath of God arose against his people, till there was no remedy (2Chronicals 36:16).”
Zedekiah chose to believe the counsel of the priesthood. “Know ye not, that to whom you yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom you obey (Romans 6:16).” He suffered the consequences of his mistake. Zedekiah witnessed as his own sons, as well as the priests and princes of Judah, were slain before his eyes, and then his eyes were put out, and he was imprisoned until the day of his death (Jeremiah 52:9-11, 52:24,27). Tragically, because of his defiance, the city of Jerusalem was burned (Jeremiah 38:23). These horrific consequences are written and recorded for our edification.
Another lesson that is discerned from the parable of Zedekiah, happened early in Zedekiah’s reign, when Jeremiah had Zedekiah and Seraiah deliver a message to Babylon. They were told to read this message in the ears of everyone listening. Then they were to bind that message unto a stone and cast it into Euphrates, saying: “Thus shall Babylon sink, and shall not rise from the evil that I will bring upon her (Jeremiah 51:64).” Their actions depict prophesy: they prophesied a message about the day of God's wrath. This truth is discovered by noticing the cooperation of their actions with the verse: “A mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all (Revelation 18:21).”
The message which Zedekiah read in the ears of all listeners, and which he cast into Euphrates, was miraculously preserved in the book of Jeremiah, in the thirty ninth chapter, beginning in the thirty fourth verse. Zedekiah and Seraiah stood there together in the Babylonian province of Elam, reading a message against Elam (Jeremiah 49:34; Daniel 8:2). When they took that message and bound it to a stone and cast it into the Euphrates, their actions physically depicted the afore mentioned prophecy which prophesy's of religion's demise under the name of Babylon, so why was the content of their message prophesying truths against Elam? Because their actions forever linked the physical location of Elam, to the judgment of Babylon, which was the purpose for binding that message to the stone. “I will set my throne in Elam (Jeremiah 49:38).” Discovering more about the mystery of their actions requires finding out where God has sat his throne.
After Jerusalem’s burning, the fugitives of Judah went down into Egypt against God’s warnings. They came to Tahpanhes, where God issued yet another warning, “I will… send Nebuchadnezzar… and will set his throne upon these stones (Jeremiah 43:7-10).” In other words, Jeremiah prophesied that the Babylonian throne would soon be situated in Egypt, where Tahpanhes had once stood. Referring to Egypt in making reference to where this throne would be set up, created confusion, and kept the location discrete. This land did once belong to Egypt, but it had been taken by Babylon in the forth year of Jehoiakim’s reign (Jeremiah 46:13-14; 2Ki 24:7).
Zedekiah and Seraiah had read their message and prophesied against Elam and against Babylon at the place of God's throne: in the province of Elam, at Tahpanhes. Afterwards, Jeremiah prophesied once again saying that Babylon's throne would be there: Jeremiah's second prophesy was fulfilled when Shushan the palace was built in the province of Elam (Daniel 8:2). In other words, Babylon's throne, and Elam's throne, and God's throne, are inseparable. “I will set my throne in Elam (Jeremiah 49:38).” Zedekiah’s actions were done deliberately in that specific place to testify and verify, that Elam’s people, as well as the place of its throne, is attached to the prophecies of Babylon.
Egypt’s army once occupied Carchemish, the spot that most likely discloses the location of Elam. Jeremiah prophesied, “against the army… of Egypt, which was by the river Euphrates in Carchemish, which Nebuchadnezzar… smote in the forth year of Jehoiakim (Jeremiah 46:2).” Carchemish was located in the valley of Megiddo (2Chronicals 35:20-22). Same Megiddo Joshua conquered, Manasseh inherited, Solomon built, and the Canaanites influenced (Joshua 12:21; Judges 1:27; 1Kings 9:15). In this valley stood a rock named Rimmon (Zechariah 12:11). Rimmon was a holy site large enough to house six hundred Benjaminites for four months, and this holy site taught a non Jewish doctrine of religion (Judges 20:47; 2Kings 5:18). The rock of Rimmon was located south of Jerusalem (Zechariah 14:10).
Evidence is suggesting that the former province of Elam, where God situated his throne, is in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. God prophesied a significant message through Zedekiah's actions, one that makes great promises for the shake up of Islam! “I will break the bow of Elam, the chief of their might… I will bring the four winds from the four quarters of heaven, and will scatter them towards all those winds… I will cause Elam to be dismayed before their enemies… I will bring evil upon them, even my fierce anger… and I will send the sword after them, till I have consumed them (Jeremiah 49:35-37).”
The prophecy which Zedekiah read in Babylon in the province of Elam, reveals truths about the confusion of religion, and it testifies that judgment will come upon Islam as well as upon Christianity and Judaism. Therefore the truth of Zedekiah's message agrees with the truths of the covenant message.
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
The Relevance of Zerubabbel
“The hands of Zerubabbel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands also shall finish it (Zechariah 4:9).” From the name of a devout Hebrew who participated in the building of the temple, God fashioned a parable which is meant to help counsel his lawgivers, the priesthood. “Judah is my lawgiver (Psalms 60:7).” “Who hath despised the day of small things? For they shall rejoice, and shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubabbel (Zechariah 4:10).” Zerubabbel's name will help usher in New Jerusalem. “It shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow into it (Isaiah 2:2).”
"The Lord hath a controversy (Jeremiah 25:31)." Zerubabbel's name was used in prophesy to help identify what the Lord's controversy is all about: “Is it time for you, O ye, to dwell in your ceiled houses, and this house lie waste? (Haggai 1:4).” God's primary concern is not so much about the in house festivities of his people, but rather, it is that all the descendants of Abraham are not dwelling in peace and unity: religion has defiled God's call for peace and unity (Ephesians 4:13; Psalm 133:1-3).
“Ye have sown much, and bring in little… He that earns wages, earns wages to put it into a bag with holes (Haggai 1:6).” “Ye looked for much, and, lo, it came to little; when you brought it home, I did blow upon it. Why? Because my house is waste, and ye run every man to his own house. Therefore the heaven over you is stayed from dew, and the earth is stayed from her fruit. I called for the drought upon the land, and upon the mountains… and upon all labor of the hands (from Haggai 1:6-11).”
Consider a mystery: In the book of Ezra, Cyrus made a proclamation: Sheshbazzar, the then governor of Judah, was to take the Jews from Babylon and build the house of the Lord in Jerusalem (Ezra chapter one through 2:2). Zerubabbel went with them. They set up the walls, and joined the foundation of the Lord’s temple (Ezra 4:12). Then skirmishes erupted and letters were sent, and a new king caused their work to cease (Ezra 4:24; 5:16). This information was published to verify that the temple's construction had begun, and that the foundation of the temple had been laid.
Several kings and some years later, Zerubabbel was now governor (Haggai 1:1) and work on the temple was being resumed, when suddenly prophecy erupted: “Yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land; And I will shake all the nations, and the desire of all nations shall come: and I will fill this house with glory… the glory of this latter house shall be greater than the former… and in this place will I give peace, saith the Lord (from Haggai 2:6-9).” These words are prophetic words, for they corroborate the immense shaking that is prophesied to take place when the sixth seal of the Revelation is opened: in that day every mountain and island shall be moved out of its place as an earthquake shakes even the heavens (Revelation 6:12-14).
The mysterious prophecy that erupted before Zerubabbel was intended to make an announcement that something really big is destined to occur on the twenty fourth day of the ninth month (Haggai 2:10). God stressed Zion's need to pay attention to this date by reiterating the word, consider. “Consider from this day upward, from before a stone was laid upon a stone in the temple of the Lord… Consider now from this day upward, from the four and twentieth day of the ninth month, from the day that the foundation of the Lord’s temple was laid, consider (Haggai 2:15-18).”
Consider: The temple’s foundation had already been laid, and stones had already been laid upon it, so why was God saying, “before a stone was laid upon a stone?” This message was coming forth on the twenty forth day of the ninth month (Haggai 2:10; 2:20), so why was God deferring to a future date, saying, “Speak to Zerubabbel, governor of Judah, I will shake the heavens and the earth; I will overthrow the throne of kingdoms, I will destroy the strength of the kingdoms of the heathen; I will overthrow the chariots, and those that ride in them; and the horses and their riders shall come down, everyone by the sword of his brother. In that day, I will take thee, O Zerubbabel, my servant… and will make thee as a signet: for I have chosen thee, saith the Lord of hosts (Haggai 2:21-23).”
Has there ever been any relevance ascribed to this signet? Or was our omniscient God eluding to a future day, and to the building of Zion? Could the declaration of this date, combined with the setting Zerubabbel’s times, and the prophesied shaking of the heavens, earth, and the nations, as well as God's promise to set Zerubabbel's name on high, divulge a secret yet future?
“Is the seed yet in the barn? Yea, as yet the vine, and the fig tree, and the pomegranate, and the olive tree, hath not brought forth: from this day I will bless you (Haggai 2:19).” Remember this date: the twenty fourth day of the ninth month; a date which was prepared by the foresight of God, a date prophesied by the prophet Haggai. Could this be the day that God rips open the sixth seal? Will this date prove to be the day in which God decisively divides his sheep from the goats? Will knowing this date help infuse strength into the building of Zion?
God’s people must acknowledge and affirm that salvation is granted through covenants (Isaiah 42:16; Romans 8:19). Changing the way that every believer worships God is the solution to the controversy. “Mine house shall be called a house of prayer for all people (from Isaiah 56:7).” “Who art thou, O great mountain? Before Zerubabbel thou shalt become a plain: and he shall bring forth the headstone thereof with shoutings, crying, grace, grace unto it (Zechariah 4:7).” Zerubabbel’s name is chosen to mark change.
“My heart is toward the governors of Israel, that offered themselves willingly among the people (Judges 5:9).” God will protect those priests that willingly sacrifice themselves in order to help him build the truth of end times. "The Lord shall save the tents of Judah first (Zechariah 12:7)." “I will make the governors of Judah like an hearth of fire among the wood, like a torch of fire in a sheaf; and they shall devour all the people round about, on the right hand and on the left (Zechariah 12:6).”
“Be strong, O Zerubabbel” “All the remnant of people, obeyed the voice of the Lord their God, and the words of the prophet.” “I am with you.” “They came and did the work in the house of the Lord.” (quotes from Haggai 1:12 through 2:4). The building of covenant understanding is God's will, and it is our Mount Zion, therefore it will be built! “This is the word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel, not by might, not by power, but by my spirit (Zechariah 4:6).”
“This people say, The time is not come, the time that the Lord’s house should be built… Thus saith the Lord of hosts… Go up to the mountain, and bring wood, and build the house; and I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified (Haggai 1:2,7-8).”
“Arise and thresh, O daughter of Zion: for I will make thine horn iron, and I will make thy hoofs brass: and thou shalt beat in pieces many people: and I will consecrate their gain unto the Lord, and their substance unto the Lord of the whole earth (Micah 4:13).”
Covenant understanding is the kingdom message that will consume all the deceptive practices of religion, and it shall stand forever! “In the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever (Daniel 2:44).”
God is with us so long as we work together in agreement with his word. “According to the word that I covenanted with you… so my spirit remains among you: fear ye not (Haggai 2:5).”
"The Lord hath a controversy (Jeremiah 25:31)." Zerubabbel's name was used in prophesy to help identify what the Lord's controversy is all about: “Is it time for you, O ye, to dwell in your ceiled houses, and this house lie waste? (Haggai 1:4).” God's primary concern is not so much about the in house festivities of his people, but rather, it is that all the descendants of Abraham are not dwelling in peace and unity: religion has defiled God's call for peace and unity (Ephesians 4:13; Psalm 133:1-3).
“Ye have sown much, and bring in little… He that earns wages, earns wages to put it into a bag with holes (Haggai 1:6).” “Ye looked for much, and, lo, it came to little; when you brought it home, I did blow upon it. Why? Because my house is waste, and ye run every man to his own house. Therefore the heaven over you is stayed from dew, and the earth is stayed from her fruit. I called for the drought upon the land, and upon the mountains… and upon all labor of the hands (from Haggai 1:6-11).”
Consider a mystery: In the book of Ezra, Cyrus made a proclamation: Sheshbazzar, the then governor of Judah, was to take the Jews from Babylon and build the house of the Lord in Jerusalem (Ezra chapter one through 2:2). Zerubabbel went with them. They set up the walls, and joined the foundation of the Lord’s temple (Ezra 4:12). Then skirmishes erupted and letters were sent, and a new king caused their work to cease (Ezra 4:24; 5:16). This information was published to verify that the temple's construction had begun, and that the foundation of the temple had been laid.
Several kings and some years later, Zerubabbel was now governor (Haggai 1:1) and work on the temple was being resumed, when suddenly prophecy erupted: “Yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land; And I will shake all the nations, and the desire of all nations shall come: and I will fill this house with glory… the glory of this latter house shall be greater than the former… and in this place will I give peace, saith the Lord (from Haggai 2:6-9).” These words are prophetic words, for they corroborate the immense shaking that is prophesied to take place when the sixth seal of the Revelation is opened: in that day every mountain and island shall be moved out of its place as an earthquake shakes even the heavens (Revelation 6:12-14).
The mysterious prophecy that erupted before Zerubabbel was intended to make an announcement that something really big is destined to occur on the twenty fourth day of the ninth month (Haggai 2:10). God stressed Zion's need to pay attention to this date by reiterating the word, consider. “Consider from this day upward, from before a stone was laid upon a stone in the temple of the Lord… Consider now from this day upward, from the four and twentieth day of the ninth month, from the day that the foundation of the Lord’s temple was laid, consider (Haggai 2:15-18).”
Consider: The temple’s foundation had already been laid, and stones had already been laid upon it, so why was God saying, “before a stone was laid upon a stone?” This message was coming forth on the twenty forth day of the ninth month (Haggai 2:10; 2:20), so why was God deferring to a future date, saying, “Speak to Zerubabbel, governor of Judah, I will shake the heavens and the earth; I will overthrow the throne of kingdoms, I will destroy the strength of the kingdoms of the heathen; I will overthrow the chariots, and those that ride in them; and the horses and their riders shall come down, everyone by the sword of his brother. In that day, I will take thee, O Zerubbabel, my servant… and will make thee as a signet: for I have chosen thee, saith the Lord of hosts (Haggai 2:21-23).”
Has there ever been any relevance ascribed to this signet? Or was our omniscient God eluding to a future day, and to the building of Zion? Could the declaration of this date, combined with the setting Zerubabbel’s times, and the prophesied shaking of the heavens, earth, and the nations, as well as God's promise to set Zerubabbel's name on high, divulge a secret yet future?
“Is the seed yet in the barn? Yea, as yet the vine, and the fig tree, and the pomegranate, and the olive tree, hath not brought forth: from this day I will bless you (Haggai 2:19).” Remember this date: the twenty fourth day of the ninth month; a date which was prepared by the foresight of God, a date prophesied by the prophet Haggai. Could this be the day that God rips open the sixth seal? Will this date prove to be the day in which God decisively divides his sheep from the goats? Will knowing this date help infuse strength into the building of Zion?
God’s people must acknowledge and affirm that salvation is granted through covenants (Isaiah 42:16; Romans 8:19). Changing the way that every believer worships God is the solution to the controversy. “Mine house shall be called a house of prayer for all people (from Isaiah 56:7).” “Who art thou, O great mountain? Before Zerubabbel thou shalt become a plain: and he shall bring forth the headstone thereof with shoutings, crying, grace, grace unto it (Zechariah 4:7).” Zerubabbel’s name is chosen to mark change.
“My heart is toward the governors of Israel, that offered themselves willingly among the people (Judges 5:9).” God will protect those priests that willingly sacrifice themselves in order to help him build the truth of end times. "The Lord shall save the tents of Judah first (Zechariah 12:7)." “I will make the governors of Judah like an hearth of fire among the wood, like a torch of fire in a sheaf; and they shall devour all the people round about, on the right hand and on the left (Zechariah 12:6).”
“Be strong, O Zerubabbel” “All the remnant of people, obeyed the voice of the Lord their God, and the words of the prophet.” “I am with you.” “They came and did the work in the house of the Lord.” (quotes from Haggai 1:12 through 2:4). The building of covenant understanding is God's will, and it is our Mount Zion, therefore it will be built! “This is the word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel, not by might, not by power, but by my spirit (Zechariah 4:6).”
“This people say, The time is not come, the time that the Lord’s house should be built… Thus saith the Lord of hosts… Go up to the mountain, and bring wood, and build the house; and I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified (Haggai 1:2,7-8).”
“Arise and thresh, O daughter of Zion: for I will make thine horn iron, and I will make thy hoofs brass: and thou shalt beat in pieces many people: and I will consecrate their gain unto the Lord, and their substance unto the Lord of the whole earth (Micah 4:13).”
Covenant understanding is the kingdom message that will consume all the deceptive practices of religion, and it shall stand forever! “In the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever (Daniel 2:44).”
God is with us so long as we work together in agreement with his word. “According to the word that I covenanted with you… so my spirit remains among you: fear ye not (Haggai 2:5).”
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Message of the Covenants
“I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me… even the messenger of the covenant (Malachi 3:1,KJV).” By grace this is the long anticipated covenant message; a promised message preordained to overturn the practices of religion (Ezekiel 21:27,KJV); and brought forth to to turn the counsel of wise men backward, and to make their knowledge foolishness (Isaiah 44:25,KJV). This message also serves as a warning unto all of God's people: prepare the way for the pending judgment of our God.
God initiated worship. He gave believers a pattern for the sanctuary, and thereby God inspired the creation of gathering places for his people. The sanctuary was purposed to be a place for sanctifying God's elect, and for bringing glory unto God's name. Misunderstood and misrepresented teachings of God's word, instigated “religion.” Religion scripted rules for acquiring salvation, rules which have held in place for generations. These rules were founded upon God’s word, which is why they are nearly impossible to defeat. End times are about God defeating the rules of religion.
God scripted those verses which separated the religions. He allowed for certain verses to be like stumbling stones, and as stones which could be thrown at one another. These defiant verses produced a need to study his word, and to call upon him for answers. Then the fortitude of God granted salvation based upon covenants. He spoke covenants; knitting them together as one, calling them “the everlasting covenant.” God gave Christ’s flesh, his teachings, as a covenant (John 17:4; Isaiah 49:8,KJV), but equally as important, God poured Christ’s blood out upon all covenants (Zechariah 9:11,KJV). The blood of one spotless lamb, is, “the blood of the everlasting covenant (Hebrews 13:20,KJV).” That means that Jesus' blood is the promised establishment for all of God's covenants: his blood is the believer's assurance that everyone who makes, or has made, an obedient decision to know who God is, and to do his will, will reap eternal rewards. “I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a god unto thee, and to thy seed after thee (Genesis 17:7,KJV).”
Fear of making mistakes strengthened religion; but Christ’s blood triumphs over the power of man's mistakes by establishing salvation that is based upon covenants. The power of God's covenants is evidenced in verses, like, “I will give them one heart, and one way that they may fear me forever (Jeremiah 32:39,KJV),” and, “Cursed be the man that obeys not the words of his covenant (Jeremiah 11:3,KJV).” God allowed the power of his covenants to be misunderstood and to remain elusive until the day that he would release the surprise ending which would not only correct his flock, but it will most assuredly punish the hypocrites (Isaiah 33:14; Jeremiah 23:20,KJV).
Christ’s covenant is elusive. “He will show them his covenant (Psalms 25:14,KJV).” Believers are to accept Christ's yoke, and become his bride. “Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me (Matthew 11:29).” Christ's yoke has to do with his burden, which is to do the work of the Father and to demonstrate godliness to the world, and help others know and believe that God exists. Believers are to take Jesus' yoke upon themselves. This is initiated by vowing to learn of Jesus. Union happens when two of you agree together as one, wherefore believers must keep their vow, and continue to walk together and learn of Jesus, until the two of you become one flesh. Ultimately the words "one flesh" allow that the two of you will be in perfect agreement with the Lord God, and with his word.
Covenants began with Noah. God used an awe-inspiring rainbow to demonstrate that his covenants are forever (Genesis 9:13,KJV)! God gave his people covenants through Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, and ultimately Jesus Christ. He partitioned a separate covenant for the priesthood (Deuteronomy 17:19-20; Joshua 1:8; Malachi 2:8,KJV), and gave believers the promise of a new covenant (Hosea 2:18,KJV). Incidentally, an aloof covenant is revealed in the words “my covenant with them.” Are we privy to an Islamic covenant? (Isaiah 59:21,KJV).
A “perpetual covenant” was written in the ten commandments; Remember the Sabbath Day and keep it Holy (Exodus 31:16,KJV). Could the Sabbath day covenant be God's way of preserving a remnant in every religion? “I will make all my mountains a way (Isaiah 49:11,KJV).”
Let’s consider the massive Jewish crowds and priests which eye witnessed the power, doctrine, and miraculous healings of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ exemplified change, and rattled the Jews of his day by audaciously braking their covenant (John 5:16,KJV). Fear of making mistakes against God, held the Jews captive. Despite the miracles before them, many Jews hoped in the laws of their temple, and Christ was crucified.
Ironically, Jesus' death spared Judaism. The Jewish priests feared, “If we let him thus alone, all men will believe on him (John 11:48,KJV).” Scripture says that the high priest prophesied: that means, God gave him a message for their nation: “One man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not (John 11:50,KJV).” God intentionally preserved Judaism to admonish His children: Religion contains powerful misunderstandings, but God foreordained its mission.
God designated four carpenters to build His house (Zechariah 1:20, KJV). Their assignment was to increase the knowledge of Him. An image in the book of Daniel is purposed to identify these four carpenters (Chapter two). The head of gold announces the first of Abraham’s nations, descendants of Ishmael and Esau that eventually culminated into Islam (Numbers 24:20; Genesis 36:12,KJV). Silver marks Judaism, and brass depicts Christianity (Christ’s feet; Revelation 1:15,KJV). The iron symbolizes God’s rod which was given to the priesthood, categorized separately, because they had no inheritance in the land (Ezekiel 44:28,KJV). God expressly inhabits all four aspects of the image, but is not bound by their practices (Psalms 82:1,KJV). Christ is poised to cast the stone preordained to thresh them all. This will leave one mountain, Mount Zion, wherein God’s house will be established; and all nations shall flow unto it (Isaiah 2:2,KJV).
“When you shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place (Matthew 24:15,KJV).” There it stands, one statue, prepared expressly for you. The religious rules which are presently standing in our pulpits, are not God. God prepared covenants to safely lead his children home. Will you see the abomination of desolation, or choose to follow the dictates? Choosing incorrectly, is abomination. “Behold, ye are nothing, and your work is as nought: an abomination is he that chooseth you (Isaiah 41:24,KJV).”
“Time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God (1Peter 4:17,KJV).” Christians, God is preparing to pour pestilence upon those within the church that have forgotten him (Lamentations 2:6, Daniel 9:27, Ezekiel 7:15, James 5:3,KJV). This is the consequence for not listening to his word, and for not hearing his messengers (Job 31:3, Isaiah 28:21, Jeremiah 29:32,KJV). “Righteousness shall go before him; and shall set us in the way of his steps (Psalms 85:13,KJV).”
The strange act of pouring pestilence upon his people will verify God’s covenant message. Like the pestilence which was poured upon Job, pestilence will be poured upon men who deem themselves innocent. Like the trials of Job, on-lookers will cast cynical accusations upon the afflicted (Psalms 38,KJV). These accusations are a judgment of the Lord God. The accusations are referred to in scripture as the pestilence of the noisome beasts (Ezekiel 14:21,KJV). This pestilence is meant to open the ears of all believers (Job 36:15,KJV). The Lord does not afflict willingly, nor will he cast off forever. He will take the cup of trembling, and put it into the hand of the oppressors (Lamentations 1:21,KJV).
The pestilences will cause news of the covenant message to spread quickly throughout the nations (Revelation 18:10,KJV). They shall look upon the righteous son of God, and mourn for him (Zechariah 12:10,KJV). “He will gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad (John 11:52,KJV).”
“Arise, O God, judge the earth: for thou shalt inherit all nations (Psalms 82:8,KJV).” “Lift up thyself, thou judge of earth: render a reward to the proud (Psalms 94:2,KJV).”
God's word says that when God frames evil against a nation, “If that nation, against whom I have pronounced, turn from their evil, I will repent of the evil that I thought to do unto them (Jeremiah 18:8,KJV).” Our mission is to pray, and help believers turn from the mistakes of their religion and from their religious iniquities, unto the truth of God's word (Jeremiah 26:3,KJV). “Sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly, gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land into the house of the Lord your God, and cry unto the Lord (Joel 1:14,KJV).”
“Fear not the reproach of men… for the moth shall eat them up like a garment, and the worm shall eat them like wool: but my righteousness shall be forever (Isaiah 51:7-8,KJV).”
The mystery of Babylon pertains to Christian rebellion; it is about the leaders of God's house who have lost their focus. They have forgotten that God's people belong unto Lord God. They say, as Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon did, “I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power, and for the honor of my majesty (Daniel 4:30,KJV).” Pestilence will overturn all the mistaken, iniquitous practices of Babylon.
“Flee out of the midst of Babylon, and deliver every man his soul: be not cut off in her iniquity; for it is the time of the Lord’s vengeance; He will render unto her a recompense… Babylon is suddenly fallen and destroyed: howl for her; take balm for her pain, if so be she may be healed. We would have healed Babylon, but she is not healed: forsake her… Her judgment reaches unto heaven, and is lifted up even to the skies. The Lord hath brought forth our righteousness: come, and let us declare in Zion the work of our God (Jeremiah 51:6-10, KJV).”
This understanding was maintained in the King James Version of the bible. Call on the Father who will help to show you the way. To God be the glory, and the victory, for the Lord God Omnipotent reigns!
“God made his own people to go forth like sheep, and guided them in the wilderness like a flock. And he led them on safely, so that they feared not: but the sea overwhelmed their enemies (Psalms 78:52-53,KJV).”
God initiated worship. He gave believers a pattern for the sanctuary, and thereby God inspired the creation of gathering places for his people. The sanctuary was purposed to be a place for sanctifying God's elect, and for bringing glory unto God's name. Misunderstood and misrepresented teachings of God's word, instigated “religion.” Religion scripted rules for acquiring salvation, rules which have held in place for generations. These rules were founded upon God’s word, which is why they are nearly impossible to defeat. End times are about God defeating the rules of religion.
God scripted those verses which separated the religions. He allowed for certain verses to be like stumbling stones, and as stones which could be thrown at one another. These defiant verses produced a need to study his word, and to call upon him for answers. Then the fortitude of God granted salvation based upon covenants. He spoke covenants; knitting them together as one, calling them “the everlasting covenant.” God gave Christ’s flesh, his teachings, as a covenant (John 17:4; Isaiah 49:8,KJV), but equally as important, God poured Christ’s blood out upon all covenants (Zechariah 9:11,KJV). The blood of one spotless lamb, is, “the blood of the everlasting covenant (Hebrews 13:20,KJV).” That means that Jesus' blood is the promised establishment for all of God's covenants: his blood is the believer's assurance that everyone who makes, or has made, an obedient decision to know who God is, and to do his will, will reap eternal rewards. “I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a god unto thee, and to thy seed after thee (Genesis 17:7,KJV).”
Fear of making mistakes strengthened religion; but Christ’s blood triumphs over the power of man's mistakes by establishing salvation that is based upon covenants. The power of God's covenants is evidenced in verses, like, “I will give them one heart, and one way that they may fear me forever (Jeremiah 32:39,KJV),” and, “Cursed be the man that obeys not the words of his covenant (Jeremiah 11:3,KJV).” God allowed the power of his covenants to be misunderstood and to remain elusive until the day that he would release the surprise ending which would not only correct his flock, but it will most assuredly punish the hypocrites (Isaiah 33:14; Jeremiah 23:20,KJV).
Christ’s covenant is elusive. “He will show them his covenant (Psalms 25:14,KJV).” Believers are to accept Christ's yoke, and become his bride. “Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me (Matthew 11:29).” Christ's yoke has to do with his burden, which is to do the work of the Father and to demonstrate godliness to the world, and help others know and believe that God exists. Believers are to take Jesus' yoke upon themselves. This is initiated by vowing to learn of Jesus. Union happens when two of you agree together as one, wherefore believers must keep their vow, and continue to walk together and learn of Jesus, until the two of you become one flesh. Ultimately the words "one flesh" allow that the two of you will be in perfect agreement with the Lord God, and with his word.
Covenants began with Noah. God used an awe-inspiring rainbow to demonstrate that his covenants are forever (Genesis 9:13,KJV)! God gave his people covenants through Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, and ultimately Jesus Christ. He partitioned a separate covenant for the priesthood (Deuteronomy 17:19-20; Joshua 1:8; Malachi 2:8,KJV), and gave believers the promise of a new covenant (Hosea 2:18,KJV). Incidentally, an aloof covenant is revealed in the words “my covenant with them.” Are we privy to an Islamic covenant? (Isaiah 59:21,KJV).
A “perpetual covenant” was written in the ten commandments; Remember the Sabbath Day and keep it Holy (Exodus 31:16,KJV). Could the Sabbath day covenant be God's way of preserving a remnant in every religion? “I will make all my mountains a way (Isaiah 49:11,KJV).”
Let’s consider the massive Jewish crowds and priests which eye witnessed the power, doctrine, and miraculous healings of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ exemplified change, and rattled the Jews of his day by audaciously braking their covenant (John 5:16,KJV). Fear of making mistakes against God, held the Jews captive. Despite the miracles before them, many Jews hoped in the laws of their temple, and Christ was crucified.
Ironically, Jesus' death spared Judaism. The Jewish priests feared, “If we let him thus alone, all men will believe on him (John 11:48,KJV).” Scripture says that the high priest prophesied: that means, God gave him a message for their nation: “One man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not (John 11:50,KJV).” God intentionally preserved Judaism to admonish His children: Religion contains powerful misunderstandings, but God foreordained its mission.
God designated four carpenters to build His house (Zechariah 1:20, KJV). Their assignment was to increase the knowledge of Him. An image in the book of Daniel is purposed to identify these four carpenters (Chapter two). The head of gold announces the first of Abraham’s nations, descendants of Ishmael and Esau that eventually culminated into Islam (Numbers 24:20; Genesis 36:12,KJV). Silver marks Judaism, and brass depicts Christianity (Christ’s feet; Revelation 1:15,KJV). The iron symbolizes God’s rod which was given to the priesthood, categorized separately, because they had no inheritance in the land (Ezekiel 44:28,KJV). God expressly inhabits all four aspects of the image, but is not bound by their practices (Psalms 82:1,KJV). Christ is poised to cast the stone preordained to thresh them all. This will leave one mountain, Mount Zion, wherein God’s house will be established; and all nations shall flow unto it (Isaiah 2:2,KJV).
“When you shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place (Matthew 24:15,KJV).” There it stands, one statue, prepared expressly for you. The religious rules which are presently standing in our pulpits, are not God. God prepared covenants to safely lead his children home. Will you see the abomination of desolation, or choose to follow the dictates? Choosing incorrectly, is abomination. “Behold, ye are nothing, and your work is as nought: an abomination is he that chooseth you (Isaiah 41:24,KJV).”
“Time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God (1Peter 4:17,KJV).” Christians, God is preparing to pour pestilence upon those within the church that have forgotten him (Lamentations 2:6, Daniel 9:27, Ezekiel 7:15, James 5:3,KJV). This is the consequence for not listening to his word, and for not hearing his messengers (Job 31:3, Isaiah 28:21, Jeremiah 29:32,KJV). “Righteousness shall go before him; and shall set us in the way of his steps (Psalms 85:13,KJV).”
The strange act of pouring pestilence upon his people will verify God’s covenant message. Like the pestilence which was poured upon Job, pestilence will be poured upon men who deem themselves innocent. Like the trials of Job, on-lookers will cast cynical accusations upon the afflicted (Psalms 38,KJV). These accusations are a judgment of the Lord God. The accusations are referred to in scripture as the pestilence of the noisome beasts (Ezekiel 14:21,KJV). This pestilence is meant to open the ears of all believers (Job 36:15,KJV). The Lord does not afflict willingly, nor will he cast off forever. He will take the cup of trembling, and put it into the hand of the oppressors (Lamentations 1:21,KJV).
The pestilences will cause news of the covenant message to spread quickly throughout the nations (Revelation 18:10,KJV). They shall look upon the righteous son of God, and mourn for him (Zechariah 12:10,KJV). “He will gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad (John 11:52,KJV).”
“Arise, O God, judge the earth: for thou shalt inherit all nations (Psalms 82:8,KJV).” “Lift up thyself, thou judge of earth: render a reward to the proud (Psalms 94:2,KJV).”
God's word says that when God frames evil against a nation, “If that nation, against whom I have pronounced, turn from their evil, I will repent of the evil that I thought to do unto them (Jeremiah 18:8,KJV).” Our mission is to pray, and help believers turn from the mistakes of their religion and from their religious iniquities, unto the truth of God's word (Jeremiah 26:3,KJV). “Sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly, gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land into the house of the Lord your God, and cry unto the Lord (Joel 1:14,KJV).”
“Fear not the reproach of men… for the moth shall eat them up like a garment, and the worm shall eat them like wool: but my righteousness shall be forever (Isaiah 51:7-8,KJV).”
The mystery of Babylon pertains to Christian rebellion; it is about the leaders of God's house who have lost their focus. They have forgotten that God's people belong unto Lord God. They say, as Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon did, “I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power, and for the honor of my majesty (Daniel 4:30,KJV).” Pestilence will overturn all the mistaken, iniquitous practices of Babylon.
“Flee out of the midst of Babylon, and deliver every man his soul: be not cut off in her iniquity; for it is the time of the Lord’s vengeance; He will render unto her a recompense… Babylon is suddenly fallen and destroyed: howl for her; take balm for her pain, if so be she may be healed. We would have healed Babylon, but she is not healed: forsake her… Her judgment reaches unto heaven, and is lifted up even to the skies. The Lord hath brought forth our righteousness: come, and let us declare in Zion the work of our God (Jeremiah 51:6-10, KJV).”
This understanding was maintained in the King James Version of the bible. Call on the Father who will help to show you the way. To God be the glory, and the victory, for the Lord God Omnipotent reigns!
“God made his own people to go forth like sheep, and guided them in the wilderness like a flock. And he led them on safely, so that they feared not: but the sea overwhelmed their enemies (Psalms 78:52-53,KJV).”
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Opening the Seven Seals of Revelation
“I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard as it were the noise of thunder, one of the beasts saying, Come and see (Revelations 6:1).” Could it be possible that God could have hidden end time truths before the eyes of his people, and somehow they could not see them or find them out? Are people oblivious to the challenges of sealed prophesy? Ask the Rabbis of Christ’s day and see whether or not religion can blind the eyes of its leaders, and know if religion can cause even the most faithful of believers to unwittingly come against the truths of the Lord. Christians need to stay alert to the truths which are written in the book of Daniel, truths which testify that God has sealed portions of his word for the last days (Daniel 12:4). The book of Revelation is a book of scripture which contains impressively sealed prophecies, Come and see.
The seven seals begin their unveiling with the appearance of four horsemen (Revelation chapter six). Notice how these four horsemen gallop forward like unmistakable messengers, proclaiming God’s prophesied end times. When believer's begin to see these events unfolding are they to take note, and increase their readiness?
“Behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering and to conquer (Revelation 6:2).” Tracing, as in this case, the Greek words back to their original text, then pondering the various ways in which those words were translated and used, unveils a sense of God’s intended way of preserving truth for the latter days. God has precisely placed words in scripture in ways which preserved a deeper meaning. The words “conquering” and to “conquer” are one and the same Greek word: nikao. This word was also translated “overcome” and “overcometh,” and it was used in the sentences, “To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life,” “He that overcometh shall not be hurt in the second death.” So the white horse and its rider represent overcomers, as well as conquerers. This is the very same white horse and rider that are depicted in the nineteenth chapter of the Book of Revelation, where they are referred to as: The word of God, Faithful and True, King of Kings, and Lord of Lords! So you see how God used this word "nikao," to discreetly announce that white horse represents believers who have overcome their religious mistakes: “He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son (Revelation 21:7).” The white horse is galloping forth as a messenger for Christ, sent forth to conquer religious inaccuracies. Knowledge is his crown (Proverbs 14:18; Revelation 6:2). The messenger quickly becomes many men, as depicted by those many crowns (Revelation 19:12). God looks upon the white horse and its rider, as one body of messengers.
“There went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given to him a great sword (Revelation 6:4).” The prominent clue, “red,” pertains to Edom, which is Esau (Genesis 25:25); therefore it is a reference to the Islamic faith, because the descendants of Esau birthed the Islamic faith. The prophet Isaiah helped further the association of red with Islamic faith through an exchange he prophesied between the Lord, and Edom. In the exchange the Lord questioned why Islam was traveling in his red apparel, whereas the Lord verified that he trod the winepress alone (Isaiah 63:1-4). In the new testament there were two Greek words which were translated into the word “sword.” The word which was used in this verse, “machaira,” constitutes the weapon, whereas an altogether separate word “rhomphaia” constitutes the sword of the spirit. Consequently, this sword depicts physical battle and struggle. The Greek word in this verse which was translated into the word “kill” was translated “wounded” in the verse “I saw one of his heads wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed (Revelation 13:3).” Put these clues together and it causes believers to perceive that even through battles which cause physical pain and death, God will bring forth health and cure. Witness the message of the Arab spring springing up and racing forward like a horse, taking peace from earth, and marking God’s appointed times.
“I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand (Revelation 6:5).” Be astonished as you discover the black horse galloping out with the message entitled “Occupy Wall Street.” How fair and balanced are the ninety nine percent being treated? This movement is seeking to expose the truth that corruption and financial greed are robbing mankind. Is God marking the appointed times?
“I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed him (Revelation 6:8).” The Greek word for “pale” is “chloros.” Every other time that this word was translated in scripture, it was translated into the word “green.” It was the very word that was used to describe the color of grass (Mark 6:39; Revelation 8:7). In the book of Revelation God commands the pestilence of locusts not to hurt any green thing (Revelation 9:4). Does “pale” or “green” constitute the color of our faces when the counsel of end times is discovered? Could the pale horse represent end time truths in the mouths of the confused? Interestingly, the words "death and hell" as pertaining to the pale horse, are eventually cast into the Lake of fire (Revelation 20:14).
According to scripture the pale horse has power to kill: “Power was given unto them over the forth part of earth, to kill with the sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth (Revelation 6:8).” The Greek word which was translated into the word “kill,” is associated with death, but the word which was translated “sword” is only used in conjunction with an instrument of the mouth (examples: Revelation 1:16; 19:21). Put these clues together and conclude that it is the message which is coming from the mouths of these messengers that is producing these dire consequences. “Be ye afraid of the sword: for wrath bringeth the punishments of the sword, that you may know there is judgment (Job 19:29).”
The fifth seal conveys a different message. “I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: And they cried in a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? And white robes were given to every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellow-servants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled (Revelation 6:9-11).”
The first helpful clue concerning the fifth seal is found in the Greek word which was translated into the word “under.” God strategically placed this word in ways which conclude that those who are under the altar are religiously deceived and confused persons who are waiting for God to rise up and verify the truths of end times. Two examples of ways in which this word was used, include, “Now you see not yet all things put under him (Hebrews 2:8),” and again, “There appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet (Revelation 12:1).” Another interesting clue is discovered by analyzing the way that the Greek word “sphazo” was used. In the verse concerning the fifth seal, the word "sphazo" was translated into the word “slain.” This word was used to describe the sacrifices of Christ, for instance, “worthy is the lamb that was slain.” This word was also used to represent the ultimate sacrifice of God’s people, saying, the blood of the prophets and of all the saints slain, is found in Babylon (Revelation 18:24); And finally, this word was translated into the word “kill” and was used in connection with the red horse, “they should kill one another” (Revelation 5:12; 6:4; 18:24). If these clues are studied collectively, the evidence suggests that the people that are under the altar are believers who have given their lives for the word of God: and more concisely, they are the faithful believers, even confused and deceived believers, who are ready, and anxiously waiting for God to confirm the truth of his word.
Has God hidden faithful Muslims under the altar? Are they waiting to be avenged, and to receive their white robes? When the sixth seal is broken, an earthquake moment ensues, and all of heaven will find out God's answer to this question. “Yet once more I shake not earth only, but also heaven (Hebrews 12:26).”
“Write the vision, and make it plain… for the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak (Habakkuk 2:2-3).”
The seven seals begin their unveiling with the appearance of four horsemen (Revelation chapter six). Notice how these four horsemen gallop forward like unmistakable messengers, proclaiming God’s prophesied end times. When believer's begin to see these events unfolding are they to take note, and increase their readiness?
“Behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering and to conquer (Revelation 6:2).” Tracing, as in this case, the Greek words back to their original text, then pondering the various ways in which those words were translated and used, unveils a sense of God’s intended way of preserving truth for the latter days. God has precisely placed words in scripture in ways which preserved a deeper meaning. The words “conquering” and to “conquer” are one and the same Greek word: nikao. This word was also translated “overcome” and “overcometh,” and it was used in the sentences, “To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life,” “He that overcometh shall not be hurt in the second death.” So the white horse and its rider represent overcomers, as well as conquerers. This is the very same white horse and rider that are depicted in the nineteenth chapter of the Book of Revelation, where they are referred to as: The word of God, Faithful and True, King of Kings, and Lord of Lords! So you see how God used this word "nikao," to discreetly announce that white horse represents believers who have overcome their religious mistakes: “He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son (Revelation 21:7).” The white horse is galloping forth as a messenger for Christ, sent forth to conquer religious inaccuracies. Knowledge is his crown (Proverbs 14:18; Revelation 6:2). The messenger quickly becomes many men, as depicted by those many crowns (Revelation 19:12). God looks upon the white horse and its rider, as one body of messengers.
“There went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given to him a great sword (Revelation 6:4).” The prominent clue, “red,” pertains to Edom, which is Esau (Genesis 25:25); therefore it is a reference to the Islamic faith, because the descendants of Esau birthed the Islamic faith. The prophet Isaiah helped further the association of red with Islamic faith through an exchange he prophesied between the Lord, and Edom. In the exchange the Lord questioned why Islam was traveling in his red apparel, whereas the Lord verified that he trod the winepress alone (Isaiah 63:1-4). In the new testament there were two Greek words which were translated into the word “sword.” The word which was used in this verse, “machaira,” constitutes the weapon, whereas an altogether separate word “rhomphaia” constitutes the sword of the spirit. Consequently, this sword depicts physical battle and struggle. The Greek word in this verse which was translated into the word “kill” was translated “wounded” in the verse “I saw one of his heads wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed (Revelation 13:3).” Put these clues together and it causes believers to perceive that even through battles which cause physical pain and death, God will bring forth health and cure. Witness the message of the Arab spring springing up and racing forward like a horse, taking peace from earth, and marking God’s appointed times.
“I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand (Revelation 6:5).” Be astonished as you discover the black horse galloping out with the message entitled “Occupy Wall Street.” How fair and balanced are the ninety nine percent being treated? This movement is seeking to expose the truth that corruption and financial greed are robbing mankind. Is God marking the appointed times?
“I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed him (Revelation 6:8).” The Greek word for “pale” is “chloros.” Every other time that this word was translated in scripture, it was translated into the word “green.” It was the very word that was used to describe the color of grass (Mark 6:39; Revelation 8:7). In the book of Revelation God commands the pestilence of locusts not to hurt any green thing (Revelation 9:4). Does “pale” or “green” constitute the color of our faces when the counsel of end times is discovered? Could the pale horse represent end time truths in the mouths of the confused? Interestingly, the words "death and hell" as pertaining to the pale horse, are eventually cast into the Lake of fire (Revelation 20:14).
According to scripture the pale horse has power to kill: “Power was given unto them over the forth part of earth, to kill with the sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth (Revelation 6:8).” The Greek word which was translated into the word “kill,” is associated with death, but the word which was translated “sword” is only used in conjunction with an instrument of the mouth (examples: Revelation 1:16; 19:21). Put these clues together and conclude that it is the message which is coming from the mouths of these messengers that is producing these dire consequences. “Be ye afraid of the sword: for wrath bringeth the punishments of the sword, that you may know there is judgment (Job 19:29).”
The fifth seal conveys a different message. “I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: And they cried in a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? And white robes were given to every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellow-servants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled (Revelation 6:9-11).”
The first helpful clue concerning the fifth seal is found in the Greek word which was translated into the word “under.” God strategically placed this word in ways which conclude that those who are under the altar are religiously deceived and confused persons who are waiting for God to rise up and verify the truths of end times. Two examples of ways in which this word was used, include, “Now you see not yet all things put under him (Hebrews 2:8),” and again, “There appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet (Revelation 12:1).” Another interesting clue is discovered by analyzing the way that the Greek word “sphazo” was used. In the verse concerning the fifth seal, the word "sphazo" was translated into the word “slain.” This word was used to describe the sacrifices of Christ, for instance, “worthy is the lamb that was slain.” This word was also used to represent the ultimate sacrifice of God’s people, saying, the blood of the prophets and of all the saints slain, is found in Babylon (Revelation 18:24); And finally, this word was translated into the word “kill” and was used in connection with the red horse, “they should kill one another” (Revelation 5:12; 6:4; 18:24). If these clues are studied collectively, the evidence suggests that the people that are under the altar are believers who have given their lives for the word of God: and more concisely, they are the faithful believers, even confused and deceived believers, who are ready, and anxiously waiting for God to confirm the truth of his word.
Has God hidden faithful Muslims under the altar? Are they waiting to be avenged, and to receive their white robes? When the sixth seal is broken, an earthquake moment ensues, and all of heaven will find out God's answer to this question. “Yet once more I shake not earth only, but also heaven (Hebrews 12:26).”
“Write the vision, and make it plain… for the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak (Habakkuk 2:2-3).”
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