The Scoundrel

Wednesday, November 30, 2011, 3:51 p.m. – The song, “Muted Trumpet,” was going through my mind. I had a sense that the Lord wanted to speak to me through his word, so I picked up my Bible and continued reading where I had left off reading last. I prayed, “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening,” and then I read Isaiah 32:

The Kingdom of Righteousness

1 See, a king will reign in righteousness
and rulers will rule with justice.
2 Each man will be like a shelter from the wind
and a refuge from the storm,
like streams of water in the desert
and the shadow of a great rock in a thirsty land.
3 Then the eyes of those who see will no longer be closed,
and the ears of those who hear will listen.
4 The mind of the rash will know and understand,
and the stammering tongue will be fluent and clear.
5 No longer will the fool be called noble
nor the scoundrel be highly respected.
6 For the fool speaks folly,
his mind is busy with evil:
He practices ungodliness
and spreads error concerning the LORD;
the hungry he leaves empty
and from the thirsty he withholds water.
7 The scoundrel’s methods are wicked,
he makes up evil schemes
to destroy the poor with lies,
even when the plea of the needy is just.
8 But the noble man makes noble plans,
and by noble deeds he stands.

My Understanding: I like happy beginnings!! It sure is nice to read about Jesus Christ, our King, reigning in righteousness and having rulers who rule with justice, and reading about people caring and loving and protecting one another, instead of all these messages about judgment, destruction, wickedness, deceit, lies, adultery, betrayal, treachery, and a traitor who betrays his own nation. It is so nice to have a message about a refuge in a storm and streams of water flowing and having our thirsts for God satisfied completely with his abiding presence in person – face to face. Oh, how wonderful that will be! How my soul longs for such a day when we no longer have to fight off the evil one and his hordes that come against us to attack us, but we will be at perfect peace and rest in God’s eternal kingdom.

I love reading about how the eyes of those who had once been blind will now be able to have spiritual eyes to see the things of God, which their darkened minds had kept them from seeing before. I love hearing messages about how the spiritually deaf, who had previously refused God’s messages, would now have their ears open to be receptive to hear God’s voice speaking to them. I love hearing and reading about how one day the mind of the rash will know and understand all that God had been trying to teach him or her. And, I delight in knowing that one day soon the stammering tongue will be fluent and clear.

These are wonderful truths and promises for those who love God and who have been called according to his purpose. And, all this will happen one day when Jesus Christ returns for his bride and we reign with him on the earth for 1,000 years and then when we are with him forever in glory. Who doesn’t want to hear such awesome messages of hope, healing and restoration? I certainly do!!

A Wicked Time

Yet, the Bible teaches that before that glorious and wonderful day can be fulfilled, a very wicked and evil time, more evil than we can possibly imagine, will be upon the earth. This will be a time when everything will be turned upside down, for evil will truly rule the earth. I believe that time is getting very close. During this time the fool will be called noble and the scoundrel will be highly respected. The fool will speak with folly, for his mind is busy with evil. He practices ungodliness and he spreads error concerning the Lord. The spiritually hungry he leaves empty and from the spiritually thirsty he withholds the waters of living water. The scoundrel’s methods are so evil and wicked. He makes up evil schemes to destroy the innocent with lies. I believe God is showing me that this kind of evil is going on right now in our churches and families and government in the USA.

Even when the plea of the innocent (needy; poor in spirit) is just, the scoundrel still goes about to destroy the innocent with his lies and deception and false and trumped up charges against the innocent in order to get rid of those who stand as a threat against evil, i.e. this is primarily talking about evil men (and women) plotting the deaths and demise of God’s chosen ones, his bride, his saints who are his lights in this dark world. Remember that the Bible says that men love darkness rather than light because their deeds are evil. Yet, God will bring them into the light of his judgment where all their evil deeds will be exposed and they will be shown for what they are. I believe there are lives right now in the USA that are in danger of being put away and out of sight and/or killed or falsely accused with trumped up and made-up evidence, because they expose the evil deeds of darkness, and the evildoers do not want their evil deeds exposed. So, they are plotting evil on their beds in order to conquer those who would expose them as the liars, thieves, deceivers, manipulators, plotters of evil, murderers, and adulterers that they truly are.

But the noble man makes noble plans, and by noble deeds he stands!! Amen!! His day will come when he will be with his Lord forever in the messianic kingdom reign of Christ. Nonetheless, the scoundrel, unless he repents of his sin, will face the fires of hell for eternity. This is a sober thought, but one we cannot deny or skirt around. We serve a loving God, but he is also a righteous and just God and he will not leave the guilty unpunished. Yet, if the evil man or woman repents of their evil ways and evil deeds, God’s grace is sufficient to save them and to bring them safely into his eternal kingdom, because it is by God’s grace that we are saved, and not of ourselves; not of our own fleshly works lest any man should boast and take pride in his own salvation, thinking that he did something to earn this grace of God. None of us are deserving of God’s grace. We have all sinned and have fallen short of the relationship with God that he originally designed for man to have with his creator in perfect fellowship. Yet, Jesus Christ became our perfect sacrificial Lamb to pay the price for our sins with his life and his blood on a cruel cross so we could go free.

Muted Trumpet / An Original Work / October 14, 2011

Softly He speaks gently to us,
Giving us His messages, and
He waits patiently for us to
Respond to His words.
Will you listen to Him speaking?
Will you waken from your sleeping?
He is calling; hear Him whisper
His truth unto you.

Jesus speaks His words unto us,
So that He might live out through us,
Giving light to all who need Him,
So they can obey.
He gave His life to die for us,
So that from sin He would free us
To walk humbly in obedience
Unto Him each day.

Hear the trumpet clearly calling.
He died to keep us from falling.
Won’t you listen; heed His call to
Turn to Him today?
Hasten to Him calling to you.
Turn from sin and follow Jesus.
He loves you so much He gave you
Life eternally.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0iizyIw0KM

The Dogwood

Wednesday, November 30, 2011, 5:42 p.m. – The song, “To My Beloved,” is now (at 6:45 p.m.) playing in my mind. I was praying and resting my eyes when I had a vision.

THE VISION: I was standing in our driveway, I believe, on the right side (the passenger side) of my husband’s truck, which is a black GM vehicle. I felt as though something had been missing from the truck, but now it was back. I looked inside the window from the outside of the passenger window. I saw what looked like a dead dogwood tree, with just a few remaining leaves on it that were ash color.

Then, the tree transformed into a dog that was also this ash color (a dirty white) – the same color as the leaves on the tree. The dog was stiff (dead) just like the tree, almost as though it was a statue. The dog was standing on its hind legs with its forelegs raised up to where it was almost in an upright position, but still bent over.

The tree appeared to either be front and center in this vehicle or else it had been in the driver’s seat. The dog was definitely front and center and was facing the rear of the vehicle. Then the dog turned into a live dog. It looked like an American Cocker Spaniel. It was that same ash (dirty white) color of the leaves on the tree and the dog that was like a statue. It was in the same front and center position as the stiff (statue) dog, with forelegs raised in the air while standing on its hind legs and with it facing the rear of the vehicle, as well. The dog was moving its forelegs back and forth in a very fast motion, sometimes in a forward motion and sometimes like it was pedaling a bike backwards. The dog appeared to be just kicking the air, i.e. like it was just spinning its wheels, perhaps trying to look like it was doing something when it wasn’t, like in a stall tactic, or like it was pretending to do something while it was actually doing something else, like in a cover-up of some kind. END

Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. I read Isaiah 33:

Distress and Help

1 Woe to you, O destroyer,
you who have not been destroyed!
Woe to you, O traitor,
you who have not been betrayed!
When you stop destroying,
you will be destroyed;
when you stop betraying,
you will be betrayed.
2 O LORD, be gracious to us;
we long for you.
Be our strength every morning,
our salvation in time of distress.
3 At the thunder of your voice, the peoples flee;
when you rise up, the nations scatter.
4 Your plunder, O nations, is harvested as by young locusts;
like a swarm of locusts men pounce on it.

5 The LORD is exalted, for he dwells on high;
he will fill Zion with justice and righteousness.
6 He will be the sure foundation for your times,
a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge;
the fear of the LORD is the key to this treasure.

7 Look, their brave men cry aloud in the streets;
the envoys of peace weep bitterly.
8 The highways are deserted,
no travelers are on the roads.
The treaty is broken,
its witnesses are despised,
no one is respected.
9 The land mourns and wastes away,
Lebanon is ashamed and withers;
Sharon is like the Arabah,
and Bashan and Carmel drop their leaves.

10 “Now will I arise,” says the LORD.
“Now will I be exalted;
now will I be lifted up.
11 You conceive chaff,
you give birth to straw;
your breath is a fire that consumes you.
12 The peoples will be burned as if to lime;
like cut thornbushes they will be set ablaze.”

13 You who are far away, hear what I have done;
you who are near, acknowledge my power!
14 The sinners in Zion are terrified;
trembling grips the godless:
“Who of us can dwell with the consuming fire?
Who of us can dwell with everlasting burning?”
15 He who walks righteously
and speaks what is right,
who rejects gain from extortion
and keeps his hand from accepting bribes,
who stops his ears against plots of murder
and shuts his eyes against contemplating evil—
16 this is the man who will dwell on the heights,
whose refuge will be the mountain fortress.
His bread will be supplied,
and water will not fail him.

17 Your eyes will see the king in his beauty
and view a land that stretches afar.
18 In your thoughts you will ponder the former terror:
“Where is that chief officer?
Where is the one who took the revenue?
Where is the officer in charge of the towers?”
19 You will see those arrogant people no more,
those people of an obscure speech,
with their strange, incomprehensible tongue.

20 Look upon Zion, the city of our festivals;
your eyes will see Jerusalem,
a peaceful abode, a tent that will not be moved;
its stakes will never be pulled up,
nor any of its ropes broken.
21 There the LORD will be our Mighty One.
It will be like a place of broad rivers and streams.
No galley with oars will ride them,
no mighty ship will sail them.
22 For the LORD is our judge,
the LORD is our lawgiver,
the LORD is our king;
it is he who will save us.

23 Your rigging hangs loose:
The mast is not held secure,
the sail is not spread.
Then an abundance of spoils will be divided
and even the lame will carry off plunder.
24 No one living in Zion will say, “I am ill”;
and the sins of those who dwell there will be forgiven.

My Understanding: As soon as I read the first few sentences of this passage of scripture, I knew the Lord was talking about this tree (kingdom), dead dog (government) and live dog (the American Cocker Spaniel) that was flapping its legs in the air like a bird flapping its wings but not flying any place. Somehow this action of this live dog translated into a destroyer, a traitor, and a betrayer. The dog was front and center inside this GM black truck. Many people commonly refer to General Motors as Government Motors, so I believe that was the implication here, as well.

This truck was representing the US government. The one front and center should be the president of the USA – our commander and chief. The tree would represent our nation (kingdom) and the dead dog (like a statue) perhaps our official government, which is now dead as this tree is dead. So, the live Cocker Spaniel thus represents new and fresh leadership that is now taking over our nation and government. All three were dogs, i.e. false prophets; false teachers; and wicked servants.

Isaiah expresses a “woe” to the destroyer, the traitor and the one who betrays. When he stopped his betrayal and destruction then God would allow for him to be betrayed and destroyed. From this Isaiah entered into a plea to God to be gracious to us for we long for our God. It is a prayer to God, asking him to give us strength each morning; our salvation in times of distress. And, then Isaiah described what sounded like judgment of God on this traitor and betrayer of the people – the people who had placed their trust in his (or her) leadership. The plunder that the traitor took would be harvested by locusts. Then, the Lord would be exalted and he would fill Zion (his saints) with justice and righteousness. He will be our sure foundation – a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge, for the fear of the LORD is the key to this treasure.

Then Isaiah gives us an even deeper understanding of this betrayal. A treaty is broken. I see two possible treaties here in relation to the USA – 1) The constitution and Bill of Rights of the US government are now broken or soon will be, as I saw this through a window (a vision), which means we will no longer have our rights we once held dear, and 2) The covenant relationship with God that our leaders had when they took the oath of office to protect the people of the USA will also be broken as we now come under new command. This is what has been taking place in the nations of the world one conquer at a time and it is now or soon will be our time, as well. It is inevitable that we should come to this because of the pride and arrogance of our nation, the lies, deceit, and all the taking of human life.

The scripture said that in the breaking of the treaty, its witnesses are despised. I believe this has a connotation of the treaty (covenant relationship) between God and man through his Son Jesus Christ, and that the one breaking the treaty once claimed, at least, to be a child of God. Or, this can refer to the fact that our nation has made claims to being a Christian nation founded on Christian principles. We have printed on our money, “In God We Trust,” and our pledge to the US flag says, “One nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.” So, this is breaking treaty with God and with men. The witnesses then, I believe, would be those who are proclaiming the whole gospel of Jesus Christ, who are calling men to repent of their sins, and who are calling men to walk in holiness and purity and in obedience to Jesus Christ. They will now be despised. Respect for human life is gone.

The land mourns and wastes away, the kingdom is ashamed and withers like the leaves on the dogwood tree that were withered and nearly gone. The dead tree turned into a dead dog (dead government) which then turned into a live dog (new leadership), which comes about as a result of this betrayal of those of our own (American Cocker Spaniel) people, which is part of this new government.

When this takes place, then God will say, I believe, “Now will I arise; now will I be exalted; now will I be lifted up.” God will declare and carry out judgment on our nation. The “sinners” in Zion (the church), i.e. those who have been unfaithful to God, will be terrified at the judgment of God. Most of them in America are like the church of Laodicea or the people of Noah’s time right before the flood who are drinking and partying and having a good time without a care in the world thinking that God would never judge America. After all, we are a Christian nation and are blessed by God and our soldiers are really in these other nations to protect our freedoms, so that is why we continually, as a people, honor and praise our government and military for “protecting” our “freedoms,” all the while traitors within our own gates (American citizens) are betraying their own brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, children, parents, etc. The Bible prophesied about a time such as this. So, God is calling to the world to hear what he has done and to those near to acknowledge his power when he comes in judgment upon the United States of America.

Then, Isaiah asked the questions: “Who can dwell with the consuming fire? Who of us can dwell with everlasting burning?” The answer: He who walks righteously and speaks what is right, who rejects gain and extortion and keeps his hand from accepting bribes, who stops his ears against plots of murder and shuts his eyes against contemplating evil – this is the man who will dwell on the heights, whose refuge will be God, basically. This does not mean that the righteous will not die in this judgment, but that they will be passed over in God’s judgment as far as who is able to enter his heaven and who will spend eternity in hell. The obvious implication here is that the traitor and the betrayer is not one who will escape the fires of hell, as he did participate in all this evil, even plots to murder his own family.

Those who walk uprightly, though, and who speak what is right, and who do not invite evil into their lives will see the King (Jesus Christ) in his beauty. God will deliver those who are upright and will bring them safely into his kingdom. There they will no longer have to fear the former terror. Then the question is asked: “Where is that chief officer? Where is the one who took the revenue? Where is the officer in charge of the towers?” You will see the arrogant people no more. This is speaking of this dog tree, the dead dog and/or the live dog. Those American citizens who betrayed their own people will be no more. The upright will see the new Jerusalem; the heavenly Jerusalem, which will be a peaceful abode; a dwelling place that will not be moved or uprooted. There the Lord God will be our chief officer; our judge; our lawgiver; our king; our salvation. Amen! Hallelujah!

To My Beloved / An Original Work / November 14, 2011

Based off I Pet. 5:6-9; Eph. 6:10-20; Jms. 4:4-10

Be strong in the grace of Christ, and
Put on His full armor in your fight
Against the enemy of your souls,
And resist him with all your might.
Take up the shield of your faith within you.
Salvation’s helmet – you put it on.
Put on the belt of truth,
And walk in the Spirit,
And you’ll not be ashamed.
Love your Lord Jesus; call His Name.

Call on your Lord and Savior, Jesus, and
Make Him Lord and King of your hearts.
Obey all of His teachings He has given
To you to follow in all His ways.
Repent of your sins. Return to your God.
Follow Him where’er He leads you now.
Humble yourselves in full
Surrender to His will
For your lives today.
Bow before Him, and humbly pray.

Be strong in the grace of Christ, and
Obey your Lord in ev’rything, always
Keeping His teachings in your hearts near you.
Walk with Christ in ev’ry way.
Resist the devil. He will flee from you.
Draw near to God, and He’ll be near you.
Wash your hands you sinners
And double minded.
Weep and wail o’er sin.
With Christ, your new lives begin.

http://youtu.be/PLMZdBxhE3I

An Alien Power

Wednesday, November 30, 2011, 1:07 p.m. – I was praying through some things going on in my life when the Lord brought this song to mind, “Jesus, Rescue Me.” Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. I read Isaiah 31:

Woe to Those Who Rely on Egypt

1 Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help,
who rely on horses,
who trust in the multitude of their chariots
and in the great strength of their horsemen,
but do not look to the Holy One of Israel,
or seek help from the LORD.
2 Yet he too is wise and can bring disaster;
he does not take back his words.
He will rise up against the house of the wicked,
against those who help evildoers.
3 But the Egyptians are men and not God;
their horses are flesh and not spirit.
When the LORD stretches out his hand,
he who helps will stumble,
he who is helped will fall;
both will perish together.
4 This is what the LORD says to me:

“As a lion growls,
a great lion over his prey—
and though a whole band of shepherds
is called together against him,
he is not frightened by their shouts
or disturbed by their clamor—
so the LORD Almighty will come down
to do battle on Mount Zion and on its heights.
5 Like birds hovering overhead,
the LORD Almighty will shield Jerusalem;
he will shield it and deliver it,
he will ‘pass over’ it and will rescue it.”

6 Return to him you have so greatly revolted against, O Israelites. 7 For in that day every one of you will reject the idols of silver and gold your sinful hands have made.

8 “Assyria will fall by a sword that is not of man;
a sword, not of mortals, will devour them.
They will flee before the sword
and their young men will be put to forced labor.
9 Their stronghold will fall because of terror;
at sight of the battle standard their commanders will panic,”
declares the LORD,
whose fire is in Zion,
whose furnace is in Jerusalem.

My Understanding: Evidently, Hezekiah was now king of Israel. Like Ahaz, who was before him, he was seeking an alliance with “an alien power” (Zondervan NIV Commentary), “instead of encouraging his people to put their trust in the Lord. In so doing, he showed he had failed to learn from history…” The words “an alien power” stood out to me from the writing of this commentary. I know he was speaking of another nation, yet in all practical application of these truths in Isaiah 31 to today, I saw another meaning of “alien power:”

Revelation 13:1-8:

And the dragon stood on the shore of the sea.

And I saw a beast coming out of the sea. He had ten horns and seven heads, with ten crowns on his horns, and on each head a blasphemous name. 2 The beast I saw resembled a leopard, but had feet like those of a bear and a mouth like that of a lion. The dragon gave the beast his power and his throne and great authority. 3 One of the heads of the beast seemed to have had a fatal wound, but the fatal wound had been healed. The whole world was astonished and followed the beast. 4 Men worshiped the dragon because he had given authority to the beast, and they also worshiped the beast and asked, “Who is like the beast? Who can make war against him?”

5 The beast was given a mouth to utter proud words and blasphemies and to exercise his authority for forty-two months. 6 He opened his mouth to blaspheme God, and to slander his name and his dwelling place and those who live in heaven. 7 He was given power to make war against the saints and to conquer them. And he was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation. 8 All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast—all whose names have not been written in the book of life belonging to the Lamb that was slain from the creation of the world.

Revelation 16:12-14:

The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up to prepare the way for the kings from the East. Then I saw three evil spirits that looked like frogs; they came out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet. They are spirits of demons performing miraculous signs, and they go out to the kings of the whole world, to gather them for the battle on the great day of God Almighty.

Blind Followers

When we put our trust in man over God; when we trust in our own human understanding and resources over the wisdom and provisions of God; when we trust in human knowledge over divine wisdom; when we are blind followers of man, gullible, and believe everything he tells us and/or everything we hear or read in the news, or what we hear coming from the mouths of our political and/or religious leaders without questioning if what they are saying fits with the teachings of scripture and/or with the nature of God (as revealed in scripture and in God’s mighty acts), then we set ourselves up to make an alliance with this “alien power” of Revelation 13 & 16.

We may have been so indoctrinated from childhood in both public school (and/or private school) and church to blindly follow our leaders, in particular the US government and military. We believed whatever they told us in history books without questioning whether or not it is true. We took our shots without questioning what they were injecting into our bodies. And, many still are following and are believing their made-up stories today. So, when we choose to follow men and to place our trust in them to make a better world for us, instead of putting our trust in the Lord, then we are setting ourselves up for a fall BIG TIME! The prophecies of scripture concerning these last days before the return of Christ are real. They are not made up, I guarantee it! And, if we keep our blinders on and believe everything we hear without checking out the source to see if it is really true, then we will be easy prey for aligning ourselves with this “alien power”.

“Yet he too is wise and can bring disaster” is a statement of God dripping with sarcasm. He was letting them know that, even though these “wise men” of the world had mocked God’s wisdom and didn’t believe these prophecies concerning judgment, God was a God of his word and he will do what he said he would do. He does not take back his words. He will rise up against the house of the wicked (in the government and/or in the church). He will come against the evildoers and he will come against those who help (aid; support) the evildoers by giving them their heart devotion, faith, allegiance, etc. And, then God reminds us that these men with whom we align ourselves instead of putting our trust in God are not God but are merely men. Yet, from childhood we were taught to place our country’s leaders in almost god-like status, as heroes of the faith, as the sought after, and we were taught to follow them blindly without question, and this still goes on in the church today. Oh, what a great deception of Satan that he has birthed in the church my entire life! The Bible warns us to come out from her (Babylon) so that we don’t share in her many sins.

The “lion” being spoken of here appears, by the context, to be speaking of God/Jesus Christ as the “Lion of Judah.” He is coming in judgment against the false shepherds of God’s sheep. Even though a whole band of shepherds is called together against God (and his true servants), he is not frightened by their shouts or disturbed by their clamor. He will come down and will do battle with them on “Mount Zion,” which is now a reference to the City of God; the kingdom of God; the true church of Jesus Christ. He will fight for his church because she has been led astray by these false shepherds of the people. So, in a strange kind of way, the judgments of God that will literally bring about many of our deaths will in fact be God’s means of mercy to his people in rescuing them spiritually from the false religion of man, so that they do place their trust in the one true God, Jesus Christ.

A picture is given here of God’s deliverance of his people out of bondage to slavery in Egypt and his taking them through the trials of the wilderness safely into the Promised Land. This is a prefiguring of God’s salvation for his people today, i.e. the Israelites had to have the blood of a sacrificial animal sprinkled on their doors so that when God brought the judgment of death of the firstborn sons in Egypt that the houses with the blood on the door would be passed over and would be rescued from this judgment. In the same way, Jesus Christ was our sacrificial Lamb for our sins by dying on the cross for our sins and then in being resurrected to life in conquering death, hell, Satan and sin for you and for me. So, when God sees the blood of Christ sprinkled on the doors of our lives because we, by God’s grace and through faith, repented of our sins and turned to walk in obedience to Jesus Christ, he will pass over us in the judgment that decides whether we go to heaven or to hell, and that is how God will rescue us.

Romans 7:24-25a:

What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!

Then Isaiah gave the call of God to man –

“Return to him you have so greatly revolted against, O Israelites. For in that day every one of you will reject the idols of silver and gold your sinful hands have made.”

Then, God said, through Isaiah, that they would fall by a sword that is not of man; a sword, not of mortals, will devour them. This takes me back to Revelation. This is a spiritual battle for our souls, not a battle of human weapons against human flesh. The real battle is for Satan to steal the hearts and minds of man away from God, and so God will send his judgment in order to “rescue” those who are his from falling further into deception and thus into taking the mark of this beast. So, wake up church! Stop believing everything you hear that you think is from a reliable source. Check it out! See if it makes sense. Many liars and deceivers are among us who would try to get us to believe their lies and to pull us away from pure devotion to God Almighty. That is why this passage says that when this “sword” comes against them that they will flee (give up; lose faith; deny Christ) and they will be brought back into slavery of the evil one because they gave way to fear instead of taking on their spiritual armor God has supplied us to stand against the forces of evil. So stand!

Jesus, Rescue Me / An Original Work / September 18, 2011

Based off of Romans 7:7-8:39

Jesus, rescue me today.
Listen while I bow and pray.
I need Your help to obey You;
Live for You always.
Meet me in my hour of need, Lord,
As I pray to You.
Help me walk in fellowship, Lord,
Living in Your truth.
Jesus, how I long for You to
Change my heart anew.

Father, God, my heart’s desire
Is to live for You this hour
In Your Holy Spirit’s power
Living in me now.
Teach me to walk in Your love, Lord,
Guiding me each day.
Help me to show love and kindness
To the lost, I pray.
Father, teach me to love others
As You love always.

Holy Spirit come in pow’r.
Revive our hearts in this hour.
Change our hearts to be like You, Lord;
Live for You each day.
Help us to forsake our sins, Lord,
As we humbly pray.
Teach us how to live for You, Lord,
Obey You always.
Holy Spirit come in power,
Revive us today.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSILqpD-WJA

Obstinate Children

Wednesday, November 30, 2011, 6:12 a.m. – The song, “I Will Uphold You,” was playing in my mind when I awoke this morning. Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. I read Isaiah 30 (NIV ’84):

Woe to the Obstinate Nation

1 “Woe to the obstinate children,”
declares the LORD,
“to those who carry out plans that are not mine,
forming an alliance, but not by my Spirit,
heaping sin upon sin;
2 who go down to Egypt
without consulting me;
who look for help to Pharaoh’s protection,
to Egypt’s shade for refuge.
3 But Pharaoh’s protection will be to your shame,
Egypt’s shade will bring you disgrace.
4 Though they have officials in Zoan
and their envoys have arrived in Hanes,
5 everyone will be put to shame
because of a people useless to them,
who bring neither help nor advantage,
but only shame and disgrace.”
6 An oracle concerning the animals of the Negev:

Through a land of hardship and distress,
of lions and lionesses,
of adders and darting snakes,
the envoys carry their riches on donkeys’ backs,
their treasures on the humps of camels,
to that unprofitable nation,
7 to Egypt, whose help is utterly useless.
Therefore I call her
Rahab the Do-Nothing.

8 Go now, write it on a tablet for them,
inscribe it on a scroll,
that for the days to come
it may be an everlasting witness.
9 These are rebellious people, deceitful children,
children unwilling to listen to the LORD’s instruction.
10 They say to the seers,
“See no more visions!”
and to the prophets,
“Give us no more visions of what is right!
Tell us pleasant things,
prophesy illusions.
11 Leave this way,
get off this path,
and stop confronting us
with the Holy One of Israel!”

12 Therefore, this is what the Holy One of Israel says:

“Because you have rejected this message,
relied on oppression
and depended on deceit,
13 this sin will become for you
like a high wall, cracked and bulging,
that collapses suddenly, in an instant.
14 It will break in pieces like pottery,
shattered so mercilessly
that among its pieces not a fragment will be found
for taking coals from a hearth
or scooping water out of a cistern.”

15 This is what the Sovereign LORD, the Holy One of Israel, says:

“In repentance and rest is your salvation,
in quietness and trust is your strength,
but you would have none of it.
16 You said, ‘No, we will flee on horses.’
Therefore you will flee!
You said, ‘We will ride off on swift horses.’
Therefore your pursuers will be swift!
17 A thousand will flee
at the threat of one;
at the threat of five
you will all flee away,
till you are left
like a flagstaff on a mountaintop,
like a banner on a hill.”

18 Yet the LORD longs to be gracious to you;
he rises to show you compassion.
For the LORD is a God of justice.
Blessed are all who wait for him!

19 O people of Zion, who live in Jerusalem, you will weep no more. How gracious he will be when you cry for help! As soon as he hears, he will answer you. 20 Although the Lord gives you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, your teachers will be hidden no more; with your own eyes you will see them. 21 Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.” 22 Then you will defile your idols overlaid with silver and your images covered with gold; you will throw them away like a menstrual cloth and say to them, “Away with you!”

23 He will also send you rain for the seed you sow in the ground, and the food that comes from the land will be rich and plentiful. In that day your cattle will graze in broad meadows. 24 The oxen and donkeys that work the soil will eat fodder and mash, spread out with fork and shovel. 25 In the day of great slaughter, when the towers fall, streams of water will flow on every high mountain and every lofty hill. 26 The moon will shine like the sun, and the sunlight will be seven times brighter, like the light of seven full days, when the LORD binds up the bruises of his people and heals the wounds he inflicted.

27 See, the Name of the LORD comes from afar,
with burning anger and dense clouds of smoke;
his lips are full of wrath,
and his tongue is a consuming fire.
28 His breath is like a rushing torrent,
rising up to the neck.
He shakes the nations in the sieve of destruction;
he places in the jaws of the peoples
a bit that leads them astray.
29 And you will sing
as on the night you celebrate a holy festival;
your hearts will rejoice
as when people go up with flutes
to the mountain of the LORD,
to the Rock of Israel.
30 The LORD will cause men to hear his majestic voice
and will make them see his arm coming down
with raging anger and consuming fire,
with cloudburst, thunderstorm and hail.
31 The voice of the LORD will shatter Assyria;
with his scepter he will strike them down.
32 Every stroke the LORD lays on them
with his punishing rod
will be to the music of tambourines and harps,
as he fights them in battle with the blows of his arm.
33 Topheth has long been prepared;
it has been made ready for the king.
Its fire pit has been made deep and wide,
with an abundance of fire and wood;
the breath of the LORD,
like a stream of burning sulfur,
sets it ablaze.

My Understanding: Lately I have noticed how what the Lord teaches me through his word each day builds one message upon another upon another. In other words, this message from Isaiah 30 today is just a continuance of what he has been teaching me in the days and weeks, months or even years previously. I believe the “obstinate nation” the Lord is addressing today is the United States of America, at least the one to which he is speaking to me about, since that is where I live. Yet, the nation he spoke of in Isaiah 30 was not just a physical nation of people but it was a spiritual nation, i.e. these were the people of God, so, although I believe these truths are being applied today to America as a whole, the primary recipients of the message are those who call themselves Christians, i.e. believers in Christ.

The Lord is rebuking his church corporately today, I believe, for their reliance upon man, the counsel of man, the wisdom of man, and the teachings of man, instead of relying upon their Lord for guidance, counsel and wise and just decisions. They take each other to public court instead of taking their grievances before the church. They rely on books written by men and marketing schemes for how to build big businesses, and they bring the church, as a whole, willingly under the authority of the U.S. government, which stipulates what a pastor can and cannot say from the pulpit.

They use man’s methods to draw in large crowds of people, thinking this is how God would want them to grow the church, but what they are growing are incorporations designed by and carried out by men, for it is Christ who builds his church through spiritual understanding, through genuine confessions of faith in Christ, through the sanctification process of the believer, through the witness of the church as a light to the world which walks in darkness, and through the body of Christ’s church functioning as God intended it to function with each part doing its work.

In these forming of alliances with men and placing trust in man and man’s methods over those of God, the church heaps sin upon sin against Almighty God, especially since many of these alliances with men water down the gospel of Jesus Christ with “all grace” messages that teach that repentance and obedience to Christ are not necessary for salvation and that God is pleased with you no matter what you do. This opens the door wide to give those within the church a sense that they can continue in sin and yet still have their ticket to heaven. It gives them a false sense of eternal security based upon a lie; a false teaching; a false hope, which is no hope at all and which sends its adherents straight to the pit of hell if they buy into the lie and think they can continue in willful sin and God will still be pleased with them.

This reliance upon the wisdom of man over the wisdom of God will bring disgrace and shame to the church, for when the judgments of God come, man and whatever methods of man we may have placed our reliance upon – possessions, power, wealth, influence, etc. – will be of no use to us, but will only bring us shame and disgrace.

Write It on A Tablet

Isaiah was told to “write it on a tablet,” i.e. he was to inscribe it on a scroll, that for the days to come it would serve as an everlasting witness. What was he to write? These are a rebellious people, deceitful children, children unwilling to listen to the Lord’s instruction. They say to those who have visions of God, “See no more visions!” And, to God’s messengers of his gospel they say, “Give us no more visions of what is right!” Tell us pleasant things, even prophecy illusions (delusions; deception; fantasy) because it makes us feel better and does not confront us with our sin. They say, “Leave this way, get off this path, and stop confronting us with the Holy One of Israel!” They told Jesus the same thing, and they hung him on a cross after they had mocked him, presented false testimony against him, and beaten him beyond recognition. They did this to our Lord (we did this with our sins) because they did not want their sins to be exposed or told that they had to repent.

So, the Lord’s indictment against them is this: Since they relied on oppression (cruelty; persecution; harassment of those telling them the truth), and since they depended upon deceit, which they also used against God’s messengers who were telling the truth, this sin for them would bring the judgment of God down upon their heads. Yet, God is still loving them and he is still calling out to them to not continue in their stubborn rebellion. He is telling his church that in repentance and rest in the Lord (not in man) is their salvation, but they would have none of it. They are bent on following their own paths to destruction. And, they tell God, “No!” They will continue on their path, fooling themselves into thinking that God will not judge them, yet God is assuring them that he takes their sin seriously and he will indeed judge them for their sin of open rebellion against Almighty God and their sin of oppression and unjust treatment of those who are listening to and are obeying God’s voice.

Yet, even in all of this we see God’s loving grace. The Lord longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion. That is why he keeps giving message after message after message all throughout the New Testament on the seriousness of sin and the need to repent and to persevere and to prove our faith as genuine by how we live. He doesn’t want to have to punish us any more than a loving parent enjoys spanking his disobedient child, and yet what loving parent would allow his or her child to continue in willful and unchecked rebellion and not bring a hand of correction to the matter when necessary? God is love. In him is no darkness at all. He is a God of justice and mercy. Blessed are all who wait for him.

God is not a scoundrel. He gets no pleasure out of judging us (divine discipline), yet he knows there are times when that is all that will get our attention and it is the only way his church will be made ready for her husband and their wedding. So, although he will bring adversity (hardship; difficulty; danger; harsh conditions) upon us, such as in the time of tribulation, he promises us that the end result of this will be that we will weep no more. He will be gracious to us when we cry to him for help. As soon as he hears, he will answer us. And, he will bring revival to our hearts and will open our eyes so that we can see the truths of his word, and we will know the way of the Lord and will walk in his ways. We, as a people of God, through repentance and obedience to Christ, will be restored back to a right relationship with our Lord. We, as his church, will throw away our idols as though we are throwing away a menstrual cloth and will say, “Away with you!” We won’t want them anymore.

Then God will bless his people with spiritual blessings in Christ Jesus. Through this time of divine judgment, the Holy Spirit of God will be poured out on his church in revival and the Lord will bind up the bruises of his people and will heal the wounds he inflicted, i.e. he will take them in his arms and will comfort them once again with his love and grace.

I Will Uphold You / An Original Work / November 4, 2011

Based off of Isaiah 41:8-20; Ephesians 6:10-18

You are My servant; I’ve chosen you.
I’ve not rejected you; I’ve been true.
Do not be fearful; I am with you.
Don’t be alarmed, for I am your God.
I will give you strength, and will help you.
I will uphold you with My right hand.

All who’re against you will be disgraced.
Those who oppose you, they will perish.
Enemies you search, but will not find.
They war against you; nothing will be.
I am your Lord God, who takes your hand;
Says, “Do not fear, for I will help you.”

The poor and needy, water they need.
Their tongues are thirsty; no drop to drink.
I will give answer; not forsake them.
I will make rivers flow from within.
My living water I will outpour
On those who seek Me; and Me adore.

Jesus provided the sacrifice;
For our sins blood bought; He paid the price,
So we’re forgiven all of our sins,
When we invite Him to come within.
He cleanses us from our impure hearts.
His life within us gives a new start.

http://youtu.be/i0LFPI-isSU

A Funeral Dirge

Tuesday, November 29, 2011, 8:42 p.m. – The song, “To My Beloved,” was playing in my mind. My husband had just finished reading to me what he had learned in his quiet time today. I was very tired, so I closed my eyes and I began to drift off to sleep. Then, the Lord gave me A VISION: I saw what looked like a caterpillar moving slowly toward me, only I knew it was not a caterpillar, but it was something that resembled a caterpillar. This worm-looking creature was divided into sections. It moved toward me, only not in a straight line. It seemed to swerve a little. It got close to me, and then it turned to its right and my left (west). I inquired of the Lord concerning what I had just seen. I heard the name “inchworm” in my mind. So, I looked it up, and sure enough, it was an inchworm I was seeing.

Following this image of an inchworm headed in my direction, but then turning west, was an image of a man facing me (south) and a child facing him (north), with the child’s back to me. The child stood slightly southeast of the man. Both the man and the child were wearing hooded sweatshirts with the hoods over their heads. I could see no bodies or faces, but I knew it was a man and a child. END

Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. I read Isaiah 29 (NIV 1984):

Woe to David’s City

1 Woe to you, Ariel, Ariel,
the city where David settled!
Add year to year
and let your cycle of festivals go on.
2 Yet I will besiege Ariel;
she will mourn and lament,
she will be to me like an altar hearth.
3 I will encamp against you all around;
I will encircle you with towers
and set up my siege works against you.
4 Brought low, you will speak from the ground;
your speech will mumble out of the dust.
Your voice will come ghostlike from the earth;
out of the dust your speech will whisper.
5 But your many enemies will become like fine dust,
the ruthless hordes like blown chaff.
Suddenly, in an instant,
6 the LORD Almighty will come
with thunder and earthquake and great noise,
with windstorm and tempest and flames of a devouring fire.
7 Then the hordes of all the nations that fight against Ariel,
that attack her and her fortress and besiege her,
will be as it is with a dream,
with a vision in the night—
8 as when a hungry man dreams that he is eating,
but he awakens, and his hunger remains;
as when a thirsty man dreams that he is drinking,
but he awakens faint, with his thirst unquenched.
So will it be with the hordes of all the nations
that fight against Mount Zion.

9 Be stunned and amazed,
blind yourselves and be sightless;
be drunk, but not from wine,
stagger, but not from beer.
10 The LORD has brought over you a deep sleep:
He has sealed your eyes (the prophets);
he has covered your heads (the seers).

11 For you this whole vision is nothing but words sealed in a scroll. And if you give the scroll to someone who can read, and say to him, “Read this, please,” he will answer, “I can’t; it is sealed.” 12 Or if you give the scroll to someone who cannot read, and say, “Read this, please,” he will answer, “I don’t know how to read.”

13 The Lord says:

“These people come near to me with their mouth
and honor me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me.
Their worship of me
is made up only of rules taught by men.
14 Therefore once more I will astound these people
with wonder upon wonder;
the wisdom of the wise will perish,
the intelligence of the intelligent will vanish.”
15 Woe to those who go to great depths
to hide their plans from the LORD,
who do their work in darkness and think,
“Who sees us? Who will know?”
16 You turn things upside down,
as if the potter were thought to be like the clay!
Shall what is formed say to him who formed it,
“He did not make me”?
Can the pot say of the potter,
“He knows nothing”?

17 In a very short time, will not Lebanon be turned into a fertile field
and the fertile field seem like a forest?
18 In that day the deaf will hear the words of the scroll,
and out of gloom and darkness
the eyes of the blind will see.
19 Once more the humble will rejoice in the LORD;
the needy will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.
20 The ruthless will vanish,
the mockers will disappear,
and all who have an eye for evil will be cut down—
21 those who with a word make a man out to be guilty,
who ensnare the defender in court
and with false testimony deprive the innocent of justice.

22 Therefore this is what the LORD, who redeemed Abraham, says to the house of Jacob:

“No longer will Jacob be ashamed;
no longer will their faces grow pale.
23 When they see among them their children,
the work of my hands,
they will keep my name holy;
they will acknowledge the holiness of the Holy One of Jacob,
and will stand in awe of the God of Israel.
24 Those who are wayward in spirit will gain understanding;
those who complain will accept instruction.”

My Understanding: I looked up “inchworm” and learned that it is indigenous to N. America. They are also called “measuring worms,” or “earth-measurers.” In the middle part of their bodies, they lack appendages, so they have a characteristic looping. Inchworms move by first pulling their hind ends in a forward motion. They hold themselves in place with their front legs. Then they expand the front part of their bodies, holding their back part in place with their back legs. “Inchworms hide from predators by fading into the background or resembling twigs.” - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geometridae; http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/inchworm.aspx

Once again I believe the Lord is applying this passage of scripture today to the institutional church and/or to the people of the church in the USA who are following after men and their own flesh rather than following after God. This is also speaking of a judgment on their capital city, so again I sense strongly that the Lord is speaking of judgment against Washington, D.C., too, our nation’s capital city. Yet, I see an application in here, as well, a little closer to home, since the inchworm was coming in my direction. Yet, as the inchworm slowly moved my direction, he was moving with a looping gait, i.e. he was meandering, lying, distorting, manipulating and perverting the truth. His hind end was leading the way in all this, too, and then he finally just turned away from me entirely and headed west.

God is declaring a judgment here against his people. He spoke of them adding year to year and yet their cycle of festivals goes on. I believe the Lord is showing me this “cycle” of “festivals” as this continuance of sexual perversion, lying, distorting and manipulating the truth that has gone on year after year after year, and still continues in unrepentant rebellion against Almighty God, while the people still think they are worshiping God. God’s people, the church (though not all believers), through this cycle of perversion, lies and cover-ups, have become convinced of their false belief that everything is ok between them and God. But, God has a surprise for them. It ain’t so! God will judge them for their sin. Their pride and arrogance will be brought low. God will bring their enemies against them. God will bring judgment because he cares deeply about righteousness and he takes sin very seriously.

The Lord is giving a picture here again (as in chp 28) of spiritually blind and drunken religious leaders, who, although witnessing the truth of God’s word with their own eyes, and even having studied and heard it and read the word of God over and over again, still are blinded to its truths because they choose to shut their eyes to the truth. The Lord has me sharing his truths from his word nearly every day, and many of those messages confront the reader with the reality of how God views sin, of their need to repent and to turn back to God or face God’s strong divine correction and discipline, and yet there are many who will read these words, even though the book of Revelation, the gospels, the words of Jesus Christ, and the epistles in the New Testament all give the same messages, and they will turn away like that inchworm finally just turned away and is now headed another direction. It is not my words that are being rejected. It is God’s words, found in the Bible for all to read, to hear and to obey. These spiritual leaders have thus demonstrated their total inability to be the spiritual leaders they should be. They have abandoned the sheep over which they were to serve as protectors like that inchworm abandoned me.

Then comes the Lord’s indictment against his people, represented by this inchworm. They honor God with their lips, but their hearts are far from him. Their worship of God is man-made. They are described here as those who go to great depths to hide their plans from the LORD. They do their work in darkness and think, “Who sees us? Who will know?” They turn things upside down as though they are the potter and God is the clay. I believe this is this image of the inchworm inching its way toward the truth or perhaps toward true repentance yet it is wandering, lying, manipulating, perverting, and is plotting evil against those who speak the truth which he does not want to hear. And, they think God does not see, but he does. He knows what they are doing in secret and in the dark and he will not forget. He will destroy the intelligence of the intelligent. God will judge the disobedient.

Yet, out of this judgment, eyes will be opened to the truth. The people of God will repent of their sins and come to Jesus Christ in humility and the fear of the Lord. The ruthless will vanish, the mockers will disappear, and all who have an eye for evil will be cut down – those who with a word make a man out to be guilty, who ensnare the defender in court and with false testimony deprive the innocent of justice. I believe this is the picture of the inchworm who does his work in secret and thinks that God does not see. But, God does see! This inchworm represents the mockers, those with an eye for evil, and those who make the innocent out to be guilty in court by the use of false testimony in order to deprive the innocent of justice. God will judge this evil deed.

In this last section of this passage of scripture we have a picture of Jacob and his descendants. Jacob was later named Israel. True Israel today, i.e. God’s chosen people, is the church, i.e. the body of believers in Jesus Christ. When judgment comes and their sins are exposed and some of them survive the judgment and they repent of their sins, their shame will be gone. Their faces will no longer grow pale. This section of this passage immediately brought to mind the second half of this vision and that was of the man and the child. The man was in the north and the child lived in the south, just slightly to the southeast of the man, who I believe represents the child’s father.

The child has turned his back on God and is following the ways of his earthly father instead. Both the man and the child were wearing hooded sweatshirts. Hooded has to do with partial concealment, which goes back to the inchworm with its many sections (generations) of lying, perversion, cover-ups, manipulations, etc. They were wearing sweatshirts, i.e. their character is of their own flesh nature. In one sense I see the child as the institutional church and the man as the US government and that the child is following the ways of the government instead of the ways of God. Yet, I see more application relevant to this “closer to home” scenario. I see a man in the north whose children and perhaps grandchildren are following in his footsteps and that the son is about to make the same mistake as his father did, and worse, and it will cost him his life. He has turned away from the one who loves him and has gone off after another path for his life. But, it will come back to bite him.

The stress on holiness and how seriously God takes unrepentant sin is very strong in this passage of scripture. When God visits in judgment, many will repent of their sins and will return to their first love. They will stand in awe of God. Those who were wayward will gain understanding. There are evil days ahead of us. If we are to survive, we have to resist Satan, we have to daily put on the armor of God, and we have to stand strong for what is right, for holiness and godliness, or we won’t make it. The Lord gave me this song a couple of weeks ago based off scripture which is his letter to his church in these last days before his return. Take sin as seriously as God does. Take holiness as seriously as God does, too. Be strong in the Lord and resist the devil. Ask the Lord to give you discernment concerning who the inchworms are so that you are not led astray and fall into their trap.

To My Beloved / An Original Work / November 14, 2011

Based off I Pet. 5:6-9; Eph. 6:10-20; Jms. 4:4-10

Be strong in the grace of Christ, and
Put on His full armor in your fight
Against the enemy of your souls,
And resist him with all your might.
Take up the shield of your faith within you.
Salvation’s helmet – you put it on.
Put on the belt of truth,
And walk in the Spirit,
And you’ll not be ashamed.
Love your Lord Jesus; call His Name.

Call on your Lord and Savior, Jesus, and
Make Him Lord and King of your hearts.
Obey all of His teachings He has given
To you to follow in all His ways.
Repent of your sins. Return to your God.
Follow Him where’er He leads you now.
Humble yourselves in full
Surrender to His will
For your lives today.
Bow before Him, and humbly pray.

Be strong in the grace of Christ, and
Obey your Lord in ev’rything, always
Keeping His teachings in your hearts near you.
Walk with Christ in ev’ry way.
Resist the devil. He will flee from you.
Draw near to God, and He’ll be near you.
Wash your hands you sinners
And double minded.
Weep and wail o’er sin.
With Christ, your new lives begin.

Song lyrics @ Public Domain

Audio, Song Lyrics and Sheet Music (free) at:
https://sites.google.com/site/psalmshymnssongs2/home/songs/to-my-beloved

Song on video:
http://youtu.be/PLMZdBxhE3I

Naked and Exposed

Tuesday, November 29, 2011, 2:50 p.m. – I lay down to rest, but could not rest. Much is on my heart and mind. The Lord wanted me to pray in spiritual warfare against the enemy of our souls. Then he gave me A VISION: I saw a person, but only from the neck to the waist maybe. The person was facing east, so I only saw his or her right side. What stood out to me was the arm (the right arm). The person appeared to be seated and the arm was bent, as if resting on the arm of a chair. It looked like the arm of a woman (a mother).

Then, beyond this image of a mother and her arm was that of a man to the north of her. I felt as though this arm was in between me and this man. The man was naked from the waist down. I heard in my mind a scripture that speaks of people being found naked and exposed because of sexual sin and/or because of spiritual idolatry. So, I looked this up and found several scriptures, as well as I looked up scriptures having to do with the arm of the Lord, for although this was the arm of a mother (a woman; a judge, perhaps), I sensed that, in reality, this was God’s arm of judgment that had exposed this man and had left him naked. END

Naked and Exposed

Isaiah 47:1-3 (NIV ’84): The Fall of Babylon

1 “Go down, sit in the dust,
Virgin Daughter of Babylon;
sit on the ground without a throne,
Daughter of the Babylonians.
No more will you be called
tender or delicate.
2 Take millstones and grind flour;
take off your veil.
Lift up your skirts, bare your legs,
and wade through the streams.
3 Your nakedness will be exposed
and your shame uncovered.
I will take vengeance;
I will spare no one.”

Ezekiel 23:28-30 (NIV ’84): “For this is what the Sovereign LORD says: I am about to hand you over to those you hate, to those you turned away from in disgust. They will deal with you in hatred and take away everything you have worked for. They will leave you naked and bare, and the shame of your prostitution will be exposed. Your lewdness and promiscuity have brought this upon you, because you lusted after the nations and defiled yourself with their idols.”

Revelation 16:15 (NIV ’84): “Behold, I come like a thief! Blessed is he who stays awake and keeps his clothes with him, so that he may not go naked and be shamefully exposed.”

The Arm of the Lord

Isaiah 51:4-6: “Listen to me, my people;
hear me, my nation:
The law will go out from me;
my justice will become a light to the nations.
5 My righteousness draws near speedily,
my salvation is on the way,
and my arm will bring justice to the nations.
The islands will look to me
and wait in hope for my arm.
6 Lift up your eyes to the heavens,
look at the earth beneath;
the heavens will vanish like smoke,
the earth will wear out like a garment
and its inhabitants die like flies.
But my salvation will last forever,
my righteousness will never fail.

Isaiah 59:15-20: Truth is nowhere to be found,
and whoever shuns evil becomes a prey.

The LORD looked and was displeased
that there was no justice.
16 He saw that there was no one,
he was appalled that there was no one to intervene;
so his own arm worked salvation for him,
and his own righteousness sustained him.
17 He put on righteousness as his breastplate,
and the helmet of salvation on his head;
he put on the garments of vengeance
and wrapped himself in zeal as in a cloak.
According to what they have done,
so will he repay
wrath to his enemies
and retribution to his foes;
he will repay the islands their due.
19 From the west, men will fear the name of the LORD,
and from the rising of the sun, they will revere his glory.
For he will come like a pent-up flood
that the breath of the LORD drives along.

20 “The Redeemer will come to Zion,
to those in Jacob who repent of their sins,”
declares the LORD.

Then, the Lord brought this song to mind:

Do Your Best / An Original Work / November 7, 2011
Based off of 2 Timothy 2

Soprano / Bass

Love You, Father, love You, Lord. / Love You, Father, love You, Lord.
Be strong in the grace of Christ. / Be strong in Christ.
Endure hardship for your Lord. / Endure hardship.
Your commander, live to please. / Live to please God.
You’ll receive the victor’s crown. / Receive the crown.
By the rules, run in the race. / Run in the race.
Your Lord, you’ll see face to face. / Live by the rules.
Jesus Christ, raised from the dead; / Jesus Christ was
Of your life, He is the head. / Raised from the dead.
Endure all for the elect. / Endure all for...

Love You, Father, love You, Lord. / Love You, Father, love You, Lord.
If we died, we live with Him. / If we died, we
If we last, with Him we’ll reign. / Will live with Him.
If we disown Him today, / If we last, with
He will have to look away. / Him we will reign.
Even if we faithless be, / Disown Him and
Faithful He’ll remain always. / He’ll disown us.
He cannot disown Himself. / Faithless we are –
He’s our Lord and Savior, King. / Faithful He’ll be.
He will reign o’er ev’rything. / He’s our Savior.

Love You, Father, love You, Lord. / Love You, Father, love You, Lord.
Do your best; present yourself / Do your best as
As one who’s approved by God. / One approved by
Work as one who’s not ashamed; / God; as one who’s
Rightly share the Word of truth. / Not ashamed of,
Wander not from what you know. / And who rightly
Destroy not the faith of some. / Handles the Word.
God’s foundation; it stands firm. / Do not wander
The Lord knows those who are His: / from the truth, nor
Those who turn from wickedness. / Others’ faith kill.

Love You, Father, love You, Lord. / Love You, Father, love You, Lord.
In a house are wood and clay, / In a house are
Gold and silver, all array. / Many items.
Some are noble, some are bad - / Some are noble.
Cleanse your life, and you’ll be glad; / Get rid of bad;
Useful to the Master’s work. / Useful you’ll be
A pure heart - in righteousness, / for the Master.
Pursue faith and love and peace. / A pure heart have -
Bad desires you want to flee. / Pursue the faith,
Gentle servant you must be. / Gentle servant.

http://youtu.be/ZDijxGceCLE

I believe with all my heart that the Lord is strongly urging those who are living in spiritual adultery, and/or who are giving way to willful sin and rebellion against Almighty God, to get their hearts right with God today while they still have today.

My Heart Will Go On

Tuesday, November 29, 2011, 12:40 p.m. – I was praying through some things that are presently going on in my life, when the Lord began to speak to me through three passages of scripture and a song. The first scripture he brought to mind was Matthew 5:1-12:

Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, 2 and he began to teach them, saying:
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called sons of God.
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

The second passage he brought to mind, which he had actually brought to my mind a little earlier when I was praying was John 14:1-3:

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.”

And, the third passage was Isaiah 41:9-14:

I took you from the ends of the earth,
from its farthest corners I called you.
I said, ‘You are my servant’;
I have chosen you and have not rejected you.
So do not fear, for I am with you;
do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

“All who rage against you
will surely be ashamed and disgraced;
those who oppose you
will be as nothing and perish.
Though you search for your enemies,
you will not find them.
Those who wage war against you
will be as nothing at all.
13 For I am the LORD, your God,
who takes hold of your right hand
and says to you, Do not fear;
I will help you.
14 Do not be afraid, O worm Jacob,
O little Israel,
for I myself will help you,” declares the LORD,
your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.

And, the song was this:

Until Then / Unknown

My heart can sing when I pause to remember
A heartache here is but a stepping stone
Along a trail that's winding always upward,
This troubled world is not my final home.

The things of earth will dim and lose their value
If we recall they're borrowed for awhile;
And things of earth that cause the heart to tremble,
Remembered there will only bring a smile.

This weary world with all its toil and struggle
May take its toll of misery and strife;
The soul of man is like a waiting falcon;
When it's released, it's destined for the skies.

But until then my heart will go on singing,
Until then with joy I'll carry on,
Until the day my eyes behold the city,
Until the day God calls me home.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wVJVNaurXxQ

These were just the right words I needed to hear from the Lord at that moment. Thank you, Jesus, for your words that have strengthened and have encouraged my heart today. I hope that by sharing them with you, my readers, that Jesus Christ, God the Son, will encourage and strengthen your hearts, as well, especially all the more as we see The Day approaching.

Covered with Vomit

Tuesday, November 29, 2011, 6:13 a.m. – I woke with the song, “Walking in The Light,” playing in my mind. Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. I read Isaiah 28. I will summarize some and quote some due to the length of the passage. http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah%2028&version=NIV1984

The Fading Flower

Samaria was the capital city of Ephraim, the northern kingdom of Israel. It was a prideful city filled with luxury and self-indulgences. “Ephraim’s drunkards” appears to be a reference to its supposed spiritual leaders. They may have been literally drunk on wine, and/or they may have been inebriated by their own sense of pride, arrogance, and/or believing in their own lies and their feeling that nothing could bring them down. Their capital city sat on a hill and was their crown, their floral wreath on their heads. Yet, the Lord described this floral wreath – their capital city – as a fading flower.

The Lord has one who is powerful and strong. He will use this divine instrument of judgment, which he compared to a hailstorm, a destructive wind, a driving rain and a flooding downpour, to throw this capital city forcefully to the ground. It will be trampled underfoot. It will be swallowed up by God’s judgment. The Lord brought the scripture to mind here – “For we know him who said, ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ and again, ‘The Lord will judge his people.’ It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Heb. 10:30-31 NIV ’84).

As I prayerfully considered this before the Lord, I believe he gave me a picture of the U.S. government, for those of us who live in the USA, as the pride of the institutional church in the USA, i.e. their floral wreath worn on their heads. The institutional church (incorporated under 501c3) is under the headship of the U.S. government. In most of these institutions of men, the flag of the U.S. government is prominently displayed at the front of the sanctuary so that the “worshipers” can always see the USA flag before them. On certain occasions, the church leaders even lead their people to pledge allegiance (loyalty; commitment; adherence; faithfulness; fidelity), with hand over heart, to the U.S. government. The institutional church gives honor to the US government and preference to the government over God’s commands where the government stipulates what a minister of God can or cannot say from the pulpit. This worship of the US government is taught so strongly in the church and in schools today that anyone challenging the actions of the government is treated as a blasphemer of Almighty God. This sets the church up for falling under the deception of the evil one, so that the people blindly follow these leaders to their destruction.

Befuddled with Wine

The drunkards are the leaders of the people – could include political leaders, judges, pastors, elders, etc. – anyone in a position of religious or governmental authority over the people of God. This staggering from wine could be literal and/or it could be figurative, describing those who lack spiritual discernment and judgment of God. A table is a place where decisions are made; plans are put together, etc., yet the Lord describes their tables (places where they make their decisions) as covered with vomit and that there is not a spot without filth. I did a search on the word “vomit,” and it rendered “bile,” which rendered “bitterness; irritability; temper; wrath; anger; fury; rage,” which then fits with what Isaiah states next. He is quoting these “religious leaders” here:

“Who is it he is trying to teach?
To whom is he explaining his message?
To children weaned from their milk,
to those just taken from the breast?
For it is:
Do and do, do and do,
rule on rule, rule on rule;
a little here, a little there.”

These “religious” leaders of the people were mocking the words of God given to Isaiah, God’s messenger to the people. They were insulted that God would use Isaiah to speak to them, kind of like Balaam and his donkey, i.e. what an insult that God would use a lowly donkey to be God’s messenger to Balaam. The donkey saw with spiritual eyes, but Balaam did not, so he kept beating the donkey until God finally spoke through the donkey and opened Balaam’s eyes to what he was doing. Isaiah declared the word of God to these “inebriated spiritual guides” of the people. They questioned what right this prophet (messenger) of God had to teach them the spiritual milk of God’s word. They didn’t like it that Isaiah was telling them God’s commandments for them for holy living. They didn’t want anyone telling them that God has rules for daily living of the Christian life that we, as Christ’s followers, must follow. They liked the “all grace” messages that tells them that God does not require repentance and obedience and that he is pleased with them no matter what they do, so that they can continue in their sin and their willful rebellion with a false sense of security in what they falsely call God’s grace.

So, God has declared his judgment against these blind guides of the people. He will send foreigners against them to “speak” to this people. They will be judged by God because of their failure to hear the word of the Lord, as found in the Bible, which could have led them back into a right relationship with God. They don’t want to hear God’s truths. Fine! The next message will come through foreigners. It would now be through judgment that God would speak to his people. And, this will happen to the church here in the USA, too, if they do not repent of their stubborn rebellion against Almighty God, and if they continue to reject God’s words concerning what God requires of them in living in holiness and obedience to Christ. God keeps calling out to them to enter into his rest and to be saved (and/or revived spiritually), but they will not listen. Confidence in man’s own wisdom and abilities stands as a barrier to hearing the word of God and to following Jesus Christ in humble obedience.

These “blind guides” to the people scoffed at the words of God. They really thought they were untouchable and that no harm would come to them. The reason? – They believed their own lies, i.e. they made their own lies their refuge and falsehood their hiding place. In other words, they were trusting in lies and were hiding their evil deeds behind falsehood thinking that God would not see and that God would not act against them. That is the ultimate in pride and arrogance.

A Stone in Zion

Even though these wicked leaders were bent on refusing and mocking God’s words to them because of their pride, God was still calling out to them to enter into his salvation, because he is a God of grace and he is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. So, if they repented of their sin of unbelief, and if they chose truly to walk in the ways of the Lord from this day forward, God would restore them to fellowship with him and with his Son, Jesus Christ. Yet, if they refused God’s words, Jesus Christ, the stone in Zion (a fortress of salvation to the believer), would become a stumbling block over which men would fall to their spiritual deaths. Jesus Christ himself was rejected by the religious leaders of his day, and he is God. No wonder men still reject the truths of God’s word, because they rejected Christ through whom those words come.

So, if they continue to refuse God’s words on holy living, and they choose to continue in their own stubborn ways of rebellion against Almighty God, God will sweep away their refuge, i.e. their lie, and water will overflow their hiding place, i.e. their falsehood. This judgment of God would be continuous and often – morning by morning and day and night it will sweep through. This sounds like the time of tribulation which will be one judgment followed by another followed by another. Yet, the Lord is still speaking. He is saying, “Stop your mocking or your chains will become heavier.” “Listen to my voice; pay attention and hear what I say.” Allow God to instruct you and to teach you the right way, not the way of falsehood, lies and deception. “Wonderful in counsel and magnificent in wisdom” is the word that comes from the LORD Almighty.

The Remnant

In that Day of Judgment the LORD Almighty will be a glorious crown for his people, unlike the floral wreath of the capital city previously worn on their heads in pride. He will be a “spirit of justice to him who sits in judgment, a source of strength to those who turn back the battle at the gate.” I believe this “turning back the battle at the gate” has to do with those who have resisted Satan’s lies and deceptions and temptations in their own lives, as well as this represents those who are actively involved in sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ in order to turn back this battle of Satan against God’s people at the gate of men’s hearts so that men can be saved and so they can be free from the power of Satan and sin over their lives, so that they no longer allow Satan and sin to overcome them. They stop it at the gate. For those who have done this, i.e. for those who have “turned the battle back at the gate,” God will be their refuge and strength. This does not mean they will not suffer or even die for their faith in Jesus Christ and for his gospel, but it means that he will be with them even in death and he will bring them safely into his glorious presence.

Though God/Jesus Christ will be a stumbling block for those who trust in man and in their own resources (lies, deception, pride), he is a precious cornerstone and a sure foundation for those who put their trust in the Lord. They will never be dismayed. His God will instruct him in the right way; the way of holiness; walking in the light of the truth. Wonderful in counsel and magnificent in wisdom is the LORD Almighty to those who put their trust in him and in him alone. He will comfort them in times of distress with his love.

Walking in The Light / An Original Work / November 16, 2011

Based off 1 John 1-2

When I lift up my voice, and
Sing praise unto God,
I will fellowship with my
Lord and Savior, King.
In Him there is no darkness.
He is in the light of truth.
If we walk in His light,
From sin He purifies.

If we repent of our sins,
He’ll forgive us now,
When we humble ourselves, and
Before Jesus bow.
The man who says, “I know Him,”
But does not obey His truth,
There is no truth in him.
In darkness still he’s found.

Do not love the world of sin,
For it is hell bound.
If you follow the world, you’ll
Not in Christ be found.
The world and its desires
Will not last; they’ll expire.
The one who does God’s will,
Receives eternal life.

See that what you have heard from
Christ remains in you.
Then, you’ll remain in Christ, and
In His Father, too.
This is what He promised us –
His eternal life with God.
So, continue in Him, and
You’ll receive a crown.

http://youtu.be/wS6ljsF6aV4

I Will Sing!

Monday, November 28, 2011, 7:28 p.m. – I was resting for a little while after my nearly 2 year old grandson, who had spent the day with me, went home with his mom, our daughter. I was spending the time in prayer, inquiring of my God about some things going on in my life, when the Lord Jesus began bringing songs into my mind. There were four songs initially, but then he narrowed it down to these three: “Oh, for a Thousand Tongues to Sing,” “I Will Sing the Wondrous Story,” and “Walking in The Light,” which begins “When I lift up my voice and sing praise unto God…” All three songs begin with a sentence that includes the word “sing” and all of them include praise to God for his salvation.

So, I picked up my Bible and began reading where I had left off reading last in Isaiah. I prayed, “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening,” and when I got to Isaiah 26, it became abundantly clear to me that this passage of scripture went with these three songs, for it was titled, “A Song of Praise,” and it begins, “In that day this song will be sung…”

A Song of Praise

In that day this song will be sung in the land of Judah:
We have a strong city;
God makes salvation
its walls and ramparts.
Open the gates
that the righteous nation may enter,
the nation that keeps faith.
You will keep in perfect peace
him whose mind is steadfast,
because he trusts in you.
Trust in the LORD forever,
for the LORD, the LORD, is the Rock eternal.
He humbles those who dwell on high,
he lays the lofty city low;
he levels it to the ground
and casts it down to the dust.
Feet trample it down—
the feet of the oppressed,
the footsteps of the poor.

The path of the righteous is level;
O upright One, you make the way of the righteous smooth.
Yes, LORD, walking in the way of your laws,
we wait for you;
your name and renown
are the desire of our hearts.
My soul yearns for you in the night;
in the morning my spirit longs for you.
When your judgments come upon the earth,
the people of the world learn righteousness.
Though grace is shown to the wicked,
they do not learn righteousness;
even in a land of uprightness they go on doing evil
and regard not the majesty of the LORD.
O LORD, your hand is lifted high,
but they do not see it.
Let them see your zeal for your people and be put to shame;
let the fire reserved for your enemies consume them.

LORD, you establish peace for us;
all that we have accomplished you have done for us.
O LORD, our God, other lords besides you have ruled over us,
but your name alone do we honor.
They are now dead, they live no more;
those departed spirits do not rise.
You punished them and brought them to ruin;
you wiped out all memory of them.
You have enlarged the nation, O LORD;
you have enlarged the nation.
You have gained glory for yourself;
you have extended all the borders of the land.

LORD, they came to you in their distress;
when you disciplined them,
they could barely whisper a prayer.
As a woman with child and about to give birth
writhes and cries out in her pain,
so were we in your presence, O LORD.
We were with child, we writhed in pain,
but we gave birth to wind.
We have not brought salvation to the earth;
we have not given birth to people of the world.

But your dead will live;
their bodies will rise.
You who dwell in the dust,
wake up and shout for joy.
Your dew is like the dew of the morning;
the earth will give birth to her dead.

Go, my people, enter your rooms
and shut the doors behind you;
hide yourselves for a little while
until his wrath has passed by.
See, the LORD is coming out of his dwelling
to punish the people of the earth for their sins.
The earth will disclose the blood shed upon her;
she will conceal her slain no longer.

My Understanding: This song in Isaiah, as well as these other three songs, is a song about our salvation and of the gospel of Jesus Christ, i.e. God’s grace to man. Yet, they are also songs of proclamation, i.e. they all talk of singing this gospel story, i.e. this is speaking, too, about our witness for Jesus Christ and for his gospel. So, the message is two-fold: 1) To share the gospel, and 2) To encourage and to give courage to those who are sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ and who are telling others about God’s saving grace through Jesus Christ, His Son; especially to encourage those who are being oppressed by the enemy of their souls (even through human instruments) because of their testimony for Christ.

Isaiah began his song of praise to God by telling his readers about the future. The strong city he was speaking of, though, was not a physical city with physical walls that we can see. He was speaking of spiritual city yet to come through Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection, i.e. the city of God, the new Jerusalem, the city on a hill, the bride of Christ, the true church, the saints of Almighty God, the city of the oppressed, and the nation that keeps faith, etc. God made salvation its walls and fortification. The gates to this city will be open to those who keep faith, not to those who just proclaim faith with their lips. And, God will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast on God/Jesus Christ, because they place their trust in God, and not in men. Our Lord is the Rock eternal. He is completely trustworthy. So, we have no reason to ever fear our oppressors.

There is a message here of God’s divine protection over this city, yet the protection being promised is not necessarily a physical protection from harm or foe, as the book of Revelation makes clear that the beast will trample down the true bride of Christ and he will kill the saints of Almighty God who are followers of Jesus Christ. This divine protection is a spiritual protection – a promise of peace with God (an inward peace), a promise of eternal life with God in heaven, and a promise of salvation from sin – the penalty of and the control of sin over our daily lives. Even when things are totally bonkers all around us and our enemy comes out of his lair to devour us, he may kill the body, but he can’t kill our souls. That is what is divinely protected by these walls of salvation around this city.

Yet, those who come against God’s holy people - who are walking in fellowship with the Lord and who are being lights for the gospel of Jesus Christ - will ultimately face the hand of divine judgment and will be brought low for their pride and arrogance. In fact, Isaiah pictures here that the oppressed saints of God will take part in trampling their oppressors, which may merely mean that they will share in the victory over their enemies. I don’t picture this as gloating over the demise of others, but rather the victory is that over human arrogance and pride which leads those bit by that snake to oppress those who are truly following the Lord Jesus, and who are being his witnesses in sharing the gospel. So, this is a victory for the continuous spread of the gospel message, as well. Yet, I see hope here, too, for the salvation of the wicked, which is yet another way in which God’s righteousness will prevail and evil will not prevail in the end.

Yet, the path of the righteous is a level path; a straight way. Walking in the way of God’s commands, those who trust in the Lord wait for him and for his return with great expectation and hope of deliverance. This is a longing for God day and night, and I definitely identify with Isaiah’s sentiments here. I long for the day when the old order of things passes away, when sin no longer reigns on the earth, when the wicked are no more, when we live in true peace and safety, and when our tears, sorrow, and pain are no more, because Jesus wipes every tear from our eyes. Most of all I long for the day when I can be with my Lord Jesus Christ forever. Oh, what a glorious day that will be!

God will judge the earth so that the people of the world can learn righteousness. Man can be so stubborn and bull-headed because of his sinful desires and passions which control his life and mind to where he can’t even see the light of truth shining on his own sin. So, after God warns and warns, he eventually must bring judgment, because he is a righteous God, and so he can show human beings how truly serious he takes sin and how deeply he feels about righteousness (obedience to his commands; repentance). And, man will learn righteousness through judgment, because they didn’t learn it through grace. They took God’s divine grace for granted and continued to go their own way and do not show regard for God or for his commands. And, they don’t even see God’s righteous hand of judgment ready to strike at any moment. Isaiah prayed that God would allow his people’s oppressors to see the zeal that God has for his own, i.e. how very much he loves them. I believe this will happen when God comes to judge the world. Until then, my heart will go on singing…

O For A Thousand Tongues To Sing / Charles Wesley

O for a thousand tongues to sing
My great Redeemer’s praise,
The glories of my God and King,
The triumphs of His grace!

My gracious Master and my God,
Assist me to proclaim,
To spread through all the earth abroad
The honors of Thy name.

I Will Sing the Wondrous Story / Francis H. Rowley /arr. by Ira D. Sankey

I will sing the wondrous story
Of the Christ Who died for me;
How He left His home in glory
For the cross of Calvary.

I was lost, but Jesus found me,
Found the sheep that went astray,
Threw His loving arms around me,
Drew me back into His way.

Yes, I’ll sing the wondrous story
Of the Christ Who died for me,
Sing it with the saints in glory,
Gathered by the crystal sea.

Walking in The Light / An Original Work / November 16, 2011

Based off 1 John 1-2

When I lift up my voice, and
Sing praise unto God,
I will fellowship with my
Lord and Savior, King.
In Him there is no darkness.
He is in the light of truth.
If we walk in His light,
From sin He purifies.

If we repent of our sins,
He’ll forgive us now,
When we humble ourselves, and
Before Jesus bow.
The man who says, “I know Him,”
But does not obey His truth,
There is no truth in him.
In darkness still he’s found.

Do not love the world of sin,
For it is hell bound.
If you follow the world, you’ll
Not in Christ be found.
The world and its desires
Will not last; they’ll expire.
The one who does God’s will,
Receives eternal life.

See that what you have heard from
Christ remains in you.
Then, you’ll remain in Christ, and
In His Father, too.
This is what He promised us –
His eternal life with God.
So, continue in Him, and
You’ll receive a crown.

http://youtu.be/wS6ljsF6aV4

How Rich is My Condition

Monday, November 28, 2011, 1:34 a.m. – I woke with the hymn, “Jesus, I My Cross Have Taken,” playing in my mind. Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. I read Isaiah 21:1-10:

A Prophecy Against Babylon

An oracle concerning the Desert by the Sea:
Like whirlwinds sweeping through the southland,
an invader comes from the desert,
from a land of terror.

A dire vision has been shown to me:
The traitor betrays, the looter takes loot.
Elam, attack! Media, lay siege!
I will bring to an end all the groaning she caused.

At this my body is racked with pain,
pangs seize me, like those of a woman in labor;
I am staggered by what I hear,
I am bewildered by what I see.
My heart falters,
fear makes me tremble;
the twilight I longed for
has become a horror to me.

They set the tables,
they spread the rugs,
they eat, they drink!
Get up, you officers,
oil the shields!

This is what the Lord says to me:

“Go, post a lookout
and have him report what he sees.
When he sees chariots
with teams of horses,
riders on donkeys
or riders on camels,
let him be alert,
fully alert.”

And the lookout shouted,

“Day after day, my lord, I stand on the watchtower;
every night I stay at my post.
Look, here comes a man in a chariot
with a team of horses.
And he gives back the answer:
‘Babylon has fallen, has fallen!
All the images of its gods
lie shattered on the ground!’”

O my people, crushed on the threshing floor,
I tell you what I have heard
from the LORD Almighty,
from the God of Israel.

My Understanding: The book of Revelation tells us about a time that will come when the dragon (Satan), the beast and the false prophet will rule the earth for a time, times and half a time. They will invade lands not theirs, and will pillage, loot, overthrow, kill and destroy. The beast, as well, will be given authority to take captives, and to persecute and kill the saints of Almighty God – true believers and followers of Jesus Christ. I believe this day is soon upon us, though I don’t when. Yet, I do believe God is preparing our hearts.

Isaiah was shown a dire vision of a traitor betraying, and looters taking loot. At the giving of this vision, Isaiah’s body was racked with pain, pangs seized him, like those of a woman in labor. His heart faltered. Fear made him tremble. He had a vision of an invader approaching Babylon. There were many Jews in Babylon. They could die in the invasion. Oftentimes when visions are given, they are given for the purpose of the recipient feeling in his own mind and body the anguish and suffering of others so he or she can pray, warn and/or encourage, or else it is to give the recipient a glimpse into the mind and heart of Almighty God to see what he sees and to feel what he feels. So, it is not unusual that Isaiah would identify with his own people in what they were about to suffer.

The book of Revelation gives a similar picture of a dire situation to come upon the earth – a time of a great deception – a time in which brother will betray brother to death. So, although the invader may come from a distant land, a traitor has first of all betrayed his own people and has handed them over to the invader. When this time comes upon us, we must know and understand that it may come by the hands of those we know and love who have handed us over to our enemies just as Judas betrayed Jesus and handed him over to be killed on a cross. To me, this would cause great anguish of heart and mind to know that those whom we love and trusted betrayed that trust and gave us over to the enemy. Yet, we know the Bible says this day is coming when men’s hearts will grow cold and they will turn on one another. Oh, the anguish of such a time!

The Lord has assigned watchmen all throughout history to be on the lookout for the dangers that lie ahead for his people and to give warning and to call on the people of God to repent, to forsake their idols, to pray, to seek God’s face, and to return to their first love. Yet, all of us are to watch and pray as we wait for the day of our Lord’s soon return. The day of the Lord’s coming should not overtake us like a thief in the night, because we should be watching and we should be spiritually prepared for when he comes to receive his bride.

The book of Revelation speaks of the Fall of Babylon, too. There are many interpretations of who this Babylon is in these last days. I have often had a picture of the USA (or the US government) in this role and/or the institutional church in the USA which has married itself to the US government, yet what we do know for sure is that Babylon is always a picture of worldliness and of something that works against God and is also against God’s people, the true saints of Almighty God. Yet, there are believers in Jesus Christ who live in this Babylon. We can come out from the world and be separate, but we still live in the world, and so when God brings judgment, we will suffer along with those who are being judged, or else we may be the intended recipients of that judgment, too, if we have not truly come out of Babylon and have separated ourselves from worldly living. Yet, we know, too, that when this invader comes, he will persecute and kill the saints of God.

Isaiah stated this: “O my people, crushed on the threshing floor, I tell you what I have heard from the LORD Almighty, from the God of Israel.” Isaiah had been given that vision for a reason, and it was to share with the people to prepare their hearts. And, John was given a vision of the events to unfold in these last days before the return of Christ to prepare our hearts, as well, and to call for repentance of those still walking in darkness, but also to encourage the saints of Almighty God to remain faithful to their Lord Jesus Christ even in the face of betrayal at the hands of those in whom they had placed their trust.

The Lord woke me this morning with the words to this hymn (below) going through my mind. I know of no other song written that expresses the sentiments of what Isaiah wrote and what John wrote like this does. The words had fresh and deep meaning to me this morning as I contemplated the reality of them in my heart and mind in relation to what is soon to come upon us, I believe. Though it is painful to think of a time such as this when there will be great destruction and loss of human life, I think the greatest pain of all is to feel the pain of betrayal at the hands of those you love and in whom you have trusted. That is why the Bible tells us over and over again not to place our trust in man, but to place our trust in Almighty God – Father, Son (Jesus Christ) and Holy Spirit.

As we see the Day fast approaching, this should be the attitude of each one of us:

Jesus, I My Cross Have Taken / Henry F. Lyte / Mozart/ Arr. Hubert P. Main

Jesus, I my cross have taken, all to leave and follow Thee;
Destitute, despised, forsaken, Thou, from hence, my all shalt be.
Perish every fond ambition, all I've sought, and hoped, and known;
Yet how rich is my condition, God and Christ are still my own!

Let the world despise and leave me, they have left my Savior, too;
Human hearts and looks deceive me; Thou art not, like man, untrue;
And, while Thou shalt smile upon me, God of wisdom, love, and might,
Foes may hate, and friends disown me; show Thy face, and all is bright.

Man may trouble and distress me – ‘Twill but drive me to Thy breast.
Life with trials hard may press me; Heaven will bring me sweeter rest.
Oh, ‘tis not in grief to harm me, while Thy love is left to me;
Oh, ‘twere not in joy to charm me, were that joy unmixed with Thee.

Go then, earthly fame and treasure! Come, disaster, scorn, and pain!
In Thy service pain is pleasure; with Thy favor loss is gain.
I have called Thee, Abba, Father, I have stayed my heart on Thee;
Storms may howl and clouds may gather; all must work for good to me.

Haste then on from grace to glory, armed by faith and winged by prayer;
God's eternal day's before thee, God's own hand shall guide thee there.
Soon shall close thy earthly mission, swift shall pass thy pilgrim days,
Hope shall change to glad fruition, faith to sight, and prayer to praise.