THE AVENGER

With the recent news headlines regarding the lack of justice in the land and in the world, let’s face it.   It’s frustrating!  It seems that hardened criminals get off with just slaps on the wrists.  I can’t stand the lack of consequences being dealt out for evil behavior.

While injustice in our country and the world abounds, my spirit rises when I ponder the Word of God when it clearly communicates that the wicked will not go unpunished.  As the Day of the LORD approaches, The Avenger of all the earth ensures that the wicked are done away with and justice is done.

In the last several weeks I’ve been reading and studying in THE BOOK Of Jeremiah, learning that because of the people’s constant sinning against the LORD, the Jews of Jeremiah’s day received what they deserved–the JUDGEMENT of the LORD.

God didn’t let them get away with rebellion against Him.

The people who God used to carry out His judgment were the Babylonians.

However, the tactics and methods of the Babylonians were absolutely unconscionable and brutal.  That gave rise to the question, which Jeremiah anticipates in the two chapters referenced:

“Will the Babylonians be punished for their evil deeds?  Will justice be done?”

And the answer given of Jeremiah 50-51 is “Yes, the Babylonians are going to be punished for the evil they commit against you.  The destroyer is going to be destroyed.  Babylon is going to fall and not rise again.”  

And for the Jews, Jeremiah 50-51 held a great comfort:

1. The Babylonians were not going to get away with their evil deeds.
2. The Jewish nation was going to survive.  God was going to redeem them in the land of captivity and return them to their homeland and be their God.

God’s JUSTICE…Is the fact that God will not let the wicked go unpunished.

But before we can have an understanding of God’s commitment to JUSTICE, we need to learn and understand about His vengeance and the anger that is aroused in Him by a person or nations in disobedience.

Jeremiah 50:15

Jeremiah speaks of the city of Babylon as an act of vengeance by the LORD:

Jeremiah speaks of how the time has come to be punished and how God was going to take vengeance on the Babylonians for what they had done to His Temple:

Jeremiah 50:27-31 (AMP)

[27] Slay all her bullocks (her choice youths, the strength of her army); let them go down to the slaughter!  Woe to [the Chaldeans]!  For their day has come, the time of their visitation (their inspection and punishment).

[28] Listen!  The voice of those [Jews] who flee and escape out of the land of Babylon proclaiming in Zion the vengeance [of the Lord upon the Chaldeans] for [the plundering and destruction of] His temple.

[29] Call together [many] archers against Babylon, all those who bend the bow.  Encamp against her round about; let none from there escape.  Recompense her according to her deeds; just as she has done, do to her.  For against the Lord, against the Holy One of Israel, has she been proudly defiant and presumptuous.

[30] Therefore shall her young men fall in her streets and squares, and all her soldiers shall be destroyed on that day, says the Lord.  [31] Behold, I am against you, O Babylon [you who are pride and presumption personified], says the Lord, the Lord of hosts, for your day has come, the time when I will visit and punish you.

Jeremiah’s prophecy of the destruction of Babylon was 170 years before its fulfillment.

In verse 29, God’s intent was to repay Babylon for her rebellion against Him.  Like things are said in Jeremiah 51:6; 51:11; 51:13; 51:24; and 51:36.

One of God’s Attributes: GOD IS A GOD OF VENGEANCE!

For some of us, the idea that God is a vengeful God just doesn’t seem right.  Yet in Deuteronomy 32:35 and Romans 12:19 we read:  “It is mine to avenge; I will repay”

And in Romans 12:19,

So what is the vengeance of God about?  —justice, retribution, punishment, payback, balancing the scales of right and wrong, righteous and holy anger.  It’s God’s response to SIN AND REBELLION.  Vengeance and the punishment of the wicked is God’s right and His duty.  In fact, if God can’t be true to His character of holiness and justice and if He allows SIN AND REBELLION to go unpunished…and if justice is to mean anything, then rebellion, lawbreaking, disobedience, arrogance, and all evil acts necessitate punishment.  God cannot and will not let the wicked go unpunished. 

As Nahum 1:3 says, “The Lord is slow to anger but great in power; the Lord will not leave the guilty unpunished…”. 

Proverbs 11:21 also says “Be sure of this: The wicked will not go unpunished, but those who are righteous will go free.”

Just so I don’t leave you with an inaccurate view of God, we need to understand that the Bible balances the fury of God’s vengeance against the sinner with the greatness of His mercy on those who repent of their wicked ways.  This includes the nations of the world as well.

Our God is incredibly merciful!

In Psalm 116:5 it says, “The LORD is gracious and righteous, our God is full of compassion.”

In 2 Peter 3:9 says “The Lord does not delay and is not tardy or slow about what He promises, according to some people’s conception of slowness, but He is long-suffering (extraordinarily patient) toward you, not desiring that any should perish, but that all should turn to repentance.” [AMP]

For in Jesus and the Cross, the full expression of God’s MERCY and GRACE is made available for us–for in the CROSS and the shed BLOOD of Jesus, the perfect sacrifice for sin, the remedy for our sin and the judgment of God we all deserve.

As the time came for Babylon to be punished and experience God’s wrath against her, so the time approaches for the people in our day to experience the same.

Without a doubt, the Day of Judgment approaches.

In Hebrews 10:30-31, it says “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” and again, “The Lord will judge His people.”  [31] It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

And again in 2 Peter 3:10 it says,  But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will vanish (pass away) with a tremendous crash, and the [material] elements [of the universe] will be dissolved with fire, and the earth and the works that are upon it will be burned up.  [AMP]

There’s a reason for this happening:

• BECAUSE of the wickedness of mankind.
• BECAUSE OF OUR SIN.
• BECAUSE of peoples refusal to live as God requires us to.
• BECAUSE the justice and righteousness of God demands that sin and rebellion be punished.

While the great Day of Judgment approaches, the Bible also teaches us that after we die and face judgment, each one will appear before the LORD and give an account–and to Heaven or Hell one will go for all eternity.

I know, most pulpits today are not preaching this.  And why?  “People that come through our doors don’t want to hear negative sermons,” as it’s been noted in churches across the land.

Here is something to note:  The one who will judge, the one who determines where one’s eternity will be spent…IS JESUS!

John 5:22-23 records Jesus saying,  

TWO THINGS as it pertains to the coming Day of Judgment:

For most, the Day of Judgment will be a terrible day for them–for they will experience the LORD’S hand against them.

For the few righteous, the children of God, a glorious day, the Day of the Lord shall be!

For all the saints a day of celebration and praise will take place.  Along with the angels of Heaven who will declare “True and just are your judgments O Lord.”  [See Revelation 16:7, and note Jeremiah 51:48. ]

The Required Preparation for the Day of the Lord.

• The only way to be prepared is to be right with God.  The only way to escape the coming JUDGMENT is to be at peace with God.
• The only way to be right with God is to be a follower of Jesus.  As Jesus says in John 14:6 “I am the way and the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through Me.”
• The only way to have peace with God is to humble ourselves before Him, confessing our sin, mourning over it, and embracing Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.

THE GLORIOUS NEWS OF THE SCRIPTURE–

For those who are right with God–meaning they’re disciples of Christ on the Day of Judgment–they shall not experience condemnation of God. 

Romans 8:1 (NIV) says, Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

As the angel of death passed over the houses of the Jews and the blood of the lambs spread on their doorposts, so the destruction of the Lord will pass over all those identified and spiritually marked with the shed blood of Jesus–the Lamb of God who came to take away the sins of the world.

VENGEANCE IS GOD’S BUSINESS, NOT OURS!

Like the ancient Hebrews, many Christians have misapplied the doctrine of divine vengeance using it as an excuse for holding on to the “getting even” against others.  Jesus has clearly spoken out against this:

Likewise in Romans 12:17-21 the Apostle Paul by the Spirit of God, commands us saying, 

Since VENGEANCE and REPAYING EVIL is God’s domain, we need to ask:

• Is there someone you are holding a grudge against in the present, or in the past?
• Is there someone in your life who you would like to get even with?

If you are struggling with a grudge, with unforgiveness, and with a retaliation spirit, then confess it now and ask the Lord to forgive you and to give you the mind of Christ, which is LOVE for your enemies, to turn the other cheek, to forgive those who trespassed against you.

As much as I or you hate injustice in our society and wrong sinful behavior, God hates it 1000 times more.

GOD HAS MADE A PROMISE:

He will not let the wicked go unpunished,

His HOLINESS AND COMMITMENT to justice demands this.

The only way to escape the AVENGER’S wrath is to flee to Jesus Christ who took upon Himself the punishment for sin that you and I deserve.

On the CROSS He endured the wrath of God for our sins and that whoever should believe in Him shall not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16).

The more injustice and evil abound, the greater the comfort comes from this doctrine we have looked at in this study will be to us.

While our God is a God of vengeance, an AVENGER, we need to remember it’s held in the perfect balance of His rich and undeserved mercy (1 Thessalonians 4:6).

VENGEANCE IS GOD’S BUSINESS, NOT OURS

We need to learn to turn the other cheek and to wait upon the Lord–for He will AVENGE the wicked–they will not go unpunished.

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CREDITS:

Encyclopedia:  International Standard Bible Encyclopedia – Avenge; Avenger.

Dictionary:  VINE’S COMPLETE EXPOSITORY DICTIONARY.

IMAGES:  Google Image search.

Bible Translations:  New International Version (NIV); Amplified Bible (AMP); New American Standard Bible (NASB).

 

 

Nowhere to Run, Nowhere to Hide!

SCRIPTURE STUDY:  Revelation 6:1-17

SINNER MAN –

I first heard this song on the car radio the year after my wife and I were married, in 1965.  I was struck by the question in the lyric, “Sinner Man, Where You Gonna Run To?”  I discovered later that the song originated from an African American spiritual song that had been recorded by a number of performers (Bob Marley, Peter, Paul and Mary, Les Baxter and more).

The lyrics go on telling the story with…He [the sinner man] runs to the rock, to the sea, to the Lord and ultimately to Satan because he comes face to face with the wrath of God and he’s so frightened he’s looking for ANY way to avoid God’s anger.  But there’s nowhere to run and nowhere to hide because he had rejected God for so long there was no longer hope.

I thought to myself, now where would the writer for this old spiritual song get his idea?

Right here in Revelation 6.

That’s pretty scary stuff!

These SINNERS are running from God.  They’re RUNNING from the wrath of the Lamb.

In my reading of John’s words here, something just didn’t seem to correlate with my knowledge of the bible.  John 3:16 tells us that “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

And Jesus spent His time among the tax collectors, and the prostitutes and the SINNERS.

Over and over again we read throughout the New Testament hearing the message repeated and it all seems to be summed up in 2 Peter 3:9.  “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness.  Instead, he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to yo repentance.”

BUT in our passage in Revelation Chapter 6, we have sinners running from the Wrath of the Lamb.  They are running from the wrath of the very One who died for them.  What’s going on here?

After re-reading and meditating on the previous verses in the chapter, the answer is found in verses 9 thru 10:

I see two things in play here.  1st – the scene here shows God’s vengeance on mankind.  As Hebrews 10:30 tells us and we know Him who said, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay.”

The major focus in Revelation 6 is GOD’S JUDGMENT on those who’ve persecuted and slain His people in the name of His Son Jesus.

Jesus, while on this earth, told us what was going to happen when He said “Blessed are you when people hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man.” (Luke 6:22).

AND Luke 21:17 – “And you will be hated (despised) by everyone because [you bear] My name and for its sake.”  [AMP]

John wrote in 1 John 3:13 – “Do not be surprised, my brothers and sisters, if the world hates you.”

DID IT HAPPEN?

Yes!  Within the first 3 years of the EARLY church’s existence.

• The Apostle James was executed.
• Peter was thrown into prison.
• Philip was stoned to death.
• And a man named Saul had Christians arrested, jailed, beaten and even killed.

And that was just the beginning.

Down through the ages Christians have been murdered and tortured for their FAITH.

In my research, for this study, I came across some statistics that shocked me. [See Footnote [i].]

Every month…

• 255 Christians are killed.
• 104 are abducted.
• 180 Christian women are raped, sexually assaulted or forced into marriage.
• 60 churches are attacked.
• 160 Christians are detained without trial and imprisoned.

And this isn’t a new situation for BELIEVERS.  Christians have been suffering and dying for their FAITH for centuries!

And Jesus’ Revelation to John is telling us that God knew this would happen and it made Him angry.

And He was so angry that He said:  “Vengence is Mine”.

You REALLY don’t want to be on the receiving end of that kind of anger.

Paul wrote:  “God is just:  He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you”  (2 Thessalonians 1:6).

I literally feel sorry for the people who try to harm God’s people because I know the truth of Revelation 6.  You don’t mess with God’s people!

Hebrews 10:31tells us “It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”

So the 1st thing I see in Revelation 6 is THIS:

• God will bring JUDGMENT on those who hurt His people.

But there is something else here that I almost missed:

God’s JUDGMENT isn’t just about VENGEANCE, it’s ALSO about reaching out to the lost!

In the Youtube video presentation at the beginning of this Blog, listen to this verse:

RUN TO THE LORD

“Lord, won’t you hide me?”

RUN TO THE LORD

“Lord, won’t you hide me?”

RUN TO THE LORD.

“Lord, won’t you hide me?”

“And the Lord said ‘sinner man’ – you shoulda been prayin.”

Do you know what this verse is saying?

It’s saying, it’s too late Sinner Man…you shoulda been a prayin!  BUT you didn’t, so don’t bother me.  You’ve messed up big time and now there’s no hope.

I have a real problem with that thinking.

Isaiah 55:7 – “Let the wicked forsake their ways and the unrighteous their thoughts.  Let them turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will freely pardon.”

As Long as the wicked are willing to REPENT…God will forgive. 

That’s the MESSAGE throughout Scripture.

Hebrews 9:27 tells us “And just as it is appointed for [all] men once to die, and after that the [certain] judgment”  [AMP].

But these guys (in Revelation 6) aren’t dead yet!  Until they die they still have the opportunity to REPENT.

And besides, it doesn’t say that the “Sinners” were appealing to God.  These folks weren’t running TO Jesus…they were running AWAY from Him.

Revelation 6:15-16 says they “hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains”

These folks aren’t appealing to God to hide them, they “called to the mountains and the rocks, ‘Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne’.” 

They were calling on the rocks and Mountains to fall on them and protect them.

I remember growing up in a home where the punishment my folks dealt out to my brother and I definitely got our attention.  So much so, that even a slight look of dissatisfaction was all that was needed.

And there are times in Scripture where God disciplined entire nations in order to get their attention to REPENT–“turn from their wicked ways”  (2 Chronicles 7:14).

Psalm 32:4, we see David speaking about how God dealt with him after he had sinned with Bathsheba.  He wrote: “For day and night Your hand [of displeasure] was heavy upon me…”  (AMP).

It was a repeated theme throughout the Old Testament.  God would slap the people in order to wake them UP!

And God hasn’t changed.  He’s still working on sinners NOW as He did back then.

One of my favorite bible verses is where Jesus says:

What does Jesus mean when He says the Holy Spirit (“the Helper”) will CONVICT?

It means that someone has been convicted of their GUILT.

It means to make a person FEEL their Guilt.

AND that’s the Spirit’s job–to CONVICT people of their SIN.

CONVINCE them of the need of RIGHTEOUSNESS and remind them of the coming judgment.

Now, how’s the Holy Spirit going to do that?

As my mother would try to explain when I was a child:  “That small voice inside of you will make you very uncomfortable, Mel, when you are doing something you shouldn’t.”

Being AWARE…

Being aware of what the Spirit of the Lord is trying to get your attention for.

Be open to receiving His correction and what He is showing you that you need to REPENT of and change direction in your life.

The word REPENT means to turn in the direction you were headed; change the way we did something or the direction we are thinking of proceeding.  [See Footnote [i].]

Remember always, the Holy Spirit is CONVICTING and NOT CONDEMNING us! 

That’s what the enemy does.

HOLY SPIRIT is NOT going to badger or nag us about the same thing.  He is going to show us the MISTAKE–laying it on our hearts to REPENT and ask for forgiveness and then… He is going to expect us to move on.  He will keep on until we do something about it!  That’s not “nagging,” that’s the Father’s LOVE for us.

In reflection and asking myself the question. who do I know, or don’t know today who are living in the ‘spiritual caves’ right now while shaking their fists at God?

Should I be praying that the Holy Spirit might CONVICT them to REPENTANCE?

QUESTION:  “But aren’t these people really God’s enemies and if they are God’s enemies, they have to be mine too? And shouldn’t God’s enemies be put in place–PUNISHED?”

MY ENEMIES–GOD’S ENEMIES deserve to be punished!!

Well, here’s the deal.

If I rejoice when my enemy falls, I prove I’ve missed something.

You see, Jesus came to die for SINNERS.  Now–are my enemies…SINNERS?

Yeah!  I’m pretty sure that’s part of the reason they’re my enemies.

There’s an interesting passage of Scripture from Proverbs 24:17-18 (AMP).

[17] Rejoice not when your enemy falls, and let not your heart be glad when he stumbles or is overthrown.  [18] Lest the Lord see it and it be evil in His eyes and displease Him, and He turns away His wrath from him [to expend Thit upon you, the worse offender].

There’s a hint given in the verses at the fact that your ENEMY is being punished for a reason.

THE REASON is this:

God is punishing your enemy so that you can show them GRACE.  You see God punishes your enemies so that you can come into their lives and show them God’s LOVE for them which lends to REPENTANCE.

You and I need to be constantly reminded by God’s Spirit that we were not SAVED so we could be pampered.

We were SAVED because we were going to HELL!

We were SAVED because we didn’t stand a chance without God’s MERCY!

It’s not that God doesn’t want you to have a better life than you’d have if you didn’t become a Christian; it’s just that God has SAVED us to become something more than just self-centered and self-serving individuals.

GOD SAVED you and I–and enlisted us to be His Ambassadors (His missionaries) to a lost world.            (2 Corinthians 6:20)

Now here’s the deal–you may be thinking that you are not qualified–not important enough to become a missionary–an ambassador.  But if you are willing to go to the “sinner man” during their struggles and SHARE with them the LOVE of God and HOPE of His forgiveness…then you have a chance to change the world!

Are you willing to take a chance?

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CREDITS & FOOTNOTES

Footnote [i] :  Statistics –  https://www.opendoorusa.org/christian-persecution/

Credit:  Charisma News – Discerning the Difference…Between Holy Spirit Conviction and Demonic Condemnation.

Photos/Images:  Google Image Search.

Bible Translations:  The New International Version (NIV), or elsewhere noted in the text.

Media:  Sinner Man by the Seekers, 1965.  Courtesy of YouTube. 

 

Don’t Mess With God’s Kids! – PART 1

As some of my readers know of late, I’ve been doing ‘detective’ investigations in The Book of Ezekiel (Hebrew -“God is strong”).  I was considering naming this study in Chapters 25 thru 32, the ‘Judgment on the Islamic nations.’  However, these verses not only cover SEVEN NATIONS, which happen to be ALL the Islamic nations, but the judgments apply to ALL other countries of the earth as well.  This includes godless or watered down Christian countries.

The SEVEN NATIONS included:

#1.  Ammon  (25:1-7)

#2.  Moab      (25:8-11)

#3.  Edom      (25:12-14)

#4.  Philistia  (25:15-17)

#5.  Tyre         (26:1 thru 28:19)

#6.  Sidom      (28:20-24)

#7. Egypt        (29:1 thru 32:32)

GOD IS STILL THE SOVEREIGN GOD OF ALL THE WORLD!!!

THE FIRST Nation we come across is AMMON (25:2). 

The Ammonites were relatives of the Jews based on being descendants of Abraham’s nephew, Lot.

Family relationships today in our culture can be…ARE at times difficult as well.  Because of this family relationship our Lord watched over and protected the people of Ammon.  The book of Deuteronomy 2 tell us,  “When you come near the territory of the sons of Ammon, do not trouble or assault them or provoke or stir them up, for I will not give you any of the land of the Ammonites for a possession, because I have given it to the sons of Lot for a possession.” (verse 19).

Even though they were blood relatives to the Israelites, the Ammonites turned out to be enemies.  [see Judges 3:13, 10:6; 2 Chronicles 20:23]

Every social and moral aspect of our behavior is under the scrutiny of God’s all-seeing eye.  Just because these nations didn’t carry Bibles under their arms, it didn’t exempt them; their CONSCIENCES were enough to condemn them!

In one of Dryden’s poems, there is a line:  “And because the fury of a patient man” [footnote [i].  Ezekiel would add the thought:  “Beware the wrath of a patient God!”

AMMON and MOAB (25:8-11):

AMMON: Northern Jordan (Amman) and MOAB: Central Jordan.

AMMON and MOAB, being LOT’S two sons born of his incestuous relationship with his two daughters were regarded as relatives of Israel, though both treated Israel with contempt.

AMMON’S CRIME

The ‘crime’ was the Ammonites delighted in the downfall of God’s kingdom (25:3, 6).  Not from just observing Israel’s destruction from a distance; like coming upon an accident on a freeway, slowing down, rubbernecking the scene, then passing on by–but the people were clapping their hands and stomping their feet with glee!

We all too frequently find amusement in the misfortunes of others.

Ammon’s heartless response to their neighbor’s fate was not only wrong but also blind; they too would fall (25:4).

“DONT’ MESS WITH GOD’S KIDS!”

When reading and studying Scripture there always seems to be a lesson to take in for all us.  The lesson here is one of failure to appreciate that the fall of a neighbor is one that can befall us too, apart from God’s GRACE.

Every time we see another fall into SIN, even if he or she is our enemy, we shouldn’t “clap our hands” and “stomp our feet” with joy, but rather offer compassion and thankfulness:  COMPASSION, for we should LOVE even our enemies, and THANKFULNESSESS that “There go I, but for the grace of God”  (Quote by John Bradford, 1510-1555).

THE MOABITES – Ezekiel 25:8-11:

[8] “This is what the Sovereign LORD says: ‘Because Moab and Seir said, “Look, Judah has become like all the other nations,”  [9] therefore I will expose the flank of Moab, because of Moab, beginning at its frontier towns–Beth Jeshimoth, Baal Meon and Kiriathaim–the glory of that land.  [10] I will give Moab along with the Ammonites to the people of the East as a possession, so that the Ammonites will not be remembered among the nations;  [11] and I will inflict punishment on Moab.  Then they will know that I am the LORD.”

“DON’T MESS WITH GOD’S KIDS!”

So what did the Moabites do wrong?  Look at the indictment:  “Because MOAB and SEIR say, ‘LOOK! The house of Judah is like all the other nations.’

They were in effect saying, the God of Israel is powerless.  He is just like all the other gods.  If Judah’s GOD is supposed to be ‘All powerful’, then why didn’t he protect the Jews from being protected?

They were MOCKING that the Lord is nothing special.

Moabite Fortress

MOAB would receive the same punishment Ammon their brother received. These desert dwellers would come and destroy the mighty fortresses and notable cities they were so proud of.

Ezekiel 25:12-14 – Now it’s EDOM’S turn!

“Don’t Mess With God’s Kids!”

[12] “This is what the Sovereign LORD says: ‘Because Edom took revenge on Judah and became very guilty by doing so,  [13] therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says: I will stretch out my hand against Edom and kill both man and beast. I will lay it waste, and from Teman to Dedan they will fall by the sword.  [14] I will take vengeance on Edom by the hand of my people Israel, and they will deal with Edom in accordance with my anger and my wrath; they will know my vengeance, declares the Sovereign LORD.”

Southern Jordan, Edom, or Mt. Seir are slated for the grimmest JUDGMENT and it shall be rendered in places, utterly uninhabitable. [Ezekiel 35:1-7]

Ammon and Moab were BAD, but Edom surpassed these two others in its brutality against the Jews.

Psalm 137:7 (Amplified Bible):

[7] Remember, O Lord, against the Edomites, that they said in the day of Jerusalem’s fall,  Down, down to the ground with her!

When some of the Israelites tried to escape to Edom they were turned away by the sword.

Where are the EDOMITES today?

In Genesis 27 we read about Isaac’s two sons Jacob and Esau: Jacob received his father’s BLESSING by pretending to be his brother since Isaac’s eye site had failed.

Esau finding the results asks his father, “Bless me–me too, my father!” (vs. 34).

“Do you have only one blessing, my father?” (vs. 38)

[39] His father Isaac answered him:  “Your dwelling will be away from the earth’s richness, away from the dew of heaven above.

[40] You will live by the sword and you will serve your brother.  But when you grow restless, you will throw his yoke from off your neck.”

The “EDOMITE SPIRIT” is alive and well!

Although the land of Edom today is but a desolated and barren land today–the spirit of EDOM is apparently still alive and well.

Isaac’s Blessing on ESAU was very clear.  Isaac prophesied over his firstborn son and he gave him a “left-over” sort of blessing that provided me with some clues.

Isaac told Esau that his descendants…

#1.  They would end up dwelling in rich countries–the ‘fatness’ (KJV); the ‘fruitfulness of the earth’ (AMP).

#2.  He would live by the sword (gun).

#3.  Eventually, he would break free from Jacob’s yoke of civil behavior and run wild!  (Gen. 27:40)

If the Edomites are around today, they might be found in nations such as ours.  The richest nation is to be found in Western civilization.

Let’s face it, thousands of years have passed by and the spirit of Esau (Edom) is now flowing in nations far abroad with anti-Semitism.

The Philistines Enter The Picture!  (Ezekiel 25:15-17):

[15]  “This is what the Sovereign LORD says…  

Don’t Mess With God’s Kids!”

‘Because the Philistines acted in vengeance and took revenge with malice in their hearts, and with ancient hostility sought to destroy Judah,  [16] therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says:  I am about to stretch out my hand against the Philistines, and wipe out the Kerethites and destroy those remaining along the coast.  [15] I will carry out great vengeance on them and punish them in my wrath.  Then they will know that I am the LORD, when I take vengeance on them.”

“Philistines” or “Palestinians”?

It is from the term “Philistines” that the name “Palestinians” have incorrectly been taken.

Actually, the ancient Philistines and modern Palestinians DO HAVE something in common: both are INVADERS from other lands.  That’s precisely the meaning of their name, not an ethnic denomination but an adjective applied to the name–Pleshet, from the verb “pelesh”: “dividers” or “invaders”.

The PHILISTINES were a confederation of non-Semitic peoples from Crete, the Aegean Islands and Asia Minor, also known as “Sea Peoples”.

The original homeland was the island of CRETE.

Invaders from Greece took control of the island and the ancient Cretans arrived in Southern Canaan and were known as “Paleshtim” by the Hebrews and Canaanites (they became allied to fight the invaders).

EZEKIEL 25:16-17:

We now see our heavenly Father directs His attention to a non-relative, Israel’s old-time arch-enemy, the Philistines.  Although they were greatly weakened by king David, they continued to exist as a people.

The God of Israel–Jehovah Roi, has finally had enough of these foreigners.  His Mercy and Grace has come to an end!

In the book of Zephaniah, chapter 2, it mentions the Cherethites or ‘Cretans’.

[4]  Gaza will be abandoned and Ashkelon left in ruins.  At midday Ashdod will be emptied and Ekron uprooted.

[5]  Woe to you who live by the sea, you Kerethite people; the word of the LORD is against you, Canaan, land of the Philistines.  He says, “I will destroy you, and none will be left.”

The world has been tricked into thinking today’s Palestinians are Descendants of the Philistines.  This is NOT true!–

To insult the Jews after the Roman army destroyed the city of Jerusalem in 70 AD, they changed the name to PALESTINE.  There never was a group of people descended from this group of people.  The Philistines as described here in Scripture ceased to be a people.

PART 2– I’ll continue with the nations and the Prophecy Against Tyre–

Ezekiel 26:1-28 thru 28:19.

 

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FOOTNOTES & CREDITS

Footnote [i]:  “Absalon and A. chi top el e-notes”

Credits:  

PALESTINIAN MYTHS – Myths, Hypothesis, and Facts Concerning the Origin of Peoples.

The Edomites Today – End-Time Pilgrim by Gavin Finley, MD

Jordan; Ammon, Moab, and Edom…Islam in Prophesy by Pastor Bill Randles Blog.

Bible Translations:  New International Version (NIV), except where noted.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Feelings of Being Dropped and Rejected

2 Samuel 4:4 (ESV):

Jonathan, the son of Saul, had a son who was crippled in his feet.  He was five years old when the news about Saul and Jonathan came from Jezreel, and his nurse took him up and fled in her haste, he fell and became lame.  And his name was Mephibosheth.

MEPHIBOSHETH –

I see here in the verse, that this young boy was in the care of an unnamed nurse.  After all, he could have been the future king of the land, and would have had a caretaker, a nanny, a trusted companion to be entrusted to.

And in a time of urgency, a time when the kingdom seemed to be crashing all around them, a time when the nurse was not thinking clearly, when she was rushed in going to and fro…

Mephibosheth was consequently DROPPED…dropped by someone who should have been caring for him.

DROPPED by someone who should have been the model and personification of LOVE!

He was dropped by the one who fed him.

Dropped by the one who hugged him.

He was dropped by the one he TRUSTED!

Has someone you have loved and expressed LOVE to you ever dropped you?

You looked to them and they dropped you!

You trusted them and they dropped you!

They held you close and they dropped you!

They fed you with one hand and slapped you with the other hand!

They held you, said I love you but the way they held you was full of perversion and in your heart you question, “Is this really love?”

They said “I love you” but their actions spoke of hate and anger.

You were dropped by the one who should have been holding you!  Not only were you “dropped,” but you were changed when you were dropped from that moment on and you began to WALK DIFFERENTLY.

I remember hearing the story of my mother-in-law when she was probably about Mephibosheth’s age.  A neighbor had come over to visit and wanted to bring Margarite down stairs to the parlor for others gathered to gloat and brag over this pretty young girl.

As she began to proceed down the stairs in haste, she dropped my wife’s mother, which resulted with her leg being broken.  Unfortunately, in that day in age, X-Rays were far and few between, and the doctor didn’t set the little girl’s leg correctly.  So, her leg bone fused to her hip, and she became lame in that leg, walking differently, wearing a specially made shoe, for the rest of her life.

But being LAME in life can obviously go beyond the physical deformities, it can apply to our spirit, our souls as well.

WALKING IN RELATIONSHIPS –

Your relationships after being dropped can carry with them the effects of being dropped.

You carry insecurities IN the process of being DROPPED.

But understand the Bible constantly affirms the teaching of Self Worth!

Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness”  (Genesis 1:26)

AND Psalm 8:5-6 (Amplified Bible):

[5] Yet You have made him but a little lower than God [or heavenly beings], and You have [crowned] him with glory and honor.  [6] You made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet.

Holding Unforgiveness –

We lose when we fall into a cycle of HATING those that have dropped us.

Matthew 5:43-44:

[43] “You have heard that it was said,  ‘Love your neighbor, and hate your enemy.’  [44] But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”

HURT –

Instead of admitting the HURT, we think about it and puzzle over our anger, when the ANGER becomes so strong you forget that you have even been hurt!

REVENGE –

Revenge comes with, “What can I do to get even?”

Always dwelling on the issue–never moving on–never growing up and never allowing FORGIVENESS to flow.

Minds are manipulated by feelings.  They allow the initial HURT to evolve; which grows into something larger to hold onto, resulting in certain Self-destruction; Self-damage and poor Self-worth.

A person that doesn’t think well of themselves eventually begins to criticize others.

Proverbs 26:24 (AMP):

He who HATES pretends with his lips, but stores up deceit within himself.

Pushing others down makes those who are down felt as if they are greater.

We are never given AUTHORITY to CRITICIZE OTHERS, even those who have done us wrong.  Even those that HATE you.  Even those that CRITICIZE you.  Even those who whisper (gossip) behind your back.

BLESS THEM, ENCOURAGE THEM, UPLIFT THEM!

I challenge anyone, who has or had feelings of inadequacy from being dropped and rejected by another, will hold on to these feelings while Blessing them, Encouraging them, and Uplifting them.

MEPHIBOSHETH FOUND HIMSELF AT THE KING’S TABLE –

2 Samuel 9:1-5 (AMP)

[1]  AND DAVID said, Is there still anyone left of the house of Saul to whom I may show kindness for Jonathan’s sake?  [2] And of the house of Saul there was a servant whose name was Ziba. When they had called him to David, he said to him, Are you Ziba? He said, I, your servant, am he.  [3] The king said, Is there not still someone of the house of Saul to whom I may show the [unfailing, unsought, unlimited] mercy and kindness of God? Ziba replied, Jonathan has yet a son who is lame in his feet.  [4] And the king said, Where is he? Ziba replied, He is in the house of Machir, son of Ammiel in Lo-debar.  [5] Then King David sent and brought him from the house of Machir son of Ammiel in Lo-de-bar.

MEPHIBOSHETH; although lame physically, never searched for the king, BUT…the king searched for him!

He was afraid of King David!  Perhaps this young boy had a wrong perception of the king’s character.

JESUS said,  “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost”  (Luke 19:10).

Man does not SEEK after God, God’s not lost; we are!

In all our insecurities, self-doubts…we have turned our backs on God.

Mephibosheth found himself in a far country (9:4).  He was at Lo-debar.

LO-DE-BAR means “the place of no bread.”  It’s a place of starvation; there is no SPIRITUAL FOOD in this far country.  And, there is no strength outside the will of God.

Are you finding yourself right now in a far off place HURT and REJECTION–in a land with the name of Lo-debar?

Mephibosheth was crippled and couldn’t help himself (9:13).

He would have died without the King’s help (9:8),

JESUS came into a country where there was NO BREAD.  I feel so grateful, so blessed that He came to SAVE me and you!

MEPHIBOSHETH WAS RECEIVED FOR ANOTHER’S SAKE –

2 Samuel 9:1, 7 (AMP):

[1] AND DAVID said,  Is there still anyone left of the house of Saul to whom I may show kindness for Jonathan’s sake?

[7] David said to him, Fear not, for I will surely show you kindness for Jonathan your father’s sake, and will restore to you all the land of Saul your father [grandfather], and you shall eat at my table always.

DAVID love Jonathan like his own son and David made a promise to him:

While I [Jonathan] am still alive you shall not only show me the loving kindness of the Lord, so that I die not.  But also you shall not cut off your kindness from my house forever–no, not even when the Lord has cut off every enemy of David from the face of the earth.  (1 Samuel 20:14-15, AMP).

Mephibosheth became a son of the King (9:11).  [See Romans 8:17]

[17] Now if we are children, then we are heirs–heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ…

It is true that, while we as human beings were in our infancy, the devil grabbed us and ran off into a far country that caused mankind to fall and be crippled.  Where our doubts, our failings, our insecurities, OUR FEELINGS has left us crippled spiritually and feeling not loved.

BUT thank God, it is also true that the King has come, He sought us, and found us in a far country, adopted us into His family, and will take us to His country to sit at His Table for eternity.

 

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CREDITS –

True Beauty of Our Scars, A Book by Elisa Morgen

Photos:  Google Images Search.

Bible Translations:  New International Version (NIV), except where noted.

 

 

Just A “One-Trick Prophet” In A Non-Believing World

“A ONE-TRICK PONY” —

I was watching an advertisement on television this past week, regarding people who had gathered at a church wedding where the atmosphere gets out of control.  Someone shouts at a person in the second row holding a popular smart phone, “You’re just a ‘One-trick pony!’ and the chaos continues from there.

Being the Word detective that I am, I decided to investigate the background behind the EXPRESSION: “one-trick pony”– which so happens to fit in nicely with Scripture found in the Book of Nahum 1:1-3:

[1] “THE BURDEN of Nineveh.  The book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite.

[2]God is jealous, and the LORD revengeth; the LORD revengeth, and is furious; the LORD will take vengeance on his adversaries, and he reserveth wrath for his enemies.

[3]  The LORD is slow to anger, and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked; the LORD hath his way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet”

Where did the expression “One-Trick Pony” come from and what is the implication?”

Merriam-Webster explains:  “One that is skilled in only one area; one that has success only once.”

Paul Simon wrote the lyrics to a 1980 song entitled, One-Trick Pony:

He’s a one-trick pony

One trick is all that horse can do

He does one trick only

It’s the principal source of his revenue

And when he steps into the spotlight  You can feel the heat of his heart  Come rising through.

So, whether it be written on the front of a cereal box or the title of a tune, I think by now you get the idea of what it means of JUST A “One-Trick Pony”.  

 NOW, the “One-Trick Prophet”  Comparison:

THE BOOK OF NAHUM–THE PROPHET:

Announcing God’s impending destruction on the city of “Nineveh”–

The Book of Nahum has one theme, and one theme only–God’s impending destruction on the city of “Nineveh”:

“THE BURDEN or oracle (the thing to be lifted up) concerning Nineveh [the capital of Assyria]” ~ Nahum 1:1 AMP.

#1.   Described in detail in Chapter 3, verse 1—“A bloody city”.

#2.  At the same time, God is going to destroy the “wicked” (Nahum 1:15) in the Assyrian Empire.

THE LARGER LESSON TO BE LEARNED IN THIS BOOK–

GOD is going to take vengeance (Nahum 1:2), whether immoral nations, pagan cities or corrupted individuals.  Sound vaguely familiar in the area where you are residing?  You’re NOT alone!

As verse three says “the Lord IS slow to anger”–and at the same time, He “will by no means clear the guilty”  (Nahum 1:3).

Verse 8 goes on to say, “He will make a full end [of Nineveh]”.  There’s an image that flooded my spirit here; both the severity and certainty of God’s coming wrath on ALL those who do not “take refuge and trust Him” (Nahum 1:7).

During The Time Nahum Received His “VISION”–

Nineveh’s approaching destruction must have seemed like wishful thinking.  The Assyrian Empire was still “at full strength” (verse 12); “safe” (as the NKJV puts it).

While verse 8 states “with an overrunning flood He will make a full end of [Nineveh”s very] site…”  (which history tells us literally came true!).

KNOWING THAT ONE OF GOD’S ATTRIBUTES IS HIS WRATH  (JOHN 3:36):

“And he who believes in the son has eternal life.  BUT whoever disobeys (is unbelieving toward, refuses to trust in, disregards, is not subject to) the son will never see (experience) life, but [instead] the wrath of God abides to him.”

Scripture says the Lord will pour out His WRATH on those who do not REPENT their sins, and profess (DECLARE) THEIR FAITH in Jesus Christ (Mark 1:15).  And then (by His enabling Grace), start imitating their Savior’s example (1 Peter 2:21-23; 1 Timothy 4:12).

Most Christians Know That Scripture Tells US–

We, as believers. are “not to take our own revenge”–but, ‘leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written,  ‘Vengeance is Mine, I will repay’ says the Lord”  (Romans 12:19).

What we’d rather hear in church or Bible Studies is about God’s LOVE for sinners (Romans 5:8).  To tell us about His mercy and compassion (James 5:11) regarding sinful people–tell us please about His saving peace (Ephesians 2:8).  And lets don’t dwell on His vengeance, His wrath, and His anger (Nahum 1:2-3), because a little goes a long way, right?

Not Hearing, Seeing or Speaking the Truth

The message I found in the Book of Nahum, enables us to better understand what we’ve been saved from (Romans 5:9); also helps us to more deeply appreciate what Christ did for us on the cross (Isaiah 53:3-8).

ABOUT THE MAN AND HIS MESSAGE:

NAHUM’S NAME means “comforter”, “counselor”.  Sounds odd, given the severe tone of his book and his surrounding WORLD.  And to expand this further, it was obvious that the Assyrians found little comfort in Nahum’s prophecy–JUST A “ONE-TRICK PROPHET” as far as they were concerned.

A Day of Troubled Times–

Beyond the reference in verse seven, of God being “…a Strength and Stronghold in the day of trouble;  He knows those who take refuge and trust in Him (Nahum 1:7), can we in our modern society, learn the lesson the Assyrians didn’t?

While it is certainly possible individual Assyrians may have found COMFORT in Nahum’s words–there was no hope for the city (or nation) as a whole.  The impending disaster prophesied by Nahum wasn’t going to be averted, like the one in Jonah’s day had been (Jonah 3:9-10).

God was going to “…make a full end of [Nineveh’s very] site” (Nahum 1:8); Nineveh as a city, Assyria as a nation–even if some of the people living there believed God and repent (Jonah 3:5-8; Daniel 1:1-7).

Nahum’s Name Implies a Measure of “Comfort” or “Consolation”…primarily for God’s covenant people–in this instance, the people of Judah.

In the midst of all the BAD NEWS in the land, on how God was going to pour out His wrath upon the people of Nineveh– also find some words of “comfort” directed to the people of Judah (and by extension, all God’s covenant people living in every nation and every generation)–like chapter one, verse 13, where God said  “…I will break his yoke from off you and will burst your bonds asunder–verse fifteen “…Celebrate your fests, O Judah; perform your vows”–and chapter two, verse two, where the prophet said “…For the Lord restores the excellency of Jacob.”

Scripture as a whole, repeatedly offers God’s elect covenant people “comfort” and “consolation”, even in the midst of moral and social, political and spiritual decay–

One example can be found in PSALM 94:2-3, 14, 22-23:

“Rise up, O Judge of the earth; render to the proud a fit compensation!    Lord, how long shall the wicked, how long shall wicked triumph and exult?”  (verses 2 and 3).

“For the Lord will not cast off nor spurn His people, neither will He abandon His heritage.”  (verse 14).

“But the Lord has become my High Tower and defense, and my God the Rock of my refuge.    And He will turn back upon them their own iniquity and will wipe them out by means of their own wickedness; the Lord our God will wipe them out.”  (verses 22-23).  

Another example is found in The Book of Revelation  (Revelation 6:9-11):

“When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained.    They called out in a loud voice, “How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?”    Then each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to wait a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and brothers who were to be killed as they had been was completed”  (NIV).

I DON’T WANT TO “BEAT A DEAD HORSE”:

I know, another cliché to ponder.  BUT, I want you to see the THEME–God’s retribution is not unique in the Book of Nahum–nor confined to the Old Testament.

Scripture does NOT present GOD as a God of wrath and vengeance in the Old Testament and a GOD of love and grace in the New Testament–He’s EXACTLY THE SAME IN BOTH (Malachi 3:6; Hebrews 13:8).

It is the Old testament that describes Him in several places as “a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abundant in loving kindness, and One who relents concerning calamity”  (Jonah 4:2; SEE Exodus 34:6-7; Psalm 103:8; 145:8; Nehemiah 9:17).

On the other hand…

It’s the New Testament that says:

“it is only just for God to repay with affliction those who afflict you, and to give relief to you who are afflicted and to us as well when the Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, DEALING OUT RETRIBUTION to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus”  (2 Thessalonians 1:6-8).

Here’s the point–

There is NO “comfort” or “consolation” in the Book of Nahum (or anywhere else in Scripture) for those who “trample under foot the Son of God, regard the blood of the covenant unclean, and insult the Spirit of grace” (Hebrews 10:29-31).  For then, the Lord IS “an avenging and wrathful God, who will not let the guilty go unpunished” (Nahum 1:2-3).

LOVE, GRACE and FORGIVENESS PREACHED…BUT, HAS SOMETHING BEEN MISSED, SOMETHING SET-ASIDE?

Those three words, “LOVE, GRACE and FORGIVENESS” are paramount in preaching the Gospel in a “non-believing world”–but we must not put aside Declaring the Whole Counsel of God at the same time.  I know, that message isn’t popular in today’s churches.  But if we set aside the WHOLE TRUTH of Scripture because of our fears to offend someone, then only a few will walk down that aisle on Sunday mornings, if any.  And if you are satisfied with that approach, that’s okay too.  But if you are going to emphasize only ‘half-truths”, then you are NOT declaring the whole truth.

The New King James Version says it this way:

“For I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God”  (Acts 20:27 NKJV).

Here is but another translation of the same verse:

“I have not FEARED to tell you ALL that God wants you to know”  (Acts 20:27 WE).

GOD’S WRATH REMAINS WHETHER WE LIKE IT OR NOT!

The same wrath envisioned by Nahum remains over every nation today…where God and His laws are rejected or ignored.  And that would include are own (Nahum 1:1-3).

These nations may or may not fall as dramatically as Nineveh did, but fall they will!  UNLESS, we take heed to the words of John the Baptist  “But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he [John the Baptist] said to them,  You brood of vipers!  Who warned you to flee and escape from the WRATH and INDIGNATION [of God against disobedience] that is coming?  (Matthew 3:7 AMP).

–by fleeing to JESUS who bore the full brunt of the WRATH on the cross for our sake, GOD’S ELECT.  And because he did, you and I can take “COMFORT” in passages of Scripture like these:

[9] “For God has NOT APPOINTED US to [incur His] WRATH [He did not select us to condemn us], but [that we might] obtain [His] salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah)  [10] Who died for us so that whether we are still alive or are dead [at Christ’s appearing], we might live together with Him and share His life”  (1 Thessalonians 5:9-10 AMP). 

and again,

“…JESUS, Who personally RESCUES and DELIVERS us out of and from the WRATH  [bringing punishment] which is coming…”  (1 Thessalonians 1:10 AMP).

and one more,

“But God shows and clearly proves His [own] love for us by the fact that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.  [9] Therefore, since we are now JUSTIFIED (acquitted, made righteous, and brought into right relationship with God) by Christ’s blood, how much more [certain is it that] we shall be SAVED by Him from indignation and wrath of God”  (Romans 5:8-9).

And, aren’t you glad that we who are Believers are…?

Not because we are so worthy, or better than the Assyrians living in Nahum’s day–but because our God and Savior has chosen us to be gracious to?

My next POST will spring off these thoughts concerning our DECLARING in a non-believing world. Keep watching!