Nahum – I'm Following Jesus

King James Bible Study – [Mark 8:34 And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.]

Date: Thursday, August 03, 223
Chapters: THE BOOK OF NAHUM
Study: A Warning to Every Nation

Hello My Brother/Sister/Friend,

We are back in Florida, and everything from the air we breathe to the attitudes of the people is the complete opposite of Georgia. There is something that I noticed on every street corner, at least, where we were staying, there was literally a church on every one of them. The sad thing about that is that very few are open. I always say that America is a shadow of Israel, as I believe it was founded by God, which also happens to be Israel’s closest ally. However, it has fallen by the wayside, and if it does not get its act together, including their support of Israel, it will be judged. Right now, God is giving us a warning, [Revelation 3:2-3 Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God. 3 Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.]

The Book of Nahum contains three chapters, the author is Nahum and it was written to the people of Nineveh. The timeline was about 660BC. The purpose of the book was to warn them of the coming judgment, after they fell away from God. What we are to learn from the book is that God hates and avenges all evil, [Nahum 1:12 Thus saith the LORD; Though they be quiet, and likewise many, yet thus shall they be cut down, when he shall pass through. Though I have afflicted thee, I will afflict thee no more.]

Nineveh, was saved from destruction when God made it an appoint to send Jonah there to warn the people of the judgment upon them. Immediately they turned away from their idols and set their sights on God. Sadly, it did not last, and here we are a hundred and fifty years later, and they are facing judgment again. Nahum describes God’s anger, judgments, power, and who is able to stand before Him in His anger.

[Nahum 1:1-4 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. 4 He rebuketh the sea, and maketh it dry, and drieth up all the rivers: Bashan languisheth, and Carmel, and the flower of Lebanon languisheth.]

[and will not at all acquit the wicked:] As long as we are faithful, and repentant, God’s mercy will endure. We are to never take His mercies for granted, and live our remaining time on earth to do what is pleasing to Him. Are we always going to please Him? No. And we will face suffering for it. Are we always going to suffer? No. And if we live our remaining time on earth being faithful to God, the suffering will be less.

[2 Timothy 2:11-16 It is a faithful saying: For if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him: 12 If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us: 13 If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself. 14 Of these things put them in remembrance, charging them before the Lord that they strive not about words to no profit, but to the subverting of the hearers. 15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. 16 But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness.]

[Nahum 1:6-10 Who can stand before his indignation? and who can abide in the fierceness of his anger? his fury is poured out like fire, and the rocks are thrown down by him. 7 The LORD is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him. 8 But with an overrunning flood he will make an utter end of the place thereof, and darkness shall pursue his enemies. 9 What do ye imagine against the LORD? he will make an utter end: affliction shall not rise up the second time. 10 For while they be folden together as thorns, and while they are drunken as drunkards, they shall be devoured as stubble fully dry.]

[Who can stand before his indignation?] [Indignation; Extreme anger] God’s, extreme anger against the unrepentant for their ingratitude and rebellion. Did you know that if a person who gets saved returns to a life of sin, that they become worse than had they never been saved? Jesus said this, [Matthew 12:43-45 When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none. 44 Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished. 45 Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation.]

[they shall be devoured as stubble fully dry.] There are no second, third, or forth chances to receive Christ as Your Savior once the flesh dies, it is game over. We must receive Christ before we die in order to escape the second death, [Revelation 20:12-14 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. 13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. 14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.]

[What do ye imagine against the LORD?] Nahum, has a question that all of us who are faithful to God have, “Who in their right mind would go against God when He saved them? While this message is addressed to Nineveh, it is also addressed to Judah, back when God had delivered them from Assyria during Hezekiah’s days. And now Assyria is attacking Nineveh, and warning to Judah that He will do the same to them if they do not repent. There will come a day when every soul will stand before Christ. Who exactly is able to stand before the judgment seat of Christ? Only those whom have sincerely accepted Him as their Saviour.

[Revelation 21:4,7-8 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. 7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. 8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.]

There will come a day when every soul will stand before Christ. Who exactly is able to stand before the judgment seat of Christ? Only those whom have sincerely accepted Him as their Saviour. The pain and affliction that we face, which is caused by our own sin, will not last, there will come a day when even sin will be no more.

[Nahum 1:11-14 There is one come out of thee, that imagineth evil against the LORD, a wicked counsellor. 12 Thus saith the LORD; Though they be quiet, and likewise many, yet thus shall they be cut down, when he shall pass through. Though I have afflicted thee, I will afflict thee no more. 13 For now will I break his yoke from off thee, and will burst thy bonds in sunder. 14 And the LORD hath given a commandment concerning thee, that no more of thy name be sown: out of the house of thy gods will I cut off the graven image and the molten image: I will make thy grave; for thou art vile.]

[Though they be quiet, and likewise many,] This was said to be Sennacherib, who had his royal seat and palace there or Rabshakeh who was sent by him the first time with the railing and blaspheming letter to king Hezekiah, of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. God, made it clear when He sent Jonah to Nineveh that He wants every nation to be saved from judgment, but just like He destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah for their sin, He will destroy any nation that turns to wickedness, [Jude 1:5-7 I will therefore put you in remembrance, though ye once knew this, how that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not. 6 And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day. 7 Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.]

God, will not be mocked, His mercy will run out eventually for those who refuse to repent. As Nahum continues, God, is telling Judah that they need to get ready because judgment is coming to them as well, even though He will not destroy them, they will be marred.

[Nahum 2:1-3,6-8 He that dasheth in pieces is come up before thy face: keep the munition, watch the way, make thy loins strong, fortify thy power mightily. 2 For the LORD hath turned away the excellency of Jacob, as the excellency of Israel: for the emptiers have emptied them out, and marred their vine branches. 3 The shield of his mighty men is made red, the valiant men are in scarlet: the chariots shall be with flaming torches in the day of his preparation, and the fir trees shall be terribly shaken. 6 The gates of the rivers shall be opened, and the palace shall be dissolved. 7 And Huzzab shall be led away captive, she shall be brought up, and her maids shall lead her as with the voice of doves, tabering upon their breasts. 8 But Nineveh is of old like a pool of water: yet they shall flee away. Stand, stand, shall they cry; but none shall look back.]

[and marred their vine branches.] God, protected His nations, but they have forgotten their God, they are strong, cruel tyrants. They have no regard for what they are doing, no remorse, no shame, no guilt, oblivious to the judgment cast upon them. Sound familiar? That sounds a lot like God’s people today. The only good thing that can come out of living a sinful life after we get saved is that while we may suffer here, there is an expected end to that suffering, [Jeremiah 29:11-13 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. 12 Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. 13 And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.]

Yes, God is a loving and merciful God, but He is also a just God, and will destroy sin, even if that means wiping out an entire nation. The sins of Nineveh were charged, called out by God Himself, and now they were about to be judged for them to their own shame.

[Nahum 3:1-5 Woe to the bloody city! it is all full of lies and robbery; the prey departeth not; 2 The noise of a whip, and the noise of the rattling of the wheels, and of the pransing horses, and of the jumping chariots. 3 The horseman lifteth up both the bright sword and the glittering spear: and there is a multitude of slain, and a great number of carcases; and there is none end of their corpses; they stumble upon their corpses: 4 Because of the multitude of the whoredoms of the wellfavoured harlot, the mistress of witchcrafts, that selleth nations through her whoredoms, and families through her witchcrafts. 5 Behold, I am against thee, saith the LORD of hosts; and I will discover thy skirts upon thy face, and I will shew the nations thy nakedness, and the kingdoms thy shame.]

[and I will shew the nations thy nakedness, and the kingdoms thy shame.] Do you know what a mockery our nation looks like since Biden took office? Proud sinners create enemies within themselves, and if God sees fit to expose their sin, no one will have compassion on them, and they will bring themselves to their own shame and destruction, [Matthew 23:13-14 But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in. 14 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows’ houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation.]

Yes, we are saved by grace, but it is not a free pass to live in sin expecting God’s blessings and protection. If our nations refuse to heed the warnings, and continue in their sin, God will take them out one by one.

[Nahum 3:14-14,17-19 Draw thee waters for the siege, fortify thy strong holds: go into clay, and tread the morter, make strong the brickkiln. 15 There shall the fire devour thee; the sword shall cut thee off, it shall eat thee up like the cankerworm: make thyself many as the cankerworm, make thyself many as the locusts. 17 Thy crowned are as the locusts, and thy captains as the great grasshoppers, which camp in the hedges in the cold day, but when the sun ariseth they flee away, and their place is not known where they are. 18 Thy shepherds slumber, O king of Assyria: thy nobles shall dwell in the dust: thy people is scattered upon the mountains, and no man gathereth them. 19 There is no healing of thy bruise; thy wound is grievous: all that hear the bruit of thee shall clap the hands over thee: for upon whom hath not thy wickedness passed continually?]

[There is no healing of thy bruise;] If our nations refuse to heed the warnings, and continue in their sin, there will be no healing. As long as we are faithful, and repentant, God’s mercy will endure until He brings us home. We are to never take His mercies for granted, and live our remaining time on earth to do what is pleasing to Him. Are we always going to please Him? No. And we will face suffering for it. Are we always going to suffer? No. And if we live our remaining time on earth being faithful to God, the suffering will be less.

Today’s Prayer: God, Thank You for Your mercy and grace that saved a sinner like me when I trusted in Your Son as my Saviour. I know that I am forgiven of all my sins, past, present, and future because You no longer look at me through me, but through Your Son. You promise to never leave nor forsake me no matter what I do, and that I am saved forever no matter how many times I mess up. Lord, I do not want to sit idle, living anyway I please, without any regard for the great sacrifice You made to set me free from my sin. I want to be honorable and respectable in Your eyes, even if everyone else shuns me or mocks me for living to please Your. Lead me and guide me, give me Your power, strength, wisdom, mercy, grace, patience, and guidance to be the righteous instrument You need me to be so the lost can see You and be saved too. I ask this in Your name, Jesus. Amen.

God Bless You, I am praying for you,

Christina

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