I'm Following Jesus – Page 1380 – 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.

King James Bible Study – “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.” – Mark 8:34

Date: Friday, July 17,2020
Chapters: Isaiah 18-22
Message: Rest In Zion

Hello My Friend,

There are those who believe that the judgments of God are intended only for Israel. I believe that while Israel is, in fact, important to God, and He will always protect them, He is not a respecter of persons, He will bless any nation who chooses Him, likewise, He will judge any nation that rejects Him. Israel will always be special to God because He chose them to be His people. Are they perfect? Not a chance. Do they all follow Him? Absolutely not. Will they all be saved from judgment? Sorry, no. Only those who know Jesus Christ as their Saviour will be saved from judgment, and not only that they will inherit the kingdom of God, [I Corinthians 15:50-52 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. 51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.]

The nations that are God’s were founded on Him, His Word, their faith in Him, and obedience to His Word. While the law of Moses has been replaced by the law of grace since Christ’s passion, that still does not exempt nations once founded on Christ from facing judgment. One day Christ will return and will judge every nation, salvation has never been a Jew or Gentile thing, it is a believer thing. As we continue learning of God’s judgment upon the nations surrounding Israel, He has something to say to all people of the world.

[Isaiah 18:3-7 All ye inhabitants of the world, and dwellers on the earth, see ye, when he lifteth up an ensign on the mountains; and when he bloweth a trumpet, hear ye. 4 For so the LORD said unto me, I will take my rest, and I will consider in my dwelling place like a clear heat upon herbs, and like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest. 5 For afore the harvest, when the bud is perfect, and the sour grape is ripening in the flower, he shall both cut off the sprigs with pruning hooks, and take away and cut down the branches. 6 They shall be left together unto the fowls of the mountains, and to the beasts of the earth: and the fowls shall summer upon them, and all the beasts of the earth shall winter upon them. 7 In that time shall the present be brought unto the LORD of hosts of a people scattered and peeled, and from a people terrible from their beginning hitherto; a nation meted out and trodden under foot, whose land the rivers have spoiled, to the place of the name of the LORD of hosts, the mount Zion.]

[I will take my rest,] Zion is God’s rest and He will take care of the people who inhabit the land and protect them through all the seasons. Blessed are those who take heed to the warnings of God’s coming judgment of not only their nation, but all nations. Blessed are those who join Him and His people to the place that bears His name. All nations will finally discover that Jesus is true, that He is KING, and that He is God, those who heed the warnings and accept Him will be blessed to be with Him for eternity. When you think of God’s people you automatically associate them as those who are saved through Christ. While this is true, in a sense we must look at the whole picture, when God says Israel is His chosen He is referring to Israel as a nation, not all the people themselves. Are all Jews believers? No and they never have been. Every nation that God chooses to put His name on is not all believers, in fact, there is only a small fraction that are, they know He exists, they know His ways, and yet they refuse to live by them. Every nation will be judged, but there is also hope for restoration for some, through Isaiah, God foretells of the judgment placed on Egypt, and its restoration.

[Isaiah 19:1-4,17,20 The burden of Egypt. Behold, the LORD rideth upon a swift cloud, and shall come into Egypt: and the idols of Egypt shall be moved at his presence, and the heart of Egypt shall melt in the midst of it. 2 And I will set the Egyptians against the Egyptians: and they shall fight every one against his brother, and every one against his neighbour; city against city, and kingdom against kingdom. 3 And the spirit of Egypt shall fail in the midst thereof; and I will destroy the counsel thereof: and they shall seek to the idols, and to the charmers, and to them that have familiar spirits, and to the wizards. 4 And the Egyptians will I give over into the hand of a cruel lord; and a fierce king shall rule over them, saith the Lord, the LORD of hosts. 17 And the land of Judah shall be a terror unto Egypt, every one that maketh mention thereof shall be afraid in himself, because of the counsel of the LORD of hosts, which he hath determined against it. 20 And it shall be for a sign and for a witness unto the LORD of hosts in the land of Egypt: for they shall cry unto the LORD because of the oppressors, and he shall send them a saviour, and a great one, and he shall deliver them.]

[and they shall fight every one against his brother,] Does this not sound a lot like America right now? While America is God’s nation, that does not mean He will not use all this chaos going on right now to restore it. If America does not get its act together and return to God, it will end up with a tyrant for a president, [II Chronicles 7:14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.]

If there is one thing I have learned over the past few years, it is that people are going to do what they want and no matter how simple you explain things all you do is waste your breath because they will not hear you. Therefore, God tells us not to even talk to these fools because they block reason from their brains. I imagine the reason so many Jews reject Jesus is because it has to do with their pride. After all, they did cry crucify Him, when Pilate was trying to get them to pardon Him only to get word that He arose three days later. Through Isaiah, God warns Israel that while He has always has protected them, the time is coming that they will be judged for rejecting their King.

[Isaiah 22:20-25 And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will call my servant Eliakim the son of Hilkiah: 21 And I will clothe him with thy robe, and strengthen him with thy girdle, and I will commit thy government into his hand: and he shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to the house of Judah. 22 And the key of the house of David will I lay upon his shoulder; so he shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open. 23 And I will fasten him as a nail in a sure place; and he shall be for a glorious throne to his father’s house. 24 And they shall hang upon him all the glory of his father’s house, the offspring and the issue, all vessels of small quantity, from the vessels of cups, even to all the vessels of flagons. 25 In that day, saith the LORD of hosts, shall the nail that is fastened in the sure place be removed, and be cut down, and fall; and the burden that was upon it shall be cut off: for the LORD hath spoken it.]

[shall the nail that is fastened in the sure place be removed,] This is an illustration of the strength of Christ, He is the mighty hand of God, the one who sits at the right hand of God on His throne, and yet He is God Himself. Amen! When we receive Him as our Saviour, He clothes us with His blood, and fastens us upon His shoulders, never to let us go. He is our Saviour and Redeemer, He is unchangeable, unshakable, and unmovable. Nothing on this earth is certain, but Jesus is, and we are His vessels in a sure place when we accept Him, [Romans 8:8-10 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. 9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. 10 And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.]

Today’s Prayer: God, Thank You for Your gift of freewill, You allow us to choose what to believe, and I am certainly glad that You led me to the truth about Your Son, and I chose Him as my Saviour. While we can never know the hour in which You will send Jesus back, we can be prepared for the glorious day that Your people get to rest in Zion. Lord, lead us and guide us, give us Your power to witness to those who do not know You and give us the wisdom we need to prepare others for that day. Open the hearts of those who do not know Your Son, help them to see the truth. I ask these things in Your name, Amen.

God Bless You, I am praying for you,

Christina

Are You 100% Sure You Are Going To Heaven?: http://readytofollow.com/
Receive The KJB Daily Devotions In Your Email: http://eepurl.com/2WMzT
Missed A Message: http://imfollowingjesus.com/Biblestudy/
Visit I’m Following Jesus Missions: https://imfollowingjesus.com/Biblestudy/welcome/
I’m Following Jesus On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/readytofollowJesus/