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: Thursday, July 16, 2020
Chapters: Isaiah 13-17
Message: Who Did Hinder You?
Hello My Friend,
As faithful, saved, born again Christians, the more evil we see in the world, the more we wonder if we will hear those trumpets sounding Christ’s return any day now. Satan is working overtime to see this entire world in ruin, right now, and he is not stopping anytime soon. In fact, if we think that things are bad now, it is going to get much worse before Christ returns. The devil loves to play on our emotional wellbeing, he knows he cannot take our soul because it belongs to Jesus, but he can influence us in an attempt to hinder us from being effective in doing God’s work by placing doubt in our minds. As I was praying this morning, greatly distracted, I found myself realizing that my distractions were my brain working overtime trying to figure things out about my jobs when God has already told me what I need to be doing. And then this verse came to mind, [Galatians 5:7 Ye did run well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth?]
Doubt is not something that we want to mess with, and yet it is the biggest hindrance that prolongs us from doing God’s will when He first comes to us. Let me tell you, the longer you walk with Christ the more you will discover that much of your affliction comes from your not doing what He has been telling you to do for quite some time. Believe it or not, God does allow the devil to afflict us, He knows who His faithful are and while we may from time to time question God, we do not forsake Him because we know that He knows the way we take. I will never understand how people pick and choose what they want to believe from the Bible, it is all true, and everything will come to pass as it is written. Now, after God gave some prophecies concerning His Son, His kingdom, His judging the earth, and the state Israel was not in, through Isaiah, He gives prophecies concerning those nations who turned on Israel, and of their destruction. You see, while God may chasten His people we have His kingdom to look forward do while He will judges the wicked, beginning with Babylon.
[Isaiah 13:1-6,19 The burden of Babylon, which Isaiah the son of Amoz did see. 2 Lift ye up a banner upon the high mountain, exalt the voice unto them, shake the hand, that they may go into the gates of the nobles. 3 I have commanded my sanctified ones, I have also called my mighty ones for mine anger, even them that rejoice in my highness. 4 The noise of a multitude in the mountains, like as of a great people; a tumultuous noise of the kingdoms of nations gathered together: the LORD of hosts mustereth the host of the battle. 5 They come from a far country, from the end of heaven, even the LORD, and the weapons of his indignation, to destroy the whole land. 6 Howl ye; for the day of the LORD is at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty. 19 And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldees’ excellency, shall be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.]
[I have commanded my sanctified ones,] Did you know that Christ’s people are going to help Him judge the earth? [I Corinthians 6:2-4 Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters? 3 Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life? 4 If then ye have judgments of things pertaining to this life, set them to judge who are least esteemed in the church.]
[set them to judge who are least esteemed in the church.] I use to, and still say that even if I was scrubbing floors in heaven I would be better off than spending an eternity in hell. This is a great reminder that no matter what we have done, the chiefest of sinners will be just as important as the least. You see, Babylon is a picture of the world, which by the way is run by Satan himself. All of this is foretelling what will happen after Israel were captive to Babylon for seventy years, and what will actually take place when Christ returns and the world is judged. Through Isaiah, God goes on to explain that while He will judge Israel, He still has mercy on them, and will restore them back to their land, and other believers will follow them.
[Isaiah 14:1-5 For the LORD will have mercy on Jacob, and will yet choose Israel, and set them in their own land: and the strangers shall be joined with them, and they shall cleave to the house of Jacob. 2 And the people shall take them, and bring them to their place: and the house of Israel shall possess them in the land of the LORD for servants and handmaids: and they shall take them captives, whose captives they were; and they shall rule over their oppressors. 3 And it shall come to pass in the day that the LORD shall give thee rest from thy sorrow, and from thy fear, and from the hard bondage wherein thou wast made to serve, 4 That thou shalt take up this proverb against the king of Babylon, and say, How hath the oppressor ceased! the golden city ceased! 5 The LORD hath broken the staff of the wicked, and the sceptre of the rulers.]
[The LORD hath broken the staff of the wicked,] There are some that say, “Since God created everything He created evil and that makes Him evil.” There are two problems with that statement, one; there are two types of evil, natural and wicked, natural evil is disease, sickness, curses that were passed on to us from the fall of man. And two; wicked evil, which is that caused by acts influenced by Satan that are pure evil, such as murder. Wicked evil is not orchestrated by God at all, but by Satan, also known as Lucifer. Through Isaiah, God tells us about Lucifer and what he did that caused God to be so angry at him, that He not cast him out of heaven.
[Isaiah 14:12-14,18-20 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! 13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: 14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. 15 Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit. 18 All the kings of the nations, even all of them, lie in glory, every one in his own house. 19 But thou art cast out of thy grave like an abominable branch, and as the raiment of those that are slain, thrust through with a sword, that go down to the stones of the pit; as a carcase trodden under feet. 20 Thou shalt not be joined with them in burial, because thou hast destroyed thy land, and slain thy people: the seed of evildoers shall never be renowned.]
[I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation,] Lucifer, who did not want to live under God’s authority, wanted the throne for himself, he is the source of all evil, and one day he will be thrown into the pits of hell along with all the proud, arrogant, and unbelieving. Yes, God could have destroyed Satan long ago, but if He did then billions of unsaved souls would be cast in there with him. The day that Satan dies is the day Christ will reign in New Jerusalem, and all who are saved will join Him in His Kingdom, which will be on a new earth, [Revelation 21:1-3 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. 2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.]
God loves His people, in fact, He loves all of His creation, what He does not love is sin, and let me tell you, as wicked as the world is, there are some so called Christians that are even more wicked. It is the idleness of the faithful and the wickedness of the unfaithful that brings judgment to a nation of God, but God does not just stop with His people, all will judged, but first He begins with His people. Through Isaiah, God foretells the destruction of the cities of Syria and Israel.
[Isaiah 17:1,7-12 The burden of Damascus. Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap. 7 At that day shall a man look to his Maker, and his eyes shall have respect to the Holy One of Israel. 8 And he shall not look to the altars, the work of his hands, neither shall respect that which his fingers have made, either the groves, or the images. 9 In that day shall his strong cities be as a forsaken bough, and an uppermost branch, which they left because of the children of Israel: and there shall be desolation. 10 Because thou hast forgotten the God of thy salvation, and hast not been mindful of the rock of thy strength, therefore shalt thou plant pleasant plants, and shalt set it with strange slips: 11 In the day shalt thou make thy plant to grow, and in the morning shalt thou make thy seed to flourish: but the harvest shall be a heap in the day of grief and of desperate sorrow. 12 Woe to the multitude of many people, which make a noise like the noise of the seas; and to the rushing of nations, that make a rushing like the rushing of mighty waters!]
[Because thou hast forgotten the God of thy salvation,] Every saved soul comes to a point in their lives where they question their faithfulness to God, as affliction or sin can cloud our faith. While a some of us will see that there is no where to turn, and are better off with the Saviour, many will forget the God of their salvation, and that is when judgment comes until they either repent or He sees no other option, but to bring them home as to not do anymore damage to them. Jesus is our Rock, our Judge, our only way to God, the Holy One of Israel, our fountain of living waters, once we receive Him as Saviour we are His forever, and nothing will ever change that,[Revelation 21:6-8 And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. 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.]
Today’s Prayer: God, Thank You for Your gift of salvation, we do not have to work to be saved from judgment, all we need to do is believe in and receive Your Son’s finished work. I know I am a sinner, but thanks to Jesus I am clean, all my sins have been removed, and I can now stand before You without judgment. While I can never do anything to lose my salvation, I know that Satan is always attempting to make me doubt my faith. Lord, lead me and guide me, give me Your power, strength, wisdom, mercy, and grace to live in Your will and let me be led by the Holy Spirit and not the devil’s mind tricks. Give me boldness to speak Your truths and in fact, let Your voice speak through me. Let me not let any of affliction hinder me from doing Your work, rebuke the devil, and his attempt to place doubt in my head. Open my heart and keep it looking to Jesus whom I want to be a reflection of. I ask these things in Your name, Jesus. Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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