The Way of the Truth of God

 Repentance, False Religion, and the True Way

 Book of Luke Chapter 13

 

The Lord Jesus Christ was preaching about the signs of the times, or we could say the sins of the times.

 These are the same sins we have today, only they are getting worse.

 If we analyze the present time according to the Word of God that we have, we should be able to see that time is running out to make a decisive choice about the truth of Jesus Christ.

 Jesus said to the crowd: Luk 12:54  And he said also to the people, When ye see a cloud rise out of the west, straightway ye say, There cometh a shower; and so it is. 

Luk 12:55  And when ye see the south wind blow, ye say, There will be heat; and it cometh to pass. 

Luk 12:56  Ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky and of the earth; but how is it that ye do not discern this time? 

 The Lord Jesus called them hypocrites because they could look at the patterns of the weather to see what was coming next, but they kept their eyes closed when it came to their spiritual condition.

 Most of the time we think much too much of ourselves!

 They knew the laws of nature and how to apply them, but they were ignoring the Law of God, and they lived according to their own thoughts and the ways of the world.

 God had explained that judgment was coming, but the Word of God was ignored.

 They did not think about the time in which they lived because they did not want to repent and place their lives in the hands of God.

 Their greatest mistake they made was not considering that our lives are already in the hands of God!

 If we know only one thing, it is that we are responsible for knowing right from wrong!

 Normally, this is the first lesson we try to teach our children.

 If we have a personal relationship with God, then we can be where God wants us to be, and God can save us.

 The Lord Jesus always seeks the salvation of each of us so He can show us mercy.

 Mercy means we will not get what we deserve, which is eternal death.

 Num 14:18  The LORD is longsuffering, and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression,

 Psa 103:8  The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy. 

 The next question would then be, "Why do good people suffer"?

 One answer would be that we do not suffer more because we are far worse than others, so we can remove this from our thought process.

 *****Luk 13:1  There were present at that season some that told him of the Galilaeans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. 

Luk 13:2  And Jesus answering said unto them, Suppose ye that these Galilaeans were sinners above all the Galilaeans, because they suffered such things? 

Luk 13:3  I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. 

Luk 13:4  Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem? 

Luk 13:5  I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. 

 Rome considered the Galileans the most turbulent and seditious people under their control.

 They were always ready to cause problems for Roman authority.

 The Apostles that Jesus had selected were all Galileans, either by birth or by where they lived.

 Act 1:11  Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven. 

 Most of the Jews could tell if you were a Galilean by the way that you talked. Just ask Peter.

 Mat 26:73  And after a while came unto him they that stood by, and said to Peter, Surely thou also art one of them; for thy speech bewrayeth thee. 

 It would be sort of like the speech of us Southerners and those who live in the North of our own nation.

 Many would actually call Jesus Christ the Galilean God.

 This was used many times to keep from using the title Christian during the time of the early Church.

 The truth was, Pilate hated the Galileans so much that his army surrounded a group of Galileans at the Temple, where they had gone to worship, and murdered them and poured their blood on the sacrifices that were being made to God.

 By doing this, Pilate also showed his contempt for the sacrificial services of the Jews.

 The question to the Lord Jesus Christ was that these Galileans must have been sinners far greater than other men.

 They suggested that it was not so much the cruelty of Pilate as it was the judgment of God.

 The Lord Jesus said: "It is not up to any of us to decide whose sins are worse than others".

 Jesus's answer to these Jews was "except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish".

 We know that there were not many of the Jews who did repent, and they were all slaughtered by the Romans in 70 A D.

 The Romans did to the Jews what Pilate had done to these Galileans.

 The answer is that we do not suffer more in this world just because we are greater sinners than most others.

 We are all sinners in need of repentance!

Every sin has the same "judgment" from God, eternal death without God.

 In fact, totally innocent people suffer, and we do not know any reason beyond the providence of God.

 We do know this verse we see so much: Rom 8:28  And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. 

 Then the Lord Jesus adds another incident.

 There was a great tragedy in Jerusalem when eighteen men were killed because a guard tower at the pool of Siloam fell and killed them all.

 Some commentaries say it was eighteen construction workers who were killed.

 Some say that Pilate used the Temple money to construct an aqueduct into Jerusalem, and some of the Jews said this was the reason these men were killed, again by God Himself, but it was merely an accident that happened to men trying to make a living for their families.

 Were these eighteen greater sinners than others in Jerusalem?

 Did they deserve to die more than others who live?

 We might ask ourselves, why are we allowed to live and others are not?

 The Lord Jesus said it was not because they had greater sin than others.

 There again Jesus said: "except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish".

 It is not up to us to raise the question of the guilt of others.

 Do I believe there may be different levels of suffering in Hell? Yes, I do.

 Most suffering of the sinner upon this earth is caused by themselves.

 Go to the hospitals and see if you can tell who is good and who is bad.

 Much of our suffering as we get older is because of the way we lived our lives when we were younger.

 No one suffers upon this earth because we think they are greater sinners than others.

 These things are all in the hands of God!

 The greatest thing we can do is to repent and be saved, so we know we will not suffer in Hell.

 Heaven is going to be so wonderful. Why would anybody not want to spend eternity there?

 We cannot afford to die without Jesus Christ!

 Again, the Lord Jesus teaches us with a parable.

 *****Luk 13:6  He spake also this parable; A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came and sought fruit thereon, and found none. 

Luk 13:7  Then said he unto the dresser of his vineyard, Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and find none: cut it down; why cumbereth it the ground? 

Luk 13:8  And he answering said unto him, Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it: 

Luk 13:9  And if it bear fruit, well: and if not, then after that thou shalt cut it down. 

 Israel is God's people.

 The Church is God's people.

 God expects us all who love Him to bear fruit.

 The fruit God expects from all His people is the Fruit of the Spirit!

 Isa 44:3  For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground: I will pour my spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring: 

Isa 44:4  And they shall spring up as among the grass, as willows by the water courses. 

 Joh 7:37  In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. 

Joh 7:38  He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. 

Joh 7:39  (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)

 Israel thought they were safe because they were the seed of Abraham under the promises of God.

 Israel did not even realize the precarious state in which they were in.

 (By the way, the Church is sinking so fast that the Church does not realize the precarious state it is in).

 It was totally inappropriate to speculate about the Galileans, and it was foolish to forget the people of Jerusalem.

 We could understand this parable as showing these Jews their own history that hangs over their heads.

 But without a doubt, it should also wake up the Church, which lives by the Grace of God.

 There will come a time when God elects to cut down fruitless trees.

 We must understand the need for repentance: Mat 21:28  But what think ye? A certain man had two sons; and he came to the first, and said, Son, go work to day in my vineyard. 

Mat 21:29  He answered and said, I will not: but afterward he repented, and went. 

Mat 21:30  And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered and said, I go, sir: and went not. 

Mat 21:31  Whether of them twain did the will of his father? They say unto him, The first. Jesus saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you. 

 Repentance is a change of mind that brings a complete change in the heart. It is a heartfelt sorrow for sin and a confession of that sin, turning to God and righteousness.

 One day God's patience will run out with this world: 2Pe 3:15  And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you; 

2Pe 3:16  As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction. 

2Pe 3:17  Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness.

 Israel is the fig tree of the Lord. Israel must stand before God in its righteousness.

 Adam and Eve, after falling into sin, tried to cover themselves with the leaves of a fig tree.

 Gen 3:7  And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons. 

 This man-made apron could not cover their nakedness, so God made them garments of skin.

 They then stood before God covered by a sacrificial lamb, which we know now as Jesus Christ.

 This is the only way every single sinner can stand before our Holy God.

 We know of another Scripture that says the Lord Jesus sought fruit again from the fig tree and could not find it, and the fig tree withered away and died after the Lord Jesus cursed it.

 It is the Lord Jesus Christ who spent three years trying to convince the Jews to repent, but they would not.

 Jhn_1:11  He came unto his own, and his own received him not.

 The Church also needs to repent and get busy for the Lord!

 It is God Himself who is looking for fruit!

 All those places of worship producing no fruit are just wasting space!

 Mat 3:10  And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. 

Mat 3:11  I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire: 

Mat 3:12  Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.

 *****Luk 13:10  And he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath.

Luk 13:11  And, behold, there was a woman which had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bowed together, and could in no wise lift up herself. 

Luk 13:12  And when Jesus saw her, he called her to him, and said unto her, Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity. 

Luk 13:13  And he laid his hands on her: and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God.  

 This is possibly the last time that the Lord Jesus got to teach in a synagogue of the Jews.

 This healing took place on a Sabbath, and we see that healing was not allowed on the Sabbath because it was considered to be work and not a movement of God.

 The Lord Jesus was doing exactly what He came to do.

 Luk_19:10  For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.

 Heb 7:25  Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.

 We can see that the Jewish synagogues were places where women could also worship along with religionists.

 That phrase "spirit of infirmity" probably means that this illness she had was because of a demon.

 So, we see that the devil and his demons try to be present in every worship service, and he still does this today.

 This woman had reached a point where she could no longer lift herself, but if she had not been committed to worship, she would have missed this opportunity when the Lord Jesus showed up at the worship service.

 Worship at church reaches another level when the Lord Jesus shows up to worship with us!

 We already know that God sings with us when we sing in our worship service.

 Zep 3:17  The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing. 

 When we rejoice in the Lord, we can have the Holy Spirit with us, the Almighty God singing, and the presence of the Lord Jesus to heal us.

 This illness this woman suffered with was for eighteen years, and she may not have been able to make it to another worship service if not for Christ also being there on that day.

 This type of illness is, in typology, a spiritual weakness in those who are weighed down by the Laws of Moses.

 This is what the Law does: it requires those who follow it to meet certain conditions before they can claim righteousness and escape the judgment of God.

Today, we call this legalism!

 The Law cannot make anyone righteous!

 Gal 3:11  But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith. 

Gal 3:12  And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them. 

 This woman had a true Spiritual need!

 The Lord Jesus laid His wonderful healing hands upon her.

 This woman had not asked for anything; the Lord Jesus just knows our needs.

 She was no longer bowed over but was straightened.

 Such wonderful things are overlooked by traditionalists.

 *****Luk 13:14  And the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because that Jesus had healed on the sabbath day, and said unto the people, There are six days in which men ought to work: in them therefore come and be healed, and not on the sabbath day. 

Luk 13:15  The Lord then answered him, and said, Thou hypocrite, doth not each one of you on the sabbath loose his ox or his ass from the stall, and lead him away to watering? 

Luk 13:16  And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the sabbath day? 

Luk 13:17  And when he had said these things, all his adversaries were ashamed: and all the people rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by him. 

 The Lord stepped into a synagogue and just ruined the service for all those religionists, and they would not allow Him into another synagogue during the time He had left.

 Much of the Church would not allow the Lord Jesus to preach in any service today.

 Rev 3:17  Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: 

Rev 3:18  I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. 

Rev 3:19  As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. 

Rev 3:20  Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. 

This man worshipped God, but he did not worship the same God as this woman who was healed.

 The ruler of this synagogue was an arrogant man who was self-righteous because he followed the traditions of men rather than the Word of God.

 This woman sought God to meet her needs.

 This synagogue leader sought God through form and rituals, ceremony and rules.

 This is not what the worship of God is to be about.

 This man lost his temper with the Lord Jesus Christ, and this is not a good thing in any worship service.

 The Lord Jesus said he was a hypocrite and he was.

 He had already taken care of his animals before he came to worship, all these things done on the same Sabbath.

 He was a leader who put his own animals and his own rules above the people and above the Word of God.

 There are church leaders who do this same thing today!

 The Jewish people had allowed their religious leaders to corrupt the Word of God.

 The people inside this synagogue began to see the truth and rejoiced to hear the truth from the Lord Jesus.

 The Lord Jesus continued to travel and teach through the cities and villages that were between Him and Jerusalem.

 *****Luk 13:22  And he went through the cities and villages, teaching, and journeying toward Jerusalem. 

Luk 13:23  Then said one unto him, Lord, are there few that be saved? And he said unto them,

 Just who are the saved?

 Will many of the world be saved?

 Jesus will answer these questions Himself.

 The Lord Jesus Christ knew exactly what was going to happen to Him in Jerusalem!

 This did not alter His message.

 The Lord Jesus would be killed by the hands of the Jewish people.

 Mat_27:25  Then answered all the people, and said, His blood be on us, and on our children.

 The Lord Jesus just kept doing what His Father sent Him to do as He traveled to His death.

 Then someone asked Him: Lord, are there few that be saved?

 Notice the Lord Jesus is not so much concerned by the question as He is by that person who asked the question.

 This is still one of the biggest questions asked by those who are religious.

 Many religions, including some Christians, still try to find some way to deny those whom they do not like the opportunity to get to God's Heaven.

 It is only the Lord Jesus Christ who can set the boundaries of getting to Heaven.

 It is only the Lord Jesus Christ who can separate the sheep from the goats.

 Only God can open the door to Heaven, and it is by His Grace through His Son Jesus!

 This doorway is narrow, and the Lord is the door!

 Jhn_10:7  Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep.

Jhn_10:9  I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.

 There is a great price to be paid to get the Lord Jesus to open the door to Heaven.

 No halfhearted people can get through the door!

 The Apostle Paul wrote: 1Co 9:24  Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. 

1Co 9:25  And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. 

1Co 9:26  I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: 

1Co 9:27  But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.

 It is by repentance and by renouncing our self-righteousness, our arrogance, and our own self-will.

 It is difficult to enter this door when it is open and impossible once it is closed!

 We must be doers of the Word of God!

 Jas 1:23  For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: 

Jas 1:24  For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. 

Jas 1:25  But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.

 The Lord Jesus continues:

 *****Luk 13:24  Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able. 

 The way to salvation is specific, very specific!

 1) There are not many ways to salvation; there is only one way to salvation.

 Joh 14:6  Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. 

 2) The way to salvation is straight, very straight!

 It is not crooked in direction, it is not crooked in purpose, it is not crooked in morals.

 There is nothing in salvation that will make us great, so we must become small.

 We must be in the right relationship with God!

 Joh 14:7  If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.

 We must diligently seek God!

 Most of those in our world are not willing to pay the price.

 The Lord knows it so, therefore the gate is narrow.

 *****Luk 13:25  When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; and he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not whence ye are: 

 We must understand that God is long-suffering and truly patient, but there will come a moment when God puts an end to entering the Door of Jesus Christ!

 In the Bible, we have a great example in Noah.

 Gen 7:15  And they went in unto Noah into the ark, two and two of all flesh, wherein is the breath of life. 

Gen 7:16  And they that went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God had commanded him: "and the LORD shut him in". 

 The salvation of God is now, today, that door may be closed tomorrow.

 If your name is not written in the Lamb's Book of Life, then the Lord Jesus will say that He does not know you, and if He does not know you, then the God of Heaven does not know you.

 Luk_10:20  Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.

 It will be too late to call for the "Mercy of God," and He will cut off the flow of "Grace" from His throne.

 *****Luk 13:26  Then shall ye begin to say, We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets. 

 Then those who have had one foot in the Church and the other foot in the world will be rejected.

 They were friends of true Christians.

They listened to the preacher, and they may have even attended Sunday School.

They had witnessed great movements of the Holy Spirit and had seen souls who were truly saved.

 They were citizens of so-called Christian nations.

They even allowed their streets to be used for evangelism.

 However, they professed a relationship with Jesus Christ that they did not have.

 Tit 1:15  Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled. 

Tit 1:16  They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate. 

 We should understand that the Lord Jesus was outside the doors of the Church at one time, knocking, almost begging for them to let Him back in.

 Now we see just the opposite. We see those who were playing Church on the outside of the door of salvation begging the Lord Jesus Christ to let them in.

 What will the Lord Jesus say to them?

 *****Luk 13:27  But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity. 

Luk 13:28  There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out.

 We see that the saved shall be separated from the lost, and it appears that those who are lost will get to see those who are saved enter into the Kingdom of God.

 Mat 18:3  And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. 

Mat 18:4  Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 

 On the day of the Rapture, many will look around and wonder why they were left behind.

 They will be upset with themselves and with God's saints who are no longer on this planet.

 They will see godly parents, friends, children, and neighbors enter the Kingdom of God and see themselves shut out.

 They had not denied themselves: Luk 9:23  And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.

 *****Luk 13:29  And they shall come from the east, and from the west, and from the north, and from the south, and shall sit down in the kingdom of God. 

Luk 13:30  And, behold, there are last which shall be first, and there are first which shall be last. 

Those who were saved are mainly Gentiles, and the Lord will do a new work on the Jews after and during the seven years of Tribulation.

There is a revival of sorts today in many nations, though not in the USA.

We need to be praying for a revival while there may still be time to have one.

I have never seen so much sin and corruption in our nation as I see today, and no one seems to care.

Our politicians have allowed these things to go on for far too long.

Those who are lost have their conscience seared with a hot iron and do not see the sin and corruption in our land today.

Those who are corrupt accuse everyone else of being corrupt to hide their own corruption.

They have it in their minds that we are all fools when they are not fooling anybody.

The great "Marriage Supper" of the Lamb of God is closer than we think, and we must know that we know we are saved.

There will be no classes of people in Heaven. Race will not be considered, nor riches, nor classes of people.

Only Christians will be there, those who love the Lord Jesus Christ with all their heart.

Act 10:34  Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: 

Act 10:35  But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him. 

Amen

What Goes on at the Potter's House

God's Sovereignty over All Nations

Book of Jeremiah Chapter 18

A message I love dearly. The Potter's House. The main ingredients of the Potter's House are the wheel, the potter, and the clay to be molded.

We must understand that every message from the Prophet Jeremiah was given to him by the Lord!

Every time Jeremiah spoke, he spoke the words of the Lord.

Had Jeremiah spoken his own words, he would have spoken against the Lord.

Jeremiah wept because he knew that whatever Jehovah said was the complete truth and Jeremiah had a great love for his nation and its people. Even then he did not love them as much as the Lord did.

We may never understand what the Lord is doing but we just must understand that what the Lord is doing is the right thing to do!

So, let's go with Jeremiah down to the Potter's House.

*****Jer 18:1 The word which came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying,

Jer 18:2 Arise, and go down to the potter's house, and there I will cause thee to hear my words.

We must clearly understand that the work of the potter, even when those earthen vessels can be beautiful, they are fragile and easy to destroy. It is the same with human life!

The most wonderful of all God's creations are the human beings but we are very fragile and very easy to destroy.

In many cases the Potter can take that broken vessel made of this earth and put it back together as something brand new!

There are many things that we do not understand such as, why is there so much evil and wickedness in this world?

Why does God allow this evil to continue, when He certainly has the power to put a stop to it all?

The thing we must understand about the Potter is that his creations are under direct control!

The Lord has the sovereign right and the absolute power to save or to condemn as He chooses because He alone is God.

It is this same sovereign God who sets the standards for His creations to be saved or to be condemned.

Because of the "Mercy" of the Lord, He is never impulsive in His actions nor is He unreasonable in His request!

Our Lord is neither a dictator nor is He a tyrant!

He is just a loving God who expects righteousness because He is righteous in all His actions whether we agree or not!

We do not have the intelligence to say our Creator has done wrong or has done right according to our own expectations.

The LORD is holy in all the things He does!

We can all learn some valuable lessons down at the Potter's House!

*****Jer 18:3 Then I went down to the potter's house, and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheels.

Jer 18:4 And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it.

There is not one living person nor any religion, including evolution and atheism, that cannot understand the work of the Potter!

What did Abraham ask?

Gen_18:25 That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: "Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right"?

I can tell you today that the Potter, our Lord will always do right because He does not know how to do wrong!

Doing wrong is something that is very far from the Lord.

Humans are the greatest of all God's creations and He tolerates us enough to offer choices and He respects the choices we make.

He will still allow for our repentance when we have made the wrong choice. How can anyone find fault in the ways of the Lord because there are none!

The prophet Jeremiah was not to miss this important lesson and the Holy Spirit intended for us all to visually see this lesson from the wheel of the Potter.

If we cannot see it here, then maybe we need to take a trip to the potter's house that exist today. The same lessons can still be learned!

Rom 9:20 Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus?

Rom 9:21 Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?

Even today there are craftsmen who make pottery basically the same way it was done in the days of Jeremiah.

There is the potter, the wheel, and his clay that he has chosen for a certain result.

Jeremiah was watching as the potter found a flaw in the work he was doing, and he looked to see if he had made a mistake when he saw a flaw in the clay and he had to start over again.

In the Potter's eyes every piece of clay contained its own individual master piece and He would make and remake each piece of clay until was satisfied that what he made was a true jewel of craftsmanship!

Then the Lord said to Jeremiah.

*****Jer 18:5 Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

Jer 18:6 O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the LORD. Behold, as the clay is in the potter's hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel.

We must understand that we are all a creation of the Master Potter and we are certainly to be a work of His own hands.

The Lord can do to people, to communities, and to nations as He pleases and remember it is the goal of the Lord that every single individual to come into a personal relationship with Him.

Sometimes people reject the truth of the Lord, but we as the children of the Lord are still to be witnesses of the truth.

Sometimes our communities reject the truth of the Lord, but we as the children of the Lord still are to be witnesses.

Sometimes our nations reject the truth of the Lord, but we as the children of God are still to be witnesses.

It is our job to witness and pray in the locations the Lord has placed us and it is the Lord who will send the Holy Spirit to convict those who have heard the Word of God and the "Gospel" of the Lord Jesus Christ!

It is the Almighty God who truly holds all His creation in the palm of His hands!

Sometimes our clay is so full of debris that the Potter must break us and start over again. In fact, when we reach that point that we are broken down completely, this is when the Potter does His greatest work!

We must certainly keep in mind that what God does today is in preparation for His Master work in the future and He just allows and prefers us be a part of it!

It is the Scriptures that take us through the history of Israel, Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Phoenicia, Greece and Alexander the Great, and Rome and the circle continues until it has reached back to Israel.

We are nearing the end of the Church Age and the Lord's next move has been taught by most all the prophets of the Old Testament, beginning with the Birth of Christ.

God does not create robots, or machines that would automatically praise and worship Him, so it should be obvious that the Lord is preparing those who choose to live with Him throughout eternity!

Act 3:19 Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;

Act 3:20 And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you:

Act 3:21 Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.

And the truth of God as I have said, allows more than one chance to accept that what He says is true. In fact, until the day you die a physical death, you will have an opportunity to repent and be saved as long as you have not stepped over God's red line of forgiveness. Even God has a "Red Line" that must not be crossed. There is a sin unto death!

1Jn_5:16 If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it.

1Jn_5:17 All unrighteousness is sin: and there is a sin not unto death.

God says just leave all these things in His hands and just tell as many as you can about the truth of the 'Gospel"!

Rom 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

Rom 10:10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

Rom 10:11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.

Rom 10:12 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.

Rom 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

This truth will never change! Why would we think we could ever interfere with God's ultimate plan!

*****Jer 18:7 At what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, and to pull down, and to destroy it;

Jer 18:8 If that nation, against whom I have pronounced, turn from their evil, I will repent of the evil that I thought to do unto them.

We should also understand that the wrath of God comes when we least expect it.

Luk 17:24 For as the lightning, that lighteneth out of the one part under heaven, shineth unto the other part under heaven; so shall also the Son of man be in his day.

Luk 17:25 But first must he suffer many things, and be rejected of this generation.

Luk 17:26 And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man.

Luk 17:27 They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all.

Luk 17:28 Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded;

Luk 17:29 But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all.

The Lord teaches us to watch and He teaches us what to watch for, so we can know when an Age is about to end.

I firmly believe we are nearing the end of the Church Age because of the things we have already seen happen in our world and continue to happen.

The thing that is also true is the fact that when the Lord is chastising, He is craving for repentance, so He does not have to do the things He says He will destroy.

Anything that our Lord God does is out of love for His children. When God is your Father you can better understand all these things.

Again, the Lord gives us "Free Will" to make the choices we make, and the Lord will honor our choices and the Lord will spend some time teaching us why we made the wrong choice before He fulfills the things He said He would if we reject His words!

Isa 55:6 Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:

Isa 55:7 Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

Isa 55:8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.

We do not have the right to question the things that God does! We should never question the Lord's intelligence!

God does not owe us an answer to every question we ask Him! In fact the Lord does not owe us an answer to any questions we have.

The Lord says who He is and that should be enough, but He loves us too much to stop there!

*****Jer 18:9 And at what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it;

Jer 18:10 If it do evil in my sight, that it obey not my voice, then I will repent of the good, wherewith I said I would benefit them.

As a people how can we deny that there is a power revealing itself in the changes and the choices of human history. There is a power shaping the course of this world until it reaches that place where He has decided.

When some unexpected calamity strikes down an individual sinner, most people see this as the "judgment" of God, but it may not be judgment at all.

We cannot deny that "providence" asserts itself in human affairs.

Heb 1:3 Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;

Heb 1:4 Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.

Heb 1:8 But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom.

Heb 1:9 Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.

Heb 1:10 And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands:

Heb 1:11 They shall perish; but thou remainest; and they all shall wax old as doth a garment;

Heb 1:12 And as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed: but thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail.

It cannot be denied that our Divine Potter has total control of His creation.

*****Jer 18:11 Now therefore go to, speak to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying, Thus saith the LORD; Behold, I frame evil against you, and devise a device against you: return ye now every one from his evil way, and make your ways and your doings good.

We are also foolish if we cannot see that our God, our Lord, is all about repentance!

Our Lord would have everyone to be saved so He says, "Return Return". God has so much love for all His creation that He almost begs us for repentance.

God has established "free will" but He has also established "judgment" both are His laws that must be enforced. This thing we must believe!

We can trust the Word of God to be true!

It is the law of repentance that brings "salvation"!

Eze 18:21 But if the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed, and keep all my statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die.

If we choose to reject and deny the LORD, cursing His holy name, we will certainly face "judgment" and be condemned!

Act 17:31 Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.

What did the people of Judah say?

*****Jer 18:12 And they said, There is no hope: but we will walk after our own devices, and we will every one do the imagination of his evil heart.

The greatest problem we have in ourselves is, we refuse to believe that we cannot save ourselves!

It is these types that are hopeless and beyond repentance and the Lord knows who these people are, and He will recall the Holy Spirit from them and also His conviction.

These people know themselves that they are then on their own and without God!

They let the Prophet Jeremiah know he was wasting his time and again we see a reason for this Prophet of God to weep for his nation.

Carnal minds will continue to search for life’s answers in this world, where no such answers exist!

It is only by "Grace" that we can escape from the condemnation of this world!

It is only by "Faith" that we can have peace with God!

Many people are looking for salvation of another kind and another place, that simply does not exist!

So, history will certainly repeat itself on the Day of the Lord!

Gen 6:5 And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

Gen 6:6 And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.

Again, we see that word "therefore".

*****Jer 18:13 Therefore thus saith the LORD; Ask ye now among the heathen, who hath heard such things: the virgin of Israel hath done a very horrible thing.

God said to Jeremiah, ask all those in the world who worship false gods if they would leave such a God as Jehovah!

If you are searching this entire world for a God who makes such promises as the Lord, one cannot be found.

The Lord presents us with a book of Scriptures that describe all His desires and all His actions and never leaves out the terrible times of His people, when others would.

Jehovah by His actions and by His Word shows that He is the only true Almighty God!

Mat 23:37 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!

The virgin Israel has certainly done a terrible thing!

*****Jer 18:14 Will a man leave the snow of Lebanon which cometh from the rock of the field? or shall the cold flowing waters that come from another place be forsaken?

We have gotten totally confused when we can forsake a greater good for something much less.

Pro 25:25 As cold waters to a thirsty soul, so is good news from a far country.

We serve a God who has unlimited resources why in the world would we forsake our God for some false object that has no resources at all!

The worst thing that can happen to a military unit is for the enemy to get behind it and cut off its supplies.

When we forsake the true God of all "Grace" we have allowed Satan's false gods to come between us and our true God!

We have cut ourselves off from the fountain of living waters!

Jer_2:13 For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.

Jer_17:13 O LORD, the hope of Israel, all that forsake thee shall be ashamed, and they that depart from me shall be written in the earth, because they have forsaken the LORD, the fountain of living waters.

When has nature changed her ways to suit the politics of any people!

The Lord God Jehovah will never change His ways to satisfy any one group of people nor for any or all people.

What was the verdict for the Judah of this day?

*****Jer 18:17 I will scatter them as with an east wind before the enemy; I will shew them the back, and not the face, in the day of their calamity.

What is the sinners doom, those who reject God's Divine Government?

They are guilty of idolatry.

They have rejected the "Mercy" of God.

They have become enemies of the Gospel.

They have forgotten the truth and traded it for lies.

They will see the wrath of God and if they do not repent. Then they will perish to a life that is not life but a place of eternal doom!

Amen!

Let's Pray!

God's Mercy Toward Israel

God's Mercy Toward Israel

Book of Isaiah 14

If we study the Book of Isaiah chapters 13-19 we would see beyond any reasonable doubt that Jehovah God is in charge of all the nations of this world. This does not mean that God causes evil governments, it is the people themselves that cause these things to happen.

In the prophecies of Isaiah we see one nation after another receive the rebuke of the Lord for their rebellion against Jehovah God and for their sinful lifestyles.

We see nations that trust in their riches and reject God.

We see nations that trust in their military might and reject God.

The truth is, in the day of God's "Judgment" none of these things can save them, all these things will be useless! In fact God will "Judge" individuals just as harsh as He will "Judge" these nations!

Remember nations do not end up in Hell, people do!

God is seeking a close personal relationship with each and every individual and then for those individuals to gather together to change this world according to the Word of God.

The hope for salvation lies in "repentance"!

When the Lord returns for the Second Time to set up His Kingdom up upon this Earth, only those who are willing to turn to Him to worship Him alone will escape His final wrath.

The Church will already be in Heaven at this time!

These prophecies of Isaiah were not just for those nations of that day, but are for all people in every age!

Throughout these prophecies God offers the opportunity for salvation but only according to His Word of truth. No one can enter the Kingdom of God by their own personal rules!

The truth is, the Word of God is never bound by time!

Rom 15:4  For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.

1Co 10:11  Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.

So let's begin:

*****Isa 14:1  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. 

There is nothing confusing about this Scripture! So why is it so rejected by this world we live in?

When the Lord returns to end the "7 years of Tribulation" and the "time of Jacob's trouble", He will then have mercy on Jacob.

The name Jacob refers to Jacob "the supplanter" but who would at that time make supplication to the Lord.

Hos 12:2  The LORD hath also a controversy with Judah, and will punish Jacob according to his ways; according to his doings will he recompense him. 

Hos 12:3  He took his brother by the heel in the womb, and by his strength he had power with God: 

Hos 12:4  Yea, he had power over the angel, and prevailed: he wept, and made supplication unto him: he found him in Bethel, and there he spake with us; 

Hos 12:5  Even the LORD God of hosts; the LORD is his memorial.

This will take place immediately and during the time, after God has put down the false religion and the false economies of this world:

Rev 14:8  And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.

Rev 14:9  And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, 

Rev 14:10  The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: 

Isa 21:9  And, behold, here cometh a chariot of men, with a couple of horsemen. And he answered and said, Babylon is fallen, is fallen; and all the graven images of her gods he hath broken unto the ground. 

The false religions inspired by Satan have fallen. (Every religion that has rejected Christ and the Word of God)(is fallen)

The false economies and governments inspired by Satan have fallen. (the world Satan used to tempt the Lord Jesus)(is fallen)

Those that choose the Beast and his unholy trinity will be destroyed but those that refuse the Beast and repent will be accepted by the Lord and dwell in the Kingdom of the Lord!

The Jews will return to the Lord:

Zec 2:12  And the LORD shall inherit Judah his portion in the holy land, and shall choose Jerusalem again. 

Zec 2:13  Be silent, O all flesh, before the LORD: for he is raised up out of his holy habitation. 

Many Gentile nations will repent and join these Jews:

Zec 2:11  And many nations shall be joined to the LORD in that day, and shall be my people: and I will dwell in the midst of thee, and thou shalt know that the LORD of hosts hath sent me unto thee. 

The Church will return from Heaven with the Lord, as He causes these things to happen:

Rev 19:11  And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. 

Rev 19:12  His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. 

Rev 19:13  And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. 

Rev 19:14  And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. 

Rev 19:15  And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.

Rev 19:16  And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS. 

And we should notice it is not Israel that will just take over as the head nation of this world, "it is those remaining nations of this world that will put Israel in that place as lead nation of the world!

*****Isa 14:2  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.

Over and over again God has delivered His people from captivity and when the Lord returns they can never be placed in captivity again!

The world that has kept them in captivity will see that they get back home, as did King Cyrus, and Israel will rule over it's own oppressors, the Gentile world! It's called "Mercy"!

Deu 7:6  For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God: the LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth. 

Deu 7:7  The LORD did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people: 

Deu 7:8  But because the LORD loved you, and because he would keep the oath which he had sworn unto your fathers, hath the LORD brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondmen, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. 

Deu 7:9  Know therefore that the LORD thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations; 

Deu 7:10  And repayeth them that hate him to their face, to destroy them: he will not be slack to him that hateth him, he will repay him to his face. 

The Lord will always do what He says He will do!

Isa 49:22  Thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I will lift up mine hand to the Gentiles, and set up my standard to the people: and they shall bring thy sons in their arms, and thy daughters shall be carried upon their shoulders. 

Isa 49:23  And kings shall be thy nursing fathers, and their queens thy nursing mothers: they shall bow down to thee with their face toward the earth, and lick up the dust of thy feet; and thou shalt know that I am the LORD: for they shall not be ashamed that wait for me.

Isa 60:14  The sons also of them that afflicted thee shall come bending unto thee; and all they that despised thee shall bow themselves down at the soles of thy feet; and they shall call thee, The city of the LORD, The Zion of the Holy One of Israel. 

And who is behind this complete change of the Gentile nations? It is the LORD! the unchanging "I AM" of the Bible.

*****Isa 14:3  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, 

Isa 14:4  That thou shalt take up this proverb against the king of Babylon, and say, How hath the oppressor ceased! the golden city ceased! 

Isa 14:5  The LORD hath broken the staff of the wicked, and the sceptre of the rulers. 

I do not believe there is anyone who can say that they have had no sorrow in their lives.

To the Christian when we know we have unrepented sin in our lives we will always become sorrowful.

The truth is where sin abounds, "grace" much more abounds but is this a license to sin? No, God forbids this!

Rom 5:20  Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: 

Rom 5:21  That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord. 

Rom 6:1  What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? 

Rom 6:2  God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? 

Rom 6:6  Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.

**Even knowing these things, when we feel that sorrow for our sin, we can still feel gratitude knowing that God can and God will and God does forgive our sin!

Many people have sorrow because of physical ailments that seem to interfere with their daily life, myself included.

But as the Lord told the Apostle Paul, "My Grace is sufficient" for all your pain and suffering.

So what is the answer for sorrow? Trust in the Lord!

Pro 3:5  Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. 

Pro 3:6  In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. 

Pro 3:7  Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil. 

Pro 3:8  It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones. 

As we go through these Scriptures we will notice that it seems that this King of Babylon seems to be separated from the rest of mankind!

We will see that he is someone destined for a very distinct "judgment".

In reality we can understand this person as our oppressor! It can be anyone who has oppressed us in our service to the Lord, but it can also mean that one who has oppressed all God's people, Satan, the Devil.

The truth of God is this:

1Jn 4:4  Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. 

1Jn 4:5  They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them. 

1Jn 4:6  We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error. 

There are no enemies of God that are ever superior to God's children!

Rom 8:37  Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. 

Rom 8:38  For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 

Rom 8:39  Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. 

What does God teach the children of Israel? Their masters will one day become their slaves! Those that oppress them shall be made to help them!

How can these things take place? Because God will one day break the staff of the wicked and there will be no more evil rulers in fact there will only be the government of God, who will rule in "righteousness".

In the time of Babylon, God used Cyrus to break the backs of Babylon.

In the near future God will use His own "Ensign", the Messiah, who will settle all these things.

Psa 125:3  For the rod of the wicked shall not rest upon the lot of the righteous; lest the righteous put forth their hands unto iniquity. 

We know that Satan is that great oppressor but we do not ever have to fear what he may do to us.

Rev 2:10  Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.

As we will see, this oppressor is filled with pride and arrogance against the Lord and His people.

We also see that this oppressor thrived on riches in his golden city!

*****Isa 14:6  He who smote the people in wrath with a continual stroke, he that ruled the nations in anger, is persecuted, and none hindereth. 

This evil person would strike out at people in anger, with a continual stroke.

This evil person would trod down nations in his wrath and his unrelenting evil.

Rev 12:12  Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time. 

What does God say? This evil person would be persecuted himself and no one can stop this from happening!

Rev_20:3  And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.

Rev_20:10  And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.

It is obvious that this King of Babylon and his golden city is in fact a clear type of Satan and his influence upon this world!

It is also a fact that this passage will apply to anyone who does such things and lives such a wicked and cruel life. In fact all such things will come to an end at the return of the Messiah!

Rev 14:8  And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication. 

This is the only time when the whole world will be at rest!

*****Isa 14:7  The whole earth is at rest, and is quiet: they break forth into singing. 

Isa 14:8  Yea, the fir trees rejoice at thee, and the cedars of Lebanon, saying, Since thou art laid down, no feller is come up against us. 

There are many singers in our world today singing their own songs and the songs of others but when old Satan is cast into the "Burning Lake of Fire" the world that remains will break forth into singing in joy.

In fact, Isaiah loves this idea so much, that he includes it many more times.

Isa 44:23  Sing, O ye heavens; for the LORD hath done it: shout, ye lower parts of the earth: break forth into singing, ye mountains, O forest, and every tree therein: for the LORD hath redeemed Jacob, and glorified himself in Israel. 

Isa 49:13  Sing, O heavens; and be joyful, O earth; and break forth into singing, O mountains: for the LORD hath comforted his people, and will have mercy upon his afflicted. 

Isa 54:1  Sing, O barren, thou that didst not bear; break forth into singing, and cry aloud, thou that didst not travail with child: for more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife, saith the LORD. 

Isa 55:12  For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. 

This world we live in now will go through a complete change!

All the foreign invaders and oppressors who entered Palestine desired to have the trees of Lebanon, until they are practically destroyed but even these trees will rejoice because there will never be another taken down when the Messiah set's up His kingdom on this earth!

There will also be no nations anywhere that will ever have to succumb to foreign invasion.

*****Isa 14:9  Hell from beneath is moved for thee to meet thee at thy coming: it stirreth up the dead for thee, even all the chief ones of the earth; it hath raised up from their thrones all the kings of the nations. 

Isa 14:10  All they shall speak and say unto thee, Art thou also become weak as we? art thou become like unto us? 

It is impossible that there can be any happiness in Hell, but when old Satan is cast into Hell there will be many already there that will be stirred to know that he also did not escape the wrath of God.

It is a fact that those in Hell already are all believers but there is no escape from that turmoil! They cannot be prayed out of Hell nor can they be bought out of Hell!

They will still get the opportunity at the White Throne Judgment to defend themselves but the Lord will not find their names in the Lamb's Book of Life and they will suffer their eternal fate knowing that even Lucifer was not able to escape.

Rev_19:20  And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.

Rev_20:10  And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.

Rev_20:14  And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.

Rev_20:15  And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

We must keep in mind Satan is just a creation of God, who has fallen from God's "Grace". He holds no power over God!

God has just allowed or it should be said, God has used Satan to prove to all what is good and what is evil and what He expects from His creations.

It was pride that brought the downfall of this created creature of God!

*****Isa 14:11  Thy pomp is brought down to the grave, and the noise of thy viols: the worm is spread under thee, and the worms cover thee. 

Isa 14:12  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! 

Isa 14:13  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: 

Isa 14:14  I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. 

Isa 14:15  Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit. 

We can see that in fact, King Belshazzar, the last king of Babylon was in fact a type of Satan but these Scriptures refer to Satan, the Beast of the Book of Revelation and not Belshazzar.

"In his own", mind Satan is the most wonderful and most beautiful of all God's creations. God did create Satan in perfect but he also had the freedom of choice. Adam was also created in perfection with the freedom of choice.

The truth is, each and everyone of God's creations were made with a specific purpose in mind and Satan was just a failure and God tossed him out of Heaven to make use of him on earth.

Only those who remain perfect can abide in Heaven! Thank God for His "Grace"!

The Lord Jesus was also a witness to this event:

Luk 10:18  And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven. 

In the end, Satan will be cast out of this world also and into the Burning Lake of Fire:

Joh 12:31  Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out. 

Satan will also face God at the "Judgment":

Joh 16:11  Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged. 

Why did God really pour Himself into the flesh of Jesus Christ?

1Jn 3:8  He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. 

Pride was Satan's downfall!

The noise of his viols is what Satan uses to entice our children. This is a reference to music. Secular music and music of praise to the Lord are two entirely different things!

Satan can only bring death, those worms are reference to the "maggot".

No doubt the thought of the grave brings the thought of corruption and Satan is the most corrupt of all God's creation. Those maggots will not only be spread under Satan but they will cover him. He who walked upon the luxuries of this earth will then be the uttermost of filth.

All Satan has accomplished is to bring weakness to the nations in sin and filth!

Why will these things happen? Because Satan feels in his heart that he should be more exalted than the Lord God!

It is a fact that the angels are aware that God will exalt the humans above the angels in the near future and this does not sit well with Lucifer who exalts his own self above our Holy Father.

What does God say to us?

Pro 16:18  Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.

How has this affected the world of the rich and powerful?

Rev 18:7  How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow. 

What is the truth of Satan and his works?

Satan will go to Hell. He will humbled to a miserable life for eternity!

The sides of the pit of Hell are the most dismal part of the darkness of Hell!

Ezekiel wrote:

Eze 28:8  They shall bring thee down to the pit, and thou shalt die the deaths of them that are slain in the midst of the seas. 

Eze 28:9  Wilt thou yet say before him that slayeth thee, I am God? but thou shalt be a man, and no God, in the hand of him that slayeth thee. 

The only thing Satan has had going for himself these thousands of years since his creation is, the fact of his denial. Even today the existence of Satan is denied.

Satan will not show himself until he appears as the Antichrist during the seven years of Tribulation when he will have a taste of victory that is short lived!

The truth is he will be exposed for what he is, "nothing but trouble"!

*****Isa 14:16  They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, "Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms"; 

Isa 14:17  That made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof; that opened not the house of his prisoners? 

Satan will be observed as being dead and many will look upon him. Some will look to make sure he is dead and others will look upon him in unbelief that he did not have the power he so boasted of, but all will fear the Lord who has done this thing!

Psa 64:9  And all men shall fear, and shall declare the work of God; for they shall wisely consider of his doing. 

Psa 64:10  The righteous shall be glad in the LORD, and shall trust in him; and all the upright in heart shall glory.

The truth will be out, the thing that Satan has tried to accomplish is to destroy God's creation! The world is just too blind to see the truth!

Satan has blinded mankind with power and riches knowing these things only lead to destruction!

Satan has hindered the work of the Lord.

Satan has made many Christians useless in the work of the Lord.

Satan has caused his evil to reach into all the high places of governments and commercialism.

We need to remember our battle is not with each other or with any human, our battle has always been against the work of Satan!

Eph 6:12  For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. 

Satan is none other than a liar and a deceiver and those that worship him are just as bad!

Joh 8:44  Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. 

Even most evil people are buried today but Satan will not be honored in any such manner.

*****Isa 14:18  All the kings of the nations, even all of them, lie in glory, every one in his own house. 

Isa 14:19  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. 

Isa 14:20  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. 

No doubt King Belshazzar was denied an honorable burial!

A mausoleum may have been prepared but it was not used, in fact his dead body just lay unburied.

In fact he was treated somewhat like Queen Jezebel when she was trodden down by the chariot of Jehu!

As we study the 7 years of Tribulation, we know of 3 and one half years when the Anti-Christ will be exalted and then the last 3 and one half years, (The Great Tribulation), when he will bring ruin to this world.

Mat 24:21  For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. 

All of King Belshazzar descendants were destroyed so it is very unlikely that there have ever been any descendants of Nebuchadnezzar as some have claimed.

In truth all those who have worshipped Satan, the Beast, will be slaughtered!

*****Isa 14:21  Prepare slaughter for his children for the iniquity of their fathers; that they do not rise, nor possess the land, nor fill the face of the world with cities. 

Isa 14:22  For I will rise up against them, saith the LORD of hosts, and cut off from Babylon the name, and remnant, and son, and nephew, saith the LORD. 

Isa 14:23  I will also make it a possession for the bittern, and pools of water: and I will sweep it with the besom of destruction, saith the LORD of hosts. 

The offspring of Satan will never be mentioned again after this time.

The world that Satan has inspired will be totally destroyed.

The false religions that come about because of Satan's influence will also be destroyed.

The truth is, the old city of Babylon did indeed become a desolate place.

The city of Babylon that exist now is in a different location and has never reached the fame of the old city and it never will.

The old city of Babylon is now a marsh with the remnants of some old buildings.

The truth is, the Lord Jesus Christ has already destroyed the power of Satan, the Devil.

1Jn 3:8  He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. 

The Lord did this at the Cross on Golgotha's hill!

What does Satan use to bring people into bondage?

Greed, Pride, Smoking, Drinking, abusing Drugs, Profanity, Illicit sex of all kinds, Sensual pleasures, Fleshy Passions, Shoplifting, and Theft, Laziness, Indifference, and Overindulgence, just to mention a few.

Because the Lord Jesus came the First Time to die for our sins, "all" these things can be forgiven!

The one thing that cannot be forgiven, is to not believe on the work that Jesus Christ has already done to release us from Satan's bondage!

Those that believe that the Lord Jesus can be a Savior but not be a Destroyer do not read the Scriptures!

If the works of Satan are not destroyed then "God's Mercy" cannot be accomplished!

This is why we live in God's time of "Grace" today to allow time for us all to decide.

2Pe 3:9  The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. 

Those that refuse to "come to repentance" will suffer the fate of Satan!

When the Lord returns the Second Time He will destroy the works of the Satan, the Devil.

Rev 20:10  And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever. 

*****Isa 14:27  For the LORD of hosts hath purposed, and who shall disannul it? and his hand is stretched out, and who shall turn it back? 

There is not one who can turn back the hand of God!

We can choose to believe God or to believe Satan.

It's called making a choice, I have made my choice already.

I choose Christ!

Questions?

Let's Pray!