God Will Restore This World

 God's Restoration

 Book of Amos Chapters 5-9

 

 One thing we all must remember is that once our bond with God is broken, death has entered into our lives.

 We know this flesh we wear will certainly die, but the death that is real is the death of no longer having God involved in our lives.

 If we reject Him long enough, we will then be rejected by our Heavenly Father.

 Israel in this Scripture relates to the ten tribes of the Northern Kingdom and not the Israel we know of today.

 The message, though, is the same for everyone who lives upon this earth.

 We are all given a choice.

 *****Amo 5:4  For thus saith the LORD unto the house of Israel, Seek ye me, and ye shall live:

 The verse is a call to repentance. God will contrast His requirements with our actual conduct.

 We cannot just say we are Christian there must be some proof.

 Jas 2:14  What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him? 

 Now we have no work to do for salvation; the Lord Jesus Christ did all that work, but there should be signs of a changed life after our salvation. There should be some signs of our faith.

There should be some fruit of the Holy Spirit since He immediately comes into our lives.

 This is what James is saying in this Scripture.

 God will contact every individual during their lifetime, and each of us will be offered this choice.

 We must seek the Lord or else face God's judgment!

 God promises us that if we seek Him, we will find Him.

 Deu_4:29  But if from thence thou shalt seek the LORD thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul.

 Act_17:27  That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us:

 It is easy to see that this seeking is not about religion; it is about a personal relationship.

 This is the difference between religion and Christianity. In Christianity, we get up close and personal with God, as a family should be.

 As Israel, the ten Northern Tribes found out, God's invitations will stop at some time.

 And the greatest truth of this seeking is that we cannot seek the Lord God of this Universe if we are also seeking false gods.

 *****Amo 5:5  But seek not Bethel, nor enter into Gilgal, and pass not to Beersheba: for Gilgal shall surely go into captivity, and Bethel shall come to nought. 

Amo 5:6  Seek the LORD, and ye shall live; lest he break out like fire in the house of Joseph, and devour it, and there be none to quench it in Bethel.

 Bethel had once been a place to seek God, but when the ten tribes split from Judah, Bethel became one of the places where there was false worship of man-made golden calves.

 1Ki 12:28  Whereupon the king took counsel, and made two calves of gold, and said unto them, It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem: behold thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. 

1Ki 12:29  And he set the one in Bethel, and the other put he in Dan.

 Gilgal too had been a place where the people could seek God, but it too had become a place of false worship.

 Hos 9:15  All their wickedness is in Gilgal: for there I hated them: for the wickedness of their doings I will drive them out of mine house, I will love them no more: all their princes are revolters. 

 God used to speak to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob at Beersheba, but traveling to Beersheba in the day of Amos was like going on a pilgrimage.

 God would be south at the Temple and not some pilgrimage.

 Amo 8:14  They that swear by the sin of Samaria, and say, Thy god, O Dan, liveth; and, The manner of Beersheba liveth; even they shall fall, and never rise up again.

 Amos was preaching to the ten tribes of the Northern Kingdom, and his message was, "There is no need for you to seek God in these places where He could have been found at one time because He was no longer there.

 It's like passing a church that was once full on Sunday but is now empty every day; you could say that God is no longer there, and there would be no need to seek God there.

It has become no more than a building because it was the people who came who were the church.

 Many of us used to attend other places of worship than we do today. Most of us would not have left those places if we were being fed the truth of the Lord.

 The fact that the Lord used to be there is no guarantee that He is there today.

 In fact, if we start preaching or teaching some new gospel in the place where we are today, we can be very sure that God will leave this place of worship.

 We have an obligation to attend church!

 Heb 10:25  Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching. 

 We cannot just attend any place of worship; we must worship in a place where we can find the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the cornerstone of the Church.

 Many places of worship today do not even acknowledge the Lord Jesus Christ, or they do not have the true Word of God.

 What is a true Church? Eph_2:20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;

 The Apostles taught what Jesus taught them,

The prophets tell us what lies in our future.

Jesus Christ is the God of the true Bible, and He is also our Creator.

If Jesus Christ is not your God, then you are serving the wrong God.

This makes a lot of people mad to say this, but we have to tell them the truth.

It is Satan who has lied to them!

 *****Amo 5:7  Ye who turn judgment to wormwood, and leave off righteousness in the earth, 

Amo 5:8  Seek him that maketh the seven stars and Orion, and turneth the shadow of death into the morning, and maketh the day dark with night: that calleth for the waters of the sea, and poureth them out upon the face of the earth: The LORD is his name: 

Amo 5:9  That strengtheneth the spoiled against the strong, so that the spoiled shall come against the fortress.

 The truth is that those who are not seeking the LORD are seeking themselves, and they have no care for others.

 There is very little natural affection for other human beings today.

Hatred dominates the minds of most people!

 As Christians, we cannot say we have the Lord Jesus Christ and to Hell with everyone else.

 Our job is to show all others the way to seek our Savior.

We cannot do this if we do not first show them love!

 Wormwood is a shrub or bush with an unpleasant smell and is very bitter to taste.

 It is a type of unpleasantness and grief that leads to the thought of death and destruction.

 Rev 8:10  And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters; 

Rev 8:11  And the name of the star is called Wormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter. 

 The justice I have received from God has been sweet. He is so full of mercy and grace; His justice can be nothing else but sweet.

 I did not deserve it, but the grace of God is shown to those who seek the Lord with all their heart in truthfulness.

 If we teach a distorted message on the mercy and grace of God, that message will become bitter to those who have never known the truth of the Lord.

 If we do not seek our Creator, what chance do we have that we will find Him?

We must seek the right God, and there is only One true God and only one true Way to Heaven.

 Our Creator and our Savior are the same God!

 His name in the Scriptures is YAHWEH or Jehovah.

 Our world exists because Yahweh caused and causes it to exist.

 God spoke our world into existence and made from nothing all the things we see.

 If we cannot see Him in His Almighty Incorruptible Majesty, who only needs to speak one word and we become no more, then we will never understand His love for us, and we will deserve His judgment, which is far different from His justice.

 It is this God, Jehovah, Yahweh, Jesus, who wants us all to be saved!

 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.

 We should clearly understand that no man, no matter how strong or how strong the works of that man, no matter how powerful, can withstand the Divine Majesty of our Savior, who is also our Creator.

 There is no military that God has not already overthrown. Read your Bible and your history book.

 It is this same God who allows changes in nature to succeed or fail at His choosing.

It is this same God who allows the politics of this world to succeed or fail at His choosing.

It is this same God who allows the cycles of time to go and come as He wishes.

This world is moving right along just as God said it would; the plan of God never has to change.

 It is not God who has allowed this world to be so close to destroying itself on any given day; it is the sinful people who live in it, but He still gets the blame, though He wants to save the people who live in it.

 *****Amo 5:10  They hate him that rebuketh in the gate, and they abhor him that speaketh uprightly. 

Amo 5:11  Forasmuch therefore as your treading is upon the poor, and ye take from him burdens of wheat: ye have built houses of hewn stone, but ye shall not dwell in them; ye have planted pleasant vineyards, but ye shall not drink wine of them.

 God is saying that those who do not acknowledge Him as the Creator will never enjoy life.

 It was at the city gates where man's justice took place on the day of Amos.

 If there were a judge who could not be bought or bribed, the people would hate them.

 If that judge bends the law, then he is okay, but those who spoke with integrity or used reliable witnesses were hated.

 We live in the time of bought and sold-out judges, if not for money, then for a political stand and hatred.

 If not for money, it is for fame, or political stance, when it is supposed to be about the laws of the land, and judges have no right to make laws.

 We do not even get a chance to vote for these people, so who gave them such power?

 Today, if we stand up for the rights of the unborn, those who are disabled, or those who are elderly, and those who are vulnerable in our society, then we are hated, as the other side stands up for illegals, murderers, and lawbreakers to buy a vote; the hatred just continues to spread.

 There is no justice beyond God's justice!

 God will judge this world one day; He never forgets the works of those who refuse to repent!

 We might ask ourselves; can anyone sin so much that they will never be forgiven?

 *****Amo 8:4  Hear this, O ye that swallow up the needy, even to make the poor of the land to fail, 

Amo 8:5  Saying, When will the new moon be gone, that we may sell corn? and the sabbath, that we may set forth wheat, making the ephah small, and the shekel great, and falsifying the balances by deceit? 

Amo 8:6  That we may buy the poor for silver, and the needy for a pair of shoes; yea, and sell the refuse of the wheat? 

Amo 8:7  The LORD hath sworn by the excellency of Jacob, Surely I will never forget any of their works. 

 Though we do not know much about Amos, he is spending this time being an advocate for these sinful people.

 As we read these words, it seems that God is leaving these people no way to escape, but we see the accusations and God's verdict.

 It is not about the amount of our sin; it is about how many times we deny God’s remedy and payment for our sin.

 What is social injustice?

 It is a violation of another's rights. It is withholding what is due, or fraud.

 If all people are created equal, then why is there an unequal distribution of rights or privileges among people who have equal claims?

I am not talking about equality in riches, I am talking about equality in rights and justice.

 Israel was guilty of many things, but the main thing was superficial worship.

 By law, they had to honor the Sabbath and all the other religious holy days and national celebrations.

 This law became a thorn in the flesh of the politicians, the merchants, and the business leaders of that nation.

 You tell me we are not experiencing this today. God's laws are a thorn in the flesh of commerce and wickedness.

 Sunday, our day of worship, means nothing to most businesses today.

 Even our schools will try to practice sports on Sunday.

 All sorts of professional sports use Sunday rather than a weekday.

 Even Wednesdays are taken up with secular events.

 Alcohol can now be purchased seven days a week.

Politicians are pushing to legalize popular drugs using the excuse to raise taxes when they should be making ways to spend less.

It is our tax system that drives businesses to run twenty-four-seven.

 This world is trying to take away any time set aside to worship God.

 The alternatives to God that this world offers are nothing more than idol worship!

 The guilt of Israel was that while they were supposed to worship, their minds were on how to make more money, or how to rob the poor even more, or how they could take away the land of some poor person.

We see these same things in our politicians today>.

 I cannot imagine sitting in God's house trying to figure out a way to falsify the balances or more ways to deceive more people.

 They knew the Law, and they knew this was an abomination to the Lord:

 Deu 25:13  Thou shalt not have in thy bag divers weights, a great and a small. 

Deu 25:14  Thou shalt not have in thine house divers measures, a great and a small. 

Deu 25:15  But thou shalt have a perfect and just weight, a perfect and just measure shalt thou have: that thy days may be lengthened in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee. 

Deu 25:16  For all that do such things, and all that do unrighteously, are an abomination unto the LORD thy God. 

 Amos's job was to announce these judgments to the people of the Northern Kingdom, and Amos knew it would not sit well with the people, but God offered Amos no other answer.

 We cannot soften the truth of God and say we are God's followers!

 Only those who feared the Lord would be afraid.

 There would be no joy on the Sabbath.

God's judgment would bring death to many people.

If there were survivors, they would be traumatized, wondering what God would do next.

 We do not have to wonder what God will do next!

 He either tells us, or He shows us in His Word, examples of what He has already done because He never changes.

 If there is one truth in this world, it is that God's judgment on unbelievers is a sure thing!

 God's "judgment" on sin is a sure thing!

 Amos got a chance to witness these things in a vision that God sent to him.

 God has every right to judge this world because He created it!

 We all will stand face to face with our Almighty God, our Creator!

Some, at the Judgment Seat of Christ.

The rest, at the White Throne Judgment.

 The even clearer message is that until that day of judgment, we need to repent and seek the face of God.

 We will all give an account for the things we have done unless we repent.

 Mat 25:31  When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: 

Mat 25:32  And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: 

Mat 25:33  And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.

 Mat 25:44  Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? 

Mat 25:45  Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. 

Mat 25:46  And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal. 

 If we do not want to hear what God has to say, then one day God will take away His Word, and we will know nothing and be like the evolutionists who come up with unbelievable theories and fantasies.

 *****Amo 8:11  Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD: 

Amo 8:12  And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the LORD, and shall not find it. 

Amo 8:13  In that day shall the fair virgins and young men faint for thirst. 

Amo 8:14  They that swear by the sin of Samaria, and say, Thy god, O Dan, liveth; and, The manner of Beersheba liveth; even they shall fall, and never rise up again. 

 We may be in that time when the Word of God is hated, and the world does not want to hear what God has to say!

 Remember what the Lord Jesus said as He spoke unto the seven churches of the Church Age, the Age we are in now.

 To the church at Ephesus: Rev 2:7  He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God. 

 To the church at Smyrna: Rev 2:11  He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death.

 To the Church at Pergamum: Rev 2:17  He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it. 

 To the Church at Thyatira: Rev 2:29  He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

 To the Church at Sardis: Rev 3:6  He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. 

 To the Church at Philadelphia: Rev 3:13  He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. 

 To the Church at Laodicea: Rev 3:22  He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

 The Prophet Jeremiah wrote down these words given by the Holy Spirit:

  Jer 23:30  Therefore, behold, I am against the prophets, saith the LORD, that steal my words every one from his neighbour. 

Jer 23:31  Behold, I am against the prophets, saith the LORD, that use their tongues, and say, He saith. 

Jer 23:32  Behold, I am against them that prophesy false dreams, saith the LORD, and do tell them, and cause my people to err by their lies, and by their lightness; yet I sent them not, nor commanded them: therefore they shall not profit this people at all, saith the LORD. 

 The most tragic thing that can happen to this world is for God to abandon it to its own ways.

 It is easy to see that wicked men of this world would destroy it.

It is this same wickedness that says we have too many people to feed in this world and do everything they can to stop population growth.

 The ways of God are perfect!

 Psa 18:30  As for God, his way is perfect: the word of the LORD is tried: he is a buckler to all those that trust in him.

 The ways of the world are sinful:

 1Jn_2:16  For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

 The world is tired of God telling them they are full of sin and need to repent.

 No one in the world has any desire to repent!

 The world does not want to hear the Word of God.

 When we look at what the Lord Jesus was saying to the Church, He was saying that much of the Church does not want to hear what He has to say.

 When this point is reached, God has said He will send a famine of hearing the Word of God.

 We must understand that if we reject what God has to say, He will quit speaking to us.

 He will put false prophets and preachers in places of worship, and they will do nothing more than tickle the ears of the congregation.

 Act_28:27  For the heart of this people is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes have they closed; lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.

 2Ti_4:3  For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;

2Ti_4:4  And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.

 I believe we are in this age or this time now.

 Even here in America, the Ten Commandments cannot be posted anywhere without somebody bringing a lawsuit, but why?

 People just do not want to hear what God has to say about the way they live their lives.

To repent is just a word in most churches and means nothing.

 There is coming a day when this world will become so lawless that the people will once again want to hear what God has to say, and they will not be able to hear it or even find it.

 They will go to some church, but that one in the pulpit will teach them about some dream they had that did not come from God.

 If they find an old version of a Bible, the Holy Spirit will not open their eyes to what it says.

 The young people will see a world falling apart, left by their elders, and seek guidance from God, but they will not find it because the Word of God has been altered to become the word of the world, with just enough of the truth to cause confusion

 They will be told they can find the Word of God at the Luciferian Church, but it will not be found there because it never was there.

 It was at Beersheba that the enemies of Isaac caused all the wells to go dry, and Isaac had to dig new wells that were also filled.

 God is saying that the well of knowledge in the Word of God is dry, and there is no one to clean out the dirt and sludge of the world from it, where there still remains the Water of Life.

Jhn_7:38  He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.

Jhn_4:10  Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.

We should understand that every person worships something. Whatever they hold first in their lives is their god!

It may be an image of their goal, it may be some idol, it may be something from some religion other than Christianity.

Even the so-called Christians must place God first in their lives, and many refuse.

If we fail to worship anything other than Jehovah in the Old Testament, Jesus Christ in the New Testament, or Yahweh, we are sinning Blasphemy.

All false religions will fall, never to rise again.

No one can escape the Judgment of God!

Amo 9:1  I saw the Lord standing upon the altar: and he said, Smite the lintel of the door, that the posts may shake: and cut them in the head, all of them; and I will slay the last of them with the sword: he that fleeth of them shall not flee away, and he that escapeth of them shall not be delivered. 

Amo 9:2  Though they dig into hell, thence shall mine hand take them; though they climb up to heaven, thence will I bring them down: 

Once all false religions have been removed, God will do certain things to reclaim Israel.

*****Amo 9:11  In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen, and close up the breaches thereof; and I will raise up his ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old: 

Amo 9:12  That they may possess the remnant of Edom, and of all the heathen, which are called by my name, saith the LORD that doeth this. 

God will make Israel the honcho nation of this world.

God will restore His people, Israel, to the national pride they had when King David ruled Israel.

"In that day", the day of the return of Jesus Christ, when He will publicly appear to save that remnant of the Jews that is mentioned throughout the Old Testament.

The Northern and the Southern tribes will be reunited as it was in the time of King David, but this will be the time of the Second Coming of the Messiah.

All those who were against Jehovah will be removed: Amo 9:10  All the sinners of my people shall die by the sword, which say, The evil shall not overtake nor prevent us.

We should also understand that at this time, all the land that was promised to Abraham will be restored to Israel.

This is the same land that came to Israel in the days of King David and King Solomon.

This would be the land of Israel, but King Jesus will rule from Jerusalem, and He will rule this entire world.

Psa 72:6  He shall come down like rain upon the mown grass: as showers that water the earth. 

Psa 72:7  In his days shall the righteous flourish; and abundance of peace so long as the moon endureth. 

Psa 72:8  He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth.

Psa 72:11  Yea, all kings shall fall down before him: all nations shall serve him. 

The government of the Messiah will be universal. There will be no one who can hide from the rule of the Messiah.

It is the fulfillment of God's covenant with Abraham: Gen 15:4  And, behold, the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir. 

Gen 15:5  And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be. 

The world will look a whole lot different, even from what it looks like today.

There will be major climate change!

*****Amo 9:13  Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that the plowman shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him that soweth seed; and the mountains shall drop sweet wine, and all the hills shall melt. 

Amo 9:14  And I will bring again the captivity of my people of Israel, and they shall build the waste cities, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and drink the wine thereof; they shall also make gardens, and eat the fruit of them. 

Amo 9:15  And I will plant them upon their land, and they shall no more be pulled up out of their land which I have given them, saith the LORD thy God. 

When we know God up close and personal, we will always have a bright and wonderful future. It is His promise!

The judgment of Israel is over after all these years; they now accept all the Word of God, even the New Covenant(Testament). 

They have realized that all the Old Testament prophecies were true all along.

They now know the Son of God whom they had rejected and worship Him.

God had broken them because of their sin, and they had now repented and returned to Him.

True prosperity had finally come to Israel, and Jerusalem was now truly the City of Peace.

For the ploughmen to overtake the reaper means that it would take the reaper all Summer to gather in the harvest.

Even the vineyards would produce much more than was needed.

God would also cause cities that had lain in ruin for so many years to be rebuilt.

For the people in the day of Amos, this last part was a message of hope for the people of Israel.

All they needed to do was to believe the God who had delivered them so many times!

They would not have to depend upon foreigners or anyone else around them. God would make their land sufficient, just like their God is sufficient to meet all our needs.

I know this is true because He meets all my needs.

The prophecy of Amos could only be fulfilled by Jehovah, the Living God.

They would never have to leave their land again.

God would make sure these things happened just as Amos had delivered to them.

God means what He says, and God says what He means.

Amen.

The Why of God's Judgment

 The Logic of God's Judgment

 Book of Amos Chapters 1 through 4

 

As we take a look into the Book of Amos, we should realize that the Ten Tribes called Israel had moved away from God from the very first day of separating from Judah.

 As we study this book of prophecy, we will see that God has given this nation a last chance to repent and return to the truth of Jehovah and worship as God had given them in the Books of Moses.

 None of the kings of this divided nation called Israel had any interest in the truth of God nor the worship of the LORD Jehovah.

 We know the Lord is patient with His people, but there is an end to that patience, and after patience runs out, it is replaced with judgment.

 God always has to overcome His compassion for His people to bring judgment, but He will.

 It is these lessons we read about in the Old Testament that we can learn how God will react to these same types of things today.

 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 10:6  Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted. 

 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. 

 We can visibly see how patient God is with the world we live in today, but the Old Testament proves that God's patience will end, and judgment will come.

 God will not allow wickedness and sin to continue indefinitely!

 The Book of Amos is a book of judgment!

 For one hundred and eighty years, the Northern Kingdom had rebelled against the LORD.

 Amos preached a message that focused on the coming judgment of God.

 Amos was just a lowly shepherd from Judah who prophesied mostly in Israel, showing us that God can use anyone willing to serve Him.

 *****Amo 1:1  The words of Amos, who was among the herdmen of Tekoa, which he saw concerning Israel in the days of Uzziah king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash king of Israel, two years before the earthquake.

 In the Scriptures, earthquakes are mentioned as tokens of God's power, but also as a means of fine-tuning the timeline of the Scriptures.

 Job 9:6  Which shaketh the earth out of her place, and the pillars thereof tremble. 

 Earthquakes are also tokens of God's presence.

 Psa 68:8  The earth shook, the heavens also dropped at the presence of God: even Sinai itself was moved at the presence of God, the God of Israel. 

 Earthquakes that we are more familiar with are those that are from God's anger.

 Psa 18:7  Then the earth shook and trembled; the foundations also of the hills moved and were shaken, because he was wroth. 

 God's fierce anger is still in the future.

 Isa 13:13  Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall remove out of her place, in the wrath of the LORD of hosts, and in the day of his fierce anger. 

 Isa 29:6  Thou shalt be visited of the LORD of hosts with thunder, and with earthquake, and great noise, with storm and tempest, and the flame of devouring fire. 

 Rev 16:18  And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great. 

 *****Amo 1:2  And he said, The LORD will roar from Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the habitations of the shepherds shall mourn, and the top of Carmel shall wither. 

 Amos was chosen because, in his preaching, he could roar, and his message was that God would soon roar out of Zion.

 In fact, Amos begins where the Book of Joel ends.

 Joe 3:16  The LORD also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the LORD will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel.

 Zion was the same as the city of David to Amos.

 1Ki 8:1  Then Solomon assembled the elders of Israel, and all the heads of the tribes, the chief of the fathers of the children of Israel, unto King Solomon in Jerusalem, that they might bring up the ark of the covenant of the LORD out of the city of David, which is Zion. 

 Amos first begins to prophecy judgment on all those nations that have had any dealings with Israel.

 The LORD speaks from Zion, which He had assigned to be the central place of worship of the Jews and also the central place of government, as formed by King David.

Israel was to have a theocratic government. A government that followed the Word of God.

 God speaks to all His people, and He includes strangers.

 Zion is the dwelling place of the LORD, spiritually and soon will be physically for one thousand years!

 A roaring of the lion can be heard from five to eight miles, but God's roar will be heard from any location upon this earth if He so chooses.

 A lion's roar is aimed as a threat to his enemies, and the roar of God in judgment will be directed at His enemies, the enemies of the Church and the enemies of Israel.

 Jer 25:30  Therefore prophesy thou against them all these words, and say unto them, The LORD shall roar from on high, and utter his voice from his holy habitation; he shall mightily roar upon his habitation; he shall give a shout, as they that tread the grapes, against all the inhabitants of the earth. 

Jer 25:31  A noise shall come even to the ends of the earth; for the LORD hath a controversy with the nations, he will plead with all flesh; he will give them that are wicked to the sword, saith the LORD. 

Jer 25:32  Thus saith the LORD of hosts, Behold, evil shall go forth from nation to nation, and a great whirlwind shall be raised up from the coasts of the earth. 

Jer 25:33  And the slain of the LORD shall be at that day from one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth: they shall not be lamented, neither gathered, nor buried; they shall be dung upon the ground. 

 This is another reason why the Lord Jesus is known as the Lion of the tribe of Judah. He will roar in judgment sooner than we think.

 *****Amo 2:6  Thus saith the LORD; For three transgressions of Israel, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they sold the righteous for silver, and the poor for a pair of shoes; 

Amo 2:7  That pant after the dust of the earth on the head of the poor, and turn aside the way of the meek: and a man and his father will go in unto the same maid, to profane my holy name: 

Amo 2:8  And they lay themselves down upon clothes laid to pledge by every altar, and they drink the wine of the condemned in the house of their god. 

 What was wrong with Israel in the day of Amos and still so today?

 This sent waves of shock through the crowd that Amos was preaching to, for in their mind they would say to you, "There is no way God's judgment would fall on them".

 They are so wrong because they know the key to God's Grace is obedience to His Word. Why would God not judge those who refuse to obey Him?

 To the world today that misunderstands God's nature. Yes, God is Love, and because of this, He is long-suffering.

 His long-suffering means He is waiting for the world to repent and turn from its wicked ways, but it never will, so eventually God's justice must prevail on those who live wickedly, or He would not be the God of truth.

 Israel was feeling really good about everything when Amos was preaching about judgment on all those other nations, but their attitude changed when Amos began with God's judgment upon Israel.

 The Judgment of God is coming to this world, and the only way to miss it is to repent and turn back to our Creator. Our God is also our Creator!

 God has warned this entire world.

 Mat 3:7  But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 

Mat 3:8  Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance: 

 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. 

2Pe 3:10  But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. 

2Pe 3:11  Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, 

2Pe 3:12  Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? 

 God's justice must prevail!

 These verses describe to us the crimes of Israel.

 1) We see a perversion of justice. The judges took bribes and condemned the righteous.

Keep in mind, Judas took silver to condemn our righteous Savior.

 For the very smallest of bribes, they rejected the cause of poverty in their own nation.

 Eze 13:19  And will ye pollute me among my people for handfuls of barley and for pieces of bread, to slay the souls that should not die, and to save the souls alive that should not live, by your lying to my people that hear your lies? 

 They continuously broke the Laws of God.

 2) They desired that the poor be removed from the earth.

 This sounds like today, when our politicians remind us that if not for the poor and the elders there would be plenty of money to waste on other things, while they intentionally try to move the middle class into that poor category.

 Those who are poor are also those who are depressed, even though depression can attack anyone, no matter their status.

 It is many of those who are poor who are almost forced to do crooked and evil things in an attempt to survive.

 We cannot defend this, but we can acknowledge it.

 The world continuously ignores the dignity of human life if you are not a part of their crowd.

 3) For a man and his father to go into the same maid could be said to be incest, which was forbidden and could be seen as organized prostitution, but it is certainly fornication.

 Eze 36:20  And when they entered unto the heathen, whither they went, they profaned my holy name, when they said to them, These are the people of the LORD, and are gone forth out of his land. 

Eze 36:21  But I had pity for mine holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the heathen, whither they went. 

 4) Those who were well off would take the outer clothes of those who had fallen on hard times, as a pledge. These would be the clothes they wore during the day and covered themselves with at night.

 Those who stole those clothes would think nothing of wearing them to the House of God.

 They engaged in hypocritical worship by worshipping at every altar in any place of worship, even those places where idols were worshipped.

 Israel's worship of Jehovah had become corrupt.

 Before we pray and worship at any altar, we had better be sure we are in a true House of God!

 5) Israel rejected the Lord as the source of their blessings since the Lord removed them from the Iron Furnace of Egypt.

 *****Amo 2:9  Yet destroyed I the Amorite before them, whose height was like the height of the cedars, and he was strong as the oaks; yet I destroyed his fruit from above, and his roots from beneath. 

Amo 2:10  Also I brought you up from the land of Egypt, and led you forty years through the wilderness, to possess the land of the Amorite. 

Amo 2:11  And I raised up of your sons for prophets, and of your young men for Nazarites. Is it not even thus, O ye children of Israel? saith the LORD.

Amo 2:12  But ye gave the Nazarites wine to drink; and commanded the prophets, saying, Prophesy not. 

 As we read the Old Testament, we read over and over how God had blessed this nation and had forgiven their many sins.

 It was the Almighty God who had destroyed the Amorites and allowed Israel to take over their cities and their homes.

 They were certainly wicked people, but Israel was falling into the same trap of judgment.

 It was the Almighty Living God who had saved Israel from Egypt, where they had been slaves for nearly four hundred years.

 It was the Almighty God who had sent to them His prophets from their own nation, and they had murdered many of them.

 6) Even the Nazarites who had committed themselves to live righteously and devote themselves to the Lord were forced to drink wine against their vows.

 I absolutely cannot see how those of a certain religion can serve wine at communion, knowing God said not to drink wine at all.

 We have to make a vow to live righteously to be saved!

 Those who interfere with God's children will truly suffer the wrath of God.

 Mat_18:6  But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.

Mrk_9:42  And whosoever shall offend one of these little ones that believe in me, it is better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were cast into the sea.

Luk_17:2  It were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he cast into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones.

 Israel at this time was no different than the nations and peoples God had removed from Canaan Land!

 Have you noticed how the Church is following in these same steps?

 If you are in a godly church today, it is a must to resist any change that goes against the Word of God! All the Word of God!

 Jer_6:16  Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein.

 We cannot be so foolish as not to walk in the truth of God.

 What is a hypocrite? A hypocrite is a person who pretends and is deceitful.

 Claiming to believe in the LORD is not enough to become acceptable to God.

 A true believer will do their best to follow the LORD!

 A true believer will do their best to be obedient to all the Word of God.

 A true believer will do their best to live righteously in this world.

 A true believer will be looking for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the Lord Jesus Christ.

 Tit 2:11  For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, 

Tit 2:12  Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; 

Tit 2:13  Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; 

Tit 2:14  Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. 

 A hypocrite is deceitful.

 What did the Lord Jesus say we needed to watch out for in the end times?

 Mat 24:4  And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. 

Mat 24:5  For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. 

 We cannot allow false so-called Christians to destroy our churches!

 1Jn 2:3  And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. 

1Jn 2:4  He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 

1Jn 2:5  But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him. 

1Jn 2:6  He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked. 

 *****Amo 2:13  Behold, I am pressed under you, as a cart is pressed that is full of sheaves. 

Amo 2:14  Therefore the flight shall perish from the swift, and the strong shall not strengthen his force, neither shall the mighty deliver himself: 

 In response to any rebellious attitude and opposition of people in answer to His concerns, God has no choice but to react in "Judgment".

 Sin is a heavy burden that will take us into the pits of Hell, when God is so willing to forgive if we will repent and return to Him.

 Why would anyone want to go to Hell to spend an eternity there?

 The Northern Tribes of Israel were guilty of extreme wickedness, and God judged them by sending them into captivity into a nation that worshipped idols and rejected Jehovah.

 God is saying that His cart is so heavily loaded with sin that anything He rolls over will be crushed into non-existence.

 God will have removed His compassion.

God will have removed His mercy.

God will have removed His grace.

God will have removed His love, and this leaves only His "judgment"!

 God had stated that He hated Esau and the Edomites no longer exist as a people.

 God is telling sinners that He hates sin, and the Lord Jesus will say, "I never knew you," or to Him, you did not exist.

 Mat_7:23  And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

 Are those Ten Tribes of Israel still lost?

 The “lost tribes” were not entirely lost — many integrated into local populations, and some groups, like the Samaritans, preserved their identity.

 The one thing we know for sure is that there are Jews scattered all over the world, and many of them have gone back home to Israel.

 We can say that there are no lost Tribes of Israel because God knows where they all are.

What did God do?

God shows them instances of judgments He had sent at various times to correct His people.

 *****Amo 4:6  And I also have given you cleanness of teeth in all your cities, and want of bread in all your places: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the LORD. 

Amo 4:7  And also I have withholden the rain from you, when there were yet three months to the harvest: and I caused it to rain upon one city and caused it not to rain upon another city: one piece was rained upon, and the piece whereupon it rained not withered.

Amo 4:8  So two or three cities wandered unto one city, to drink water; but they were not satisfied: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the LORD. 

Amo 4:9  I have smitten you with blasting and mildew: when your gardens and your vineyards and your fig trees and your olive trees increased, the palmerworm devoured them: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the LORD. 

Amo 4:10  I have sent among you the pestilence after the manner of Egypt: your young men have I slain with the sword, and have taken away your horses; and I have made the stink of your camps to come up unto your nostrils: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the LORD.

This is not some form of toothache, but it is famine.

Their teeth would be clean because they had nothing to eat.

The Laws of Moses, which they were so proud of, stated: Deu 28:48  Therefore shalt thou serve thine enemies which the LORD shall send against thee, in hunger, and in thirst, and in nakedness, and in want of all things: and he shall put a yoke of iron upon thy neck, until he hath destroyed thee. 

Deu 28:49  The LORD shall bring a nation against thee from far, from the end of the earth, as swift as the eagle flieth; a nation whose tongue thou shalt not understand; 

In all the years since God had taken Israel out of Egypt and formed the nation that they are today, they have never truly repented of rejecting God and His Word.

God disciplines because He loves us, not because He hates us!

The stubbornness of Israel's rejection caused God to be harsher with His people.

All God has ever asked from any of us is to repent and turn back to Him.

The LORD sent famine and hunger, and this famine struck every city so that each city would not have the resources to feed its people.

Next, God sent drought, and God sent this drought three months before harvest time, so there would be very little to harvest.

They had three months to repent and save their crops, but they were too stubborn to give in.

They would hear about rain in another city, but by the time they got there, the water would be used up.

When they did have enough water for meager crops to grow, God sent the blight and the palmerworm.

Blasting was the damage caused by the scorching East wind.

Eze 17:10  Yea, behold, being planted, shall it prosper? shall it not utterly wither, when the east wind toucheth it? it shall wither in the furrows where it grew. 

Mildew would also ruin some crops. Mildew is caused by fungi from dampness and is the opposite of conditions caused by drought.

The locust swarms and disease would take anything that was left of their crops.

They faced economic devastation, but they still would not repent.

War, drought, and famine always end in disease, sickness, and plagues among the people. 

These would be the same type of plagues that God used on Egypt, but they still would not repent.

So, God sent war.

The young men, the pride of most nations, were slain with the sword of their enemies. This is what war does. War removes many of the next generation and affects a nation for years.

God took away their ability to defend themselves.

The stink of unburied carcasses lay everywhere, and even more disease came to Israel.

*****Amo 4:11  I have overthrown some of you, as God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, and ye were as a firebrand plucked out of the burning: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the LORD.

Amo 4:12  Therefore thus will I do unto thee, O Israel: and because I will do this unto thee, prepare to meet thy God, O Israel. 

Amo 4:13  For, lo, he that formeth the mountains, and createth the wind, and declareth unto man what is his thought, that maketh the morning darkness, and treadeth upon the high places of the earth, The LORD, The God of hosts, is his name. 

God reminds them that their sin was counted just as hideous and wicked as the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah, and they would have perished if God had not plucked them out of the fire.

Their homes were burned, their cities were burned, and everything they had left was burned, and they have been to if God had not plucked them from the fire.

There was only one thing left to do, and it was for God to come to this earth and take care of this rebellion Himself.

We should all ask ourselves, "Are we ready to meet the God of the Bible?"

God's judgment is certainly coming to this world.

Judgment is inescapable for those who refuse to repent and return to the Creator.

God will not send an angel.

God will not send the death angel.

God will come Himself, and if He comes in His glory, no one will be able to stand before Him.

There is only one way out to safety, and it is by repentance and returning to the God who made us.

Act 17:29  Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device. 

Act 17:30  And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent: 

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. 

We can meet God in the clouds, or we will meet God in "judgment," and we do not have much time left to decide!

Amen

Obadiah God' Prophet of End Times

 God's Prophet of Doom

 Book of Obadiah

 The name Obadiah means the servant of Yahweh. Obadiah was a servant of the Lord.

 We may read a lot of things about Obadiah but in reality all we know is what is written in the book that carries his name.

 There were several other men who were named Obadiah but we do not know of any of them being the Prophet Obadiah.

 The Book of Obadiah is the shortest book in the Old Testament and he is called a Minor Prophet but the message of the Minor Prophets are just as important as the other prophets.

 This book is still given to us as a message from the Holy Spirit.

 From start to finish the Book of Obadiah is a prophecy of judgment and doom on the people of Edom.

 The enmity between Israel and Edom began when these to twin sons of Isaac were still in the womb of their mother.

 Gen 25:22  And the children struggled together within her; and she said, If it be so, why am I thus? And she went to enquire of the LORD. 

Gen 25:23  And the LORD said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels; and the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger. 

 The hostility of these two brothers continued for years.

 Remember Jacob bought Esau's inheritance for the price of a bowl of stew.

 Edom was a source of pain for israel throughout Old Testament history.

 When Moses was leading Israel to the promised land Edom refused to allow them to cross their land.

 Num 20:18  And Edom said unto him, Thou shalt not pass by me, lest I come out against thee with the sword. 

Num 20:19  And the children of Israel said unto him, We will go by the high way: and if I and my cattle drink of thy water, then I will pay for it: I will only, without doing any thing else, go through on my feet. 

Num 20:20  And he said, Thou shalt not go through. And Edom came out against him with much people, and with a strong hand. 

Num 20:21  Thus Edom refused to give Israel passage through his border: wherefore Israel turned away from him.

 These things only got worse as time went by.

 God told Israel to treat the Edomites like brothers: Deu 23:7  Thou shalt not abhor an Edomite; for he is thy brother: thou shalt not abhor an Egyptian; because thou wast a stranger in his land. 

Deu 23:8  The children that are begotten of them shall enter into the congregation of the LORD in their third generation.

God expects brotherly love from each of us and we are not to hate our enemies.

 The Edomites did not do the same: Eze 35:5  Because thou hast had a perpetual hatred, and hast shed the blood of the children of Israel by the force of the sword in the time of their calamity, in the time that their iniquity had an end: 

Eze 35:6  Therefore, as I live, saith the Lord GOD, I will prepare thee unto blood, and blood shall pursue thee: sith thou hast not hated blood, even blood shall pursue thee. 

Eze 35:7  Thus will I make mount Seir most desolate, and cut off from it him that passeth out and him that returneth. 

Eze 35:8  And I will fill his mountains with his slain men: in thy hills, and in thy valleys, and in all thy rivers, shall they fall that are slain with the sword. 

Eze 35:9  I will make thee perpetual desolations, and thy cities shall not return: and ye shall know that I am the LORD.

 The Edomites were Israel's longest-standing enemy, and more prophecies are directed against this nation than any other in Scripture.

 After Jerusalem was defeated by Babylon the Edomites entered Jerusalem to loot whatever valuables and food that had been overlooked by Babylon.

 Worst of all, they murdered survivors trying to flee from the Babylonians and handed over others to be tormented.

 This did not sit well with Jehovah, and the Edomites would be destroyed and snuffed out forever from history.

 The purpose of Obadiah was to warn the Edomites, and it was their last chance for repentance.

 We should be able to see that the enemies of God's people will be severely judged.

 In the end, the message of the Prophet Obadiah will apply to all people and all nations who dare to persecute God's people.

 *****Oba 1:1  The vision of Obadiah. Thus saith the Lord GOD concerning Edom; We have heard a rumour from the LORD, and an ambassador is sent among the heathen, Arise ye, and let us rise up against her in battle. 

 It is this first verse that gives us the name of the author of this great book.

 A vision was one of the ways God revealed Himself to His prophets, sometimes by open revelations and other times by dreams.

 Abraham, Jacob, Isaiah, and many others were called with visions.

 Even in the day of the Apostle Paul, visions are mentioned.

 2Co 12:1  It is not expedient for me doubtless to glory. I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord. 

 Act 18:9  Then spake the Lord to Paul in the night by a vision, Be not afraid, but speak, and hold not thy peace: 

Act 18:10  For I am with thee, and no man shall set on thee to hurt thee: for I have much people in this city. 

 I know the Lord still uses visions or dreams today.

 This is the reason these prophets of God were called "Seers".

 1Sa 9:9  (Beforetime in Israel, when a man went to enquire of God, thus he spake, Come, and let us go to the seer: for he that is now called a Prophet was beforetime called a Seer.) 

 Obadiah says he and other prophets were given this same message.

 Jeremiah was one.

 Jer 49:14  I have heard a rumour from the LORD, and an ambassador is sent unto the heathen, saying, Gather ye together, and come against her, and rise up to the battle.

 This word ambassador is the same person as a messenger who goes to the unbeliever with the message of God.

 As Christians we are all to be ambassadors for Jesus Christ.

 2Co 5:20  Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God. 

2Co 5:21  For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

 Our home is now Heaven so we can be ambassadors to this earth and to every nation upon this earth.

 We should be clear Jehovah gave Obadiah an actual picture of the destruction of Edom.

 Not only did Obadiah get a visual picture of the destruction of Edom but Jehovah did speak to His prophet.

God gave Obadiah the words to say to Edom.

 *****Oba 1:2  Behold, I have made thee small among the heathen: thou art greatly despised. 

Oba 1:3  The pride of thine heart hath deceived thee, thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock, whose habitation is high; that saith in his heart, Who shall bring me down to the ground? 

Oba 1:4  Though thou exalt thyself as the eagle, and though thou set thy nest among the stars, thence will I bring thee down, saith the LORD. 

 These are the words of Jehovah.

 The Edomites would be despised by the nations that were around.

 No matter what they were into in that day, they would become a small people until they would cease to exist.

 It was the Edomites who carved Petra and other cities out of sandstone rock.

 They felt very safe and very secure in these cities.

 To get to Petra you have to go through a narrow canyon that is only wide enough for one man and one horse to pass through in single file.

 Any enemy could be stopped from entering into Petra. This where there pride came from as they had stopped many enemies at this narrow point.

 They had begun to think like the Devil.(who shall bring me down to the ground)

 Mal 1:3  And I hated Esau, and laid his mountains and his heritage waste for the dragons of the wilderness. 

Mal 1:4  Whereas Edom saith, We are impoverished, but we will return and build the desolate places; thus saith the LORD of hosts, They shall build, but I will throw down; and they shall call them, The border of wickedness, and, The people against whom the LORD hath indignation for ever. 

Mal 1:5  And your eyes shall see, and ye shall say, The LORD will be magnified from the border of Israel. 

 God described Lucifer: 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. 

 No doubt pride is still our enemy even though we should be proud of our heritage with the Lord Jesus Christ we must be careful how we use it.

 God says that pride in our heart will deceive us and we know that Satan's middle name is "Deceiver".

 Obadiah prophesies against the Edomites because of their attitude of hatred against God's people Israel.

 The Edomites felt secure in their rock carve homes in Petra.

 We know the eagle will make it's home in high places that cannot be reached by most of its enemies, and the Edomites also felt this way.

 In fact God said even if their nest was amongst the stars, He would still bring them down to earth.

 We should understand that God will pour out His "judgment" upon the unbelievers on this earth, especially upon those who persecute God's people.

 What was God's judgment?

 The nation of Edom would be made a small.

The pride of the people of Edom would be cut down.

 Their land would no longer protect them. Only the Lord can protect and secure any nation.

 Our own nation could find this out it continues to persecute the Church!

 *****Oba 1:8  Shall I not in that day, saith the LORD, even destroy the wise men out of Edom, and understanding out of the mount of Esau? 

Oba 1:9  And thy mighty men, O Teman, shall be dismayed, to the end that every one of the mount of Esau may be cut off by slaughter. 

Oba 1:10  For thy violence against thy brother Jacob shame shall cover thee, and thou shalt be cut off for ever.

 The enemy that God would use against Edom would be one of their trusted allies.

 Anyone who continues to reject the Lord could see their own friends turn on them.

 This so-called friend of Edom would take all their wealth and and all their valuable possessions.

 All the treasures of Edom would be plundered.

 God's "judgment" would strip Edom bare of their treasures.

 All the wise leaders of Edom would leave for other places or be slaughtered.

 Edom would lose its army and become defenceless.

 All who oppose the Lord and His people will certainly face the terrifying "judgment" of Jehovah God.

 2Th 1:7  And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, 

2Th 1:8  In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: 

2Th 1:9  Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power; 

2Th 1:10  When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day.

 *****Oba 1:11  In the day that thou stoodest on the other side, in the day that the strangers carried away captive his forces, and foreigners entered into his gates, and cast lots upon Jerusalem, even thou wast as one of them. 

Oba 1:12  But thou shouldest not have looked on the day of thy brother in the day that he became a stranger; neither shouldest thou have rejoiced over the children of Judah in the day of their destruction; neither shouldest thou have spoken proudly in the day of distress. 

Oba 1:13  Thou shouldest not have entered into the gate of my people in the day of their calamity; yea, thou shouldest not have looked on their affliction in the day of their calamity, nor have laid hands on their substance in the day of their calamity; 

Oba 1:14  Neither shouldest thou have stood in the crossway, to cut off those of his that did escape; neither shouldest thou have delivered up those of his that did remain in the day of distress. 

 You want to get on the wrong side of God? Here is how you do it.

 1) Become an enemy of God's people.

 Edom had a hatred for God's people that had lasted for many years. It is the same for the so-called Palestinians today. They rejoiced at the destruction of Jerusalem. They committed every act of violence imaginable to cause problems for the nation of Israel.

 2) They were blood relatives of the Israelites, but this meant nothing to them. They were filled with a bitter hatred, and they would never come to the aid of the Israelites. They would give their support to the enemies of Israel.

 3) They looked down on the Jews, just as there are many in the world who still do this today. They would rejoice every time they saw the Jews suffering. Remember the two witnesses that are written in the Book of the Revelation.

 Rev 11:4  These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth. 

Rev 11:5  And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed. 

Rev 11:6  These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will. 

Rev 11:7  And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them. 

Rev 11:8  And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified. 

Rev 11:9  And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves. 

Rev 11:10  And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth. 

 The Edomites rejoiced over every destruction that happened to the Jews.

 4) The Edomites attacked and plundered the Israelites at ever opportunity. Even when other nations had defeated the Jews. As soon as they left the Edomites would sweep down and take anything that was left. It is an awful thing to steal from helpless people who cannot defend themselves.

 5) The Edomites were guilty of murder. When Israel was attacked there would be survivors who fled to safety but the Edomites would ambush them and slaughter them.

 6) The edomites were guilty of betrayal. Sometimes instead murdering those survivors they would hand them over to the enemy to make slaves of them. The Edomites were guilty of the worst sort of treachery.

 God expects every person upon this earth to have a spirit of brotherly love and especially the Church.

 Rom 1:28  And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; 

Rom 1:29  Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, 

Rom 1:30  Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 

Rom 1:31  Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: 

Rom 1:32  Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them. 

 2Ti 3:1  This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. 

2Ti 3:2  For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 

2Ti 3:3  Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, 

2Ti 3:4  Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; 

2Ti 3:5  Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.

 These were the Edomites in their day and they will face the "judgment of God.

 What are the laws of Jesus?

 Mat 22:37  Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 

Mat 22:38  This is the first and great commandment. 

Mat 22:39  And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 

Mat 22:40  On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. 

 The Day of the Lord is much closer than we think!

 *****Oba 1:15  For the day of the LORD is near upon all the heathen: as thou hast done, it shall be done unto thee: thy reward shall return upon thine own head. 

Oba 1:16  For as ye have drunk upon my holy mountain, so shall all the heathen drink continually, yea, they shall drink, and they shall swallow down, and they shall be as though they had not been. 

Oba 1:17  But upon mount Zion shall be deliverance, and there shall be holiness; and the house of Jacob shall possess their possessions.

We that love the Lord truly believe that we are in the "last days".

God had made many promises to the Church which He will keep.

God has made many promises to the Jews which He will also keep.

In the "last days" of human history when the Lord Jesus Christ returns to set up His Kingdom the prophecies of Obadiah will be fulfilled.

1) All nations will face the 'Day of the Lord"! vs 16

2) Mount Zion, Jerusalem, will be delivered from the hands of the enemies, and Jerusalem will be made holy. It may be called the Holy City today, but it is not holy. Vs 17

3) God promised the tribes of Israel will inherit the land promised to Abraham and his descendants, those who truly love the Lord and are faithful to Him. 

Gen 17:5  Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee. 

Gen 17:6  And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee. 

Gen 17:7  And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee. 

Gen 17:8  And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God. 

4) The divided nation of Israel will be reunited, and Edom will be destroyed with no survivors. Vs 18.

There will be no one upon the earth who will oppose King Jesus.

5) Israel will reoccupy all the lands lost to other nations through the centuries. Vs 19-20

Godly leaders will govern Edom as well as all the nations that remain. Vs 21

*****Oba 1:21  And saviours shall come up on mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau; and the kingdom shall be the LORD'S. 

Every time we pray the Lord's Prayer, we ask God to send His Kingdom to this earth.

Mat 6:9  After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. 

Mat 6:10  Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

In the not-too-distant future, that prayer will be answered!

Jesus Christ will return to this earth, and every knee will bow to our Savior, and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.

Obadiah is known as the prophet of doom, but he is also the prophet of the coming Kingdom of God.

Amen

Contrasting Worship

 A Contrast of Worship

 Book of 1 Kings Chapters 12, 14, 15

 What is worship? Worship is homage rendered to Jehovah which is idolatry to render to any created being.

 Exo 34:14 For thou shalt worship no other god: for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God:

 Isa 2:8 Their land also is full of idols; “they worship the work of their own hands, that which their own fingers have made”:

 It is sin to worship any created being!

 It is sin to worship an angel, who is also created beings!

 We are to worship only the Living God!

 Jer_10:10 But the LORD is the true God, he is the living God, and an everlasting king: at his wrath the earth shall tremble, and the nations shall not be able to abide his indignation.

 We know that Israel was now a divided nation. Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, was king of Judah, which included the tribe of Benjamin.

 Jeroboam was now the King Israel which included only the ten tribes now called Ephraim.

 From this point forward the Books of 1 and 2 Kings and 2 Chronicles will record the histories of the different kings of the divided nation of Israel.

 What is idolatry?

 Idolatry is image worship or divine honor paid to a created object, including mankind and angels.

 Rom 1:21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.

Rom 1:22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,

Rom 1:23 And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.

Rom 1:24 Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:

Rom 1:25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.

 How can we best describe those who are lost, keeping in mind that we were once lost?

 Rom 1:28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;

Rom 1:29 Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,

Rom 1:30 Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,

Rom 1:31 Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:

Rom 1:32 Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.

 The forms of idolatry are,

(1.) Fetishism, or the worship of trees, rivers, hills, stones, etc.(created objects on earth)

(2.) Nature worship, the worship of the sun, moon, and stars, as the supposed powers of nature.(created objects in the heavens)

(3.) Hero worship, the worship of deceased ancestors, or heroes.(all created objects)

 Idolatry in Christian doctrine is anything that interferes between the soul and our Creator is idolatrous and is to be shunned!

 1Jn 5:19 And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness.

1Jn 5:20 And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.

1Jn 5:21 Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.

 Jeroboam turned the northern tribes of Israel to idolatry.

 Idolatry is the religion of Satan! Remember Lucifer was just an angel created by Jehovah.

 *****1Ki 12:26 And Jeroboam said in his heart, Now shall the kingdom return to the house of David:

1Ki 12:27 If this people go up to do sacrifice in the house of the LORD at Jerusalem, then shall the heart of this people turn again unto their lord, even unto Rehoboam king of Judah, and they shall kill me, and go again to Rehoboam king of Judah.

1Ki 12:28 Whereupon the king took counsel, and made two calves of gold, and said unto them, It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem: behold thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.

 Jeroboam was face to face with the greatest opportunity of his life.

 Should he have determined to serve the Lord he might have easily been the mightiest monarch in the history of Israel.

 God would have certainly been with him.

 But if he disregarded the Word of God his kingdom would have come to nothing which it did.

 It was a Prophet of God Ahijah that had told him of these things.

 The only safe path of any ruler is the right path!

 We could ask ourselves does God truly have any rulers on His side?

 We know that the heart is the center of mankind's personal activities.

 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.

 The world created by God before the flood was destroyed because of idolatry which led to wickedness!

 Gen 8:21 And the LORD smelled a sweet savour; and the LORD said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake; "for the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth"; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done.

 We get a firsthand look at how false religions get started. They are conceived in the mind of some man or some woman!

 Jehovah had already told Jeroboam how to get His blessings.

 Jehovah has told us all how to get His blessings!

 1Ki 11:38 And it shall be, if thou wilt hearken unto all that I command thee, and wilt walk in my ways, and do that is right in my sight, to keep my statutes and my commandments, as David my servant did; that I will be with thee, and build thee a sure house, as I built for David, and will give Israel unto thee.

 Jeroboam made Shechem his capital city and then Jeroboam does something very foolish.

 The apostasy of Jeroboam was willful, it was designed, and it was done deliberately!

 He consulted with himself instead of consulting with Jehovah who had made him King of Israel.

 The Lord Jesus Christ makes this thing simple to understand.

 Luk 6:45 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.

 Our hearts must be fixed upon the Lord!

 Psa 112:7 He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is fixed, trusting in the LORD.

 The fact of the divided kingdom did not mean that the Northern Tribes were exempt from their covenant obligations to Jehovah!

 They were still to observe the Books of Moses as much as the Southern Tribes.

 All the tribes of Israel had the same Book of Moses!

 These things caused stress upon Jeroboam, and he even became afraid for his life.

 Jeroboam forgot the promises of God!

 We tend to look at the world and forget the promises of God when we know that God has proven to us that He will never break a promise.

 We do not need advice on how to do evil, we are born that way!

 Jeroboam wanted advice on how to do a bad thing in the best way. He did not consult with God and God would not have answered such a request!

 So many churchgoers today go to a place of worship that is convenient rather than seek a "Bible Believing" House of worship.

 It is a fact that we will take the easy way out when it is available!

 Just as a certain political party did in the days of Covid 19 when it made it a law to abandon the Church for fear of catching the disease forgetting the power of God.

 Jeroboam shaped a new religion for his own purpose.

 This is the way of radical Islam and other such religions. They rewrite their literature to adapt to changes they see in the world.

 The Holy Scriptures never have to change because they were written by Jehovah and are perfect in any age!

 Jeroboam even framed his words by the Word of God during the Exodus.

 Exo 32:4 And he received them at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf: and they said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.

Exo 32:5 And when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made proclamation, and said, To morrow is a feast to the LORD.

Exo 32:6 And they rose up early on the morrow, and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play.

 Jeroboam proposed a perversion of the proper worship of Jehovah God.

 “Calf is not a good translation of the Hebrew egel. A young bull in his first strength is meant: for instance, the word can describe a three-year-old animal.

 Gen 15:9 And he said unto him, Take me an heifer “of three years old”, and a she goat of three years old, and a ram of three years old, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon.

 A three-year-old bull would be a bull closer to his prime than a calf.

 Jeroboam placed these idols of Baal in two separate locations.

 *****1Ki 12:29 And he set the one in Bethel, and the other put he in Dan.

1Ki 12:30 And this thing became a sin: for the people went to worship before the one, even unto Dan.

 The name Bethel means "house of God" and this city was ten miles from Jerusalem.

 This is the same place where Jacob had his vision of the angels of God ascending and descending on a ladder whose top reached into Heaven.

 Gen 28:12 And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it.

Gen 28:13 And, behold, the LORD stood above it, and said, I am the LORD God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed;

Gen 28:14 And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed.

 Gen 28:20 And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on,

Gen 28:21 So that I come again to my father's house in peace; then shall the LORD be my God:

 Dan, which means (a judge) on the other hand is located at the foot of Mount Hermon.

 This is the same place where the Danites stole the shrine of Micah and set up false worship.

 Jdg 18:29 And they called the name of the city Dan, after the name of Dan their father, who was born unto Israel: howbeit the name of the city was Laish at the first.

Jdg 18:30 And the children of Dan set up the graven image: and Jonathan, the son of Gershom, the son of Manasseh, he and his sons were priests to the tribe of Dan until the day of the captivity of the land.

Jdg 18:31 And they set them up Micah's graven image, which he made, all the time that the house of God was in Shiloh.

 Jeroboam took advantage of this situation as he felt they would have no problem accepting his idols of Baal.

 Jeroboam then installed false priests and false worship.

 *****1Ki 12:31 And he made an house of high places, and made priests of the lowest of the people, which were not of the sons of Levi.

1Ki 12:32 And Jeroboam ordained a feast in the eighth month, on the fifteenth day of the month, like unto the feast that is in Judah, and he offered upon the altar. So did he in Bethel, sacrificing unto the calves that he had made: and he placed in Bethel the priests of the high places which he had made.

1Ki 12:33 So he offered upon the altar which he had made in Bethel the fifteenth day of the eighth month, even in the month which he had devised of his own heart; and ordained a feast unto the children of Israel: and he offered upon the altar, and burnt incense.

 We should be very clear. Once we are aware of our Creator, we then must worship Him!

 This is why the Bible begins with the Book of Genesis.

 This is why the world clings to the lies of evolution.

 Evolution has proven to be wrong so many times it is pathetic that the world clings to it because they have no other theory except now where they use the word aliens so often.

 We have only one duty as created beings!

 Ecc_12:13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.

 Jeroboam decided that his idols would also need temples as a place to worship and priests.

 He was not about to use priests from the tribe of Levi because they might teach the truth of God.

 Deu_10:8 At that time the LORD separated the tribe of Levi, to bear the ark of the covenant of the LORD, to stand before the LORD to minister unto him, and to bless in his name, unto this day.

 Jeroboam chose priests from every tribe but the Levites, going against the Word of God in any way that he could think of.

 This is the way of almost all false man-made religions. They always will change the rules if people start leaving for the truth.

 There are a few false religions that have some truth in them, but Christianity is all or nothing and based upon the truth of Jesus Christ and the true Word of God.

 Jeroboam chose the eighth month and the fifteenth day to be as close to The Feast of the Tabernacles as he thought would work.

 The Feast of the Tabernacles was on the fifteenth day of the seventh month.

 Jeroboam did not consult with anyone else to create this false religion!

 The people already understood that Jeroboam was chosen by God to lead this new nation, and Jeroboam kept it that way.

 The Prophet Amos had confronted one of Jeroboam's false priests with the truth:

 Amo 7:10 Then Amaziah the priest of Bethel sent to Jeroboam king of Israel, saying, Amos hath conspired against thee in the midst of the house of Israel: the land is not able to bear all his words.

Amo 7:11 For thus Amos saith, Jeroboam shall die by the sword, and Israel shall surely be led away captive out of their own land.

Amo 7:12 Also Amaziah said unto Amos, O thou seer, go, flee thee away into the land of Judah, and there eat bread, and prophesy there:

Amo 7:13 But prophesy not again any more at Bethel: for it is the king's chapel, and it is the king's court.

Amo 7:14 Then answered Amos, and said to Amaziah, I was no prophet, neither was I a prophet's son; but I was an herdman, and a gatherer of sycomore fruit:

Amo 7:15 And the LORD took me as I followed the flock, and the LORD said unto me, Go, prophesy unto my people Israel.

 It may have been the king's chapel and the king's court but he was the wrong king.

 Our Lord Jesus had some things to say about man-made religion:

 Mat 15:7 Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying,

Mat 15:8 This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.

Mat 15:9 But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.

 The Holy Spirit says: Heb 3:12 Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.

 Those who serve false religion have to understand the judgment of God will come upon them.

 *****1Ki 14:15 For the LORD shall smite Israel, as a reed is shaken in the water, and he shall root up Israel out of this good land, which he gave to their fathers, and shall scatter them beyond the river, because they have made their groves, provoking the LORD to anger.

1Ki 14:16 And he shall give Israel up because of the sins of Jeroboam, who did sin, and who made Israel to sin.

 Jehovah had placed Jeroboam on the throne of Ephraim, but it was Jeroboam who had turned against Him.

 Jeroboam could have been a mighty king of Israel, but he rebelled against the truth of God.

 Jeroboam is still suffering the judgment of God today and he will throughout eternity!

 Now comes judgment upon the people who knew better.

 Moses had warned these people:

 Deu 4:27 And the LORD shall scatter you among the nations, and ye shall be left few in number among the heathen, whither the LORD shall lead you.

Deu 4:28 And there ye shall serve gods, the work of men's hands, wood and stone, which neither see, nor hear, nor eat, nor smell.

Deu 4:29 But if from thence thou shalt seek the LORD thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul.

 Now judgment would come to Israel, and they would be scattered on the other side of the Euphrates River.

 Politics had caused the people of God to sin!

 During Covid 19 many of God's people were directed to sin by our government and many of those who left the Church have never returned.

 The Holy Spirit has also warned the Church of the coming judgment of God:

 Rom 1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;

Rom 1:19 Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.

Rom 1:20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:

Rom 1:21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.

 There will be no more warnings and judgment could come at any time because the "Rapture of the Church is the next thing on God's timetable.

 Once the Church is removed this world will rely on wickedness and idolatry just as those before the flood.

 King Rehoboam and his son had also turned against Jehovah and God began his judgment upon Judah beginning with the King of Egypt.

 1Ki 14:23 For they also built them high places, and images, and groves, on every high hill, and under every green tree.

1Ki 14:24 And there were also sodomites in the land: and they did according to all the abominations of the nations which the LORD cast out before the children of Israel.

1Ki 14:25 And it came to pass in the fifth year of king Rehoboam, that Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem:

 No doubt that Jeroboam had stirred up this king against Judah, and Shishak broke his peace agreement with King Solomon.

 1Ki 14:26 And he took away the treasures of the house of the LORD, and the treasures of the king's house; he even took away all: and he took away all the shields of gold which Solomon had made.

 We know that King David had placed all his treasures in the Temple and so had many others.

 We know that those golden shields would be valued at over thirty-three million dollars today.

 There is a record of these events in Egypt.

 With Judah humbled at the hand of this Egyptian King, Jeroboam had free reign to attack Judah at any time and he did so.

 It was in the time of King Asa that change came to Judah.

 *****1Ki 15:9 And in the twentieth year of Jeroboam king of Israel reigned Asa over Judah.

1Ki 15:10 And forty and one years reigned he in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Maachah, the daughter of Abishalom.

1Ki 15:11 And Asa did that which was right in the eyes of the LORD, as did David his father.

1Ki 15:12 And he took away the sodomites out of the land, and removed all the idols that his fathers had made.

1Ki 15:13 And also Maachah his mother, even her he removed from being queen, because she had made an idol in a grove; and Asa destroyed her idol, and burnt it by the brook Kidron.

 Finally, a king who was faithful to the Lord.

 We should notice that Jehovah is still keeping his promises to King David and He will continue because the prophecy of Kings of Judah will last until King Jesus sits upon the throne of David.

 King Asa reigned for forty-one years, and we can see that he had not been influenced by his grandmother Maacah's false worship.

 This Maacah was the daughter of Tamar the daughter of Absolom.

 Asa removed his father's idols.

Asa removed his wicked mother as Queen and her idols burning them in the Brook Kidron.

Asa removed the Sodomites from the land of Judah.

Asa did not remove all the high places of worship, and we do not have an explanation, but we can imagine politics were still involved.

 Asa gave his treasures to the House of the Lord.

 Amen

Pride and Arrogance

 Bad Counsel Caused Division

 Book of 1 Kings Chapter 12

 We have a new president, and we hope those he chooses as councilors will help lead him to make our nation great again.

 The best advice that any should give him is to return our nation to the Lord our God.

 We can be assured that he was chosen to lead the United States of America by God Himself and God has His reasons, and it is His will.

 Our lesson today covers one of the most important times in the history of Israel.

 The division of the tribes of Israel caused many bad feelings that have not been overcome even in our day.

 These were also important times for the Church because as Christians we need to understand the history of Israel to understand the prophets and prophecy.

 Israel will divide into a Northern Kingdom and a Southern Kingdom.

 We will also see that God loves the Gentiles who the people of Israel considered to be heathen.

 These things were not done in secret. God had warned Solomon just as He warns us all today.

 Now, God does not cause these things to happen, He allows them to happen.

 God has given us free will to choose between right and wrong and He guides us to show us the right way.

 God cannot be blamed for the wrong that is done in our world because He will not force us to do right nor will He force us to do wrong. He just tells us the truth!

 As King Solomon died at the young age of around sixty the turmoil began with his son Rehoboam.

 *****1Ki 12:1  And Rehoboam went to Shechem: for all Israel were come to Shechem to make him king. 

 We know that King David had ruled as a conqueror.

 King Solomon ruled as a man of peace but high taxation.

 The people of Israel had no benefits from the rule of King Solomon except they lived in peace.

 After King Solomon, the people wanted to modify the character of the next government.

 Arrogance is a terrible evil. Arrogance puts people down and then pushes them away, treating them as inferior.

Here in America, we understand this very well.

 We have seen this in our last few Democratic governments so we can relate to the people of Israel during the time of King Solomon.

 This arrogance was passed down to Solomon's son Rehoboam.

 Rehoboam possessed none of the traits of his father other than arrogance.

 Rehoboam possessed none of the traits of his grandfather David.

 Rehoboam was recognized as heir to the throne of his father.

 The coronation of Rehoboam was to take place at Shechem.

 It was at Shechem that Abraham built his first altar in the Promised Land and received the promise of Jehovah.

 It was at Shechem where Jacob bought a parcel of land from the children Hamor and settled with his household and where he buried the idols of his wives under a tree named "the oak of the sorcerer".

 It was at Shechem where Jacob dug a well where the Lord Jesus would meet a Samaritan woman.

 It was at Shechem where Joshua gave his parting address and made a covenant with the people.

 Jos 24:15  And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD. 

 Shechem was a special place of the promises of God!

 It will be at Shechem where Rehoboam will show his arrogance and cause Israel to become a divided nation.

 It was at Shechem where Jeroboam took up his residence for a while.

 It is Shechem that is said to be the most beautiful place in all of Palestine.

 *****1Ki 12:2  And it came to pass, when Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who was yet in Egypt, heard of it, (for he was fled from the presence of king Solomon, and Jeroboam dwelt in Egypt;) 

1Ki 12:3  That they sent and called him. And Jeroboam and all the congregation of Israel came, and spake unto Rehoboam, saying, 

1Ki 12:4  Thy father made our yoke grievous: now therefore make thou the grievous service of thy father, and his heavy yoke which he put upon us, lighter, and we will serve thee. 

 Jeroboam, who King Solomon had run out of town was now back and was taking the lead voice of the opposition to the kingdom under Solomon.

 1Ki 11:40  Solomon sought therefore to kill Jeroboam. And Jeroboam arose, and fled into Egypt, unto Shishak king of Egypt, and was in Egypt until the death of Solomon.

 We could ask ourselves why.

 1Ki 11:28  And the man Jeroboam was a mighty man of valour: and Solomon seeing the young man that he was industrious, he made him ruler over all the charge of the house of Joseph. 

1Ki 11:29  And it came to pass at that time when Jeroboam went out of Jerusalem, that the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite found him in the way; and he had clad himself with a new garment; and they two were alone in the field: 

1Ki 11:30  And Ahijah caught the new garment that was on him, and rent it in twelve pieces: 

1Ki 11:31  And he said to Jeroboam, Take thee ten pieces: for thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel, Behold, I will rend the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon, and will give ten tribes to thee: 

1Ki 11:32  (But he shall have one tribe for my servant David's sake, and for Jerusalem's sake, the city which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel:) 

1Ki 11:33  Because that they have forsaken me, and have worshipped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, Chemosh the god of the Moabites, and Milcom the god of the children of Ammon, and have not walked in my ways, to do that which is right in mine eyes, and to keep my statutes and my judgments, as did David his father.

 The name Joseph denotes the two tribes Ephraim and Manasseh and Ephraim denotes the Kingdom of Israel and then the whole covenant people of Israel.

 From Ezekiel, we see this thing:

 Eze 37:16  Moreover, thou son of man, take thee one stick, and write upon it, For Judah, and for the children of Israel his companions: then take another stick, and write upon it, For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel his companions: 

Eze 37:17  And join them one to another into one stick; and they shall become one in thine hand. 

Eze 37:18  And when the children of thy people shall speak unto thee, saying, Wilt thou not shew us what thou meanest by these? 

Eze 37:19  Say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel his fellows, and will put them with him, even with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they shall be one in mine hand.

This is taking place today.

 We can now see the other side of the rule of King Solomon.

 There were heavy taxes under Solomon.

Tyrants oppressed their subjects with grievous impositions.

 This tax and impositions were not only for the people which would have been ok, but for the expenses of Solomon's court.

 This tax supported all the wives and concubines of King Solomon and any whim he took part in which did not set well with the people.

 This tax-supported all the festivities of Solomon's lavish lifestyle.

 We should keep in mind that King Solomon was the richest person to have ever lived, but he kept those riches to himself when he could have paid all the taxes and still been rich.

 When Solomon forsakes the Lord and worshipped idols then the people surely had enough of him and were glad to see him go.

 To the average Israelite, being under the burden of such high taxes was like a yoke laid upon beasts of burden and seemed more like servant work rather than living in peace.

 As long as King Solomon walked with the Lord, he was important as the Holy Spirit guided this author, but as soon as he forsake the Lord God Jehovah he became insignificant, not just to the people but also to Jehovah.

 In a sense Solomon destroyed himself and it was not helping his son Rehoboam.

 Millo was a new fortification that protected Jerusalem from an attack from the north. It is also called the Citadel.

 Solomon also repaired any weak places in the walls of Jerusalem.

 Solomon began to fear the loss of his kingdom which was impossible because of God's promise to King David.

 All King Solomon had to do was to remain faithful to Jehovah.

 Solomon took his eyes off the Lord and fell into the trap of lust.

 1Jn_2:16  For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

 Let us see this history of Israel develop.

 *****1Ki 12:5  And he said unto them, Depart yet for three days, then come again to me. And the people departed. 

1Ki 12:6  And king Rehoboam consulted with the old men, that stood before Solomon his father while he yet lived, and said, How do ye advise that I may answer this people? 

1Ki 12:7  And they spake unto him, saying, If thou wilt be a servant unto this people this day, and wilt serve them, and answer them, and speak good words to them, then they will be thy servants for ever.

 Now the Son of Solomon, Rehoboam was facing some angry people, especially those of Ephraim who were being led by an angry Jeroboam.

 We already know that Jeroboam was a mighty man of valor.

 1Ki 11:28  And the man Jeroboam was a mighty man of valour: and Solomon seeing the young man that he was industrious, he made him ruler over all the charge of the house of Joseph. 

 Solomon had determined to kill Jeroboam for what God's prophet had said to him.

 We all know that we cannot change what God has said will take place!

 Rehoboam was at least wise enough to seek counsel before responding to the people of Ephraim.

 Shechem was a twelve hour walk from Jerusalem, and it would take some time for the councilors of Rehoboam to reach Shechem and to meet with Rehoboam.

 Rehoboam had sent for the councilors of his father Solomon and his friends who he had been raised with.

 These were a bunch of rich spoiled kids who had no worries growing up and knew nothing of ruling government.

 Solomon had caused every Israelite to serve one month in government service and then two months at home until all his building project had been completed and many more of them were drafted into the military, but not these young men who had rich parents.

 Solomon required heavy taxes upon the people and the rich just got richer and the poor got poorer, and the poor were seeking some much-needed relief.

 All the building projects were complete and such taxes were certainly no longer needed.

 Rehoboam had inherited the riches of his father, and he certainly did not need more riches.

 For years the people had been complaining about the harshness of King Solomon, but nothing changed.

 Rehoboam first consulted with the elders who had counselled his father, Solomon.

 There was wisdom in the council of the elders, good for every government.

 A government that serves the people will be a lasting government.

 A government that listens to its people and takes action to help them will be a lasting government.

 The government that does these things will find people who will willingly serve the government.

 This is the principle behind the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

 The Lord Jesus came to serve!

 Rev 5:9  And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; 

Rev 5:10  And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.

 Jesus taught us that whoever would be great must begin by being a servant.

 The proud and lofty in this world are served enough without taking the needs of the poor.

 Rehoboam was already forty-one years of age, he should have known better, but his mother was a pagan, and he had witnessed his father worship a pagan god.

 1Ki 14:21  And Rehoboam the son of Solomon reigned in Judah. Rehoboam was forty and one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city which the LORD did choose out of all the tribes of Israel, to put his name there. And his mother's name was Naamah an Ammonitess. 

 Rehoboam next turned to his friends who were not so young being his age but certainly younger than those elders.

 Rehoboam forsook the council of the elders and turned to his rich friends.

 *****1Ki 12:8  But he forsook the counsel of the old men, which they had given him, and consulted with the young men that were grown up with him, and which stood before him: 

1Ki 12:9  And he said unto them, What counsel give ye that we may answer this people, who have spoken to me, saying, Make the yoke which thy father did put upon us lighter? 

1Ki 12:10  And the young men that were grown up with him spake unto him, saying, Thus shalt thou speak unto this people that spake unto thee, saying, Thy father made our yoke heavy, but make thou it lighter unto us; thus shalt thou say unto them, My little finger shall be thicker than my father's loins. 

1Ki 12:11  And now whereas my father did lade you with a heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke: my father hath chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions. 

 Now we should not think of these young men as in their twenties or their thirties.

 Rehoboam was forty-one years old when he succeeded his father on the throne, and we should expect those men that he grew up with to be about his age but they were still spoiled rich kids.

 Rehoboam was even more arrogant and prideful than his father Solomon.

 He would tax these tribes even more than his father and increase their workload.

 He even mentioned scourging.

 If we do nothing else in our lifetime we need to guard against arrogance and pride!

 These things do not suit the Christian who is following in the ways of our Lord Jesus Christ who gave us the example of humility.

 These younger men had grown up living in luxury and wealth and they knew nothing of an honest day’s work.

 They knew nothing of responsibility!

 These were pampered men with childish ways.

 They had no respect for the people of Israel!

 Sounds a whole lot like the America we have been living in where our government had no respect for the taxpayer, and we hope these things change with our new government.

 We as the children of God are not better than anyone else in this world though we may be better off because our names are written down in the Lamb's Book of Life.

 None of us are to be slaves to arrogant governments or anyone else!

 In many places, God speaks against these things.

 Psa_10:2  The wicked in his pride doth persecute the poor: let them be taken in the devices that they have imagined.

Psa_10:4  The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts.

 Pro_8:13  The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate.

 Pro_16:18  Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.

 Rehoboam claimed that his power would far exceed that of his Father King Solomon.

 Pro 10:14  Wise men lay up knowledge: but the mouth of the foolish is near destruction. 

Pro 10:15  The rich man's wealth is his strong city: the destruction of the poor is their poverty.

 What happens eventually in such cases? People rebel.

 Jeroboam knew exactly how the people of Israel had suffered under King Solomon, and he now had the respect of ten of the tribes of Israel.

 Jeroboam now clearly understood what the Prophet Ahijah had told him.

 1Ki 11:29  And it came to pass at that time when Jeroboam went out of Jerusalem, that the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite found him in the way; and he had clad himself with a new garment; and they two were alone in the field:

1Ki 11:30  And Ahijah caught the new garment that was on him, and rent it in twelve pieces: 

1Ki 11:31  And he said to Jeroboam, Take thee ten pieces: for thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel, Behold, I will rend the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon, and will give ten tribes to thee:

 God keeps His reason for doing this very simple.

 1Ki 11:33  Because that they have forsaken me, and have worshipped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, Chemosh the god of the Moabites, and Milcom the god of the children of Ammon, and have not walked in my ways, to do that which is right in mine eyes, and to keep my statutes and my judgments, as did David his father. 

 We talk many times about God keeping His promises and we can be sure He will also keep those promises of forsaking Him.

 In the end, Jeroboam was not so much different from Rehoboam, but he would still rule Ephraim which included ten of the tribes of Israel for twenty-two years.

 *****1Ki 12:16  So when all Israel saw that the king hearkened not unto them, the people answered the king, saying, What portion have we in David? neither have we inheritance in the son of Jesse: to your tents, O Israel: now see to thine own house, David. So Israel departed unto their tents. 

1Ki 12:17  But as for the children of Israel which dwelt in the cities of Judah, Rehoboam reigned over them. 

 The United Kingdom of Israel was dissolved before Rehoboam was crowned as King of Judah.

 Rehoboam was a weak and wicked man!

 There is an old saying that says "he who would rule others must first rule himself".

 We should understand by now that God gives opportunities to individuals and nations even though they will not improve them.

 It was the divine plan of God to give Jeroboam control of the ten tribes of Israel even though God knew that Jeroboam would also forsake Him.

 We may not understand this, but Jehovah has a much greater plan in motion.

 Now this does not mean that Jehovah caused Jeroboam to act the way he did because he was allowed to do good and he failed to do so as he too became arrogant and prideful.

 We must also understand that Jehovah is not sitting in Heaven waiting to see what rulers will do and he is not ever caught off guard.

 God gives everyone a chance to do good when opportunities are given to them.

 It is that sinful nature that gets us in so much trouble.

 Rehoboam would rule Judah and Benjamin.

 Rehoboam tried one more thing to insert his authority over those who rebelled.

 *****1Ki 12:18  Then king Rehoboam sent Adoram, who was over the tribute; and all Israel stoned him with stones, that he died. Therefore king Rehoboam made speed to get him up to his chariot, to flee to Jerusalem. 

 Adoram (or Adoniram) was the man over the taxes or tribute for King Solomon and now for King Rehoboam to either collect the taxes or make a compromise with the tribes of the north, but he was stoned to death and Rehoboam left for the safety of Jerusalem.

 Adoram was the wrong man to send for he was famous for his harsh policies of forced labor.

 From this point in the history of Israel, the name Israel referred to the ten Northern Tribes and the name Judah referred to the Southern Tribes of Judah and Benjamin.

 *****1Ki 12:19  So Israel rebelled against the house of David unto this day. 

1Ki 12:20  And it came to pass, when all Israel heard that Jeroboam was come again, that they sent and called him unto the congregation, and made him king over all Israel: there was none that followed the house of David, but the tribe of Judah only. 

 Jeroboam becomes the king of the Northern Tribes of Israel.

 We should understand that Ephraim had always felt the most important since the time of Joseph, but Jehovah does not see it that way and God made sure promises to the House of David still recognized as Israel's greatest king.

 Again, we must understand that Jehovah has guided the nation of Israel with a special purpose, but He guides the history of all the world in the same way.

God gave mankind free will to follow Him or not to follow Him.

We must also understand that nothing in this universe is outside the scope of Jehovah's sovereign rule!

Eph 1:11  In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will: 

Eph 1:12  That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ. 

The will of God is made known in real-time.

It is each believer in the Lord Jesus Christ that is chosen by Jehovah and He made this decision before He created any part of this world.

Eph 1:3  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: 

Eph 1:4  According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: 

Eph 1:5  Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, 

Eph 1:6  To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. 

There is no one alive today, no one who lived in the past or who will live in the future that Jehovah will not offer an opportunity to be adopted into the family of God, and it all centers around the Lord Jesus Christ.

2Ti 1:9  Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began, 

2Ti 1:10  But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel:

Our purpose is not here on this earth even though we will be given opportunities while we are alive.

Even the death of the Lord Jesus Christ was determined before the foundation of the world was laid.

1Pe 1:20  Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you, 

1Pe 1:21  Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God.

Our God has this amazing plan for every believer, and we could look at our world as the place God has chosen to separate the believer from those who reject Him.

Rom 11:32  For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all. 

Rom 11:33  O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! 

Rom 11:34  For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor? 

Rom 11:35  Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again? 

Rom 11:36  For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen. 

We simply cannot comprehend the wisdom and the knowledge of our Divine Savior.

He does not have to consult with anyone, and no one has advised Him.

It is because God knows all things before, they happen, and He controls and guides all events for His Own Glory and For Our own Good.

Psa 104:24  O LORD, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches. 

Pro 3:19  The LORD by wisdom hath founded the earth; by understanding hath he established the heavens. 

God does not ever have to adjust His plan according to the things that happen here on earth, He simply knows all things!

Amen