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Showing posts with label King of kings Lord of lords. Show all posts
Showing posts with label King of kings Lord of lords. Show all posts

Sunday, August 2, 2020

The Second Coming of the Messiah

The Coming of Christ in Glory

Book of Revelation Chapter 19 Verse 11 through 21


The one event that much of the world has been talking about and waiting on from the beginning is the "Coming of the Messiah".

Most every religion has some sort of a messiah!

For the Church we know that the Messiah has already come to this earth and He first came to die to bring a means of salvation to everyone if they would just believe Him before they died.

For the Church we know that the Messiah would return!

His return is in two stages!

1) He will first come to take His Church away because of the promise that His Church would not see His wrath poured out upon those who rejected Him. He would come as a thief, in a cloud, unseen to the human eye.

2) He would then return in full view with the armies of Heaven and rid this earth of sin, and to fulfill certain promises He made to the Hebrew children, the Jews.

This time had come!

We know the Messiah is the Lord Jesus Christ and to us, He is the Lamb of God, the Husband of the Bride.

The Church is the Bride and since the Church was caught out from this earth, the Judgment Seat of Christ has taken place, the wedding of the Church, the Bride of Christ, has taken place, and the Church has accompanied the Lord to begin a one thousand year honey moon upon this earth that will be remade after the wars of Armageddon.

How had the Lord first come?

Mat 21:5  Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass. 
Mat 21:6  And the disciples went, and did as Jesus commanded them, 
Mat 21:7  And brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and they set him thereon. 
Mat 21:8  And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and strawed them in the way. 
Mat 21:9  And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest. 
Mat 21:10  And when he was come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, Who is this? 
Mat 21:11  And the multitude said, This is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee. 

In our lesson today we will witness the return of the Lord Jesus Christ. 

He will be coming as a victorious King!

Mat 24:30  And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 

King of Israel as told to King David, and as King of His creation exposing the lies of Satan!

Why are so many things happening upon this earth that seem to cause harm? All His creation is right now groaning in anticipation of His Second Coming.

Rom 8:19  For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. 
Rom 8:20  For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, 
Rom 8:21  Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. 
Rom 8:22  For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. 

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

How do we know this is the Messiah?

He is called "Faithful". The Lord Jesus Christ is "Faithful"! He will do exactly what He says He will do, every time. 

The only thing that moves the hand of God away from His wrath, is repentance!

We can rely on the Lord to do as He says!

He is called "True". There is no one and nothing that are more true, than the Word of God and our Lord and Savior!

Truth is the complete opposite of false!

Rom 3:3  For what if some did not believe? shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect? 
Rom_3:4  God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged.

There is nothing in the hands or the heart of man that can overcome the truth of God!

Every evil and wicked person can count on the Lord to be true whether they believe or not! 

He will be true in His "judgment" and He will be "faithful" to His Word!

He is returning to this earth to "judge" all those who have rejected Him and to make war with Satan and those with Him who want a war!

It should be obvious that the liberals including the liberal media want a war and a war they will have, but they are on the losing side!

Why will the Lord make war? Because it is the right thing to do to appease Himself for the mistreatment of His followers and because He said He would.

He will be fulfilling all remaining prophesy when He returns this Second Time!

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

We should clearly understand that when we see Jesus, we will not be confused about who He is!

It will be obvious that we are in the presence of the Almighty God!

His eyes speak of His omniscience.

He wears many crowns, but these are not the garland crown of the rider in Chapter 6. 

These are the true crowns of power as the Lord Jesus is the ruler of all nations and He comes as the Supreme King of this earth.

And He had a name written that no one upon the earth knew.

As Christians we know Him as "Faithful" and "True".

He comes as King of this world and the true King of Israel!

He comes in "righteousness" because this is His unchanging character!

Before He sits as King, He must first be Judge and Executioner!

The Apostle Paul wrote by the Holy Spirit:

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. 

Because He is the Almighty God, He is beyond the reach of human intellect.

It is inconceivable that such a God as He can truly exist, until you have known Him!

None of us truly know just how "Great Is Our God" nor can we know!

Our greatest treasure of the description of our God is the "Written Word of God" that He has given to us!

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

The war the Lord Jesus has caused to happen is like no other war that has ever taken place!

His vesture is dipped in blood because it is He who fought the battle.

We will notice in the next passages that the clothing of the armies of Heaven are still wearing their white fine linen.

Rev 14:20  And the winepress was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs. 

Psa 58:10  The righteous shall rejoice when he seeth the vengeance: he shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked. 
Psa 58:11  So that a man shall say, Verily there is a reward for the righteous: verily he is a God that judgeth in the earth. 

Isa 63:1  Who is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah? this that is glorious in his apparel, traveling in the greatness of his strength? I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save. 
Isa 63:2  Wherefore art thou red in thine apparel, and thy garments like him that treadeth in the winefat? 
Isa 63:3  I have trodden the winepress alone; and of the people there was none with me: for I will tread them in mine anger, and trample them in my fury; and their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments, and I will stain all my raiment. 
Isa 63:4  For the day of vengeance is in mine heart, and the year of my redeemed is come. 

The Lord does not need an army to fight the Battle of Armageddon!

He alone will fight this battle.

He will bring us along as Judges and to be kings and Priests in the nations that remain.

The angels come because they will be needed.

The Hebrew children will take care of the rebuilt Temple and serve the Lord.

He is called the Word of God because every bit of the information in the Bible has proven to be true and our Savior, King Jesus is the truth.

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

Jesus is the only one wearing bloody garments!

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

Does anyone want to know what our clothing requirements will be in Heaven.

Fine linen, white and clean.

Rev 19:8  And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. 

The Bride of Christ is on a honeymoon all our battle garments left behind when the Lord took us home to be with Him forever.

Wherever He goes we go!

Jud 1:14  And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, 
Jud 1:15  To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.

I believe these horses to be literal as animals that exist in Heaven.

The Lord on the other hand has some special things that go with Him in the times of His wrath.

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

Back in Chapter 16 we read about the seven last plagues. This sharp sword is the tool used by the Lord and it means that when the Lord speaks things happen.

In has been that way since the beginning of time!

Gen 1:1  In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. 

God spoke His creation into existence and when He speaks things just take place just as He directs them to take place!

We know that there will be those who refused to take the "Mark of the Beast".

We know that many of them became martyrs but not all.

We know the Lord has protected the Hebrew children throughout the Great Tribulation.

The Bible mentions some who helped these Hebrews some say Jews.

There will be many alive when the Battle of Armageddon is over, though many multitudes will die.

All those who took the Mark of the Beast, and all those who worshipped his image will all have been slaughtered.

These that are left will live and multiply during the one thousand years that King Jesus will rule this earth.

We see that King Jesus will rule with a "rod of iron" which means those who are alive will follow the written Word of God exactly as God intended.

There will be no deviation.
There will be no other laws of man.

But there will be no Satan to cause problems.
There will be no temptation to sin.

There will be a remade earth where there will be all things supplied that are needed.

There will still be work to do because the Lord will still hate laziness!

The Lord will rule all nations.

The Saints will sit in places to judge, places to guide, and places to worship to assist all people.

By the way there will be no discrimination!

Once the wrath of God subsides, we will all see our loving Savior!

Isa 11:4  But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked. 
Isa 11:5  And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins. 
Isa 11:6  The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. 
Isa 11:7  And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. 
Isa 11:8  And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice' den. 
Isa 11:9  They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea. 

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

As long as Jesus has been in Heaven, He has been our Advocate and he still wore the garments of as the Highest of High Priest.

As He returns to earth, He will wear the garments of a King, in fact King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

There is no higher authority than the Lord Jesus Christ.

We see the King of Kings and Lord of Lords as He has completed His battle.

The blood showing that the war of Armageddon is over, and the victorious King of the Jews is returning but also the High Priest who has made the sacrifice for sin.

Isa 63:3  I have trodden the winepress alone; and of the people there was none with me: for I will tread them in mine anger, and trample them in my fury; and their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments, and I will stain all my raiment. 

The feast prepared for the beast and the fowl of the earth has been made ready!

*****Rev 19:17  And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God; 
Rev 19:18  That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great. 

This day was foretold by most all the prophets:

Eze 39:17  And, thou son of man, thus saith the Lord GOD; Speak unto every feathered fowl, and to every beast of the field, Assemble yourselves, and come; gather yourselves on every side to my sacrifice that I do sacrifice for you, even a great sacrifice upon the mountains of Israel, that ye may eat flesh, and drink blood. 
Eze 39:18  Ye shall eat the flesh of the mighty, and drink the blood of the princes of the earth, of rams, of lambs, and of goats, of bullocks, all of them fatlings of Bashan. 
Eze 39:19  And ye shall eat fat till ye be full, and drink blood till ye be drunken, of my sacrifice which I have sacrificed for you. 

We might ask, How could we see an angel standing in the sun?

I believe this is the Lord for there is none more glorious than the Lord. The Sun is dim when compared to the glory of the Lord!

Isa 34:8  For it is the day of the LORD'S vengeance, and the year of recompences for the controversy of Zion. 

Remember the blood will flow as deep as the bridle of the war horse, so many of the armies of the Beast have been slaughtered.

The appointed kings of the Beast will be with their armies.

The Lord has controlled the air and all air power was His own!

The Lord has stopped all sea power as the blood of the waters had caused all in the seas to perish including the ships and submarines.

It is only the land-based militaries that could come to Armageddon for destruction.

Remember the Lord has told us of these things for more than 2000 years.

These armies were mere puppets led to their death by the Antichrist.

Remember the False Church had been crushed by the Beast and he assumed the power of the false church.
The political system has failed, and some kings had left, and the Antichrist had placed new kings in their place.

The Apostle Peter said because we know all these things it should affect the way we live today.

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? 
2Pe 3:13  Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. 
2Pe 3:14  Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.

We must reject any and all sin in our lives! 

We have no right to take advantage of the "Grace of God", knowing the end of all these who reject the Lord.

We must be ever thankful for a Lord Jesus who took such pain just so we could miss out on the wrath of God!

The war of the Antichrist ended before he realized it had started!

*****Rev 19:19  And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army. 
Rev 19:20  And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. 

When John saw the army of the Antichrist he would have been astounded. Remember this army is so large that at their death the blood will flow as deep as the bridle of a horse in this valley, where this war will take place.

Rev_14:20  And the winepress was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs.

A furlong is an eighth of a mile. Six thousand and six hundred furlongs is 825 miles.

We know that just one nation had a 2 million-man army and all the armies of the world are gathered against Israel.

Satan thinks he brought this army but in fact it is the Lord who has gathered this army!

Have you ever heard that saying "too many chiefs and not enough Indians"?

We have the greatest "human" (empowered by Satan) military commander who has ever lived, the Anichrist.

He has brought with him his own spiritual leader (the false prophet).

He has brought with him his (ten) hand-picked kings of the earth and their armies.

There are stories in the Bible of what happens when there are too many leaders.

They have come for one reason. To eliminate Israel and all the Jews from the face of the earth.

The Hebrew children have Jehovah's promise that He would fulfill the promise made to King David.

2Sa 7:10  Moreover I will appoint a place for my people Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell in a place of their own, and move no more; neither shall the children of wickedness afflict them any more, as beforetime, 
2Sa 7:11  And as since the time that I commanded judges to be over my people Israel, and have caused thee to rest from all thine enemies. Also the LORD telleth thee that he will make thee an house. 
2Sa 7:12  And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom. 
2Sa 7:13  He shall build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever. 
2Sa 7:14  I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men: 
2Sa 7:15  But my mercy shall not depart away from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before thee. 
2Sa 7:16  And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever. 

Psa 89:3  I have made a covenant with my chosen, I have sworn unto David my servant, 
Psa 89:4  Thy seed will I establish for ever, and build up thy throne to all generations. Selah.

Psa 89:27  Also I will make him my firstborn, higher than the kings of the earth. 
Psa 89:28  My mercy will I keep for him for evermore, and my covenant shall stand fast with him. 
Psa 89:29  His seed also will I make to endure for ever, and his throne as the days of heaven.

Psa 89:33  Nevertheless my lovingkindness will I not utterly take from him, nor suffer my faithfulness to fail. 
Psa 89:34  My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips. 
Psa 89:35  Once have I sworn by my holiness that I will not lie unto David. 
Psa 89:36  His seed shall endure for ever, and his throne as the sun before me. 
Psa 89:37  It shall be established for ever as the moon, and as a faithful witness in heaven. Selah. 

Since this unbreakable Covenant was made by Jehovah, who cannot lie, then the outcome of this war is already known!

The first thing the Lord does is remove the Beast.
The next thing the Lord does is remove the False prophet and both of them are tossed “alive”, into the Burning Lake of Fire.

The next thing the Lord does is to begin the slaughter of these 10's of millions in these great armies, with most of them killing each other.

Joe 3:12  Let the heathen be wakened, and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat: for there will I sit to judge all the heathen round about. 
Joe 3:13  Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe: come, get you down; for the press is full, the fats overflow; for their wickedness is great. 
Joe 3:14  Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision. 
Joe 3:15  The sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall withdraw their shining. 
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. 

*****Rev 19:21  And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh. 

It will be a very short war!

We get no written account accept, for the beginning of this battle and the ending of this battle with the Lord having victory.

There is not one word of the fighting or the engagement because there is no power on earth that can compare to the omnipotence of our Lord!

Remember the Lord has "all power"!

In the end we humans are nothing but dust!

Psa_103:14  For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust.

Ecc 12:7  Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it. 
Ecc 12:8  Vanity of vanities, saith the preacher; all is vanity. 

All that humans can do in the face of the Almighty God, will be in vain!

The remaining chapters deal with the victory of the Lamb.

Amen

Sunday, January 26, 2020

The Messiah Returns

The Coming King of Israel

Book of Zechariah Chapter 9:9 ; 10:1-12


Zechariah was the son of Berechia who, was the son of Iddo, and both of these men were priest.

Ezr 6:14 And the elders of the Jews builded, and they prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo. And they builded, and finished it, according to the commandment of the God of Israel, and according to the commandment of Cyrus, and Darius, and Artaxerxes king of Persia.
Ezr 6:15 And this house was finished on the third day of the month Adar, which was in the sixth year of the reign of Darius the king.

A young Zechariah was an encouragement to all those who returned to build the Temple that had been destroyed by the armies of Nebuchadnezzar.

These who had returned to Jerusalem needed to realize all these things had taken place because of sin, but the prophesies of Jehovah were sure, and the Word of God is always the truth!

To be in the family of God, we must worship Him with all our heart. We must give all of ourselves to Him!

The message Zechariah had for his people was that Jehovah loved them dearly!

Zec 1:3 Therefore say thou unto them, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Turn ye unto me, saith the LORD of hosts, and I will turn unto you, saith the LORD of hosts.

It is very important to the Church that we understand the importance of the promises Jehovah made to Israel!

We must understand it is Jehovah God who rules over this entire universe or the created Cosmos!

We may feel like God is a million miles away, but in fact He is as close as a whisper.

He just wants us to obey His Word, not because it is so hard to do so, but because we will live longer, we will live happier, and our future is so full of love and the benefits of serving the Lord are just amazing!

If we pay attention to the words of Zechariah, we can identify fulfilled promises, understanding these are all an indication of the soon Second Coming of our Christ and the Jewish Messiah, they are one and the same!

We know that Daniel prophesied during the 70 years of captivity of Judah.

We also know that Zachariah prophesied after the return of Judah to Jerusalem.

Zechariah, most likely never met Daniel, but he would have heard the preaching of Haggai and would have read the writings of the other prophets.

How would we categorize the preaching of Zechariah?

Zec 1:13 And the LORD answered the angel that talked with me with good words and comfortable words.

These Jews had been in captivity in a foreign nation for 70 years and they had returned to see the destruction of their homes, their city, their nation, and their Temple.

Comforting words would go a long way.

The truth of Jehovah is comforting in this lost and evil world!

Zechariah was a prophet who taught that the Messiah would first come to save His people.

We should understand that these prophets of God were speaking to Israel, they did not know of the Church, nor the Church Age.

*****Zec 9:9 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.

More than 500 years before the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ the prophet Zechariah wrote these words by the Holy Spirit.

In the time of King David, Zion was the place where King David placed the Tabernacle after he had brought the Ark back. He did not return the Ark to the Tabernacle of Moses but had another Tabernacle built to keep the Ark in Jerusalem.

It is a Holy and a Just God that had chosen Jerusalem to be His city.

2Sa 6:17 And they brought in the ark of the LORD, and set it in his place, in the midst of the tabernacle that David had pitched for it: and David offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the LORD.

In the Scriptures this is therefore the Tabernacle of David.

Isa 16:5 And in mercy shall the throne be established: and he shall sit upon it in truth in the tabernacle of David, judging, and seeking judgment, and hasting righteousness.

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:

Act 15:16 After this I will return, and will build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down; and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up:

The phrase "daughter of Zion" is used 26 times in the Old Testament.

To Jehovah mount Zion is as a beautiful woman.

Jer 6:2 I have likened the daughter of Zion to a comely and delicate woman.

When the Scriptures use the phrase "daughter of Jerusalem" it usually means that the beautiful and delicate daughter of Zion has gone out into the world and is now the sinful daughter of Jerusalem.

Lam 2:13 What thing shall I take to witness for thee? what thing shall I liken to thee, O daughter of Jerusalem? what shall I equal to thee, that I may comfort thee, O virgin daughter of Zion? for thy breach is great like the sea: who can heal thee?

In either case the prophet stated the King is Coming.
In either case King Jesus will sit on His throne on the Highest Hill of Jerusalem.

He is the King of Righteousness.
He is the King of Salvation.
He is the King of Humility.
He is the King of Creation.
He is the King of Peace.

Zechariah tells us of the First Coming of Jesus, hundreds of years before it took place.

Zechariah then tells us of the Second Coming of Jesus all in one Scripture, and we are expecting Christ Jesus to return at any moment.

There will be great changes in Jerusalem and the Promise Land when King Jesus sits upon His throne.

*****Zec 10:1 Ask ye of the LORD rain in the time of the latter rain; so the LORD shall make bright clouds, and give them showers of rain, to every one grass in the field.
Zec 10:2 For the idols have spoken vanity, and the diviners have seen a lie, and have told false dreams; they comfort in vain: therefore they went their way as a flock, they were troubled, because there was no shepherd.

What had happened to Israel? They had quit trusting in the Lord and had placed their faith in idols and false gods!

To those who are farmers, after they have broken up the soil and prepared it for the seed and then planted that seed, it was up to the rain for those crops to produce.

In Palestine the seasons for rain were understood by previous seasons and the planting of the seed was built around those rainy seasons.

We could say somewhat like the farmer’s almanac.

The early rain for the planting the latter rain for growth. Without either one the crops would fail.

In reality it is a whole lot like witnessing.

The truth is only Jehovah could provide those rains.

How did the Lord preach this to Israel?

Eze 34:22 Therefore will I save my flock, and they shall no more be a prey; and I will judge between cattle and cattle.
Eze 34:23 And I will set up one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them, even my servant David; he shall feed them, and he shall be their shepherd.
Eze 34:24 And I the LORD will be their God, and my servant David a prince among them; I the LORD have spoken it.
Eze 34:25 And I will make with them a covenant of peace, and will cause the evil beasts to cease out of the land: and they shall dwell safely in the wilderness, and sleep in the woods.
Eze 34:26 And I will make them and the places round about my hill a blessing; and I will cause the shower to come down in his season; there shall be showers of blessing.
Eze 34:27 And the tree of the field shall yield her fruit, and the earth shall yield her increase, and they shall be safe in their land, and shall know that I am the LORD, when I have broken the bands of their yoke, and delivered them out of the hand of those that served themselves of them.
Eze 34:28 And they shall no more be a prey to the heathen, neither shall the beast of the land devour them; but they shall dwell safely, and none shall make them afraid.
Eze 34:29 And I will raise up for them a plant of renown, and they shall be no more consumed with hunger in the land, neither bear the shame of the heathen any more.
Eze 34:30 Thus shall they know that I the LORD their God am with them, and that they, even the house of Israel, are my people, saith the Lord GOD.
Eze 34:31 And ye my flock, the flock of my pasture, are men, and I am your God, saith the Lord GOD.

Israel began to trust in false gods and idols and without Jehovah God, the climate will not be as they would have it be!

The climate will be against us, when we forsake the Lord!

There you are climate people, I said it. It is the Lord Jesus Christ who controls our climate!

We must place our trust in the truth and the truth is in our Lord!

Rom_3:4 God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged.

It should be obvious when we reject our Creator then He may just ignore us.

*****Zec 10:3 Mine anger was kindled against the shepherds, and I punished the goats: for the LORD of hosts hath visited his flock the house of Judah, and hath made them as his goodly horse in the battle.

Immediately as far as Israel was concerned, it was the priests who were leading Israel away from the truth of God!

We are fools if we do not see the same thing going on today.

The pulpits have become as corrupt as our government!

False teachers and false preachers are leading the Church astray and the message to the lost has become confusing.

There were very few true shepherds in Judah at this time, but they still retained the name and the office.

If they had taken their false beliefs and left it would have been bad enough, but they stayed in their positions and preached a false message, a message that did not come from the Word of God!

What is the truth of God's wrath to false preachers and false teachers?

Eze 34:7 Therefore, ye shepherds, hear the word of the LORD;
Eze 34:8 As I live, saith the Lord GOD, surely because my flock became a prey, and my flock became meat to every beast of the field, because there was no shepherd, neither did my shepherds search for my flock, but the shepherds fed themselves, and fed not my flock;
Eze 34:9 Therefore, O ye shepherds, hear the word of the LORD;
Eze 34:10 Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against the shepherds; and I will require my flock at their hand, and cause them to cease from feeding the flock; neither shall the shepherds feed themselves any more; for I will deliver my flock from their mouth, that they may not be meat for them.
Eze 34:11 For thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I, even I, will both search my sheep, and seek them out.

What did Jesus bring with Him when He came the first time?

Jesus brought the truth!

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

Joh 1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and "truth".
Joh 1:15 John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me.
Joh 1:16 And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace.
Joh 1:17 For the law was given by Moses, but "grace and truth came by Jesus Christ".

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.

What happens when the people of God know the truth and do the truth? We become that goodly horse!

A goodly horse is a "War Horse" prepared for battle!

Job 39:19 Hast thou given the horse strength? hast thou clothed his neck with thunder?
Job 39:20 Canst thou make him afraid as a grasshopper? the glory of his nostrils is terrible.
Job 39:21 He paweth in the valley, and rejoiceth in his strength: he goeth on to meet the armed men.
Job 39:22 He mocketh at fear, and is not affrighted; neither turneth he back from the sword.
Job 39:23 The quiver rattleth against him, the glittering spear and the shield.
Job 39:24 He swalloweth the ground with fierceness and rage: neither believeth he that it is the sound of the trumpet.
Job 39:25 He saith among the trumpets, Ha, ha; and he smelleth the battle afar off, the thunder of the captains, and the shouting.

What is the true child of God? He or she is a soldier in the army of God and the "Gospel" is our "war horse" and we are in a battle for life, but we can be assured because we are on the winning side!

Why do we not act like it!

What is the truth of the Scriptures? The Messiah came out of the tribe of Judah.

*****Zec 10:4 Out of him came forth the corner, out of him the nail, out of him the battle bow, out of him every oppressor together.

Out of Judah came the "Corner Stone", the foundation of Christianity!

Isa 28:16 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste.

No matter what we think of a nail, a nail will hold things in place!

It is our Lord Jesus Christ who will hold us together and hold us in place!

Isa 22:22 And the key of the house of David will I lay upon his shoulder; so he shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open.
Isa 22:23 And I will fasten him as a nail in a sure place; and he shall be for a glorious throne to his father's house.

This is what our Savior does!

The Lord Jesus reaches down into that miry clay and pulls each one of us out, if we will only trust Him.

We are made sons and daughters by our faith and then adopted into the family of God, by Jesus Christ, the Messiah of Judah!

We will then participate in the Glory of the Millennial Kingdom with Him for He will never leave us.

In the times of Judah, the glory of a family consisted of its size.

Psa 127:3 Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.
Psa 127:4 As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth.
Psa 127:5 Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate.

When all things are done, and the Millennial Kingdom has ended, all the family of God will be a large one, a very large one!

Rev 7:9 After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;
Rev 7:10 And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.

Out of Judah will come the "Battle Bow".

Some would say that Israel may have the skills and the arms to protect them today and this may be true in today's world, but if the entire world becomes their enemy then they cannot stand alone.

When King Jesus sits on His throne, no power on earth can overcome Him! Remember that throne will be located in Jerusalem.

As far as this oppressor which means "taskmaster", we should understand that when King Jesus rules from Jerusalem, the Church will become the taskmasters in all the nations that have survived the 7 years of tribulation.

It will be our job to make sure the task assigned by Christ Jesus will be performed.

Jesus will rule with a rod of iron, but our job will be to show His love and our love, through "mercy" and "grace".

Isa 60:17 For brass I will bring gold, and for iron I will bring silver, and for wood brass, and for stones iron: I will also make thy officers peace, and thine exactors righteousness.
Isa 60:18 Violence shall no more be heard in thy land, wasting nor destruction within thy borders; but thou shalt call thy walls Salvation, and thy gates Praise.

All the Law will come out of Jerusalem!

*****Zec 10:5 And they shall be as mighty men, which tread down their enemies in the mire of the streets in the battle: and they shall fight, because the LORD is with them, and the riders on horses shall be confounded.

We already know that as far as the Church, the Lord is with us and He will never leave us and in fact we should act as if we are mighty men and women in faith in the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ.

After the Church is in Heaven or with the Lord, in His time of wrath, those Jews who became jealous and returned to the Lord will then be mighty men.

They will certainly tread down their enemies.

Remember the blood flow will be as deep as up to the bridle of a war horse.

Rev 14:20 And the winepress was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs.

Some say the Lord would never do such a thing, but we must remember it is those who reject the Lord who will cause this war, not the Lord.

We can be sure those who are there will be confounded! Confounded meaning put to shame.

Most of this destruction will come because the conditions in place by the Lord will cause all militaries to be blind and they will destroy each other.

The strength of God will be with the Jews!

*****Zec 10:6 And I will strengthen the house of Judah, and I will save the house of Joseph, and I will bring them again to place them; for I have mercy upon them: and they shall be as though I had not cast them off: for I am the LORD their God, and will hear them.

On this day the Lord will treat the reunited tribes of Israel as if He had never left them. All it ever took was repentance!

Why?

We know the Lord is compassionate.
We know the Lord hears prayers.
We know that Jehovah is the God of Israel.

Isa 58:9 Then shalt thou call, and the LORD shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am. If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking vanity;
Isa 58:10 And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noonday:
Isa 58:11 And the LORD shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.

It will be a wonderful thing to see Israel return to Jehovah God!

Some say there are lost tribes of Israel, but we see Joseph has returned and we see that they are Ephraim all the so-called lost tribes.

*****Zec 10:7 And they of Ephraim shall be like a mighty man, and their heart shall rejoice as through wine: yea, their children shall see it, and be glad; their heart shall rejoice in the LORD.

Those of Ephraim are those ten tribes many say who are lost and the Lord says they will be like a mighty man.

The Lord said they would be so happy that people would look at them and say maybe they been hitting the wine which of course is not true because God's people will reject alcohol just as Jesus did.

They will be so happy it will pass on to their generations, one after another.

This what having the joy of the Lord is all about!

I live for the day that my children and grandchildren will all know the Lord in a personal relationship!

And Remember during the Millennial Kingdom these Jews of all tribes, will be able to reproduce and every generation will have the joy of the Lord.

In fact it will be one long generation as in the days of Adam!

A reunited Israel will have no problems with their enemies, for God will be with them as though He had never cast them off!

Isa 58:9 Then shalt thou call, and the LORD shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am. If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking vanity;
Isa 58:10 And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noonday:
Isa 58:11 And the LORD shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.

God will call them as a Shepherd who will call His sheep.

*****Zec 10:8 I will hiss for them, and gather them; for I have redeemed them: and they shall increase as they have increased.
Zec 10:9 And I will sow them among the people: and they shall remember me in far countries; and they shall live with their children, and turn again.
Zec 10:10 I will bring them again also out of the land of Egypt, and gather them out of Assyria; and I will bring them into the land of Gilead and Lebanon; and place shall not be found for them.

To hiss is like a whistle. Many of us can whistle some but each shepherd had their own whistle sound and the sheep that belonged to that shepherd knew that particular whistle.

God promised to gather all the tribes of Israel together in one place, and it cannot denied that this gathering is taking place today, though there may be a greater gathering in the near future.

It's like the Church. Today Jehovah is calling His children home, one at a time. It seems to me that the Lord is calling them at a more rapid pace, but when the time is right, all those who remain will be called at one time.

1Th 4:13 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.
1Th 4:14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.
1Th 4:15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.
1Th 4:16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
1Th 4:17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

On an earthly scale, this is happening the Israel today! They are returning one at a time and then one day not too far in the future, God will call all the tribes of Israel to come home as a group.

And they will increase as they have always increased because they will come home as the redeemed!

For those who are not sure, when God calls His redeemed, it will not matter what you are doing, you will hear that "Trump of God"!

During the Millennial Kingdom at least 144,000 Jewish evangelists will be dispersed among all the nations that survived the 7 years of tribulation, but that dispersing will not be for their destruction.

They will sow the Word of God, the same Word we have today, that will not be revised, nor updated, nor any new versions, and all the people in every nation will come to know the truth of the Lord Jesus Christ and all the Jews will return to the Promised Land.

Joh 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
Joh 14:7 If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.

*****Zec 10:10 I will bring them again also out of the land of Egypt, and gather them out of Assyria; and I will bring them into the land of Gilead and Lebanon; and place shall not be found for them.

If all the Jews return home today, then the land would not be big enough for them, so as we saw in the Book of Ezekiel all the land of the Jews will be reclaimed.

All the land will be reapportioned, and every family will have a piece of the perfect land of Zion and King Jesus will sit upon the throne of the world from Jerusalem.

There were at that time of Zechariah many Jews in Egypt. Even Jeremiah had gone to Egypt, but he had bought a piece of land at the command of Jehovah because the Lord said they would return to their land.

Many of the captured 10 tribes, Ephraim, were scattered all over the empire of Assyria, that no longer existed, and they to, would return to the Promised Land.

The land of Gilead is known as the "hill of witness". It was also a place to graze cattle, a large district on the other side of Jordan.

Lebanon was the most celebrated mountain range of Syria. It was nick named the "Land toward the Sunrising".

These people would soon see the Son rising in the East as He set His feet down in the Garden of Gethsemane.

The Gentiles would be moved off the land to allow the Jews to return home. We see some of this today. We should not question it because it is biblical!

Isa 54:2 Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thine habitations: spare not, lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes;
Isa 54:3 For thou shalt break forth on the right hand and on the left; and thy seed shall inherit the Gentiles, and make the desolate cities to be inhabited.
Isa 54:4 Fear not; for thou shalt not be ashamed: neither be thou confounded; for thou shalt not be put to shame: for thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth, and shalt not remember the reproach of thy widowhood any more.
Isa 54:5 For thy Maker is thine husband; the LORD of hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall he be called.
Isa 54:6 For the LORD hath called thee as a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit, and a wife of youth, when thou wast refused, saith thy God.
Isa 54:7 For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee.

We can see just a little bit of this going on today and the world does not like it.

In all the world President Trump is the only national leader who has approved of this land annexation by Israel, which the Bible has already approved.

The one thing we must remember is, that God does not need our help to cause these things to happen. They will happen according to God's timing and no one will be able to stop it from happening.

Not too long in the future there will be no complaints from the world because whatever King Jesus wants will be what will take place.

Rev 2:27 And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father.

Rev 12:5 And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne.

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

*****Zec 10:11 And he shall pass through the sea with affliction, and shall smite the waves in the sea, and all the deeps of the river shall dry up: and the pride of Assyria shall be brought down, and the sceptre of Egypt shall depart away.

Over and over again in the Scriptures we have seen where Jehovah had delivered these people.

From Egypt, they walked on dry land with Moses through the Red Sea to freedom.

From the wilderness, they walked with Joshua across Jordan on dry land to the Promised Land.

During the Millennial Kingdom, they will with Jesus walk on dry land to mount Zion, and there will be no Seas to cross. All the earth will be as it was in the days of Adam!

Egypt will no longer be an ancient city but will just depart away. The iron furnace will not exist!

All the promises to the Jewish people, the "Apple of God's Eyes" will be fulfilled when King Jesus sits on the throne of this world!

*****Zec 10:12 And I will strengthen them in the LORD; and they shall walk up and down in his name, saith the LORD.

God first came to this earth to make a way for salvation, they called Him Jesus, I call Him Savior.

God will next return to this earth as King and they will call Him King Jesus. This time He will come in Strength!

Yes there will still be "Grace". Without "Grace" our Creator would have forgotten about us a long time ago like so many think today.

Jehovah God is a God of Love!

We must clearly understand that the "Second Coming" of the Messiah will be far different from His "First Coming"!

It will a day of the warhorse and not the donkey!

It will be a day of making a choice at that very moment, but for so many it will be too late for they made their choice already!

There will be only one power and that power will be King Jesus!

And just like today, God will do what He wants to do, anytime He wants to, and no one can stay His hand!

Jud 1:14 And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints,
Jud 1:15 To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.

We can put this issue behind us if we just accept the Lord Jesus as our Savior today!

Amen

Let's Pray!