Isaiah 66 - August 8, 2018

father we come before you and we thank you for your word and we do pray that you would open it to our hearts as we work through this chapter Lord some in this room had been alive to see this prophecy fulfilled and some of this room were born into it but it is a major marker on the field for the last days and it's interesting Isaiah would crown the book with these things and so Lord we are seeing with our eyes almost if not on a daily basis on the news and in the world dialog the things he could only wonder out as he prophesied so open our hearts now we pray and thank you for your word this evening and may we be stirred in our walk with you and Jesus name Amen I want to share for a minute and then I'll get in Isaiah you will finish the book don't worry we'll be okay we what - I want with the missions trip to Greece and we did ministry to refugees and it really was pretty amazing we met people from Iran we met people from Pakistan Nepal elsewhere and they they had the freedom now to ask questions and they had questions and questions and we spent hours literally hours and a spell sitting with these people talking and just answering questions things they had heard things about the Bible all kinds of stuff and and that was that was an amazing part of the trip and very encouraging and we had a day that we were finished with all the ministry that we could take a look around and so we went from Athens to Corinth with there's only about an hour car ride so if you get on your Bible maps you can take a look at it and Corinth was just something for our team to go visit and there are some things to see there that is beginning the Corinthians I'll show those photos eventually but or at some point we have extra time while I'll break him out but there we got to see the actual Bema seat that was there in Corinth where Gallio had Paul drag before him as he took over his rulership and they accused Paul before him and Gallina dismissed the case if you remember you can go see it it's also what Paul had in mind when he wrote to us that the Christians will be rewarded we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ the Bema seat the reward have gone in our lives of just many pictures but one thing that really encouraged me is if you familiar with the greco-roman don't really suggest you go look it up but in for example Pompeii when they began to excavate what happened with Vesuvius they found now we have you know your camera has how many mega pixels right well in the old days they did mosaics which are pixel one pixel you know one little tile room but they had mosaics and frescoes and the floors and in the walls and it might be shocking to you but in Pompeii especially many of them were pornographic and within the greco-roman world and the the pottery and the other things they had on their artwork and on their pottery were also different pornographic scenes things that you would consider to be risky today we're risky back then but very much in popular and you name it they had it as far as artwork and you're saying well what does this have to do with giving God glory hold on so you go to Corinth then you have a town that even in their artwork and the mosaics and their pottery and everything else they've got indecent or lewd what would be to us images but then you also had right in the center of town the Temple of Apollo or Apollo's and there are temp of Apollo and the temple of apollo had male worshipers that were involved in fornication with those who came as devotees homosexual worship and you had also Aphrodite Astarte you had the Aphrodite temple there and that was a thousand prostitutes if you remember in Corinth we would talk about they would go out and they would service the public at night and it was considered part of worship and this reminds you of why in acts 15 they said look stay away from fornication because that was really the pagan system of worship back in the day so where am I going with all this they had pornography in their own form whether or not they knew it was pornography that was just everyday wear but they had pornography they had rampant sexual activity in the greco-roman world they would often say you have your wife four children you have your mistress for entertainment basically and you have your prostitutes for pleasure and it was a world where marriage really had fallen apart and morality was in the gutter and the reason I came away actually encouraged is because in Corinth its to the Corinthians he wrote that he wanted to present them chaste virgins in Christ and he talked about how we should possess the body of our temples the Holy Spirit lives in us we should present we should possess them and keep them and keep them honorable before the Lord and so knowing what Paul wrote to the Corinthians in 1st and 2nd Corinthians and going to see the city and some of the things in the museum and and all that was entailed with it it actually encouraged me why pastor because we have today in our country now in epidemic with people getting caught up in pornography because it's so quote readily accessible through you know electronic means and all that and sometimes I find that people get discouraged saying is you know what are we doing we're losing a whole generation be encouraged because if God can deliver people out that their daily earth where that the youths are eating and drinking is pornographic and the artwork all around them is pornographic and you can walk out the street and get engaged for the male or female prostitute nobody would think anything of it be considered part of your worship if God can deliver people out of that kind of iniquity and make them Saints and how much more can God deliver people today out of bondage to pornography or erotic literature or whatever it may be so I actually came back having visited the city and some of the museum things they're encouraged because if God could do it for them and their generation it's not as bad here compared to what they had at Corinth and how much more can God deliver any man or any woman out who has a heart to finally get right with God get clean out of those type of things in their lives and experience his power so I was encouraged I just wanted to pass that along since Wednesday night we got a few minutes Isaiah 65 17 behold last week we read this I create a new heavens and a new earth and we meet them in Revelation 21 we learned about that's what Abraham was looking for in Hebrews 11 a city whose builder and maker is God we hear about them elsewhere but a new heavens and a new earth for the former shall not be remembered nor come into mind but be glad and rejoice forever and that which I create for behold I create Jerusalem again this New Jerusalem rejoicing her people at joy and I will rejoice in Jerusalem and join my people and the voice of weeping shall be no more heard in her nor the voice of crying and as we learned in Revelation 21 there shall be no more crying no more death no more sorrow got away wipe away all their tears the New Jerusalem that will come down from God out of heaven then in verse 20 as we mentioned we see him looking at things during what appears to be the Malena will reign of Christ the thousand-year reign of Jesus on the earth which we covered last week because now in verse 20 he shifts gears to some of different subjects and he says there shall be no more that's an infant of days nor an old man that has not fulfilled his days we'll note that an old man who's not fulfilled his days but when he's fulfilled them what is it implying happens to him hello when a man is fulfilled these days what happens to them he dies okay good it's not a it's not a trick question so clearly that's got to be the millennial reign because in the new heaven the new earth the new jerusalem there shall be no more death right so this is how you go through and figure out which time period is he prophesied to for the child shall die has to be millennial reign a hundred years old but the sinner being a hundred years old shall be a curse and again the New Jerusalem nothing enter ends at the Files and they shall build beside they should build houses and inhabit them they shall plant vineyards and eat the fruit of them again my opinion millennial reign study for yourself they shall not build in another inhabit they shall not plant and another eat for as the days of a tree are the days of my people again it seems to be millennium because in the New Jerusalem there's no more death which means you don't have to worry about your days running out won't that be nice and mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands they shall not labor in vain or bring forth for trouble but they are the seed of the blessed of the Lord and their offspring with them it shall come to pass that before they call I will answer and while they're yet speaking I will hear and the wolf and the lamb shall feed together and the lion shall eat straw like the Bullock and dust shall be the Serpent's mean and they shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountains saith the Lord so chapter 66 the Lord now wraps up this book through Isaiah thus saith the Lord the heaven is my throne and one day we're going to bold the inner his throne room why because we've covered ourselves in the blood of Jesus we have the right to enter boldly into a snow because we're under the a lot of Christ that is if you believe you've been put under his blood the heaven is my throne the earth is my footstool where is the house that you will build unto me if heaven and earth can't contain God how can you contain them in a house it's funny how well do that people will localize God like though you know you'll hear a mom once in awhile say don't run in the house of the Lord like this is all he occupies he's everywhere you know you'll find it in the Old Testament where there are different enemies of Israel and for example the Northern Kingdom the wicked Kings we're here an enemy comes in and they say well let's fight Israel in the valley because their God is a God of the mountains so the man of God comes to the king says look God's gonna give you the victory because our enemies think he's only the God of the mountains so they whoop him in the valley and then they come back a year later say well he must be then a God of the valleys and not a mountain so let's fight him in the mountains and so the man of God comes back says listen God's going to deliver him in your hands not because of you but because they think God's only a God of the valleys our times where God has to explain to you that he's everywhere and you cannot be contained and in 1 you know we joined together for worship and we say Lord let us enter into your presence question God is Omni present when have you not been in his presence what did David say where can I go from your spirit where can I flee from your presence if I go up to heaven you're there if I make my bed in the depths you're there if I rise on the wings of the dawn right no matter where I go you're there and so when we gather for worship but we really ought to say is lord help us to sense your presence you've been with us all day but now let us truly sense that you are with us and that's important because when you have a healthy sense of the presence of God it does two things in your life one it encourages you as we're gonna see in Hebrews on Sunday he will never leave you nor forsake you if you've opened your heart to Jesus he has promised to be with us even to the end of the age for me personally a very powerful statement that I read in Matthew 28 Hebrews reminds us of it again the Lord is always with you as his child so it should encourage you I'm not alone God is with me no matter how deep the water how bad the trial I'm not alone God is with me but there's a second side of that truth that God is always with you and that is it ought to sanctify you because there's nothing we can do that he has not seen there's nothing that goes through our hearts or our minds that he has not considered again what he said here at the end of chapter 65 it shall come to pass before they call I won't answer so where's the request at that point in the head where has it yet to reach the vocal cords and God's already answering so the Lord is always with us the heavens are my er is my throne the earth is my footstool where is the house that you'll build unto me where is the place of my rest for all these things have my hand made what does that include you he made you look once again where in Greece where at Athens we went up to Mars Hill the Areopagus and there's where Mars Hill we're talking there and Paul's defense before the the Areopagus was very simple the God who created the heavens and the earth has caused us to have a relationship with him and one day is gonna judge the world through his son he answered the three big questions for the Philosopher's there in Athens where am i from why am I here where am I going and so here again he has made all things all things hath you have my handmaid God has made you where are you from you're special created work of God second question why are you here that you might know the one who made you and make him known that you might experience his presence back to the fact that he's with you he's always with us you might experience his presence and fellowship with him and where am I going well as we get through the end of this chapter if you open your heart to him you have eternal life with him if you do not open your heart the last verse of this chapter is sobering indeed for all those things hath my hand made and all those things have been saith the Lord but to this man will I look you want to get God's attention here's how you do it even the hem that is poor and of a contrite spirit and that tremble if that my word what gets God's attention is a humble heart a contrite spirit who trembles at his word that's what the Lord is looking for now remember the scope and the context of the book Isaiah you're gonna go proclaim these things to them they have eyes but they refuse to see they have ears but they refuse to hear their hearts of wax gross they've turned away Isaiah chapter 6 and Isaiah said well Lord how long do I do this and he said until everything is taken away and so God closing the book now gives this call to those in Israel who were listening especially the southern kingdom of Judah this is the man I will look to him that is poor remember what Jesus said blessed are the poor in spirit blessed are the meek blessed are those who hunger and thirst righteousness most ever those who mourn those Kingdom attributes in Matthew chapter 5 even to him that is of poor and of a contrite spirit and trembles out my word now in contrast to him that is not a contrite spirit does not consider the Word of God and thinks himself find in a sense verse 3 he that killeth an ox a man who is a sort of a arrogant man he that killeth an ox is as as if he saw not--they as if everybody see it verse 3 as if notice again verse 3 further down as if notice again as if he's making a comparison everybody's got it so he that does not have a contrite spirit he that is not porn in the sense and of a contrite spirit and does not tremble at his word he that is arrogant before God and resists God we would call that the proud this is what their so called worship is like before God they killeth an ox and ritual sacrifice but because of the heart attitude behind it it is as if he slew a man before God he that sacrifice of a lamb again with the wrong heart attitude is the idea it is as if he cut off a dog's neck he that offers an ablation again with the wrong heart attitude and just mere religious observance it is as if he offered swine's blood so the challenge to Israel don't be lost in your ballistic religious behavior yet your heart is far from me remember Isaiah said it these people honor me with their lips but their hearts are far from me so God again giving this challenge God's after your heart not your religious practice he that offers again an operation it's as if he offered swine's blood verse 3 again he that burneth incense it is as if he blessed an idol again these things repulsive so you can do the right thing and yet have the wrong heart attitude how many can relate to that well let me try this way how many are married you can do the right thing and yet as you walk out to the garage or you go back in your kitchen and you start right right you're laughing cuz you know you know you've all done it don't you know how I know you've done it they're mine you ever have those conversations with yourself oh yeah right you know what I've learned if I start having a conversation myself about some problem I should shut up and pray that's what I've learned just passing along suggestion I pray a lot now so no trust me no I'm let me put the right context I have a great wife but I sit in a lot of meetings with people and I just kind of go I just need a break so here's the deal they it is as if he blessed an idol here's our problem yay they have chosen their own ways they are not people who tremble at God's Word they are not people who realize that they are poor before a holy God and need his covering they're not people who have a contrite spirit recognizing their spiritual condition be Hara before a holy God oh god I have no chance but Jesus said they're the tax collector and the Pharisee went up into the temple and the Pharisee said I thank God I'm not like this tax collector I fast twice a week I do all these wonderful things and Jesus but the tax collector smote his chest and he wouldn't even lift his eyes to heaven and he cried out said be merciful to me O God a sinner and Jesus told him I tell you the truth it was the tax collector who went home right with God which was shock value for the Jews at that time they have chones their chosen their own ways and I have watched sadly many people try to have God on their own terms and it doesn't go well they have chosen their own ways and their soul delighteth and their abominations they do what they want so I will also choose their delusions God is gonna bring his judgment against this religious practice with no true faith I will also choose their delusions and I will bring their fears upon them ooh why is God doing this especially to the southern kingdom in the Northern Kingdom of Israel that unique covenant or relationship they had with God why is he doing this because when I called none did answer you see there is a penalty for ignoring and rejecting the call of God in your life especially to salvation in the case of salvation if you reject God's call the repent of your sin and embrace Christ as your Savior then the day's gonna come when you stand before God as it tells us the books are gonna be opened and you're not gonna be found in the book of life because you've rejected the call of God what do you mean pastor jesus said you did not first love me I first loved you and I drew you to myself it's whoever the father calls that'll be exactly then you refuse his call there's a second thing and that for us is believers there's also gifting in a calling that God has put on your life to serve him spiritually you might say whoops oh if I don't listen to God's call he's just gonna let me have it no actually in this case if you refuse to answer the call of God for your life spiritually what you're gonna learn over time is the things that you have missed personally I think when you realize one day that God had been calling you and had things for you to do and you just whatever reason you don't want to answer the calling of God for your life whatever it may be which you will find out one day is the things that God had wanted to do but we were too busy or we were too afraid or we would ever and you know the closest thing I can get for you on that one is the one who had the one talent buried it he was afraid and it didn't go so well so you're saying I'd lose my salvation if I used my calling I think our salvation is a gift you only receive it make sure you have it but as far as our calming and the gifting God has for you I think God has given every one of us a gift and I would encourage you to let him use it through you because you want to hear well done good and faithful servant not what have you done servant just just a little charge keep in mind well I don't know where to start well then start anywhere you'll begin to figure out your gifts yeah I'm definitely not gifted for that great then start over here and I'm not gifted for that keep going start over here eventually you'll find something you'll say man I love doing this for the Lord nice I think you found your calling so they have chosen their own ways their soul delighteth and their abominations I will also choose their delusions and bring their fears upon them again Israel and their rebellion because when I called none did answer thankfully Isaiah did Here I am Lord send me when I spake they did not hear but they did evil before mine eyes and they chose that in which I delighted not remember he sees everything and they made choices that dishonored God we do this as well we got to be careful what do we choose as far as our entertainment our fo our fellowship the things we allow in our ears our hearts our minds our hears even what do we choose to meditate on in our hearts and our minds where do we allow our brains to go that we ought not to be these things are all before God and God wants us to have truth in the inward parts so he goes on verse 5 I know what you're thinking I'm so glad it came to church tonight well sometimes we need to be exhorted to you see it's real easy to look at Isaiah 66 and say get him Lord get him yeah but are you obeying God well no but that's different see because this is 2018 uh-huh are you listening for what God's trying to tell you well no because I'm busy doing other things but that's different this is 2018 uh-huh I just want to point it out and I have to deal with my own heart too so verse five hear the word of the Lord ye that tremble at his word your brethren that hated you that cast you out for my name's sake that said let the Lord be glorified but he shall appear to you or but he shall appear to your joy and they shall be ashamed so hear the word of the Lord you that do tremble at his word your brethren who hated you for your willingness to serve God your stand for the truth which is getting by the way more unpopular in our generation interesting the social media Giants are beginning to dictate what they should and shouldn't allow for content how many are catching that in the news and what's really you know kind of a mystery to me is certain content is verboten as they say that that interesting is sort of the heart of our country in that you know think about I wonder if Thomas Paine's pamphlets would have been published in the internet you have to google and very interesting and yet there are other things that they continue to prefer on their proffer there on their services that I think all of us could agree including any kid in middle school that are absolutely ungodly but they're not censored my doing when seeing that no well anyway here the word of the Lord ye that tremble at his word your brethren that hated you for your walk with God for your love for him for your desire to be pleasing in his sight that cast you out for my name's sake and said let the Lord be glorified the idea just out of her way they shall be ashamed the Lord will come one day and set things right a voice from the city a voice from the city a voice from the temple and a voice sorry majority again a voice of noise from the city and a voice from the temple a voice of the Lord that render threatened pens to his enemies so those in Israel who were faithful during this time of its decline as Isaiah was prophesying truth they were being hassled for their faith their wanting to obey the Word of God Isaiah encouraging him don't you worry one day God's gonna sort it out and he will respond favorably to you others are gonna be in trouble but now verse 7 before she she who Israel prevailed that would be in labor before she brought from our sorry before she travailed she brought forth before her pain came ladies do you understand what it's saying please those who've been able to go through job birth before she travailed she brought forth before her pain came she was delivered of a man-child who hath heard such a thing who hath seen such things questioned shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day what are you talking about keep reading or shall a nation be born at once what do you mean for as soon as Zion travailed she brought forth her children Isaiah 66 8 a prophecy that Israel is going to be restored after all these judgments prophesied through Isaiah looking forward to that millennial reign looking for that new heaven that new earth but before we can get to those two big things in Isaiah chapter 65 17 to the end of the chapter before we can start talking about the glory of the future Israel Israel first has to be a nation again and so God says it here in chapter 66 verse 8 Israel will become a nation again in one day how many of heard of the World Zionist council it's gonna thin out hands now yeah those who've done your research okay let me give you kind of a 75 thousand foot overview there was a there was a stirring of God basically going on the heart of the Jews especially with what they did endured through Europe through hundreds of years of trouble but basically in the late 1800s Early 1900s they began against Jews began to form and to say look we've got a forming World Zionist Council and that's where you'll find the names of people like Theodor Herzl and others who came into part of this as well as Lord Bao Fleur the Baffler declaration white papers it's just the color of the paper the tide was on it's a white paper and these things were published there about how Israel ought to get a homeland again and be brought back and of course some of the things that happened in World War one with Heim Weissman and others who helped with the war effort and eventually sadly the Holocaust World War two the great loss of life among the Jews eventually the nations would come together and say okay we've got to take what is the former Ottoman Turkish Empire divided into Transjordan in Israel and they've created again a homeland and they created men made borders which is why they're straight that's always a man-made border when it goes straight across all kinds of crazy boundaries that's man-made and they created what is today essentially the Middle East a shemite Kingdom and a bunch of other things poof after World War Two but the Jews had already begun to start coming back in in the late 1800s and if you have your Bible you have the Dead Sea then up above it you have the Sea of Galilee how many have seen it in their Bible maps in the back how many are completely lost at this point okay good and some of you have Bible maps at above the Sea of Galilee you'll see a little body of water how many you've ever noticed that when you look at your Bible map but what's that little that was a swamp it was in what's called the hula Valley near the Hula Valley there was swampland there and it mosquito Laden many of the people came died of malaria and other things who settled the area but the Jews began in the late 1800s and early 1918 hundreds into nineteen nine they began to buy the swamp and the Arabs were like you you want to buy the swamp yes we will pay for this one and they purchased those swamp lands from the eight from the Arabs and the Arabs had these crazy Jews they don't know what they're doing they're sure and they sold and many of the kibbutz and the farmers who got started there caught malaria and and died in the process of trying to farm and take the land back but as the World Zionist Council happening in the late 1800s and early 1900s their Jews had begun to come back to the land because it was reasonably quiet and they were buying up land and and here they are eventually they would bring in eucalyptus trees and plant you know all the trees they have in Israel now some 57 million trees and eventually dried the swamp out and as they began to work the land until it over they figured out that it's actually rich volcanic soil and so now what was a swamp is one of the most fertile areas in Israel the Hula Valley and that's their fruit basket come further down to the valley of megiddo or the Jezreel Valley that's their breadbasket keep going down into the desert area and there they've used drip irrigation to force it to produce fruits and vegetables and everything else they have taken the entire land and reclaimed it from swamp and desert barren wasteland and it's again producing fruits and flowers that fill the face of the earth just as prophesied in Isaiah 27 and Ezekiel 36 these things are being fulfilled in your lifetime but as these people the Zionist counsel in these kibbutzim kibbutzim they call him the Zionists had a heart to go back to the land through the course of world events eventually on a day they became a state I'll read to you a little excerpt that I keep the front of my Bible from the Philadelphia Inquirer and it says this the old Israel was born on May 14 1948 a Friday at 4:30 p.m. not only on a day born in an hour just before the start of the Sabbath when David ben-gurion and a group of Jewish leaders at the Tel Aviv am haul signed a one-page proclamation it was greeted with celebration and fear yitzhak been hariharan now 91 at the time of the article a kibbutz and labor leader was there he said I was not very cheerful he remembered I was expecting a war outside people were singing and dancing I found a ride back to the kibbutz which is a collective farm and I arrived late people are singing and dancing there too and now got carried away but I knew the next day there would be many tears and blood and the next day Egypt bombed tel Aviv the Syrian Iraqi and Egyptian and Jordanian armies attacked the next day they declared their statehood they were attacked 13 months later Israel had won the war forcing several hundred thousand Palestinians to flee and reading a Philadelphia Inquirer article during the fighting Israeli troops began changing the very nature of the land destroying nearly 400 Palestinian villages according to Israeli historian Ben Benny Morris in the first three years of the state Jewish pioneers built 345 new communities and 78,000 dwellings as immigrants poured into Israel many of them Holocaust survivors as well as Jews who'd survived terrible anti-semitism in Europe poured in Israel doubling a population of 1.2 million in three years housing construction can keep up at the end of 1951 about 250,000 immigrants were still living in camps even basic communications wasn't easy a huge open-air rally in July 1951 and rashon Li Zion foreign minister Moshe Sharett delivered his address in Yiddish Turkish Arabic French and Hebrew today it's just air today is just Hebrew Israel was divided civil war was narrowly avoided at one point but much of David ben-gurion vision eventually took hold his long essays part of these white papers and things compelling reading to this day laid out a plan and the army would break down the barriers of class erode the Pioneers would build settlements to claim the land and isolated hilltops farmers would devote themselves to flowing flowering the sands of the desert he would be learned and the in gathering of the Jews would be carrying out as a cardinal aim of our state in many of your lifetimes they came back in a day and Jews have contained to come in from all over so let me make it a simple Ezekiel 36 the Landry boom it's all over the place in Israel Ezekiel 37 the dried bones the Jews that have been scattered and look like they're dead and gone all around the world are gonna suddenly come back to life and be brought back into the land one of the last things we'll see is a breath of God coming into them on Sunday if I have the time we'll see I'm gonna read you an article just how many messianic believers are now in Israel it's growing rapidly many Jews are getting saved yes they are so you got Ezekiel 36 check Ezekiel 37 if not completely done real close next major event Ezekiel 38 when Russia Iran Turkey North Africa parts of it Libya suddenly decide to attack Israel that's the next one of the next major world events on the world stage as far as prophecy is concerned so let me explain something 739 BC Isiah sits there and says can a nation be born in a day foreign concept to them to us history that prophecy of Israel being born in a day is one of the major pieces on the board for us to say where is the world today what period of history are we in or time are we in today and it's very clear when Israel returns to the land that is clearly for us a huge piece on the puzzle to let you know that you are living in the last days because the last days will be a regathered Israel then again eventually gets brought into a peace agreement that they think is the best thing that's ever happened to them that's supposed to last for seven years between them and their enemies it would appear that peace agreement is what opens the door to build a third temple and as they start building that third temple there will be this leader who creates his peace agreement with them who in the middle of that seven years walk into that structure into the very Holy of Holies and proclaim that he is God into being demand to be worshipped above everything that is called God the biggest piece of that puzzle that that final seven years of human history roll out is Israel had to be back in the land and you're so familiar with it that you don't even bother checking the headlines anymore okay well they're working to the Syrians and the Russians and trying to define the galan Heights how many saw that they tried to contain with the Russians with the real Golan Heights are and what line still respect okay well that's in the news today constant stuff going on all around you about Israel about Jerusalem and now it's just a so commonplace that you don't even bother to read the article but it's exactly as prophesied in the last days there's gonna be a burdensome stone the nations are weary themselves with it everyone who tries to deal with it gets cut and the fact is they're gonna appear suddenly in a day you living it okay you got the idea who has heard such a thing you have you have you've lived it who has heard such a thing who has seen such things how many were alive in 1948 raise your hands talk to these folks after service they saw it they were alive during these things who has heard such not diamond you offer age just showing you can help us who have heard such a thing who has seen such things shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day yes may 14 1948 4:30 p.m. shall nation be born at once yes it wasn't Tel Aviv as soon as ient revealed just a short period of time they've been having these councils and forums she brought forth her children shall I bring to the birth and not cause to bring forth there in the land saith the LORD shall I caused and bring forth and shut the womb saith thy God in other words this is gonna happen and I won't drop the ball so rejoice ye with Jerusalem and be glad with her all ye that love her rejoice for her or rejoice for joy with her all ye that mourn for her when in 1967 the Jews finally got control again of Jerusalem because it was divided up until 67 when they finally got in there to what is today to us the Western Wall the soldiers who got there there's photos of their just weeping and weeping because they were back against the the wall this supporting strength or stiff retaining wall that western retaining wall that is the closest wall of the Holy of Holies and so they had their hands or their weeping they've got their prayer books out there praying and so overwhelmed with the Jews with the ability to once again be on the retaining wall of their holy temple that they're just weeping and crying out that the nickname for that wall is the Wailing Wall how many of her to call the Wailing Wall now when you call it the Wailing Wall what you're quoting is the the opponents to Israel who are making fun of them that when the Jews who get to this wall they'd start wailing out of praise to God that they finally had again Jerusalem their capital so we don't call it the Wailing Wall we call it the western wall because it's the western wall of the Temple Mount compound and the Holy of Holies was on the western side of the temple and that is the close as you could get to what was the Holy of Holies that's why the western wall is holy to the Jews it's a close as they have rejoice with Jerusalem rejoice with for joy with her all ye that mourned for her that you may suck it and be satisfied with the breasts of her consolations that you may milk out and be delighted with the abundance of her glory and you're thinking what does that have to do with prophecy well let me explain we've had 11 kids prep you for no let me correct that record my wife has had 11 kids I've sat there trying to be as encouraging as I can how could you have made her do that hey hey I've actually had people say this how could you make your poor wife do that the original plan C was to have two or four by the time my wife turned thirty and we had Jared three weeks before 30th birthday and that's when we were supposed to stop I thought great three girls one boy we're good Ned about five or eight months later somewhere in there I heard oh honey I said oh honey what I think God wants us to have more kids well guess who was right she was and we couldn't imagine life without any of them so don't give me this how could you do that to your poor wife it was a good day I but having been through my wife having 11 children and nursing all 11 I understand this picture see because nursing here is the idea that you may suck and with the breast of her consolations that Jerusalem may provide through God's presence and God's restoring of the city all that the people of God need when you have little babies they don't need much in the diaper or onesie and some mom to feed them very simple you know people we need this and we need that we need this you know the more you have kids and we realize just anybody got some diapers in a onesie good we're said that's all you need so here this mental picture of that you may suck and be satisfied with the breast of her consolation speaks of all that is needed will be provided as God restores Jerusalem and he himself will there reign and rule and the second part of verse 11 that you may milk out let me explain what that is milking out is when the little babies sitting there and they've nursed so much their little tank is full and they just kind of go and they fall off and the problem is if there's more supply moms like oh now they got a deal there is you know and all that and handle it so milk out means you're so satisfied that you can't even finish the job he just everybody have the visual so when the lord restores jerusalem and we gather around him we will be content like babies and their moms arms now that i get well that's what he was trying to say with the abundance of jerusalem her glory this overflowing blessing of God as he restores them and that day is coming for thus saith the Lord behold I will extend peace Shalom to her like a river that's not necessarily happening today in Jerusalem they have lots of challenges but it is surprisingly quiet and secure considering listen no offense I would much rather walk around in Jerusalem than Chicago totally serious from any other major cities here in the US and there many times it's actually quite secure but there's a day coming where we experience the very peace of God flowing like a river I will expand extend peace tour like a river and the glory of the Gentiles like a flowing stream then shall you suck again having this idea of nourishment and refreshing and all that you need you should be born upon herself it's carried you know mama hip everybody's right bum hip it's like this little shelf God gave Mama's to parked the kid on mama hip you should be born upon her sides and she'll be dandled upon her knees in other words will be the delight of God has were in his presence I like that beautiful picture of the love of a mother for a child and as one whom his mother comfort us so will I comfort you even though they're facing judgments and things to come God will restore them so will I comfort you and you shall be comforted in Jerusalem and when you see this your heart shall rejoice what is your future with God he's gonna bless us with our needs in our wants he's gonna comfort us with his presence like a child who's been nursed by a mother who cares for them and your heart shall rejoice God wants to fill our hearts with praise and rejoicing in his presence to where your heart is full you know in this world once in a while you have an experience really wow that was tremendous wow I just I can't contain all this wow that was awesome well basically in the presence of God your heart will be rejoicing overflowing and you know he'll give you a taste of that now through the spirit because the food the Spirit is love then joy but in the presence of God as he restores these things your heart shall rejoice that's our future your bones shall flourish like an herb and the hand of the Lord shall be known towards his servants it'll be obvious his care and his indignation towards his enemies because they will have been judged as he establishes this kingdom for behold the Lord will come so important behold the Lord will come with fire you can see that manifestation of his presence in Ezekiel chapter 1 in Ezekiel chapter 10 that fire that unfolds on itself in the presence of God the Lord will come with fire with his chariots like a whirlwind to render his fear his anger with fury and his rebuke with flames of fire he will come and judge this earth for by fire and by his sword will the Lord please with all flesh this is the day of the Lord again that we were told of in Isaiah 61 that will come and many the slain of the Lord shall be many again you don't have to face this you can accept his son into your heart by faith let him be your Lord and your Savior turning from your sin and embracing the Son of God these are the things he's saving us from but the day of judgment must come to this earth remember the first time the world was destroyed and judged by a flood the second time it will be by the fire and the Vengeance of God they that sanctify themselves they that purify themselves in the gardens behind one tree in the midst what is he talking about pagan idolatry that has invaded the southern and northern kingdom that's what he's doing with now the Lord is gonna come by fire he's gonna judge this earth there will be many slain who was the targets of this verse 17 they that sanctify themselves and purify themselves in the garden behind one tree in the midst pagan idolatry eating swine's flesh prohibited by the law for the Jew and the abomination and the mouse this is all part of their pagan and occult practices shall be consumed together God's judgment saith the Lord verse 18 for I know their works Revelation chapter 2 and chapter 3 the letters to the seven churches he said over and over I know your works I know your works God knows the works of his people and God knows the works of the ungodly he knows all these things nothing is hidden from his eyes for I know their works and their thoughts it shall come that I will gather all nations and tongues and they shall come and see my glory and the return of God turn of Christ and I will set a sign among them and I will send those that escape of them unto the nations to Tarshish - to put or to pull sorry which is Libya and to Ludd which is Lydda and then and to Tarshish to pull to lud and they that draw the bow to tubal Asia Minor Turkey - you and I - Javin Greece - the Isles afar off that have not heard my fame neither have seen my glory God will get the word out and they shall declare my glory among the Gentiles and they shall bring all your brethren for an offering they'll be bringing them as a gift or was a present the Jews again gathered and brought back to their land even by the Gentiles unto the Lord out of all nations and upon horses and in chariots and litters upon mules and upon Swift beasts to my holy mountain Jerusalem saith the Lord as the children of Israel bring an offering in a clean vessel into the house of the Lord and I will also take of them for priests and for Levites saith the Lord and there are memorial feasts during the thousand year reign for as the new heavens and the new earth which we again learn of in Revelation 21 after the first heaven in the first earth flood away from the face of him who sat upon that great white throne in Revelation 20 talked about last week president evens and the new earth which I will make shall remain before me they remain forever saith the Lord so like that so shall your seed and your name remain the ideas forever those who trust in the Lord and it shall come to pass it from one new moon to another again celebratory from one Sabbath to another shall all flesh come to worship before me saith the Lord that is the kingdom that is coming all nations will be gathered to him worshiping him you say it sounds too good to believe well when Isaiah wrote chapter 66 it sounded too good to believe to him that a nation could be born in the day and yet here it is but then we get verse 24 and they who have access to the Lord who come before his presence during his kingdom they shall go forth and look upon the carcasses of the men that have transgressed against me for their worm shall not die hey who told us that Jesus turn to mark 9 for a minute let's go look at it mark 9 and who is Jesus God in human flesh Jesus said to us whosoever shall offend verse 42 one of these little ones that believe in me it is better to hear that better for him that a millstone these are big were hanged about his neck and he were cast into the sea that would be better for you than to stumble one of the little ones who believed in Jesus and if thy hand offend thee cut it off it's better for thee that you enter into life maimed than having two hands go into hell and into the fire that never shall be quenched note that never quenched where their worm dieth not and the fire is not quenched and if thy foot offend thee cut it off it is better for thee to enter halt into life than having two feet to be cast into hell and in the fire that never shall be quenched where their worm dieth not and the fire is not quenched and if thine eye offend thee pluck it out is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye than having two eyes to be cast in the fire of hell Hellfire where their worm dieth not and the fire is not quenched and if your iPad offends you throw it out sell it if your desktop computer offends you get rid of it if your broadband connections offending you get rid of it better to be a complete social media you know web-based throwback than to be corrupted before God in other words what he was saying is whatever you have to do to keep yourself and being under his judgment you should do get rid of these things okay back to Isaiah they shall go forth and look upon the carcasses of the men that of truth that have transgressed against me for their worm shall not die jesus warned us of the same thing neither shall their fire be quenched they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh there are those out there who say that when the wicked die and have not accepted Jesus they some some theories are there they're tormented for a period of time and then they're nyeh lated just cease to exist others say they're just simply annihilated and that's it but what the Bible teaches us is they've come before God they face his judge and they're not found in the book of life revelation 20 and they're cast into the lake of fire and it tells us this is the second death couple scriptures to look at look at Revelation 14 for a minute revelation 14 last book your Bible the third angel verse nine followed them saying with a loud voice if any man worship the Antichrist in His image and receive his mark in his forehead or in his hand or upon the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God which is poured out without mixture into the cup this is what Jesus drank for you and I in that garden into the cup of his indignation they shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the Holy Angels and in the presence of the Lamb and the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for how long for an ever and ever and they have no rest day nor night who worship the Beast and His image whosoever receiveth the mark and is for it a mark of his name it doesn't stop it's interesting in Revelation 19 when Jesus returns the Antichrist and the false prophet are taken in Revelation 19 it says they're cast into the lake of fire alive then we learn about Satan being bound for a thousand years the Millennium how many remember that from last week I won't review and after that thousand years Satan is loosed to try those who had lived under the reign of Christ during the thousand years I'm remembering last week and a fire comes down from God and consumes them and the devil is thrown into the lake of fire which was prepared for him Matthew 25 and his angels and it tells us when he's thrown in the lake of fire in Revelation 20 where the false prophet and the Antichrist are they're not annihilated they haven't ceased to exist they're still there a thousand years later in that judgment what he's saying pastor what the Bible teaches us is the judgment of God when you reject God's Son and you're gonna face God it's appointed once for a man to die Hebrews chapter 9 says and then verse 27 and then comes the judgement when we looked at Luke 16 there Lazarus and the rich man they both died Lazarus comforted with Abraham with those who died in faith the rich man who did not die in faith in a place of torment which we learned last week is where he is waiting to be finally judged at the great white throne and that torment does not have an end pastor yeah how can it be heaven if we know people are suffering these things good question very good question somehow when we see the Lord and we see his judgment and we see how he handles those who have rejected him somehow with that greater understanding that we have now Corinthian says now we see through a glass dimly but then we're gonna see face to face somehow when we finally get to enter into the court of the judge of all the earth we will understand that we have no contest to his rule or to his verdicts or two sentences right now it can be very difficult and listen here's the thing all right and and by the way this is not a theology I espouse nor subscribe to I'm simply gonna put out an argument for sake of mental thought everybody with me fine good if one day God finally said okay that's it you've all suffered enough those who rejected me and died in unbelief I'm now gonna simply you know pardon your sentences you're allowed to go free in a sense let everybody out I as a sinner anybody else here a sinner okay we as sinners probably would have no contest I would say your honor Lord if that's what you want to do we sure didn't deserve grace we have no contest if you want to extend to them grace I okay I get it but here's the problem if it is you just suffer for so many millennia and eventually you just get your sentence commuted and you get to leave or you get pardoned then the problem we have with this is when God the Son was in the Garden of Gethsemane and he was praying three times earnestly father if it's possible let this cup pass from me nevertheless not my will but thy will be done if there was another way which is just simply suffer torment from some extended period of time and they get your sentence pardoned then even though it's not the best route to get there then that would mean there is another way and so then the father would have lied to his son to drink that cup so to let everyone out and to finally just pardon them all that has a problem with the very integrity of God the Father who his son had to drink that cup because there is no other way between man and God that we can be reconciled but through the one mediator God has given us that is the man Christ Jesus that's what second Corinthians five said God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself there's only one name acts 4:12 given to unto men under heaven whereby we must be saved in his Jesus of Nazareth he is the one who paid for it all to have any other solution to this would then denigrate the very work of Christ on the cross and that prayer he had for his father there in the garden how many understand what I'm trying to explain you that means there had to be another way which means we have an integrity problem with God so while it's a very comfortable theology to have and it makes you not feel so bad the fact is you got a problem if you hold that theology because that means that God lied to his son there is another way I hadn't thought of it that way boil it down which even then what do we do if there isn't any other way preach the gospel tell everybody you can okay now just to let you know that this is a hot topic a quick article for you this is coming from the Christian Journal June 27 2018 title author of the New Age book The Shack claims that salvation can happen after death I don't think that death is our damnation this again coming from Christian journal net the book The Shack was authored by a man named William P young and was recently turned into a major motion picture which portrayed God as a woman William was recently interviewed by Eternity news regarding this in his new documentary the heart of man and which he claimed that after death I'm reading the article mankind is still granted the chance to be reconciled after death again think of the garden what we talked about in reference in reference is the wildly popular prodigal son parable from Scripture where William and eternity news are discussing the consequences if the prodigal son does not return to the father so they're having a debate Young States in regards to such you are putting a if you don't return as if death is the final arbiter furthermore William said that he holds a different view than most and that when scripture is talking about neither death nor life shall be able to separate us from the love of God it is not just talking to Christians instead it is talking to all mankind every time the New Testament talks about the issue of judgment he says it talks about Chris's the Greek word Croesus Aquino the Greek word for judgment and it's a crisis he said you're going to enter a crisis and I don't think the story is over I don't think death is our damnation young claimed young did however say that Jesus is both the Savior and judge and that men will receive ramifications for their actions and choices the author also believes that they can potentially change their minds as God continues to pursue them quote I think that Jesus is both our salvation and rightful judge but that judgment is tended is intended for our good not our harm Young said so what does it mean well you get to experience the losses of your choices and that's no fun I mean it's devastating unquote the interviewer then asked of young men only in this life or for eternity to achieve to which he responded that it depends on whether or not the person changes their choices after death is that what this book says no the consequences are potentially for eternity if you keep holding on to it he goes on but I don't think the story is over just because you die young stated I think there's an ongoing relational confrontation between the one who knows you best and loves you best potentially forever and potentially you could say no forever how someone could do that I don't know but definitely that tension is held in Scripture for sure there's tension while we draw breath William young the author of the shack once again goes entirely against scripture and his teachings unfortunately many who have seen the movie The Shack or read the book are being wildly led astray by a man who claims that our choices in this life can change after we die so here we finish with Isaiah 66 the last verse and it does not agree with this man's book or article we're out of time but Stan let's bring father we thank you for your word learned it is it is hard for us to understand how heaven can be heaven when we know that yet there are those who are under your judgment and as I look at it Lord and I consider these things before you it makes me simply wonder when we see you face to face when we will see how much you truly have called each and some fashion Lord that we can finally say like those who are in heaven your judgments are true there right there holy and that Lord you often simply confirm their decisions and so Lord we're blown away this evening by what you have for us those who love you those who've been called according your purposes and Lord this just reminds us how much we need to pray for those we know we love and we work alongside if whose hearts are closed their eyes are shut their ears are dull to the truth of the good news Lord how we pray that you would give us a heart to want to share with them while we have time before one day you call your church home so help us to be salt and light help us to have a burden for those who are lost Lord we were there we know what we deserve and yet you had mercy on us and so Lord we pray you give us a heart for loving those who are lost and wanting to reach them for your good news strengthen us Lord thank you for the amazing book of Isaiah and Lord as we roll into Jeremiah let it minister to your people we pray in Jesus name Amen

Channel: Calvary Chapel Chester Springs Media Ministry

Views: 645

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Keywords: Chris Swansen, Calvary Chapel Chester Springs, Pastor Chris Swansen

Id: 1PlDwiROp5I

Length: 60min 55sec (3655 seconds)

Published: Wed Aug 08 2018