WHAT was going on with DEMONS appearing before God's THRONE in 1 Kings 22?

my question my question is that about the lamp last temptation of a have King Ahab first Kings 22 22 22 describes the last temptation of a hab we know from James 1:13 that God does not tempt anyone so what are we to do with this line spirit sent from God to either tempt or test or persuade or entice King Ahab to believe a lying prophets and a corollary to that is does God provide a way of escape for non-christians like King Ahab would be oh my that's that's perfect by the way I'll do the short one I'm always supposed to do a short one no and we already know the answer that God never attempts so what about this lying spirit and and also I mean as long as you brought that up and second Thessalonians God sends them strong delusion that they should believe the lie I mean so there's a lot of theological ramifications of this but with a hab the Lord had already decided that he was going to judge him and he was held the judgment only because a have walked around if you remember walking softly wearing sackcloth and God says look at how a hab the vilest King Israel had had had introducing such wickedness and God is so moved by humility that even if the worst wicked warped perverted man like Ahab was even in a little bit responded in humility and contrition to God God was held the the wrath that was due him at the moment and so this lying spirit is only connecting back to what they have deserved and already God had ordained him to have so we'll talk about that so John I would say that that is a great just this I want to go to that passage just because I don't think most Christians understand that right now Satan appears with this these lying spirits to have access before the throne of God I mean the whole accusation of Christians by the devil it's it's real that Satan is the accuser of the Brethren that's his ministry and and he is pointing out what we do wrong and Jesus as it says our our advocate with the father steps forward and he is the one who says no that's mine that's mine I I paid for that but this is going to open a whole door to look at all the ramifications of the lying spirits and how a have turned this trial into a temptation by believing so that's a great question John sometimes I wish they'd sing longer don't you that was beautiful I was just thinking as I was up there see my evidence I was up it was me that was up there I'm still wet how many of you have had the privilege of being the channel through which the Lord proclaimed the gospel to someone and you've actually been the person there when someone has called on the name of the Lord that's called soul winning or evangelizing or sharing the gospel or leading someone to Christ but what I think about is that for many believers we want to do that we try and do that we carry around the tracks we talk to people we invite people to church but I've found the probably one of the biggest hangups or kind of impediments we have is that we never simply to say to someone after we share whatever the gospel the track the plan of salvation most Christians don't take that that final step and look them right in the eye and say would anything keep you from right now this moment asking the Lord to save you or calling on his name or receiving Christ you just look at him and you wait for an answer I remember how many times I shared the gospel but just shared it and ended and said it was good to talk to you and went on my way and I remember being next to a real evangelist you know a real evangelist I could point out to you the ones that are the congregation they look for people I mean one of them goes to Walmart I shouldn't say this because Walmart will find out they go to Walmart that food thing they have there where you can you know they they have like a dining room or something or you can buy food and sit and the employees eat there and they actually just go there and buy something and sit by an employee and and share the gospel and then when that employee leaves I don't know if they get a drink or something they sit by another one they actually they try to find people sitting alone that they can or a couple and and go to them and share the gospel but I was with one of those early on when I was in school learning all this and I heard him say after they did what I did they looked him right now and they said would anything prevent you from right now asking the Lord to save you and mmm they led someone to the Lord and I thought I never have asked and I just share the gospel and you know and that's fine you to share the gospel but you missed that blessing of seeing what you saw tonight of these coming to Christ so just to encourage the Saints around us if you have ever sat next to someone or stood next to someone or kneel next to someone and you have verbally shared the gospel and they have called out and asked the Lord to save them and the Lord used you for that wonderful miraculous work and so you are a soul winner or an evangelist or whatever you want to call it you've led someone to Christ would you just stand up right now and smile okay stand up and smile now look at the normal people around you keep standing keep smiling you survived look at that and that amazing now you may be seated now if you knew any of those people you ought to walk up to and say I saw you stand and I've always wanted to do that and I've gotten my track off the tracrac and I put it in my purse or wallet and I've I've shared it but tell me tell me how you how the Lord used you and and did you know what would be the greatest blessing there's only one thing we can take with us to heaven we can take with us 1st Thessalonians 2 19 and 20 says we at Christ's coming the hope and joy and crown of rejoicing are those that we have shared the gospel with they are the ones we are taking with us and in the greatest thing in life better than getting your name on some gigantic trophy better than being the Employee of the Year or of the century or having some you know accomplishment that's audit academically or or you know athletically or something one of the greatest things in life is to know that you have done what Jesus left us here to do and that's to go into all the world and proclaim the gospel and take people with us to heaven so you saw the the veterans they have they have done what we were left to do here and once you lead some of the Christ you don't want to stop you just start praying for more and it becomes a passion we have to share the gospel and so okay we have two microphones before you come to microphone I want to answer the one real quickly the let's all turn our Bibles to first Kings is it 21 I think so John Beck are you here is it 21 22 sorry I printed off your question but I left it on the printers so I'm just gonna wing it so if I miss too much you speak up but 22 first Kings 22 19 onward okay let's see and let's just go to 23 so all of you John Beck he's one of our faithful Christian school teachers in the area at Heritage Christian Academy and he also teaches Lego ology and if you know him he's really good at Legos and he's a great teacher but this was his question and what he asked is what's going on here and if the Lord got this demon to tempt a hab was this kind of like extrajudicial execution or whatever I mean did did he tempt in order to kill him what's going on so it was a very good question in light of Matthew 6:13 and lead us not into temptation in his his final form of the question was does God not aid unsaved people out of temptation but into temptation so they can be cut off so I mean that's just those are all great elements of this but let's start reading in first Kings 22 19 to 23 and just just some of the elements that are here then Micaiah said therefore hear the word of the Lord Mike Micaiah is the the prophet of the Lord in this moment confronting one of the wickedest heinous kings an idolatrous Israeli King Ahab who married a side own Ian wicked woman named Jezebel so I mean you know I mean her name is synonymous with with sin but therefore hear the word of the Lord I saw the Lord sitting on his throne so God's throne is in view okay and this is a prophet speaking so either this is an anthropomorphic that means something shaped so humans can understand it which is how some common ears put it or this is actually a vision kind of like John in Revelation and I would be on the non empo morphic I really think this is actually God pulled back the veil and let us see what's going on but I saw the Lord sitting on his throne and all the hosts of heaven standing by on his right hand and on his left that exactly the throne scene and the hosts exactly corresponds with all I mean when we see in Revelation the throne of God in Revelation 4 and 5 God's honest throne and the hosts are all around him when we see in Daniel 7 the same setting and this first Kings 21 and also in just a moment I'll show you one more that is fascinating in fact I'll show you two more that's fascinating Zechariah 3 Zechariah 3 this one we're in Daniel 7 that's where the fires coming out under the throne revelation 4 and 5 that the great crystal see and job 1 and 2 is fascinating but all of these have the same God on his throne all the hosts of heaven standing by his right hand and left and the Lord said who will persuade a hab to go up that he may fall at ramoth-gilead so one spoke in this manner and another spoke in that manner then a spirit came forward and stood before the Lord and said I will persuade him and the Lord said to him in what way so he said I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets and the Lord said you shall persuade him and also prevail go out and do so therefore look the Lord has put a lying spirit in the mouth of all the prophets of yours and the Lord has declared disaster against you now you can read the rest you know Zedekiah puts on this little horn thing and you know does this big deal and the verse 26 says take Micaiah the prophet returning to Ammon and save the king verse 27 put him in prison and feed him and put bread of affliction and water of affliction you know he's on bread and water kind of a solitary confinement until I come in peace verse 28 this is the boldness of a prophet and as they're hauling him off to throw him in the dungeon Micaiah turns back and looks at the king of Israel a hab in all of his robes and says if you ever return in peace the Lord has not spoken by me and he said take heed all you people so the question is did God tempt a hab with the lying spirit in the prophets and did it lead a hab to his doom well we already know that it says in the scriptures that God cannot be tempted with evil neither tempteth he any man but every man is tempted when he is drawn away of his own lust a Ahab was less driven all God had to do is tempt him through the lying spirit now it was God tempting him in the way that God says he doesn't do no but was he giving him an opportunity - to do what he wanted to do yes and what I mean look at that I just love this I'm glad John asked it so does God prevent a hab from destroying himself no did he give him a witness that could have found his way out yes did he have a prophet standing in front of him saying I saw God and God allowed this demon the demons made your prophets lie and if you listen to me you'll realize you shouldn't go into battle did he have that opportunity yes he did just like every person will stand mute before the throne of God because God said there is no tongue or language where the gospel has not been heard enough of the gospel for every single person whether it's Aborigines or Eskimos or the Aleutian island people or the people that lived in the heart of the Amazon in the time before Christ every tongue in language God has given just enough of the gospel that if they feel after him he'll reveal more of himself to them I have just got a glimpse of God in this room but I love what happened a hab daizen battle look at verse 29 so the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat verse 30 I will disguise myself and go into battle but you put on your robes in other words he says you be a sitting duck you be a big target I'm not gonna let everybody know who I am you go into battle king of Judah good guy the the one who knew the Lord I the false apostate idol-worshipping wicked under the indictment of God is gonna hide and I hope they get you but they're not gonna get me I mean that's what he was saying only in code disguised himself and went into battle in verse 31 now the king of Syria and then interesting they've always had problems with the Syrians the Israelis and Syrians have never gotten along and not much has changed and he commanded 32 captains of his chariots saying fight with no one smaller great but only was the king of Israel now that was a hem but he didn't look like a king and he had the king of judah the southern kingdom where his kingly outfit and going his kingly chariot so it was i love this verse 32 when the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat they said surely it's the king of Israel therefore they turned aside to fight against him so the 32 commanders and all their troops just come buzzing like a hornet's worm toward Jehoshaphat and he cried out and it happened when the captains of the chariots saw it was not the king of Israel however they knew that they turned back from pursuing him now look at verse 34 this is the certainty of God's judgment in the new testament it goes this way Galatians 6 and be not deceived God is not mocked whatever you sow your gonna reap you can't escape the judgment of God unless if you heard in the testimony tonight you're justified freely by His grace so look what happens now certain man drew a bow at random now that's kind of like taking your bow pulling it back and just going like this and shooting it not aiming it just shoot it drew a bow at random he wasn't really aiming at anything he just shot one out into the battle and struck the king of Israel between the joints of his armor that interesting now if it was shot this way it would be hard if it was shot from below or if it was one of those airborne shots there are joints where the chest part it's the head part and there's little places where something coming down or something coming up from below could get you and that's that's what happened it was one of those guided by the Lord and that struck him between the joints of his armor so he said the driver turn around verse 34 take me out of the battle for I'm wounded in the battle increased and they propped him up in his chariot that's some great medical care prop him up and let him bleed and the blood ran out from the wound under the floor of the chariot verse 36 and the Sun was going down a shout went through the army saying every man to a city and every man to his country verse 37 so the King died and was brought to Samaria and they buried the king in Samaria and then someone washed the chariot at a pool in Samaria and the dogs licked up his blood while the harlots bathed according to the word of the Lord which he had spoken where's that well we'll back up to chapter 21 and look at verse 9 chapter 21 is the indictment the condemnation that God brought against Ahab for his sin and if you remember nebith and the vineyard but look at verse 9 and he said so he wrote a letter saying proclaim a fast and seaton a bath in high honor and see two men scoundrels this is Jezebel's ladder to get the vineyard and they did all that and verse 15 after they stoned innocent nebith for no reason other than stealing his vineyard the king and his wife they took possession verse 15 and verse 16 so it was when Ahab heard that he went to the vineyard and then hears the word of the Lord look at verse 17 and the word of the lord came to elijah the tishbite Tishbite means from this city of Tish P you know he's from a place and became a tishbite and he said arise good anomie day hab king of israel verse 18 who lives in samaria there he is in the vineyard of naboth so the Lord's timing is just like that arrow I mean just when he was out gloating over the best vineyard that he was lusting after from his palace looking down at his neighbor's vineyard that had been generationally tended and just beautiful on the hillsides if you know anything about samaria and and this area in Navis vineyard was on the hillside it's just beautiful like Napa Valley he the word of the Lord came to Elijah arise go to Israel to me a hab king of Israel who lives in Samaria where he's in the vineyard of naboth where he has gone down to take possession verse 19 used to speak to him and say thus says the Lord have you murdered and taken possession you shall speak to him saying the Lord thus says the Lord now look at this verse 19 in the place where dogs licked the blood of nebith dogs shall lick your blood even yours Wow the Lord condemned him for the murder of this innocent man and even knew how he would die bleeding to death wash the chariot out in the pool and all that basically the lesson is God sees greed and injustice and and if you see anything in our world if you're bothered at all by any greedy injustice 'as you see this is the chapter verse - the Lord knew what they were doing in their house he watches over the week in in verse three nebith was a weak guy verse for god's judgment in chapter 21 is inescapable that the wickedness of this man the king overpowering a powerless innocent person the Lord says you can't escape my judgment the in verse 7 Jezebel all of her stuff got ways our motives got God knew exactly what Jezebel was doing he knew her wicked motivation she wrote a letter verse 9 God reads our meal did you know he knew what she wrote in the letter God sees everything that we think and say and do and and verse 11 this whole plan got know knew her plan that she was working out and in verse 15 the the rise and take the vineyard God Caesar and justices and I could go through I mean you can do the same thing but for that this scene that John Beck had is set forth for us God already had proclaimed nebith was innocent a hab and Jezebel were wicked in murdering him too greedily take his possessions and God knew he was going to die but the Lord used the the scene to set before him a temptation that he knew he couldn't pass up he was getting the free army of the southern kingdom which God was blessing to come with him a hab was in the battle he was retreating letting the good guy fight the battle and he was going to watch them win for him and he could not resist that temptation to go into battle even though the Lord said because he said I'm gonna take care of myself I'm gonna hide out in my disguise and so what I want you to see is this scene though what what's troubling about this is a demon at God's throne isn't it troublesome I mean when we think of heaven we think of perfection and holiness and everything but did you know Satan is in front of the throne of God in job one and to Satan is not pictured in the revelation four and five Satan is not pictured here but he's here where we just were and he's really here in Zechariah three so all this to say it is not unusual to have Satan and the demons coming before and why that is is in fact I'm sure that if we allow John to get near the microphone he'd say why would God allow in fact John can you say that yeah I'm glad you asked that so that was his follow up look at job chapter 1 because I want you you know in the morning services we're looking we're next going to the second half of verse 13 where the second half of the lead us not into temptation but deliver us from the evil one what exactly do we mean by deliver us from the evil one deliver us from one of the main things here and here and here that Satan is doing and that is that he is accusing us who are believers so look at job chapter one you remember the story verse six and and this is this is a fascinating peek into heaven and there was a day this is chapter 1 joke you know it goes the miller bible psalms back up one book job psalms so right in the middle and back one book up job probably the oldest book in the Bible as far as the the events were recorded probably by Moses about a man who lived just after Noah's Flood probably and so this is probably the first book of the Bible written Moses according to Jews wrote it before the Pentateuch he wrote it for the children of Israel suffering in Egypt the Pentateuch was written after they came out in the Exodus and they were getting the revelation of God so this probably is the oldest is far as first written not early a scene because creation is before it but the earliest written but verse six now there was a day when the sons of God who are the sons of God chapter 38 of joke calls the sons of God the Angels that were witnessing create the creative work of God so these are angels sons of God angels in the book of Job the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord and Satan also came among them that's the troubling part what Satan present himself before God's throne yes yes he is a creature under Authority he's the highest he's the greatest he's most powerful he he is amazingly intelligent but he's under God's Authority and so the angels come and present themselves before the Lord and Satan came among them by the way Satan means adversary Satan in Hebrew is the adversary so actually this is the this is the kind of the transliteration of the word but it means an adversary someone that stands against and that is Satan's ministry he's an he is adversive to us he's adversarial he is an adversary to to God's people and God's plan and he came among them and the Lord said to Satan where are you coming from and Satan says from going back and forth on the earth and walking back and forth on it walking back and forth on land denotes in the scriptures talking about control and ownership this is the first expression what Paul says in Ephesians 2 that the god of this world Satan is the god of this world he's also called the Prince of the power of the air so Satan is very much in fact 1st John 5 verse 20 says the whole world lies in the lap of the evil one that's why we're supposed to not love the world or the things in the world because everything in this world has this kind of like Vladimir Putin was just implicated in the killing of a KGB spy that he didn't like with polonium and when they went in with their Geiger counters there's pillow I'm all over the embassy there was a trail Satan's polonium his radioactive wickedness is is implicating him everywhere in this world he is actively doing this walking around trying to cause problems Peter says he's like an adversary a lion seeking to devour so he's going to try and devour job is what I'm saying and verse 8 and the Lord said to Satan have you considered my servant job there's nobody like him boy did that peak proud I mean Satan God says nobody like this and he went oh I got a target now I'm gonna get him no one like him on the earth he's blameless he's upright he fears God and shuns evil and Satan says yeah he shuns does he do that for nothing verse 9 you have protected in verse 10 and and you you're protecting us household and all of his possessions you've blessed everything you know what that means God can protect us and God does bless us but you know what else it means that the reason we're here on earth is not forgot to just bless us and for us to have you know ten children like Jobe head and and thousands of animals which is a measure of wealth but we're on the playing field we're on the stage and there's a cosmic conflict that John Beck's question opens briefly we don't usually think about this that what we're doing on earth living out our life you know getting our car fixed and buying cheap gas while it's cheap and trying to make ends meet and going to work and back and living life is just a part of a cosmic battle going on between God and all the unfallen angels and satan and the fallen angels called demons and there's a constant conflict going on and and so Satan says stretch out your hand and touch all he has verse 11 he'll curse you to your face which means Satan's not omniscient because Joe didn't but he was hoping he would and the Lord said to Satan behold all he has is in your power only don't lay a hand on this person God limits Satan's power that's what deliver us from the evil one means Lord when Satan attacks me do you remember the sealing of his love in the walls of his omniscience and omnipotence and his presence with us protect me through this and so the Lord is protecting him said you can touch anything but his body his person so Satan went out and there was a day when his daughters were eating and drinking and a messenger came and said oxen were plowing verse 15 the sabaeans Satan can move armies when you look at what's going on the atrocities the murder the horrific stuff going on Satan is a is a destroyer and he can prompt armies like the sabaeans or modern ones and they killed them with the edge of the sword verse 16 while you still speaking the fire of God fell from heaven Satan can send fire from heaven he does it in the tribulation a false prophet called on fire at will Satan can send fire from heaven so don't think if someone all of a sudden off somewhere says they saw a fire from heaven that God confirmed something Satan can send armies to kill Satan can bring fire from heaven and burned up the sheep verse 16 and while he was still speaking the Chaldeans now we're getting close to him that's Iraq form three bands and killed the servants and took that and look at verse 19 suddenly a great wind Satan uses storms Prince of the power of the air but all that is being regulated by God by his love his wisdom his omnipotence and his presence God was regulating was was keeping Satan from going too far and he always does and then all of his children were killed the young people in verse 19 and job rose and tore his robe and says his famous statement in chapter 2 he attacks job's helps so basically what I'm saying is this is not unique I mean we could go through Zechariah three it's the same thing Joshua representative of the high priest of Israel is standing before the Lord the angel of the Lord is there and Satan's there and Satan is accusing Joshua and the angel of the Lord rebukes him and protects Joshua and this whole scene is here it's here and it's here of this of this conflict the cosmic conflict between Satan and the people of God so it's seven oh eight and if I had another question I'll go over time so what I thought we should end with is close your Bible and grab your hymn book and I thought we would sing a golden oldie tonight because as John Beck was putting me through the wringer and as I was thinking about this I thought immediately of a mighty fortress is our God

Channel: DTBM

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Keywords: peace, hope, love, joy, anxiety, depression, trinity, orthodoxy, dispensationalism, john samuel barnett, dtbm, the bible, jesus god, holy spirit, discover the book, eschatology end times prophecy, demons angels satan devil, expository preaching john macarthur

Id: aD74avREARQ

Length: 34min 8sec (2048 seconds)

Published: Tue Jun 04 2019