Archive for July, 2013

Isaiah 9:11-12 God Uses Enemy Nations for His Purpose

Posted in Isaiah, Prophecy with tags , , , , , , , , on July 28, 2013 by paulthepoke

Isaiah 9:11-12  Therefore the LORD raises against them adversaries from Rezin and spurs their enemies on, the Arameans on the east and the Philistines on the west; and they devour Israel with gaping jaws. In spite of all this, His anger does not turn away and His hand is still stretched out.

The Bible tells us Rezin is synonymous Damascus, Syria from Isaiah 7:8a “For the head of Aram is Damascus and the head of Damascus is Rezin…”  They are also known as the Arameans. The Philistines are the equivalent to the area where the modern day Gaza Strip is located on the Mediterranean Sea southwest of Jerusalem.

God is going to use these two groups of people to judge Israel. As enemies of Israel, Syria and the Philistines are willing accomplices and instruments of God. Their destruction of Israel is with complete totality.

With this initial judgment God is not finished, He is just getting started. God has His hand ready to strike Israel again. The phrase “In spite of all this His anger does not turn away, and His hand is still stretched out” is noted three additional times in Isaiah 9:17, 9:21, and 10:4.

Judgment comes to a close in Isaiah 10:12. In total, Israel will go through a series of four judgments before God has finished His work.

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Isaiah 9:8-10 The Cost of Pride

Posted in Isaiah with tags , , , , , , , , on July 21, 2013 by paulthepoke

Isaiah 9:8-10 The Lord sends a message against Jacob, and it falls on Israel. And all the people know it, That is, Ephraim and the inhabitants of Samaria, asserting in pride and in arrogance of heart: “The bricks have fallen down, but we will rebuild with smooth stones; the sycamores have been cut down, but we will replace them with cedars.”

God is very specific to who He is communicating, Israel. Judgment is coming.

Ephraim and Samaria are located due north of Jerusalem and west of the Jordan River.

The mental attitude is, “We will build it bigger and stronger”. This is a temporary setback. Majesty, greatness, and magnificence are their intentions.  One could say we see this same attitude in our world today. Look at the response of humanity to natural disasters. Engineering is geared to withstand massive quakes and hurricanes with the belief buildings and bridges can survive acts of God.

They upgrade their materials from bricks to smooth stones. Bricks were the most primitive material used in the construction of homes. Prominent cities utilized stone for their fortified walls, temples, grain silos, and buildings. Stone construction was a symbol of strength and technological development. Personal houses and dwellings that were built with stone indicated wealth (The New Manners and Customs of Bible Times).

The wood used is higher in quality from sycamore to cedar. Sycamore trees were abundant. Sycamore lumber was long lasting and light. Cedar wood was choice for architectural uses. The wood of the cedar is disease resistant and slow to decay. Cedar was a valuable and stout wood. The temple was primarily constructed with cedar (New Unger’s Bible Dictionary).

Israel uses the best materials available. This is not going to matter. It did not work for Edom either…Malachi 1:4a Though Edom says, “We have been beaten down, but we will return and build up the ruins”; thus says the LORD of hosts, “They may build, but I will tear down…

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Isaiah 9:7 Kingdom of Peace

Posted in Isaiah, Prophecy with tags , , , , , , , , on July 15, 2013 by paulthepoke

Isaiah 9:7 There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness from then on and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will accomplish this.

Peace in the kingdom will be limitless. Never ending peace is a constant concept in the Old Testament prophecies of the kingdom. The peace granted is complete. There will be absence of war. And peace will exist with nature and the environment.  Ezekiel 34:25 “I will make a covenant of peace with them and eliminate harmful beasts from the land so that they may live securely in the wilderness and sleep in the woods.”  See also Hosea 2:18 “In that day I will also make a covenant for them with the beasts of the field, the birds of the sky and the creeping things of the ground. And I will abolish the bow, the sword and war from the land, and will make them lie down in safety.”

The Isaiah verse states this leader will come from the throne of David. This message was communicated and confirmed to the Virgin Mary from the angel Gabriel in Luke 1:31-33. “And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.”

Once the Kingdom is established, it will be eternal. This same concept is noted in Daniel 2:44. “In the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which will never be destroyed, and that kingdom will not be left for another people; it will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, but it will itself endure forever.

The military commander will do this by His zeal. The Hebrew word for “zeal” is qin ‘ah. Per Strong’s Concordance, this means: ardour, jealousy, jealous disposition of God for His people. God is committed to establishing peace on Earth.

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Isaiah 19:2, Trend Update, Egyptian Turmoil

Posted in Isaiah, Prophecy with tags , , , , , , , , on July 6, 2013 by paulthepoke

Isaiah 19:2 “So I will incite Egyptians against Egyptians; and they will each fight against his brother and each against his neighbor, city against city and kingdom against kingdom…”

Early July 2013, Trend Update.

The military has overthrown the democratically elected president of Egypt. Here is a list of recent headlines noted in the last couple of days since the event unfolded.

An interim president has been appointed along with a prime minister.

At least 35 people died and more than 1,000 were wounded in violence on Friday and Saturday, with the army struggling to maintain order in Cairo, Alexandria and other cities and towns, where rival demonstrators fought street battles.

The most deadly clashes were in the Mediterranean city of Alexandria, where 14 people died and 200 were wounded.

In central Cairo, protesters clashed late into Friday night with stones, knives, petrol bombs and clubs as armored personnel carriers rumbled among them.

It took hours to restore calm on the Nile River bridges around the landmark Egyptian Museum. Anti-Mursi activists remained encamped in a suburb of the capital, but Cairo and others cities were relatively calm as darkness fell on Saturday.

On Saturday, a Coptic Christian priest was shot dead in Egypt’s lawless North Sinai province in what could be the first sectarian attack since Mursi’s overthrow, raising concerns about the potential for further religious violence.

There were more attacks on army checkpoints in Sinai overnight and gunmen fired on a central security building in El Arish, security sources said.

A new Islamist group announced its formation in the Sinai peninsula adjoining Israel and the Gaza Strip, calling the army’s removal of Mursi a declaration of war on their faith and threatening violence to impose Islamic law.

Violence is wide spread throughout the country.

Again, I am not suggesting the events we are seeing today are Biblical Prophecy being played out before our eyes. It may be. Time will tell. I would probably have more conviction on prophecy unfolding if the Nile River goes dry. The Nile going dry has not happened in history to my knowledge.

This prophecy was written by Isaiah approximately 2700 years ago. God states He is the one behind the actions and events.

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