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Mighty To Save… Joshua of Ghana

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Joshua Ghana with tags God, Gospel, Isaiah 33, Jesus Christ, salvation, zion on April 28, 2022 by paulthepoke

TEXT: ISAIAH 33:13-24

“And the inhabitant shall not say, I am sick: the people that dwell therein shall be forgiven their iniquity” (Isaiah 33:24).

Only through Christ Jesus can mankind secure the double cure for the double malady of sin and sickness.

Our passage today shows the reaction of the inhabitants of Zion to the miraculous defeat of the Assyrian army and portrays the final defeat of the antichrist and false prophets by Christ. God has used this event to call all that are near and afar to consider their ways and turn to Him. First, we see the hypocritical sinners in Zion gripped with fear at the mighty power and holiness of God.

“Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? Who among us shall dwell with everlasting burning?” Throughout the ages, the response of God has always been the same to all who seek to be in His presence (Psalm 15:2; 24:4).

He is gracious and merciful to those who walk righteously, speak uprightly, avoid oppression, deceit and blood guiltiness. Those with clean hands and a pure heart will see the King in His beauty.

How then can sinful and defiled man come before the Most High God? It is only through repentance from sin and faith in Christ’s atoning work. God sent Jesus Christ to take away our sin and cleanse us from its pollutions. He came and preached repentance and new birth as a means of coming into the presence of the holy God.

“From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 4:17).

The benefits of a right relationship with God and living according to His word are many: we enjoy safety and security from our foes, healing from diseases and the final salvation with God in eternity.

Indeed, it can rightly be said of those who make Jehovah their Lord, “Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received of the LORD’S hand double for all her sins” (Isaiah 40:2).

*THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:* He who saves also cleanses from all sin.

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Millennial Kingdom: Joy, Part 1

Posted in Millennial Kingdom, Prophecy with tags Colossians 1, Holy One of Israel, Isaiah, jerusalem, Jesus Christ, Millennial Kingdom, rock, Romans 9, Temple, zion on April 17, 2016 by paulthepoke

Isaiah 12:6 Cry aloud and shout for joy, O inhabitant of Zion, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.

One of the characteristics of the Millennial Kingdom is joy. The expression of joy is not a warm fuzzy passive feeling. Fun haters and negative attitudes are not welcome. The Scripture references are consistent and clear…cry and shout with passion!

The Hebrew word for “cry aloud” is tsahal. Per Strong’s Concordance it means to cry shrilly intensively and intentionally.

The Hebrew word for “shout” is ranan. It means: to give a ringing cry in joy, exaltation, or distress; to cry aloud in summons, exhortation of wisdom.

Zion is Jerusalem. They are to emphatically know with passion there is to be joy in Zion.

The Holy One of Israel is a term that is used scores of times in the Old Testament. The Holy One of Israel is equated with the Lord. The Holy One is the creator God. He is in control and has a plan. Isaiah 45:11 Thus says the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, and his Maker: “Ask Me about the things to come concerning My sons, and you shall commit to Me the work of My hands.

The New Testament confirms the identity of the Holy One of Israel. It is Jesus. Colossians 1:15-17 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.

Isaiah 9:3 You shall multiply the nation, You shall increase their gladness; they will be glad in Your presence as with the gladness of harvest, as men rejoice when they divide the spoil.

The grammar in the Hebrew says, God will magnify and make great their gladness. The concept with gladness is joy, mirth, gaiety, and pleasure. He (Jesus) will be in their presence. The pleasure will be like the ultimate bumper crop of fresh home grown tomatoes. The original grammar indicates the mirth will be like winning the greatest all time lottery, resources galore.

Isaiah 30:29 You will have songs as in the night when you keep the festival, and gladness of heart as when one marches to the sound of the flute, to go to the mountain of the LORD, to the Rock of Israel.

The Millennial Kingdom is described as a concert type atmosphere. There will be singing at night and gatherings with lots of food.

The Hebrew word for “heart” is lebab. Culturally, the lebab is viewed as the inner man, mind, will, heart, soul, understanding. The lebab will be giddy with joy. The people will have an extra hop in their step when they go to the mountain of the Lord or the Temple in Jerusalem. The place is going to be rocking.

Who is the Rock of Israel? The Apostle Paul in the book of Romans quotes Isaiah 8:14 and 28:16 to identify the Rock. Romans 9:33 as it is written, “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense; and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”

If you believe in the Rock, you will be saved.

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Name Game: Israel to Hephzibah, Beulah Land

Posted in Isaiah, Prophecy with tags 2 Kings 21, Beulah Land, curse, Genesis 3, Genesis 32, God, Hephzibah, Isaiah 62, Israel, jerusalem, Romans 8, Sweet Beulah Land, zion on May 10, 2015 by paulthepoke

Isaiah 62:1-4 For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not keep quiet, until her righteousness goes forth like brightness, and her salvation like a torch that is burning. The nations will see your righteousness, and all kings your glory; and you will be called by a new name which the mouth of the LORD will designate. You will also be a crown of beauty in the hand of the LORD, and a royal diadem in the hand of your God. It will no longer be said to you, “Forsaken,” nor to your land will it any longer be said, “Desolate”; but you will be called, “My delight is in her,” and your land, “Married”; for the LORD delights in you, and to Him your land will be married.

Genesis 32:28 He said, “Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but Israel; for you have striven with God and with men and have prevailed.”

There is yet another name coming for the people and nation who are known as Israel. God Himself will make the change. The Bible says that name will be Hephzibah.

The name Hephzibah is noted one other place in the Bible. She was the mother of King Manasseh and queen to King Hezekiah. 2 Kings 21:1 Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was Hephzibah. Per Strong’s Concordance, her name means: My delight is in her.

The land will undergo a name change as well, “married” or Beulah. Per Strong’s Beulah means: to marry, rule over, possess, own, be lord (husband) over. The relationship between God and the land is that of a marriage covenant. Some know the term from the southern hymn “Sweet Beulah Land”.

This likely speaks to the reversal of the curse on the land. Genesis 3:17a Then to Adam He said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree about which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat from it’; cursed is the ground because of you… The Apostle Paul confirms the curse of the land in the New Testament. Romans 8:22 For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now.

God is a redeemer and restorer. Revelation 21:5 And He who sits on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” And He said, “Write, for these words are faithful and true.”

Israel will no longer wrestle with God or with the nations of humanity. The struggle will end.

http://www.timesofisrael.com/iran-supreme-leader-touts-9-point-plan-to-destroy-israel/

http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/Iran-Israel-destruction-annihilation/2015/04/01/id/635729/

For the nations hostile to Israel who say, “Israel will be no more…” They are correct.

God and Israel will prevail. God’s delight will be in His chosen people, Hephzibah… and the land, Beulah.

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Isaiah 10:24-25 The Assyrian Antichrist?

Posted in Isaiah, Prophecy with tags Antichrist, Asshur, Assyrian Empire, Genesis 10, Isaiah 10, Israel, jerusalem, Noah, Prophecy, Revelation 19, Shem, The Assyrian, zion on November 24, 2013 by paulthepoke

Isaiah 10:24-25 Therefore thus says the Lord GOD of hosts, “O My people who dwell in Zion, do not fear the Assyrian who strikes you with the rod and lifts up his staff against you, the way Egypt did. For in a very little while My indignation against you will be spent and My anger will be directed to their destruction.”

God is calling out to the citizens of Zion or Jerusalem. Assyria’s treatment of the Jews is similar to the bondage Israel experienced in Egypt. Israel do not sweat it, God is going to take care of this guy and his people. God informs the people of Israel their judgment is almost over. When that has run its course, Assyria will be destroyed.

Another name for the Assyrian is Asshur. The genealogy traces back to Noah and his son Shem. Asshur is the second son of Shem (son of Noah). Genesis 10:22 The sons of Shem were Elam and Asshur and Arpachshad and Lud and Aram. After the flood, Asshur settled in what is modern day Iraq on the Tigris River. His city was located between modern day Baghdad and Mosul. Asshur was the first capital of Assyria (Holman Quicksource Bible Dictionary).

This geographical area has been home to conquering empires throughout history. It was home to the Assyrian Empire. It was home to the Seleucid Empire after the four way split of Alexander the Great’s Grecian Empire. This area was a part of the Eastern leg of the Roman Empire. The eastern leg eventually became the Byzantine Empire. The last empire in this region was the Ottoman until the 19^th Century. (An Alternative View: The Return of Nimrod? Chuck Missler)

Who is the Assyrian? Some would argue he is the Antichrist. The Antichrist is destined to be thrown alive into the Lake of Fire in Revelation 19:20. I would argue the Assyrian is not the Antichrist. His fate is to be discussed in the next post. His destination is not the Lake of Fire. He will not be alive; he is going to die.

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Isaiah 8:14-16 The Rock

Posted in Gospel, Isaiah with tags apologetics, faith, Gospel, Isaiah 28:16, Isaiah 8:14, Israel, jerusalem, Jesus, Prophecy, rock, Romans 9:33, salvation, zion on April 27, 2013 by paulthepoke

Isaiah 8:14 “Then He shall become a sanctuary; but to both the houses of Israel, a stone to strike and a rock to stumble over, and a snare and a trap for the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

In Romans 9, the Apostle Paul is quoting from Isaiah 8:14 in the initial half of the verse. Then Isaiah 28:16 is quoted in the back half of the verse. Romans 9 tells us who this “rock” or “stone” is. It is Jesus. Paul connects the dots of the two verses.

Romans 9:33 just as it is written, “BEHOLD, I LAY IN ZION A STONE OF STUMBLING AND A ROCK OF OFFENSE, AND HE WHO BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED.”

He is sacred and holy like a sanctuary. The phrase “a stone to strike” was prophetic when written by Isaiah. The grammar of the phrase in Hebrew refers to the stone being struck a fatal blow. He is an obstacle to the Jewish people. Jews by and large do not believe He is their Messiah. They remain hostile to His name.

The Hebrew word for “snare” is pach. According to Strong’s Concordance, it literally is a bird trap. Figuratively, it can mean an agent of calamity. He is the bait for the destructive trap to the people of Jerusalem.

Isaiah 8:15 Many will stumble over them, then they will fall and be broken; they will even be snared and caught.”

Verse 15 restates the outcome of the Jewish people. Jesus will be an obstacle. Great numbers will trip over “the rock”. They will be crippled and crushed, shattered into pieces.

Isaiah 28:16 Therefore thus says the Lord GOD, “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a tested stone, a costly cornerstone for the foundation, firmly placed. He who believes in it will not be disturbed.

The “stone” is tested and tried. The cornerstone is described as yaqar in the Hebrew. Yaqar can mean: valuable, prized, weighty, precious, rare, splendid, costly, or glorious. The syntax in the original Hebrew language states the “rock” was firmly, intentionally, and intensively placed. We know today, He was sent and set by the Father. The condition is the same whether it is the New Testament or the Old Testament. Believe in “The Rock”.

Isaiah 8:16 Bind up the testimony, seal the law among my disciples.

This is an official, sealed, and legal document as far as God is concerned. It was completed once in the past and the results are binding today and forever more.

“It is finished,” Jesus (John 19:30).

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Isaiah 4:3 Jerusalem Survivors, Known Before Creation

Posted in Isaiah with tags book of life, eternal, God, Gospel, Isaiah, jerusalem, Jesus, Omniscient, zion on April 29, 2012 by paulthepoke

Isaiah 4:3 It will come about that he who is left in Zion and remains in Jerusalem will be called holy—everyone who is recorded for life in Jerusalem.

Specifically, this is a list of people for those who are in Jerusalem. It is clearly for Jerusalem, there are three references alone in the sentence. Zion is a reference to Jerusalem and it means “parched place”. The survivors are holy, special and set apart.

God clearly keeps a ledger of what is taking place on planet Earth. He knows the eternal destination of all of the people (past, present, and future). This concept is encompassed from before the creation all the way through the book of Revelation. For example, look at the references to The Book of life. God is keeping track of everybody. Revelation 13:8b …everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who has been slain. Known from the beginning, the book belongs to Jesus, He is the Lamb. Ownership of the book is confirmed in Revelation 21:27. This is a radical statement. God is claiming to know who would turn to Him and believe in His Lamb before the creation of the universe. God knew in eternity past what individuals would choose for their eternal destination in the 21^st century.

Psalm 139:6 Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; and in Your book were all written The days that were ordained for me, when as yet there was not one of them. God knows the number of days we are going to live before we are born and physically on the planet. God has seen our soul and spirit.

Exodus 32:32-33 Moses speaking “But now, if You will, forgive their sin—and if not, please blot me out from Your book which You have written!” The LORD said to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against Me, I will blot him out of My book. Nation Israel was aware of the Book of Life while wondering in the desert.

Psalm 69:28 May they be blotted out of the book of life and may they not be recorded with the righteous.

Psalm 87:6 The LORD will count when He registers the peoples, “This one was born there.” Selah. He knows when and where people were born.

Revelation 20:12, 15 And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds. And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. These verses point out there are many books in addition to the Book of Life. Our lives are being documented, both good and bad. There is an eternal accounting. Our actions and choices are recorded. He knows the eternal destination of individuals whether it is Heaven or Hell.

Luke 10:20 “Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are recorded in heaven.” -Jesus