February 19, 2010

• Isaiah 14 by Pastor Don Moore

  This chapter exposes lucifer. The evil one is made more powerful if people don’t know he exists or don’t believe in him.  The number one lie that lucifer tries to get us to believe is that he doesn’t exist, that there is no lucifer or satan, or that he is some cute little red imp with horns and a pitchfork. The second lie that he propagates is that we have enough time, we can put off asking Jesus into our hearts; but that is not true because we don’t know the day we will die or if we will have enough time to correct that error before death.  The third lie that lucifer tells us is that he is not what we say he is, he will masquerade as an angel of light, an angel of enlightenment. He makes us feel special, and says he is giving us revelation that no one else sees. A revelation is an understanding that you get, but that doesn’t mean that it is the truth. We need to have the revelation confirmed and it MUST agree with the Word of God.

  Pastor Don gave us an example – he said, “Eggs cook.”  That is true eggs cook, but that does not mean that it is the absolute truth on eggs, there are many ways to cook an egg.

  NOT EVERY IDEA YOU GET IS A GOD IDEA. All revelation has to be measured by the Word of God or else we are all deceived.

  What does Scripture say about Mystery Babylon and Lucifer?

  Kingdoms, representative government, hierarchy.  There are spiritual and material kingdoms. The heavenly kingdom spreads down to the population. The things we see on earth are influenced by what goes on behind the scenes in the heavenlies. We see the natural, but there is also a supernatural component to what we see in the natural.

  Pastor Don gave the example of a drama or a play. He said that we see what is on stage, but there is a lot of stuff that goes on behind the scenes and what we see on stage is what the director wants us to see. If we looked behind the scenes we would see the plywood frames and other staging materials that would take away from the scene on stage.

  What we see in the natural also has a spiritual component, and God brings forward elements so that we can discern the spiritual. We should not take the natural that we see and assume that that is all that is going on. “Off the camera” there are other forces speaking behind the scenes. We want to realize that not every spiritual force or idea that we perceive in the physical is a good idea. We need to know what is behind that force our idea, what is backstage.

  The Kingdom of earth has physical boundaries between the nations, but the Spiritual Kingdom overlaps those boundaries and encompasses many nations. As believers, we are part of a larger Kingdom than the one we perceive on earth. God raises Kingdoms and they can have no names, no borders, no national earthly representative.

  Jesus is our King, and our Kingdom has no physical, geographical boundaries.  Say, “Hallelujah, Amen, or Jesus!” in any nation in the world and people will identify themselves to you as Christians.

  In this chapter of Isaiah God is writing from two vantage points 1. hidden, 2. natural. God uses the names of places that are known on the earth.  Each of these places has spiritual authority on earth.

  As an example, Pastor Don spoke about Smyrna (mentioned in Revelation) had as their physical head, Zeus. The Christians in Smyrna received recognition for not being pulled into the blasphemy that surrounded them, and Jesus warned them that there would be much persecution; but that, as they perservered, they would receive the crown of life.  In an area like Smyrna certain principalities will gain strongholds, and those need to be resisted. 

  For example, in our country there are areas known for drugs and narcotics. There are certain places that some believers who have been freed from drug addiction can’t go for those principalities could exert influence on a new believer and pull them down. The believers first need to grow stronger in the Lord before they can minister in those areas.

  We need the power and strength of God to face those strongholds.

  There are spiritual forces in the domain of man, both Godly forces, but also satanic, demonic forces. What happens in earthly domain is influenced by these forces in the spiritual and we need discernment to know where these forces are emanating from.

  If we don’t know his name or something about him that doesn’t mean that he doesn’t exist.

  While the name, lucifer, is not in the Bible, his name means light bearer, and in Latin is phosphorus – which means light bringer, he is also known as the morning star, satan, the serpent, etc.

  Who is this person?

  He appears to God as man, and he must appear when God calls. In reality he is a fallen angel.

  We need to realize that underneath, our behavior is affected by the supernatural, that there is something behind the scenes that affects the natural. Pastor Don asked us if we have ever said or done something and then said, “I can’t believe I said that? I must have been out of my mind?”  We all have those moments.

  Isaiah 14:1 For the LORD will have mercy on Jacob, and will still choose Israel, and settle them in their own land. The strangers will be joined with them, and they will cling to the house of Jacob.

  This is talking about before – when God chose Israel. In the natural Jacob was a person, he wrestled with the Angel and the Angel gave him a new name, “Israel.” Whenever Jacob did something in the natural God called Him Jacob, when He was in God’s will, God called him Israel. Israel represented the spiritual man, Jacob the natural man.

  Pastor Don mentioned that when he was a child, his mom might call him Don – “Don, go to the store….”  If he didn’t go, his mom might get more insistent, “Donald, go to the store…” If he really pushed the envelope with his mom, she used his middle name, “DONALD EUGENE!”  

  Jacob was from the line of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob.

  Israel is a spiritual nation that God promised to never leave or forsake. God will always choose Israel, it is his first choice – the spiritual side of Jacob.  They were to settle in the land.

  Isaiah 14:2 Then people will take them and bring them to their place, and the house of Israel will possess them for servants and maids in the land of the LORD; they will take them captive whose captives they were, and rule over their oppressors.

  THEN – the house of Israel, the spiritual side, servants. They overshadowed the people who oppressed them. THE DAY OF THE LORD is also known as the DAY OF JACOB’S TROUBLE.  It is not for us. God reestablishes ISRAEL, not Jacob.

  Isaiah 14:3 It shall come to pass in the day the LORD gives you rest from your sorrow, and from your fear and the hard bondage in which you were made to serve,

  In the Day of the LORD, God will give Israel rest from their sorrow, fear and bondage.

  Isaiah 14:4  …that you will take up this proverb against the king of Babylon, and say: “How the oppressor has ceased, the golden^a]’> the wilderness, being tempted for forty days by the devil. And in those days He ate nothing, and afterward, when they had ended, He was hungry. And the devil said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.”  But Jesus answered him, saying,^d]’> all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said to Him, “All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be Yours.” And Jesus answered and said to him, “Get behind Me, Satan!^f]’> it is written, ‘You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.’” Then he brought Him to Jerusalem, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here. For it is written: ‘He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you,’ and,‘In their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone.’” And Jesus answered and said to him, “It has been said, ‘You shall not tempt the LORD your God.’” Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time.

  It does not say that satan left Jesus forever, but that he left him for an OPPORTUNE time. The devil, in his wrath, will keep coming back to us and pick on anyone who looks out of balance, emotionally unstable, under too many pressures, caught under the pressure of time, tired, hungry, or has lust out of order. People are most caught when they are caught up in PRIDE. Especially pride after a great victory and they are thinking that they are all that. Even with Jesus, satan waited for opportune times.

  Stay HUMBLE and OBEDIENT! Don’t get so busy working for the Lord that you forget to sleep, rest, and eat properly. Then you will not get stressed and give the enemy an opportune time to attack.

  SIN also opens the door to the enemy. So stay confessed up.

  Isaiah 14:6 He who struck the people in wrath with a continual stroke, he who ruled the nations in anger, is persecuted and no one hinders.

  CONTINUAL STROKE, looking for opportunities, the things behind us are hidden but affect our flesh and bring forth our worst nightmare. We say that a demon can’t influence us, but he masquerades and tricks us if we are not discerning.

  Isaiah 14:7 The whole earth is at rest and quiet; they break forth into singing.

  We can rest because the Lord will come against the evil one and his persecution. Lift up your arms and praise the Lord for His victory. Pastor Don reminded us of a play, “Your Arm’s too Short to Box with God.”  People were praising God because with Him no one could pull us under.

  But if we are not careful great ministries and marriages can fall if we let our guard down. The devil has been defeated by God and we need to remember that and claim our authority as believers. When a test comes we need to see it as an opportunity to grow, and if we fail a test, figure out what went wrong and determine not to make the same mistake again.

  Isaiah 14:8-9 Indeed the cypress trees rejoice over you, and the cedars of Lebanon, saying, ‘Since you were cut down, no woodsman has come up against us. Hell from beneath is excited about you, to meet you at your coming; it stirs up the dead for you, all the chief ones of the earth; it has raised up from their thrones all the kings of the nations.

  Hell is under the authority of God. He can send satan to hell, and bind us. Those who are in hell will be glad to see satan sent there, getting his just due. Pastor Don spoke about Anton Levey who wrote the satanic bible, never repented  and most probably went to hell when he died of cancer at the age of 52. The enemy used him and then Levey had the most painful cancer, and the enemy left him to suffer. While things may seem to go well for a time when we serve satan, ultimately satan will turn on you and you will end up suffering.

  Isaiah 14:10 They all shall speak and say to you: ’Have you also become as weak as we? Have you become like us?’

  All people in hell know that they are there because satan’s influence is what took them down there.

  Isaiah 14:11 Your pomp is brought down to Sheol, and the sound of your stringed instruments; the maggot is spread under you, and worms cover you.’

  So, lucifer was once glorious in heaven, the worship leader of God, but now because of his rebelion he is now maggoty.

  Isaiah 14:12-13  How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer,^a]’> on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.

  Many infer that between verse 1 and 2 was when satan was cast down to earth, and the beauty of creation was marred and the earth became without form and void. There is a mystery between verse 1 and 2, because why would God, who is perfect, create something without form and void?

  We will continue this study in Isaiah later and find the unveiling of the nations, the judgment in the Last Days. God will bring judgment down on the nations that sought to hurt Israel; and forgive Israel.

  Israel was sometimes acting in the Spirit of God, other times acting under the influence of the enemy.

  We need to begin to discern and get under the leadership of the Holy Ghost, so that we are a people led by the Lord. We need this discernment so that we can see when we are acting under the influence of the enemy. God is still on the throne and we do not have to be influenced by the enemy.

  Praying your day is blessed!!!!

  Heather

  • 7:50 am
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