July 17, 2010
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Isaiah 35 -36 Ezekiel 38 by Pastor Don
Bible study, end of May
Isaiah 35:1-3 The wilderness and the wasteland shall be glad for them, and the desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose; it shall blossom abundantly and rejoice, even with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, the excellence of Carmel and Sharon. They shall see the glory of the LORD, the excellency of our God. Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees.
This is an excellent healing scripture for injuries – strengthen the weak hands and make firm the feeble knees.
Isaiah 35:4 Say to those who are fearful-hearted, “Be strong, do not fear! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God; He will come and save you.”
With Vengeance. This seems like a paradox – Don’t be afraid, your God is coming with vengeance. The wrath of God is not for us. That does not mean that things will not disturb us, that we don’t lose stuff or we will not be tormented in our minds. If we have a sense of entitlement without God’s purpose, we may lose what we feel we are entitled to. God does not want us so motivated by things that they become idols to us. Be grateful for what you have. In God’s plan, when He brings His vengeance on the world it is for the time when things are turned upside down. When the system of the antichrist is in position, and the antichrist’s system goes down, anything we have invested in the antichrist system will go down with it. But we don’t have to worry, for our hope is in the Lord.
We need to return to the time when we enjoyed SIMPLE JOYS, joys that correctly placed our trust in the Lord. God brings a time of recompense, and pays back evil for what evil did. But God will save the believe.
Pastor Don suggested a great movie – Oh Brother, Where art Thou? Then he told his favorite joke about a man sitting on the roof of his house during a flood. A boat comes by and offers him a ride – and the man replies, “No thank you, God is going to save me.” He gives the same response when a helicopter comes by. And a few other ways of rescue present themselves. Finally the flood drowns the man and in Heaven he asks God, “I though you were going to save me.” God said I sent the helicopter, the boat, etc, and you did not take them. Sometimes what we think God will do to save us isn’t what He does, we need to keep our eyes open and recognize God’s hand in some of the natural events of our lives.
Isaiah Chapter 34 is the Judgment of the Nations.
Isaiah 35 is the Glory of His Coming and His Wrath.
We are experiencing wrath now, but God will bring greater wrath. Research and you will see that the incidence of earthquakes are increasing – and their intensity is increasing. At one point there will be an earthquake where whole islands are gone and everything changes.
The Glory of Zion will look like the wrath of God poured out on the earth. God will be vindicating the saints who have been killed.
Isaiah 35:4 Say to those who are fearful-hearted, “Be strong, do not fear! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God; He will come and save you.”
If God tells us to NOT BE AFRAID, there must be things happening that could make us truthfully fearful. On 9-11 we lost our sense of invincibility and gained a sense of fear. Prior to that terrorist attacks were in other countries. Even with the political unrest of today we are not to be afraid.
Isaiah 35:5-6 Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then the lame shall leap like a deer, and the tongue of the dumb sing. For waters shall burst forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert.
Water in the wilderness – water is a symbol of the Word of God, and when we are in a place of stress it is like we are in the wilderness. God will provide His Word in our distress.
Isaiah 35:7 The parched ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water; in the habitation of jackals, where each lay, there shall be grass with reeds and rushes.
Rivers of Living water, signs and wonders. When we live in the abundance of the Word of God, people look at things a little differently.
Pastor Don suggested the movie “The Book of Eli” as a “wake-up kind of a movie, where Eli tries to preserve the scriptures.
He also told us that the new Shrek movie is family friendly.We need to rethink stuff that comes from unconventional sources.
The water in verse 7 replenishes. The Euphrates dries up before the Coming of the Lord. When He comes He replenishes the water.
Isaiah 35:8 A highway shall be there, and a road, and it shall be called the Highway of Holiness. The unclean shall not pass over it, but it shall be for others. Whoever walks the road, although a fool, shall not go astray.
Does God love us, even fools? God saves even fools. He chooses the stupid and those who make bad choices. We cannot be prideful in ourselves, but rather in God who chooses us.
Isaiah 35:9-10 No lion shall be there, nor shall any ravenous beast go up on it; it shall not be found there. But the redeemed shall walk there, and the ransomed of the LORD shall return, and come to Zion with singing, with everlasting joy on their heads. They shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.
With singing. Bring it to places that have been cursed, that are against God.
Pastor Don spoke of Ezekiel 37-38, and pointed out that the United States is not mentioned in these prophesies. The passage in Isaiah speaks of Israel returning to Jerusalem. It mentions in Ezekiel 37 and 38 that a nation that is not a nation, USA is a republic not a democracy. And there will be a coalition led from a land far away.
Ezekiel 36:19-21 So I scattered them among the nations, and they were dispersed throughout the countries; I judged them according to their ways and their deeds. When they came to the nations, wherever they went, they profaned My holy name—when they said of them, ‘These are the people of the LORD,and yet they have gone out of His land.’ But I had concern for My holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the nations wherever they went.
The Jews were dispersed throughout the nations, and the influence of the nations has made them more secular and carnal. Many Jewish people are attracted to the new age. Many Jewish people are more interested in money, avarice, greed and ideas. But God will still redeem a remnant and reawaken their love for Him.
Ezekiel 36:22-24 “Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “I do not do this for your sake, O house of Israel, but for My holy name’s sake, which you have profaned among the nations wherever you went. And I will sanctify My great name, which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned in their midst; and the nations shall know that I am the LORD,” says the Lord GOD, “when I am hallowed in you before their eyes. For I will take you from among the nations, gather you out of all countries, and bring you into your own land.”
Now there are more Jews in Israel than Jews in New York City. There is a shift to Israel. Even secular Jews want a trip to Israel.
Ezekiel 36:25 Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols.
Lots of the Word of God on you and you will be clean, washed with the water of the Word.
Ezekiel 36:26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.
A heart of flesh, God softens our hearts.
Ezekiel 36:27-28 I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them. Then you shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; you shall be My people, and I will be your God.
Ezekiel 36:29-30 I will deliver you from all your uncleannesses. I will call for the grain and multiply it, and bring no famine upon you. And I will multiply the fruit of your trees and the increase of your fields, so that you need never again bear the reproach of famine among the nations.
No famine
Ezekiel 36:31 Then you will remember your evil ways and your deeds that were not good; and you will loathe yourselves in your own sight, for your iniquities and your abominations.
They will loathe themselves.
Ezekiel 36:32 Not for your sake do I do this,” says the Lord GOD, “let it be known to you. Be ashamed and confounded for your own ways, O house of Israel!”
God does it for Himself,
Ezekiel 38:2 Son of man, set your face against Gog, of the land of Magog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal, and prophesy against him,
Gog is a spirit over Magog. This is a spirit in the same way that in the book of Daniel there was a Prince of Persia, and the angel who visited Daniel needed the help of Archangel Michael to fight this prince for 21 days before he could reach Daniel with the answer to his prayer. Right now the devil is the one who has power over the earth, because Adam and Eve gave him that power. But that will change in the end days.
Ezekiel 38:13 Sheba, Dedan, the merchants of Tarshish, and all their young lions will say to you, ‘Have you come to take plunder? Have you gathered your army to take booty, to carry away silver and gold, to take away livestock and goods, to take great plunder?’”’
Tarshish is what we call “Turkey” today. It is not the Roman Empire, but Islam that we will find the battle with. The Muslims believe that the Mahdi is coming to destroy the people of the Book (the Jews) and the Christians. They want world-wide domination of Islam.
Our assignment was to read Ezekiel 37 – the World view trumps culture. If the world view does not agree with the Word of God you need to reject the culture.
