A Mighty Move of God
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Isaiah
34. An expository study of Isaiah, chapter 37
Judah
humbles itself before God
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| Judah alone remains unconquered in the Assyrian Empire... "She despises you, she scorns you - the virgin daughter of Zion." |
The attitude of the people that we will see in this
chapter is sweet in God’s mouth and precious in His eyes. It was partly because
there were mani-festations of humility like this in the temple of the Old
Testament that Christ was incited against the practices that took place there
in His day. It came to a point, when with divine authority and anger, He
twisted reeds together and stormed into the temple, declaring that His Father’s
house was to be known as a house of prayer (Jn.2:14-16; Mk.11:17).
The situation demanded drastic action. I certainly understand the leaders, who are giving
examples of dramatic conversions and motivating us to focus on the present need
and put our time and exert our efforts in bringing individuals in from the
paths of sin. However, I cannot concur with them, if they emphasize that point
to the exclusion of interest in classical revival. They tend to classify the
people who are looking and praying for revival as impractical and unrealistic
dreamers. Would they, please, reassess that position? I assure you that right
now individual results are not enough and that revival is the only cure for the
Western world, especially America.
Eight Tactics of the Enemy
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Isaiah
33. An expository study of Isaiah, chapter 36
The
Assyrian Empire
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| The prism of Sennacherib |
I have been looking forward to this chapter and the
three that follow, in which Isaiah relates some current events of his time. He
has been prophesying of the Assyrian invasion into various countries in the
Middle East and has shown that cities in Judah itself would not be spared, He
has said that the citizens of Jerusalem would be greatly shaken and ambassadors
would fail in their negotiations with the Assyrian authorities.
Assyrian inscriptions, which are found in museums
around the world, tell of Sennacherib and his conquests, stating that he lived
some 20 years after this invasion. Many inscriptions have been translated and
published in various books during the latter part of the 20th
Century. Assyria is an ancient nation, but the Assyrian Empire, so entwined
with Israel’s history, rose and expanded somewhere near 900 B.C. and fell near
600 B.C. The siege of Jerusalem, of which we now read, occurred very close to
700 B.C.
Under the reign of good King Hezekiah there are signs
of repentance and spiritual revival in Jerusalem. In 33:2 we see the people
looking to their God and waiting upon Him for deliverance. As we approach the
end of Old Testament history and observe the national decay, first of Israel
and then of Judah, we have before us a reprieve, a time for encouragement.
However, it is also a time of crisis and great trouble, through which the
people turn to the Lord. This has been the case in church history and proves
that the people of God have been at their best when under attack.
Blessing Follows the Curse
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Isaiah
32. An expository study of Isaiah, chapter 34 and 35
Chapter 34
Isaiah is eloquent on the subject of divine
retribution and judgment and in this chapter, as we have already seen in
chapter 24, he proclaims universal judgment against all the nations. This is
not only a message from the Old Testament, but it is a prophecy that passes
through the New Testament and reaches to the end of our age.
“Draw near, O nations, to hear, and give
attention, O peoples! Let the earth hear, and all that fills it; the world, and
all that comes from it” (verse
1). Much of the church in our day has tried to eliminate or at least to soften
and minimize the anger and vengeance of God. Rob Bell, a 21st
Century false prophet, has declared that the preaching of eternal punishment in
hell is “toxic”. A popular Spanish singer/preacher, Marcos Vidal, has said that
the presentation of a God of wrath is anti-biblical and diabolical. They are
totally wrong and will answer to God on judgment day for teaching error. Francis Chan thinks that we will need to
repent and confess being ashamed of an attribute of our Lord, as well as our negligence
and timidity in declaring His wrath.
The Syndrome of Hubris...
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Important messages
... the sickness of those who believe that they know everything.
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| The illustration for John Milton's Paradise Lost by Gustave Doré(1866).The spiritual descent of Lucifer into Satan is one of the most famous examples of hubris... |
This is a personality trait that we find sometimes among believers and always among cultists. The word "hubris" came to my attention a few years ago, through reading a critique of Rob Bell's book called LOVE WINS. Bell challenged teaching on eternal punishment as something "toxic", thereby defying all the carefully analyzed and accepted beliefs of church history. What kind of mentality can make such assertions? This short article gives us the answer to that question.
I copy for you the Wikipedia definition of "hubris":
"Hubris (/ˈhjuːbrɪs/, also hybris, from ancient Greek ὕβρις) describes a personality quality of extreme or foolish pride or dangerous over-confidence. In its ancient Greek context, it typically describes behavior that defies the norms of behavior or challenges the gods, and which in turn brings about the downfall, or nemesis, of the perpetrator of hubris."
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