What will be the secret of America's good achievement? America's freedom and prosperity did not occur by opportunity. We're a nation blessed by God. We have been blessed beyond any nation in background but now we've forgotten God. Psalm 9:17 "The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all of the nations that forget God." We continue to fill the cup of God's wrath with our corruption. God is saddened when a man appears content to live within the filth of his own corruption. A man ought to tremble in the wrath he stirs within the heart of God when he attempts to destroy the hearts of others, specially the young and innocent, with his corruption. As a nation we've awakened the wrath of God by exporting our corruption to other nations. We use to export steel, textiles and technology. Now we export pornography,sheds storage, abortion and homosexual rights.
We have banned the Bible, prayer plus the Ten Commandments from our schools and institutions. We have banned the very mention of God's name. Do we count on God to slump his shoulders and walk away? What exactly is God's reaction to America's rejection of him? Since he's the same yesterday, at this time and forever and he by no means changes, we are able to find out how God will react to America nowadays by seeking historically at how he reacted to countries on the past that committed such sins.
What do Israel and America have in popular? They're the only two nations in history that had been founded upon God from their pretty inception. America was known as to be a light for the nations just as ancient Israel was. God's program for nations that he has chosen to be light and salt is the fact that if we continue to comply with him we will be blessed but if we turn our backs on him and forget him we shall be removed.
Dr. Luke recorded these words of Jesus; "...to whom significantly is given, of him shall a lot be required." (Luke 12:48) We were established on the foundations from the really word of God and he blessed us for our efforts, for our obedience. We became the wealthiest, most powerful nation on earth. We had been blessed with resources, we had been blessed with ingenuity and innovations and a common of living that other nations could only dream of.
Israel experienced comparable blessings more than 2500 years ago. Israel was chosen of God to be that "city upon a hill", that nation that will be the flag ship for all other nations, pointing them toward God. But Israel was influenced by the pagan practices of neighboring nations. They lost their hunger for God and they began to yearn for frivolous items that would temporarily satisfy the lusts of their hearts. They started to reside for the moment as an alternative to for eternity.
God allowed Israel to suffer an attack from Assyria from the north. This was a wakeup call. But instead of respond to this warning from the Almighty, Israel continued in her waywardness. When God spoke against the sons of Jacob and his judgment fell on Israel they said, "The bricks have fallen down, but we'll rebuild with dressed stone; the fig trees have already been felled, but we will replace them with cedars." (Isaiah 9:ten)
God removed the umbrella of protection from Israel. He meant this attack form Assyria to become a warning. It was a wake-up call. He was pleading with his chosen: "If my people, who're known as by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked methods, then I'll hear from heaven, and I'll forgive their sin and will heal their land." (two Chronicles 7:14) But they had been a rebellious persons, they had "eyes to determine but do not see and ears to hear but tend not to hear." (Ezekiel 12:2)
The attack of your Assyrians did not move them to repent, rather, it revealed their arrogance. "We will replace the damaged bricks with dressed stone. We will replace the fallen sycamores with tall and noble cedars," they said. The initial stage of judgment was completed and it resulted in no conversion. Therefore, God will attempt once more to awaken the hardened, sleeping hearts of your Israelites. What exactly is a lot more serious than to lift one's fist to the face of God and refuse his call to repentance? God could not ignore this blatant rebellion.
When God smites he signifies to humble us and turn us back to him. When the reaction is pride as an alternative to humility we are setting ourselves up to get a greater smiting. Matthew Henry says of this verse: (Isaiah 9:ten) "The people today turn not to Him who smites them, hence he continues to smite: for when God judges, he will overcome; plus the proudest, stoutest sinner shall either bend or break." ( http://bible.cc/isaiah/9-10.htm )
Messianic Rabbi Jonathon Cahn identifies 8 harbingers in this verse. (The Harbinger, Jonathon Cahn) A harbinger is anything at all that foreshadows a future occasion. Cahn tends to make a convincing comparison among God's treatment of Israel and God's treatment of America.
The 1st harbinger was "the bricks have fallen." This bricks had been weak, sun dried and easy to destroy. There was damage but it was restricted.
The second harbinger; "but we'll rebuild." God is encouraging repentance but they're defying this and pick instead to display their arrogance. They're going to apply human work to undo the judgment of God.
The third harbinger: "we will rebuild stronger." "If you destroy our bricks we'll replace them with robust and ornate stone. When you destroy our sycamore trees, trees of little worth, we'll replant wonderful cedars. We will make what you destroyed greater than it was prior to," they stated.
The fourth harbinger: "the hewn stone". "The bricks have been destroyed but we will rebuild with hewn stone." The weak bricks made of clay will be replaced by stone hewn and cut from the mountain. They shook their fist within the face of God and mentioned, "You destroyed us in our weakness, we'll come back stronger than ever."
The fifth harbinger: The spirit of defiance. God recognizes this attitude and he's attempting to purge them of this sin.
The sixth harbinger: "The sycamore has been cut down." This tree was a type of fig mulberry tree. They had been frequent,steel storage containers, they were weak. The Assyrians cut them down when they attacked.
The seventh harbinger: The robust Cedar tree. "We will replace the weak sycamore using the strong cedar. You sent the Assyrians to attack us. You thought it would weaken us and turn us to repentance. Rather, the weak are going to be produced robust and we'll do this by our own effort with no enable from God."
The eight harbinger: The leaders in the nation say that they may rebuild. "We will be stronger however." They failed to humble themselves inside the eyes of God and as a result of their arrogant reaction, "his anger will not be turned away, his hand is nevertheless upraised." (Isaiah 9:21)
Cahn compares this first judgment of God on the Israelites with America's 9/11 expertise. What was 9/11? It cast our country into shock. Seven years later our economic climate came crashing down. Was this God sending a warning across the bow?
The Rabbi draws our consideration for the subsequent chapter in Isaiah: "Woe for the Assyrian, the rod of my anger, in whose hand is the club of my wrath!" (Isaiah ten:five) God is utilizing the Assyrians to warn the Israelis of judgment but to come. He then says that following he is finished with this 'rod' he will "...punish the king of Assyria for the willful pride of his heart along with the haughty appear in his eyes." (Isaiah ten:12)
As God allowed the Assyrians to wake up the Israelis, has he not allowed the terrorist of 9/11 to wake up America? Are we going to humble ourselves and repent or are we going to become arrogant and ignore his judgment?
The Harbinger,storage facility, Jonathon Cahn
The Harbinger, Difficulties in Education, Bob and Geri Boyd
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