Ch. 10
False Teachers and the Judgment of God
Listen to the Word of the Lord: "God is jealous, and the Lord revengeth; the Lord revengeth, and is furious; the Lord will take vengeance on his adversaries, and he reserveth wrath for his enemies. The Lord is slow to anger, and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked" (Nah. 1:2, 3).
From Jeremiah we read, "Behold, a whirlwind of the Lord is gone forth in fury, even a grievous whirlwind: it shall fall grievously upon the head of the wicked. The anger of the Lord shall not return, until he have executed, and till he have performed the thoughts of his heart: in the latter days ye shall consider it perfectly. I have not sent these prophets, yet they ran: I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied. But if they had stood in my counsel, and had caused my people to hear my words, then they should have turned them from their evil way, and from the evil of their doings" (Jer. 23:19-22).
Again, from Nahum: "Who can stand before his indignation? And who can abide in the fierceness of his anger? His fury is poured out like fire... The Lord is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him. But with an overrunning flood he will make an utter end of the place thereof, and darkness shall pursue his enemies. For while they be folded together as thorns, and while they are drunken as drunkards, they should be devoured as stubble fully dry. And the Lord hath given a commandment concerning thee, that no more of thy name be sown; out of the house of thy gods will I cut off the graven image and the molten image: I will make thy grave, for thou art vile" (Nah. 1:1-8, 10, 14).
"Wherefore hear the word of the Lord, ye scornful men, that rule (with false teaching) this people which is in Jerusalem. Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us: for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood we have hid ourselves. Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation; he that believeth (stands on the foundation of the word of God) shall not make haste (he will be protected)" (Isa. 28:14-16).
"Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet: and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow (flood) the hiding place. And your covenant with death (false teachings) shall be disannulled, and your agreement with hell (that no calamity will come on you) shall not stand; when the overflowing scourge (flood) shall pass through, then ye shall be trodden down by it. From the time that it goeth forth it shall take you: for morning by morning shall it pass over, by day and by night: and it shall be a vexation only to understand the report (it will be sheer terror to understand what it means; NASV). Now therefore be ye not mockers, lest your bands (fetters) be made strong: for I have heard from the Lord God of hosts a consumption, even determined upon the whole earth" (Isa. 28:17, 18, 19, 22).
THE TRUMPET IS BLOWING!!!
From Jeremiah: "For thus saith the Lord, Thy bruise is incurable, and thy wound is grievous. There is none to plead thy cause, that thou mayest be bound up. Thou hast no healing medicines. All thy lovers have forgotten thee; they seek thee not; for I have wounded thee with the wound of an enemy, with the chastisement of a cruel one... Why criest thou for thine affliction? Thy sorrow is incurable for the multitude of thine iniquity: because thy sins were increased, I have done these things unto thee" (Jer. 30:12-15).
Again from Jeremiah: "Behold, the whirlwind of the Lord goeth forth with fury, a continuing whirlwind: it shall fall with pain upon the head of the wicked. The fierce anger of the Lord shall not return, until he have done it, and until he have performed the intents of his heart: in the latter days ye shall consider it" (Jer. 30:23, 24).
Once again from Nahum: "Woe to the bloody city (the harlot church)! It is all full of lies and robbery; the prey departeth not: Because of the multitude of the whoredoms of the well-favored harlot, the mistress of witchcraft, that selleth nations through her whoredoms, and families through her witchcraft. Behold, I am against thee, saith the Lord of hosts: and I will discover thy skirts upon thy face (lift up your skirts over your face: NASV); and I will shew the nations thy nakedness (lostness), and the kingdoms thy shame.., the gates of thy land shall be set wide open unto thine enemies: the fire shall devour thy bars (to your gates). There shall the fire consume thee; the sword (curse and tree cutters) shall cut thee off, it shall eat thee up like the cankerworm. Thy shepherds slumber, 0 king of Assyria: thy nobles shall dwell in the dust: thy people is scattered upon the mountains, and no man gathereth them. There is no healing of thy bruise; thy wound is grievous: all that hear the bruit of thee shall clap the hands over thee: for upon whom hath not thy wickedness passed continually?" (Nah. 3:1, 4, 5, 13, 15, 18, 19).
From Revelation: "And the fifth angel sounded and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit. And there came out of the smoke locusts (powers of darkness) upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power. And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die (because of extreme pain, extreme fear, extreme depression, weakness, sickness, confusion, worry, discouragement, self-pity, etc.), and death shall flee from them. And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon (destruction), but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon (destroyer)" (Rev. 9:1, 3, 6, 11).
"And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men. By these three were the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths. And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk: Neither repented they of their murders nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their theft" (Rev, 9:15, 18, 20, 21).
From Joel: "Hear this, ye old men, and give ear, all ye inhabitants of the land. Hath this been in your days, or even in the days of your fathers? That which the palmerworm hath left hath the locust eaten and that which the locust hath left hath the cankerworm eaten; and that which the cankerworm hath left hath the caterpillar eaten. AWAKE, YE DRUNKARDS, (who are stumbling in spiritual darkness) and weep; and howl, all ye drinkers of wine, because of the new wine (the Word of God); for it is cut off from your mouth (there is a famine of the word). For a nation (the powers of darkness) is come upon my land, strong and without number, whose teeth are the teeth of a lion, and he hath the cheek teeth of a great lion. Lament like a virgin girded with sackcloth for the HUSBAND OF HER YOUTH (their first love, Jesus Christ)... The field is wasted (hardened hearts), the land mourneth (under the curse); for the corn is wasted (no fruit), the new wine is dried up (famine of the Word), the oil languisheth (no anointing of the Holy Spirit)" (Joel 1:2, 4-8, 10).
Joel is speaking to us today: "Sanctify ye a fast, call a solemn assembly, gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land into the house of the Lord your God, and cry unto the Lord. Alas for the day! For the day of the Lord is at hand, and as a destruction from the Almighty shall it come. Is not the meat cut off before our eyes, yea, joy and gladness from the house of our God? The seed (Word of God) is rotten under their clods (hardened hearts), the garners are laid desolate, the barns are broken down; for the corn (fruit) is withered" (Joel 1:14-17, 19).
Also from Joel: "BLOW YE THE TRUMPET IN ZION, AND SOUND AN ALARM IN MY HOLY MOUNTAIN: Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the Lord is nigh at hand. A day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness, as the morning spread upon the mountains: a great people and a strong; THERE HATH NOT BEEN EVER THE LIKE, NEITHER SHALL BE ANY MORE AFTER IT, even to the years of many generations. A fire devoureth before them; and behind them a flame burneth: The land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them" (Joel 2:1-3).
From Joel 2:6-11: "Before their face the people shall be much pained: all faces shall gather blackness. They shall climb the (whitewashed) wall like men of war; and they march every one on his ways, and they shall not break their ranks; neither shall one thrust another; they shall walk every one in his path: ... they shall run to and fro in the city (the church); they shall run upon the wall (false hedge), they shall climb up upon the houses (into the bodies, temples), they shall enter in at the windows like a thief. The earth shall quake before them; the heavens shall tremble; the sun and the moon shall be dark, and the stars shall withdraw their shining (spiritual darkness): And the Lord shall utter his voice (shout) before his army (of destruction)."
THE TRUMPET IS BLOWING!!!
From Isaiah: "The Lord shall go forth as a mighty man, he shall stir up jealousy like a man of war. He shall cry, yea, roar; he shall prevail against his enemies. I have long time holden my peace; I have been still, and refrained myself. Now I will cry like a travailing woman; I will destroy and devour at once" (Isa. 42:13-15).
From Lamentations: "The Lord was as an enemy: he hath swallowed up Israel, he hath swallowed up all her palaces: he hath destroyed his strong holds, and hath increased in the daughter of Judah mourning and lamentation" (Lam. 2:5).
From Jeremiah: "Then said I, Ah, Lord God! Behold, the prophets say unto them, Ye shall not see the sword, neither shall ye have famine; but I will give you assured peace in this place. Then the Lord said unto me, The prophets prophesy lies in my name: I sent them not, neither have I commanded them, neither spake unto them: they prophesy unto you a false vision and divination, and a thing of nought, and the deceit of their heart. Therefore thus saith the Lord concerning the prophets that prophesy in my name, and I sent them not, yet they say, sword and famine shall not be in this land; BY SWORD AND FAMINE SHALL THOSE PROPHETS BE CONSUMED" (Jer. 14:13-15).
Also from Jeremiah: "I have forsaken mine house, I have left mine heritage; I have given the dearly beloved of my soul into the hand of her enemies. Mine heritage is unto me as a lion in the forest; it crieth out against me: therefore have I hated it. Mine heritage is unto me as a speckled bird, the birds round about are against her; come ye, assemble all the beasts of the field, come to devour. MANY PASTORS HAVE DESTROYED MY VINEYARD, THEY HAVE TRODDEN MY PORTION UNDER FOOT, they have made my pleasant portion a desolate wilderness" (Jer. 12:7-10).
From Isaiah: "All ye beasts of the field, come to devour, yea, all ye beasts in the forest. His watchmen are blind: they are all ignorant, they are all dumb dogs, they cannot bark (cannot preach righteousness and judgement); sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber (foolish virgins who are asleep). Yea, they are greedy dogs which can never have enough, and they are shepherds tint cannot understand; they all look to their own way, every one for gain, from his quarter" (Isa. 56:9-11).
Also from Isaiah: "For the people shall dwell in Zion at Jerusalem: thou shalt weep no more: he will be very gracious unto thee at the voice of thy cry; when he shall hear it, he will answer thee. And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity, and the water or affliction, yet shall not thy teachers be removed into a corner any more, but thine eyes shall see thy teachers. And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left hand" (Isa. 30:19-21).
Again, from Isaiah: "The shall he give the rain of thy seed, that thou shalt sow the ground withal; and bread of the increase of the earth, and it shall be fat and plenteous: in that day shall thy cattle feed in large pastures. And there shall be upon every high mountain and upon every high hill, rivers and streams of waters in the day of the great slaughter, when the towers fall. Moreover the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold, as the light of seven days, in the day that the Lord bindeth up the breach of his people, and healeth the stroke of their wound" (Isa. 30:23,25,26).
From Jeremiah: "Only acknowledge thine iniquity, that thou hast transgressed against the Lord thy God, and hast scattered thy ways to the strangers under every green tree, and ye have not obeyed my voice, saith the Lord. Turn, O backsliding children, saith the Lord; for I am married unto you: and I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion" (Jer. 3:13, 14).
"Surely as a wife treacherously departeth from her husband, so have ye dealt treacherously with me, O house of Israel, saith the Lord. Return, ye backsliding children, and I will heal your backslidings. Behold, we come unto thee; for thou are the Lord our God" (Jer. 3:20, 22). "I form the light, and create darkness: I made peace, and create evil: I the Lord do all these things" (Isa. 45:7).
"And the Lord saith unto him, Go through the midst of the city, though the midst of Jerusalem (the church), and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof. And to the others he said in mine hearing, Go ye after him through the city, and smite; let not your eye spare, neither have ye pity: slay utterly old and young, both maids, and little children, and women: but come not near any man upon whom is the mark; and begin at my sanctuary. Then they began at the ancient men (elders) which were before the house" (Ezek. 9:4-6).
"And it came to pass, while they were slaying them, and I was left, that I fell upon my face, and cried, and said, Ah Lord God! Wilt thou destroy all the residue of Israel in thy pouring out of the fury upon Jerusalem? Then said he unto me, The iniquity of the house of Israel and Judah is EXCEEDING GREAT, and the land is full of blood, and the city of perverseness: for they say, The Lord hath forsaken the earth, and the Lord seeth not. And as for me also, mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity, but I will recompense their way upon their head" (Ezek. 9:8-10).
From Joel: "And the LORD shall utter his voice before his army (of destruction): for his camp is very great: for he is strong that executeth his word: for the day of the LORD is great and very terrible; and who can abide it? Therefore also now, saith the LORD, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning: And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil." (Joel 2:11-13).
"BLOW THE TRUMPET IN ZION, sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly: gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the children, and those that suck the breasts: let the bridegroom go forth of his chamber, and the bride out of her closet. Let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, Spare thy people, O Lord, and give not thine heritage to reproach, that the heathen should rule over them: wherefore should they say among the people, Where is their God?" (Joel 2:15-17). "The ambassadors of peace shall weep bitterly. The highways (of holiness) lie waste, the wayfaring man (who walks in holiness) ceaseth: he hath broken the covenant, he hath despised the cities, he regardeth no man (he does not love his neighbor)" (Isa. 33:7, 8).
From Isaiah: "The sinners in Zion are afraid: fearfulness hath surprised the hypocrites. Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? Who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings: He that walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly; he that despiseth the gain of oppressions, that shaketh his hands from holding of bribes, that stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood, and shutteth his eyes from seeing evil.
He shall dwell on high: his place of defense shall be the munitions of rocks (Jesus); his bread (the Word) shall be given him; his waters shall be sure" (Isa. 33:14-16). "Thine eyes shall see the king in his beauty: they shall behold the land that is very far off (as they look back at the people still in bondage). Thine heart shall meditate terror (their destruction). Where is the scribe (who writes of the fleshly achievements)? Where is the receiver (of money)? Where is he that counted the (high corner) towers? (They have all been destroyed!)" (Isa. 33:17, 18).
From Joel: "The Lord will be jealous for his land, and pity his people. Yea, the Lord will answer and say unto his people, Behold, I will send you corn (fruit), and wine (Word), and oil (Holy Spirit), and ye shall be satisfied therewith: and I will no more make you a reproach among the heathen: But I will remove far from you the northern army (powers of darkness), and will drive him into a land barren and desolate (dry places),... Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in the Lord your God: for he hath given you the former rain moderately, and he will cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain, and the latter rain (for restoration). And I will restore to you the years that the locust (the powers of darkness) hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpillar, and the palmerworm, MY GREAT ARMY WHICH I SENT AMONG YOU" (Joel 2:18-20, 23, 25).
From Isaiah: "Awake, awake; put on your strength, 0 Zion; put on thy beautiful garments, 0 Jerusalem, the holy city: for henceforth there shall no more come into thee the uncircumcised and the unclean. Shake thyself from the dust (flesh); arise, and sit down, 0 Jerusalem: loose thyself from the bands (yokes) of thy neck, 0 captive daughter of Zion" (Isa. 52:1, 2).
From Daniel: "And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book. And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever. But thou, 0 Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased... Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end. Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand, but the wise shall understand" (Dan. 12:1,3,4,9, 10).