- araratchurch
- Nov 2, 2023
- 5 min read
“‘This decision is by the decree of the watchers, And the sentence by the word of the holy ones, In order that the living may know That the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, Gives it to whomever He will, And sets over it the lowest of men.’ All this came upon King Nebuchadnezzar. At the end of the twelve months he was walking about the royal palace of Babylon. The king spoke, saying, “Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for a royal dwelling by my mighty power and for the honor of my majesty?” While the word was still in the king’s mouth, a voice fell from heaven: “King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken: the kingdom has departed from you! And they shall drive you from men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. They shall make you eat grass like oxen; and seven times shall pass over you, until you know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomever He chooses.” That very hour the word was fulfilled concerning Nebuchadnezzar; he was driven from men and ate grass like oxen; his body was wet with the dew of heaven till his hair had grown like eagles’ feathers and his nails like birds’ claws. And at the end of the time I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my understanding returned to me; and I blessed the Most High and praised and honored Him who lives forever: For His dominion is an everlasting dominion, And His kingdom is from generation to generation. All the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing; He does according to His will in the army of heaven And among the inhabitants of the earth. No one can restrain His hand Or say to Him, “What have You done?””
Daniel 4:17, 28-35 NKJV
Most of us are familiar with the story of how God, through a series of enigmatic events, brought Joseph to being second in power to the ruler of Egypt.
Indeed, Joseph was given dominion over the affairs of Egypt to save the children of Israel from perishing in a terrible time of drought and famine.
“Then his brothers also went and fell down before his face, and they said, “Behold, we are your servants.” Joseph said to them, “Do not be afraid, for am I in the place of God? But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive.”
Genesis 50:18-20 NKJV
When Joseph had the opportunity to pay his brothers back for what they had done to him (selling him into slavery), he did the right thing. You see, Joseph knew why God had allowed him to be in his position of power; and it wasn’t to settle the score with his brothers.
Now, the Lord had told Abraham what would happen to the children of Israel after the time of Joseph. As well, the Lord informed Abraham of what He would do to the Egyptians when they turned to abuse the children of Israel.
“Then He said to Abram: “Know certainly that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them, and they will afflict them four hundred years. And also the nation whom they serve I will judge; afterward they shall come out with great possessions.”
Genesis 15:13-14 NKJV
Sure enough, with the passage of time, a new pharaoh ruled over Egypt who was punished because of his abuse of power.
“Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph. Therefore they set taskmasters over them to afflict them with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh supply cities, Pithom and Raamses.”
Exodus 1:8, 11 NKJV
We know that Moses was saved from a purge of Hebrew infant males and was raised in the house of Pharaoh.
But, we also know that Moses rejected the lap of luxury, to begin an 80 year adventure, leading his people to the Promised Land.
“By faith Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt; for he looked to the reward. By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he endured as seeing Him who is invisible.”
Hebrews 11:24-27 NKJV
We often reflect back on the story of Esther who, having been chosen to be the new wife of the Persian king, was suddenly living a life of power and luxury. But Esther, realizing why she had been given this position, did the right thing and accomplished what God had sent her to do.
“For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” Then Esther told them to reply to Mordecai: “Go, gather all the Jews who are present in Shushan, and fast for me; neither eat nor drink for three days, night or day. My maids and I will fast likewise. And so I will go to the king, which is against the law; and if I perish, I perish!””
Esther 4:14-16 NKJV
And, by Esther using her power for God’s intended purpose, the Jews were saved from certain destruction.
In our opening scripture we see the story of Nebuchadnezzar, a gentile king who rose to a position of great power. The Lord warned him through a dream, that if he failed to give glory to God for all he had, he would pay the price.
He did not take the warning, but rather, ended up saying the words that would cause him to spend years living as an animal: “Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for a royal dwelling by my mighty power and for the honor of my majesty?”
Child of God, the story of the children of Israel is fraught with accounts of nations—having been given power over them (because of the children of Israel’s disobedience)—were later destroyed because of their evil motives and abusive rule.
Remember, all nations, past, present, and future, all rulers, past, present, and future, will give an account to God for how they have used the power they were allowed to wield.
Now, for some nations and rulers, their punishment may not be seen in this life. But make no mistake, they will not escape; they will come to a terrible reckoning!
Peace to you.
Jesus is coming! Get ready for Him!
- araratchurch
- Oct 31, 2023
- 3 min read
In preparation for our discussion over the next five days, please carefully read and meditate on these passages of scripture:
Zechariah 14 (All)
“After Hezekiah received the letter from the messengers and read it, he went up to the Lord’s Temple and spread it out before the Lord. And Hezekiah prayed this prayer before the Lord: “O Lord of Heaven’s Armies, God of Israel, you are enthroned between the mighty cherubim! You alone are God of all the kingdoms of the earth. You alone created the heavens and the earth. Bend down, O Lord, and listen! Open your eyes, O Lord, and see! Listen to Sennacherib’s words of defiance against the living God. “It is true, Lord, that the kings of Assyria have destroyed all these nations. And they have thrown the gods of these nations into the fire and burned them. But of course the Assyrians could destroy them! They were not gods at all—only idols of wood and stone shaped by human hands. Now, O Lord our God, rescue us from his power; then all the kingdoms of the earth will know that you alone, O Lord, are God.””
Isaiah 37:14-20 NLT
““And this is what the Lord says about the king of Assyria: “‘His armies will not enter Jerusalem. They will not even shoot an arrow at it. They will not march outside its gates with their shields nor build banks of earth against its walls. The king will return to his own country by the same road on which he came. He will not enter this city,’ says the Lord. ‘For my own honor and for the sake of my servant David, I will defend this city and protect it.’” That night the angel of the Lord went out to the Assyrian camp and killed 185,000 Assyrian soldiers. When the surviving Assyrians woke up the next morning, they found corpses everywhere. Then King Sennacherib of Assyria broke camp and returned to his own land. He went home to his capital of Nineveh and stayed there. One day while he was worshiping in the temple of his god Nisroch, his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer killed him with their swords. They then escaped to the land of Ararat, and another son, Esarhaddon, became the next king of Assyria.”
Isaiah 37:33-38 NLT
““During the reigns of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed or conquered. It will crush all these kingdoms into nothingness, and it will stand forever. That is the meaning of the rock cut from the mountain, though not by human hands, that crushed to pieces the statue of iron, bronze, clay, silver, and gold. The great God was showing the king what will happen in the future. The dream is true, and its meaning is certain.””
Daniel 2:44-45 NLT
“Jesus answered, “My Kingdom is not an earthly kingdom. If it were, my followers would fight to keep me from being handed over to the Jewish leaders. But my Kingdom is not of this world.” Pilate said, “So you are a king?” Jesus responded, “You say I am a king. Actually, I was born and came into the world to testify to the truth. All who love the truth recognize that what I say is true.””
John 18:36-37 NLT
The world is posturing for one final showdown.
What many don’t know, is that this showdown, won’t be finished or won by a kingdom of this world. Yes, soon, and very soon, our King is coming to destroy every earthly kingdom and establish the Eternal Kingdom of God!
As we are watching violence, confusion, suffering, and pain, breaking out all over the world, as we see that the world is a tinder box about to combust, let us remember that we already serve the Winner of the final showdown. And, He’s coming soon to settle the score for all eternity!
Peace to you.
Jesus is coming! Get ready for Him!
- araratchurch
- Oct 31, 2023
- 4 min read
“Until I went into the sanctuary of God; Then I understood their end. Surely You set them in slippery places; You cast them down to destruction. Oh, how they are brought to desolation, as in a moment! They are utterly consumed with terrors. As a dream when one awakes, So, Lord, when You awake, You shall despise their image. Thus my heart was grieved, And I was vexed in my mind. I was so foolish and ignorant; I was like a beast before You. Nevertheless I am continually with You; You hold me by my right hand. You will guide me with Your counsel, And afterward receive me to glory.”
Psalms 73:17-24 NKJV
This week we have discussed being mindful of the Lord (being always reverent).
We have discussed the fact that sin caused a chasm between us and God so that we could no longer be directed from our heart.
However, through the work of Jesus Christ, we were cleansed from our sins, putting us back into fellowship with the Lord.
As well, our Lord became the way through which the gift of God, the Holy Spirit, could indwell us. And as such, we can now have the mind of Christ and be directed Heart to heart.
We have also discussed the fact that even spirit-filled Christians, don’t always consistently walk according to the Spirit.
Now, even though we have been given wonderful access to God through the Holy Spirit, if we stay distracted by everything else going on in our lives, never taking time to attend to His voice, then we will not be walking in alignment with His will and purposes.
The Lord, speaking through the psalmist, gives this instruction:
“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye. Do not be like the horse or like the mule, Which have no understanding, Which must be harnessed with bit and bridle, Else they will not come near you. Many sorrows shall be to the wicked; But he who trusts in the Lord, mercy shall surround him.”
Psalms 32:8-10 NKJV
Yes, the Lord is willing to lead us and guide us. Indeed, He went to the farthest extent to restore us to fellowship with Himself so that we could be guided from His heart, and not just by His commands.
However, if we are not willing to submit to the yoke of Jesus Christ (the Holy Spirit of God), and refuse to follow His leading, then we may well end up being destroyed along with those who profess nothing in terms of salvation, or being filled with the Spirit.
Jesus had been observing the religious leaders who made a great ceremony of their praying. The Lord remarked that they did what they did so that other people would notice what they were doing. He then instructed His disciples to operate differently.
“But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.”
Matthew 6:6 NKJV
Now, of course, the Lord’s main point here was that they should have a true relationship with the Lord, not just a pretense of a relationship with Him for others to see (and admire). But, for our purposes, I want us to consider His instruction to “shut your door.”
Obviously, we can’t always find a secluded place to pray, although that is probably the most ideal scenario for our praying. But, we can close the “door” of our attention. We can close out circumstances, our lust, our troubles, our drama, etc., and enter into the quiet place, the secret place of God.
Face it, getting alone and shutting an actual door so that we are not having interaction with anybody or anything else, will still not serve to put us in that place of complete fellowship with the Lord if the door of our mind is open to everything else.
In our opening Scripture we see the psalmist finding the answer to an urgent crisis by going into God’s sanctuary.
You see, the psalmist was embittered by the fact that he saw wicked people seemingly “getting by,” while he was suffering. In the sanctuary of the Lord, he was able to look past his present suffering and bitterness, to see that the end of the wicked is destruction, whereas, he was being guided in this life by the Lord, and after this life, would be taken to a glorious eternity.
Now, I imagine the psalmist was referencing literally going into the house of God. But, that which brings us peace in our heart and our mind, comes from BECOMING the house of God, letting Him fill us with His Spirit while we are closing everything else out.
Given, life happens. And it is true that we must attend to the needs and operations of our living. However, we must not fail to take the time to make sure that we are not forfeiting our fellowship with the Lord by always attending to everything else in the world, other than His voice.
Remember, if we will trust in the Lord and attend to His voice, if we will always be mindful of Him, He will guide us in this life and be with us even in death.
“For this is God, Our God forever and ever; He will be our guide Even to death.”
Psalms 48:14 NKJV
Peace to you.
Jesus is coming! Get ready for Him!