The Remnant

Isaiah 1:24-31 speaks of remnant restoration of Israel and the destruction of rebels and sinners during the tribulation period or the "Day of the Lord".

Therefore the Lord says, The Lord of hosts, the Mighty One of Israel. "Ah, I will rid Myself of My adversaries. And take vengeance on My enemies.

25 I will turn My hand against you, And thoroughly purge away your dross, And take away all your alloy.

26 I will restore your judges as at the first, And your counselors as at the beginning. Afterward you shall be called the city of righteousness, the faithful city."

27 Zion shall be redeemed with justice, And her penitents with righteousness.

28 The destruction of transgressors and of sinners shall be together. Those who forsake the Lord shall be consumed.

29 For they shall be ashamed of the terebinth trees Which you have desired; And you shall be embarrassed because of the gardens Which you have chosen.

30 For you shall be as a terebinth whose leaf fades, And as a garden that has no water.

31 The strong shall be as tinder, And the work of it as a spark; Both will burn together, And no one shall quench them.

The Lord turns His hand in grace

In verses 25-27 the Lord turns His hand against His people in grace and purges the dross and takes away the alloy. All of the Lord's dealing with Israel has been with smelting away the dross. He has continued the removing of the tin (alloy).

Verses 28-31 describe the destruction of transgressors and sinners.

The Day of the Lord

The great tribulation or Day of the Lord will climax this process. It will produce a purified remnant who will enter the millennium one thousand year period where Jesus (Yeshua) will rule and reign. Jerusalem will be the capital of the earth at that time. Christian believers will rule and reign along side Jesus (Yeshua) during that time.

Rev. 20:6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection (rapture). On such the second death hath no power. But they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.

The Remnant

The Israeli remnant will be supernaturally delivered from the dragon (Satan) regardless of his attack against them. Rev 12:15-16 Then from his mouth the serpent spewed water like a river, to overtake the woman and sweep her away with the torrent. But the earth helped the woman (Israel) by opening its mouth and swallowing the river that the dragon had spewed out of his mouth.

Good News

In conclusion the good news is that as believers we don't have to experience this terrible time on earth which is fast approaching. This will be a time of pouring out of God's wrath upon transgressors and sinners. Believers are not appointed to experience God's wrath. 1 Thessalonians 5:9 For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ. How do we escape the day of the Lord (7 year tribulation period)? Repent and trust in Jesus!

The Beast

In Esther chapter 3 we have a picture or a foreshadowing of the beast of Revelation. King Ahasuerus had promoted Haman and set his seat above all the princes who were with him. All were required to bow down and worship Haman as God. Mordecai, a Jew, would not bow down.

Jews would bow down before their kings as God's servants. But they would not bow before a king who claimed to be God. Mordecai's refusal to worship the king's representative would result in a decree for all Jews to be killed.

Jews will refuse to bow to the Antichrist, the beast of Revelation who will demand divine worship. Just as Haman was defeated in his plot to put away God's people so to will Satan be defeated in his last days attempt to set aside the divine program.

Satan is denied

Satan is thwarted in his attempt to destroy Israel. Rev. 12:15, 16 Then from his mouth the serpent spewed water like a river, to overtake the woman and sweep her away with the torrent. But the earth helped the woman (Israel) by opening its mouth and swallowing the river that the dragon had spewed out of his mouth.

Satan is enraged at the woman (Israel) and turns his wrath upon the remainder of her descendants. Those who trust in Jesus. Rev. 12:17. The dragon or Satan gives his power to the beast who will wage war on God's holy people (the saints) and overcome them. This all happens during the Day of the Lord or seven year tribulation period. How do we escape this terrible time? Repent and trust in Jesus!

Believers are not appointed to God's wrath

The wrath of God is set against the ungodly and evil on the earth during the tribulation period. Believers are not to experience God’s wrath. 1 Thessalonians 5:9 For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ. How do we escape the day of the Lord (7 year tribulation period)? Repent and trust in Jesus!

The Day of the Lord

The day of the Lord is coming and many bible verses point to it. 2 Peter 3:10 says But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night. The heavens shall pass away with a great noise and the elements shall melt with fervent heat. The earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.

Jesus speaks of the day of the Lord. Matt 24:21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.

Again Jesus says that things will be pretty normal and peaceful when describing the same time period. And then death and destruction. Matt. 24:37 so as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. 37 “For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.

Daniel's Week of Years

Daniel 9:27 speaks of the day of the Lord. And he (antichrist) shall confirm the covenant with many for one week (seven years or the day of the Lord). In the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.

1 Thessalonians 5:2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.

The wrath of God is set against the ungodly and evil on the earth. Believers are not to experience God's wrath. 1 Thessalonians 5:9 For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ.

How do we escape the day of the Lord? Repent and trust in Jesus!

Day of the Lord verses

• Isaiah 2:12 For the day of the LORD of hosts shall be upon every one that is proud and lofty, and upon every one that is lifted up; and he shall be brought low:
• Isaiah 13:6 Howl ye; for the day of the LORD is at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty.
• Isaiah 13:13 Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall remove out of her place, in the wrath of the LORD of hosts, and in the day of his fierce anger.

Revelation Chapters 6-22 describe the day of the Lord

• Revelation 12:14 1/2 of the day of the Lord is times, time, and half a time or 3 and 1/2 years or 1,260 days
• Revelation 11:2 1/2 of the day of the Lord is 42 months
• Revelation 11:3 1/2 of the day of the Lord is one thousand two hundred and three score days.

World Peace

World peace is a wonderful and noble idea. We are being promised world peace by a president who just might be able to deliver. But it will be short lived according to the bible.

Peace in the middle east has been long sought after. On May 14, 1948, David Ben-Gurion, the head of the Jewish Agency, proclaimed the establishment of the State of Israel. U.S. President Harry S. Truman recognized the new nation on the same day. Since that day, Israel has been at war. They’ve been in a hot war, cold war, or defending against terrorism since May 14, 1948. If the defeat of Iranian proxies Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis is accomplished and peace is established in Israel it will indeed be a glorious time for the world! But according to the bible it will not last.

Gog and Magog

Ezekiel 38:14-16 says Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say to Gog, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “On that day when
My people Israel dwell safely, will you not know it?
“Then you will come from your place out of the far north, you and many peoples with you, all of
them riding on horses, a great company and a mighty army.
“You will come up against My people Israel like a cloud, to cover the land. It will be in the latter
days that I will bring you against My land, so that the nations may know Me, when I am hallowed in
you, O Gog, before their eyes.”

From the far north they will come against Israel during a time of peace when Israel is dwelling safely in the land. The apostle Paul describes the same event in 1 Thess. chapter 5: 2& 3. For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. For when they say, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape.

The days of Noah

Jesus says that things will be pretty normal and peaceful when describing the same time period. And then death and destruction. Matt. 24:37 so as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. 37 “For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.

Are we all doomed? No, Jesus tells us how to escape this cataclysmic apocalypse. Matt. 24:42. Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. “Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

We need to watch and be ready! If we are not following Jesus, we need to repent and accept His free gift of salvation and start following Him!

What does it mean to BELIEVE?

 

Highlight

Acts 13:48 When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and honored the word of the Lord; and all who were appointed for eternal life believed. What does it mean to believe?

Explanation

God chose some before the foundation of the world to be in Christ. Eph 1:4 & 5. He also said that whoever believes in Jesus shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16. So whether we've been appointed for eternal life or not, it doesn't matter, we all have opportunity to repent, believe in Jesus, and to be saved!

Application

To believe in Jesus is more than just a mental acknowledgement. According to the Amplified bible, believe means to trust in, rely upon, and cling to. Here's the exact reading of John 3:16 from the Greek manuscript.

Because, God has Loved in such a manner the satan's world, so that He Gave His Son, the only Begotten Risen Christ, in order that whoever is Continuously by his choice Committing for the Result and Purpose of Him, should not perish, but definitely should, by his choice, be Continuously Having Eternal Life. [Committing means putting your entire being under the orders of another.]

So, if we believe in someone, then we should express that belief by doing what they ask us to do. We should put our entire being under the orders of that person.

The bible contains examples of people who believe in a shallow way, merely mentally acknowledging Jesus and not putting themselves under His authority.

Simon believed and was baptized. Acts 8:13. Even though he believed and was baptized, Peter told him he better repent because he was full of bitterness and captive to sin. And perhaps the Lord would forgive him. (If repentance was genuine) Acts 8:22.

Response

Lord, help us to realize that to believe in Jesus is more than just a mental acknowledgment of who He is. To believe in Jesus means to trust in, rely upon, and to cling to Him. To believe means to put myself under His authority and keep His commandments.

A New You

 

Because all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, there needs to be a new you! Romans 3:23

Romans 5:12 Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way, death came to all people, because all sinned

John 3:3 Jesus answered, "Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit."

We've all sinned

We've all sinned, according to Romans 3:23 & 5:12. Jesus said flesh gives birth to flesh. We're born into this condition. Jesus said unless we're born again, we will not enter the kingdom of God. We all have a natural birth. i.e., flesh. This is natural birth from our mothers. But what is "born of the Spirit"?

We need a personal relationship with Jesus

In Acts 8:12 The people of Samaria believed Philip when he proclaimed Christ, and they were baptized. But the Holy Spirit had not yet come upon any of them! Acts 8:16. They had simply been baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. So, they listened and accepted the message, performed all the motions, but they had not entered into a personal relationship with the Lord via the Holy Spirit.

Simon believed and was baptized. Acts 8:13. Even though he believed and was baptized, Peter told him he better repent because he was full of bitterness and captive to sin. And perhaps the Lord would forgive him. (If repentance was genuine) Acts 8:22. More on repentance.

Believe Jesus

We need to get past all of our own ideas about who God is and how He interacts with His creation. We need to start believing Jesus and what He says about God and His creation. To Believe is more than a mental acknowledgement. Believe means to trust in, rely on, and cling to. (Amp) If we believe in someone, then we should probably express that belief by doing what they ask us to do.

Experience Jesus

The Samaritans experienced this personal relationship with Jesus by the laying on of hands of Peter and John. We can experience this personal relationship with Jesus by keeping His commandments.
John 14:15 “If you love me, keep my commands. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever. (Holy Spirit)

17 The Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. 18 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. (Via the Holy Spirit)

Small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. _Jesus

Saved by Works or by Grace?

 Luke Chapters 11-15. We should just skip these chapters. Jesus is demanding too much of us! We have to repent or perish. Our relationship with Him has to be more important than any other relationship or thing in this life. We have to hate mother, father, wife, husband, children, etc. We need to humble ourselves. We must consider the cost of following Him. We have to give up everything or we cannot be His disciples.

Following Him has to be a lifetime decision. There is no turning back! We must forgive others of their sins, or we won't be forgiven. We have to not only hear the word of God, but also obey it. We need to fear Him who has the power to cast us into hell. If we blaspheme against the Holy Spirit, we will not be forgiven. We must confess Him before men. We have to guard against greed. We need to watch and be ready for His return. We have to enter in through the narrow door. My question is, doesn't Jesus understand Eph. 2:8-9? Which says, we're saved by grace not by works?

Ephesians 2:8-2:9

Eph. 2:8-2:9 has been mis-used and abused by the church. It means that without Jesus' work at the cross, we'd all be going to hell. There's no work we could have done to prevent that. So, there's no boasting. We need to repent and accept what He did for us. He provided the way for us to have a relationship with the living God who created all that is. But that doesn't let us off the hook. We have to keep His commandments. The church has used Eph. 2:8-9 to water down Jesus' words. "We can't do what Jesus told us to do because we're all sinners, but we are saved by grace and not by works so it's OK."

Let's just make a pledge, take an oath, make a commitment, or promise to do what He wants us to do. That will be sufficient! But Jesus said you can't make one hair black or white! Matt. 5:33. What makes you think that your pledge is going to help you. Your pledge is evil! I'm the only one that can help you. Keep my commandments! But I try and I fail. That's exactly the point. I want to keep His commands, but I can't do it. I need to confess that I can't do it and that I need Jesus to change me! I need him to make me into a new creation that is able to keep his commandments.

Highlight

Luke 11:28 He replied, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.” Again, are we saved by grace or by works? Because obeying Him is work. (But it's not work if your born again. It's a light yoke. It's blessed rest and recreation to your soul!) That's the key.
Explanation – When we not only hear what the Lord is saying to us, but also obey what He is saying, we cultivate our relationship with the Lord. We enhance that relationship. Thus, blessing is encountered because of the doing and not just the hearing.

Application

Obeying is work. But we’re saved by grace, not by works. Eph. 2:8-9 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. This means that we don’t deserve salvation! We’ve all fallen short of God’s standard. Jesus fulfilled that standard and was sacrificed on the cross. He took all of our sins and failures upon Himself! Jesus set us free! We were unable to set ourselves free from the bondage of sin. (So, there is no boasting!)

If the ultimate blessing of being saved is free, why should one be concerned with works and further blessing? Well, because Jesus said so. Matt. 7:24-27. Build on the Rock. Matt. 25:14-30, the parable of the talents. John 14:15, “If you love me, keep my commands.” 1 John 2:3-5. 3 We know that we have come to know him if we keep his commands. These sayings all involve work and relationship!
And again, Verse 4, Whoever says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person. Again, this is work!
5 But if anyone obeys his word, love for God is truly made complete in them. This is how we know we are in him: This is how we have assurance. This is how we can have eternal security!

Keep His Commands

Initially, I started trying to keep His commandments because I didn't want to go to hell. After I was saved and baptized, I tried to keep His commandments because I wanted to be religious and do what unsaved people weren't doing. But I couldn't do it. I tried and failed! That's exactly the point. We can't keep His commandments. It's impossible to do it on our own, with our own strength. Trying to keep His commands makes one realize that without His help, one can do nothing.

This drives a person to repentance and confession. Confession goes like this; Lord, forgive me. I've failed to keep your commands. I want to keep them, but I can't do it without your help. If it's going to happen, you have to do something in me. You have to change me. I need to be born of a new nature. I need to be born again! Please install this new nature within me Lord so I can do what you ask me to do and grow in my relationship with you! Help me to love you with all my heart, mind, soul, and strength. Help me to keep your commands.

So, His commands firstly help one to realize that without Him one can do nothing. They drive one to confession and repentance and into the arms of His mercy and grace. This then enables Jesus to install a new nature into said person. Now, one is able to Love Jesus with all their heart, mind, soul, and strength and keep His commandments and grow in their relationship with Him!

Response

So, initial salvation is free of charge. All we need to do is confess and repent. But I want to grow in my relationship with Jesus, which involves work. I want to grow in my relationship with Him because I love Him. Just like Jesus said in John 14:15. If you love me, keep my commands. In other words, what's my motive for doing the works? Why do I keep His commands? I keep them because I love Jesus. I love Him because He died for me on the cross. I’m thankful for that wonderful work that He accomplished on my behalf. Doing works for any other reason than that requires a motive check and reset, if necessary.

I keep His commands because He's enabled me to do it. He's given me a new nature. He's changed me! This is a light yoke and easy to be born, being that I have a new nature. This is blessed rest and recreation to my soul! Matt. 28-30.

Then, I need to ask myself (because keeping His commands is directly related to my love for Jesus), Is it possible to be saved and not love Jesus? Is it possible to be saved and not have a relationship with Jesus? Well maybe, initially. But we need to grow in our relationship with Him so that we can participate in the wedding feast. We need to cloth ourselves with the proper wedding garments. Matt. 22:10-14.