In the last few weeks the Lord has put Isaiah 30 on my heart and I have a feeling that God is warning us of things to come and why they are coming on the us. I have written the verses out below and will inject thoughts at the end of each verse. I believe that in our well-meaning prayers we may have missed some things and hoped in the wrong things to change our country. Father loves us and is not willing for us to go on and miss His purpose and hope. There is an inevitable correction coming because He wants us to be His and to trust in HIM.
Isaiah 30:1-:21 NKJV
“Woe to the rebellious children,” says the Lord,
“Who take counsel, but not of Me,
And who devise plans, but not of My Spirit,
That they may add sin to sin;
In our Christian community we have prayed prayers that are good but not God. We have decided what is needed to change our country and then asked and at times demanded Father to bless what we want to happen. This adds sin to sin. Our first sin is our disobedience to His commands and our lack of humility so we were already in sin and the judgment of our country is not because of the flagrant sin of the world but because of the church not being who we are supposed to be and being “set” in our ways and not willing to hear or change.
Who walk to go down to Egypt,
And have not asked My advice,
To strengthen themselves in the strength of Pharaoh,
And to trust in the shadow of Egypt!
We have thought that a righteous leader would bring our country back to the foundation of righteousness and godliness. We are trusting in a man to do what only God can do. We (Christians) have turned from having Jesus as our hope to having our hope in a president. We have said in our hearts, “if we can just get the Christian people to stand up and vote everything will be fine”. We have thought that (the shadow of Egypt), the rule of a good man, will bring our country to Our Savior and that is not God. We are to be the witness of His presence – at work, play and in all we do. We are to be like Jesus bringing the miraculous presence of the Lord to bear on all of our sphere of influence.
Therefore the strength of Pharaoh
Shall be your shame,
And trust in the shadow of Egypt
Shall be your humiliation.
Because we put our trust in elections and judges, we will not see what we want to see. Our government will never bring God’s kingdom to the United States. Only our repentance and humility; our obedience to His voice and commands will do that. Most of the Church does not even think that obedience is necessary, they think as long as they acknowledge Jesus with their mouth everything will be fine. We must believe in our heart and confess or tell others that Jesus is Lord; not with simple words but by demonstrating what we believe. We must come to the place of realizing that the Kingdom of God is not a democracy but a monarchy. Obedience does matter and there are rewards for non-participation in the Kingdom.
For his princes were at Zoan,
And his ambassadors came to Hanes.
Zoan was the place pharaoh met Moses, in Egyptian is means “stronghold”. We need to realize that all of the world systems are against God’s kingdom. Not a one is going to be left when Jesus comes back. He will rule and reign!
Hanes was simply a place in Egypt. So, it could simply be a reproof for trusting in those in Egypt to be their help in hard times.
They were all ashamed of a people who could not benefit them,
Or be help or benefit,
But a shame and also a reproach.”
God seems to be reemphasizing that trusting people in worldly governments that cannot help us rather than trusting Him is a shame.
The burden against the beasts of the South.
Through a land of trouble and anguish,
From which came the lioness and lion,
The viper and fiery flying serpent,
They will carry their riches on the backs of young donkeys,
And their treasures on the humps of camels,
To a people who shall not profit;
The Government will end up taking all we have because we put our trust in them and not Father. All that we take to them and trust them with will be to no profit. It will gain us nothing.
For the Egyptians shall help in vain and to no purpose.
Therefore I have called her
Rahab-Hem-Shebeth.
The meaning of this name is; the place of pride (arrogance) and stillness or idleness. We American Christians think we have all the answers and all the great teachers, prophets and preachers. In all that we are loosing our country to the world”s ways. Abortion, adultery, gay rights, new age religion, violence and a host of other nasty things are taking over our country. Our Christianity has not changed our country nor the lives of a lot of those who claim to be Christ’s. We have a divorce rate that is equal to those outside the Church. Yet we are unwilling to see that we are going no where and doing nothing yet think we have everything. The government and rulers of our country will not restore Father’s favor on us even if they do right. We the people of God must repent and change.
Now go, write it before them on a tablet,
And note it on a scroll,
That it may be for time to come,
Forever and ever:
That this is a rebellious people,
Lying children,
Children who will not hear the law of the Lord;
We would rather stand on our traditions than to see what the Lord and the Word say about us. We are not making disciples yet we call Matthew 28:18-20 the “Great Commission”. We tell those in the world “believe in Jesus and everything will be easy and nice”. We teach people that grace means that you do not have to do anything but sit and say you believe in Jesus, that there is no hard words in grace, no accountability and no reward for sin.
Who say to the seers, “Do not see,”
And to the prophets, “Do not prophesy to us right things;
Speak to us smooth things, prophesy deceits.
Prophecy in the American church is to be soft and without any words about cost or turning away from sin. Those who bring a hard word are scorned or told to shut up. Correction is for pastors not prophets to bring. Don’t root out, pull down, cast down, and destroy, simply plant and build (Jeremiah 1:5-10). New Testament prophets warned Paul of the things he was to suffer – they did not tell him how great his ministry was to be. John in the prophecy in Revelation says to turn from your sin, repent and hear the Spirit when he was speaking to the church in chapters 2 and 3.
Get out of the way,
Turn aside from the path,
Cause the Holy One of Israel
To cease from before us.”
Prophets are told to quit speaking, get out of our church, sit down or go away.
Therefore thus says the Holy One of Israel:
“Because you despise this word,
And trust in oppression and perversity,
And rely on them,
What is the oppression and perversity we rely on – good words, one man church leadership, pastors are the anointed ones, Sunday worship is enough, accountability and obedience are not essential. Community servant leadership won’t work. Leaders in the church rule “over” others instead of serving. I could go on, but most of our activities are based on tradition rather than doing the Word found in the resurrection commands of Jesus.
Therefore this iniquity shall be to you
Like a breach ready to fall,
A bulge in a high wall,
Whose breaking comes suddenly, in an instant.
We need to know that our iniquity will catch up with us and it will come suddenly – look around, what is happening in the traditional church for the most part? What is going on in our country? We are being broken and all we have trusted in that (Egypt) our government and rulers have brought us is falling to pieces. Our trust in money is failing, our trust in restoring our country to righteousness as the answer is not working. “Judgment begins at the House of God”.
And He shall break it like the breaking of the potter’s vessel,
Which is broken in pieces;
He shall not spare.
So there shall not be found among its fragments
A shard to take fire from the hearth,
Or to take water from the cistern.”
I believe that all of our church systems and our government systems are bound to fail. Until there is no faith or hope in them they will continue to be broken until there is no use for them at all. Our only hope is the first of the following verse. This must be where the Church returns. The Truth will prevail. When we turn to Him, we will find rest and salvation.
For thus says the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel:
“In returning and rest you shall be saved;
In quietness and confidence shall be your strength.”
But you would not,
If we do not there is no place to go that we will find rest
And you said, “No, for we will flee on horses”—
Therefore you shall flee!
And, “We will ride on swift horses”—
Therefore those who pursue you shall be swift!
We will be pursued as long as our rebellion, pride and idleness exists.
One thousand shall flee at the threat of one,
At the threat of five you shall flee,
Till you are left as a pole on top of a mountain
And as a banner on a hill.
Isn’t it interesting that a thousand Christians will flee at the threat of one worldly person and at the threat of five we will run until there is not a tree left but simply a naked pole that all will see. God will cause all to see our nakedness because we would not turn to Him and repent for our trust in man.
Therefore the Lord will wait, that He may be gracious to you;
And therefore He will be exalted, that He may have mercy on you.
For the Lord is a God of justice;
Blessed are all those who wait for Him.
Father will wait for us to turn. He will not take away all the adversity until we see He is our only hope and that HE is King not us.
For the people shall dwell in Zion at Jerusalem;
You shall weep no more.
He will be very gracious to you at the sound of your cry;
When He hears it, He will answer you.
Then we will see His salvation and righteousness reign. He will then hear our prayers. Now, we have not gotten His ear but when we turn, He will hear and answer us.
And though the Lord gives you
The bread of adversity and the water of affliction,
Yet your teachers will not be moved into a corner anymore,
But your eyes shall see your teachers.
Through all that is coming the Lord will not forget us and those teachers who have been placed in a corner and told to shut up will show us the way through serving the church in the midst of tribulation not seeking their own good but God’s kingdom.
Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying,
“This is the way, walk in it,”
Whenever you turn to the right hand
Or whenever you turn to the left.
Why will the word be behind us, because we must turn to hear it. As long as we set our face to be rebellious and proud we will not hear, it is only in turning that we will hear.
Father also gave me Ezekial 33 with this word and as a result I am sharing with you what I heard. As the end comes, we will see worse and darker times. In the midst of this we will see a great outpouring of His Spirit but the key to what we see is where we stand and the direction we look to.
Our prayer is, “Father show us our sins and lead us. Come Thy Kingdom, be done Thy will. Let us be led by your Spirit and guided into all truth. Let us see things to come and guide us to the lost and hurting. Show us how to destroy the works of the enemy. IN JESUS NAME!” Amen.
