OUR FATHER WHO KNOWS THE THOUGHTS AND INTENTIONS OF THE HEARTS OF ALL BEINGS Part 4

The book of Isaiah chapter 14 verse 16 says this;

Those who see you stare at you, they ponder your fate: “Is this the man who shook the earth and made kingdoms tremble,

The fall of Lucifer is witnessed by people and as they stare, they recount the terror, tumult and ruination that he inflicted on the inhabitants of the earth and who intimidated the kingdoms.

As verse 17 says;

the man who made the world a wilderness, who overthrew its cities and would not let his captives go home?”

Observing the collapse of the standing of the king of Babylon, the witnesses wonder how one who held so much sway over the whole earth and who so brutally exercised power over the lives of men, could have been brought so low.

The power of the Most High God accomplished this.

Amen.

12

OUR FATHER WHO KNOWS THE THOUGHTS AND INTENTIONS OF THE HEARTS OF ALL BEINGS Part 3

Continuing from yesterday, having looked at the heights to which Lucifer's ambition had aimed and the methods by which he intended to achieve his plan, we come to the fulcrum of spiritual history in Isaiah chapter 14 verse 15 which says;

But you are brought down to the realm of the dead, to the depths of the pit.

Lucifer began executing his plan and he attempted to ascend to the heights of clouds  of heaven having secured the  loyalty of a portion the angels.

Unknown to Lucifer, God, the creator of all things including Lucifer, was aware of the inner thoughts of Lucifer's heart and contingencies had been made for his usurpation plot.

He was cast down into the realm of the dead from the heights to which he had reached and descended to the deepest pit where he was among the  worms and maggots and buried under the bodies of the slain.

4

OUR FATHER WHO KNOWS THE THOUGHTS AND INTENTIONS OF THE HEARTS OF ALL BEINGS Part 2

The book of Isaiah chapter 14 verse 14 says this;

NIV :

I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.”

NKJV:

I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.’

This verse reveals the ultimate inner intention that Lucifer harboured as he formulated His ambitious plan to gain dominance over existence.

After taking control of the realms of the stars of God, Lucifer then planned to ascend (or climb) above the highest level of heaven which is characterized as the tops of the clouds.

It is when he got to these height that he either saw himself becoming like God or he believed he had that power to make himself like the Most High God.

As Lucifer stewed in the secret inner dialogue of his own heart, he did not know that there was a logged history of all His thoughts that was available to God and that this string of thoughts was going to be revealed in the text of scripture.

Lucifer's  scheme was unearthed but he was able to take a third of the angels into his rebellion as they were rounded up and thrown out of heaven.

This ratio is derived from the book of Revelation chapter12 verses 3 - 4;

Then another sign appeared in heaven: an enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on its heads. 

Its tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the earth. The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that it might devour her child the moment he was born.

This text is clearly an abridged allegory of pivotal historical  events through spiritual history and, although disputed by some, the event of stars being swept by the dragon out of the sky and flung to earth, represents how Lucifer's ambition played out after his thoughts and intentions turned into action and the war in heaven began.

3

OUR FATHER WHOSE BRINGS FREEDOM TO HIS PEOPLE

The book of Isaiah chapter 14 verse 4 says this;

 you will take up this taunt against the king of Babylon:

How the oppressor has come to an end! How his fury has ended!

After the Lord delivers His people from oppression and the dominion of darkness, He foretells that God's people will take up a taunt against their oppressor who is named the king of Babylon.

This taunt is an indicator that they have no fear any more and that they are confident that their oppressor has been  permanently removed from a position of power.

To take up a taunt in this case is an act of reproving the harshness that they had been subjected to and expressing their relief that their ordeal has come to an end.

Bless the Lord.

Amen

6

Apple of Your Eye

Hear me Lord

Turn your ear to Me

And hear my prayer

Show me Lord

The wonders of

Your Love and faithful care (×2)(×1)

Keep me as the apple of your eye

And hide me in the shadow of your wings (x1)(×2)

OUR FATHER WHO RESTORES THE BRIDE OF CHRIST FROM RUIN

The book of Isaiah chapter 49 verse 13 says this;

Shout for joy, you heavens; rejoice, you earth; burst into song, you mountains!

For the Lord comforts his people and will have compassion on his afflicted ones.

This verse prescribes the appropriate response to the compassion that the Lord has on His people who have been oppressed and harassed.

As the Lord restores His people, those in heaven should shout for joy and those on earth should revel in gladness and the spiritual kingdoms should burst into song.

In this moment, Zion, the people in the kingdom of God said this in verse 14;

But Zion said, “The Lord has forsaken me, the Lord has forgotten me.”

Zion had not yet realised that the time of her turmoil had come to an end.

She had been devastated by the destruction of brought against her and her territories by her enemies and was still reeling from the attacks.

However, the Lord had intervened to drive away her foes and return her people back into her fold and she was not set up to handle the huge revival that occured as verse 19 says;

“Though you were ruined and made desolate and your land laid waste, now you will be too small for your people, and those who devoured you will be far away.

The bride of Christ is stunned to find that even when she was in shambles from the onslaught of her enemies, people were still being saved and being added to her numbers such that as verse 21 says;

Then you will say in your heart, ‘Who bore me these?

I was bereaved and barren; I was exiled and rejected. Who brought these up?

I was left all alone, but these—where have they come from?’”

Amen.

4

OUR FATHER WHO WILL HAVE COMPASSION ON HIS PEOPLE

The book of Isaiah chapter 14 verses 1 - 2 says this;

The Lord will have compassion on Jacob; once again he will choose Israel and will settle them in their own land. Foreigners will join them and unite with the descendants of Jacob.

Nations will take them and bring them to their own place. And Israel will take possession of the nations and make them male and female servants in the Lord’s land.

They will make captives of their captors and rule over their oppressors.

This passage speaks of the great reversal of circumstance that will occur to the Lord's people when He sees them in their distress and has compassion on them. 

The Lord, in mercy for His people, chooses them for Himself anew and restores them to their own land.

Here, a great prophecy is revealed that declares that the foreigners ( or gentiles ) will join the descendants of Israel and become one with them.

In this united bond, the people of God will gain ownership over all the nations and put all the people of the  world into their employ. And those who held God's people in captivity, will themselves be ruled over and held in captivity 

Amen.

7

OUR FATHER WHO SAVES HIS PEOPLE FRON OPPRESSION

The book of Isaiah chapter 14 verse 3 says this;

On the day the Lord gives you relief from your suffering and turmoil and from the harsh labor forced on you,

This verse, the Lord God, in the context of Him having compassion on His people, brings their days of captivity to completion and rescues  them out of the harsh conditions they had been subjected to under the power of the king of Babylon. 

The king of Babylon ( standing in for the anti-Christ ) is defeated by the Lord and dark reign of terror is terminated.

The continuation of the passage in verse 4 then prophecies what the response of those emmancipated will  be;

you will take up this taunt against the king of Babylon: How the oppressor has come to an end! How his fury has ended!

The people of God will rejoice over the end of the regime of the adversary and the deposing of the king of Babylon.

Amen.

14

OUR FATHER WHO PLANNED TO SAVE THE GENTILES ALL ALONG

The book of Isaiah chapter 49 verse 5 says this;

And now the Lord says—he who formed me in the womb to be his servant to bring Jacob back to him and gather Israel to himself, for I am honored in the eyes of the Lord and my God has been my strength—

This incredible verse captures the Lord Jesus about to speak of something that His Father said to Him. He prefaces what His Father said by summarizing the context in which the Father said these things to His Son.

He lists the items that reveal His own status prior to His Father speaking;

• His father formed Him in the womb
• His Father made Him a servant
• His role was to return Jacob to the Father
• He was to gather Israel to the Father

Jesus said that He was assigned these tasks because He was honored before the Lord and that in undertaking these tasks, God had given Him the strength to do so.

It is then in verse 6 that the Lord Jesus reveals the astonishing thing that His Father said to Him;

he says: “It is too small a thing for you to be my servant to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept.

I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.”

This statement by the Father increased the revealed scope of the Lord Jesus' mission to include the gathering of the elect from among all the gentiles on the earth.

Amen.

3

OUR FATHER WHO GUIDES US RIGHTLY EVEN WHEN IT IS COUNTER-INTUITIVE

The book of Luke chapter 5 verses 5 - 7 says this;

Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.”

When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. 

So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink.

The Lord Jesus had borrowed a boat  belonging to Simon Peter so that he could  teach the crowd who were standing on the shore while standing on the boat.

When the teaching was done, the Lord told  Simon to sail into deep water and let down the nets for a catch.

Here we join the excerpt where Simon said that they had been working all night but had caught no fish but because it was the Lord asking, he would make another attempt.

When they did this, the nets filled to their  breaking point with fish and they needed help to haul the catch to shore and even with help, the boats were sinking under the load.

The Lord will give us a counter-intuitive instruction and in following that instruction, things will drastically change.

Amen.

30

OUR FATHER PROVIDES A BEAUTIFUL BRIDE FOR HIS SON

The book of Ecclesiates Songs of Solomon chapter 14 1 verses 4 - 5 says this;

She: Take me away with you—let us hurry! Let the king bring me into his chambers.

Friends:  We rejoice and delight in you; we will praise your love more than wine.

She:  How right they are to adore you!

Dark am I, yet lovely, daughters of Jerusalem, dark like the tents of Kedar, like the tent curtains of Solomon.

This passage is an excerpt from a conversation between a beautiful bride and her groom who is the king.

The bride looks forward to when the king will sweep her away to His chambers which is an intimate and private space to share between the couple.

A group of friends ( daughters of Jerusalem who are the bride's helpers ) of the couple intone that they will delight in the love the king has for His bride and that they will effusively speak of them as their marriage begins.

The bride acknowledges the stature of her wonderful bridegroom the King and that He is indeed awesome but she declares of herself that she is dark and she is lovely and exotic in appearance. She compares her coloring to the tents of the Bedouins  ( amplified version ) of Kedar.

Whereas the rendition of this narrative is from a close, personal  and intimate point of view, Psalm chapter 45 foretells of the same event but from a public and spectacular vantage point with all the pomp and circumstance of a royal wedding.

As the procession of the royal houses, companions of the princess and other guests move towards the palace of the king, the Holy Spirit whispers an instruction to the bride (whom He has brought from a distant land) the words of Psalm 45 verses 10 and 11;

Hear, O daughter, consider and incline your ear [to my instruction]: Forget your people and your father’s house;

Then the King will desire your beauty; Because He is your Lord, bow down and honor Him.

The counsel given to the bride of Christ is to forget the things of this world from where she came and  humbly and fully give herself to her groom.

This pivotal event marks the beginning of the going forth of Christ and His bride into the eternal future ordained by the Father.

Amen.

4

OUR FATHER WHO GAVE US HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS BY OUR FAITH IN CHRIST

The book of Ephesians Phillipians chapter 9 3 verse 4 - 5 says this;

though I myself have reasons for such confidence.

If someone else thinks they have reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more:  circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; 

In this passage, the Apostle Paul, informs the reader that if putting confidence in the flesh were worth anything, he would be the one to so because in that respect, he was completely in step with the requirements of the law from his childhood until the time attained the status of pharisee among the Hebrews.

Yet, as he described in verse 7 - 9, the Apostle Paul counted all this attainment as rubbish because it was absolutely valueless compared to the knowledge of Christ;

But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things.

 I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ  and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. 

Any of our own actions that we think accrue to righteousness are indeed filthy rags for in Christ, the only righteousness we have is the righteousness that comes from God by the faith we have in Christ.

Amen.

OUR FATHER WHO BRINGS JUDGEMENT BUT SHIELDS THE REMNANT OF HIS PEOPLE

The book of Isaiah chapter 4 verses 4 - 6 and chapter 5 verse 1 - 3 says this;

Isaiah chapter 4 verse 4 - 6;

The Lord will wash away the filth of the women of Zion; he will cleanse the bloodstains from Jerusalem by a spirit of judgment and a spirit of fire. 

Then the Lord will create over all of Mount Zion and over those who assemble there a cloud of smoke by day and a glow of flaming fire by night; over everything the glory will be a canopy. 

It will be a shelter and shade from the heat of the day, and a refuge and hiding place from the storm and rain

This portion of the text speaks of the care that the Lord shows toward the beautiful branch of the Lord, Israel. The remnant left in Zion are cleansed by the Lord by the spirit of judgement and the the spirit of fire.

The Lord will then create a canopy of His glory over the whole of Zion and will be a shelter from the heat and also from the storm.

The canopy will shield the people of God from the harshness of the conditions of judgement.

Isaiah chapter 5 verse 1 - 3;

I will sing for the one I love a song about his vineyard: My loved one had a vineyard on a fertile hillside.

He dug it up and cleared it of stones and planted it with the choicest vines.

He built a watchtower in it and cut out a winepress as well.

Then he looked for a crop of good grapes, but it yielded only bad fruit.

“Now you dwellers in Jerusalem and people of Judah, judge between me and my vineyard.

This portion out of Isaiah chapter 5  speaks of a vineyard being tended by a diligent farmer. He tends the vines and provides the best possible conditions for the  vines.

He prepared the soil and then planted the best vines available to him.

He then built the facilities on the premises needed to provide security over the land and he also prepared the components needed to process the grapes when they were ready.

In the end, he went to inspect the fruit he had invested so much effort into and he found that the grapes were bad.

The Lord's response to the bad fruit that were yielded by His people Israel was to bring about judgement of destruction upon His own people and His judgement was destruction.

The Lord visits calamity upon His people when He judges them but for the remnant in the land whom he chooses and exempts from judgement, he protects by His glory.

Amen.

4

OUR FATHER WHO SUSTAINS US

From Psalm 3

I will not fear 

Though on every side 

Tens of thousands assail me 

I will call to you My God

My shield and my Glory

Arise Lord 

From your Mountain

From Zion  

Lord lift my head

Arise Lord 

For You sustain me

You're my glory

Lord Deliver me 

Hear me Lord, 

Turn your ear to Me 

And hear my prayer

Show me Lord

The wonders of

Your Love and faithful care (×2)

Keep me as the apple of your eye

And hide me in the shadow of your wings (×2)

OUR FATHER WHO WHOSE JUDGEMENT IS FEARSOME

The book of Isaiah chapter 15 verses 4 - 8 says this;

Heshbon and Elealeh cry out, their voices are heard all the way to Jahaz. Therefore the armed men of Moab cry out, and their hearts are faint.

My heart cries out over Moab; her fugitives flee as far as Zoar, as far as Eglath Shelishiyah. They go up the hill to Luhith, weeping as they go; on the road to Horonaim they lament their destruction.

The waters of Nimrim are dried up and the grass is withered; the vegetation is gone and nothing green is left.

So the wealth they have acquired and stored up they carry away over the Ravine of the Poplars.

Their outcry echoes along the border of Moab; their wailing reaches as far as Eglaim, their lamentation as far as Beer Elim.

This passage captures the tumult and anguish that follows from the judgement that is brought down on Moab by the Lord.

The cries of the fleeing people are so loud that they are heard in the neighboring towns causing the military personel based there to exclaim in fear.

Convoy of refugees begins to flee the destruction of judgment and they are weeping and lamenting as they go.

The Lord's heart cries out over Moab as the scene of terror unfolds.

Their land has turned into a barren wasteland in which nothing grows and springs of water have stopped flowing.

The people of Moab gather anything of value they had stashed away and make a break for it through the ravines but they are so distraught that their wailing can be heard for miles around.

They are experiencing a time of distress they had never experienced before.

36

OUR FATHER WHO WILL CLEAR AWAY THE USURPING POWERS OF DARKNESS

The book of Isaiah chapter 14 verse 22 says this;

“I will rise up against them,” declares the Lord Almighty. “I will wipe out Babylon’s name and survivors, her offspring and descendants,” declares the Lord.

The totality of Babylon's destruction is declared in this verse.

Babylon, under the tutelage of the king of Babylon, usurped authority on earth and designed a mode of existence that excluded God and embedded a proud and selfish culture to govern the lives of men.

This kingdom of darkness is judged and in verse 22, sentenced to obliteration by the Lord himself so that the Babylonian system would never again take root on the earth.

Amen.

20

OUR FATHER PRESCRIBES THE ERADICATION OF A REBELIOUS CIVILIZATION

Moving further in Isaiah chapter 14 , we examine verse 21 which reads this way;

Let the offspring of the wicked never be mentioned again.

Prepare a place to slaughter his children for the sins of their ancestors; they are not to rise to inherit the land and cover the earth with their cities.

This passage begins with the last line out of verse 20 in order to encapsulate the whole thought which is a pronouncement of a judicial sentence on the descendants of the king of Babylon.

The text contains the commands to erase the progeny of the wicked Babylonian system from knowledge and to put to death the agents of its propagation. This to prevent the rebellious system from reclaiming the territory of earth and being able to rebuild its civilization on the face of the earth.

The Lord God is to be feared.

Amen.

4

 OUR FATHER WHO JUDGES THE OPPRESSORS OF HIS PEOPLE

Continuing with the next verse in book of Isaiah chapter 14, we look at verse 20 which reads this way;

Like a corpse trampled underfoot, you will not join them in burial, for you have destroyed your land and killed your people.

This verse is speaking of the king of Babylon who is standing in for Satan, the oppressor of God's people.

The image is presented where the chaotic and undignified scene of a dead person being stepped on by passing crowds of people.

The honors of a formal and orderly funeral that are given to world leaders are denied to him and the reason given for this exemption is that during his reign, he destroyed the land and murdered his own subjects.

Also given the name, 'the Assyrian, this person is judged severely for the rebellion and reign of mayhem that he fostered against the Lord's people.

As verse 25 says;

I will crush the Assyrian in my land; on my mountains I will trample him down.

His yoke will be taken from my peoplek, and his burden removed from their shoulders.”

8

OUR FATHER WHOSE VICTORY IS ABSOLUTE

The book of Isaiah chapter 14 verse 19 says this;

But you are cast out of your tomb  like a rejected branch; you are covered with the slain, with those pierced by the sword, those who descend to the stones of the pit.

The king of Babylon, in judgement for his actions, is brought down to the lowest pit after being cast out of the normal state of repose for a world leader.

A diginified tomb rejects him and he is trampled underfoot and covered with the dead who have themselves have done wicked things and cast down into the lowest pit.

This judgement is metted out because of the destructive and murderous practices of his regime and as verse 20 says;

Like a corpse trampled underfoot, you will not join them in burial, for you have destroyed your land and killed your people.

20

OUR FATHER WHO IS THE JUDGE

The book of Isaiah chapter 15 16 verse 12 3 says this;

“Make up your mind,” Moab says. “Render a decision. Make your shadow like night—at high noon.

Hide the fugitives, do not betray the refugees.

The people of Moab, facing a destroyer who  came to ruin them, scattered from the land of Moab in convoys of refugees.

In this verse, Moab sent a petition for asylum to the nation of Israel who was their neighbor.

As Israel vacillated on whether to grant asylum, Moab pressed her to make a decision one way or another. 

Moab asked Israel to discreetly conceal the refugees from those who sought to destroy them.

Israel is then prophetically counselled to provide refuge to the people of Moab because the day of the destroyer will come to an end.

Those who acted in mercy and love for their neighbor in distress will be noted by the throne that will be established in love as verse 5 says;

In love a throne will be established;  in faithfulness a man will sit on it—one from the house of David—one who in judging seeks justice and speeds the cause of righteousness.

Amen.

OUR FATHER WHOSE WORD IS ETERNAL

The book of Isaiah chapter 40 verse 8 says this;

The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever.”

This verse speaks metaphorically of grass and flowers with the grass representing human beings on earth and the flowers representing the good works that they do that make humanity beautiful.

Even if human beings wither away and their righteous and faithful works are shed, the word of the Lord God will endure forever.

This paralells the words of the Lord Jesus in Mathew chapter 24 which says;

Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.

The Word of God is eternal.

Amen.

6

OUR FATHER WHO ANSWERS THOSE WHO FAST ACCORDING TO RIGHTEOUSNESS

The book of Isaiah chapter 58 verses 4 - 7 says this;

Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife, and in striking each other with wicked fists. You cannot fast as you do today and expect your voice to be heard on high.

Is this the kind of fast I have chosen, only a day for people to humble themselves?

Is it only for bowing one’s head like a reed and for lying in sackcloth and ashes?

Is that what you call a fast, a day acceptable to the Lord?

“Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke?

Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?

This passage reprimands God's people for improperly handling the institution of fasting.

Whereas fasting provides a priority channel into the administration of heaven, there are ways to nullify the efficacy of fasting where we sustain an;

• atmosphere of contention
• atmosphere of strife
• atmosphere of violence

The rudiments of fasting (like humbling oneself, dressing in sackcloth and covering with ashes) are not supposed to be the only components of the practice.

Here, the Lord gives a full prescription of fasting beyond the basics;

• Mitigate the effects of injustice
• Remove entanglements of oppression
• Free the oppressed from their captors
• Destroy the strongholds of oppression
• Provide food for the hungry
• Provide shelter for the wanderers
• Provide clothing for them with no clothing
• Be attentive to the needs of our neighbours

Fasting that includes adherance to these provisos will garner the attention of the Lord and when we need Him and reach out to Him, He will respond as it says in verse 9;

Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.

Amen.

33

OUR FATHER WHO PREPARES HIS PEOPLE

The book of Isaiah chapter 13 verse 4 says this;

Listen, a noise on the mountains, like that of a great multitude!

Listen, an uproar among the kingdoms, like nations massing together!

The Lord Almighty is mustering an army for war.

This verse describes the tumult of the assembling together of the great army of the Lord Almighty to rise up against Babylon who was the enemy of God.

Preceded by a covert action to incapacitate the nobles and leaders of the kingdom of Babylon, those who have been prepared by the Lord are mustered together and this gathering is thunderously noisy.

This spiritual army is brought together from all over the earth. They are an international force comprised of those on earth and those in heaven as verse 5 says;

They come from faraway lands, from the ends of the heavens—the Lord and the weapons of his wrath—to destroy the whole country.

Their target is the rebellious kingdom of Babylon whose ambition was the total usurpation of the earth in the service of godlessness but the day of reckoning approaches as verse 7 says;

Wail, for the day of the Lord is near; it will come like destruction from the Almighty.

2

OUR FATHER WHO KNOWS THE THOUGHTS AND INTENTIONS OF THE HEARTS OF ALL BEINGS

The book of Isaiah chapter 14 verse 13 says this;

NIV :

You said in your heart, “I will ascend to the heavens; I will raise my throne above the stars of God;

I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of Mount Zaphon.

AMP :

“But you said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven;

I will raise my throne above the stars of God;

I will sit on the mount of assembly In the remote parts of the north.

Revisiting this verse, having noted that the inner thoughts of the king of Babylon as he formulated his plan to fulfil his ambition were known and revealed in this passage, we see that he wants to ascend to heaven which implies that he is plotting his ascension from a position on earth.

He then decides that he would then need to gain dominance over the denizens of heaven called the stars of God.  

He then describes the topography of heaven that will serve as his headquarters once he has gained rulership in heaven.

In the next verse ( verse 14 ), the ultimate goal is revealed. From the highest point in heaven, the king of Babylon then intended to raise himself higher that the clouds of heaven so that he would then be in a position that would be equivalent to the God who is the creator of heaven and earth.

‘I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’

But having plotted these things in his heart, his plan is discovered and he is cast down to the pit as verse 15 says;

But you are brought down to the realm of the dead, to the depths of the pit.

24

OUR FATHER WHOSE JUDGES HIS OWN PEOPLE FIRST

The book of Isaiah chapter 9 verse 11 says this;

But the Lord has strengthened Rezin’s foes against them and has spurred their enemies on.

This verse, speaking of God's people who in arrogance, plan how they would recover from judgement even better than they were before and in response, the Lord galvanizes the enemies of his people to bring greater judgement upon them but they do not return to God.

As verse 13 says;

Yet the people do not turn back to Him who struck them, Nor do they seek the Lord of hosts.

8

OUR FATHER WHO SENT HIS SON TO SAVE THE WORLD

The book of Isaiah chapter 9 verses 4 - 5 says this;

For as in the day of Midian’s defeat, you have shattered the yoke that burdens them, the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor.

Every warrior’s boot used in battle and every garment rolled in blood will be destined for burning, will be fuel for the fire.

This passage prophetically looks ahead to the time when the reign of oppression over God's people by the kingdom of darkness will be brought to an end because the instruments of oppression (namely the yoke, the bar and the rod) will be destroyed.

The blood-soaked accoutrements of war like boots and uniforms will be burned up and eliminated.

The reason given for this dramatic change of fortune for God's people is that the great Son of God will arrive as described in Isaiah chapter 9 verses 6 - 7;

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders.

And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end.

He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever.

The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.

Amen.

6

OUR FATHER IS THE ULTIMATE JUDGE OVER ALL EXISTENCE

The book of Isaiah chapter 14 verse 19 says this;

But you are cast out of your tomb like a rejected branch; you are covered with the slain, with those pierced by the sword, those who descend to the stones of the pit.

Like a corpse trampled underfoot,

This verse speaks of the final resting place of the anti-christ.

Any semblance of dignity or noteworthiness will  be stripped away. His personal tomb will reject Him and he will suffer the fate of those he killed.

He will be thrown into a mass grave among the innumerable who have fallen with him.

The memory of him will be trampled and erased as he descends  to the very bottom of the pit and covered with the dead.

4

OUR FATHER WHOSE PEOPLE SHOULD CONCERN THEMSELVES WITH THE KINGDOM OF GOD

The book of Isaiah chapter 5 verse 9 says this; 

The Lord Almighty has declared in my hearing: “Surely the great houses will become desolate, the fine mansions left without occupants.

This verse is speaking of the judgement that will descend upon the God's people whom He had carefully cultivated but who paid no heed to the Lord.

They concerned themselves with increasing their holdings and displacing everyone else out of the land.

As such, the great mansions they had built as monuments to themselves would lie desolate as judgement descends.

Amen.

4

OUR FATHER KNOWS THE INNER THOUGHTS OF EVEN THE MIGHTY ANGELS

The book of Isaiah chapter 14 verse 13 says this;

“But you said in your heart,

‘I will ascend to heaven;

I will raise my throne above the stars of God;

I will sit on the mount of assembly

In the remote parts of the north.

This widely known verse is a revelation of the inner thoughts of Lucifer when his selfish ambition to rule over creation was conceived in his heart.

By the impetus of his own will, he planned to escalate himself up to heaven from the location where he had been appointed to rule over.

In his attempt to promote himself, he intended to raise his throne above the stars of God (which is a class of beings who participated in the creation of the universe as well as all those who oversee the gatherings of God's people) as described in Job chapter 38 verses 6 - 7;

On what were its footings set, or who laid its cornerstone—while the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy?

Lucifer then planned to place himself at the focal point of the heavenly gathering place that is situated in a distant and secure area of the north sector of heaven.

2

OUR FATHER WHO IS THE FINAL JUDGE

The book of Isaiah chapter 14 verse 11 says this;

All your pomp has been brought down to the grave, along with the noise of your harps; maggots are spread out beneath you and worms cover you.

This verse, in revealing the scene of the fall of the king of Babylon (standing in for Lucifer ) into the pit, describes how the magesterial entourage that included musical accompaniment, was brought down with him into the realm of the dead.

His dignity is stripped away and a bed of maggots and worms becomes his resting place.

Have mercy on us o God.

14

 OUR FATHER WHO IS VICTORIOUS

The book of Isaiah chapter 14 verse 9 says this;

The realm of the dead below is all astir to meet you at your coming; it rouses the spirits of the departed to greet you—all those who were leaders in the world; it makes them rise from their thrones—all those who were kings over the nations.

This verse, speaking of the former world leaders operating from the realm of the dead on the throne, describes the anticipation that these leaders experience as they await the arrival of the king of Babylon who has been cast down into the lowest part of their realm.

The realm itself tries to organize a greeting party to mark the arrival of the anti-Christ to try to honor him as he descends.

When he arrives, they all realize that he is weak and defeated and has no power to help them as verse 10 says;

They will all respond, they will say to you, “You also have become weak, as we are; you have become like us.”

The Lord is the victor.

Amen.

4