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

 

OUR FATHER WHO SURPRISED HIS SON WITH A VASTE EXPANSION OF THE SCOPE OF HIS REWARD

The book of Isaiah chapter 49 verse 4 says this;

But I said, “I have labored in vain; I have spent my strength for nothing at all. Yet what is due me is in the Lord’s hand, and my reward is with my God.”

This text is excerpted from a first person narration of the experience that the Lord Jesus had leading up to His death on the cross. 

Here, the Lord is recalling the conversation that He, Jesus the Son of God, had with His heavenly Father shortly before His death on the cross.

The Lord Jesus tells us that He, having lived a perfect life of following the law and doing everything that He saw His Father do, looked around Him and saw that He has been abandoned by His followers and that the mission that He been sent on to save the nation of Israel, had seemingly failed.

Israel, instead of embracing Him as their promised Messiah, had rejected Him and His message of the coming kingdom of God. They accused Him of blaspheme and sentenced Him to death to save their nation from political jeopardy.

Continuing with the telling of the experience from His point of view, the Lord Jesus said to His Father that all that He had worked so diligently for had not materialized and it was all for nothing but He recognized that it was His Father who would be the ultimate judge of the outcome of His mission and ascribe the fitting reward for His effort.

The Lord Jesus then records His Father's reply to His concerns in verses 5 - 6;

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—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.”

Wow!

4

OUR FATHER WHO JUDGES HIS OWN PEOPLE FIRST  

The book of Isaiah chapter 17 verse 4 says this;

NIV - “In that day the glory of Jacob will fade; the fat of his body will waste away.

AMP - “Now in that day the [former] glory of Jacob [Israel—his might, his population, his prosperity] will fade,

And the fatness of his flesh will become lean.

This verse, speaking of the day of judgement of the former ally of Israel, Syria, Israel's own greatness will fade and any reserves of value will be erased.

Judah is told that because he has forgotten the God of his salvation, the things that he plants will look promising while it grows but at harvest time, will render nothing. Verses 11 - 12 say it this way;

Because you [Judah] have forgotten the God of your salvation And have not remembered the Rock of your Stronghold—Therefore you plant lovely plants. And set the grounds with vine slips of a strange god, In the day that you plant it you carefully fence it in, And in the morning you bring your seed to blossom;Yet [promising as it is] the harvest will be a heap [of ruins that passes away] In the day of sickness and incurable pain.

This condition is a form of delusion that sets in when effort and patience seem assured to bring a harvest but after all the output, nothing is yielded. 

Amen.

20

OUR FATHER WHO CAST DOWN THE ONE WHO SOUGHT TO USURP HEAVEN'S THRONE

The book of Isaiah chapter 14 verse 12 says this;

How you have fallen from heaven, morning star, son of the dawn!

You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations!

This well known verse, referencing the king of Babylon, standing in for Lucifer who is being expressed as the man lawlessness or the anti-Christ, having oppressed and destroyed the nations of the earth, is described as having been cast down from heaven to the earth.

This scene is mirrored by the  event that the Lord Jesus witnessed and described to his disciples in Luke chapter 10 verse 18;

He replied, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.

It appears that there is a principle in the universe that says that if you see a spirit being fall, authority over that Spirit is accrued to you.

Thus, because Jesus witnessed Satan fall from heaven, Jesus rightfully gained authority over the entire kingdom of Satan and this is why Jesus, when "the seventy-two returned with joy and said, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.”, the Lord was able to say to them in verse 19;

 I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.

8

OUR FATHER WHOSE SON ASCENDED INTO HEAVEN AND SAT AT HIS RIGHT HAND AND FROM THENSE HE SHALL COME TO JUDGE THE LIVING AND THE DEAD

The book of acts chapter 1 verse 9 says this;

After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.

This verse, speaking of the ascension of the Lord Jesus from the Mount of Olives, describes the Lord's departure as a 'lifting up" in plain sight of everyone  into the sky until He was obscured from view by a cloud.

It is this same scene in the clouds that act as the staging area at the Lord's final return as described in 1 Thessalonians chapter 4 verses 16 - 17;

For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 

After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. 

Amen.

4

OUR FATHER WHO WORKED SALVATION FOR THE WHOLE WORLD

Psalm 98 verses 1 - 3 says this;

Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things; his right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him.

The Lord has made his salvation known and revealed his righteousness to the nations.

He has remembered his love and his faithfulness to Israel; all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.

This passage prophetically exhorts us to worship the Lord with fresh new songs  and with adoration because of the Lord, through His manifold wisdom, worked a great plan of salvation. 

And this plan of salvation, which encapsulated the children of Israel and people of all the nations, was accomplished through the Lord Jesus who underwent the sentence of death on a cross for the sins of the world.

He then rose again on the third day and he ascended into heavenly places far above rule, authority and dominion and every name that is invoked. 

And thus, the plan of salvation was made universal and applicable to all nations and God made His salvation known to all nations and revealed His righteousness because Jesus, who was the exact image of the Father, was absolutely perfect in His life on earth even unto the point of death.

Let us sing praises to Him who saved us.

Sing to God a song of praise

For our salvation His Son He gave

Shout for joy to God our King

Burst into jubilant songs for Him

Let the whole world and sea resound

For God's righteous justice will ever abound

Amen.

4

OUR FATHER WHOSE WAYS ARE WAYS OF JUSTICE

Psalm 99 verse 4 in the NIV says this;

The King is mighty, he loves justice— you have established equity; in Jacob you have done what is just and right.

This verse references the King of Zion who is exalted over all nations and who is enthroned  between the two cherubim at the focal point of all existence.

The text describes Him as mighty or exceedingly strong and because He Loves justice, in his strength He has set justice to be the standard by which His kingdom operates.

The Living Bible version says it this way;

This mighty King is determined to give justice. Fairness is the touchstone of everything he does. He gives justice throughout Israel. 

Amen.

12+

OUR FATHER WHOSE GREAT DAY APPROACHES

The book of Daniel chapter 12 verses 11 and 12 says this;

“From the time that the daily sacrifice is abolished and the abomination that causes desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days.

 Blessed is the one who waits for and reaches the end of the 1,335 days.

This passage sets out a schedule that can be counted out on a calendar to mark  the amount of time that those who await the Lord's hope.

There will be a day when the daily sacrifice is banned and from that day till the abomination that causes desolation is set up in the temple, 1,290 says will go by.

After that, another 45 days will pass during which God's people will have to endure a time of great distress before the day of the Lord arrives.

Have mercy on us O Lord.

4

OUR FATHER WHO JUDGEMENT AGAINST THOSE WHO STRIKE HIS PEOPLE IS FEARSOME 

The book of Obadiah chapter 1 verses 5 - 6 says this;

“If thieves came to you, if robbers in the night—oh, what a disaster awaits you!—would they not steal only as much as they wanted?

If grape pickers came to you, would they not leave a few grapes? 

But how Esau will be ransacked, his hidden treasures pillaged!

This passage uses two metaphors to accentuate how thorough the destruction of Esau shall be when judgement is brought against them.

When thieves target a person's home, they don't take everything. Instead they pick and chose what they deem valuable and though it is a bona fide disastor for the person, at least the robbers leave what they don't want. They would take your laptop but they would at least leave your couch behing.

Similarly, when thieving harvesters visit a person's vineyard to loot a harvest of grapes, even though it is a great loss, at least they leave behind a few grapes that they did not bother to reach for. 

In contrast, the calamity that will be visited on the nation of Esau (who in this case, stands in for the kingdoms that will array themselves against the kingdom of God to wreak havoc on the people of God and unjustly refuse to support them on their day of adversity), will be absolute and permanent. Verse 10 says it like this;

Because of the violence against your brother Jacob, you will be covered with shame; you will be destroyed forever.

Verse 18 suggests that it will be prayers of God's people that will accompliah this;

Jacob will be a fire and Joseph a flame;

Esau will be stubble, and they will set him on fire and destroy him. There will be no survivors from Esau.”

The Lord has spoken.

Revere the Lord whose power can erase nations and kingdoms.

9

OUR FATHER WHO GREAT DAY WILL BE PRECEDED BY AN ATTACK ON HIS PEOPLE BY THE KINGDOM OF DARKNESS

The book of Joel chapter 1 verses 8 - 9 says this;

Mourn like a virgin in sackcloth grieving for the betrothed of her youth. 

Grain offerings and drink offerings are cut off from the house of the Lord. The priests are in mourning, those who minister before the Lord

In this passage, the people of God, from the bride of Christ to the priests of Israel, are instructed to mourn because of the onslaught of an invading army of darkness that is systematically tearing away the protective covering of the vines and the fig trees where the vines represent the church and the fig tree represents the nation of Israel.

A great disruption happens to bring shortages of the distribution of the word of God throughout the world leaving millions without a way to learn about God and a scarcity of encounters with the Holy Spirit and the joy of the people of God withers away. As verse 10 says;

The fields are ruined, the ground is dried up; the grain is destroyed,  the new wine is dried up, the olive oil fails.

At this time, when these things are occurring,  the day of the Lord approaches as verse 15 says;

Alas for that day! For the day of the Lord is near; it will come like destruction from the Almighty.

4

OUR FATHER WHO PROVIDED A PERFECT SACRIFICE

Psalm 111 verse 3 says this;

Glorious and majestic are his deeds, and his righteousness endures forever.

In extolling the Lord our God, this verse specifies the refulgent and awesome deeds that he does. 

We are all witness to the inconcievable design of the natural order and the placement of we humans in it. We are witness to the splendor and incomparable wonder of our planet and all who dwell in it.

We are then confronted with the plan of salvation that was designed to redeem us out of the darkness into which we had fallen.

In this plan, God Himself undertook the role of a suffering servant who, though innocent, was condemned to death so that he would experience death for us that we might have life.

This majestic undertaking demonstrated the absolute perfection of God who, tested by the agony of death on a cross, did not relent at any point in His fierce determination to complete the task of providing salvation for the whole world through His obedience to the mandate He had.

As the rest of the verse says, "His righteousness endure forever"

Truely, the righteousness that the Lord Jesus showcased during His life, throughout His ministry and then in obedient submission to death on a cross, is an enduring eternal righteousness.

If this righteousness remained intact under the duress of a drawn-out excruciating execution, it will endure forever.

Praise our wonderful God.

Amen.

4 

OUR FATHER RESERVES THE AUTHORITY TO LIFT UP KINGS AND TO TEAR THEM DOWN.

The book of Isaiah chapter 19 verse 4 says this;

I will hand the Egyptians over to the power of a cruel master, and a fierce king will rule over them,” declares the Lord, the Lord Almighty.

In this verse, the Egyptians, who were an actual oppressive force over the people of God when they had sorjourned to Egypt and had been turned into slaves, are standing in for the systems of oppression over God's people.

The text describes a method by which an oppresive power is visited upon with judgement where a harsh and cruel master is placed over the harsh and cruel masters.

The difficulties and agonies that they impose on their victims are now imposed on them through the placement of a harsh leader over them.

That with which they had afflicted those who were under them, settled on their own heads.

This brings discouragement and disunity to the oppressive society and ultimately causes their disassembly. 

4

OUR FATHER WHO JUDGES THE WICKED ANGELS

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.

In revisiting this passage, having looked at two aspects of the descent of the king of Babylon into the realm of the dead namely;

• The contrast between the heights to which he aspired to ascend and the depths of the pit into which he fell

• The failure of the hope that the kings of the earth had in him when they saw that he was now as feeble as they themselves were

We will now look at the descent itself and the conditions that brought about the fall of the king of Babylon.

The king of Babylon, an Anti-Christ figure, also called 'the Assyrian', having gained dominance over the nations of the earth,  is judged for the wickedness, cruelty and devastation that he brought to the whole world.

This judgement broke the authority that was being wielded as verse 5 and 6 say;

The Lord has broken the rod of the wicked, the scepter of the rulers, which in anger struck down peoples with unceasing blows, and in fury subdued nations with relentless aggression.

Defeated by the Lord, the king of Babylon is relegated to the realm of the dead and so, as verse 12 says;

How you have fallen from heaven, morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations!

Having 'fallen' and been 'cast down', the Assyrian is then 'brought down' to the 'depths' of the pit as verse 15 says;

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

Then, having reached the depths of the pit, he is brought down further and covered over in worms as verse 11 says;

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.

And he is also covered with the bodies of those who had been slain as verse 19 says;

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.

As he falls, the deceased kings who inhabit the realm of the dead ponder his fate as they gaze upon him as he descends.

10

OUR FATHER WHO JUDGES FALSE PROPHETS

The book of Ezekiel chapter 13 verse 4 says this;

Your prophets, Israel, are like jackals among ruins.

This verse is an indictment against the prophets of God's people who were operating out of their own imaginations and following their own spirits rather than following the Spirit of God.

Their abdication of the office of the true prophet caused these 'foolish' prophets to be blind to the breaches in the spiritual fortifications of the people of God and as a result, on the day of the Lord, the walls did not hold up against the assault of the enemy.

In this state, the false prophets are compared to jackals or scavengers that haunt the ruins of the civilization they were pretending to provide oversight for while opportunistically living off the people therein.

4

OUR FATHER WHO FAVORS THE RIGHTEOUS WHO ABIDE IN HIS PRESENCE

Psalm chapter 4 5  verse 10 2 says this;

Hear my cry for help, my King and my God, for to you I pray.

This verse records the psalmist asking his Lord for attention so that he can bring his prayers before Him early in the morning.

The psalmist then articulates the posture that is required to bring such prayers before God.

• Articulate the requests before God
• Wait expectantly
• Be righteous before God
• Be humble before God
• Be honest
• Travel to the house of God
• Be reverent towards God

The Lord will grant favor to the righteous who follow  these practices as verse 12 says;

Surely, Lord, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as with a shield.

Amen.

7

OUR FATHER WHO FIRST JUDGES HIS OWN PEOPLE

The book of Jeremiah chapter 5 verses 2 - 3 says this;

Although they say, ‘As surely as the Lord lives,’  still they are swearing falsely.”

Lord, do not your eyes look for truth? You struck them, but they felt no pain; you crushed them, but they refused correction. They made their faces harder than stone and refused to repent.

This passage speaks of the people of Jerusalem who should have been righteous but instead were perpetrating evil and were treacherous toward the Lord.

Even though they feigned religious observance of the ways of God by using the buzz words of spiritual talk, inwardly, they were deceptive and unjust. 

Even though the Lord moved to correct them by chastisement but they were unresponsive to the Lord's discipline.

They just doubled down on their resolve to continue with only what pleased them and they rejected the calls to renounce their evil ways and to return to the Lord.

In their case, the Lord had tallied the population to see if there was even one righteous man in their midst and He had resolved to relent on His destruction of Jerusalem if even a singular righteous person could be located.

Even searching among the poor and among the influential had yielded no one who was righteous and so destruction was imminent.

4

OUR FATHER WHO JUDGES BUT LEAVES A REMNANT

The book of Ezekiel chapter 9 verse 10 says this;

So I will not look on them with pity or spare them, but I will bring down on their own heads what they have done.”

The severe judgement of death that was being brought to Jerusalem was triggered by these things that were found abundantly in Jerusalem;

• Bloodshed
• Perversion
• Injustice
• Slandering the Lord

The Amplified version says it this way;

The wickedness (guilt) of the house of Israel and Judah is extremely great; the land is full of blood and the city is full of perversion and injustice; for they say, ‘The Lord has abandoned the land; the Lord does not see [what we are doing].’

The people in Jerusalem at the time, were already a remnant but that remnant, by practicing great evil, invited judgement upon themselves and were to be reduced to an even smaller remnant of people who had been repulsed by the things that were happening in their city.

3

Amen.

OUR FATHER WHOSE GLORY WILL APPEAR OVER HIS PEOPLE

The book of Isaiah chapter 60 verse 2 says this;

See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the Lord rises upon you and his glory appears over you.

There is an approaching time when darkness will envelope the whole earth that will echo the darkness that was upon the surface of the deep described in Genesis chapter 1 verse 2.

Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.

Also coming is a deep (or thick) darkness that will be over the peoples of the earth but, while in this state, the Lord will rise upon us and His glory will appear over us replacing the darkness.

In fact, so bright will the Lord's glory shine on His people, that the nations of the earth will be drawn to them as verse 5 says; 

“Nations will come to your light, And kings to the brightness of your rising.

Amen.

4

OUR FATHER WHO CANNOT ABIDE BY INJUSTICE

The book of Isaiah chapter 59 verse 4 says this;

No one calls for justice; no one pleads a case with integrity.

They rely on empty arguments, they utter lies; they conceive trouble and give birth to evil.

The context surrounding this verse reveals the sinful condition that a society can establish in their midst that causes the Lord's face to be hidden from the people. 

Whereas the Lord is able to save His people and can hear their prayers, nevertheless, the atmosphere of murder, deception, injustice, violence, treachery, rebellion, witchcraft and oppression that His people have cultivated creates a gulf between God and His people so that He will not hear them.

This verse specifies the corrupted legal system of this society that functions on deception and those who participate in it do so without integrity and trade in lies.

They imagine ways to manipulate the legal system for their own benefit and as a result, evil is birthed in the land when injustice is applied to the innocent.

Mercifully, the Lord intervenes in the person of our Lord Jesus Christ to save us as Isaiah chapter 59 verse 20 says;

“The Redeemer will come to Zion, to those in Jacob who repent of their sins,” declares the Lord.

Amen.

8

OUR FATHER WHO IS WORTH OF HONOR AND PRAISE FOREVER.

Psalm 149 says this;

Praise the Lord.

Sing to the Lord a new song, his praise in the assembly of his faithful people.

Let Israel rejoice in their Maker; let the people of Zion be glad in their King.

Let them praise his name with dancing and make music to him with timbrel and harp.

For the Lord takes delight in his people; he crowns the humble with victory.

Let his faithful people rejoice in this honor and sing for joy on their beds.

May the praise of God be in their mouths and a double-edged sword in their hands, to inflict vengeance on the nations and punishment on the peoples, to bind their kings with fetters,  their nobles with shackles of iron, to carry out the sentence written against them—this is the glory of all his faithful people.

Praise the Lord.

This Psalm encourages the people of God to joyfully praise Him with new songs, with dancing and with musical instruments.

This is because the Lord delights in His people and He crowns the humble with victory.

The psalmist calls God's faithful people to rejoice with singing at all times even while in their beds because of the honor that the Lord their God has, at His own pleasure, given to them.

In this state of having the praise of God in their mouths and carrying the Word of God (which is a two-edged sword in their hand), the people of God will have the authority to execute judgement upon the spiritual rulers of darkness with the punisments they have been sentenced to.

God's people who are faithful with be granted the glory of the authority to bind spiritual powers of darkness with shackles to incapacitate them and ransack what they have stolen and then consign them to their written sentences.

Revere the Lord who confers such authority to those whom He finds faithful.

Amen.

T

OUR FATHER WHO SHIELDS HIS PEOPLE FROM THE ASSYRIAN

The book of Isaiah chapter 31 verse 4 says this;

This is what the Lord says to me:

“As a lion growls, a great lion over its prey—and though a whole band of shepherds is called together against it, it is not frightened by their shouts or disturbed by their clamor—so the Lord Almighty will come down to do battle on Mount Zion and on its heights.

This passage, as recorded by the prophet Isaiah of the Lord's own words, speaks of the defence that the Lord Almighty will put up on behalf of His people.

A great lion that is not intimidated by the shouts and clamor of men is used as a metaphor for the Lord being implacable as He steps into the fray to shield His people and deliver them from the Assyrian. 

As Isaiah chapter 31 verse 5 says;

Like birds hovering overhead, the Lord Almighty will shield Jerusalem, he will shield it and deliver it, he will ‘pass over’ it and will rescue it.”

The powers of darkness that have deigned to conquer God's people are brought down and subjugated by supernatural power. 

Isaiah chapter 31 verse 8 says it this way;

“Assyria will fall by no human sword; a sword, not of mortals, will devour them.

They will flee before the sword and their young men will be put to forced labor.a

Amen.

1

OUR FATHER WHO IS THE FINAL JUDGE

The book of Isaiah chapter 14 verse 10 says this;

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

We are revisiting this scripture  to consider different facets of what was happening at this pivotal juncture in history.

In the previous examination of Isaiah chapter 14 verse 10, the kings of the earth, having been stirred up in the realm of the dead to receive the one named 'the king of Babylon' whom they had feared and emulated, looked upon him and realized that he had been stripped of all his strength and was as feeble and helpless as they were. They now realised that any hope that they had that he would lead them out of their eternal predicament, were soundly dashed.

Also to consider are the extreme contrasts that are presented at this event. Here, all the kings of the earth had been subject to this person and thus he can be understood to have attained the very highest pinnacle of power and authority on earth where the kings of all the nations had feared him but now, in weakness and pitiful helplessness, he was brought down to the lowest pit and laid among maggots and worms as the next verse (verse 11) says;

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.

Whereas the king of Babylon commanded fear and made the nations tremble, now, in the realm of the dead, the former kings of the earth are made (by the realm) to mockingly rise from their thrones to receive him.

They ponder the fate of the one who was once installed as the bright morning star who then subjugated all the nations but now had fallen and was cast down to the lowest place on earth. Verse 12 renders it this way;

How you have fallen from heaven, morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations!

4

OUR FATHER WHO WILL BLESS THOS ED WHO MINISTER UNTO HIM

Psalm 134 says this;

Praise the Lord, all you servants of the Lord who minister by night in the house of the Lord.

Lift up your hands in the sanctuary and praise the Lord.

May the Lord bless you from Zion, he who is the Maker of heaven and earth.

This Psalm, addressing the people who have set themselves apart in the night to minister unto the Lord, counsels them to raise their hands to the Lord and to praise Him that He may bless them from His headquarters and He, the creator of all things in heaven and on earth, has the power to bless greatly.

Amen.

4

OUR FATHER WHOSE PEOPLE ARE CALLED INTO SERVICE IN THE HIS MIGHTY ARMY

The book of Joel chapter 2 verse says this;

They have the appearance of horses; they gallop along like cavalry.

The innumerable army of the Lord moves quickly across the face of the earth shaking the ground like thunder.

The soldiers, moving in equestrian formations, are coordinated and move in unison to bring down strongholds and fortresses.

This massive gathering of an army is the greatest that has ever been in all the ages past and will ever be in all the ages to come.

The army, led from the front by the Lord Jesus Christ, is beyond comprehension in forces and it meticulously obeys His commands. As Joel chapter 2 verse 11 says;

The Lord thunders at the head of his army; his forces are beyond number, and mighty is the army that obeys his command.

The day of the Lord is great; it is dreadful. Who can endure it?

Amen.

5

OUR FATHER WHOSE PEOPLE PURSUED OTHER GODS AND GAVE THEMSELVES TO THEM

The book of Ezekiel chapter 15 16 verse 9 - 10 1 - 2 says this;

The word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, confront Jerusalem with her detestable practices 

The Lord, speaking of Jerusalem as His bride, instructs the Prophet Ezekiel to go confront her for her sinful practices.

The Lord had found her in a pitiful condition and had raised her up but she repayed Him by consorting with idols and sacrificing her children to these idols.

She conducted herself with lewdness that even the surrounding godless neighbours did not practice.

Thus Lord was angry at her and brought humiliation upon her at the hand of those whom she followed after.

But the Lord's anger subsided and He made atonement for her because of His covenant with her.

Amen.

4

OUR FATHER WHO PRESERVES A REMNANT

The book of Isaiah chapter 17 verse 3 says this;

The fortified city will disappear from Ephraim, and royal power from Damascus; the remnant of Aram will be like the glory of the Israelites, declares the Lord Almighty.

This verse is referring to the aftermath of the judgement and destruction that would be visited upon the kingdom of Aram and its capital city of Damascus.

The prophet Isaiah foretold of the events that would render Aram's capital city into a heap of ruins but he indicated that a tiny remnant would survive and that these remaining few of Aram would match the glory of the Israelites.

The remnant that the Lord preserves for Himself out of judgement are greatly strengthened and they are reserved for the purposes of the Lord.

As Isaiah chapter 60 verse 22 says;

The smallest family will become a thousand people, and the tiniest group will become a mighty nation. At the right time, I, the LORD, will make it happen.”

Amen.

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OUR FATHER WHO SAVES HIS PEOPLE FROM FALSE PROPHETS

The book of Ezekiel chapter 13 verse 9 says this;

My hand will be against the prophets who see false visions and utter lying divinations. They will not belong to the council of my people or be listed in the records of Israel, nor will they enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the Sovereign Lord.

This verse is a declaration by the Lord that the prophets who tapped into the realm of falsity and were thus reporting false vision and uttering false divination would be barred from the council of God's people. 

They had allowed their imaginations to be leveraged by deceiving spirits and then prophecied these false notions as though they were the words of the Lord.

They would be blotted from the records of Israel and they would be expelled from the kingdom of Israel.l1

Distracted by these deceptions, the prophets failed to shore up the defences of Israel leaving her vulnerable to invasion because her walls were weak and merely covered in whitewash to give the appearance of being strong.

The Lord, in Ezekiel chapter 13 verses 22 - 23,  says;

Because you disheartened the righteous with your lies, when I had brought them no grief, and because you encouraged the wicked not to turn from their evil ways and so save their lives,  therefore you will no longer see false visions or practice divination. I will save my people from your hands. And then you will know that I am the Lord.’”

Amen.

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OUR FATHER WHO DEPOSES KINGS AND RAISES UP NEW ONES

The book of Isaiah chapter 19 verse 4 says this;

I will hand the Egyptians over to the power of a cruel master, and a fierce king will rule over them,”  declares the Lord, the Lord Almighty.

In the judgement against Egypt for their aggression against God's people, the Egyptians were made subject to a harsh taskmaster who had absolute power over the people of Egypt.

As part of the destruction of Egypt's ability to afflict the children of Israel, a new ruler put into place by the Lord and this ruler will  inflict recriminations against the Egyptians which will further demoralize the Egyptian kngdom.

This prophecy, uses the kingdom of Egypt as a stand-in for the worldly system of power that seeks to completely shape the world in the image of man and erase the Lord and His salvation from the knowledge of men.

This emergence of modern 'Egypt' , which is driven by a creed that seeks to decimate the people of the earth even as the Egyptians of old tried to decimate the children of Israel and then rule them harshly with restrictions on what they needed for their work just as the Egyptians of old did by withholding straw from their brick making work.

But the Lord, as described by Isaiah, will visit Egypt and render the kingdom inert with foolishness and economic woe and will orchestrate the placement of a new ruler over them who will act despotically toward his own people.

As Daniel says in the book of Daniel chapter 2 verse 21;

He changes times and seasons; he deposes kings and raises up others. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning.

Amen.

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