Isaiah Chapter 20 "Captivity, Assyria." This Bible Study is written by Roger Christopherson, and it's transcription/ location is provided by http://www.theseason.org This chapter is part of the warning that God has placed on seven different peoples, which indirectly would cover all the peoples of the world. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to understand that the main reason God was unhappy with these people was that they broke up into clickish groups, and turned to each other for their power and strength, rather then turning to God. This then is the fourth group of the seven. God expects loyalty and faithfulness to Him of His own. By their turning away from Him and turning to things that they made with their hands and could see is what causes them to fall away. Weak believers always need assurances that they can see and touch, before they find faith in whatever they believe. That is the reason for idols, and idolatry, the lack of faith that makes our Heavenly Father very angry. Isaiah 20:1 "In the year that Tartan come unto Ashdod, (when Sargon the king of Assyria sent him,) and fought against Ashdod, and took it;" This chapter is addressing the Assyrians. The word "Tartan" is saying "commander-in-chief" of the military forces. So this is identifying the time that the Assyrian general with his forces, under king Sargon came to war against Ashdod. "Ashdod" in the Hebrew means "stronghold", which was the stronghold of the house of Israel. The battle was quick, as the house of Israel fell and was uprooted. Sargon was never named by classic writers, and it is mentioned only here in the Scriptures. The monuments show that he was the son of Shalmaneser, and the father of Sennacherib. This expedition is mentioned on the monument found at Khorsabad, and also found on that monument is the inscription that a usurper, called "Javan", or "a Greek", had been put on the throne of Ashdod by Hezekiah in the place of "Akimit". Reference: This is a prophecy that is coming through Isaiah and from God. It is obvious from the Hebrew text that Isaiah was wearing the same type of apparel so as to let the people know that this was a sign by a prophet from God. It was the same apparel that was warn by Elijah, and later that John the Baptist wore. Isaiah did this in obedience to our Father. Isaiah 20:3 "And the Lord said, "Like as My servant Isaiah hath walked naked and barefoot three years for a sign and wonder upon Egypt and upon Ethiopia;" This is what the sign is all about. Egypt and Ethiopia were neighbors, just like the United States and Canada, and they had an alliance for protection whereby one was leaning upon the other. Together they thought they were powerful, but they were not leaning upon God. So this prophecy is showing that this type of relationship is shameful in the eyes of God, for the focus of these nations is not to God, but to their neighbors for protection. This three year period should remind us of the three year period concerning the end times. This should be a sign to each of us, for it is have of the time of the seven year tribulation, which Jesus said in Matthew 24:22 "hath been shortened for the elects sake." We know that it was shortened to five months from what Jesus also said in Revelation 9:5; "And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man." Remember that Satan is called the Assyrian of the end times from Isaiah fourteenth chapter. The time that this Assyrian [the Antichrist] was going to rule and torment is for three and one half years, before it was then shortened to five months. This is going to take place in our generation, for we are living in the time of the end. Pay attention now: Isaiah 20:4 "So shall the king of Assyria lead away the Egyptians prisoners, and the Ethiopians captives, young and old, naked and barefoot, even with their buttocks uncovered, to the shame of Egypt." This is exactly what is going to happen to Egypt, and Ethiopia, as well as you in the latter days. They are going to rip you off, and take every thing that you have, and bring you into their captivity. These nations were so bound together, strong and independent that they thought they were unsinkable. They were leaning on each other, and had set up their councils and agreements for their protection. Their citizens could go back and forth and trade as if they were one family, and they put the protection of themselves in their numbers and binding agreements. Friend, is this drawing your attention to the binding forces between the United States and our Canadian brothers to the north. We now have a crack in that binding force, and it is the NAFTA agreement, in which both our countries are being raped and bare butted by our neighbors to the south. Our jobs and wealth is slipping through the borders into Mexico and on to the outer fringes of the far east. Isaiah 20:5 "And they shall be afraid and ashamed of Ethiopia their expectation, and of Egypt their glory." Remember when the agreements were made and all the wealth and jobs that this would create in our lands? The expectations were high as the lies were presented through the press to the people, and the people believed the lies. Ethiopia and Egypt also had great expectations of the glory this would bring them, and they bought the Kenite bankers lies of their day. Egypt sold the lie to Ethiopia, and the Ethiopians to the Egyptians and from it came visions of great glory, the fast buck, and free from government interference, but can you remember back to Isaiah 19:2, 3? Lets review! Isaiah 19:2 "And I will set the Egyptians against the Egyptians: and they shall fight every one against his brother, and every one against his neighbour; city against city, and kingdom against kingdom." Isaiah 19:3 "And the spirit of Egypt shall fail in the midst thereof; and I will destroy the counsel thereof: and they shall seek to the idols, and to the charmers, and to them that have familiar spirits, and to the wizards." This is what the results of the foolish counsel that Egypt when they turned to Ethiopia as their protection and partner, instead of continuing as God had placed them. It is time to look seriously at the wizards and enchanters that present themselves as counsel on our television sets today. From the so called "government experts", to the flighty "religious counselors" of what is given, is it of God or their demonic spirits? This is the reason that our Heavenly Father is angry, because of not leaning on Him and His Word of counsel, our nation has run to these so called political and religious charmers and wizards for their instruction, and God doesn't like it. Instead of going to God's Word for wisdom and counsel, the two nations have gotten together and are peeping around with their wizards and are listening to the advice of their familiar spirits. Stop and look for a moment at the advice that has been given, and what laws and actions have come from that advise. First, from the social aspect, we are told that what God hated is okay, and that sodomy is a way of life, when God says it is a degradation, and that it is evil and the cause of destruction. Yet we play with God's laws like it was a comic book, and even allow it in the Military. From the president to the bottom, our social counsel has become utterly warped, and the people seeking their glory are buying it. For the sake of the Kenite banking community, we have given the wealth of our nation, and our future well being over to these Kenites who could care less about America or any other nation, but only to their own accumulation of wealth and control for power. The people have come to think of these private corporations as the government, and have turned all power over to them in ignorance. These wizards of familiar spirits are bringing our nation to the verge of bankruptcy and chaos, and most of the people simply can't see beyond their next paycheck. Friend, we have stopped looking to the Creator of our lands, just like the Egyptians and Ethiopians had, and we had better turn back to Him. Put this on a personal basis, how are you doing in your life, my friend? Who do you lean on, and what are your sources of counsel? Where do you turn after you have done everything that you can? You had better be turning to our Heavenly Father, for it makes him angry when you do not. Today these wizards and peepers are working themselves into the church, and selling their traditions and doctrines that go against God's Word, and most of the Christians are allowing it. God's Word is suppose to be taught and explained exactly as He gave it to the prophets. It is real sad that the teaching of God's Word has become much like the process of law today, where by when one judge, or minister makes a law or statement, then that becomes the law or the gospel from then on, regardless of being right or wrong. God's Word has become shades of truth to them, and not the absolute truth that was given to the prophets. From this frame of mind of the church leaders, the discipline of the people has become rare, and what should be given in discipline has been changed to "love". Instead of disciplining the wayward ones, the attitude is to love them and don't offend them. God's Word says that if you love them, you will correct them. The problem is that the modern day preachers don't understand love. Love is to stand up and tell the truth, and discipline, and let the chips fall wherever they may. That is discipline and it also is true love. You correct your children with discipline and keep them informed, that is how you show your love for them. We are never to discipline our children when we are angry. Jesus showed His love for the preachers of His day, when He picked up a cat of nine tales, the whip, and went into the Temple and laid it to the backs of those that set up their money tables in the very house of God, and turned their mite infested doves loose. That was Jesus' way of showing us how to show true love. Jesus drove out those hypocrites, and sellers of their love potions of evil spirits. Then Jesus stated: Matthew 21:13 "And said unto them, "It is written, `My house shall be called a house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.' " This is directed to God's house in all nations, and amongst all seven peoples that are receiving the warnings, whether in Egypt, Ethiopia, Moab, or today in Canada and the United States. Friend, that is how the people come to know that they can lean on our Heavenly Father. Isaiah 20:6 "And the inhabitant of this isle shall say in that day, `Behold, such is our expectation, whither we flee for help to be delivered from the king of Assyria: and how shall we escape?' " Do you know the answer to this question? You should know as to how you should escape. You turn to the Lord God Almighty instead of a bunch of wizard peepers, calling themselves preachers, and counselors. You stay away from evil spirits, which includes the traditions of men and their false doctrines. You also do this by not allowing those false doctrines to slip into your churches, and groups for they go against God's Word, and it all starts by knowing what is in His Word. You do that by learning how to dig it out for yourself, and checking out what is taught to you, to see if it the truth. Prophetically, this applies to our day, as much as it did in the day when the Assyrians ruled the world, for the Assyrian of our day is Satan. When he comes to earth to perform the role of Antichrist, he becomes the Assyrian, that is what Isaiah 14 was all about. Satan will come as a deceiver of all men, except those that are sealed with the truth of God's Word in their minds. Today many of the so-called preachers claim that you are teaching against love when you turn against these Sodomites, and teachers of evil spirits, and they show their ignorance of God's Word. True love in God's Word is showing and giving discipline to His Word, and without that there is only foolishness and babblings by wizards from evil spirits. True love is a love given expecting nothing in return, but it has substance to it. That substance is our Fathers Word, that will change their lives and minds back to the true Father, rather then becoming involved with the building of religious business and church systems. True love faces reality just as God has instructed us though His Word. It becomes the way of life that is practiced in the hearts and minds of those that love God. Suggested
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