Isaiah Chapter 44 "Idolaters, their Own Witnesses: Ignorance. The Smiths and the Carpenters." This Bible Study is written by Roger Christopherson, and it's transcription/ location is provided by http://www.theseason.org Isaiah 44:1 "Yet now hear, O Jacob My servant; and Israel, whom I have chosen:" This is a continuation from Isaiah 43, and God is telling us to listen to Him. Isaiah 44:2 "Thus saith the Lord That made thee, and formed thee from the womb, Which will help thee; "Fear not, O Jacob, My servant; and thou, Jesurun, whom I have chosen." God is speaking those people that were born of woman, and this is not addressed to the angels. It is addressed to those that believe on him to have confidence in the promises that He has given us, that He will help us in that day of need. "Fear not" for I have chosen you. This word "Jesurun" or "Jeshurun" is used only three other times in the Bible; in Deuteronomy 32:15; 33:5, 26. "Jeshurun" means "supremely happy, or upright". It is used in the victory song we are to know and sing at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. That song is called the song of Moses, spoken of in Revelation: Revelation 15:3 "And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb saying, "Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints." and located in Deuteronomy: Deuteronomy 32:15 "But Jeshurun waxed fat, and kicked: thou art waxen fat, thou art grown thick, thou art covered with fatness; then he forsook God which made him, and lightly esteemed the Rock of his salvation." Jeshurun - 3484 Yeshuruwn- Jeshurun = "upright one"; a symbolic name for Israel, describing her ideal character This song of Moses is sung by those that have the victory over the beast, his system, his mark and number. The victors sing this song at the return of Christ, after Satan has been put into the pit, and all evil is removed from the earth for the Millennium age. Jeshurun is a picture of the person that is so blessed that they can do no wrong and every thing they touch is perfect. Jeshurun has nothing left to be desired for they have wealth in every area. So we see that God is addressing this type of people, however this is in reference to the age of the flesh and not during the Millennium age. God is addressing those people that have it so good that they usually forget God when they are well blessed and on top of it all. This type of person usually forgets those blessings when the positive turns to negative and they lose it all. Then they are to first to cry out, "oh God help me!" This is why God pulls this name "Jeshurun" into this chapter, and we are going to see exactly what God thinks of those that are like Jeshurun in this earth age of the flesh. It is a sad thing when you spoil your kids with riches, honor and wealth, and they turn their backs to you after you have given them everything. God doesn't like it, but He contends, or puts up with it. God is saying you force me to put up with this, when I formed you for Myself. This is why a good child of God will thank Him for all the blessings they receive, and he or she tells our Heavenly Father that he or she loves Him. Remember from the last chapter, God wants you to meditate with Him, He said let's talk about those problems and needs. Isaiah 44:3 "For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground: I will pour My spirit upon thy seed, and My blessing upon thine offspring:" God is promising you that if you will remember Him, He will provide for those things that you need. He will pour His Spirit, the Holy Spirit upon your seed, which is your children. Friend, this promise has a condition to it. He is not going to just pour those blessing down on everybody, but only those that meet the conditions. This chapter is part of the prior chapter, and the condition is that you "put Him in remembrance" of His promise. You have to ask for what you want and you have to talk to Him. Isaiah 43:26; "Put Me in remembrance: let us plead together: declare thou, that thou mayest be justified." God will fill your needs today when you ask for it, and the rest will wait until the Millennium, when it shall be given as an inheritance. Talk to God and show Him that you know those promises and that you are claiming each of them. It makes God feel good to be able to give to you when you show Him that you love Him enough to listen to what He has said in His Word. How does it make you feel when you know that your children love you and care for you. Isaiah 44:4 "And they shall spring up as among the grass, as willows by the water courses." When grass is well watered it springs up overnight. The willows that are planted by the rivers and marshes grow real tall and strong. Isaiah 44:5 "One shall say, `I am the Lord's;' and another shall call himself by the name of Jacob; and another shall subscribe with his hand unto the Lord, and surname himself by the name of Israel." This verse has come to pass, for those that love the our Lord Jesus Christ have taken on His name and call themselves "Christ's man", or "Christians". However many of them that have taken on Christ's name have fallen away from studying His Word to know more about Him. Isaiah 44:6 "Thus saith the Lord the King of Israel, and his Redeemer the Lord of hosts; "I am the first, and I am the last; and beside Me there is no God." We see the offices of God in this verse, "the King of Israel" [our Heavenly Father] and "His Redeemer the Lord of hosts" [our Lord Jesus Christ]. He is from before the creation, and He will be eternal. God formed it all. Isaiah 44:7 "And who, as I, shall call, and shall declare it, and set it in order for Me, since I appointed the ancient People: and the things that are coming, and shall come, let them shew unto them." Do you know who the ancient people are? These ancient people are those those from the first earth age. All souls were created in the first age in eons past, and after the fall of Satan,. each of these souls were required to enter this earth age though the womb of woman, born of water from above as a child. This is where we get the term "born again", which means "born from above". "Born of water" is being born from the womb of woman, and in the water sack that all babies in the flesh come into this world through. When each soul is being born, God placed each soul in the embryo at conception, and each soul was born innocent of that ancient time, and given the opportunity to select for him or herself whether they would choose God or Satan. Many of those souls or angels refuse to be born of woman, and instead came to earth to take women in defiance of God. These are the "sons of God" as spoken of in Genesis six, and God's judgment on them is given in Jude1: 6, 7. Jude 1:6 "And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, He hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day." Jude1: 7 "Even as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities about them, in like manner given themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example suffering the vengeance of eternal fire." So God is telling you that if you know anyone that can tell you all things of the past; of the creation, of the angels, and the order of eternal things of the past and future, then go to them. There is only one way to completely understand the complete order of things and that is through the entire Word of God. All of the Word with not one part left out. It all was written for our understanding, if we are willing to do some work in studying it for it's truths. We can use His Word to know the future, to help us plan and know what to ask for. When you know His Word then you know how to pray, so you can pray within His will. It is up to you to take the initiative. God said, "you remind Me". Remind Me to forgive your sins and blot them out of My memory, and remind me to bless you and take care of you. Friend, that is what we do in prayer, it is a personal conversation between you and our Heavenly Father that is only possible because of Christ's death on the cross. It is all brought about because of our Father's love for you. All that our Father is asking of you is that you learn His Word so you can talk to Him more intelligently in your claiming His promises for yourself. God wants you to talk to Him about those habits that you would like to shake, and the little things that bother you. Yes He knows of them, and those people that would do you harm, but He desires you to come to Him and ask for help. It is your free will and God will not take that free will from you. You can ask for help, or you can try to do it on your own. God will allow you to do either, however when you seek His help, He will do what is necessary for your betterment, and that may be to withhold that thing you want so very bad. You can be assured of one thing though, what God does do is for your good. Isaiah 44:8 "Fear ye not, neither be afraid: have not I told thee from that time, and have declared it? ye are even my witnesses. Is there a God beside me: yea, there is no God; I know not any." God is telling you that there is nothing to be afraid of in this world. God is telling us that He has explained it all to us, from the time of the beginning to the present time and on into eternity. Man seems like he does not believe God, and he wants to fragment Gods plan into parts, and not accept all the parts. In the process of doing it himself, he comes up with nothing but confusion. Man wants to create his own ideas and limits of understanding, and then box God into those limits. There is nothing that is going to happen that God has not told us of before hand. Then God assured us that when those things come to pass, I will be there with you to see you through. You only become God's witness to His Word when you come to know and understand the Word; and know the promises He made, and the order of events of His plan. How can you become a witness to anything, unless it is clear in your own mind. You only witness to the things that you have seen first hand, and know to be a fact through study and experience. In the Hebrew text the word for "God", in "there is no God", is "Rock". Remember from the song of Moses, the children of God that have the victory sing, "our Rock is not as their rock". There is no other Rock than God. This is the same Rock from Deuteronomy 32:31. Isaiah 44:9 "They that make a graven image are all of them vanity; and their delectable things shall not profit; and they are their own witness; they see not, nor know; that they may be ashamed." God is saying that there is simply nothing to those people that have made a graven image to worship. The things that they do for profit will not benefit them one bit. When they go out to witness, there is nothing they have to witness about. Their idols see nothing and have no knowledge so how could they ever be ashamed? It takes a mind, intelligence, and knowledge to have any emotions of shame, and they have neither. The only thing that keeps them upright is the base that is nailed to them, for without that base they would fall on their face. Isaiah 44:10 "Who hath formed a god, or molten a graven image that is profitable for nothing? and the workmen, they are of men: let them all be gathered together, let them stand up; yet they shall fear, and they shall be ashamed together." Only a fool would create an object, and then rely on the object that they had made for their salvation and help. Any object that is made by man has no power within itself to save you, nor care for any of your spiritual needs. God created the tree that the object is made with, and only God can change things to give it life. Isaiah 44:11 "Behold, all his fellows shall be ashamed: and the workman, they shall be ashamed: all be gathered together, let them stand up; yet they shall fear, and they shall be ashamed together." Every last one of these workmen that sets out to create these images or idols are men and women, and they are all of flesh man. At the end of this earth age, they shall all be gathered together and then given the understanding of what they have done, and be ashamed for the acts that they have done. This is leading to the time of the end when Satan comes as that fake rock and presents himself on this earth as the true "Rock", who is Christ. Then many will worship the false rock [Satan] because of the images that they have built to represent Christ. They simply will not know the difference between the two rocks; the two comings [Satan's and Christ's], and the events surrounding both of their comings. Man has build his images through his traditions and false doctrine, and it is those images that shall draw him to Satan and cause him to be ashamed upon the return of Christ. They are looking for a Christ to come and fly them away, and they are planning their wedding with Satan. They are being taught to go into that first husband that comes, and go to bed with him. That is why Jesus tells us that upon His return they will be with child, and He doesn't like it. Matthew 24:19; "And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!" This is spoken of spiritually, and not directed to the mother with a child in her womb. Those "with child" are those that have been taken in the wrong marriage, the marriage with Satan, and committed spiritual whoredoms with him. Those that "give suck" are those that bring others to the Satan, and this will be done in ignorance because they just don't know any better. They have sat in their church houses all their lives, and they have been taught how to run to Satan at his coming. They are completely ignorant of the warnings that God gave us through out His entire Word, because they have been instructed that much of the Bible doesn't pertain to them. They were spiritually impregnated with the "mark of the beast", who is Satan, in their minds or foreheads, and that mark caused them to be deceived. God has told us that those that would like to believe a lie will be deceived, because He will send a strong delusion upon them whereby they will believe it. They will commit their entire being to that lie. II Thessalonians 2:9 "And him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders," II Thessalonians 2:10 "And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved." II Thessalonians 2:11 "And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:" II Thessalonians 2:12 "That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness." Are you starting to catch on? If you want to believe a lie, God will so cloud your mind that you will not see the truth. You do the choosing, and God helps you with what you have chosen. You do the choosing when you place the traditions and false doctrines of men over what God has said in His Word. If man's traditions, such as the rapture theory is a lie, then God will assist you in your belief of that lie. Isaiah 44:12 "The smith with the tongs both worketh in the coals, and fashioneth it with hammers, and worketh it with the strength of His arms? yea, he is hungry, and his strength faileth: he drinketh no water, and is faint." Now we are looking at the men that went to make of these images and traditions. The smith is the man that made the fire to work up the metal to the rough shape that it would take. This person beats it on the anvil with a hammer and works the metal in the heat of the fire to force to the basic image. The thing that we are to learn from this is that the man that is working with this image, and it could even be a church or denomination, gets hunger and thirst and has to be cared for like any human being. When you are working for the true God, God will be giving His servants the true water and food that is needed to sustain you, both in the physical and the spiritual. Remember what Amos said in Amos 8:11 Amos 8:11 "Behold, the days come, saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord:" Therefore trying to hammer in some new image to give you blessing, just will not do. The person doing the hammering is just like you and I, and we are not to put anyone on a pedestal, for that position is just for God. All mankind is the same, they need food and sleep, and when they get neither they get faint. Isaiah 44:13 "The carpenter stretcheth out his rule; he marketh it out with a line; he fitteth it with planes, and he marketh it out with the compass, and maketh it after the figure of a man, according to the beauty of a man; that it may remain in the house." The carpenter lays out the plans and marks up the image with the lines on its forms, and he plains that image to look smooth and pretty. He uses the compass or level to make sure that this image stands perfectly erect. The beauty that this image takes is by the eye of the beholder, and it is design to be accepted by men's standards. That image remains in the house because it can't move by itself, and has no mind of its own. It is nothing by what some man has made it. There is one thing to note in this verse, and that is in the phrase "according to the beauty of a man". This draws our attention to Ezekiel 28:12 in speaking of Satan: "Son of man [Ezekiel], take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus [Satan], and say unto him, `Thus saith the Lord God; "Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty." God made Satan the full pattern of wisdom and beauty when He was created by God. Ezekiel 28:15 "Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee." Satan saw the perfection that God had built into him at the creation of his soul, and pride filled his heart. That pride caused his fall. Ezekiel 28:17; "Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness:" Satan was created to be a cherub before the throne of God, and with the great beauty and wisdom that he had, he wanted to take the place of God. With great beauty came Satan's pride, and with pride came the fall. Pride will cause your fall if you are not focused. Friend, if you are not careful, any image or thing that you make tends to steer your eyes off from our Creator, and on to the images that you have made. Satan will use that image that you made as a stumbling block in your path. Satan has already been sentenced to death by our Heavenly Father, so why would you want to follow him into hell fire. That is exactly what will happen when you allow him to deceive you into accepting something other then what is in God's Word. Isaiah 44:14 "He heweth him down cedars, and taketh the cypress and the oak, which he strengtheneth for himself among the trees of the forest: he planteth an ash, and the rain doth nourish it." This verse goes back to the man that is making his own image. The man feels good about the trees, and goes into the forest to select his own trees. Each tree is planted for some character that it has, the strength of one and the beautiful finish that the other has. Notice that this man is planning out his forest, and planting the trees that he will use out of that forest. Yet, in all his planning he still is looking to the Father to water the forest. He knows that without the rain the trees forest will not grow. Without the former and the latter rain each tree will not develop properly. The point that God is pointing out to us, is that even when men are playing around in their own folly and trying to take pride in their own work, it is God that caused it to grow in the first place and forms the materials that they will need. . Isaiah 44:15 "Then shall it be for a man to burn: for he will take thereof, and warm himself; yea, he kindleth it, and baketh bread; yea, he maketh a god, and worshippeth it; he maketh it a graven image, and falleth down thereto." This man then goes to the forest that he has relied on God to water and make grow, and then he uses that wood to build his house, to give fire for heat in the winter and the fire for cooking and baking his food. Then after he is comfortable he uses that same stump to make an idol to worship and fall down to. This is quite common today in that after you have relied on God for all your substances, you sit back and remark at the many things that you have done. Have you thanked Him for those little things that He has provided for you, the protection of your family, and that job that makes you comfortable in life. How about those friends that God has allowed you to have, and the little things that they do for you. I'm sure you can think of many things to be thankful for then I, but how many of them have you taken the time to say thanks to our Heavenly Father for. Isaiah 44:16 "He burneth part thereof in the fire; with part thereof he eateth flesh; he roasteth roast, and is satisfied: yea, he warmeth himself, and saith, `Aha, I am warm, I have seen the fire:' " He has seen the fire and tasted of the flesh prepared over the fire, but he has not seen the light. He thinks that what he has is satisfying, but he doesn't have it all. What he is missing is the light, and that light is the truth of God's Word. How can you claim these material things give you warmth and overlook the one that created that tree? Isaiah 44:17 "And the residue thereof he maketh a god, even his graven image: he falleth down unto it, and worshippeth it, and prayeth unto it, and saith, `Deliver me; for thou art my god.' " This residue is the success that you had in using the trees of the forest. Today it is the money in the bank, the house you live in, or the car you drive. It is what you got from the work that you performed with what God gave you. It is the pension fund that you are living on to carry you through, and the friends that you rely on for help. When you look to any of them over our Heavenly father then that is your graven image. That is the god that you are praying to. Are you starting to catch on? Every last thing that you have, including your health, friends, family, that job, and even the house that you live in is given to you by God. Then when you put those things before God, you are looking to your god for protection, and not the Living God. Those other things might warm your heart, your toes and feet, but it will not save your soul. That is what counts. Isaiah 44:18 "They have not known nor understood: for he hath shut their eyes, that they cannot see; and their hearts, that they cannot understand." The subject is "He", who is our God. It is our Heavenly Father that has shut their eyes that they cannot see and their hearts to keep them from understanding. God did this as an act of love for them. For some people in their biblical illiteracy are so stupid that they could not maintain the discipline necessary stand spiritually against Satan and his realm in this final generation. That is what this verse is looking forward to, the final generation living in the time when Satan is here on earth, during the time of the sixth trumpet. To fall to Satan in knowledge is one thing, but if God has placed the spirit of stupor upon them, then they are innocent of worshipping Satan. Then on the first day of the Millennium age, and after they have had their day of shame, they will see the light to what they have done. Romans 11:7 "What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded" The elect of God that stood in that first earth age will see the truth, however all the other that are living in this final generation that do not have the seal of God in their minds, which is the knowledge of truth of the Word of God, will be blinded. Revelation 11:8 "(According as it is written, "God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear); unto this day." This day that is spoken of here is the time of the end. It is our generation. God brings this stupor upon them because they have chosen to believe in the lie of Satan of their own free will. They desire not to seek out the truth in God's Word, but would rather listen to man's ideas and traditions. Jesus spoke of this same thing in Matthew 13 when His disciples asked Him why He spoke only in parables. Matthew 13:13 "Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand." Matthew 13:14 "And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaiah, which saith, "By hearing ye shall hear, and not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive:" "Esaiah" in the Greek is the Prophet Isaiah that we are studying here. Isaiah discussed this in Isaiah six, and He is repeating it again in Isaiah 44. Matthew 13:15 "For this people's hear is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.' " The people that have their eyes closed to the truth of His Word now, are restricted because of their ability to stand against Satan. Those people will have their eyes opened in the Millennium, and will be well disciplined for the thousand years before Satan is released again for a short season at the end of the Millennium. They will then be tested again before they go before the judgment seat of our Heavenly Father. This is not talking down to anyone, but merely stating a fact of how it shall be. Isaiah 44:19 "And none considereth in his heart, neither is there knowledge nor understanding to say, `I have burned part of it in the fire; yea also I have baked bread upon the coals thereof; I have roasted flesh, and eaten it; and shall I make the residue thereof an abomingation? shall I fall down to the stock of a tree?' " When it comes time for these people to explain why their traditions and prophesies do not come to pass, they use feeble excuses. "I burned part of my image in the fire, I must have left out something to what I thought." Today we see that these people are willing to saw off a little of their idols and images to just get along in life. A little of the arm to bake their bread, or the leg to get their warmeth, although they are still try to hang on to the rest of their idol. This really sounds silly only this is the way that God looks at you when you are worshipping material things. Friend, an abomination is anything that you worship or place before God, and that is what God is asking of you. What kind of a fool would fall down to a chunk of wood, or any thing that man has made? God is telling us that the only ones that would do this are the ones that He has put the shutters over their eyes, and clogged their ears so they simply cannot understand the truth. When people do stupid things, they do them in innocence because they in their mind they think it is the right thing to do. Isaiah 44:20 "He feedeth on ashes: a deceived heart hath turned him aside, that he cannot deliver his soul, nor say, `Is there not a lie in my right hand?' " The "ashes" are things that are worthless and useless, and this person has allowed his deceived mind to turn himself aside from the truth. This person doesn't know that what he is putting in his own mind is nothing but a fraud and a lie. In fact what he is building in his own mind is his own salvation. God is calling all those traditions and false doctrines that give a false hope, nothing but ashes. Isaiah 44:21 "Remember these, O Jacob and Israel; for thou art My servant: I have formed thee; thou art My servant: O Israel, thou shall not be forgotten of Me." This is directed to those that do know the truth, that have the seal of God in their minds. God is telling them that He shall never forget them. If you are in Christ then you are in Jacob, for it was through the seed of Jacob that the Christ child came. It doesn't change the duty of the natural seed, but the blessing comes through Christ. Isaiah 44:22 "I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, thy transgressions, and as a cloud, thy sins: return unto Me; for I have redeemed thee." Here again is that legal term, "redeemed" or in the Hebrew text "kinsman redeemer". Our Heavenly Father thought enough of you to pay the price to claim and redeem your soul. Isaiah 44:23 "Sing, O ye heavens; for the Lord hath done it: shout, ye lower parts of the earth: break forth into singing, ye mountains, O forest, and every tree therein: for the Lord hath redeemed Jacob, and glorified Himself in Israel." When Christ became our kinsman redeemer, and went to the lower parts of the earth for those three days and night, all those souls that died and believed and were in those lower parts rejoiced. For us today when accept that precious sacrifice that Christ gave to us, and come to the Father by faith in Jesus name, we also rejoice for what the Lord Jesus Christ hath done. This gives each of us the right to claim all of God's promises, and to claim the blessings that He has promised to us. Any time you do not claim those promises that God has written in His Word, you have allowed yourself to be robbed. Isaiah 44:24 "Thus saith the Lord, thy Redeemer, and He That formed thee from the womb, "I am the Lord That maketh all things; That stretcheth forth the heavens alone; That spreadeth abroad the earth by Myself;" God keeps reminding you of where you came, that you are set apart from the angels that refused to be born of woman. He is reminding you that He made the earth, the food you eat, and the things that you rely on, including your health. He created the stars in the heavens, and He did not need any help His forming of these things. God wants you to know that He is supernatural, and in control of all things, including men. This entire earth and the creatures that are on it longs for the return of our Heavenly Father, so why shouldn't man also? Isaiah 44:25 "That frustrateth the tokens of the liars, and maketh diviners mad; That turneth wise men backward, and maketh their knowledge foolish;" When the liars or men that create their own prophesies see that what they have prophesied did not come true, it frustrates them. This is common to see today when one man writes a book and says that certain things are going to happen, and it doesn't; the next year they write changes to their book, and for some of those false prophets the book shelves are full of their books of revision. God's Word never changes or is revised from it original text, and that is why it is important to understand exactly What it is that God spoke through the prophets. The diviners are those that are sorcerers, that read tea leaves, crystal balls, or how ever they con you into their presence. God takes special enjoyment is seeing to it that they are made out a liar, so when they tell someone about the wonderful things that shall happen, watch out for will make their knowledge foolishness. It makes God's day to make a liar out of any false prophet, so if your are the focus of their prophecy, you are bringing a curse down upon yourself by your use of them. Today there are a few so-called preachers that do exact what this verse says, they turn God's Word backward. They say God loves something or someone, such as sodomites when God has stated in His Word and Laws that it is a disgrace to Him, and He hates it. When they say God has only love, they turn their back on the justice and order that God has placed in His Word. Sure there are blessings, but for each blessing there is a curse for not doing it God's Way. The religious systems of today are designing their teachings to draw you straight into Satan's camp upon his arrival. God has promised you that if you chose to accept their teachings and traditions then it pleases Him to cause you to go whoring after those ways. You do the choosing, and after you have chosen your way, God will assist you down that path. If you chose to follow the Lord and study His Word, His Holy Spirit will open that word to you to the degree of your understanding. However when you chose to follow the traditions and fairy-tales of false teachers, that God also is going to cause you believe in those ways. This is what we read of in II Thessalonians 2:11; "And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie." Isaiah 44:26 "That confirmeth the Word of His Servant, and performeth the counsel of His messengers; That saith to Jerusalem, `thou shalt be inhabited'; and to the cities of Judah, `Ye shall be built, and I will raise up the decayed places thereof:' " God's servant is Isaiah, and today His servant is the person that is studying God's Word to find out the truth. God is giving a promise here to those of the house of Judah, the Jews that Jerusalem will be rebuilt and lived in at the time of the end. Then in the Millennium age both house shall return to their home lands, and Jerusalem shall be their capital. This is where Jesus Christ shall rule from, and it shall be a beautiful place. We are at a very late season for people to remain in ignorance as to the promises and the events that are taking place in our generation. Isaiah 44:27 "That saith to the deep, `Be dry, and I will dry up thy rivers:' " This happens after the Millennium age, and is spoken of in Revelation 21:1; "And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth wee passed away; and there was no more sea." Isaiah 44:28 "That saith of Cyrus, `He is my shepherd, and shall perform all my pleasure: even saying to Jeursalem, `Thou shalt be built;' and to the temple, `Thy foundation shall be laid.' " God is letting us know that He will use whom He pleases. Cyrus was a Gentile, and God used Him as a type of Christ to do His work. God selected Cyrus one hundred and thirty years before He was born, and He named Cyrus through the prophecies of Isaiah. He is now using the birth and rising to power of Cyrus to show you that He has complete control over all matters even from before their existence. Even though He has control over all matters, every soul that is born of woman, and lives in the flesh has the free will or right to chose for themselves whether they will serve God, or Satan. If you chose God through your faith in repentance in Jesus name, then He will "put you to remembrance", and listen to your prayer request, and bless you from them. However, we know that certain souls were chosen by God from the first earth age, by the stand that they took at the rebellion of Satan, when one third of the angels followed Satan. Those are the ones that were adopted and predestined from before the foundations of this earth age. These souls are called the elect, and it is them that Paul spoke of in Romans 8:26, that when the elect is ignorant of what to pray for, the Holy Spirit will intercede on their behalf. Romans 8:26 "Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we aought: but the Spirit Itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered." God helps your weakness through the Holy Spirit if you have faith to believe that. If you do not have the faith to believe, don't worry He will not help you. To be worthy of the hope you must have the faith in God and the power of His Holy Spirit. Romans 8:27 "And He that searcheth the hearts knowth what is the mind of the Spirit, because He maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God." Our hearts are our minds, and there is no one that can search your mind except the Spirit of God. Even Satan cannot know what you are thinking until you have placed that word in your mouth and spoken it. Satan can tempt you in your mind, but only the Holy Spirit of God can know what you are thinking, and even when it is still a little jumbled in your mind, He will intercede for His elect according to the will of God. God's will is what is written in His Word. The reason that God will intercede for some people is in the next verse. Romans 8:28 "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose." God will use these people which are called the elect, and others that have free will, However, He will not interfere in their rights of free will to choose. Paul had free will and chose to kill and persecute Christians. However when those rights under free will interfered with God's perfect will as one of God's elect, God struck him down on the road to Damascus, and humbled Paul to where he would listen to the purposes that God had for Paul's life. God revealed that purpose for Paul's life in Acts 9:15. Acts 9:15 "But the Lord said unto him, "Go thy way: for He is a chosen vessel unto Me, to bear My name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel." Paul did exactly that, He brought the word to the Gentile nations, and formed many churches; He spoke before not only the kings in the middle east, but was brought to Rome and spoke before the Emperor of Rome. Paul also went to the lost House of Israel, those ten tribes that migrated throughout Europe, and brought them the message of the Gospel of Christ. Back in Isaiah 44:28 God prophesied that this would take place, and the foundation of this prophecy was laid at the time of Cyrus, when the children of the House of Judah returned to rebuild the temple and the city of Jerusalem. Cyrus was only a type of that which would come later. The next chapter is a continuation of this chapter, and the thought is continued on.
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