When Your World is Falling Apart
Lesson Three

Read for This Week?s Study: Isa. 7:1-9, Isa. 7:10-13, Isa. 7:14.

Memory Text: ?If you will not believe, surely you shall not be established?(Isaiah 7:9, NKJV)

What does the Memory Text mean?

Isaiah 7:9 ESV says, "If you are not firm in faith, you will not be firm at all."

Could it be that if we are not grounded in the truth, we will not be firm in the truth?

I
Could it mean:
If we depend upon our own rationalizations and not fully trusting in God and following His ways, we will end up losing the faith we thought we had.

By faith Noah built an ark -- it was completely unreasonable to build a ship in the middle of dry land, as rain was unknown. But God warned him of something that he couldn't see, that had never happened before, and Noah believed, acted accordingly and was saved....

By faith Abraham left his home not knowing where he was going -- again completely unreasonable, but God called and Abraham fully trusting HIM, followed.



Faith is believing fully in God, fully trusting His Word, and following His truth --
even when human reasoning does not seem to agree that it is the right thing to do.

.
Without that faith in God's word, all the turmoil and confusion of earthly things will mislead us.

That's what happened to Ahaz.
It seemed to him totally unreasonable to listen to Isaiah and trust that the Lord would deliver him from the two kings threatening him. Not having that faith in God, he did what seemed "reasonable" and allied himself with Assyria! The end thereof was disastrous.

Isaiah 9.2
The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.
9.4
For thou hast broken the yoke of his burden, and the staff of his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, as in the day of Midian.

9.5
For every battle of the warrior is with confused noise, and garments rolled in blood; but this shall be with burning and fuel of fire.

9.6
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

9.7
Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.

Christ?the Light of the World

The world today is in the same (or worse) state that the two Israelite nations were in during Isaiah's time. Things are DARK, confusion, death.

BUT
THERE IS A GREAT LIGHT!!!!!
Christ has come, and He will come again.
He is our counselor, our God. He alone can bring peace.
He will dispel the great darkness and bring justice and salvation to all who worship Him.
He will establish judgment and justice.

Yes, a light is shining in the world. We have the record of His first coming!
For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given.
He was given UNTO US!!!
Christ became our brother, He identifies Himself with us.
Government shall be upon His shoulders. His government is just, and righteous and good.
All other governments have failed to bring true peace.
Only a government wherein the laws are written upon the heart and obeyed with the obedience of love and appreciation as to their goodness and rightness can result in the harmony inherent in heaven.

He will be called Counselor. People need to receive true counsel, not deceptive, bewildering earthly philosophy and spiritist counterfeit religion that leads only to darkness and distress.

The situation today is much like it was in Isaiah's day. The supposed people of God are looking to earthly wisdom for guidance, instead of looking to God's holy Word.
They are looking for earthly solutions, but only God has true solutions.
Christ is that light that lightens the world, and Christ is the WORD!
The Great Light reveals Himself through the Word.
Oh, if people would only look to the true source of wisdom instead of the earthly solutions that don't solve anything.

Soon Christ will come, not to Galilee this time, but as king of Kings to deliver His saints.
The wickedness, confusion, evil and those immersed in these things, will come to an end.
At the second coming the righteous will be raised up into the air to be with Him, (1 Thess. 4:16,17) and the wicked will not live again until the thousand years are finished. (Rev. 19:21; 20:5) There will be no earthly millennial rule over the present nations, Christ will not reign as an earthly king over sinful nations.
Any kingdom set up, or some global "reset" that supposedly brings happiness and peace will fail, even if it is claiming to be "Christ's" kingdom on earth over sinful nations. It is not Christ's kingdom at all -- it will be the confederacy we are warned against in chapter 8.. It will be Babylon which will deceive the whole world with her sorcery's. T
When Jesus comes the second time, the righteous are raised up together with Christ in the air and go to live in "His Father's House" (John 14:3) , while the wicked dead live not for 1000 years.


The 3 angels' message (which is earth's last warning message) is the call to the world to worship our Creator God and give Him our full allegiance for His judgment is come. (See Rev 14:6-12)
Rejoice in HIS LIGHT! Believe in His promise.

Don't join the confederacy which may seem right and good and the answer to the world's problems-
The confederacy is the great deceptive power "Babylon" of Revelation 17 and 18 but our safety is not there -- for Babylon will be cast down like a millstone into the sea.
Isaiah 8:12 Do not,say, let's unite in a confederacy, to all those people who are urgin, confederacy; neither fear their fear, nor be afraid.
8:13 Sanctify the LORD of hosts himself; and let him be your fear

"Fear God, and give glory to Him, Worship Him Who made the heaven's and the earth."
He is our king and Savior! His kingdom must be established in the hearts of His people -- trust not in any earthly confederacy.

This light, this message will lightened the earth and all the people shall know, in the end, the difference between the earthly confederacy, and the true kingdom of Christ.

Lesson SIX
See the full lesson here
PLAYING GOD

Read Isaiah 13


Isaiah's prophecies spoke, not only to coming events about to happen, in his relatively immediate future, but they are also prophecies for the end time.

HERE IS THE LITERAL HISTORY of Babylon's fall.

The empire of Babylon would fall to the Medes and Persians in 539 BC, but the city was NOT destroyed at that time. It remained a primary commercial city throughout the duration of the Medo-Persian empire as well as the Grecian empire of Alexander the Great, who took the city from the Persians in 331 BC. However, during the Grecian divided empire, the city of Babylon began to decline in importance and population. Yet it was still inhabited during the time of Christ.
Babylon is later absorbed into the Roman Empire under Emperor Trajan (116 AD) During the reign of Hadrian there was a Jewish revolt, (130 AD) which resulted in severe persecution against the Jews. Many of them fled to Babylon which resulted in a sizable Jewish community living in Babylon. In the 5th -6th Century they produced the "Babylonian Talmud."
Even though it's glory was gone, population shrunken, and considerable decay and looting had taken place, the city of Babylon was still standing with inhabitants living there some 1o00 years after Isaiah's prophecy. The city actually died a slow prolonged death, finally being abandoned completely when the Islamic forces began their conquests in the early 600's, and was left to the elements and looters till it was a pile of ruins, and indeed only the beasts of the desert lived there.

Thus we see the prophecies of Isaiah concerning Babylon were partially fulfilled in reference to the ancient city of Babylon. The verses directly pointing to literal Babylon's fall were fulfilled, but other verses point to the future "Day of the Lord" and another Babylon.
Where do we see a the complete fulfilment of these prophecies? IN REVELATION, especially in chapters 17 and 18.

Just like Matt.24 combines the coming of the fall of Jerusalem, with the coming of the destruction of the whole world, so Isaiah 13 combines the fall of literal Babylon, with the coming destruction of end time "Babylon".

The verses in Isaiah 13:6-13
speak of sudden destruction that lays the whole land waste, and destroys the sinners of the world. It speaks of sun, moon and stars not giving their light. Of the heavens being shaken, and the earth moved out of its place.

There is much in that chapter that shows this is talking about something much greater than the fall of ancient Babylon. Something which that ancient fall is a "foreshadowing".

Let's see some of the foreshadowing ---

God has placed in our hands a banner upon which is inscribed "here is the patience of the saints; here are they that keep the commandments of God and have the faith of Jesus." Rev. 14:12

Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. Rev.22.14

Exalt the voice unto them ? call loudly ? give the loud cry message "Come out of her my people that you will not take part in her sins." Rev. 18:4


Revelation Rev. 19.11,14 And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war....And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.



Luke 21:26-27 Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.



Malachi 3.17
And they shall be mine, saith the LORD of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spares his own son that serves him.

"For the Testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of Prophecy."

But you claim that you don't need the Testimonies if it contradicts what you believe the Bible says... Right?

The Spirit of Prophecy is the Testimony of Jesus -- The Spirit of Prophecy is the Holy Spirit Whose mission is to glorify Christ, moving upon the prophets, giving them messages for our eternal salvation. The Holy Spirit does not contradict himself, all the testimonies given through Him to the prophets, Biblical prophets, and a last day prophet, are needed.