November 15, 2024: Isaiah 49:13 - The Lord hath Comforted His People

“Sing, O heavens; and be joyful, O earth; and break forth into singing, O mountains: for the LORD hath comforted his people, and will have mercy upon his afflicted.” - Isaiah 49:13

There is coming a day when the heavens will sing, the earth will be joyful, and the mountains will break forth into singing, and it will happen after the entire world experiences great tribulation for a period of seven years, the time of Jacob’s trouble, a time that I truly believe is drawing oh, so near. At the end of that period, Jesus will come to earth a second time, will restore the remnant of Israel that He Himself will preserve, and He will gather them in their land, but this time, they will be gathered in belief in Jesus as their Messiah. It is at this time that Jesus will finally rule the kingdoms of the world with a rod of iron and with righteousness. It is at this time that peace will be upon the earth, including peace between mankind and the animal kingdom.

The children of God, we who have been born again by putting our faith and trust in Jesus Christ to redeem us of our sins, will be united in our faith with the Jewish believers. No longer will there be separation between Jew and Gentile:

“For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek [Gentile, non-Jew], there is neither bond [slave] nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. And if ye be Christ’s then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” (Galatians 3:26-29)

“But as many as received him [Jesus Christ], to them gave he power to become the sons [children] of God, even to them that believe on his name: which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” (John 1:12-13)

“And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.” (Romans 8:17)

However, before that happens, two thirds of the Jewish people will die during the 7-year time of Jacob’s trouble and will not turn to Jesus as their Savior. The surviving remnant will feel as they have been forsaken by God. As we will read in the latter part of Isaiah 49, God will show them that He has not left them, that He has not forgotten them. For their many children whom they have lost, God will give them new children, children of the Gentiles. These children will also have been born again by the precious blood of Jesus Christ, and they will come to them in the land of Israel, and the glory of the Lord will be revealed.

WHEN ALL CREATION BEGAN TO GROWN

Before this happens though, the whole earth will continue to groan, as it has since sin began in the world with Adam and Eve. In this devotional, I am going to take a deep-dive into God’s word, for I truly believe that we are so very close to the rapture of the church, when Jesus calls up all who have been born again by His precious blood, both the dead and the living, to Himself in the clouds and He opens the first of the seven seals of the scroll, beginning the 7-year time of Jacob’s trouble. If you are not one to take the time to read lengthy devotionals, this devotional is not for you. I am not writing this devotional to appease any human being, but am doing my best to listen to and obey the directing of the Holy Spirit. Some people are good at writing at the macro level. I am not one of those people. I am all about the details, and I have delved deep into the word of God to study and understand today’s Scripture verse, and the result is a very long devotional. Now, for anyone willing to read, let’s begin our deep dive into God’s word.

The groaning is happening because this world is not how God intended it to be, free from sin, and enjoying eternal life with Him. Prior to the fall, God provided everything that mankind would need to live with God in the Garden of Eden:

“And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat [food].” (Genesis 1:29)

“And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress [tend or cultivate] it and to keep it. And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.” (Genesis 2:15-17)

God also provided all of the food that would be eaten by all the animals of the earth:

“And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat [food]: and it was so.” (Genesis 1:30)

It was only after Adam and Eve sinned when they ate of the fruit of the one tree from which God forbade them to eat, that an animal’s blood was spilled and the animal’s skin provided coverings for Adam and Eve when after their sin they realized that they were naked and wanted to hide their nakedness from God:

“Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats [tunics] of skins, and clothed them.” (Genesis 3:21)

The Bible tells us that blood is a requirement for forgiveness of sins:

“And almost all things are by the law purged [cleansed] with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission [forgiveness].” (Hebrews 9:22)

Ever since sin happened in the garden, life has been a struggle. After Eve was deceived by the serpent, Satan, and Adam committed sin and disobeyed God’s commandment to him and listened instead to his wife and ate the fruit, God told Adam that He would no longer make it easy for him to sustain himself and most importantly, that he (and Eve) would die. After they sinned, God told Adam that he - and all future generations - would need to provide for themselves, and it would be a struggle until they would eventually die and their bodies would be returned to the earth:

“And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow [toll] shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; in the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.” (Genesis 17-19)

God also told Eve that life would not be easy for her either because of her sins against Him:

“Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow [pain] and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.” (Genesis 3:16)

WHEN ANIMALS BECAME FOOD FOR MANKIND

Many years later, God sent the flood upon the entire earth to destroy everything upon the earth because the sons of God, of whom many people believe were fallen angels, had had sexual intercourse with human women, who bore children that were giants and had corrupted every one and everything except for Noah and his family:

“And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, that the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose. And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive [abide] with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years. There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown. And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination [intent or thought] of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And it repented the LORD [the LORD was sorry] that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air, for it repenteth me [I am sorry] that I have made them. But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD. These are the generations: Noah was a just man and perfect [blameless] in his generations, and Noah walked with God.” (Genesis 6:1-9)

The Lord God did send the flood and destroyed everything except Noah and his seven family members. After the flood, God told Noah that the animals would become food for mankind, and they would fear mankind:

“And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth. And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every fowl of the air, upon all that moveth upon the earth, and upon all the fishes of the sea; into your hand are they delivered. Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat [food] for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things.” (Genesis 9:1-3)

With Adam’s fall because of his sin, which was passed to every single human being born from him - all of mankind - no longer has the earth lived in peace and harmony with mankind, as it once did with Adam and Eve, who were banished from the garden (Genesis 3:22-24) because of their sins against God. God’s creation, the earth and all that is in it, will not live in peace and harmony with mankind until Jesus Christ, King of kings and Lord of lords, returns to earth, puts an end to wickedness, and reigns in righteousness, for there can be no peace as long as sin abounds; the two are incompatible with each other.

The Bible tells us that God’s creation longs for such a time that God will deliver it from the bondage of mankind’s sin and corruption, a time when God will destroy will sin. The creation longs for the coming time when Jesus Christ will reign in righteousness, and He will dwell with His children, those who are called sons of God, for eternity. There is coming a time when Jesus will finally destroy Satan and cast him into the eternal lake of fire, and sin will never exist again. Jesus will destroy the current heavens and earth and will create a new heaven and a new earth, upon which only the children of God will abide; all nonbelievers will be tried and found guilty of their sins and will spend their eternity in the lake of fire. Let us read some Scriptures that relate to the groaning of the earth. We who are believers in Jesus Christ also have an inner longing for Jesus to come and put an end to sin:

“How long shall the land mourn, and the herbs of every field wither, for the wickedness of them that dwell therein? the beasts are consumed, and the birds; because they [the wicked] said, He shall not see our last [final] end?” (Jeremiah 12:4)

“For the earnest expectation of the creature [God’s creation] waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. For the creature [creation] was made subject to vanity [futility], not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope. Because the creature [creation] itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption [decay] into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.” (Romans 8:19-23)

Though we are not to worship the creation - the earth, heavens, and the sea and all that is in them - and are to worship the Creator, we are to take care of His creation and not seek to destroy it. The Bible tells us in the book of Revelation, which describes the coming judgments that God will send to earth because of its rebellion against Him and because of mankind’s near wholesale rejection of Jesus Christ, that when Jesus comes the second time, He will destroy those who destroy the earth. Are we not seeing in our world today powerful people who are destroying the earth for reasons of further expanding their wealth and power and to control people and bring destruction upon many? The force behind these people, whether they know it or not, is Satan. Satan hates God, and he hates mankind, for humans are the only creation of God that was made in His image. Satan has done, and is continuing to do, all that he can to destroy mankind, and that includes destroying the perfect ecosystem that God created in order to sustain human life:

“And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth.” (Revelation 11:18)

SATAN THE DECEIVER

The whole focus of today’s Scripture verse is God’s people, the nation of Israel, whom God refers to as “his afflicted.” Let us return to the book of Genesis and read about when their affliction first began, which was after Eve was deceived by the serpent and ate the forbidden fruit and when Adam disobeyed God and decided to listen to his wife instead and he too ate the fruit. Let us read what God afterwards told the serpent:

“And the LORD God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled [deceived] me, and I did eat. And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: and I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it [he] shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.” (Genesis 3:13-15)

Before Eve and then Adam ate the fruit that God had commanded them not to eat, Satan already had hatred for mankind in his heart. He knowingly deceived Eve, causing her to question what God had told her husband, and flat out telling her a lie that they would not die if they did eat of the fruit:

“Now the serpent was more subtil [cunning] than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not sure die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.” (Genesis 3:1-5)

It is beyond the shadow of a doubt that Satan had no good intentions toward Eve when he deceived her and told her a lie that if she ate the fruit, she would not die, and even went further than that and told her, “and ye shall be as gods.” Instead of obeying what God had told her husband, Eve listened to the serpent and ate the fruit. She then gave the fruit to her husband Adam, who also ate it, and eventually they died. Let us read what Jesus told His disciples about the thief, meaning Satan, and his intentions and compare them to the intentions of Jesus:

“The thief cometh not, but for [except] to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” (Jesus Christ; John 10:10)

Let us also read what Jesus the scribes and the Pharisees who sought to kill Him because He told them the truth of who He is and they rejected the truth:

“Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode [stands] not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar and the father of it. And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not. Which of you convinceth [convicts] me of sin? And if I say the truth, why do ye not believe me? He that is of God heareth God’s words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God.” (Jesus Christ; John 8:44-47)

Let us read Genesis 3:15 again, for it contains a prophecy of Jesus Christ:

“And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it [he] shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.” (Genesis 3:15)

God told Satan that he would put enmity between him and the woman. “Enmity” is a mutual hatred or ill will. Merriam-webster.com states:

Enmity (which derives from an Anglo-French word meaning "enemy") suggests true hatred, either overt or concealed.

God also said that Satan would be at war with the seed, meaning offspring, of the woman. As many have noted before me, notice that God says “between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.” However, women do not have seed, which is another term for sperm, but have eggs. Thus, this has a double meaning in that Satan would be at war with both humans that would descend from Eve, but also specifically Satan would be at war with her seed who would bruise Satan’s head, meaning He would crush Satan. Jesus was not conceived in the ordinary way that humans are conceived, where the human father provides the seed and the mother provides the egg. No, Jesus’ mother Mary was a virgin, and she conceived Jesus Christ not from the seed of a human man but from the seed of Holy Spirit (Luke 1:26-35). As Genesis 3:15 states, Satan and his seed, meaning those who follow him, who choose to align themselves with him and against God, have been at war with Jesus Christ, even before He was born of Mary, sent as a man, having left His throne in heaven, to offer the way of salvation from sins, first to the Jews and then to the Gentiles. Satan did all that he could to prevent Jesus’ first coming, and Satan failed. Satan thought that when he convinced the Jews to have Jesus crucified, when Satan bruised His heel when the nail was put through Jesus’ heels and Jesus died, that that would be the end of Jesus. But Satan failed again when Jesus rose again from the grave, for Jesus had defeated death. There is coming a day when Jesus will come again a second time, and He will bruise Satan’s head, crushing him and will end his reign of terror, forever. I will discuss this later in today’s devotional.

Fast forward since the time of Adam and Eve to our world today, and we can see that Satan is still tempting mankind, telling them his sweet little lies that tickle peoples’ ears. Billions of people are still believing them, to their own eternal peril, if they do not ask God for forgiveness and accept Jesus Christ in their heart as their Savior. Have you heard of Yuval Noah Herari? He is an Israeli historian, lecturer, philosopher, and author, and he is believing the lies of Satan, just as Eve and Adam did. Let us read some of what he has written about humanity and its future (See: https://www.britannica.com/topic/Our-Nonconscious-Future-2119857; Harari, Y. Noah. "Our Nonconscious Future." Encyclopedia Britannica, March 19, 2021):

“Within the next century or two, we humans are likely to upgrade ourselves into gods and change the most basic principles of the evolution of life. Traditional mythologies depicted gods as powerful beings that could design and create life according to their wishes. In the coming two centuries we will probably learn how to engineer and manufacture various life forms according to our wishes.”

“In the next two centuries, however, science could be ushering in the era of inorganic life shaped by intelligent design. Not the intelligent design of some god above the clouds—but our intelligent design and the intelligent design of our cloud computing.”

GOD SPEAKS TO SINFUL MEN BUT ALSO TO THE SOURCE OF THEIR SIN: SATAN

In the Bible, there are times when God is addressing specific men, but through those men, He is also speaking to the source of their evil ways, which is Satan. I believe in many cases, while God is addressing the things which then were shortly yet to come, He is also speaking a prophecy of things yet to come, often far into the future. Let us read three of these times: Isaiah 14, Ezekiel 28, and Matthew 16:23.

When God Spoke to Satan Through the King of Babylon

The first is in Isaiah 14, when after God tells us that He will have mercy on Israel and put them back again in their own land, freeing them from their oppressors, He takes up a proverb against the king of Babylon. Before I discuss Isaiah 14, let us remember where Babylon originated. Babylon, the epitome of rebellion against God by man, began with the man named Nimrod in Babel. After all of the earth had been corrupted except for the man named Noah and his seven family members, God sent the great flood to destroy all of mankind and all the beasts, birds, and creeping things on the earth, for they all had been corrupted. God saved Noah and his family and all the animals He had told Noah to bring with him on the ark. After the flood, God told Noah to “be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish [fill] the earth (Genesis 9:1). God also made a covenant with Noah, telling him:

“And I will establish my covenant with you; neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood; neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth. And God said, This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: I do set my bow [rainbow] in the cloud and it shall be a token [sign] of a covenant between me and the earth.” (Genesis 9:11-13)

Noah did as God commanded him, and he began to repopulate the earth and had three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. His son Ham had sons, one of whom was Cush. Cush had sons, one of whom was Nimrod. Of Nimrod, the Bible tells us:

“And Cush begat Nimrod: he began to be a mighty one in the earth. He was a mighty hunter before the LORD: wherefore it is said, Even as Nimrod the mighty hunter before the LORD. And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, and Erech, and Accede, and Caineh, in the land of Shiner.” (Genesis 10:8-10)

Genesis 10:11 also tells us that Nimrod built Nineveh, an extremely wicked city in Assyria. Genesis 11 then tells us that at that time, everyone alive on earth spoke one language, and they all came to the land of Shinar and lived there. Let us read what happened next:

“And they said one to another, Go to [come], let us make brick, and burn them thoroughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime [asphalt] for morter. And they said, Go to, let us build a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.” (Genesis 11:3-4)

The people in Babel were in clear disobedience of God’s commandments to Noah. Instead of spreading across the earth to fill it with people, they all gathered together in a single city. Instead of wanting to give God the glory and instead of praising His name, they wanted to make a name for themselves, to give themselves the glory, and they built a high tower. Perhaps they built a high tower thinking that if God ever sent anything like the flood He had sent years before, that they could escape God’s wrath. If they believed God’s promise to mankind that He would never destroy the earth again by a flood, they would not have built a high tower. They also spoke the same language, making it easy to communicate their disobedience to each other. Let us read God’s response to their disobedience:

“And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded. And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined [propose] to do. Go to, [come], let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech. So the LORD scattered them abroad from thence upon [over] the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city. Therefore is the name of it called Babel [confusion]; because the LORD did there confound [confuse] the language of all the earth: and from thence did the LORD scatter them abroad upon [over] the face of all the earth.” (Genesis 11:5-9)

God knew that if the people were unified and centralized in their disobedience to Him, their sin would be left unrestrained, and likely would destroy mankind. Consequently, He caused them not to understand their single language and spread them across the earth. It is no coincidence that rich and powerful people - globalists - in our world today are pushing people to live in very large, “15-minute cities,” instead of living all across the world, as God commanded us to do. It is no coincidence that technology, including now artificial intelligence (AI), is being utilized to allow people of all languages to communicate with one another.

In Genesis 11, we have the first instance of Babel, from which would come the rich and powerful nation of Babylon that would take the people of Judah captive for 70 years, and from which will come what is described in chapter 17 of the book of Revelation as “MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.” I will discuss this mystery, Babylon in detail in this devotional message, and the possibility that the United States of America is this Babylon the Great. For now, let me give one reason why I believe this. Let us look at the connection to the sign of the covenant that God made after the flood, when He said to Noah, “This is the token [sign] of the covenant, which I have established between me and all the flesh that is upon the earth,” and that sign was the rainbow, which had never appeared on earth prior to the great flood. The USA has taken that beautiful sign, the rainbow, and has made a complete abomination of it when, beginning in 1978 in San Francisco, it began being used as a symbol of the LGBT pride flag, and is used today, more than ever before. America has spread this abomination across the world to represent its pride in its sin. The flag has undergone several transformations, including decreasing the number of colors on the flag from eight to six. (See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rainbow_flag_(LGBTQ)). It is no coincidence that the number six represents the number of man and that the flag is known as the “pride flag.” In their pride and sin, the people of Babel disobeyed God and sought to seek a name for themselves, just as is being done today. Let us remember what God’s word tells us about pride:

“Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall. Better it is to be of an humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil [plunder] with the proud.” (Proverbs 16:18-19)

“Haughty” is defined by merriam-webster.com as “blatantly and disdainfully proud : having or showing an attitude of superiority and contempt for people or things perceived to be inferior.” If that doesn’t describe this sinful movement in the USA perfectly, I don’t know what does.

Now, let us read the words that Isaiah spoke to the king of Babylon. Though this proverb is spoken against the king of Babylon, I believe God is speaking to Satan, the one who fueled the hatred of the king of Babylon at that time. I also believe that God is also speaking to the future mystery Babylon that is discussed in the book of Revelation, when the final antichrist, whom I believe is referred to as “the Assyrian” in Isaiah 14:25, will be the final evil ruler on earth that will be indwelled by Satan, before the second coming of Christ. It is Jesus Himself who will break the staff of the wicked and will cast Satan into the bottomless pit for 1,000 years:

“For the LORD will have mercy on Jacob, and will yet choose Israel, and set them in their own land: and the strangers shall be joined with them, and they shall cleave to the house of Jacob. And the people shall take them, and bring them to their place: and the house of Israel shall possess them in the land of the LORD for servants and handmaids: and they shall rule over their oppressors. And it shall come to pass in the day that the LORD shall give thee rest from thy sorrow, and from thy fear, and from the hard bondage wherein thou wast made to serve, that thou shalt take up this proverb against the king of Babylon, and say, How hast the oppressor ceased! the golden city ceased! The LORD hath broken the staff of the wicked, and the scepter of the rulers. He who smote the people in wrath with a continual stroke, he that ruled the nations in anger, is persecuted, and none hindereth. The whole earth is at rest, and is quiet: they break forth into singing. Yea, the fir trees rejoice at thee, and the cedars of Lebanon, saying, Since thou art laid down, no feller [woodsman] is come up against us.” (Isaiah 14:1-8)

Let us pay particular attention to that last part of the Scriptures above. It is only when he who once ruled the nations in anger, meaning Satan/Devil/Lucifer, is persecuted. This has not happened yet but will happen when he is cast by an angel into hell, also called the bottomless pit (Revelation 20:1-3), after Jesus Christ returns to earth at His second coming. It is only when Jesus will destroy all wicked men upon the earth and will reign in righteousness for 1,000 years (Revelation 19) that the whole earth will be at rest and will rejoice. Let us continue reading from Isaiah 14:

“Hell from beneath is moved for thee to meet thee at thy coming: it stirreth up the dead for thee, even all the chief ones of the earth; it hath raised up from their thrones all the kings of the nations. All they shall speak and say unto thee, Art thou also become weak as we? art thou become like unto us? Thy pomp is brought down to the grave, and the noise of thy viols [harps or lutes]: the worm [maggot] is spread under thee, and the worms cover thee. How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend to heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.” (Isaiah 14:9-14)

Let us discus the verses above. I believe this description of a man goes far further than the king of Babylon. I believe these verses also have a connection to Ezekiel 28, when the prophet Ezekiel addressed the king of Tyrus, also called Tyre, in a similar manner that Isaiah prophesied to the king of Babylon. I will include passages of that chapter later in today’s devotional. The main reason I believe these Scriptures from Isaiah are not referring to the king of Babylon but to Satan is because the king of Babylon did not fall from heaven because he was never in heaven, but Lucifer/Satan did fall when he was cast out of heaven. Jesus Himself saw Satan’s fall and told seventy of His disciples about it. We also read about this in the book of Revelation chapter 12 that when Satan was cast out, he took his angels, those who opposed God, with him:

“And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils [demons] are subject unto us through thy name. And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lighting fall from heaven.” (Luke 10:17-18)

“And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon [Satan]: and the dragon fought and his angels, and prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.” (Revelation 12:7-9)

Is it any wonder that we see images of dragons and serpents all around the world? It is because Satan is full of pride and wants the world to worship him instead of God. He has been deceiving people since mankind began. Instead of worshipping God, many people have worshipped Satan and have made and placed images of dragons and serpents all over the world.

Let us continue reading what God has to say about the future of Satan, the one who is full of pride and who hates God and who hates those who believe in Him. I must admit that I do not understand the true meaning of all the Scriptures below, but I am absolutely convinced that their far fulfillment refers to the final end of Satan and all who follow him. I am doing my best to understand the Scriptures through the guiding of the Holy Spirit. I will discuss these Scriptures later in this devotional. Continuing in Isaiah 14:

“Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides [lowest depths] of the pit. They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms; that made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof; that opened not the house of his prisoners? All the kings of the nations, even all of them, lie in glory, every one in his own house. But thou art cast out of thy grave like an abominable branch, and as the raiment [garment] of those that are slain, thrust through with a sword, that go down to the stones of the pit; as a carcase trodden under feet. Thou shalt not be joined with them in burial, because thou hast destroyed thy land, and slain thy people: the seed of evildoers shall never be renowned [named]. Prepare slaughter for his children for the iniquity of their fathers; that they do not rise, nor possess the land, nor fill the face of the world with cities. For I will rise up against them, saith the LORD of hosts, and cut off from Babylon the name, and remnant, and son [offspring], and nephew [posterity], saith the LORD. I will also make it a possession for the bittern [porcupine], and pools of water [marshes]: and I will sweep it with the besom [broom] of destruction, saith the LORD of hosts. The LORD of hosts hath sworn, saying, Surely as I have thought, so shall it come to pass; and as I have purposed, so shall it stand: That I will break the Assyrian in my land, and upon my mountains tread him under foot: then shall his yoke depart from off them, and his burden depart from off their shoulders. This is the purpose that is purposed upon the whole earth: and this is the hand that is stretched out upon all the nations. For the LORD of hosts hath purposed, and who shall disannul it? and his hand is stretched out, and who shall turn it back? In the year that king Ahaz died was this burden [oracle or prophecy].” (Isaiah 14:15-28)

When God Spoke to Satan Through the King of Tyrus (Tyre)

Now, let us read the second example of when God spoke through the prophet Ezekiel to a man, the king of Tyrus/Tyre, but He was also more importantly addressing the source of his evil ways, who was Satan. Tyrus was king in a nation that eerily sounds a lot like the United States today. The king of Tyrus, like many world rulers today, lived in abundance and pride and believed that he was a god. He sounds a lot like Yuval Noah Harari and also many others today who believe like him. Let us read first the words of God that I believe were directed to the king/prince of Tyrus, who clearly was being led by Satan and worshipped him, for no man who worships Almighty God will believe that he himself is a God:

“The word of the LORD came again unto me, saying, Son of man, say unto the prince of Tyrus, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thine heart is lifted up [proud], and thou hast said, I am a God, I sit in the seat of God, in the midst of the seas; yet thou art a man, and not God, though thou set thine heart as the heart of God: behold, thou art wiser than Daniel; there is no secret that they can hide from thee: with thy wisdom and with thine understanding thou hast gotten thee riches, and hast gotten gold and silver into thy treasures: by thy great wisdom and by thy traffick [in trade] hast thou increased thy riches, and thine heart is lifted up because of thy riches: therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thou hast set thine heart as the heart of God; Behold, therefore will I bring strangers upon thee, the terrible of the nations: and they shall draw their swords against the beauty of thy wisdom, and they shall defile thy brightness [splendour]. They shall bring thee down to the pit, and thou shalt die the deaths of them that are slain in the midst of the seas. Wilt thou yet say before him that slayeth thee, I am God? but thou shalt be a man, and no God, in the hand of him that slayeth thee. Thou shalt die the deaths of the uncircumcised by the hand of strangers: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord GOD.” (Ezekiel 28:1-10)

Of Tyrus/Tyre, gotquestions.org writes something that perfectly describes America today (See: https://www.gotquestions.org/King-of-Tyre.html):

“Tyre was a center of religious idolatry and sexual immorality. The biblical prophets rebuked Tyre for its pride brought on by its great wealth and strategic location. Ezekiel 28:11–19 seems to be a particularly strong indictment against the king of Tyre in the prophet Ezekiel’s day, rebuking the king for his insatiable pride and greed.”

Is America experiencing now what Tyrus experienced then, when the prophet Ezekiel said, “Behold, therefore will I bring strangers upon thee, the terrible of the nations: and they shall draw their swords against the beauty of thy wisdom, and they shall defile thy brightness [splendour].” Is the mass illegal migration of other countries that have flooded into the USA over the years going to result in doom for America? And/or will America be invaded a conquering nation that destroys it? Time will tell.

Isaiah’s prophecies of the future of Tyre did come to pass, and per gotquestions.org, “Nebuchadnezzar besieged Tyre from 585–572 BC. Alexander the Great conquered Tyre in 322 BC, completely destroying the city.” (See: https://www.gotquestions.org/Tyre-and-Sidon.html)

Now, let us read the words of God, as spoken through the prophet Ezekiel, that I believe were addressed to Satan:

“Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty [were the seal of perfection]. Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that wast created. Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee. By the multitude of thy merchandise [trading] they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire. Thine heart was lifted up [proud] because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness [splendour]: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee. Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick [trading]; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee. All they that know thee among the people shall be astonished at thee: thou shalt be a terror [horror], and never shalt thou be any more.” (Ezekiel 28:11-19)

The primary reason I believe this passage of Scripture is referring to Satan and not the king of Tyrus is because it states, “Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God” (Ezekiel 28:13). It was Satan, the serpent, that was in the garden of Eden and not the king of Tyrus. It was Satan and not the king of Tyrus that was the anointed cherub, whom God made perfect in beauty and adorned with every precious stone. God also gave Satan and not the king of Tyrus musical ability with timbrels and pipes (Ezekiel 28:13). Verse 13 also tells us that Satan is a created being, and unlike Jesus Christ, Satan did not always exist. Jesus tells us in Revelation 22:13, “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.” Ezekiel 28:15 tells us, “Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.” Tyrus was not perfect from the day he was created because ever since Adam sinned by disobeying God the Father’s command, all human beings born from that time forward are born with sin, including Tyrus. Satan was created perfect by God, but because of his sin - his pride in wanting to be God - he was cast out of heaven to earth, where he still rules today. For anyone who may not believe that he rules this earth, let us read what Satan told Jesus when Jesus had been fasting for 40 days and Satan tempted Him:

“And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said unto him, All this power [authority] will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will give it. If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine.” (Luke 4:5-7)

Let us read Jesus’ reply to Satan:

“And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.” (Luke 4:8)

Notice that Jesus did not deny that Satan has all authority/power over all the kingdoms of the world or that Satan has the authority to give power to others. Jesus clearly shows us that it is not He who currently rules the world but it is Satan. However, as the Bible tells us, Jesus’ time to take His rightful reign over the world in righteousness is coming, and I believe it is sooner than most people think. Satan used, and still uses, people willing to worship him instead of God, and Satan enriches them and gives them knowledge, power, and authority, as he did with the king of Tyrus, and as Satan is doing in our world today with rich and powerful men and women.

Similarities Between Tyrus and the USA and Revelation’s Babylon the Great and the USA

Before continuing, let us consider what I believe are the parallels of the nation of Tyrus and the United States of America (USA). The nation of Tyrus was very wealthy and traded merchandise with many nations, just as the USA trades with many nations. However, instead of using those riches for good and instead of worshipping Almighty God, Tyrus, as America today, was lifted up in pride and worshipped money and self instead of God. I encourage you to read Ezekiel 27 and 28 and compare them to what is written in Revelation 18, which describes the whore of Babylon, and see the many similarities between not only Tyrus and the whore of Babylon, but also to America. The whore of Babylon will play a major role during the 7-year time of Jacob’s, meaning Israel’s, trouble, also known as the tribulation period, and the whore of Babylon will be destroyed by God in one hour. While I do not know with 100% certainty that America IS the whore of Babylon, I believe there are many similarities to the whore of Babylon in Revelation 18 and the USA, and also to the nation of Tyrus in how they lived in luxury and were full of fornication and abominations. If America is not this whore of Babylon, is certainly does provide a preview of her who is to come:

“For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed [have become] rich through the abundance of her delicacies [luxury].” (Revelation 18:3)

“How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously [luxuriously], so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow. Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her. And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously [luxuriously] with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning. Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come. And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buyeth their merchandise any more…” (Revelation 18:7-11)

I don’t know of any other nation in modern history, and the whore of Babylon in the book of Revelation is about the modern times in which we live and not times of old, which has lived so luxuriously and traded with many nations, importing their merchandise and increasing those nations’ wealth, than the USA. With ports on its western, southern, and eastern coasts, in 2021 America was only second to China in the amount of container port traffic (See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_container_port_traffic). However, instead of using all that wealth for good and to glorify God and to share the good news of Jesus Christ across the world, the USA has gone from the time when it worshipped Almighty God to worshipping the “almighty dollar,” and has exported its filth all across the world, corrupting many nations with its pornography, alternative lifestyles and sexual perversion, rampant promotion of abortion, drug use, never-ending wars with nations in order to maintain and increase its deprived standard of living, and the list goes on and on.

Let us read the name that God gave the whore:

“And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.” (Revelation 17:5)

Revelation 17 opens by telling us of the future of this mother of harlots:

“And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials [bowls], and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters: with whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication.” (Revelation 17:1-2)

In Revelation 17:3, the apostle John continues, telling us that this woman sits upon a scarlet beast. This beast is the final antichrist and is described in Revelation 13 as the beast of the sea that has seven heads and ten horns and will receive his power and authority from Satan (also called the dragon):

“So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.” (Revelation 17:3)

Revelation 17:4 tells us that this whore is dressed in a manner that exudes wealth and sets her apart from many nations:

“And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked [adorned] with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication…” (Revelation 17:4)

I came across a very interesting article that compares the mother of harlots to the Babylonian goddess Ishtar, from which the Statue of Liberty in New York City was modeled after. While I do not know if this information is factual, it is a very interesting comparison. (See: https://www.ancientpages.com/2018/09/28/is-there-an-ancient-secret-connection-between-the-statue-of-liberty-and-the-anunnaki-goddess-inanna/)

It is interesting to me to note that ancient Tyrus (Tyre) produced purple dye, which was very rare and expensive: (See: https://www.gotquestions.org/Tyre-in-the-Bible.html)

“In ancient times, Tyre flourished as a maritime city and a busy center for commercial trade. The area’s most valuable export was its then world-famous purple dye.”

Revelation 17:15 further describes the whore:

“And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.” (Revelation 17:15)

The Scripture above from Revelation 17:15 seems to describe the USA, which has long been named as a “melting pot,” that brings together people from all over the world, representing many nations and tongues/languages. The Statue of Liberty, we are told, stands as a beacon of hope, lighting the way for the immigrants coming to America, but is there something more sinister to all of this?

For many years, America has believed it is immune from suffering because of its vast size and wealth, believing it will always life the lifestyle it has been living. Even the poor in America are wealthier than most people in other countries. America is full of pride and full of self, and I believe that one day, this will change overnight.

Revelation 18:12-13 describes all sorts of merchandise that the whore of Babylon will buy from the nations. Let us take a moment to read the last part of verse 13 that describes what else the whore of Babylon bought:

“…and slaves, and souls of men.” (Revelation 18:13)

Something that has been revealed recently is the amount of human trafficking, and particularly sexual trafficking, that is occurring all over the USA. People are being brought into America against their will and are being sold as sex slaves, including young children. America’s lust for perverted sex is insatiable. This is not only happening at America’s ports but also at America’s borders, which have been nearly left wide open for many years. There may also be a dual meaning here, where it may also mean that people, including young children, are enslaved in the countries in which the merchandise is made, such as we know is the case in China, where they are forced to make merchandise to keep costs down and the profits high.

Let us read now from the remainder of Revelation 18 that prophesies what is to happen to this whore of Babylon. Before we read, I want to emphasize again the name that we read earlier from Revelation 17:5. Read closely, it says this name is written upon her forehead:

“And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.” (Revelation 17:5)

Is this an odd coincidence that Donald Trump’s campaign slogan from both his 2016 and 2024 election campaigns but also his failed 2020 campaign is “Make America Great Again,” and it was placed upon his signature red baseball cap that is displayed proudly upon the forehead? Is it an odd coincidence that Donald Trump lives in New York City in his Trump Tower’s penthouse apartment that is lavishly decorated in gold and marble, putting on full display of abundance and wealth? (See: https://www.architecturaldigest.in/content/president-donald-trump-melania-trump-new-york-apartment-trump-tower/) Is it an odd coincidence that the term “MAGA” is also used to denote the highest level of membership, the fifth degree, in the church of Satan? (See: https://www.churchofsatan.com/hierarchy/) PLEASE NOTE: I have been writing this devotional since October 11, 2024. Sometime between then and November 13, I discovered that this link is no longer functional. In fact, the website for the “church” is no longer on the internet. Is that another odd coincidence? However, you can access this site through an internet archives site called “Wayback Machine.” Here is the link: https://web.archive.org/web/20180919124338/https://www.churchofsatan.com/hierarchy/

Just recently on October 27, 2024, Elon Musk, fellow billionaire and currently the richest man in the world, came out in support of Donald Trump at Trump’s campaign event in Madison Square Gardens, saying, “I am dark gothic MAGA.” Looking at photos from the event, Trump and Musk are shown in front of crowds shown in scarlet and purple. (See: https://www.foxnews.com/politics/elon-musk-comes-out-support-trump-dark-gothic-maga-madison-square-garden Is it any wonder that Musk has aligned himself with Donald Trump? Is it any wonder that he is implementing the Starlink low earth satellite system, whose goal is to “provide global mobile broadband,” which very well may be used to provide the tracking and enforcement require to enact the mark of the beast system prophesied in Revelation 13?

Don’t get me wrong: I am neither a supporter of Donald Trump nor Kamala Harris nor any political figure. There is no human who can fix America. I do not understand how any American can truly believe that America can be great as long as it continues to life the lifestyle it has been living that is in full rejection of God and which is supported by BOTH political parties. America is not worshipping God; rather, it is worshipping everything else but God. Back when Barack Obama was running for president, there were many Americans who worshipped him as a god, and there are many now who worship Donald Trump as a god, with many church leaders lifting him up as though he were God. The only One who can fix us is Jesus Christ, and unless we accept Him in our heart as our Savior, there is no saving us.

Now, let us read of the future destruction of the whore of Babylon:

“The merchants of these things, which were made rich by her, shall stand afar off for the fear of her torment, weeping and wailing, and saying, Alas, alas that great city, that was clothed in fine linen, and purple, and scarlet, and decked with gold, and precious stones, and pearls! For in one hour so great riches is come to nought [nothing]. And every shipmaster, and all the company in ships, and sailors, and as many as trade by the sea, stood afar off, and cried when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, What city is like unto this great city! and they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness [wealth]! for in one hour is she made desolate [a wasteland].” (Revelation 18:15-19)

Isn’t is fitting that in the financial district of Manhattan in New York City that on December 20, 1989 the charging bull, also called the “Bull of Wall Street” was placed to represent the “the symbol of financial optimism and prosperity?” (See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charging_Bull) The bull has long been worshipped by sinful mankind, beginning after Moses led the nation of Israel out of Egypt. When God called Moses up to the mountain to give him the Ten Commandments, the people got tired of waiting for him to come down off the mountain and made a golden calf and worshipped it instead of God. Are we, too, a nation that is tired of waiting for God to save us and instead are worshipping a golden calf to keep us living in prosperity?

Before continuing to read the rest of Revelation 18, I wanted to mention that I think we have seen a preview of this during the COVID lockdowns and subsequent supply chain problems, when many container ships were floating in the coasts off the USA, waiting for the ports to reopen so that they could come and offload their wares. Now, let us continue:

“Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on her. And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all. And the voice [sound] of harpers, and musicians, and of pipers [flutists], and trumpeters, shall be heard no more at all in thee; and no craftsman, of whatsoever craft he be, shall be found any more in thee; and the sound of a millstone shall be heard no more at all in thee; and the light of a candle [lamp] shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived. And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth.” (Revelation 18:20-24)

The passage of Scripture above clearly tells us that Babylon the Great will never be great again, for it will be destroyed in one hour. All that represented happiness and life - the sound of music, the voice of a groom and his bride, the craftsman making their wares, and the sound of millstones grinding grain - will never be found in that city again. There is also something else that will never be found and that is a light of a candle or a lamp shining its light, for this city that once had light shining in her, now loves darkness over light. Thus, the light will never shine in her again. With the latter statement, again, there seems to be an eerie connection between Babylon the Great and the United States of America. The light of a candle or a lamp that shines its light may be referring to the torch of the Statue of Liberty never shining its light, which at night does appear as the light of a candle, because it will be destroyed. It could also be a reference to what Jesus told His disciples when He gave them what is called the Sermon on the Mount. Let us read what He said about the light:

“Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle [lamp], and put it under a bushel [basket], but on a candlestick [lampstand]; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” (Jesus Christ; Matthew 5:14-16)

When Puritan John Winthrop, who was an English lawyer, sailed in 1630 on the ship named Arbella with other Puritans from England to settle the Massachusetts Bay colony in Boston, he delivered a lecture titled “A Model of Christian Charity,” in which he made the famous statement that they should consider that they should be “as a city upon a hill.” Let us read part of his lecture, and also read his warnings about the future of their endeavors if they did not obey God: (See: https://www.gilderlehrman.org/sites/default/files/inline-pdfs/Winthrop%27s%20City%20upon%20a%20Hill.pdf)

“Now the onely way to avoyde this shipwracke, and to provide for our posterity, is to followe the counsell of Micah, to doe justly, to love mercy, to walk humbly with our God. For this end, wee must be knitt together, in this worke, as one man. Wee must entertaine each other in brotherly affection…Wee shall finde that the God of Israell is among us, when ten of us shall be able to resist a thousand of our enemies; when hee shall make us a prayse and glory that men shall say of succeeding plantations, “the Lord make it like that of New England.” For wee must consider that wee shall be as a citty upon a hill. The eies of all people are upon us. Soe that if wee shall deale falsely with our God in this worke wee have undertaken, and soe cause him to withdrawe his present help from us, wee shall be made a story and a by-word through the world. Wee shall open the mouthes of enemies to speake evill of the ways of God, and all professors for God’s sake. Wee shall shame the faces of many of God’s worthy servants, and cause theire prayers to be turned into curses upon us till wee be consumed out of the good land whither wee are a goeing.I shall shutt upp this discourse with that exhortation of Moses, that faithfull servant of the Lord, in his last farewell to Israell, Deut. 30. Beloved there is now sett before us life and good, Death and evill, in that wee are commanded this day to love the Lord our God, and to love one another, to walke in his wayes and to keepe his Commandements and his Ordinance and his lawes, and the articles of our Covenant with him, that wee may live and be multiplied, and that the Lord our God may blesse us in the land whither wee goe to possesse it. But if our heartes shall turne away, soe that wee will not obey, but shall be seduced, and worshipp and serve other Gods, our pleasure and proffitts, and serve them; it is propounded unto us this day, wee shall surely perishe out of the good land whither wee passe over this vast sea to possesse it; Therefore let us choose life that wee, and our seede may live, by obeyeing His voyce and cleaveing to Him, for Hee is our life and our prosperity.”

Many years have gone by since Boston was settled, and the people of the states who came together to “form a more perfect union” and which became the United States of America, have not heeded the warnings of John Winthrop. While politicians including John F. Kennedy, Ronald Reagan, Barack Obama, and other political figures have given speeches that referenced America as a “city on a hill,” it was only in the context of America being a city that others would look to as a “beacon of hope.” They did not remind Americans that we must not turn from the God of Israel to worship and serve other gods, lest we perish out of the land. (See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_upon_a_Hill#Use_in_American_politics) As John Winthrop forewarned, our hearts have turned away from God, and we now worship and serve other gods. As John Winthrop stated above, we are seeking pleasure and profits instead of Almighty God, the God of Israel. I believe his warning that we will perish out of the land coincides to what God prophesied in Revelation 18 that Babylon will be destroyed in one hour.

Before finishing with this comparison of America to Babylon the Great, I wanted to focus on the last part of Revelation 18:23 and also verse 24. Let us read the end of verse 23 again:

“…and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived.” (Revelation 18:23)

America once loved God and sent missionaries all over the world to spread the good news of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. I don’t know of any other nation that once did more to spread the good news of Jesus Christ than America. America once taught the Bible to its children in its homes, churches, and schools, but, as John Winthrop warned, it turned away from God quite a while ago. Consequently, I believe that the reference to the voice of the bridegroom, meaning Jesus, and of the bride, meaning we who have put our faith and trust in Jesus Christ to save us, will not be heard any more in Babylon also means that no longer would the good news of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ be spoken by believers in Christ because there won’t be any left in America. Verse 24 seems to support this:

“And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth.” (Revelation 18:24)

Prior to Babylon being destroyed, it will kill both the Jews, referred to as the prophets, for it is of the Jews from whom the prophets of the Bible came, and also of the saints, meaning the children of God, those who are saved by Jesus Christ. America has also become increasingly hostile to both Jews and Christians, just as Jesus warned His disciples would happen in the last days. I believe the only reason that God has put up with America’s wickedness this long is because of her support for Israel. However, that is changing.

While Donald Trump professes to be a friend of Israel, during his first presidency, it was he and his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, who proposed the “Deal of the Century,” also known as the “Peace to Prosperity” plan that would provide a two-state solution that would divide Israel, God’s land. The plan was rejected by the Palestinians and was not put in place. Under the subsequent American administration with Joe Biden as president, it has placed increasing pressure on Israel to divide its land, especially after the October 7, 2023 attacks in Israel by Hamas. In fact, the world is increasing its hatred against the Jews, just as Jesus said would happen before His second coming. The future for America, or any other nation, is not one of blessing by God if it curses Israel by seeking to divide the land that God gave it:

“Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee: and I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: and I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.” (Genesis 12:1-3)

“In the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed [descendants] have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates…” (Genesis 15:18)

America and the world, particularly the wicked United Nations, are putting increasing pressure on Israel to divide its land and create a “two-state solution.” I believe this pressure will continue to grow until such time that Israel will make a covenant with many for a period of seven years, as prophesied in Daniel 9:27, with Israel not realizing that the one with whom it will make the covenant, is the final Antichrist, who comes declaring peace when in fact, he is seeking their destruction. During this time, the Jews will build their long-hoped-for third Jewish temple, in which they will conduct animal sacrifices and oblations. Antichrist will then break the covenant 3-1/2 years later:

“And he [the antichrist] shall confirm the covenant [or treaty] with many for one week [a period of seven years]; and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and oblation [offering] to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.” (Daniel 9:27)

Throughout history, Israel has gone through periods of time when it trusted God, only to turn away from Him and worship false gods. Israel’s wholesale rejection of God’s only begotten Son Jesus Christ resulted in God partially blinding them until the time of the Gentiles, the non-Jews, is come in, meaning it is complete/finished (Romans 11). As it has many times in history, Israel is looking for a man to give them “peace and security” and not to God. Instead of looking to Jesus Christ, their Messiah, the precious cornerstone and sure foundation, to save them, it is looking to earthly man, as it has time and time again. Israel currently is ripe to make such an agreement or covenant with the man who will be the final Antichrist. One main motivation to make this covenant is that the Jewish religious leaders in Israel are longing to build their third temple, and it may be that they will be allowed to build the temple if they make the covenant. Israel just announced on October 21, 2024 that it has built a replica of the Ark of the Covenant that once stood in the first Jewish temple (See: https://www.jns.org/with-eyes-on-winning-war-building-third-jewish-temple-ark-replica-shown-in-jerusalem/).

On November 11, 2024, just six days after Donald Trump was elected as the 47th president of America, israel365news.com ran an article titled, “Midrash Hints that Trump Will Return Glory to Western World by Building Third Temple.” The article makes some concerning statements from Rabbi Yosef Berger and for anyone who knows Bible prophecy, these seem to align with what the books of Daniel and Revelation refer to the antichrist: (See: https://israel365news.com/397766/midrash-hints-that-trump-will-return-glory-to-western-world-by-building-third-temple/)

“Rabbi Yosef Berger revealed some amazing aspects of Donald Trump’s victory in the recent US Presidential election, most notably his potential role in building the Third Temple. As the spiritual descendant of Rome, the nation that destroyed the Second Temple, Trump has the potential to do a tikkun, fixing the sin of Rome, and returning the glory to Western society.”

Compare this to the book of Daniel in the seventy weeks prophecy that tells us from where the antichrist will come. Gotquestions.org has a good article that explains this prophecy (See: https://www.gotquestions.org/seventy-weeks.html):

“And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off [suffer the death penalty], but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. And he shall confirm the covenant [or a treaty] with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation [offering] to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.” (Daniel 9:26-27)

The “people of the prince that shall come” does in fact refer to the people of Rome, which destroyed Jerusalem and the second Jewish temple in 70 AD. The “prince” that it refers to is the final antichrist, and he will make a 7-year covenant with the Jewish nation, and possibly other nations, for a period of one week, which in this prophecy is a period of seven years. However, he will break the covenant halfway through it and will commit an abomination in the temple. Jesus told His disciples about this. When this abomination happens, the people of Israel will realize that they have been deceived by the antichrist and will flee to the mountains, which many believe is Petra:

“When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) then let them which be in Judaea, fleet into the mountains…” (Jesus Christ; Matthew 24:15-16)

Could the signing of this covenant pave the way for the nation of Israel to build its third temple? Just on November 14, 2024, an article was posted on the Middle East Eye stating that Pete Hegseth, Donald Trump’s pick for the US Defense Secretary has, in the past, “has called for the building of a third Jewish temple on the site of Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.” (See: https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/new-us-defence-secretary-called-building-third-temple-jerusalem)

Continuing with the israel365news.com article (see prior link above), it compared Donald Trump to King Cyrus of Persia, who was called by God to allow the Jews to return to Jerusalem from Babylon and build the second Jewish Temple. It also states something very peculiar:

“Rabbi Berger cited the medieval commentator, Rashi, who stated (Daniel 12:12) that moshiach [Messiah] will be revealed, concealed, and then revealed again. This was also stated in Midrash Rabbah (Bamidbar 11:3):”

“‘Like Cyrus, God put Donald Trump in power in order to build the Temple and pave the way for moshiach,’ Rabbi Berger said. ‘Like Moses, Trump began as part of the common people, was revealed in his first success entering the White House, but was then hidden.’”

“‘Like Moses, now that Trump has been revealed for the second time, he will fulfill his ultimate function,’ Rabbi Berger said.”

The book of Revelation makes an eerily similar statement, but it is not referring to the Messiah but to the final antichrist:

“And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman [Babylon the Great, the mother of harlots], and of the beast [antichrist] that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns. The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition [destruction]: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder [marvel], whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is. And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth. And there are seven kings: five are [have] fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space [time]. And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition. And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast. These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength [authority] unto the beast. These shall make war with the Lamb [Jesus], and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.” (Revelation 17:7-14)

I do not know if Donald Trump is the antichrist, but the statements that are being made by certain rabbis in Israel are very concerning to me. We know that they are not looking for the return of Jesus Christ but for the one they call their Messiah, who in fact the Bible tells us will be the final antichrist. I truly believe we are drawing very near to the time when Israel will either voluntarily or have intense pressure put upon her to make a covenant for a period of seven years to bring “peace and security” to her and the nations that surround her, but which will in fact bring the opposite. I believe this covenant may be the one that Isaiah prophesied will be cancelled:

“Wherefore hear the word of the LORD, ye scornful men, that rule this people which is in Jerusalem. Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us: for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves: Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste. Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet: and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding place. And your covenant with death shall be disannulled, and your agreement with hell shall not stand; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, then ye shall be trodden down by it.” (Isaiah 28:14-18)

I believe this covenant will be made sometime soon, after America has now elected Donald Trump to be its next president. Time will tell.

Returning to Revelation 18:24, I believe the last part that states, “and of all that were slain upon the earth,” includes everyone else who was killed by bloody Babylon. The wicked rulers of America, on both sides of the political aisle, together with leaders of large corporations all around the world, have caused many wars and conflicts around the world so that they can increase their wealth and keep living in luxury, at the cost of millions of people’s lives in the process. However, instead of repenting for our deep sins against God, Americans want to keep on living in our wicked sins against God. At his October 27, 2024 re-election campaign rally at Madison Square Garden, Donald Trump promised: (See: https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/live-blog-posts/trump-madison-square-garden-golden-age/)

“This will be America’s new golden age. It’s going to happen quickly too, very quickly.”

This eerily reminds me of ancient Babylon, the Babylon written about in the Old Testament. Babylon conquered other nations, including Judah, the southern kingdom of Israel when Israel was a divided nation, and took their wealth so that it could live in opulence and abundance that had never been known. It was a period of time known as Babylon’s “golden age.” (See: https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/beautiful-babylon-jewel-ancient-world/)

Babylon destroyed the Jewish temple in Jerusalem and took many Jews captive for a period of 70-years in Babylon. Like America that has rejected Almighty God, the One true God, Babylon worshipped many false gods, to its own peril. As written in Daniel chapter 5, Babylon’s last king was full of pride, and one night held a great feast where he and his right-hand men, and his wives and concubines/mistresses all partied and drank from the Jewish temple vessels that had been taken when Babylon conquered Jerusalem. This was an abomination to God, and God brought judgment upon Babylon when He sent Cyrus, the king of Persia, which is modern-day Iran, to conquer it in 539 BC. Is it an odd coincidence that during President Trump’s first administration, many Jews, and even many Americans professing to be Christian, referred to him as a “modern-day Cyrus”? It was Cyrus who conquered Babylon and allowed the Jews to return home from Babylon and build their second temple. Could former President Trump be the one that conquers modern-day Babylon, which I believe may very well be America? Could this be a fulfillment of the prophecy below?

“And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore [Babylon the Great], and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire. For God hath put in their hearts to fulfill his will, and to agree [be of one mind], and give their kingdom unto the beast [antichrist], until the words of God shall be fulfilled. And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.” (Revelation 17:16-18)

Is Donald Trump the one who will make a covenant with the Jews, which will include a “two-state solution,” in exchange for supporting the building of their third temple, as King Cyrus did with the second temple, something they have been longing to do for a very long time?

Concluding with my reasoning as to why America may be the harlot, Babylon the Great, in the book of Revelation, let us read the last part of Revelation 18:23 again:

”…for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived.” (Revelation 18:23)

First, I noticed something different in how the merchants were referred to in the verse above as compared to in previous verses in chapter 18:

“…and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies…” (Revelation 18:3)

“…and the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buyeth their merchandise any more…” (Revelation 18:11)

“The merchants of these things, which were made rich by her, shall stand afar off for the fear of her torment, weeping and wailing.” (Revelation 18:15)

The merchants of the earth are “thy merchants,” meaning these are Babylon’s merchants, who are the rich and powerful men of the earth. There is a clear connection to these merchants and Babylon.

Babylon the Great’s Worldwide Deception

Next, let us focus on the second part of verse 23. I first heard of this from JD Farag, a pastor in Hawaii, I listen to online, who noted that in the original Greek, the word “sorceries” is “pharmakeia,” from which we get “pharmacy.” It is defined as “the use of medicine, drugs or spells.” (See: https://biblehub.com/greek/5331.htm) America has had a drug problem for a long time, and it continues to grow worse and worse, However, in this context, I believe this is no ordinary drug problem because it says, “for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived.” What does it mean to deceive someone? Merriam-Webster defines “deceive” as “to cause to accept as true or valid what is false or invalid.” Every day, people are deceived. But what does it say about Babylon? It says, “for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived.” When were all nations deceived? They were deceived by the so-called COVID “pandemic,” with the USA leading the charge for all nations to comply with the mandates dictated by the American administration to “slow the curve.” The mandates included people wearing masks and staying six feet apart, which was in lockstep with the World “Health” Organization, which I believe is better named as the World “Hell” Organization. It was also in lockstep with rich and powerful men, such as Bill Gates, who joined with 16 pharmaceutical companies to create “vaccines” for COVID.

Never before have such “vaccines” been rushed to market so quickly without taking the normal amount of time to conduct clinical trials to see what adverse events and side effects may result from the vaccines. Subsequently, many people have died and many others have had serious health injuries from them as reported on the US Health and Human Services Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS). Looking at the reporting data for the COVID “vaccines,” it is clear that since 1990 when reporting through VAERS began, there have never been the number of deaths associated with any vaccine as high as those for COVID (See: https://openvaers.com/covid-data and the chart titled “All Deaths Reported to VAERS by Year.” I have heard that only a low number of incidents are reported to this system, as it takes a significant amount of time to report the adverse event, and that the numbers are actually much higher. Even the US Government’s own website stated: (See: https://digital.ahrq.gov/ahrq-funded-projects/electronic-support-public-health-vaccine-adverse-event-reporting-system).

“Adverse events from vaccines are common but underreported, with less than one percent reported to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Low reporting rates preclude or delay the identification of "problem" vaccines, potentially endangering the health of the public.”

With such a significant number of adverse events, which at least according to VAERS appears never to have happened with other vaccines, why weren’t the COVID “vaccines” pulled immediately? I also ask, who was leading the helm of these so-called vaccines? It was Donald Trump, and he even stated: (See: https://www.cnn.com/2021/12/23/politics/trump-vaccine-covid-effectiveness/index.html)

“I came up with a vaccine, with three vaccines. All are very, very good. Came up with three of them in less than nine months.”

“‘Look, the results of the vaccine are very good, and if you do get (Covid), it’s a very minor form. People aren’t dying when they take the vaccine,’ he said in an interview with The Daily Wire’s Candace Owens that was released Tuesday.”

“When Owens began raising doubt about the vaccine efficacy, Trump interjected, saying, ‘Well, no, the vaccine works.’”

As time has elapsed since these “vaccines” were introduced, we have seen an alarming rate of young, healthy people dying from heart-related conditions and also from aggressive cancers, with a new term being added called “turbo cancers,” and yet no one in mainstream media wants to discuss the possible connection to the “vaccines” and instead has used reasons of “Sudden Adult Death Syndrome (SADS),” the COVID virus itself, energy drinks, the food we eat, and the list goes on and on. Let us read some other quotes from Donald Trump, which were from the 2021 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC). I have included a link to the website that contains the transcription and also the video itself.

(See: https://www.rev.com/transcript-editor/shared/bPp2Yv5dZPAF6M6A8RQyZUlo563lBfA5s3_VgMdkk5IWUoDTmLjS02rQLE4akVID9dlIuFRL3UBH1WqnAykTj98Wjew?loadFrom=PastedDeeplink&ts=1540.44)

Donald Trump (25:40):

“Can you imagine if you had to go through what all of the countries of the world who are now getting the vaccine or soon will be getting it from various companies, but can you imagine if all of those countries had to go through what they've been going through over the last year? You'd lose hundreds of millions of people. I pushed the FDA like they have never been pushed before. They told me that loud and clear. They have never been pushed like I pushed them. I didn't like them at all, but once we got it done, I said, I now love you very much. What the Trump administration has done with vaccines has in many respects, perhaps saved large portions of the world. Not only our country, but large portions of the world.”

Donald Trump (26:38):

“Not only did we push the FDA far beyond what the bureaucrats wanted to do. We also put up billions and billions of dollars, 10 billion to produce the vaccines before we knew they were going to work. It was called a calculated bet or a calculated risk. We took a risk because if we didn't do that, you still wouldn't have the vaccines. You wouldn't have them for a long time. So think of that, we took this bet. We made a bet because we thought we were on a certain track, but you'd be starting to make them right now. It'd be a long time before you ever saw. It takes 60 to 100 days to manufacture and inspect new doses. And that means that 100% of the increased availability that we have now was initiated by our administration. 100%. In fact, the director of National Institutes of Health, Francis Collins, he's Fauci's boss, actually, I think he's a Democrat too, by the way, recently said that our operation warp speed was absolutely breathtaking and that the Trump administration deserves full credit, which we do. And as conservatives and Republicans, never forget that we did it. Never let them take the credit because they don't deserve the credit. They just followed now, they're following our plan, but this has been something that they really call, they call it an absolute miracle.”

Let us read Donald Trump’s own words at his Operation Warp Speed Vaccine Summit on December 8, 2020: (See: https://trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/briefings-statements/remarks-president-trump-operation-warp-speed-vaccine-summit/)

“We’re here to discuss a monumental national achievement. From the instant the coronavirus invaded our shores, we raced into action to develop a safe and effective vaccine at breakneck speed. It would normally take five years, six years, seven years, or even more. In order to achieve this goal, we harnessed the full power of government, the genius of American scientists, and the might of American industry to save millions and millions of lives all over the world. We’re just days away from authorization from the FDA, and we’re pushing them hard, at which point we will immediately begin mass distribution.”

“Before Operation Warp Speed, the typical timeframe for development and approval, as you know, could be infinity. And we were very, very happy that we were able to get things done at a level that nobody has ever seen before. The gold standard vaccine has been done in less than nine months.”

It wasn’t just Donald Trump that was pushing his country to get vaccinated, it was also Benjamin Netanyahu, who pushed Israel to get vaccinated. Netanyahu made a deal with Pfizer to buy vaccines early in their rollout to countries in an agreement to share health data from the people of Israel, which, rightfully so, raised concerns of privacy: (See: https://www.npr.org/2021/01/31/960819083/vaccines-for-data-israels-pfizer-deal-drives-quick-rollout-and-privacy-worries)

“How has tiny Israel beat out bigger countries on COVID-19 vaccinations, securing a steady stream of vials and inoculating a larger share of its citizenry than any other nation?”

“Israel paid a premium, locked in an early supply of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines and struck a unique deal: vaccines for data.”

"‘We said to Pfizer ... that the moment they give us the vaccine, we'll be able to vaccinate at the speed they've never heard of,’ Israel's health minister Yuli Edelstein tells NPR.”

"‘We need to understand that [Israel's agreement with Pfizer] is going to be one of the, I would say, widest medical experiments on humans at the 21st century,’ says the Israel Democracy Institute's Tehilla Shwartz Altshuler, a data privacy advocate and a leading voice questioning the Pfizer data deal.”

Another thing I will say about this worldwide deception, that sounds eerily similar to what is written in Revelation 18:23, is to ask if you knew that in October 2019, an exercise was conducted in New York where it planned for a simulated event of a coronavirus global outbreak? (See: https://centerforhealthsecurity.org/our-work/tabletop-exercises/event-201-pandemic-tabletop-exercise)

“The Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security in partnership with the World Economic Forum and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation hosted Event 201, a high-level pandemic exercise on October 18, 2019, in New York, NY. The exercise illustrated areas where public/private partnerships will be necessary during the response to a severe pandemic in order to diminish large-scale economic and societal consequences.”

“Event 201 simulates an outbreak of a novel zoonotic coronavirus transmitted from bats to pigs to people that eventually becomes efficiently transmissible from person to person, leading to a severe pandemic. The pathogen and the disease it causes are modeled largely on SARS, but it is more transmissible in the community setting by people with mild symptoms.”

Is it an odd coincidence that just a few months later in March 2020 the world was locked down due to a coronavirus pandemic, during which Donald Trump was president? I am reminded of when he made an out-of-the-blue statement back on October 5, 2017 when he met with his top military leaders and perplexed reporters when he said to them: “You guys know what this represents? Maybe it’s the calm before the storm.” After they asked him what storm he was referring to, he told them, “You’ll find out.” Was the COVID pandemic the storm he referred to? (See: https://www.cnn.com/2017/10/06/politics/trump-storm-coming/index.html)

As others have speculated, I do believe the vaccines were not created for COVID, but COVID was created to bring in the vaccines, and it was not with good intentions but with nefarious purposes, whose far-reaching, disastrous and evil intended outcomes I believe are still yet to be revealed.

I have been writing this devotional since October 11, 2024, and we all have seen and heard the American 2024 Presidential campaign rhetoric. On November 6, as I continued writing this devotional, the day after the election, Donald Trump was declared the winner and America, and many in the world, were and still are singing, “Happy days are here again!” as they celebrate their candidate’s win and look to him for better days ahead. On November 12, 2024, israel365news.com ran an article titled, “Ben Shapiro: Trump is Noah, Made to Save This Generation.” (See: https://israel365news.com/397789/ben-shapiro-trump-is-noah-made-to-save-this-generation/) It reminds me of the days described in the Old Testament, when the people of Israel looked to wicked kings to save them and disregarded what God’s prophets told them time and time again to stop sinning and return to God, and then they would have His blessings and not curses. I love my country, but America has become an abomination to God for its love of sin, and it has not learned its lesson, it has not repented and turned back to God. Further, and more importantly, I believe America will soon turn its back on Israel and will push it to divide the land that God gave to Israel and to Israel alone. Just one day after Donald Trump was elected President of the USA, Newsweek ran an article titled “Hamas Calls for 'Immediate' End to War After Trump Election Win”: (See: https://www.newsweek.com/hamas-calls-immediate-end-war-after-trump-election-win-1981571)

“A senior Hamas official has called for an immediate end to Israel's war against the group in the Gaza Strip and a plan to achieve Palestinian statehood in remarks shared with Newsweek in the wake of former President Donald Trump's election victory.

"‘The election of Trump as the 47th president of the USA is a private matter for the Americans,’ Hamas Political Bureau member and spokesperson Basem Naim told Newsweek, ‘but Palestinians look forward to an immediate cessation of the aggression against our people, especially in Gaza, and look for assistance in achieving their legitimate rights of freedom, independence, and the establishment of their independent self-sovereign state with Jerusalem as its capital.’"

"‘The blind support for the Zionist entity 'Israel' and its fascist government, at the expense of the future of our people and the security and stability of the region, must stop immediately,’ he added.”

Jerusalem is God’s holy city, and it is the capital of the land that God gave to Israel. Any nation or anyone who believes that they can take it by force will be sorely mistaken, as we are told in God’s word. In addition, any nation or anyone who believes that they can divide God’s land is also sorely mistaken:

“For behold, in those days, and in that time, when I shall bring again the captivity [captives] of Judah and Jerusalem, I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead [enter into judgment] with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted [divided up] my land.” (Joel 3:1-2)

“The burden [oracle or prophecy] of the word of the LORD for Israel, saith the LORD, which stretcheth forth the heavens, and layeth the foundation of the earth, and formeth the spirit of man within him. Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem. And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it.” (Zechariah 12:1-3)

“In that day shall the LORD defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and he that is feeble among them at that day shall be as David; and the house of David shall be as God, as the angel of the LORD before them. And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.” (Zechariah 12:8-9)

Consequently, I believe we are in for a very rough road ahead of us, a road that has been disguised with promises of peace and glory but which is paved with lies and deception. I do not believe America will be blessed by God but will be cursed by Him. Time will tell.

When God Spoke to Satan through the Apostle Peter

The third and final example I wanted to provide of when God spoke to Satan through a man is when Jesus, who is God the Son, spoke to Peter. It was sometime after when Jesus asked His disciples whom do men say that He is and they answered, “Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets.” (Matthew 16:13-14). Jesus then asked His disciples whom they say that He is, and Peter answered, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus answered Peter, saying:

“Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona [Peter’s name before Jesus started calling him “Peter]: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” (Jesus Christ; Matthew 16:17-19)

Jesus then told His disciples that they should not tell anyone that He was Jesus the Christ. Then He told them this:

“From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day.” (Matthew 16:21)

For many, including myself when I first read this, what was said next by Peter and Jesus’ response to him was perplexing:

“Then Peter took him [took him aside], and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee. But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offense unto me: for thou savourest not [are not mindful of] the things that be of God, but those that be of men.” (Matthew 16:22-23)

Here was the same Peter who, not long beforehand, was the first apostle to rightfully declare to Jesus that He is “the Christ, the living Son of the living God.“ Likely, in Peter’s eyes, he was defending Jesus, for he had grown to love Him and didn’t want anything bad to happen to Him. But there was also a darker side to the words that Peter had spoken, and the words had a sense of pride in them. Peter said the things that Jesus had just told him and the other disciples would happen would not happen, but the source of these words was Satan, for Satan did not want God’s plan for Jesus to be fulfilled, especially when Jesus said He would “be raised again the third day.” Satan wanted his plan for mankind to be fulfilled and not God’s, and Jesus knew that the words that Peter had just spoken were not his own but Satan’s.

There were many times that Satan has tried to stop God’s plan for mankind from happening, including when he had King Herod kill all of the babies two years old and under when he was seeking to find and kill Jesus not long after He had been born. Satan knows his future. He knows God’s word and what it says about his future, and that that there is coming a time when Jesus will cast him into the lake of fire and brimstone for eternity and Satan will never, ever be able to influence mankind again. Until that happens, Satan is doing everything he can to influence people to destroy everyone who is with God. He started that in the beginning with Adam and Eve and it is still happening today, including many world leaders who reject God and who believe Satan, also called Lucifer, who are puffed up in their pride and believe they are the ruling elite. Whether they know it or not, when they reject God to follow Satan/Lucifer, they have set themselves up for destruction and will spend their eternity in the lake of fire.

THE TIME WHEN THE EARTH WILL REJOICE - JESUS’ MILLENNIAL REIGN

Finally, let us read of the time when the earth will rejoice. That time will come when the time of Jacob’s trouble, the 7-year tribulation period, is finished when Jesus comes to earth a second time with His armies in heaven. He will stand in the mount of Olives and will strike down (kill) all of mankind who has come against Him and has followed the unholy trinity of Satan, his right-hand man known as the beast/final antichrist, and his false prophet, who will require all of mankind to worship the antichrist and take his mark, name, or number (666) in order to buy or sell. The antichrist and the false prophet will be cast into the eternal lake of fire and Satan will be cast into the bottomless pit for 1,000 years.

“And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, and cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season [while].” (Revelation 20:1-3)

During that time, Jesus Christ will reign on earth with a rod of iron. He will finally rule all kingdoms of the earth, having taken them from the grip of Satan. It is at that time when creation will rejoice.

During the 1,000-year millennial reign of Jesus Christ, people will still die during this period but their lifespans will significantly increase. The people who were not caught up to Jesus in the rapture prior to the start of the 7-year tribulation period but who during this time accept Him as their Savior, will not live in their new glorified bodies, as those who were saved prior to the rapture and who return to earth with Jesus at His second coming, but will live in their normal, fleshly bodies and will be able to bear children. They will also still be able to sin, and when they do, it will not be tolerated; hence, Jesus reigns with a rod of iron. No longer will there be a corrupt justice system that lets criminals go free and continue to terrorize; no, Jesus will not tolerate it. Let us read some of the Scriptures that discuss this time period. While we do not know the exact timing of all of this, we do know that it WILL happen:

“And the seventh angel sounded [blew his trumpet]; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever. And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats [thrones], fell upon their faces, and worshipped God, saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned. And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come…” (Revelation 11:15-18)

“Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, and thy spoil [plunder] shall be divided in the midst of thee. For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled [plundered] and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue [remnant] of the people shall not be cut off from the city. Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle. And his [Jesus’] feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave [split in two] in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south. And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azai: yea, ye shall flee, like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah: and the LORD my God shall come, and all the saints with thee.” (Zechariah 14:1-5)

“And the LORD shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one. All the land shall be turned as a [turned into] plain from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem: and it [Jerusalem] shall be lifted up, and inhabited in her place, from Benjamin’s gate unto the place of the first gate, unto the corner gate, and from the tower of Hananeel unto the king’s winepresses. And men shall dwell in it, and there shall be no more utter destruction; but Jerusalem shall be safely inhabited.” (Zechariah 14:9-11)

“And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: and the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD; and shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes [by what he sees], neither reprove after the hearing of his ears [decide by what he hears]: but with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked. And righteousness shall be the girdle [belt] of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins [belt of his waist]. The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the falling together; and a little child shall lead them. And the cow and the bear shall feed [graze]; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. And the sucking [nursing] child shall play on the hole of the asp [cobra], and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice’ [in the viper’s] den. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea. And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of [a banner to] the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious.” (Isaiah 11:1-10)

“There shall be no more thence an infant of days [live but a few days], nor an old man that hath not filled his days: for the child shall die an hundred years old; but the sinner being an hundred years old shall be accursed.” (Isaiah 65:20)

“The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock [ox]: and dust shall be the serpent’s meat [food]. They shall not hurt not destroy in all my holy mountain, saith the LORD.” (Isaiah 65:25)

While the world seeks to have peace, because of sin and corruption of mankind, true peace is found only in Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace. True peace will only exist when He returns to earth the second time and reigns over all kingdoms of the world for 1,000 years. There is no corruption found in Him, and He will reign with righteous justice. It will be at that time that nations will no longer war against each other:

“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.” 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.” (Isaiah 9:6-7)

“And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.” (Isaiah 2:4)

THE END OF SATAN AND A NEW BEGINNING FOR BELIEVERS IN CHRIST

Before ending this devotional message, I wanted to write that there is more to come for mankind after the millennial reign of Jesus Christ, as the book of Revelation tells us. I believe there is a connection between the Scriptures I included previously in this devotional from Isaiah 14:15-28, and part of which I have included again below, which state that Satan will be cast out of his grave and what is written in Revelation 20:7-15, which I have included below. After Jesus reigns for 1,000 years on earth, Satan will be released from the pit/cast out from the grave. Even though mankind will have lived during this time period of 1,000 years with Jesus ruling, there will still be people who will choose to turn against Him and follow Satan. This will prove once and for all that mankind is inherently sinful and no matter how perfect the environment is and without Satan’s influence and deception over the world, there will still be people who just hate God and want to follow Satan. After Satan is released, he will deceive the world one final time. Jesus will then put a complete end to Satan and to all who will choose to follow him, ending all evil and wickedness forever, and He will cast Satan into the eternal lake of fire. Jesus will then resurrect from the dead every single person who died in their sins, who did not put their faith and trust in God to save them. Jesus will pronounce them guilty, for their names will not be found in the book of life, and they will be cast into the eternal lake of fire, where Satan will be.

As the Scriptures below state, Satan truly is the seed of evildoers and from that point forward, he will never be renowned/named again, for all sin will be gone forever, along with all his children who followed him instead of God. The people who rejected salvation will not live with Jesus and His believers on the new earth that Jesus will create, along with a new heaven and a new Jerusalem after He destroys the earth by fire, for Jesus will have cut them off. Babylon, the epitome of rebellion against God by man, which began with Nimrod in Babel, when he and his followers built a high tower to exalt themselves instead of God, Babylon which continued with Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon who conquered Judah and destroyed it and Jerusalem and burned the first Jewish temple, and Babylon, which will rise again as Mystery Babylon the Great during the 7-year time of Jacob’s trouble, will be destroyed, never to rise again:

“But thou art cast out of thy grave like an abominable [despised] branch, and as the raiment [garment] of those that are slain, thrust through with a sword, that go down to the stones of the pit; as a carcase trodden under feet. Thou shalt not be joined with them in burial, because thou hast destroyed thy land, and slain thy people: the seed of evildoers shall never be renowned [named]. Prepare slaughter for his children for the iniquity of their fathers; that they do not rise, nor possess the land, nor fill the face of the world with cities. For I will rise up against them, saith the LORD of hosts, and cut off from Babylon the name, and remnant, and son [offspring], and nephew [posterity], saith the LORD. I will also make it a possession for the bittern [porcupine], and pools of water: and I will sweep it with the besom [broom] of destruction, saith the LORD of hosts. The LORD of hosts hath sworn, saying, Surely as I have thought, so shall it come to pass; and as I have purposed, so shall it stand…” (Isaiah 14:19-24)

“And when the thousand years are expired [completed], Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, and shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them. And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast [antichrist] and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever. And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.” (Revelation 20:7-15)

In conclusion, let us read the words of King David, the apostle Paul, and the apostle John and remember that God has not forgotten His people Israel, His afflicted, and Jesus will save a remnant of them through the time of Jacob’s trouble. It is this remnant who will finally put their faith and trust in Jesus - their Messiah, their TRUE Messiah - and they will all be saved. Let us also remember there is coming a day when all of creation will be joyful, when the heavens and the mountains break forth into singing, when the righteous king, Jesus Christ, King of kings and Lord of lords, takes His rightful reign upon the earth and is set in the midst of His people Israel, who will finally recognize Him as their Messiah:

“Ye that fear the LORD, praise him; all ye the seed [descendants] of Jacob, glorify him; and fear him [hold him in awesome reverence], all ye the seed of Israel. For he hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; neither hath he hid his face from him; but when he cried unto him, he heard. My praise shall be of thee in the great congregation: I will pay my vows before them that fear him. The meek shall eat and be satisfied: they shall praise the LORD that seek him: your heart shall live for ever. All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the LORD: and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee. For the kingdom is the LORD’s: and he is the governor among the nations. All they that be fat [prosper] upon earth shall eat and worship: all they that go down to the dust [death] shall bow before him: and none can keep alive his own soul [keep himself alive]. A seed shall serve him; it shall be accounted to the Lord for a generation. They shall come, and shall declare his righteousness unto a people that shall be born, that he hath done this.” (Psalm 22:23-31)

“In that day shalt thou not be ashamed for all thy doings [deeds], wherein thou hast transgressed against me: for then I will take away out of the midst of thee them that rejoice in thy pride, and thou shalt no more be haughty because of my holy mountain. I will also leave in the midst of thee an afflicted [gentle and humble] and poor people, and they shall trust in the name of the LORD. The remnant of Israel shall not do iniquity, nor speak lies; neither shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth: for they shall feed [feed their flocks] and lie down, and none shall make them afraid. Sing, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel; be glad and rejoice with all the heart, O daughter of Jerusalem. The LORD hath taken away thy judgments, he hath cast out thine enemy: the king of Israel, even the LORD, is in the midst of thee: thou shalt not see [fear] evil [disaster] any more. In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem, Fear thou not: and to Zion, Let not thine hands be slack [weak]. The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest [quiet you] in his love, he will joy over thee with singing. I will gather them that are sorrowful for the solemn [appointed] assembly, who are of thee [among you], to whom the reproach of it was a burden. Behold, at that time I will undo [deal with all] that afflict thee: and I will save her that halteth, and gather her that was driven out; and I will get [give] them praise and fame in every land where they have been put to shame. At that time will I bring you again, even in the time that I gather you: for I will make you a name [fame] and a praise among all people of the earth, when I turn back your captivity before your eyes, saith the LORD.” (Zephaniah 3:11-20)

“For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits [opinion]; that blindness [hardening] in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion [Zion] the Deliver, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: for this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.” (Romans 11:25-27)

“Wherefore God hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things [those] in heaven, and things [those] in earth, and things [those] under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:9-11)

“And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of [ruler over] the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, and hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds [the tribes] of the earth shall wail [mourn] because of him. Even so, Amen. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.” (Revelation 1:5-8) ✝️