May 17, 2024: Isaiah 46:12-13 - God has Placed Salvation in Zion

“Hearken unto me, ye stouthearted, that are far from righteousness: I bring near my righteousness; it shall not be far off, and my salvation shall not tarry: and I will place salvation in Zion for Israel my glory.” (Isaiah 46:12-13)

NOTE: As with all my devotionals, please consider that I am doing my best to understand the prophecies in the Scriptures I have included below. What I have written is my understanding, to the best of my ability, through the guiding of the Holy Spirit.

God, through Isaiah, one of His chosen prophets, is addressing His people to remind them that they are stubborn and would not listen to His warnings. Even though God through His chosen prophets had told His people in advance what would happen to them and to their fathers if they continued sinning against Him, they were stiff-necked and stubborn, refusing to believe anything bad would happen to them. God used Isaiah and Jeremiah to warn them, and His warnings fell on deaf ears. All that God prophesied would happen did happen to His people, who were divided into two kingdoms at that time, the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah. All that was prophesied of Israel and its near complete destruction by Assyria was fulfilled. All that was prophesied regarding the Jews’ seventy-year captivity in Babylon did happen, and this included mainly those Jews from Judah but also some who, after the Assyrian conquest remained in the land, but reunited with Judah. But there was good news for the Jews: God told them in advance that He would not leave them as captives forever. In His Scriptures, God was giving them a hope and a future, letting them know through the prophet Jeremiah that their time in Babylon would not last forever; it would come to an end. When it would end, He told them He didn’t want them to go back to their old ways, as a dog returns to its own vomit and as a sow who was washed who returns to her filthy mire. He reminded them that they are hardheaded and far from righteousness. He reminded them that righteousness only comes from Him. The words in Isaiah 46:12-13 are not only speaking of the return of the Jews to their land, when a small remnant who were taken captive to Babylon would return to Israel, with the rest choosing to remain in Babylon, but God was also prophesying of the ultimate fulfillment of righteousness which can only come through His Son Jesus Christ. Jesus, their Messiah, would come from Zion, out of Israel, out of the people God chose to bring forth the Messiah, and He offers righteousness to all who choose to believe in Him. This prophecy also refers to the fact that a remnant of Jews at the time of Jesus’ second coming WILL turn to Him, will mourn for their sins against Him, acknowledge that He is Messiah, and will be saved.

There are many prophecies of Jesus’ first coming in the book of Isaiah, including the one below, which was also prophesied in the book of Zechariah. Salvation of sins does not come from the Muslims, the Buddhists, the Hindus, the New Agers, from the Catholic Church, by our “good works,” or from anything or anyone except Jesus; salvation comes from belief in Him as the only One who can save us. Jesus is a Jew, and He was born through a people called by God Himself to bring light into the world. Jesus is our cornerstone, our firm foundation:

“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.” (Isaiah 28:16)

“Behold, the LORD hath proclaimed unto the end of the world, Say ye to the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy salvation cometh; behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him.” (Isaiah 62:11)

“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just [righteous], and having salvation; lowly [humble], and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.” (Zechariah 9:9)

“Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner [chief corner stone]: this is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes?” (Matthew 21:42)

“Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” (John 8:12)

The prophecies above from Isaiah and Zechariah were fulfilled when Jesus made His triumphal entry in Jerusalem during His first coming:

“And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and were come to Bethphage, unto the mount of Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples, saying unto them, Go into the village over against [opposite] you, and straightway ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her: loose [untie] them, and bring them unto me. And if any man say ought unto you, ye shall say, The Lord hath need of them; and straightway he will send them. All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek [lowly], and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass. And the disciples went, and did as Jesus commanded them, and brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and they set him thereon. And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and strayed [spread] them in the way. And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest.” (Matthew 21:1-9)

Though the majority of the Jews rejected their Messiah - Jesus Christ - there is coming a day when a remnant, those who remain alive after the 7-year time of Jacob’s trouble, which is the 70th week of Daniel (Daniel 9:24, 9:27), will turn to Him and believe in Him as their Messiah. Their hearts will finally be turned to Him, and they will be redeemed of all their sins. Jeremiah and Zechariah also wrote about the time when the Jews will finally turn to Him and will be forgiven of all their iniquities, and Jesus will remember their sins no more. This forgiveness of sins can only come when they turn their hearts to Jesus:

“Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD: but this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And they shall teach no more every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and will remember their sin no more.” (Jeremiah 31:31-34)

As prophesied in the Bible, God has placed salvation in Zion for Israel His glory, and that is exactly why the world hates the Jews. The source of this hatred is Satan, and it applies to everyone who has rejected the gospel of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. Throughout the history of mankind, Satan has tried time and time again to eradicate the Jews, but he will never succeed. Satan hates the Jews because he hates God and he wants to be God. He hates the Jews because it is through them that Jesus the Christ came in order to offer salvation from sins for all who believe on Him. Satan knows the Bible, and he knows it better than most professing Christians. Satan knows that the Bible tells us that Jesus will return one day in His second coming and that this time, it will be for judgment upon the earth, and more specifically to turn the unbelieving Jews to Him as they are put through a refiner’s fire, when they finally realize they need Him and that He is their long-prophesied Messiah. Satan also knows that the Bible foretells of his final end, when he will ultimately be cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where he “shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.” (Revelation 20:10) Until that happens, he is doing everything he can to cause chaos in the world and to stir up people against the Jews. Think about it: have you ever seen any other people group more hated in the world than the Jews? We are seeing this hatred increase with fervor, just as it did during WWII with Hitler and the Nazis, and it will continue to increase, just as Zechariah prophesied:

“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 [very heavy] stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it [who would heave it away] shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it.” (Zechariah 12:1-3)

This prophecy tells us that those who gather against Israel and who wish to remove it, to eliminate it, will themselves be cut into pieces. As the Scripture below tells us, it will be God alone who will protect Israel when no other nation will come to their defense, and that includes the United States of America, which until most recently has been a staunch ally of Israel:

“In that day, saith the LORD, I will smite every horse with astonishment [confusion], and his rider with madness: and I will open mine eyes upon the house of Judah, and will smite every horse of the people with blindness. And the governors of Judah shall say in their heart, The inhabitants of Jerusalem shall be my strength in the LORD of hosts their God. In that day will I make the governors of Judah like an hearth of fire among the wood, and like a torch of fire in a sheaf; and they shall devour all the people round about, on the right hand and on the left: and Jerusalem shall be inhabited again in her own place, even in Jerusalem. The LORD also shall save the tents of Judah first, that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem do not magnify themselves against [shall not become greater than that of] Judah. 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 nations that come against Jerusalem.” (Zechariah 12:4-9)

It will be after this happens that the eyes of Israel will be opened and they will finally realize that Jesus, the One whom they pierced, IS their Messiah, and they will mourn greatly for Him as their only Son:

“And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness [grieve] for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn. In that day shall there be a great mourning in Jerusalem, as the mourning of Hadad-rimmon in the valley of Megiddon. And the land shall mourn, every family apart [by itself]; the family of the house of David apart, and their wives apart; the family of the house of Nathan apart, and their wives apart; the family of the house of Levi apart, and their wives apart; the family of Shimei apart, and their wives apart; all the families that remain, every family apart, and their wives apart.” (Zechariah 12:10-14)

As Scripture says above, God will pour upon them “the spirit of grace and supplications.” It is only when they mourn for their sins of rejecting Messiah that God will cleanse them of their sins and cleanse their land:

“In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness. And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the LORD of hosts, that I will cut the names of the idols out of the land, and they shall no more be remembered: and also I will cause the prophets and the unclean spirit to pass out of [depart from] the land.” (Zechariah 13:1-2)

Zechariah 13:3-6 tells us that there is a time coming when false prophets will no more be allowed to speak lies in the name of the Lord as they deceive many, and they will be put to shame and even killed by their own parents and wounded by their friends when they try to propagate lies; only truth will be allowed to prevail:

“And it shall come to pass, that when any shall yet prophesy, then his father and his mother that begat him shall say unto him, Thou shalt not live; for thou speakest lies in the name of the LORD: and his father and his mother that begat him shall thrust him through when he prophesieth. And it shall come to pass in that day, that the prophets shall be ashamed every one of his vision, when he hath prophesied; neither shall they wear a rough garment to deceive: but he shall say, I am no prophet, I am an husbandman [farmer]; for man taught me to keep cattle from my youth. And one shall say unto him, What are these wounds in thine hands? Then he shall answer, Those with which I was wounded sin the house of my friends.” (Zechariah 13:3-6)

The intolerance of false prophets is exactly how God intended it to be, and it was written about by Moses in the book of Deuteronomy, which also tells us how to identify false prophets:

“But the prophet, which shall presume to speak a word in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, even that prophet shall die. And if thou say in thine heart, How shall we know the word which the LORD hath not spoken. When a prophet speaketh in the name of the LORD, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him.” (Deuteronomy 18:20-22)

Lies spread like wildfire, and the intent of lies is to deceive people. The source of lies is not of God but of Satan. Billions of people have been deceived by the lies of Satan. Sadly, the majority of people who have died, died in their sins because they chose to believe the lies of Satan, perhaps believing there is no God, or that false gods could save them, or that they didn’t need to be saved, and they chose to reject the gift of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.

As we continue reading In Zechariah 13, a prophesy of the first coming of Messiah was made:

“Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow [companion], saith the LORD of hosts: smite [strike] the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered: and I will turn mine hand upon the little ones.” (Zechariah 13:7)

During the Passover meal that Jesus ate with His apostles before He was crucified, Jesus quoted the above Scripture after Judas Iscariot, one of His twelve apostles, had agreed to betray Him for thirty pieces of silver:

“Then saith Jesus unto them, All ye shall be offended [made to stumble] because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad.” (Matthew 26:31)

Later that night, Jesus went to the garden to pray, and He took Peter, James, and John with Him. Judas Iscariot, His betrayer, came with a crowd of the Jewish chief priests and elders of the people, armed with “swords and staves.” Judas gave the men he was with a sign, saying the man he would kiss would be the one they should arrest. Judas went to Jesus, “and said, Hail, master [rabbi]; and kissed him.” The men then put their hands on Jesus and took Him. Peter, being filled with anger, took his sword and cut off the ear of a servant of the high priest:

“Then said Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword. Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels? But how then shall the scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be? In that same hour said Jesus to the multitudes, Are ye come out as against a thief with swords and staves for to take me? I sat daily with you teaching in the temple, and ye laid no hold on me. But all this was done, that the scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled. Then all the disciples forsook him, and fled.” (Matthew 26:52-56)

Jesus was then brought before Annas, the Jewish high priest, for questioning:

“The high priest then asked Jesus of his disciples, and of his doctrine. Jesus answered him, I spake openly to the world; I ever [always] taught in the synagogue and in the temple, whither the Jews always resort [meet]; and in secret have I said nothing. Why askest thou me? ask them which heard me, what I have said unto them: behold, they know what I said. And when he had thus spoken, one of the officers which stood by struck Jesus with the palm of his hand, saying, Answerest thou the high priest so? Jesus answered him, If I have spoken evil, bear witness of the evil: but if well, why smitest thou me?” (John 18:19-23)

The prophecy in Zechariah 13:7 was fulfilled. The apostles and disciples of Jesus who had put their faith and trust in Him prior to His arrest and death by crucifixion, did stumble in their faith after He was arrested, for they feared what man would do them. However, they would later see Jesus after He rose from the tomb after three days, having their faith renewed. They would later be filled with the power of His Holy Spirit, and would be scattered abroad, preaching the good news of salvation throughout the Roman Empire.

Regarding the last part of Zechariah, 13:7, “and I will turn mine hand upon the little ones," it could mean that God would put His hand against the unbelieving Jews. When compared to the other nations, the Jews at that time - and now - were small in number and insignificant. God would allow them to be persecuted by the world, to be put through the fire. This aligns with what we read next in Zechariah 13:

“And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the LORD, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein. And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try [test] them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried [tested]: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The LORD is my God.” (Zechariah 13:8-9)

This remnant that will be put through the fire was prophesied by Isaiah 10:22-23, and the apostle Paul referenced Isaiah’s prophecy in the book of Romans:

“And it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people; there shall they be called the children of the living God. Esaias [Isaiah] also crieth concerning Israel, Though the number of the children of Israel be as of the sand of the sea, a remnant shall be saved: for he will finish the work, and cut it short in righteousness: because a short work will the Lord make upon the earth. And as Esaias said before, Except the Lord of Sabaoth had left us a seed, we had been [would have become] as Sodoma, and been made like unto Gomorrha.” (Romans 9:26-29)

Long before Jesus came to earth the first time, God told the Jews in advance through the prophets Micah, Isaiah, and others that He would send them their Messiah, who has always existed. Through Micah, God even named the specific town in which Messiah would be born:

“Now gather thyself in troops, O daughter of troops: he hath laid siege against us: they shall smite [strike] the judge of Israel with a rod upon the cheek. But thou, Beth-lehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.” (Micah 5:1-2)

Next Micah tells us:

“Therefore will he give them up, until the time that she which travaileth hath brought forth: then the remnant of his brethren shall return unto the children of Israel.” (Micah 5:3)

When I read the subsequent Scriptures in Micah chapter 5 and the context that it provides, to me this means that Jesus will give His people, the Jews, up - meaning He will allow them to be persecuted by their enemies, which is all nations - until their time of sorrows that Jesus discussed in Matthew 24 and also by the prophet Jeremiah has been completed. This is their final time of testing, the time when a one-third remnant will be refined in the fire that Zechariah prophesied of in Zechariah 13:8-9 above.

During the 7-year time of Jacob’s trouble, also called the Tribulation, the coming final Antichrist will confirm a 7-year covenant with many, that I believe will include the Jews. This begins the 70th week, the final 7 years before Jesus’ second coming, prophesied by Daniel (Daniel 9:27). However, Antichrist will break the covenant 3-1/2 years into it. At that time, Antichrist will commit the abomination of desolation, proclaiming himself to be God in the third Jewish temple, which is still to be built. (See Daniel 9:27 and Matthew 24:15.) It will be at that time that the Jews will realize they have been deceived, and that this man is not who they thought he was, the man they perhaps thought would bring peace to their nation. They will realize he is the Antichrist prophesied of in the book of Revelation (referred to as the beast of the sea). As Jesus said in Matthew 24:16, at that time of their realization, some of the Jews will flee to the mountains. As written in Zechariah 14:2, “and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city.” Here I believe the word “captivity” means “exile,” and they will flee Israel, fearing for their lives. However, as Jesus told His apostles in Matthew 24:19-20, there will likely be conditions that prevent some from being able to leave, and that includes those who are pregnant and nursing babies, those who are elderly or sick and unable to run for their lives, and those who keep the sabbath and would not flee if it meant fleeing on the sabbath. Thus, half of the one-third remnant will flee to the mountains and the other half will remain in Jerusalem.

Their fleeing is also mentioned in both Revelation 12:6 and 12:14. They will flee “into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared by God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore [sixty] days.” (Revelation 12:6), which is 3-1/2 years, the second half of the time of Jacob’s trouble, which is also known as the Great Tribulation. The fact that God says she (Israel) will be fed and nourished makes sense, since no one alive during that time will be able to buy or sell, which includes buying food, without having the mark of the beast and worshipping him. It will be God Himself who will provide for them during that time period; no longer will they be able to depend on anyone or anything but Him for their lives.

The second part of Micah 5:3 says, “then the remnant of his brethren shall return unto the children of Israel.” I do not know this for sure, but one possible explanation is that this is the time that Jesus spoke of to His apostles:

“Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: and then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.” (Matthew 24:29-31)

This is Jesus’ second coming. John the apostle also prophesied of this in Revelation 19:11-21. Two thirds of the Jews will die during the time of Jacob’s trouble, but one-third will survive, and it is them who will finally turn to Jesus in belief and will mourn for Him as a father mourns for his only son. The one-half of the one-third Jewish remnant who had fled Israel at the sign of the abomination of desolation and who were saved by God Himself through the second half of the tribulation by God Himself, will be gathered by the angels, along with everyone who turned to Jesus Christ in belief during that time, and will be gathered together in Jerusalem.

Let us read what is written next in Micah 5:

“And he shall stand and feed [shepherd his flock] in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God; and they shall abide: for now shall he be great unto the ends of the earth. And this man shall be the peace, when the Assyrian shall come into our land: and when he shall tread in our palaces, then shall we raise against him seven shepherds, and eight principal men. And they shall waste [devastate] the land of Assyria with the sword, and the land of Nimrod in the entrances thereof: thus shall he deliver us from the Assyrian, when he cometh into our land, and when he treadeth within our borders.” (Micah 5:4-6)

The “he” that is referenced in the first sentence is Jesus. It is only at this time when He returns to earth the second time that He will shepherd His flock, all who believe in Him, including both the surviving Jewish remnant and all Gentiles who believe in Him as their Redeemer. It is Jesus alone who is THE peace, as foretold in Isaiah 9:6, “…and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” It is Jesus who will protect Israel when the nations, led by the Assyrian. I do not believe this is referring to the Assyrians when they began conquering Israel in 740 BC under King Pul because in Micah 4:1 it is referring to a specific and different time period:

“But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it.” (Micah 4:1)

I believe “the Assyrian” referred to in Micah 5:4-6 above is the final Antichrist discussed in the book of Revelation, and the passage is describing when Antichrist and those allied with him will gather against Jesus at Armageddon. This is also discussed in the book of Revelation:

“And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon [Satan], and out of the mouth of the beast [Antichrist], and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.” (Revelation 16:14)

Right in the between the verse above and verse 16, the words of Jesus are given to us as a warning that we are to watch, for we know not the hour when Jesus is coming. This is what Jesus had told His apostles in Matthew 24:42-44.

“Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.” (Revelation 16:15)

Let us read what is written next in Revelation 16 and also in Revelation 19, when Jesus returns to earth on a white horse and with His armies in heaven who follow Him and are also on white horses:

“And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon [Mount Megiddo].” (Revelation 16:16)

“And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army.” (Revelation 19:19)

Micah then tells us that the surviving remnant of Jacob will be surrounded by many nations, Gentile/non-Jewish nations, who seek their destruction:

“And the remnant of Jacob shall be in the midst of many people as a dew from the LORD, as the showers upon the grass, that tarrieth not for man, nor waiteth for the sons of men. And the remnant of Jacob shall be among the Gentiles in the midst of many people as a lion among the beasts of the forest, as a young lion among the flocks of sheep: who, if he go through, both treadeth down, and teareth in pieces, and none can deliver. Thine hand shall be lifted up upon thine adversaries, and all thine enemies shall be cut off [destroyed].” (Micah 5:7-9)

In this process, God will eliminate all of the strongholds of the remnant of Jacob, their idols and false gods in which they have put their trust since the beginning, and will cause them to rely on Him and Him alone. The remnant of Jacob will not be defeated, but it won’t be their own power that defeats those who come against them. It won’t be their horses and their chariots - their military strength, their Iron Dome, David’s Sling, or nuclear weapons systems - but it will be Jesus Himself as previously mentioned in verse 6, who will deliver them from the Assyrian, the Antichrist, and all who are with him:

“And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the LORD, that I will cut off your horses out of the midst of thee, and I will destroy thy chariots: and I will cut off the cities of thy land, and throw down all thy strong holds: and I will cut off witchcrafts out of thine hand; and thou shalt have no more soothsayers: thy graven images also will I cut off, and thy standing images out of the midst of thee; and thou shalt no more worship the work of thine hands. And I will pluck up thy groves out of the midst of thee: so will I destroy thy cities. And I will execute vengeance in anger and fury upon the heathen, such as they have not heard.” (Micah 5:10-15)

I believe this passage of Scripture aligns with Revelation 19 when Jesus destroys all who come against Him and casts the Antichrist/beast and the false prophet into the lake of fire:

“And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. And the remnant [rest] were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls [birds] were filled with their flesh.” (Revelation 19:20-21)

Long ago, King David wrote to his people that they must not trust in themselves, or any nation, government, or anything else to save them but God Himself. While this psalm was a song of prayer that was sung before going into battle, it is also a psalm recognizing it is only Messiah - Jesus Christ - who can save us. But we must cry out to Him, asking Him to save us, recognizing that He is God and only He can save us. It also acknowledges that all who place their trust in anyone or anything else will be brought down and will fall:

“The LORD hear thee in the day of trouble; the name of the God of Jacob defend thee; send thee help from the sanctuary, and strengthen thee out of Zion; remember all thy offerings, and accept thy burnt sacrifice; Selah. Grant thee according to thine own heart, and fulfil all thy counsel. We will rejoice in thy salvation, and in the name of our God we will set up our banners: the LORD fulfil all thy petitions. Now know I that the LORD saveth his anointed [Messiah, commissioned one]; he will hear him from his holy heaven with the saving strength of his right hand. Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the LORD our God. They are brought down and fallen: but we are risen, and stand upright. Save, LORD: let the king hear us when we call.” (Psalm 20)

Whether we are Jew or Gentile, David’s words are true to every single person alive on this earth. May we really think about what David wrote above, and ask ourselves: in whom or in what are we trusting for our lives?

God in His word is clear: righteousness only comes from Him, and it is a gift given to us by His Son Jesus Christ, born from the Jews, for all who believe on Him. That gift was given first to the Jews and then to the Gentiles:

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.” (Romans 1:16-17)

It is a sad and terrible truth that the majority of mankind loves sin and unrighteousness and refuses to acknowledge that He is God and that salvation is of the Jews. Therefore, they wallow in their sin, and they plot and they take their stand against Jesus Christ, hating Him and hating all who love Him. But there is a time coming when the Lord Jesus Christ will return to earth, but this time, He won’t come as a gentle Lamb but as the King of kings and Lord of lords executing His justice and righteousness upon a wicked world that chose sin over salvation. They will be without excuse, as Romans 1:18-23 below explains, for God’s existence is evident throughout the world and is clearly seen. Instead of worshipping God, they will worship everything but Him in some form or fashion, and they will become fools. In their foolish thoughts, they will plot against His Anointed Son, Jesus the Christ, thinking they can war against Him and win. They will ignorantly, but voluntarily, be deceived by Satan, who will use them as pawns to try and accomplish his evil intents. Though it may seem that Satan will win, Jesus will destroy Satan and all who align with him. Jesus will repay all who choose sin over righteousness with their due reward.

“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold [suppress] the truth in unrighteousness; because that which may be known of God is manifest [evident] in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead [divine nature]; so that they are without excuse; because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain [futile] in their imaginations [thoughts], and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible [perishable] man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.” (Romans 1:18-23)

“Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine [plot] a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed [Messiah, Christ], saying, Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us. He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision. Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex [distress] them in his sore [deep] displeasure. Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion. I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee. Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen [nations or Gentiles] for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel. Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth. Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.” (Psalm 2)

After the majority of Israel rejected God’s gift of salvation through faith in His only begotten Son Jesus Christ because of their hardness of hearts, God blinded them in part, provoking them to jealousy, until the fullness of the time of the Gentiles has come, which has not happened yet. The apostle Paul wrote of this in the book of Romans when he explained that God is not finished with the Jewish people; He has not forgotten them and cast them away. Unlike what many churches preach today, the church has NOT replaced Israel:

“I say then, Hath God cast away his people? God forbid [certainly not]. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew. Wot ye [know] not what the scripture saith of Elias? how he maketh intercession to God against Israel, saying, Lord, they have killed thy prophets, and digged [torn] down thine altars; and I am left alone, and they seek my life. But what saith the answer of God unto him? I have reserved to myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal. Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace. And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work. What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded [hardened] (According as it is written, God hath given them the spirit of slumber [stupor], eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear;) unto this day. And David saith, Let their table be made a snare, and a trap, and a stumblingblock, and a recompense unto them: let their eyes be darkened, that they may not see, and bow down their back away. I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall [trespass] salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy.” (Romans 11:1-11)

Though Israel today for the most part is far from God, rejecting His Son Jesus Christ, there is coming a day when all the remnant of Israel who survives the time of Jacob’s trouble will be saved:

“For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness 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 wriitten, There shall come out of Sion [Zion] the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: for this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins. As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes: but as touching [concerning] the election, they are beloved for the fathers’ sakes. For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance [irrevocable]. For as ye in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief: even so have these also now not believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy. For God hath concluded [confined] them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all.” (Romans 11:25-32)

Paul is writing to the Gentiles who were saved through their faith in Jesus Christ, reminding them that they were ALL sinners in need of the Savior and that they should not put themselves above the Jews because of their unbelief. It was through the Jews’ unbelief that God turned His attention to the Gentiles, offering them salvation, until such time when He turns His attention back to the Jews. That time will happen when Daniel’s 70th week, the time of Jacob’s trouble, begins. For all who believe God is finished with the Jews, you are strongly mistaken, and I encourage you to read and study your Bible and hear what God Himself has to say about them. Yes, they are hardhearted and stubborn, but so are we. It is only by God’s mercy and love that was exemplified in His Son Jesus Christ that we can be forgiven of our sins when we put our faith and trust in Him - and Him alone - to save us. God used the hardening of the hearts of His people the Jews to offer salvation to the Gentiles because He does not want any to perish but for all to come to repentance, to turn to Jesus Christ and be saved. We cannot understand all of God’s ways, but we can and must trust in Him in all things:

“O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor? Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed [repaid] unto him again? For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.” (Romans 11:33-36)

“The earth is the LORD’s, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. For he hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods. Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD? or who shall stand in his holy place? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity [an idol], nor sworn deceitfully. He shall receive the blessing from the LORD, and righteousness from the God of his salvation. This is the generation of them that seek him, that seek thy face, O Jacob. Selah. Lift up your heads, O yet gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, O ye gates; even lift them up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, he is the King of glory. Selah.”

“For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” (2 Corinthians 5:21) ✝️