The Days of Vengeance
Part Two
“For these be the days of vengeance,
that all things which are written may be fulfilled”
Luke 21:22
Our Obedience and God’s Judgments
“And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience,
when your obedience is fulfilled”
2 Corinthians 10:6
Jesus responding to the questions of His disciples concerning His return declared…
“But as the days of Noah were,
so shall also the coming of the Son of man be”
Matthew 24:37
Our obedience must be fulfilled in order to release the judgment of God upon the children of disobedience. Just as the obedience of Noah released the judgment of God in His Day so must it be so in ours. Noah’s obedience was not only the catalyst which released God’s judgment on the earth, it was in fact also the very means of his deliverance. His completion of the work God gave him to accomplish was also God’s provision for him. May the Lord open our eyes to this essential truth for this hour.
“In the selfsame day entered Noah, and Shem, and Ham, and Japheth,
the sons of Noah, and Noah’s wife,
and the three wives of his sons with them, into the ark…”
Genesis 7:13
The flood commenced upon the earth WHEN Noah entered the Ark, which was the fulfillment of His obedience to God in his day. Such is the testimony of God concerning Noah…
“Thus did Noah;
according to ALL that God commanded him,
so did he”
Genesis 6:22
Jesus said His return would be as it was in the days of Noah (Matthew 24:37); as Noah had his portion of obedience to fulfill so do we.
“Looking for and hasting* unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless, we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless”
2 Peter 3:12-14
Note: * The exposition of the Greek Word translated “hasten”
“…the transitive meaning, hastening on; i.e., “causing the day of the Lord to come more quickly by helping to fulfill those conditions without which it cannot come; that day being no day inexorably fixed, but one the arrival of which it is free to the church to hasten on by faith and by prayer” Vincent Greek Word Studies
“So taken, the thought of the Apostle is that the “day of God” is not immutably fixed by a Divine decree, but may be accelerated by the readiness of His people or of mankind at large” Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
“The preposition “unto” is inserted without authority. The second participle σπεύδοντας is followed directly by the accusative, and is evidently transitive. In the Septuagint Version of Isaiah 16:5, σπεύδων δικαιοσύνην represents the “hasting righteousness” of our translation (comp. Pindar, ‘Isthm.,’ 5:22, where σπεύδειν ἀρετάν means “to pursue virtue”). Here the translation “hastening” is most appropriate. The Father hath put the times and seasons in his own power; but as the long-suffering of God waited in the days of Noah, so now he is “long-suffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish;” and in his gracious mercy waits for the repentance of his chosen. St. Peter seems to represent Christians as “hastening the coming [literally, ‘presence’] of the day of God” by working out their own salvation…” Pulpit Commentary
“Hasting unto.—There is no “unto” in the Greek. The margin is probably right, hasting the coming—i.e., hastening Christ’s coming by holy lives…” Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
Why is it men and women of faith have long seen and understood this truth, yet in our day the day of slumber, God’s people have no understanding that it is their walk, their lives and the holy expressions of the Christ within them functioning and ministering unto one another is what hastens His return. The return of the Lord is not a spectator event, it is one in which we are to be partakers and participants of His Glory. When will we awake out of our slumber to arise unto fulfilling our call in His appearing?
Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light. See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil…”
Ephesians 5:14-16
This is why Jesus said…
“But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no,
not the angels which are in heaven,
neither the Son, but the Father”
Mark 13:32
For Jesus is not only the seed which fell into the ground, He is also the harvest: HE Himself is the precious fruit of the earth in the lives of His people. God is returning for the harvest of a pure and holy people!
“Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until HE receive the early and latter rain”
James 5:7
Please consider the HE in this verse that we may understand the intent of God in this hour.
His Body is involved in HIS return. Let us take heed in this hour!
“…he that sleepeth in harvest is a son that causeth shame”
Proverbs 10:5
Brian Troxel
Genesis 7: 7-10: “And Noah went in, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons’ wives with him, into the ark, because of the waters of the flood. Of clean beasts, and of beasts that are not clean, and of fowls, and of every thing that creepeth upon the earth, There went in two and two unto Noah into the ark, the male and the female, as God had commanded Noah. And it came to pass after seven days, that the waters of the flood were upon the earth.”
According to the above scripture, it looks like Noah and his family were on the Ark for seven days before the fountains of the deep were broken up.
Genesis 7: 11-13: “In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened. And the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights.
In the selfsame day entered Noah, and Shem, and Ham, and Japheth, the sons of Noah, and Noah’s wife, and the three wives of his sons with them, into the ark.”
According to the above scripture, the fountains of the deep were broken up the same day that Noah and his family entered the Ark.
It is probably a little detail, but I have always thought that, if Noah and his family were on the Ark for the final seven days before the Flood, that they suffered even more ridicule from the wicked than when he was building the Ark all of those years. Can you imagine the crowds of people gathered around the Ark, people mocking Noah and “his folly”, that “big barn full of animals”, why did he build a barge when there were no large bodies of water in the vicinity?
It seems that when persecution is at its greatest, that is when the Lord does the most powerful of his works or that is when the Lord is most glorified. It is always darkest before the dawn.
That is good, did not see that point… – To live unto Him is foolishness in the eyes of the world, even so Lord we are your servants…
Brian
As a Thief in the Night
Dreams from the LORD 2003-2006
12 July 2005
Revelation 16: 15: “Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.”
Behold I come as a thief; I come as a thief in the night. God’s judgment on sinners: unrepentant sinners. If we choose life (abide in the Tree of Life), we will not walk naked. If we choose death (the Knowledge of Good and Evil), we will walk naked and the wrath of God rests upon us.
If I am in sin, I am cut off from God. So when God visits me, He seems like a stranger to me, like a thief to me. What friend would steal from a friend? It is more likely that a man would steal from a stranger. If God is strange to me, He can only come as a thief, because I don’t know when He is coming. If I abide in Christ, I am not estranged from Him: He is with me right here, right now: He is no stranger. He is no thief–He is my Friend. My sheep hear my voice and they follow me.
Abraham was intimate with God; Abraham was a friend of God. The Lord told Abraham of the coming destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah and Abraham’s intercession saved Lot, who was righteous, but was not intimate with God. The men of Sodom and Gomorrah did not know of the coming destruction because they rejected God, they were cut off from God and His intimate communion or conversation. When the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah came, the Lord came as a thief in the night. A thief is a stranger. The Lord was a stranger to Sodom and Gomorrah because they were naked with sin (shame).
I come as a thief in the night. Night is the power of sin. At the height (or depth) of sin is the darkest time of night–and this is when God’s judgment comes. “I come as a thief in the night” is another phrase for God’s judgment on sin.
Revelation Chapter 16 speaks much of God’s judgment. Revelation 16: 1: ” . . . and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth.” Revelation 16: 8: ” . . . and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire.” Revelation 16: 10: “And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the seat of the beast; and his kingdom was full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues for pain.” Revelation 16: 19: ” . . . and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath.”
I come as a thief in the night.
“And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely” (Rev. 22:17) The Bride and the Spirit are to be One – saying the same thing… such a day of glory – His coming is not taking her unaware! May He be the sole purpose of our life.
Blessings
Brian
The Day of the Lord
By Francis Howgill
Where the Day of the Lord Appears,
How it Comes,
and How it is Looked For.
“The kingdom of God does not come with signs to be observed or with visible display,
Nor will people say, Look! Here ! or, See, there! For behold,
the kingdom of God is within you and among you.” (Luke 17:20-21)
Those who gaze abroad [looking for a visible, outward appearance] cannot see the Lord’s appearance, or his day. He that does not know where it consists, does not know how to look for it, any more than did the Jews, who were scripture experts and learned men, knew where the Kingdom of God consisted. And the literal believers, whose faith is founded on the letter [Bible/Scriptures], and on what is visible, know no more where the Kingdom of God is to be found. This day of the Lord, which is eternal brightness, appears in the heart; and the dawning and breaking forth of it is to be waited for there; and as it is witnessed, it manifests evil, and brings it to light, and declares against what is contrary to its own nature. Christ, the Covenant of light, the Gift of God, who is sent and anointed of God, to preach and to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God, proclaims it in the heart; for He comes not to bring peace, but a sword, and his sword is the sword of the Spirit. It is what divides, and discerns the thoughts and intents of the heart, and discovers its desperate wickedness. In earthly hearts where He finds no faith, He kindles a fire and executes his vengeance; and his day to those without faith is a day of great perplexity. Their spirits come to be wounded; their hearts become faint, and sorrow fills them, and trouble is known; and in this state He finds all who are unconverted; without faith; without hope; and therefore He takes away peace. Many have talked of the day of the Lord; but when it appears, they will not be able to stand it; but will rather run to anything, [the refuge of continued darkness] than see the Lord of life appear to execute vengeance upon his enemies.
They who have not yet seen this day of the Lords vengeance in themselves, have never seen the day of salvation. The prophet cried out:”Who may abide the day of His coming, and who shall stand when He appears?” And many have been eye-witnesses of the dreadful day-of the Lord, which has appeared in them, wherein all peace has been hidden from their eyes; and all who ever came to see that day of joy and gladness, first knew the terror and the terrible day of the Lord in themselves. Therefore said the apostle: “We, knowing the terror of the Lord, persuade men.” Now this day of the Lord comes not with observation, “Lo here, or there;” thus the Pharisees looked that the kingdom of heaven should come, when Christ told them it “as within them.” I say, if ever any do behold the bright shining forth of Eternal Life, they must wait in what is of God, through which He will manifest his day and power in them; and as they keep their attention to what manifests evil unto them, and shows them good, they will see how it appears; even as the lightning shines from the east unto the west, so is the coming of the day of the Lord; and the eye which is spiritual sees it. The power and the glory of the Lord, are seen in the day which is pure and spiritual in the heart; and the eye which is pure discovers when it comes, where it comes, and how it comes; while it is hidden from the vultures eye, and is hidden from the eyes which cannot cease from sin.
Now the day of the Lord comes not where the carnal mind might imagine, nor when man wills; neither according to the carnal desire of the carnal heart; neither according to the evil eye that looks out, can it be seen.
And as the day of the Lord is a mystery, the Spirit of the Lord is the only discoverer of it; for none can know the things of God, but by the Spirit of God. The day of the Lord; even his bright shining forth in the heart of man, is one of the glorious things of God, which only the Spirit of God gives the knowledge of to man, and in man. The further men draw from the Light, the darker their hearts become; and their understandings being closed up, they cannot behold the Lord, neither his glory, which is revealed only by God’s Holy Spirit; which Spirit is near man, though he sees it not.
[This is from The Missing Cross to Purity http://www.hallvworthington.com/Howgill/Memoir2.html%5D
The link above was broken. Hopefully, this link will work:
The Missing Cross to Purity
The Works of Francis Howgill
http://www.hallvworthington.com/Howgill/Memoir2.html
Powerful Word
When The Lord Closed The Door
WHEN GOD’S MERCY RUNS OUT
Genesis 7: 16:
“and the LORD shut him in.” (King James Version)
“the LORD closed the door.” (Contemporary English Version)
“Then the LORD closed the door behind them.” (New Living Translation)
“Then the LORD shut the door behind Noah.” (Good News Translation)
“and the Lord shut him in; or shut the door after him (l), he being the last that entered; and which he could not so well shut himself, at least so close, as was done by the Lord, or by the angels; and this was done to keep out the waters, and all within in safety; and to shut out others, and preserve Noah from the rage of wicked men, as well as the violence of the waters: some (m) have thought that not so much the door of the ark is meant, as the way to it, the pensile bridge which was necessary for the creatures to enter the ark; which being carried away by the force of the waters near the ark, that not being joined to it, precluded all access of the scoffers, whose scoffs were soon turned to lamentation and howling.”
(l) “post ipsum”, Vatablus, Tigurine version, Cocceius, Schmidt. “Pone eum”, Piscator. (m) Scheuchzer. Physica Sacra, vol. 1. p. 45.
–Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
“16. and the Lord shut him in—literally, ‘covered him round about.’ The ‘shutting him in’ intimated that Noah had become the special object of divine care and protection, and that to those without the season of grace was over (Mt 25:10).”
–Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
Matthew 25: 10-13: “And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut. Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.”
___
Genesis 7: 16 reminds me of the destruction of St. Pierre, Martinique in 1902 and the firebombing of Hamburg, Germany in 1943. Just before the volcano erupted and destroyed St. Pierre, either the mayor of St. Pierre or the governor of Martinique had roadblocks set up, so that the people of St. Pierre could not leave the city. Same thing happened in Hamburg. Just before the Allied bombers dropped incendiary bombs on Hamburg, there was a military order given preventing all civilians from leaving Hamburg.
When the Lord closes the door, mercy has run out and the wicked are destroyed from the face of the earth.
Let us hear and let us fear the Word of the Lord.
The fear of the Lord is true wisdom
[…] This is from the blog A Word in Season: […]
may the Lord bless this scripture, the guide of faith